Kind Hearts & Coronets

Chapters

II: Hearts Are Built Like Rubber, So You'll Be Alright
III: It Happens All the Time, This Crazy Love of Mine
IV: Dreams Become So Real to Me
V: Have You Ever Watched the Day Passing by Your Door?
VI: Drifting Through a World That’s Torn and Tattered
VII: Here We Are, Caught Up in This Big Rhythm
VIII: You Were Only Waiting for This Moment to Arrive
IX: Just an Illusion We Believe
X: Love Will Never Do What You Want It To
XI: They Danced by the Light of the Moon
XII: A Splendid High-Waisted, White-Flavored Day
XIII: Today the Way I Play the Game is Not the Same
Finale: A Beginning in the End
I: Like Walking in the Rain and the Snow When There's Nowhere to Go

II: Hearts Are Built Like Rubber, So You'll Be Alright

The next morning, Rarity awoke to the deep rumble of gears turning. At first, she thought it was just a hangover, but when she heard a voice shout out, “Twi, would you please turn that thing off?” she knew it was something else. So, after a quick shower, she made herself presentable for the day as she stepped out of the bedroom she occupied in Twilight’s tower.

Stepping out of her room, she remembered the first time she was here she was amazed and ever thankful that Celestia had allowed her to stay in one of the rooms in the palace. Had Rarity known at the time that the room was actually one of the guest rooms in the tower she’d allotted to Twilight, things might have been different. But in the years since, Twilight had done some renovations on “her” tower, and one of those was the giant contraption that floated in the center void.

“Sorry!” Twilight’s voice shouted down from below. “I thought I’d cleaned out all the smooze from the last time I ran this thing! That’s what’s making the grinding noise!”

Teleporting down to where Twilight was – she’d learned a few spells over the years – Rarity looked up at it from her friend’s viewpoint. “What is it?”

“Pandimensional Focusing Locus – it’s a loxocosm designed to test theories on paries quartum and fractal vibrations. There’re some theories on other realities that I was curious about, so I’m working on that.”

“What’s a loxocosm?”

“Oh, that’s just a type of clockwork planetarium that specifically covers our geocentric model of the astral plane, though a loxocosm is magically charged and used for specific astronomical, astrophysical and astrological studies.” She laughed. “I remember back when I was in the Academy, there was this one student, a unicorn from Saddle Arabia named Orrery—”

“That’s an unusual name,” Rarity noted.

“She was a sweetheart, from what I remember. I wish I’d made better friends with her; Trixie knows her, though. Anyway, she wanted to build something she called a tellurion, which was based on – get this – a heliocentric model. She believed she could prove that it was possible for the Earth to circle around the sun independently, as opposed to Celestia’s intervention in moving the sun around our world. Unfortunately, while her tellurion was top-notch, she failed the class because the instructors wanted something a little more grounded in reality. But to get back to what I was saying, my loxocosm’s design is roughly based on the same situ—”

“That’s…interesting, dear,” Rarity said, as she fruitlessly tried to wrap her mind around Twilight’s latest inanity. She loved her dear friend and sister royal, but too many of the concepts in the head of the young mage were far above that of even the most learned of ponies, never mind those of the average.

“So what’s your plan for the day?” Twilight asked. “I hear you were planning to have brunch with Shiny and Cadance?”

Rarity nodded. “And then afterwards I plan to look at some homes in the area. If I’m going to take the position Celestia offered me, I’ll have to move to Canterlot. I won’t have time to commute, as it is quite a distance by train or even royal chariot.”

“You’re welcome to live here,” Twilight offered. “It’s just me and Spike, and….”

“Twilight, that’s terribly generous of you, but you have your own life, and I’m sure that when Spike is old enough he’ll likely move out as well. It’s sad enough that you’ve had to move back here from Ponyville due to your increasing duties, and if the others accept their ministry duties, they will as well.” She frowned. “Once, I would have done anything to live in Canterlot. Now…I’m no longer sure if that’s the case.”

She was about to say more, when Spike came up, looking like he’d had a rude awakening as well. “Rarity, Shiny’s here to see you.”

“Thank you, Spike. I will see you two later tonight and we can discuss things further. Ta-ta!”

“She won’t bite, Silver, I promise.” Cadance and Silver sat at a table at Entremetier’s, one of the most expensive restaurants in Canterlot and known for their Pearisian-style cuisine. It took quite some effort for celebrities and nobles to get a table here, but for royalty? There was always a table available, one which Cadance immediately made her acquaintance with as she’d brought Silver with her.

“But am I doing the right thing?” he asked her. “I mean, it’s been well over a week now since…you know…and I still have to wonder if this is the right thing for me.”

“You know that answer better than I. Derpy’s a friend of mine and Shining’s, but you were in a relationship with her.” Cadance magically lifted the teacup to her lips and took a sip of the delicate honey-lemon tea within. “I want what’s best for you both, and since she hasn’t responded back, I think it’s best that you move on.”

“I thought you were the Avatar of Love – don’t you believe in true love ever after?”

“I do,” she agreed, but said nothing further. Silver sighed, knowing what she was hinting at. Instead, she set her cup down and said, “My aunts are the very embodiment of day and night, but even they do not know everything there is to know about their elements. I know a lot about love, but that doesn’t mean I know everything. You might find that you and Rarity are very compatible. You might hate each other after meeting. You might have foals together, or you might just remain friends and nothing more. I don’t know what that answer is and I don’t know what path you and she will take. And that’s none of my business.”

“Fine, fine,” he said, taking a drink from his coffee. “I get what you mean. It’s just that...I’m not sure that I’m in the best way right now. I just got promoted, I have to meet my new unit for the first time tomorrow and now all of a sudden I have a new fillyfriend?”

“Are you so sure on that last one?” Cadance inquired, looking at him.

“Look, Cadance, I misspoke there. Slip of the tongue, okay?” He set down his coffee and shook his head. “Great. Wonder how much worse things are going to ge—”

“YOU!”

When Shining had informed Rarity that they’d made reservations at Entremetier’s, the unicorn squealed with delight, as it was a restaurant she’d wanted to try for the longest time. When he informed her that Cadance would meet them there as she was bringing along the male part of her mystery date, Rarity felt butterflies – was she ready for this? Was she doing nothing more than deluding herself?

“Would it be improper to admit I’m nervous?” she asked him.

“You’ll be fine. I wouldn’t put you in a position that I wouldn’t put Twily in.”

She smiled weakly at that. “I know,” she admitted as the pair stepped out of the chariot and onto the sidewalk, with the ponies around looking at their prince as he was accompanied by one of the Knights Elemental. “It’s just…a blind date…. Never had one of those before. And while I trust you completely, Shining, part of me still feels – YOU!”

Cadance and Shining looked at each other in confusion, then at Rarity and Silver, both saying, “You two know each other?”

The look on Silver’s face was confused; this was not how he expected things to go down. Granted, he didn’t have an idea of how he was going to introduce himself to a duchess and the Knight Elemental of Generosity, but even still, this wasn’t on the list of ways he was going to do it. “No, I don’t know her. Trust me, I would’ve remembered somepony like her.”

Rarity huffed indignantly. “I should say so! Though thankfully, I can say that I wouldn’t dare to be caught with such a lout as you!”

“Lout?”

“You were the one throwing up in front of that bar about a week ago and harassing that poor pegasus mare!”

“What are you…?” he started to say, but then suddenly realized that had been that day when he’d gotten the Dear John letter from Derpy and decided to drown his sorrows, only to have Goldie try to bail him out. He’d seen her that day…but up until now he hadn’t considered how it would look from the other side. “Oh, buck me,” he muttered under his breath. “Look, Miss, I can explain that.”

“I’ll bet.”

Cadance at this point had enough presence of mind to ask, “Somepony want to clue Shining and me in on this?”

“Yes! This drunken lummox there was busy…relieving himself – a lady shouldn’t be mentioned to say such things! – and pestering Miss Golden Sun! I’m quite surprised she didn’t mention anything of the sort, but he is, in my opinion, not the sort of pony that should be officer material!”

“Lady, you’re not getting an argument out of me on that one,” Silver groaned, “but look, there’s a reasonable explanation, if you’ll just let me explain!”

“How could I countenance you publicly humiliating such a decent-hearted mare as Golden Sun?”

Cadance and Shining looked at each other, then commented in unison, “Silver and Goldie are siblings.”

“And another thing!” Rarity said, barely having heard her friends. “If you even th…what?”

Silver stood up from the table. “Look, there’s more to the story, Miss, but it’s clear that you’re not interested in hearing.” Looking at both Shining and Cadance, he said, “I appreciate what you’ve done, you two, more than I can ever say, but it looks like it’s not going to work out.” Turning to Rarity, he said, “That night, I had something very personal and very bad happen to me and my sister went to bail me out – she’s always looked out for me, even when I think I don’t need it.”

Rarity suddenly had the feeling she’d made a slight misjudgement. “I…see.”

“For what it’s worth,” he told her in a halting, shocked voice, “from the moment I laid eyes on you, even half-drunk, you were the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, like an angel in a Trotlouse-La Trek painting. I just…I just thought I’d wanted you to know that.” He sighed, then looked at Shining. “Yeah, perfect flower for the perfect bee, my flank. I’ll catch you and Cadance later, Shines. Thanks again.” Turning away, he left the table.

Perfect flower for the perfect bee? She knew that phrase – it was a shibboleth commonly used by folks from her old hometown; furthermore, she knew what it meant. “Wait!” Rarity said, suddenly. “Please, wait!” She moved in front of him to block his departure path. “You’re from Maneapolis?”

“No, ma’am. Born in Los Pegasas, but I’ve lived most of my life here in Canterlot.”

“That’s such an odd turn of phrase that you used – it’s a figure of speech from where I’m from…where I’m originally from, that is. I may have lived in Ponyville for most of my life, but I’m originally from Maneapolis.” She peered at him intensely, enough so that he wanted to flinch from her gaze. Finally giving him a smile, she said, “And now I can see Miss Sandalwood’s countenance in you. I apologize for the misunderstanding and earlier outburst.”

“No, it was entirely my fault,” he admitted. “Had I not been such a burro that night, I wouldn’t have given Goldie that much trouble. Either way, it’s a learning experience.” Gesturing to the unused seat at the table, he asked, “So, shall we try again, Miss…?”

“Rarity.”

“And I’m Silversteel.”

Cadance and Shining looked at each other as the other two relaxed. Though the spouses never verbalized a thing, the look in both their eyes said it all: I’m glad this didn’t explode in our faces.

“Now that is the look of a very happy mare,” Fleur dis Lee said to Rarity later that afternoon, as both mares, accompanied by the former’s husband, Fancy Pants, were looking at homes in the wealthy Western district of Canterlot, where most of the nobility and well-heeled ponies resided. “Something very good must have happened to you today, Rarity.”

“Well, I sent a note to Princess Celestia today informing her that I’d accept the position, so she said to choose a home and she’d purchase it for me as a congratulatory gift.” Looking at a catalog of available homes, she said, “I’d like to see the one at 341 Primrose Court.”

“I’ll notify the real estate agent,” Fancy commented. “He owes me a favor or two and I may be able to talk the price down.” Willing into existence a quill and scroll so he could send a message, he left the two mares to their own devices.

“Okay, now tell me the truth, Rarity,” Fleur said in a hushed tone. “Fancy might believe that, but I know you better. So what’s really got you in such a good mood?”

“Well,” she said, blushing, “I met somepony today.”

“That’s wonderful! Who is he?”

“His name is Silversteel. He’s an officer in the Guards, and…well, there’s something about him that just caught my attention. He says that I enraptured him from the very first moment he saw me – and admittedly, it wasn’t the best of situations in which we first saw one another….”

“I think I’d like some information on that.”

“No you don’t,” she said, evasively. “But he’s a gentlestallion and a charming one, too. However, there’s something sad about him, as if he’s hurting somehow and hasn’t told a soul as to what it is.”

Fleur thought on it for a second. “Perhaps he’s recently broken up with a paramour. Stallionfolk are quite like that sometimes. When I met Fancy Pants, he’d been – well, there is no other way to say it – dumped by his fillyfriend of the time. It was that vulnerable, coltish quality that endeared me to him.”

“Well, Silver was quite the gentlestallion yesterday. I can’t imagine why any mare in her right mind would do such a thing?”

“Well, then it will be up to you to be the balm to his heart, am I correct?”

“You’re reading too much into it, Fleur – we only met today and while he’s a wonderful stallion, I’m too busy in my life right now to commit to a relationship of any kind. Plus, if you’re correct about him, I wouldn’t want to be the mare he rebounds off of, nor would I want him to harbor any undue expectations in our relationship.”

“‘In our relationship’, I noted you just said,” the supermodel teased.

“Just a figure of speech. As it is, in truth, I’ll be busy starting up the Ministry as well as my ducal duties, my duties as a Knight, and my business, though,” she sighed, “I don’t know how I’ll be able to keep that going.”

“Why so?”

“Because ethics would require me to divest myself of those concerns. It was that very reason why Celestia chose us for those positions – she got tired of the simony and corruption amongst the chancellery. It would be unbecoming of me to defy my regent and sister royal when she’s been trying to weed out the problems in government as of late.” Rarity sighed. “It’s a shame, too; I was finally starting to attract a decent stable of clientele for my fashions.”

“Double-blind,” Fancy said, looking up briefly from his note. “Use a double-blind corporation – it’s a legal document that will let you retain ownership of your business affairs, but you will have to appoint a neutral party to run them for you and to do so with minimal input from you. It can be somewhat of a risk, but I understand that her majesty required Prince Blueblood to do so when she placed him in charge of the treasury, so there is a precedent.” When both mares looked at him, he grinned. “Fleur, my love, I do pay more attention than you think. And I’m very happy for you, my dear Rarity, whatever your choice with this gentlestallion may be. You said his name is Silversteel, correct?” When she nodded, he said, “If I recall correctly, he must be Baron Salerno’s son. They’re a fine family, one of the few cases of earth pony aristocracy that dates back to the unification.”

“I’m not concerned about that; I wasn’t a duchess until mid-last year,” she reminded her friends. “But I know his mother, Sandalwood, and his sister, Golden Sun.”

“You may wish to discuss it with the Baroness,” Fancy advised. “As I understand it, while Silver Hammer worked for Prince Campion, they had to place her perfumery business in a double-blind, so she may be able to recommend a reliable attorney specializing in that.” Looking down the street, he noted a unicorn approaching. “Well, here comes the real estate agent, so you may wish to have your questions ready.”

“Don’t worry, I do – as well as new questions to ask somepony else, thanks to you both.”

“You sure about this, Goldie?” Tiger Lily met her friend and superior officer at a bar in Cloudsdale. It was a nice enough place and under other circumstances, it’d be a great place to meet other stallions, but her mind was far from that right now.

“Yeah. Look, I’m telling you this because I know you’ve had your eye on my little brother for years – we’ve been best friends for how long?” Goldie asked, knocking back a pint of cider. “And don’t deny it – I know you too well, Tiger.”

“Yeah, okay, you got me, mare,” she admitted. “But I thought he was dating some mare down in Ponyville?”

“And when have you cared about that?”

“Look – I have some rules to live by, okay? One, if a pony’s truly in love, I’m not going to mess that up for him. Two, if he’s available and interested, I’m gonna pounce. And three, if anypony thinks they’re getting in the way of me and my goal, well,” she said, lifting her forehooves, “I’d like to introduce them to the hooves of righteous justice. So lay it out for me.”

So Goldie did, explaining everything, and as she did, she watched the face of the other pegasus. Tiger’s face was one of shock at hearing about the sudden end of the relationship, then a sad sorrow when she realized how much he’d loved those little fillies, then finally anger when Goldie told her about the note. “So, let me get this straight: that tail-lifting harridelle didn’t want him in her life, but wanted him to be Daddy? What a Celestiadamn plothole.”

“Well, to be fair, he does love Dinky and Sparkler very much and I know they think of him as their father. Maybe Derpy can work out some kind of visitation rights or something like that – but I damn well know that I don’t want anypony like that screwing with Silver’s head.”

“So you want me to screw with his head instead, huh? Or is that just screw?” A wicked smile came from Tiger’s lips.

“Hey, I’ll be honest: if I were a filly-fooler, I’d do you – you’ve got the kind of body that drives a stallion wild. And last time I checked, my brother is a hotblooded stallion, so….”

“Fine, I’m in. But I want a deal out of you: if there’s any mare that’s going to get him, it’s me. I don’t want you to change your mind at the last moment because suddenly you think he needs to go back to this Derpy chick or some other girl. Only gal who’s gonna be lifting her tail for him is me, got that?”

“Well, you’re honest about it – probably why we’re best friends.”

“You mean future sisters-in-law,” Tiger said, sealing the deal.

“You’re giddy tonight,” Twilight noted at the dinner table. Both she and Rarity had joined the princesses and Spike for dinner, a rare chance when all five were freely available to enjoy each other’s company.

“Why thank you,” Rarity said with a smile. “I think I found a nice little home I can use. A few acres, was owned originally by the artist Ikkos, and his estate has been trying to sell it for a few years now.”

“I remember him well,” Celestia said, a fond smile forming on her face. “He often had a number of soirees at his home that were the social highlight of the year. I remember particularly the one I attended in back in 1432 where he wished to ‘paint ze goddess ov all!’” she said, affecting an accent. “At the time, I think he was trying to hit on me, but I did pose for his painting Sunlight Everlasting.”

“It’s a beautiful painting, Tia,” Luna commented. “I saw it at the Royal Museum exhibit last month.”

“I think you would’ve liked him, Luna. He might have been hitting on me, but he had a thing for dark-coated mares – his wife Night’s Edge had the same color coat as you, so I think he would’ve been smitten.” The younger princess blushed slightly and Celestia laughed softly. “But seriously, Rarity, it’s a beautiful home as I recall it and I can’t think of a better pony to inhabit it now.”

“Thank you, Celestia. I promise you’ll be the first invited to the housewarming party.”

The princess nodded and then, taking a bite from her salad, then asked, “So, who’s the lucky stallion I’ve heard about?”

“What stallion?” Rarity replied, the look on her face the very image of innocence – which, of course, meant that she was anything but.

Twilight grinned madly. “See? I knew you were up to something, Rarity!”

“Don’t play coy with me, Rarity,” Celestia said softly.

“I had to learn from somepony,” Rarity answered in jest. When the alicorn flashed her a knowing grin, Rarity continued. “I met him this morning. He’s charming, debonair, and sensitive. He’s known Shining for years apparently and…well, he said I was beautiful.”

“Sounds like somepony’s a lucky mare.”

“Well, I’m hoping to get to know Silversteel a little better.”

“Silversteel? As in my brother’s friend?”

Rarity nodded. “Yes, as a matter of fact, it was Cadance and Shining who introduced us. You know him?”

“I’m surprised you don’t. I thought he was still married to Derpy Hooves – I know they have two kids together.”

“Married? Foals?” The look on Rarity’s face was shocked. “I…I didn’t know.”

Twilight suddenly realized she’d possibly opened up a can of worms the size of an ursa major. “Well, I could be wrong about that, but I’m pretty sure I’m not. I talk to Derpy enough about things and I’ve tutored her daughters. I could have sworn I’ve seen Silver over there once or twice, but honestly, it didn’t really register until now since Derpy’s an old friend of Shiny’s as well. Maybe they’re mutual friends?”

“I think I’d better find out,” Rarity said, the twinge in her heart suddenly reappearing. After finally finding somepony interested in her, a pony she thought she could take a chance on, to find out he was married and with foals…it was heartwrenching. “I think I’ve lost my appetite….” she said suddenly, the slice of tiramisu in front of her going untouched.

The knocking on his apartment door increased. “Hold on, I’m coming,” he called out, wondering who would be pestering him at time of evening. Now that the holiday was over, his parents had caught the train back to their home in Los Pegasas, and Diamondplate and his family were staying over at Shines’ and Cadance’s manor before they would depart back to Trotronto and his assignment there. Goldie had left a few days ago to rejoin her squadron in Cloudsdale, and everypony else he knew was either at home or probably out drinking. In fact, he’d have been there himself save for two things: first, he was supposed to report in to his new unit tomorrow; and two, after the misunderstanding with Rarity, he opted that the bar scene was going to be out of his life for a bit – it wasn’t anything new, since he’d hardly done that while he was with Derpy, either.

And that thought opened a new wound in his heart. He didn’t know what he was going to do about that. He still loved her, it was impossible to deny. And while he knew he wasn’t legally Dinky and Sparkler’s father, he felt he needed to be the one in their lives when it came to that – he wouldn’t accept anything less, and knowing Derpy, she’d insist on it as well. But at the same time, he couldn’t get Rarity out of his mind; there was just something about her, something he couldn’t quite define, that refused to shake free from his thoughts.

Maybe things’ll calm down in another week or so and I can head to Ponyville to talk to Derpy, he thought as he went to the door. No matter what, I do want to be in their lives still. But that was a problem for another time. Right now, he had to deal with the immediate issue, namely whoever was at the door.

Opening it, he found Tiger Lily, of all ponies. She stood out there in the winter cold, wearing a weather saddle and some boots. “Can I come in?” she asked softly.

“Sure, anything for an old friend,” he said, opening the door to let her in. “Need a hoof with the saddle?” She shook her head, undoing the outergarment easily with her wings. “So, what brings you here?”

She gave him a fond smile. “Snowstorm just blew in over Canterlot,” she explained, “and it looks like the Weather Service let it get out of control. They’ve ordered a grounding for all air travel for the next twenty-four hours until the Mage Guild can assist the Service in getting it back in gear. Since I don’t have anywhere to go, I was hoping I could stay the night with you, if that’s okay.”

“Sure. You can use my bedroom, and I can take the couch,” he replied.

“Well, isn’t your bed large enough for two adults?” she teased.

He laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “Yeah, but it’s going to be empty in that way for a while.”

“Yeah, I heard – sorry about that; I thought you two were going to be happy together.” She shivered slightly. “Got anything hot to drink?”

“Yeah, just made some wassail – it’s a spiced apple cider that they make up in the Crystal Empire during wintertime,” he said. “Want some?”

“Don’t mind if I do,” she said as she walked over to his couch and sat down. “So what happened between you two, if I could ask?”

“I don’t know,” Silver said in a soft voice as he bought over a tray with two mugs. She took one gladly, the look on her face sad as he spoke. “I love her more than anything, but she’s pushed me away for reasons I don’t know. And I’m really conflicted on everything right now, Tiger. I met this….”

“Met who?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Not important right now. Maybe it’ll be later, I don’t know.” He sighed. “Maybe it’ll be the most important thing in the world later, or maybe I’ll forget about it next Tuesday. I really don’t know.”

She looked at him fondly and with a bit of sorrow. “I wish I could take away all your pain,” she said sincerely, and meant it.

“Yeah, but we’re not little foals playing Europony and the Pirate Twins anymore,” he commented. “Besides, I’m sure you know what it’s like to nurse a broken heart. Nothing ever good really comes of it.”

“Yeah,” she admitted. She looked at him and the first feeling coming over her was one of emotion, of the need to kiss him, take him in her hooves and never let go. For all her bluster and bravado, she’d loved him since they were foals but had never been able to admit to anyone save for her best friend, his older sister. And she’d thought it was just a crush, but the dozens of relationships she’d had always brought her mind around to him somehow. “Silver, do you remember when we were little foals and the one time I pretended I was Princess Celestia and you said you’d always be my Royal Guard?”

He gave her a fond smile at that. “Yeah, I remember: just a couple of dumb foals in Los Pegasas.”

Easy, Tiger, she told herself. Don’t force yourself on him – you know he’s not that kind of guy. “That always meant a lot to me, you know that? Even nowadays.”

He took another draught of his wassail mug. “Well, you’re like a sister to me, Tiger, and I’ve always meant that.”

“Like a sister to me.” She sighed inwardly. Can’t I interest you in some incest, if that’s the case? She finished the drink, thinking silently of what to do next. Her original plan was to get him raw and randy and earn him that way. But when she got here, she knew she couldn’t do that, for both his reasons and hers. And now coupled with being in the friend zone – worse than that, even – she was going to have to definitely work her way into his heart in any way possible.

But not right now, she knew. Silver, honey, you’re going to be my husband someday and I’ll be the only real wife you ever deserve. But right now, you just need a friend. “So, what are you going to do right now?”

“Well, tomorrow, I report in as the new commander of my unit, and I’ll just lose myself in some paperwork for a while. Maybe in a month or so, things will have calmed down that I can talk to Derpy and figure out what happened, or maybe just finally make a clean break and move on. I don’t really know right now. You got any suggestions?”

“Tough to say: You see, there’s this stallion I’ve liked for a while, but I’m not sure of what to tell him,” she told him. “But at the same time, he’s going through a lot now, so I don’t want to push my luck if there’s any chance of being with him.”

“You know, that sounds familiar for some reason,” Silver commented. “Unless….” Realization suddenly sank in. “You like Flash Sentry – why didn’t I realize that?” The pegasus stallion had been one of those injured during the jaculus attacks and he was a part of Tiger’s squadron. “Hey, I hope he gets better – I’m hoping you and he’ll be happy. Though, I’ll admit I don’t see what that has to do with my problem.”

Tiger tried to keep a false smile on her face as she said, “Thanks, Silver.” In truth, she hated that plothole Sure Sentry and almost celebrated when he was nearly killed by jaculi, but unfortunately for her, the situation was similar. “As to, uh, how it impacts you? Well…I’m just saying to keep your options open and think of your future. Maybe Derpy will come back into your life—” I sure as buck hope not! “—but maybe you’ll find a new mare that will make you happy and give you lots and lots of foals.”

“I doubt there’s any mare right now who would want to do that,” he said while his counterpart was mentally shuffling through the pages she memorized from the Karmare Sutra.

“Don’t sell yourself short, Silver. That mare might be just around the cor—”

KNOCK KNOCK

“Wow, busy night,” Silver mentioned. “You’d think that there wasn’t some sort of freak snowstorm coming.” She merely shrugged and wished instant and painful death upon the pony knocking at the door.

He opened the door to find a courier from the palace standing there. “Cornet Silversteel, I presume.”

“Yes, that’s me,” he answered. “Is there something I can do for you?”

The unicorn levitated a note, floating it in the air before Silver as he read, “Her grace the Duchess Lipizzan requests your presence tomorrow for breakfast, and I have been dispatched for your RSVP. Apologies on arriving at such an indecent hour, especially with the snowstorm coming in, but her grace was insistent. And frankly, I’m not about to argue with a mare the princesses call their sister.”

“I see. Unfortunately, I have to report in to my unit tomorrow, so breakfast would be out of the question. However, if her grace wishes so, perhaps we could do dinner tomorrow evening?”

“In that case, sir, I will forward your response, and based on her own you will either receive another messenger or a flamefax.” He nodded formally and said, “Have a pleasant evening, sir.”

As he closed the door, Tiger asked, “Who was that?”

“Courier from the palace – apparently they want something important.” He wasn’t sure why he didn’t tell her the full story, only that somehow it seemed wrong to do so. Maybe it was because she was worried about him and didn’t want him to get into another bad mess – Tiger was a great friend like that, but worried a little too much.

“Well, looks like somepony’s becoming important,” she said with a smile. Yup, I’m really going to enjoy being his wife. “Well, I’m going to have to leave early if I’m going to make it back to my squadron in time,” she said, yawning and stretching just enough to make sure she left nothing to his imagination – better start marking my territory. “So I’m going to turn in now.” Trotting playfully up to him, she kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks again, Silver.”

He nodded absently, his mind already figuring out what to do about dinner plans tomorrow. I wonder where I can take a cultured lady like Rarity?

“And so, milady,” a courier informed her, “Cornet Silversteel would request the honor of having dinner with you at…wait, that can’t be right….”

“What can’t be right, Sir Symbolism?” she asked him.

Symbolism looked at the notes that he’d taken. “Well, it’s his funeral,” he muttered under his breath before saying, “Uh, he wants to take you out to dinner at Beet O’ Brady’s.”

A muscle in her face twitched; she was well-familiar with the chain restaurant from the various times the others wanted to head there for lunch or dinner. Rarity found the Ponyville branch to be subpar – how does somepony screw up salad? – and knew that, being a chain restaurant, the other ones couldn’t be that much different. The thought of even being near one of those assaulted her very sense of decency.

And yet, he doesn’t really make much. My monthly ducal allowance, never mind my salaries as a Knight or as minister, is probably more than he makes in a year. Plus, he’d been the one to ask her out, after he had to refuse breakfast due to his duties…and her invite had been to have breakfast with her in the northern gardens of the palace grounds, as per Celestia’s suggestion. If all he can afford is Beet O’ Brady’s….

“Yes, Symbolism, please inform the cornet that I will accept his offer,” she said with a sunny smile.

“Um, begging your pardon, your grace, but I could make a reservation for a more suitable restaurant, if your grace wishes. Perhaps La Marche, or even Stallionfire’s Fine Cuisine?”

“No, that won’t be necessary. Please inform the cornet that I shall meet him there at eight in the evening, just as he planned,” she informed the courier. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a lot of paperwork to fill out before my date tonight.” As the courier excused himself, Rarity sat down to start reading a book on double-blind corporations that Twilight had recommended to her; it wasn’t legal advice of any kind, but it would at least be something that she could use to get up to speed on her future plans for her soon-to-be semi-former profession.

“Hello, Derpy! How’ve you been?”

Twilight was back in Ponyville for the first time since she and Spike had moved back to Canterlot. It suddenly dawned on her how much she missed this place and how much it would always be home to her. I might be a Canterlot gal, born and bred, but there’s always going to be a part of me that wished I still lived in the library. She made a mental note to discuss issues with her successor, as Folio Bound probably had a ton of books he wanted ordered for the library and Twilight could easily arrange that.

However, there were other things that had to come along. “Twilight!” the gray pegasus said with a smile. “It’s good to see you! C’mon in! How’s life back in Canterlot treating you?”

The lavender unicorn walked into the mailmare’s house, taking in the comfort of a normally-lived home. “Truthfully, I wish I was back here sometimes. I miss when life was just normal, you know?”

“Yeah, that I do. And I guess that’s why you’re here to talk to me, right? Not to just chit-chat about science?”

Twilight shook her head. “Shiny’s right: you are far too perceptive.”

The pegasus shrugged with a smile. “Look at the ponies I surround myself with. It pays to be smart.”

Before Twilight could answer, she heard a young voice sing out “Miss Twilight!” A second later, a young filly rushed up to her and hugged the mage; if there was one thing Dinky Hooves was good at, it was giving hugs. “Are you here to bring Daddy back? I miss him and want to see him!”

“Dinky, let Mom and Miss Twilight talk.” An older filly’s voice; Twilight looked over and saw a somber but otherwise hale Sparkler standing there. “Miss Twilight, if you don’t mind, I have a letter that I’d like to send to Dad, please.”

“I’ll be sure to carry it back,” Twilight promised. As the older filly escorted the younger out, Twilight looked at her brother’s best friend and said, “So it is, true then – about you, Silver and your foals, that is.”

“It is, and it isn’t. Silver and I aren’t married, though we’ve been together for years, and that has an effect on the fillies. Technically, I’m the only one that adopted them – they have no other legal parent. But it’s not about legalities, as far as I’m concerned, when it comes to my little muffins. Regardless of what happens between Silver and I, they are his daughters and I would never separate them from him, I promise you that.”

“Shiny and I had a talk with Cadance over what you two discussed. And I want you to know that I’ve always admired your intelligence, Derpy, even when others haven’t. But I also want you to know that I think you need to make a decision as to what is best for him and you.”

“And you think I wouldn’t?”

“Truthfully? No – none of us do, not even Shiny,” the unicorn admitted. “You’re the kind of mare who cares about her foals first and foremost – and there’s nothing wrong with that – but is willing to do so at the expense of her own happiness. You can’t just tell me you’ve just stopped loving him. That makes no sense.”

“No, I can’t just say that – and I will spend the rest of my life loving him from afar. But I’m afraid, Twilight – I’m so damn afraid of becoming a widow that I’m willing to let go, even if it wounds me. And I want him to be happy, but I’m not the right mare for that job, as much as I so desperately want to be. Does that make any sense?”

“Not a bit, but then again, I’ve never really been in a relationship, so I have no basis for comparison,” Twilight sighed. “But you should know that I honestly think that if you love him, you should go back to him, both for yours and your foals’ sakes.”

“Twilight, as much as I appreciate the thought, my private life is just that – my private life – and while you are a friend, I would appreciate you staying out of my affairs.”

“Derpy….”

“I mean it.”

Twilight nodded. “Fine. For what it’s worth, I think you’re making a mistake, but mistakes are what make science and magic go.” She looked at the clock and said, “Well, it’s almost time to catch the last train back to Canterlot so I don’t need to summon a chariot. Let me get the notes from the girls and I’ll get out of your mane.”

The look on the gray mare’s face was sad. “Twilight, just because my life is going in a different way does not mean I want you out of it. You are a friend, and if you’d like…well, at least stay for dinner and overnight. All things aside, I’m sure the girls would appreciate a little tutelage in magic, and you’re the best there is that.”

Twilight smiled softly. “Sure, that I can do.”

“Welcome to Beet O’ Brady’s!” the jovial gryphoness waitress chirped. “My name is Gigi. What can I get for you two?” she asked, inquiring with Rarity first.

“I’ll have a glass of Blue Mountain Vineyards’ red,” she said, quickly scanning the menu. Thankfully the drink selection here at this one was much better than the one in Ponyville.

“I’ll have the Sweet Apple Acres Premium,” Silver replied.

“Let me get that for you fine folks and I’ll be back in a bit to take your order,” she said sweetly, then disappeared.

“Thanks for coming,” he told Rarity. In the course of his mind, he was trying to focus entirely on her and not her form. Now that things had settled down, he’d gotten a much nicer look at her and she was even lovelier in person than she’d been from afar. At a distance, she was a beautiful but remote angel, but in person, well, she’d probably give Princess Celestia a run for the money.

“No, thank you for accommodating me, Silver, dear,” she replied, returning his glance. She had to admit, he was quite the looker, and he’d dressed well for this dinner, slipping on a sweater and jacket. Were it not for his build, she would have thought him a cultured professor from the nearby college. “I just apologize for not consulting you earlier on breakfast.”

“I wish I could’ve attended, but it was my first day on the job. I can already see that the mission is going to be complex.”

“Oh, and what job is that?”

“Officially, it’s just a desk job – the 18th Headquarters Cohort. But in truth, it’s one of the Guard’s top anti-changeling units. Shines is concerned that as long as there are changelings out there, there’s going to be problems, so it’s up to the anti-changeling units to deal with them.”

“I see. Well, I suppose Shining Armor would be concerned about that, considering that he almost married an imposter – I can’t imagine how disastrous things would have been had Chrysalis not been defeated.” Rarity took a look at him. “I fear that as much as my fellow Knights and I tried to head off the situation, it was one that the changeling queen had planned for and had us thoroughly outmaneuvered. The only thing that she hadn’t planned on was the love magic that Shining and Cadance were able to come up with at the last moment.”

“You were in town for that?” Silver asked. When she nodded, he said, “I was one of the units rushing in from Appaloosa once we heard what happened. We ran into a small surviving force in the badlands and engaged, but they stalled us. At the time, I feared the worst, but by the time our airship arrived in Canterlot, things were already over. I’m glad we did; I was able to attend Shines’ and Cadance’s wedding, which I wouldn’t have otherwise.” A thought crossed his mind. “You were one of the bridesmares, weren’t you?”

“Happily so,” Rarity answered.

Silver nodded. “I thought I recognized you, but things just didn’t sink in until now.”

At that point, Gigi came back and took their orders; Rarity ordered an eggplant alfredo while Silver opted for the portabella burger with everything on it and a side of hayfries. As the waitress disappeared again, Rarity took another drink from her wine and then fixed Silver with an even glance. “Silver, I would be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t touched by both your offer for dinner and your earlier attention. But I would like to know something, if you’d be so kind.”

“Certainly.” Alarm bells started going off in his head, but he decided to ignore them and just press forward.

“Are you married? With foals?”

“No. I recently broke up with my fillyfriend – she lives in Ponyville, where you’re from – for reasons that I’m not entirely sure why. As to foals, while she’s legally the mother, I’ve had enough influence in their lives that they consider me their father, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel the same way.”

“I see.” She looked at him evenly. “I want you to know something: I find you attractive, Silver, and I know that you feel the same way. But I refuse to be just a mare on the side. I may be of common birth, but I am a duchess now and sister to her majesty. That is not meant as a threat, but rather an indicator that there are certain proprieties that I must take. And even if that was the case, I am not an easy mare, not some jenny that would swoon for any stallion that came her way.”

“I never thought that to be the case,” he said.

“Then I need to know: what are your intentions? And I don’t mean those towards those foals – I’m referring to their mother.”

Silver was about to answer that before the song in the background music started to change. It was a song by Troubadour or some other musician back when his parents were young. The song was about a stallion forced to make the choice between his past and his future, and while the narrator in the song never explained which way he went, the song clearly echoed the thoughts in Silver’s mind.

He was quiet, in the way that showed he was seriously contemplating the answer, and it made Rarity pause. Something about him wanted her to draw nearer, but that the same time she’d be dating somepony far different from what she’d ever expected. He was already a father, even if in somewhat of an unofficial way. And as the song in the background ended, a different one played, one that she knew her mother had loved, a song about two lovers at the beginning of the relationship, wondering where it would go. Rarity had always thought the song to be lovely, but she never understood its focus. But now, sitting here at the beginning of what could possibly be something for her, she finally understood the lyrics.

At that point, Silver cleared his throat and spoke. “My intentions?” he asked, looking at her. Though he could see the inquisitive look on her face, the one in her eyes was fragile: he’d seen the same visage years ago on the face of another mare, and just as then, he never wanted to see anypony so sad and lonesome. She nodded slightly and he said, “I’m adrift, Rarity. I won’t lie to you, I’m confused about everything lately and I’m not sure what I want. But I know this: the moment I saw you that night…you caught me in a way I’ve never felt with anypony I’ve ever been before. That’s not hyperbole, or a lie or flattery or anything of the sort. You can ask Goldie: I was swept up in something magical that night and not just because I was drunk – the moment I saw you at the ball, I…I just had to meet you.”

“I refuse to be The Other Mare,” she told him. “If we decide to go further in this, there are ponies who love me, ponies who are a part of my family, both naturally and extended, that would not be happy if I were to ever be hurt.”

“Trust me, I wouldn’t want to have Shines or Cadance angry with me.”

“Actually, I was referring to my father – he’s a former professional hoofball player. Admittedly, while he’s retired and now just a sports reporter for the Cloudsdale Amberoids, he still keeps in shape.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Silver said with an uneasy smile. He could just imagine the kind of hulking brute that would be displeased if his darling daughter was hurt.

“But I need to know: Silver – what are your intentions?”

“Well,” he said as the waitress arrived with their meals, “my first intention is to have a nice dinner with a beautiful mare who clearly is far classier than I’ll ever be.”

“Aren’t you the one who’s of noble birth?”

“Yes, but my brother Diamondplate’s the oldest; he’ll be the one to inherit the barony. And neither Goldie nor I really care about that,” he said, lifting the burger towards his muzzle. “But what I mean is that you’re noble in the general sense – you’re classy, beautiful and cultured, a mare who has everything in her world right before her hooves.”

“Not so much before her hooves. I come from common pony stock, though I love my parents. I apprenticed under Cardigan Sweater and she helped me become the fashion designer I am. I became friends with Twilight and am blessed to be one of her Knights Elemental, her sister royal and her friend. But I don’t have everything in my hooves, at least not all of the most important things.”

“What would that be?”

“Love,” she said idly, not really thinking about who she was speaking to. “I was the first of my friends who dated, but now I feel that life has passed me by. Perhaps I’m too, quote, ‘young’, unquote to think about a life alone, but it feels as though life has set that before me. But then came you. And….” She paused. “It’s nothing.”

She remembered her theoretical question to Shining from the other night: am I worthy of being loved? Could you love somepony like me? And as she looked at the pony in front of her, his secrets revealed to her and the truth laid bare, she wondered: could you love me?

“Rarity?” he began to speak, even while she lifted an absent bite to her lips, not really paying too much attention, lost in her thoughts.

“Watch out!” There was a sudden splash of liquids, the sound of plates shattering and the squishy sounds of meals falling to the floor. Rarity looked up and found herself drenched in the remains of a chocolate shake, while their waitress lay on the floor, having tripped, looking up at her and realizing that her customer wasn’t just any old unicorn.

Silver got up from his seat and grabbed his napkins, dabbing her off. “Are you okay?”

“Well,” she said with a weak smile, “I’m a fan of chocolate, but I usually prefer it taken internally, not via osmosis.”

Tiger Lily lay on the sheets of her bed in her home in Cloudsdale, spent but alone. She’d “entertained herself” while thinking of Silver, but it wasn’t the same thing. She tried to imagine him with her, moving rhythmically, calling out in pleasure and pain, joining with him until she cried out in pure ecstasy…but it was only a dream.

Just a Celestiadamn dream, she thought to herself. Part of her thought of looking up one of the stallions in her squadron and just exhausting herself that way – a lot of them were single and didn’t really give a damn who lifted their tails for them – but just as quickly, she dismissed it. Just as she swore she no mare would ever lift her tail for Silver save for her, likewise she would never do that to any other stallion. She was meant to be Silver’s, body and soul.

And she took precautions to do so. First off, as soon as she got the chance, she’d fly to Ponyville and pound the shit out of that harridelle, Derpy. She wouldn’t kill her – Tiger wasn’t heartless, as she knew the hyrax had foals – but putting her in traction would ensure she was finally out of Silver’s life and would teach her a lesson about screwing with the wrong pony.

After that, she would have to watch to ensure that her beau wasn’t looking in the wrong direction. That would give her enough time to start working on her own plans to get him in her hooves. She knew she could do it; all she needed was time.

The thought of being with Silver turned her on again, but she didn’t enjoy herself a second time. No, now she would save herself for the day he would bring her that level of love.

Two ponies walked in the direction of the palace – Rarity was staying there still until she purchased enough furnishings for her new home. “Thank you for the wonderful evening, Silver,” she said as they reached the front gates. “I had a lovely time.”

“Well, at least you managed to convince our waitress that you weren’t going to have her beheaded.”

Rarity shrugged elegantly. “It was an accident. The poor gryphoness tripped over somepony’s tail. Things like that happen, and I can’t hold her at fault for that.”

“Too many nobles would, I’m afraid,” he commented sadly.

“As I said before, I’m from common stock – so I’m a different type of noble,” she reminded him. “I won’t abuse the common Equestriani just trying to live her or his life. That’s not why I’m a Knight Elemental, and not why Celestia has placed the trust in me that she has.”

“Just, fair, classy and beautiful,” he murmured to himself. “I really wonder if I have a chance with a girl like you.”

“What was that?”

“…nothing.” He looked at the clock that stood in the central round just outside the gates. The time said it was ten in the evening and he had to call it a night, since he had to get up early in the morning so he could take his troops out for a familiarity run on the obstacle course in Quartz Canyon. It was a former changeling staging base, and now served as a study center so Equestria and her allies could learn more about the monsters that hunted them all. “Look, I’ve got to get going, and I’m going to be out of town for a couple of days. I don’t suppose, though, when I get back, if you’d want to go to a concert or something?”

“Why, Silver? Is that a date? I said before, I won’t be—”

“I wouldn’t ask if that was even remotely the case, Rarity. I might not be much, but….” He didn’t finish the sentence; it would be considered uncouth.

She in turn leaned forward and kissed him on the side of the muzzle. Not on the cheek, but not quite on the mouth, either. She then looked at him with eyes filled with promise. “I’ll wait breathlessly for your return, Silver, dear.” And with that, she walked into the palace grounds, her tail swishing just so, slightly teasing and slightly filled with a hint for the future.

He smiled as he watched her vanish into the palace’s front entrance. He had no idea if what he was doing was right, but if it wasn’t…he was very sure he’d rather stay in the wrong.

III: It Happens All the Time, This Crazy Love of Mine

“Oh, dear, oh dear, oh dear.” Rarity moved around the kitchen like a mare obsessed – mainly because that’s what she was. “Oh, I do hope I got everything correct.”

“Everything is well in hand, milady,” a younger pegasus mare, making sandwiches, gave her a comforting smile. “I’m sure milady has thought of everything for her outing with Cornet Silversteel.”

The former fashionista gave her maid a smile. “I just want everything to be perfect, Sky Skimmer, I truly do. This is my first chance to have a full weekend with Silver and I want everything to be perfect.” She squeed in practical joy. “I don’t want a single thing to go wrong.”

“You’ve been dating him now for a month, milady. No doubt you and he know each other well enough that any issues would be brushed over.”

“True, but a mare wants things to be perfect for her paramour. It’s all about that crazy little thing called love, as they say.”

“With due respect, milad—”

“Okay, that’s enough of that ‘milady’, if you don’t mind, Sky. That’s getting old.”

Sky suddenly laughed. “Aw, c’mon, Rares!” The “maid” suddenly became a lot more informal as she drolled, “What, cousins aren’t allowed to tease each other?”

“Sky, I agreed to let you live here in the mansion with me while you’re attending college at Royal Canterlot U. But I didn’t tell Aunt Periwinkle that I needed a maid.”

“Well, cuz, single mare like you livin’ in a house all alone like this…nobles’ll talk. Trust me, I’ve run into some of them and they don’t believe I’m your cousin, much less that I’m staying with you out of the generosity of your own heart. They see a run-of-the-mill pegasus like me, and they head for the hills.” Sky fluttered her wings in annoyance. “Easier just to say that I’m your maid.”

“They don’t give Sweetie Belle any trouble, and she stays here on the weekends when she’s not at the Academy dorms.”

“That’s because she’s a unicorn, just like you, Rares,” Sky said, fluttering her yellow wings in emphasis. “Some of us aren’t that lucky in that regard, if you catch my oh-so-tragic drift.”

“I know. I wish it were different,” she commented, “but it’s not. And I would prefer you not pretend to be my maid, because I refuse to have anypony in my family looked down upon.”

“Wow, no wonder that colt of yours is getting a winner,” Sky laughed, winking. Suddenly the doorbell sounded and Sky said demurely, “Shall I answer that, milady?”

Rarity playfully swatted her cousin with her tail. “I’ll get it.” The moment she opened the door, she found Silver standing there, and she couldn’t help but launch forward and kiss her beau. “You’re earlier than I expected. Sky and I are still making lunch, and Sweetie hasn’t arrived yet. I was hoping we could do a picnic over on the Royal Museum grounds.”

He returned her kiss, but there was a sad look on his face. “Rarity, I really hate to do this, but I have to cancel out on our weekend plans. I have to head to Ponyville immediately.”

She looked at him worriedly. “Is there something wrong?”

He nodded. “Just got a frantic note from Sparkler this morning. Derpy was attacked last night and she’s in the hospital.”

“You know, sis,” Sweetie Belle said as she adjusted her seating in the chariot an hour later, “while I wanted to go back home in the near future to see Scoots and Bloomie, this wasn’t what I had in mind.”

“None of us did, Sweetie,” Rarity said, sadly. The moment she found out, Rarity wasted no time in requisitioning one of the royal chariots to have them fly to Ponyville. Waiting for the train would be too long and from what Luna had informed her, the others were already in Ponyville, leaving her as the odd mare out.

“Look, I’m just going to stay out of your way for the weekend, Rarity,” Sky commented in the seat next to her. “It’ll be nice to catch up with Uncle Magnum and Aunt Pearl anyway.”

“I think they’d like that,” the fashionista told her cousin. However, Rarity’s mind was elsewhere as she looked at the pensive, distant look on Silver’s face. Being an earth pony, it was already bad enough that he was very uncomfortable flying – a condition that she also shared, though Sweetie had traveled enough with Twilight in her balloon and Sky obviously had no trouble being airborne. But his features clearly showed that his mind was elsewhere and she knew where that was – he was already at his former fiancée’s side. She didn’t begrudge him that; the fact that he was here with her said everything she needed to know: but it also made her wonder how his daughters with Derpy would form in the life she and Silver shared.

Silver, what will our future be, if we have one together? she wondered. She never pictured herself as a stepmother.

“Your grace, we’ll be in Ponyville within the next five minutes,” one of the guardponies pulling the chariot commented. Sure enough, in the distance could be seen two colored specks growing larger as they approached, one sky blue, the other a soft yellow. “Looks like Duchesses Jennet and Andalusia are approaching.”

“Thank you, Sergeant,” she answered. “Please, land us as close to the hospital as you can.” The guard nodded his head and, in unison with the other guards, began their descent as Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash caught up with the chariot.

“Shining and Cadance are already at the hospital, along with AJ and Pinkie,” Rainbow told Rarity as the chariot began its controlled landing. “Twilight’s train arrives in ten minutes.”

Fluttershy, on the other side of the chariot, looked at Silver. “Your daughters are fine, Silver. They were at a party at Sugarcube Corner when it happened. They’re staying at Sweet Apple Acres right now, but Mac and Bloomie will bring them to the hospital so you can talk to them.”

“Thanks, Fluttershy,” was all he said.

As the chariot approached within ten feet of the ground, Silver leapt off and the moment his hooves hit the ground, raced into the hospital. Rarity, not wanting to spook the guards further, waited until the chariot came to a complete stop before bounding out of it and racing inside. She’d gotten as far as the lobby when she saw the group of ponies standing there, talking. “Rares, it’s good t’ see ya, but Ah wish it wuzn’t under this situation,” Applejack told her.

“I know. I didn’t want to be like this either.”

“Hey, y’re here fer yer stallion – that’s important. Now, when Ah see Noteworthy again, Ah’m gonna tar that colt fer not bein’ here t’ help a friend.”

“I thought you disliked him, Applejack.” A soft smile crept up onto her face. “Do I detect a certain stallion in your life?”

“Les’ just say that havin’ one too many t’ drink that night wuzn’t th’ worst thing in th’ world,” she said with a coquettish smile.

Meanwhile, Silver fixed his eyes on Cadance and Shining the moment he walked in. “What room,” he said. It wasn’t a question.

“Silver,” Cadance said, “I’m not sure that it’s best that—”

“Cadance, you are my friend and my princess, but please, not the buck now, okay?” She gave him a hurt look and he recanted. “Look, sorry. I’m just a little worried right now.”

“I know. She’s in room 212.”

“Thanks.” He turned to Rarity as she came in. “I have to go see her, Rarity. There are too many things that were left unsaid and too many things left unclosed, but don’t worry – I’m not going anywhere.”

“I know.” However, the look in her eyes didn’t share the confidence that her voice did.

“I promise you, that I wo—”

“DADDY!” Dinky launched herself at Silver, followed in short order by Sparkler. “Daddy! I was so scared and what’s going to happen to Mommy and when are you coming home and….”

“Dad, it’s good to see you again,” Sparkler said, crying into Silver’s coat.

“Everything’s going to be alright, girls,” he told them as he held them close. “Everything will be fine. Your mother’s going to be alright.”

Rarity watched as Silver held the two girls he thought of as his own. He’d been utterly honest with her about his life with Derpy and how Dinky and Sparkler fit into it; he’d gone out of his way to make sure she wasn’t The Other Mare, though this was the first time she’d been back in Ponyville since the start of their relationship. She’d always known about Dinky and Sparkler being Derpy’s daughters, but she’d always seen them as the mailmare’s foals, not anything else. This brought a new dimension to everything.

“So you’re her, huh?” Rarity blinked and found herself staring at Sparkler, who was eyeing her critically. “I have to admit, when Mom told me, I didn’t think Dad would be seeing anypony again, and I especially didn’t think it’d be you, Miss Rarity.”

For some reason, the elder unicorn felt a pang of guilt. “Sparkler, I….”

The filly placed a solitary hoof up, a gesture more mature than her years. “I’m not going to say anything – I don’t know if it’s my place. Yes, I wish Mom and Dad were married and that we lived together, but I also know what Mom told me – and I know that I love my Dad enough to want him to be happy. If your parents broke up, wouldn’t you want the best for them if they chose to see other ponies?” she inquired. “But I want you to know something: Mom still loves Dad. A month apart doesn’t change things, and knowing Mom, it never will – and knowing Dad, it won’t change for him, either. Is that going to bother you?”

“I’m really not sure that’s any concern of yours, Sparkler, dear.”

The younger filly shook her head. “It is. He’s my father. Yes, there’s no legal binding, I know that – Mom spelled that out. But she also knows how I feel about him, and he would never abandon me. So if you’re going to be in his life, you have to be ready for me and Dinky, whether you like it or not.”

“Sparkler, I’m not sure this is the best time to talk about this,” a new voice called out. Both unicorns turned in the direction of the voice to see Twilight Sparkle enter the foyer. “Right now, the only important thing is your mother.”

Sparkler nodded. “You’re right, Miss Twilight.” She hung her head down. “Sorry.” She then looked up and her eyes were filled with tears. “I just remember the last time this happened: I was about Dinky’s age, and both Mom and Dad were nearly killed in Appaloosa. Dad’s safe this time, but….”

Rarity couldn’t help herself. Sitting down, she went and embraced Sparkler. “I’m so sorry you have to shoulder this burden, Sparkler. But you’re a brave young mare and Silver’s blessed to have a daughter like you.” Sparkler just looked at Rarity with a helpless gaze for a few seconds before resting her head on the older unicorn’s shoulder, letting herself go and crying once more.

Silver watched as Rarity embraced Sparkler. He didn’t know what happened, but whatever it was, thank Celestia it hadn’t been a disaster.

“Muffin,” Silver said as he looked at Dinky’s tear-stained face. “I have to go talk to your mother. I want you to stay here with Princess Cadance and Prince Shining, okay?”

“Then are you coming home? I don’t want you to go again!” she wailed.

“We’ll…talk about that later.” He couldn’t answer her directly; there was no answer to be had. Instead, he kissed her on the crown of her head and walked towards the stairs, headed towards the upstairs hospital room.

“And that should be the last of them.” Golden Sun said to her flight, the four of them in flight armor rather than the usual flightsuits the squadron wore. “Gamma flight will continue to mop up and search for any other changelings in the area, but our orders are to let the 37th Heavy Infantry and 225th Engine Cohort deal with the hive but to be prepared to hunt down any potential reinforcements.”

“Hey, where’s 18th HQ? Aren’t they the changeling specialists, ma’am?” a sergeant in the back row spoke up.

“Couldn’t tell you.” Everyone looked in the direction of Tiger Lily; while all their armor had been scuffed up during the engagement against the changelings, hers was covered in the ichor of dead changelings. “Maybe they took a vacation to Pearis or Roam,” she said, cracking a wild grin.

“Looks like Tiger slipped the leash again,” he muttered to himself and many in the squadron agreed; Tiger’s need to brawl and tussle was well known within their unit – as well as a few others.

Goldie ignored it and said, “18th hasn’t been mobilized yet; wouldn’t be surprised if they show up in a day or two to peek and poke around and what’s left of this hive and interrogate some of the surviving changelings. In the meanwhile, everypony take a break – lick ‘em if ya got ‘em. Dismissed.” As the assembly broke up, Goldie said, “Sergeant Lily, I want to speak to you.”

“Sure thing, ma’am,” Tiger said as she approached. “What’s up?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’s up’? You know the rules: no one goes out the night before an op – I can only cover for you for so long, Tiger. Now where in Tartarus were you?”

“Getting hot and heavy with your brother, of course.” When that was met with a deadpan stare, she said, “Okay, okay, I was over his place last night, but I was gathering intel for my eventual plans. He’s looking at another mare, from what I understand, and I don’t like that, not one bucking bit.”

“Look, Tiger, I know we agreed to this plan, but even you have to follow military regs. Seduce Silver whenever you’re good and ready, but please try not to forget you’re a guardspony?”

“Roger that, ma’am. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to wash off some of this changeling blood. Kinda stains the gear.”

As Tiger walked away, Goldie wasn’t done yet. In a cool voice, she said, “Oh, and I also got a report through some channels that last night, his ex, Derpy Hooves, was beaten within an inch of her life. Supposedly it was a break-in into the post office rather than the residential part of her house. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

Tiger froze in her steps. She then put her raised hoof down, and, not looking at Goldie, said, “Hey, Ponyville is between Cloudsdale and Canterlot, but I have an alibi – you can ask Silver. I’m sure there were some hours I could be technically unaccounted for, but you know what kind of upstanding guard I am, a credit to Her Majesty’s Service, right?” Waving a wing, she said, “Talk to you later, Goldie.”

The hospital, ironically, reminded him of the time when he and Derpy had been in the Appaloosa infirmary after the deaths of Wisdom Seeker and Tiny Dynamine. He still remembered that event and how damn misguided that aged unicorn had been; in the end, his prophecy had been correct: the stars did aid in her escape – Twilight Sparkle, with the other eventual Knights Elemental, rescued Princess Luna from the hellish prison she’d been trapped in for a millennium. But it had cost the life of a promising mage, one that he was sure wouldn’t be happy to see this day come to pass.

“Hi, Derpy,” Silver said, as he approached the bed, looking at her. Her right wing was in a cast, as was her right hindleg and her left foreleg. One of her eyes was patched, and her mane had been shorn off in order to accommodate the bandages. She looked like hell right now. And, to be honest, she also looked so beautiful to him. That part, he knew, would never change.

“It’s sad,” she said. “The last time we were like this, we’d started our relationship and you were the one in traction. Now we’re at the end, and I’m the one here.”

“Derpy, I…I still love you. I want you to know that.”

She nodded as best as he could. “I so wanted to be the mare that would be there for the rest of your days, Silver. But I can’t. I don’t have that kind of strength in me. I can’t just sit there and wait as you go out and possibly be killed. I love you too much to see that happen, but I can’t – I won’t – force you to step away from what your life’s work is. That way lays madness.” Her good eye began to glisten with tears. “Forgive me for not being strong enough to be your wife.”

“There’s nothing to forgive, Derpy. You gave me happiness and two foals to love.” He could feel his own eyes tearing up. He never wanted this moment, but it was happening regardless. It was that neat and bittersweet, that’s how he saw the world – but he knew that there would be a part of her that he would never let go, and she him. But he had to change the subject, lest he break down. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. I was closing up shop – I’d sent Par Avion and Sodasplash home for the night and I was locking up when something black attacked me. Whatever it was, the only thing I could tell was that it was a pegasus, maybe female, I’m not sure – and whoever it was, he or she was good at fighting.”

“A fighter?”

“I don’t know much about martial arts, but I remember those Turf Fu routines you practiced in the backyard. Something like that, only made for pegasi.”

He thought about that for a second. “Well, there’s a few disciplines: airkido, wing chun, cloudpoeria…. But it sounds like the pony that attacked you knew what he or she was doing.”

“It hurt. I had to crawl all the way to Roseluck’s for help.”

Silver gasped – that was a quarter-mile, and she did it on a broken wing and two broken legs. And this mare’s afraid of me getting killed?

“Derpy, I’m going to find who did this to you. I’m going to find them and make them pay. Nopony messes with my family,” he said.

“We’re not family anymore, Silver.” Derpy looked at him sadly and said, “I pushed you away. I don’t deserve you anymore.”

“You’re the mother of our foals, Derpy,” he told her calmly. “You’re always going to be a mare I love and family. Plus, we don’t know if they went after you or the girls.” At that, Derpy’s eye went wide in fright. “Think about it, hon,” he said. “We know that Oriental Blossom and Bottlerocket didn’t contest the severance order or the adoptions, but what if they left a few years in-between in order to let us let our guard down before trying to get the girls back? Plus, when they went to jail, they’d been working for mercenaries…and I’m sure there are more than a few soldiers-of-fortune who are martial arts experts.”

“If it’s true, Silver, you can’t let them take my muffins – our girls!” she gasped, ignoring the pain that was radiating in her good eye.

“I won’t,” he vowed as a knock came at the door. As he turned around, he found Rarity poking his head in.

“Silver, dear, we just received a message from Sheriff Caramel. He would like to see you at the post office as soon as you can.”

“I’ll come as soon as I can,” he told her, his voice filled with tension.

Derpy fixed her eye on Rarity as she stood by the door, and then an idea came to her. “Silver, I’d like to speak to Rarity alone for a moment, if I can.”

“Derpy, I….”

“Please, just wait outside. I won’t be long.” He nodded slightly and then suddenly it was the two mares in the room. “Rarity, please close the door.” The unicorn did so, and then approached the bed. “So, do you love him?”

“Derpy, please understand, I never mea—”

“Do. You. Love. Him?” the pegasus said firmly, though without any hint of anger or malice.

“I….” Rarity blushed. “We’ve only been together a month now, and…he makes my heart a-flutter, like no stallion I’ve ever met. I see that smile of his, and I know it’s only just for me. At the risk of cliché, dear, he makes me feel…well, like a mare.”

Derpy smiled weakly. “I’m glad. I’m glad he found someone he could love and actually deserves it.”

“You’re being too hard on yourself, dear. You have a past with him, and foals. You two still love one another.”

“Yes, but I’m not the right mare for him, Rarity. I know that now. I don’t regret having him in my life, don’t get me wrong, but…we were two clouds passing in the air, and we were both Celestia-blessed that we had time together. I will always cherish that. But I want him to be happy, Rarity. Will you do that for him?”

The two mares looked at each other in silence for what seemed to be endless minutes. It wasn’t a test of wills, but instead an unspoken conversation between the past, the present and the possible future. To a casual observer, had they heard Derpy’s question, it would have almost seemed as though there was a torch being passed, a baton being moved on down the line towards its goal.

“Yes,” Rarity said, finally. “I can’t promise that he’ll be happy, but I promise I will try to make it so.”

“That’s all I can ask for,” she said, an easy smile suddenly coming onto his face. “Oh, and Dinky will probably hate you for a while, be warned: she’s a jealous little filly. Sparkler, thankfully, is old enough to understand. She might not be happy about me and Silver breaking up, but she understands.”

“I’ve spoken with Sparkler. You’ve raised a wonderful young mare.”

“Thanks, Rarity.” A yellow eye fluttered slightly, sleepily. “I need to get some sleep now, so, please, just take care of my love and that’s enough for me. I guess I’ll see you later?”

She nodded. “Take care, and if there’s anything you ever need, please don’t hesitate to ask.” But by that time, Derpy was halfway asleep. Rarity smiled softly at her predecessor – though it felt weird for her to think that, she admitted to herself – and left the room quietly. As she stepped out, Rarity looked at Silver. “She’s almost asleep – I think you should say your goodbyes, so we can go talk to Caramel.”

“I already did,” he told her, but she held out a foreleg in front of him.

“As Macintosh is so fond of saying, ‘Nope.’ Did you give her a goodbye kiss?” He looked at her oddly and she asked again, “Did you kiss her goodbye?”

“You were in the room when I left, Rarity. You know the answer to that.”

Rarity pointed towards the room, a determined look on her face. “Go. Now.”

“Why?”

She gave him a loving look. “Because that mare’s giving up one of the most important things in her life to me, and that’s…well, it’s generous. And if there’s one pony in this world who knows what Generosity is, it’s me.” She took his forehooves in hers and said, “I trust you, Silver, and I know you’re with me now. But you were with her before that. And she needs you right now, and you’re going to go in there, kiss her and let her know that no matter what, you love her. Then you’ll come back out and we can get back to our lives, understood?”

He nodded, both in awe and surprise. “Yes,” he told her as he went back into the room.

Footsteps fell down the hall. Without looking at them, Rarity said, “I know I’m doing the right thing, Cadance. And no, it isn’t easy. But as a mare just taught me, sometimes Generosity is about doing the right thing rather than the easy thing.”

“Well, if it counts, I’m proud of you,” the romance alicorn replied. Shining, standing next to her, merely nodded as Rarity peeked in to see her coltfriend kissing his now-former fillyfriend farewell. They would depart as friends, she knew, and their hearts would heal, their romance replaced by a fondness that would endure.

Caramel bent down, looking under a counter in the post office. Right now, Derpy’s home and post office was cordoned off for investigation by the town sheriff. “Whatever pony did this was a professional,” he said aloud. “Left very little trace, and what ground contacts there were are so faint that they either could have been done by a pegasus, or just a really light unicorn, as the prints of an earth pony would be more marked.” He turned to address the others in the room. “I’ll be honest: this isn’t going to be an easy case, but it’s my case,” the sheriff told Prince Shining Armor, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, Cornet Silversteel and the six Knights Elemental. “I understand that Miss Hooves is a friend of yours, but this is my bea—”

“Caramel, can the crap and just get to your point,” Silver said irritably.

The goldenrod stallion rolled his eyes. “Just trying to do my job here, Silver. Anyway, I’ve had my deputies sweep for hoofprints, coat, tail or mane hairs or feathers, and the only ones that are around here match either Derpy, her daughters or her employees, all of which have rock-solid alibis…and no, I’m not accusing your foals, it’s a figure of speech,” he said, placating his friend. “My crew’s nothing but earth ponies and pegasi; we have no unicorns on staff, so I’m gonna need a little bit of help here.”

“Allow me,” Twilight said, as her horn flaring with power as she lit up the immediate surroundings. The room was suddenly engulfed in brilliant purple as her magic literally poured through every nook and cranny within the building. A second later, she released the spell, and a dozen hairs and feathers floated in front of her, all encased in her magic.

Caramel turned to his senior deputy. “Bag and tag, then get a hold of the Cruppersville Sheriff’s Office and see if they’ll lend us their magic identification specialist for a few days.”

“Won’t be necessary,” Shining said as his own horn came alight with blue energy. The items in the bags interleaved with the magic of both siblings, and when it was done, the prince said to Caramel, “I’ll broadcast that over to our ponies in the intelligence bureau. I’ll have them look into it.”

“Can you do that? Derpy’s just a civilian.”

Cadance shook her head. “No, at one time, Derpy was an official Crown representative for something needed in Appaloosa. That makes her a potential target for any possible action against the Crown and we don’t take it lightly. And I’m not just saying that because she’s a friend, Sheriff.”

“Yes, your highness.” Caramel took an appreciative look at the ponies assembled in the room not under his command. “Whoever hurt Derpy is probably going to regret ticking off you folks. I wouldn’t want to be in their hooves.”

“Thanks for letting me stay at your place, Rarity,” Twilight said as the two sipped coffee at the table later that night.

“It’s not a problem, Twilight, dear. I wouldn’t want you to stay in a hotel, since you no longer live at the library. As it is, Shining and Cadance are staying with Applejack and her family, and Silver’s staying at Derpy’s home with the fillies until she’s discharged from the hospital. My cousin and Sweetie are at my parents, so that left just you.” She sighed as she looked at her surroundings. “I’m going to miss this place.”

“Can’t you keep it?”

“Well, yes, I will, but I’ve appointed Mister Rich to be my double-blind CEO, and the lower floor will have some temporary employees minding the store while Diamond Tiara moves in with me for her apprenticeship. Truthfully, I’m glad she and Sweetie reconciled their differences. It’s interesting enough having Sky living with me, but now I’ll have an apprentice working with me in my spare time.”

“And the residential part?”

“I’ll have that as a guest home for whenever I’m visiting in town. Of course I’ll give you a key as well, should you ever need it.”

“Thanks.” Twilight took another sip of her coffee and said, “Cadance told me what you did with Silver and Derpy. I have to admit, I’m not sure I’d have that kind of confidence.”

Rarity waved it away. “They love each other. They were a family before I came into the picture. I don’t have the right to take that away from them, and I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”

“And yet he’s sleeping in his old fillyfriend’s bed tonight.”

“Alone, Twilight – and he’s there because Dinky has nightmares, the poor thing,” Rarity pointed out. “Twilight, I trust Silver completely and those are his daughters. What are you trying to get at?”

“Look, I just don’t want to see you hurt, is all. I don’t want you to end up as The Other Mare.”

“Twilight, as much as I hate to say it, Applejack stands that happening to her more than I, because she’s so taken in with Noteworthy and he’s always been somewhat of a playcolt. But I told Silver that from the very beginning I refuse to be the mare on the side, and he’s been very sincere with me in the short time we’ve been together.” She brushed her mane out of her eyes and looked at her friend intently. “I promise you, Twilight, that I’ll be fine with Silver. I have the utmost faith in him, and Shining wouldn’t have introduced us if he even remotely thought something would be amiss.”

“If you’re sure….”

Rarity nodded. “I’m quite sure, dear, but I very much appreciate your concern. But please, let’s focus on more pressing concerns – like how Mrs. Cake found Pinkie and Thunderlane in a ‘compromising position’?”

Twilight’s jaw practically hit the floor. “You’re joking.”

The ivory unicorn feigned innocence. “Blossomforth told me about it – you know how the Cakes treat Pinkie as one of their own, so when Mrs. Cake found Thunderlane asleep with Pinkie in her bed, Mr. Cake apparently read him the riot act. I think they’re worried about how Pinkie will fare when they’re gone.”

“They’re leaving?”

“Didn’t you know? One of their mothers – I can’t remember which – is infirm in San Franciscolt, and the Cakes are moving there to take care of her in her dotage. They plan to sell Pinkie Sugarcube Corner, though knowing the Cakes they’ll probably just give it to her since she’s like a daughter to them. But they’ll be moving in a couple of months once their new business opens there.”

“Wow. I don’t live here anymore, you’re moving, and Applejack says she’s thinking about it, now that she’s accepted Celestia’s offer of ministry. And now the Cakes are leaving too, and Mayor Mare’s considering retiring. This place is really changing.” Twilight sighed wistfully. “I guess it’s true what they say: you can’t go home again.”

“At least we have each other, dear. At least we’ll always have one another.”

“Where’s my buckin’ money?” The stallion standing in front of the mare looked at her with a nasty glare. “We had a Luna-damned deal – I take out that post office harridelle, and you give me that cash.”

The mare stood there, looking at him coolly. “You done bucked up, Dragonkick. They found feathers and manehairs – didn’t I tell you to be more careful? That nag’s buckin’ connected, so dealing with her had to be delicate.”

“Hey, I did exactly what the buck you asked for – hospitalize the linebred freak – and now I want my cold. Hard. Bits.” The look in his eyes was murderous. “Now pay up, or am I gonna hafta take it out of your hide?” He looked at her and suddenly leered, adding, “Not that that wouldn’t be a bad deal either. Mare like you, bet your tail goes up for a long, long time.”

The mare looked at him coldly. “Dragonkick, mercs like you don’t stand a chance against me. I already paid you half on the condition that you get the rest if you did the job right. You screwed up hard – so you don’t get the rest, because I’m going to need it to cover your tracks and mine.”

“Not my problem.” He placed a wing on her withers, brushing her back seductively. “Last chance, filly. Bits or get comfy on the ground.”

She groaned. “You’re an idiot.”

And then she moved.

By the time he realized what was going on, she’d already blasted forward, stopping just in front of him and swinging her wings forth. The close-range sonic boom hit him hard, knocking him off his feet, and taking advantage of that momentum, she turned and lashed out with a flurry of kicks, each one connecting against his exposed barrel. As he hit the ground, she grabbed him and pulled him up by the mane.

“Just because I hired you to do a job doesn’t mean I’m not capable of doing it myself – I’m just not as stupid as you,” she said. “And the world’s not going to miss another soffie.” With a vicious grin on her face, she slammed his face into the pavement with strength that could have rivaled an earth pony. She then picked up a nearby loose brick, lifted his unconscious face once more, then smashed it into his muzzle, cracking the brick and breaking his jaw.

Letting him fall back to the floor, she acted quickly. Pulling out a few feathers and messing her mane and tail, she then quickly smashed the side of her face against the nearby wall. Making sure she was bleeding, she then stumbled out of the alleyway, timing it just as a town deputy passed by. “Help!” she gasped.

“Hey, what happened to you?” he asked.

“That…that stallion in there. He pulled me into the alley,” she cried, her eyes frantic. “He was going to…he was….” She shivered in fright. “I hit him with a brick so I could get away, but…please, help!”

“It’s okay, you’re safe now, ma’am,” he said, comforting her. His horn flared, as he sent a signal flare into the sky; nearby deputies would immediately rush to the vicinity. “I’ll stay here to protect you until reinforcements get here. You’ll be fine – the Baltimare Sheriff’s Office is here to serve and protect.”

“Thank you, deputy. I don’t know if I would’ve survived,” Tiger Lily lied.

“There,” Silver said, coming back to the kitchen of the house he once spent a lot of time in and was all-too-familiar with. “I put her to bed, and she’ll be sleeping with me in your mother’s bed tonight in case of problems.”

Seated at the table and doing her homework, Sparkler looked up and looked at Silver. “It’s weird hearing you say that. Just another sign that you’re not here anymore.”

“Sparky, you know I’m not going away, kiddo,” he told her warmly, reaching up and patting her on the head. “I wanted to marry your mom. Part of me still does. But sometimes things just don’t work out.”

“I know, Dad, and I’m not blaming you. Mom specifically said that it wasn’t you, it was her. But I was just hoping that it would work out. I’ve already lost one set of parents – I don’t want to lose another.”

“You never will, Sparky. I promise. I’ll always be here.” He looked at her work. “What’s that?”

“Some homework. About a couple of weeks ago, I started my apprenticeship with Miss Raspberry Beryl – she’s the jeweler and lapidimancer in town, and she’s very strict about knowing your gems, so she’s having me do homework every night until I’m familiar with the cardinal and secondary gem systems.”

“Looks tough.”

She nodded. “It is, though Miss Beryl is a good teacher. Hope I can be as good as she is someday.” The unicorn continued to fill out the work, until she looked up again. “Hey, Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you love Miss Rarity?”

“Well, we’ve only been together for a month, muffin. I don’t know if it’s love, per se, but I am attracted to her. She’s different from your Mom. I love your Mom for different reasons than I likely will Rarity.”

“That’s good. So then should I expect new brothers and sisters soon?”

“Um…that’ll be years down the line, Sparky, if that even happens. But if it does, I know you’ll be the kind of big sister – both you and Dinky – that would do anything to protect them.” He looked outside at the snow-covered grounds of Ponyville and thought. “Hey, think I’ll make some hot chocolate. Want some?”

“That’d be nice,” she said, erasing an answer. “So, will you be living in Canterlot still, or moving here to Ponyville?”

“Canterlot. My duties are there, and even if that wasn’t the case, Rarity’s already moved there. But I still have my place and your mother and I will work out something so you two can see me often.”

“Dinky’s not going to take this well, just thought you should know that.”

“I know. She’s always been sensitive. But she already knows some families that live separate. Aren’t Sparkleshine’s parents divorced?”

“Yeah. Her mother moved back up to Cloudsdale afterwards, but because Sparkleshine and her dad aren’t pegasi, they still live in town. I think Dinky’s more worried about our family ending up like…well, I hate to say it, but like Aunt Ditzy’s. Mom tries to hide it, but Aunt Ditzy and Uncle Autumn aren’t always on the best of terms and our cousins have been coming over more and more lately. I really feel for Hazy – she looks more like Mom than Aunt Ditzy, and I think Mom’s got a soft spot for her, which really pisses off Aunt Ditzy.”

“You shouldn’t say things like that about your aunt, muffin.”

“I know, but...look, I’m just saying I think that’s what Dinky’s afraid is going to happen. I know you wouldn’t ever do that, but Dinky’s just a filly, and you know how they are at that age.”

“You were at that age not too long ago, sunshine.”

She rolled her eyes, but smiled. “Yeah, I know.”

“So, this colt of yours is in town and hasn’t come by to introduce himself?” Magnum asked his older daughter as a stern look came into his face. “I don’t care for that.”

Rarity sighed. “Father, I told you, he’s taking care of his foals right now.” When she decided to come over and have breakfast with her parents, sister and cousin, this was not how she planned things to go.

“He has foals with another mare?” Pearl gasped.

Rarity looked at Sweetie and Sky for help; unfortunately, neither of them could provide anything other than moral support. Looking back at her parents, she gave a weak smile and said, “Mother, Father, I’ve already explained to you the situation about Silversteel and his foals. Neither of us would be in town right now if their mother hadn’t been in an accident.”

“That may be true, Rarity, but I still want to know why he hasn’t bothered to speak to me about what his intentions are for my little filly.”

“Uh, Dad? Thought I was your little filly,” Sweetie drawled. “And honestly? Silver’s a nice guy, and perfect for Rarity. I don’t know what you’re worried about.”

“Yeah, Uncle Magnum, Aunt Pearl, Rares wouldn’t put herself in any situation that she can’t get herself out of,” Sky said. “Besides, she’s a Knight – what could go wrong?”

“Sky, dear, you haven’t lived in Ponyville,” Pearl replied, as if that explained everything.

“Look, as soon as it’s practical I’ll ask him to have dinner with us sometime. Maybe we could have a nice family get-together at my new home. You two haven’t come by there yet.”

“We were planning to come next month when Cloudsdale squares off against Canterlot for the regional championships.” Magnum smiled. “Okay, I’ll agree to it, but only because you’ll always be your father’s little filly.”

“Yeah, because I’m chopped rutabaga,” Sweetie grumbled.

It was two days later when Caramel approached Derpy. At the time, Silver and Rarity were in the hospital room with her. Sparkler was at her apprenticeship and Dinky was playing with her friends. “Hey, we got a positive match; thug out of Baltimare by the name of Dragonkick. According to the BSO, he’s known for both small-time jobs and big merc stuff, but currently he’s sitting in the pokey over there for attempted assault, so it made it that much easier to identify. Funny thing is, though, BSO can’t figure out why he was here – it’s not usually his MO.”

“The girls,” Derpy said weakly. “Caramel, you know the history about my fillies. Silver and I are worried their birth parents might be after them again.”

“I thought you might have those concerns, so I did some tracing. Bottlerocket’s sitting in the prison up in Vanhoover for petty theft; he’s been up there for the past three years, so there’s no chance of him being involved. And as for Oriental Blossom? Geez, I really don’t know if I should mention this.”

Silver looked at him. “My girls have nothing to do with them anymore, Caramel. You can tell us.”

“Died of a salt overdose about two years ago in a hotel room in Neighvada. She’s actually buried in the potter’s field there; we traced her via hoofprint records.” He hoofed over the files to Silver. “Your kids are safe, you two.”

“Plus, I promise you both that we would get involved if they were ever in harm’s way,” Rarity assured both Silver and Derpy. “To me, this is a case that involves the Knights Elemental, and we defend our own.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that pissing off the Elements of Harmony was not quite what Dragonkick planned on, if that was his plan. But if you ask me, he’s only a pawn, and there’s a Nightmare Moon behind the Princess, if you get my drift.”

“I don’t care for that phrase, Caramel,” Rarity said.

“Figure of speech, Rarity, don’t bite my head off, okay? I know you’re sensitive about her, and I’ve always thought Princess Luna’s good pony. But what I’m saying is that if they didn’t hire Dragonkick, it’s possible that the fillies weren’t the target. Derpy, have you been doing anything important as of late?”

“Well, there’s a project that I’ve been proposing to the Royal Science Foundation,” she said, “but as usual, they never listen to me. I may have to end-run it around them via Twilight or Cadance.”

“High-value project? Potentially lucrative?”

“Not at all, at least not in the short-term,” Derpy commented. “Any potential profits – and that’s a very slim potential – would be decades away at the very least. Only ones who could sit and stand to wait that long are alicorns, dragons and the kinds of folks who don’t need that sort of money.”

“Okay, so that removes that lead.” The stallion shrugged. “I’ll keep working the angles, but I’m not positive that we’ll find anything anytime soon, folks. Best I can say is that you keep a low profile, Derpy, and that we’ll do what we can to keep you under safety observation for a while. Silver, if you have any sort of military jurisdiction you can pull, I could use the help.” And as he turned to Rarity, he said, “And I know you can mobilize everything short of the princesses themselves – and for them, all you have to do is ask. But please don’t stomp all over Ponyville while I’m working the case. This town is getting used to not having a misadventure every other day and I like the idea of constant panic not happening on a regular basis.”

“No promises, Caramel,” she insisted. “But the boots come off if the girls or Derpy are in danger.”

As Caramel departed, Silver and Derpy looked at each other, then at Rarity. Both simultaneously said, “You were a little hard on him, Rarity.”

Rarity looked at both Derpy and Silver, blinking as she realized what they both did. Then a small smile came over her face as she said, “I’m jealous, you know that?”

“How so?” Silver asked.

“You two are so in tune with one another that you’re speaking at the same time. I can only hope that Silver and I can reach that level of love.”

Derpy smiled softly. “You will, Rarity. I’m sure you will.”

“Well, now that that’s settled, I can go pick up the girls and take them to lunch. I think it’d be a great way fo—”

“I HATE YOU!” The voice of a small filly rang out and the three adults in the room turned to see Dinky standing there, angry as could be, with a somewhat embarrassed Sparkler behind her.

“Dinky,” Derpy began.

Dinky went right up to Rarity and kicked her in the cannon. “YOU’RE TRYING TO TAKE MY DADDY!” she shouted. “I HATE YOU!”

Sparkler looked mortified. “She saw you and Dad kiss,” she explained to Rarity. “I tried to explain, but….”

“It’s okay, Sparkler, dear,” Rarity said, wincing as the filly got in several good blows. Derpy, confined to the bed, could only look at Rarity with sympathy, something that the unicorn much appreciated at the moment.

Silver pulled her away. “Okay, Dinky, that’s enough.”

“Daddy, please don’t go,” she begged. “I’ll be good! I don’t want you to go away like Sparkleshine’s mommy did!” She wailed as she cried in her father’s forelegs, worried sick.

“Silver, give her to me,” Derpy said, and Silver placed the filly on the bed. “Dinky, I want you to listen to me.”

“But Mommy, I’ll be good! I’ll eat all my Brussels sprouts! I’ll do my homework on time! I’ll clean my room! Please don’t let Daddy go away! Please!” The tears of the young filly started to affect everypony in the room, and Rarity felt a pang of guilt once more, wondering if her relationship with Silver was the right call.

“Muffin, do you think your father and I love you?” Derpy asked Dinky, reaching out with her good foreleg to caress her daughter’s face.

“Yeah,” she sniffed.

“We do, I promise you that. And…yes, your father and I aren’t going to be together anymore, but we’re still friends and we still love both you and your sister. He’s not going away like that. Even when he was living in Canterlot, didn’t he visit all the time?”

“Yeah, but—”

“But nothing, sunshine,” Silver said. “I know Sparkleshine’s mother doesn’t visit her often, but I’m not like that. You and your sister are important to me, always. I’m always going to be here for you. Things are going to be different, but different isn’t always bad, Dinky.”

“You promise?”

“I promise, sweetie.” And to prove it, he recited Derpy’s Muffin Promise:

“Muffin Promise I thus make,
A solemn vow to never break.
If I cannot keep this wish,
No muffins e’er grace my dish!”

Meanwhile, Sparkler looked at Rarity’s bruised leg. “Are you okay, Miss Rarity?”

“She’s got quite some strength for a unicorn filly,” was Rarity’s pained response.

Sparkler nodded. “According to the records we have, Dinky and I descend from Stronghoof the Mighty – only unicorn in history with the strength of an earth pony.”

“That would explain it, then.”

“I don’t envy you. You’re going to have an uphill climb convincing Dinky you’re not taking Dad away from us.”

“And how do you feel about it? I know what you said the other day, but I want to know if you still felt the same way.”

Sparkler shook her head. “I owe you an apology. For all my comments about Dinky, I wasn’t behaving much better. I’ve seen how you and Dad have been the past few days, and I know you really care about him. I don’t know what’s going to happen to you two in the future, but as far as I’m concerned, as long as you make him happy, I’m okay with that. Mom accepts you, so should I.”

“Thank you, Sparkler. That’s very mature of you.”

“Yeah, well, you get that way when Sweetie Belle chews you out,” she said, blushing slightly.

“I wasn’t aware you knew my sister,” Rarity replied.

“I don’t, well, not at least until yesterday. I was over at Twist’s and Sweetie and the other Crusaders came over. Twist introduced us and things went downhill from there.” She rubbed the back of her head. “Your sister cares a lot about you – that’s a good sign.”

“I’ll have to have a talk to her about that,” Rarity answered, though she wasn’t sure if it was the good kind of chat or the bad.

“I’m glad you guys came by,” Sparkler said as she embraced her cousin. “With Mom in a wheelchair for a while, I can use all the help I could get.”

Flutterwonder smiled. “Ah, c’mon, cuz! We’re family! We’re always gonna help each other out!” As Fluttsy let go, she said, “But seriously, sorry to hear about your parents.”

Standing next to her sister, Orange Box agreed. “Yeah. Never thought Aunt Derpy and Uncle Silver would break up. I always thought it would be…well, you know.”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah, I know. So how long are you going to be here?”

“Well,” Orange said, “either until Mom and Dad stop fighting, or….” She looked over, to where Dinky and Hazy Jane were playing with their Smarty Pants dolls. “Well, maybe Hazy’ll be a grownup before then.”

“Yeah,” Fluttsy sighed. “Well, at least you know your dad loves you. We can’t say the same thing about our mother….”

Meanwhile, downstairs in the living room, Derpy, Autumn, Silver and Rarity sat. Derpy had been discharged from the hospital earlier in the day, and just by coincidence – he hadn’t known of the attack – Autumn brought his girls down to stay with Derpy while he and Ditzy fought for the umpteenth time. “So, I never thought you two….” he began. “If anything, I always thought that Ditzy and I would split.”

Derpy looked at Autumn. “Look, Mama said it best: ‘If there’s a gal who deserves to be happy, it’s a Hooves gal. And if there’s a gal who’s going to screw that up, it’s a Hooves gal.’ I’m okay, Autumn. I’ll always love Silver, but I’m okay with this. Just like when we were together.”

Silver looked at the stallion who would have been his brother-in-law. “Like you two were together?”

Autumn had a weak look on his face. “Uh…Derpy and I dated briefly before I hooked up with Ditzy.” Silver’s eyes narrowed and Autumn nodded. “Yeah, it wasn’t one of my better choices. Thankfully, Derpy’s forgiven me and has been a confidante when dealing with Ditzy.”

“I see.” Silver stiffened automatically, and the pegasus stallion suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

“Silver, darling, it’s in the past,” Rarity said, laying a hoof on his. “No need to get worked up about it. It’s between them. I can hardly fault you for anything between you and Derpy, right?”

He relaxed. “Yeah, you’re right,” he said, nuzzling her. “Sorry, Autumn, got a bit carried away there.”

The pegasus waved it off. “Hey, if it were me in your hooves, I wouldn’t blame you one bit. Still friends?”

Silver grinned. “Always, brony, always.”

Derpy suddenly thought of something. “Rarity, can you wheel me into the kitchen for a sec?” As the stallions looked at her, she said, “Filly talk for a sec. We’ll be right back.”

“Certainly, Derpy.” Rarity got behind the wheelchair and pushed, until they were in the kitchen. “So what did you need?”

“Nothing,” she said, a soft smile on her face. “I just felt they needed time to get it out of their system. They’ve both been a part of my life, and now they fill different niches. Surely you’ve had somepony like that in your life before?”

The unicorn shook her head. “I might seem worldy, but in truth, Silver’s only the third date I’ve ever had. The first one was a literal royal disaster.”

“Literal?”

“Trust me, dear – if Prince Blueblood ever asks you out, run as far as you can. Even Celestia doesn’t think too highly of him, even though she does care about her wayward nephew. As for the second, it was the night before I met Silver – my date that night walked out on me. He later came by to apologize, but Silver put the fear of Celestia in him.”

“I wonder if I’ll ever find someone who is right for me,” Derpy said softly. The look in her eyes was lost, fragile.

Rarity embraced her friend. “You’ll find somepony, Derpy, I promise you. You deserve to be loved and you’ll find somepony who will.” As she let go, blue eyes focused straight on yellow. “Promise me something, if you would.”

“Of course.”

“When you find that stallion, and we’re all old and gray, let’s all take a vacation together and talk about when we were young and carefree,” Rarity said with a soft smile.

Derpy looked up at her friend. “It’s a promise.”

IV: Dreams Become So Real to Me

“YOU DON’T DESERVE HIM!”

Rarity stood in the center of a crowd of unfamiliar ponies. They were all mares, they all looked gorgeous, and all of them had one more thing in common: they all seemed to be staring at her, dagger-eyed.

“You stole him from a mare, took him away from his foals!” a pegasus cried.

“And look how quickly you lifted your tail for him! You turned down a prince’s affections for this?” a unicorn cried.

“How do we know she didn’t turn down his affections? She’ll rut with a common soldier; she’ll rut with anypony!” an earth pony accused.

“No!” Rarity shouted back. “Blueblood is no gentlestallion – he’s nothing compared to my Silver!”

“Your Silver?” another unicorn called out. “I’ll have you know the other night he said something quite different.”

“Of course,” one of the earth ponies commented. “He went with me all night and I satisfied him – not you.”

“He needs a real mare that can give him what he needs,” a pegasus taunted. “Not this empty pageantry that you call love!”

At once the entire crowd broke out into laughter, jibes and taunts, all of them insults at Rarity and her love for him. Discussing how much better of a kisser he was with them. Crowing about how much longer he lasted in lovemaking with them. Boasting of how much more they’d pleasured him than she ever could.

“Stop it!” Rarity screamed, but the cacophony only grew more intense by the second. “Leave me alone! He’s my love, my heart! He’s with me!” she cried, though her voice was drowned out more and more as the voices became an unending, unyielding roar.

“STOP IT!”

Rarity suddenly sat up in bed, gasping for breath and looking at the surroundings – it was her bedroom, not that strange throng of nameless ponies. The sheets were soaked with sweat once again, and she knew she was going to need a shower and to change them before she got what passed for sleep in whatever remained of the night.

“Are you okay?” a voice said beside her, hidden in the dark. That voice she knew and trusted completely…and considering the situation, no surprise that she’d be here.

“I’m fine, Luna,” she said quietly.

“No, you’re not,” the dark alicorn said as she stepped forward slightly, moving into the moonlight streaming in from the window. It illuminated Luna’s features, and Rarity noted that there was a concerned look on the princess’ face. “You’ve been having nightmares for the past couple of nights, Rarity. What’s wrong?”

“Pointless fears, I suppose,” she said softly. “We’ve been together for four months now, and I have no fear that he’d ever go anywhere else. But I can’t control what happens in dreams. Maybe it’s just…subconscious concern that I’m not good enough.”

“You are,” Luna assured her as she stepped towards the bed. “I’ve never seen you so happy, Rarity – it’s clear how you feel about him. Perhaps you just need to believe in yourself,” she shrugged. “Or maybe it was just that odd carrot curry we had for dinner last night – our new chef from Saddle Arabia’s got some interesting ideas for cuisine,” she added with a soft smile.

“Maybe,” Rarity admitted with the hint of a tired smile. “But I never thought things would go this far. I mean, I’ve always had this picture-perfect idea of a relationship in my head, and my life with Silver’s been anything but: we’ve fought, we’ve made up, we’ve teased one another, defended each other, ignored each other’s faults or criticized them and then turned around and talked about what virtues we have that compel us to be together. Maybe it’s the filly in me that’s thinking this life isn’t what I intended.”

“But you wouldn’t give it up for the world,” the moon alicorn noted.

Rarity nodded. “No. I would rather give up everything else than to ever lose him,” she told her sister royal.

“Well, let me help you sleep,” Luna said as she placed her horn on Rarity’s head. There was flicker of light blue, and Rarity’s eyes quickly drew heavy before she fell back on the pillow. As Luna headed back towards the shadows to teleport away, there was a soft, tender smile on her face. “Pleasant dreams, little sister,” she said to the sleeping unicorn. “These troubles shall pass.”

Where the Tartarus is he? Tiger fumed as she knocked on the door of Silver’s apartment. Both worry and anger began to build in the back of her mind: worry that he might have found somepony else, and anger that said somepony would be foolish enough to try to take what was hers. She’d taught that stupid pegasus a lesson she’d never forget, and Tiger had covered her tracks fairly well. But if there was a new mare in the picture, well…she’d have to just change the equation again.

“C’mon, Silver! Open up!” she cried, knocking on the door once more.

“Heya, Tiger.” Tiger turned around and found him standing there. “What’re you doing here?”

As she looked at him, she realized he was just coming home from somewhere – he hadn’t just gone jogging. She also swore she noted the faint whiff of chocolate around him, a sign that he’d been with somepony as of recent. She fought to keep her face on an even keel as she said with a friendly smile, “I’m hurt. You forgot our date yesterday.”

“Date?”

She rolled her eyes playfully. “Remember? You were going to help me go find a birthday present for your sister?”

He suddenly looked crestfallen. “That was yesterday? Oh, geez – sorry! I spent most of the day doing training with my unit, then afterwards went over Rarity’s for dinner and a movie.”

“Rarity?” she said in a teasing tone, though inside she was fuming. “Something I should know about?”

“Oh, yeah, I thought you knew. I’ve been seeing her for a few months now.”

“Um, no, I wasn’t aware of that.” But now I am and Rarity, whoever you are, you’re a dead mare!

“Well, I’ve got the day off today and Goldie’s birthday’s not ‘til Friday, so if you’re still up for it, we can go this afternoon?” He yawned. “Gotta get some sleep first – I was…” He blushed slightly. “…up for a good portion of the night.”

“I didn’t need to know that,” she muttered, fighting even more for control. She needed to know who this Rarity mare was and put her in a pine box, pronto. “Well, that explains the sweetscent….”

His eyes went wide open in shock. “N-no…our relationship isn’t like that! Well, I mean, not yet, anyway, I mean…I….” He lowered his head and sighed, realizing she was teasing about the telltale chocolately aroma “She’s not that kind of mare, and I’m not ready to make that kind of jump in our relationship yet. Since I was over late, I crashed on the couch downstairs. Her couch isn’t the most comfy, so I didn’t sleep well.”

“I figured. You don’t need to tell me what kind of upstanding stallion you are, I already know that.” Inwardly, however, she was doing cartwheels. Good – I’m going to be the one who splits her stifle, not anypony else!

“Sorry,” he yawned again. “You’re welcome to stay for a bit while I crash.”

“No, you get some sleep,” she said, patting him on the withers with a gentle wing. “I’ll be back in the afternoon. I can get some errands done in the meanwhile.” Like find out who she is, then have a few “friends” visit.

“Thank you for taking the time to meet with me at such short notice,” Shining Armor said to the two older stallions at the table.

“It is my duty to serve, my prince,” Old Soldier, the aged pegasus that had been Shining’s predecessor as captain of the guard said, his grin partially obscured by his mustache.

“As Old Soldier said, we serve the realm, your highness,” added Silver Hammer, Soldier’s predecessor. The earth pony leaned back against the booth seat, getting comfortable.

“Okay, guys, that’s enough of that,” Shining Armor told the older stallions.

“Son, if there’s one thing you’ve got to learn as captain of the guard, it’s a sense of humor,” Soldier said with a wide grin. “When I took over for Silver Hammer here, he actually had me looking for a sodapop dragon incursion for a week,” he said laughing. “Don’t worry, when you retire and some young buck takes over for you, you’ll be doing the same thing.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“So, Shining, what do you want? Our time’s yours since you’re buying lunch, but I’m sure you didn’t call together retired captains just because you wanted our opinion on how to decorate your office,” Hammer stated.

“Well, I was cleaning out the office – mainly tossing out old files that don’t look like they’ve been touched in ages – and I came across some binders marked ‘Adept’, ‘Monolith’ and ‘Redsprite’. Curiously enough, they’re spell-encrypted. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about them, would you?”

Soldier and Hammer looked at each other, then back at Shining. “Shining, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll put those back in the drawer and forget they ever existed,” Hammer advised. “There are some things best untouched, and those three programs are one of them.”

Shining sighed. “Okay, enough of the jokes – seriously, what are they?”

“We’re not joking, Shining,” Soldier responded. “Those are Princess-level protocols, and stuff everyday ponies like us don’t get mixed up in.”

“I’m married to a princess, in case you forgot.”

“You’re not married to the right princess, if you get my drift. Let it go, Shining,” Hammer insisted. “This isn’t time to go on one of your goody-two-hooves cleanup crusades. Some stuff stays in the dark because it’s only meant to come out in the light when there’s nothing left. This is one of them.”

“Well, I guess I’ll be talking to her majesty,” he sighed.

“Don’t say we didn’t warn you,” Soldier commented, with no trace of irony whatsoever. If anything, Shining noticed, there was an air of worry about him.

“Caramel, thank you for taking the time to come to Canterlot to give me the report on the arrest,” Rarity said as she sat in her office with the stallion. Granted, law enforcement wasn’t her detail – the courts were under the jurisdiction of the Legal Ministry, which she had no control over, but as a Knight, she had the right to be informed of the situation.

“Hey, Windy wanted to do some shopping here in Canterlot, so I can’t begrudge my wife that,” he said with a nod.

Rarity looked at the report in her hooves once more. “I still can’t believe it all came down to that – Derpy was beat up by a thug because a rival inventor wanted to steal her plans.”

“Yeah, well, when Dragonkick copped a confession to Johnny Law – he’s the sheriff in Baltimare – the answer was a little too pat. Turned out at first he tried to blame the mare that he was arrested while trying to assault her. Since nopony believed that story, the BSO dug a little deeper and found that Dragonkick has ties to Boilerplate, who has a history of issues with Derpy, mostly stuff she invented first. BSO did some further investigating and found potentially incriminating evidence. Boilerplate swears he’s innocent, but he doesn’t have an alibi. I’m pretty sure we can wrap this case up.”

Rarity frowned. “And what does she think?”

“Derpy doesn’t think he had anything to do with it, but you know her: she’s a little too trusting of ponies, if you ask me. In any case, I spoke to Sparkler and she said they’d gotten a couple of nasty letters from Boilerplate in the past, which also bolsters the chance that he’s guilty.”

“May I make a recommendation?”

“Sure, I’m all ears.”

“Have Applejack speak to him. There’s something about all this that seems a little too…predetermined, shall we say, as if we were meant to automatically assume he’s guilty.”

The stallion was taken aback. “So you think he was framed?”

“It is within the realm of possibility, darling. But as Honesty, Applejack will be able to tell instantly if he’s telling the truth or not.”

“That may be all well and good, but it’s not going to be admissible in court, regardless of whatever magic abilities your Elements give you.”

“I understand that, but…I can’t help but feel that there’s something wrong about all this.” Setting down the report, she looked at the stallion and said, “But Applejack will be able to tell for sure, and if it is true, you have a basis with which to continue the investigation, correct? At the very least, you’ll be preventing somepony else from being unfairly victimized.”

Caramel sighed. “Well, better to be safe than sorry. I’m thinking that he’s guilty, but if Applejack’s willing to make the trip to Baltimare, then, sure, what have we got to lose?”

“Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to see me, your majesty.” The two were on the balcony of Celestia’s private office, watching the birds as they returned to Canterlot from their winter travels.

“Anything for the captain of my guard. What can I do for you, Shining?”

The prince wasn’t sure how to approach the subject, but he knew her well enough to know he could be straightforward with her. “Well, your majesty….”

She nickered slightly. “Shining, we’re family. You should know you can dispense with formality in private.”

“Old habits die hard.” He nodded slightly and said, “Fine. Care to tell me what Adept, Monolith and Redsprite are, Celestia? I had lunch with my predecessors and they say it’s your personal protocol that’s spell encrypted those binders.”

To his surprise, the ageless alicorn froze, then fixed a hard stare at him, lilac eyes boring through his soul. “I wish you hadn’t found those.”

“That doesn’t sound very encouraging. What are they?”

“Failures – the last dying gasp of the old dynasty, the final atrocities that King Jasper was willing to commit in his war against Discord before Luna and I began to reclaim my mother’s throne,” she told him. “The three programs were to create Thoroughbreds to use against the Avatar of Chaos.”

“‘Thoroughbred’?” The unfamiliar word sat on Shining’s tongue.

“It’s a corruption of a Draconian word that means completed blood – basically, a Thoroughbred is supposed to be an unparalleled and unrivaled master of war, unable to be stopped and capable of victory against any odds. A living, breathing war machine with virtually limitless capability for destruction,” she said in a sad, reserved tone.

“What? Why haven’t I heard about this before? Cadance never mentioned it.”

“Because she is as much in the dark as you were.” The sun alicorn raised a hoof to allay further questions from him. “What I am about to tell you, you must keep between us. Luna knows, but Cadance must not. Do you understand?” He instead looked at her with a confused glance, and she understood what his unspoken query was. “It’s not that I don’t trust her, but rather that I don’t want word to get to Blueblood. If it gets to him, it may get to the other lesser royals and it could cause a scandal for the Crown.”

“I see,” was all he said in reply.

“I’ll take that as a yes, then. The truth is…your sister is a Thoroughbred – your whole family is. The Adepts, or what are better known as the Legacy families – the Clovers, Star Swirls, Lulamoons, Kimonos and Wisterias – are the unicorn branch of Jasper’s whole program; in fact, they were the basis for it all. What Jasper wanted were juggernauts that could be called up at a whim, everyday stallions and mares with a trigger in their mind, and just like flicking a switch, they’d become unstoppable monsters.

“So he began a breeding program: voluntary in many cases, involuntary in many others. These were atrocities committed against ponies, breeding, counterbreeding and crossbreeding – even, in one or two cases, linebreeding. I don’t think I need to spell out what that means.” From the sudden settling of his jaw, she knew he understood. “Jasper’s aim was to complement the Adepts by creating Monoliths – hyperstrong earth ponies who could shatter mountains at a single touch; and Redsprites – pegasi who had complete and utter control of weather phenomenon at the wave of a wing.” She paused slightly, as if recalling an unsavory memory before saying in a soft tone, “By the time we entered the scene, Jasper had been successful in breeding two families of Monoliths.”

“He did? Who are they, and should I be concerned?”

“You already know them. The Mithril family is one. The Apples are the other.” The look on his face was one of disbelief, but she clarified: “Silver Hammer and his sons, Diamondplate and Silversteel – aren’t they far stronger and bulkier than the typical earth pony? And as for the Apples, Applejack’s brother Macintosh has been verified towing in excess of twenty tons, far above what would be the strength of any normal earth pony…and I’ve been told their father, Nittany, was even stronger than his son. Think about what kind of destruction that would be in battle.”

“Neither the Mithrils nor the Apples are hotblood warmongers!” Shining said, feeling the need to defend his friends.

“Thankfully, you’re quite correct in that assessment. Furthermore, those are the only two confirmed families of Monolith blood, and both manifest rarely, so it’s not an issue as far as I’m concerned – more so, considering that I know Applejack’s integrity.”

“What about the Redsprites?”

“Jasper was never able to complete that lineage. Over the years, there have been a few pegasi families that were suspected of being Redsprites: the Seitenwinds, the Triumphs, the Pansys, and most recently the Prism family, but each of their strongest flyers have only been able to create one particular phenomenon and nothing else, though each of their particular skills are unparalleled. I believe that is as close as it will ever come.”

“I see.” Rising from his seat, he said, “Thank you for your candor, Celestia. I think I’ll be burying those in the deepest part of my safe again.”

She nodded. “I want you to know I would never put any of those plans into action – never. Our family aside, my little ponies are individuals, not tools to be used in war. What Jasper did was understandable, given the war, but nonetheless inexcusable, and….” She paused in silence. “It was one of those ‘you had to be there moments’. Ponies abused just to see if they manifested the traits, mares barely out of their fillyhood – we wouldn’t even consider them remotely adults in this day and age – impregnated in the hopes that they would give birth to such types of ponies. It was a horror on the scale of madness and even if we didn’t do away with it in order to unite Equestria against Discord, I would have done so regardless.” Her eyes began to well with tears.

“Are you okay?” he asked, full of concern.

She nodded. “I just need some time alone right now, if you don’t mind.”

“I understand,” he said softly, leaving her to her regrets and horrific memories, something she would remain privy to and not tell another soul.

“Do we have a deal? Here’s where that cob lives. Break her like a twig, and you get the rest when it’s done – plus maybe a little more if I’m suitably impressed by what you do. But it damn well better be done, or I swear I’m coming after you.”

The gryphon balanced the satchel of bits in his claw while eyeing his prospective client. “Word on the street is that you broke Dragonkick. You gonna try to do the same thing to me?”

“Dragonkick bucked up hard, Gutslasher. Stallion was too stupid to do the job right and got himself caught, then wanted me to bail him out of it.”

“Yeah, sounds like him. Okay, you got yourself a deal. You know the rules: we didn’t meet, this never happened and when you read what happened to her in the papers in a few days, don’t forget to make a ‘friendly’ donation to the Saddle Arabian bank account I mentioned.”

“Don’t worry, Galahad. You’ll either get yours,” Tiger Lily said, “or I’ll make sure you get yours.”

“Whatever. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do.” As the gryphon lifted off into the air, Tiger watched him disappear before she took off herself. It was going to be a long flight back to Cloudsdale, and then a long, hot shower to wash off the disguise paint she was currently wearing.

Rarity, you’d better hope Gutslasher finishes you off, because at least he’ll be merciful. If I get my hooves on you, she thought, as a brutal leer crossed her face, we’ll find out if you die from the fall or the sudden landing!

“How does this look?”

Rarity eyed the dress carefully. “The inner stitch is off…is this is a blanket stitch?”

“Yes. I thought it would work for that part of the skirt.”

The former fashionista shook her head. “A normal chain stitch would work better here, dear. Blanket stitches are for the well-worn areas that see frequent rubbing and movement. Something free-floating as a skirt hem can use the normal chain stitch. Using a heavier one would only weigh down the dress and add to potential places where it could tear.” Floating the garment back onto the manuluquin, she flashed her student a smile. “Otherwise? It’s very good for a first work, Diamond. You should be proud of yourself.”

“YES!” Diamond Tiara squealed. “Now all I have to do is just adjust it and it’ll be ready!”

“Adjust it?” Rarity asked her apprentice. “But I thought this was for portfolio purposes, dear.”

“Um…no, it’s not.” The earth pony nervously shuffled her forehooves, looking at Rarity with shy embarrassment. “I…um…I made it for you, Miss Rarity. Sweetie suggested it would be good for your next date with Mister Silver.”

“You did?” Diamond Tiara nodded slightly. Rarity looked at the sundress once more this time from her own personal perspective. Sweetie suggested this to Diamond and she decided to do it. I almost wonder if I was safer off back when they were bitter enemies. The color, a seafoam-green that almost matched the color of Lyra Heartstrings’ coat, was complemented by a neon-pink sash so loud that Pinkie would have considered it a bit over the top. For a student’s first project, it was a…commendable…effort. For somepony that Rarity was training as a fashion designer and potential future fashionista, it was a trainwreck.

Rarity smiled softly. “I love it,” she told Diamond sincerely.

“So, are you going to wear it on your date today?”

Rarity gave the earth pony a bemused look. “And since when did you become concerned about my social life, Diamond?”

“Um…your cousin Sky said that Mr. Silver was over and that you—”

“SKY!” Rarity bellowed, heading towards the steps. “What have you been telling the girls?”

“Toldja she’d like it,” a voice said behind Diamond suddenly. The earth pony, caught off-guard, yelped and jumped in the air.

“Sweetie Belle! Don’t freak me out like that!” Diamond seethed. “And where did you come from?”

The look on the unicorn’s face was nonchalant. “Learned teleportation in class today – Twilight was today’s lecturer, and we picked it up pretty fast. She’s a great teacher and I hope I’ll get to be her apprentice when we’re up for them next year.”

The earth pony looked at her former rival and enemy, now…well, they weren’t quite friends, but Diamond realized that if she was going to be Rarity’s apprentice, she had to come to an agreement with the former “Cutie Mark Crusaders”. Besides, their bedrooms were right next to each other, so they had little choice but to get along. “Do you really think she likes it?”

Sweetie shook her head. “Not a chance, Diamond – it’s ugly and you know it. But Rarity appreciates the thought and knowing my sister, it’s the thought that counts more than the actual gift.” The smile was clear on the younger unicorn’s face. “Thanks.”

“For what?”

“What, can’t take a compliment from me?”

Diamond scrunched her muzzle up in contemplation. “Well,” she admitted a second later, “coming from you? It does take some getting used to.”

Galahad Gutslasher was, by any sense of the phrase, not a very nice gryphon. He’d started his life in a brutal fashion. He never knew his father, and his mother was a gryphoness of the night in Eyrie City. He’d spent most of his youth on the mean streets and learned how to survive on them. He’d done time, a couple of years in the Royal Griphonican Prison System and if the point of Equestriani prisons were rehabilitation, Griphonican ones were about punishment, pure, plain and simple. He’d managed to survive there, too.

All of this made Gutslasher a brute and he’d be the first to admit it. He had a list of crimes longer than his wingspan and there were very few things in this world he feared. Over the years, he’d built a network of muscles-for-hire and thugs from all species, all of them willing to do the job if the price was right. Dragonkick had been one of his until the motherbucker thought he’d make more bits on his own. Well, the plothole was sitting pretty in prison and now Gutslasher was going to make good on that contract of his.

Or at least, that was the plan.

That mare’s gotta be short some freakin’ pinfeathers! The information, Gutslasher noted, was spotty: there were thirty-seven ponies by the name of “Rarity” in Equestria. Out of those, the grand majority of them were fillies, which meant that they’d been named after one of the adult mares. Based on Tiger’s complaint – that the harridelle had been messing with her stallion – that meant the mare in question was likely of prime age, somewhere between twenty to sixty years old. That wrote off Rarity Rainbow, an elderly painter in Seaddle; and Rarity Umbrielle, an umbrella-maker in Colton. Out of the rest, Rarity Diamante was a filly-fooler, which meant she wouldn’t be an issue; and Hollybell Rarity was a Celestine oracle and they weren’t allowed to have relationships, so she could be safely written off.

Reasonably writing off the ones who lived in the Crystal Empire, Saddle Arabia, Gallopagos Islands and Hoofalulu – too far to reasonably be a problem for what Tiger Lily was describing and that boiled it down to four Raritys remaining. Further investigation showed that Rare Raspberry (or “Rarity”, as her friends called her) was married and pregnant, so she was out. That left three. One in Ponyville, which could potentially be the pony in question, but apparently she was a dressmaker, so she was probably too busy for relationships. One, Rare Earth – another known as “Rarity” – was a schoolteacher in Tacksworn, an earth pony, and she was potentially an issue as well.

That left the last Rarity on the list, the one most likely to be the culprit.

“Yo, Rex! Get your featherin’ tail in here!” Gutslasher shouted.

A diamond dog poked his head in, heavily scarred and looking even nastier than Gutslasher. “You call, boss?”

“Yeah. Round up the team – the whole team. We got a mission, and we’re going to need every claw on it, got that?” Gutslasher wasn’t going to take any chances on this one. Dealing with an earth pony schoolteacher wasn’t a problem. Dealing with a unicorn dressmaker wasn’t a problem, either.

Dealing with one of Equestria’s elite Knights Elemental? He was going to have his claws full.

“Sir?” The corporal at the door poked his head into Silver’s office. “You have a visitor.”

“By all means, let them on in.” The guardspony stepped away, letting in a particular beautiful sight. Unfortunately, they were in his office, and…. He sighed. Rules are rules. Rising to his feet, he stood at attention and saluted. “My Lady Knight? What brings you here?”

Rarity looked at him oddly. “Silver, darling, is there something the matter?”

“Well,” he said stiffly, “when a superior officer comes into my office – and there are few in this country who outranks a Knight – it is my duty to be utmost professional, because I have a duty to show proper decorum in front of my troops, regardless of my personal affiliations with said superior officer.”

Rarity’s smile fell; it was hard enough to manage the sticky realm of being a noblemare – she’d never considered the military dimensions of her status as a Bearer. “I’m sorry, Silver,” she said, feeling slightly guilty. “My intent wasn’t to come here and embarrass you.”

“Permission to speak freely, ma’am,” he responded crisply.

“I…uh….” Her ears drooped slightly. This wasn’t what she had in mind.

A whisper from behind the door sounded out: “The answer is ‘granted,’ ma’am.”

“Ah, I see. Well, granted then, I suppose,” she said, realizing she was going to have to talk to Shining about military protocol – another thing she’d never thought she have to learn.

“Corporal, please shut the door and let anypony who wants to know I’m in a meeting,” Silver said.

“Yes, sir, will not tell them you are flirting with your fillyfriend, sir!” the corporal wisecracked as he closed the door.

Silver facehoofed. “Remind me to give that colt extra liberty just to get him to shut up,” he muttered. Turning to Rarity, he gave her a smile and said, “I’m guessing you don’t have anypony in your family who’s military – your birth family, that is.”

“If I do, that was generations ago,” she replied. “Silver, I apologize – if I had known, I would’ve sent a courier instead, but I wanted to see you.”

He waved it off, favoring her with a smile that warmed her heart. “Rarity, every civvie who dates a guardspony has to learn the lifestyle sooner or later. It’s just one of those cultural things. I’m sure Cadance had just as much of a hard time – probably even more, given her royal duties – trying to learn being a guardspony’s wife. So what brings you here?”

“A couple of friends of mine, Wheat and Flax, have invited us to their bed and breakfast for the weekend. I know we haven’t had time to get away from it all as of late, so I thought it would be a wonderful place to ‘get lost’, as Rainbow so colorfully puts it.”

“Wheat and Flax – for some reason they sound familiar.”

“They run a hippie commune outside of Compost Flats,” she said. “I once helped them get their business of the ground – they sell hoof-crafted organic cosmetics made on-site – and they just spent a lot of bits to remodel their place.”

“Oh, wait!” He went over to the door. “Corporal, please come in here for a second.” The corporal came in, and Rarity looked at the earth pony. “Corporal, didn’t you say your sister lived on a hippie commune?”

“Yeah,” the corporal said, his tones flat. “Hey, my sister’s a grown mare and while Mom and Pop don’t exactly approve, they do love her. Her husband, however? He’s a total space case.”

“You’re Wheat Grass’ brother?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied. “Corporal Wheatstalk, at your service,” he said, delivering a sharp salute. “Is something wrong with my sister?” he asked Silver.

“No, just one of those ‘it’s a small world’ things, Corporal. Don’t worry about it.”

“I see. Well,” he said to Rarity, “if you see her, let her know I said hi, she needs to write me more often and if her husband calls me a ‘Heavy-hooved Government Bronco’ again, I’m going to buck his teeth in.”

“Um…sure,” Rarity replied. As Wheatstalk closed the door again, she said, “While Flax admittedly isn’t the most lucid of individuals, they are still wonderful ponies and it’d be a great way to spend a nice, quiet, isolated weekend together.” She sidled up to him, batting her eyelashes at him. “So, would that be amenable to you?”

“The trip? Sure,” he replied. “Anything else on your mind, though…um…PDA, Rarity. Sorry, no can do while on-duty.”

She moved even closer to him. “Don’t you want to kiss me?”

“Rules are rules, Rarity. Not while I’m in uniform. Don’t blame me; even Shining can’t get away with it.”

She pouted, and he found that look to be cute on her, just another thing about her that made him fall for her. “Could I make it a direct order?”

“Cadance tried that on Shining once. He told me we can’t even do it on those occasions.”

She sighed. “I guess I’ll have to petition Celestia to make a few changes in the regulations, then, won’t I?”

He gave her the barest hint of a grin. “It couldn’t hurt. Let me talk to my XO and let her know that I’ll be out this weekend, and we can head out first thing in the morning. Will that work?”

She squealed with delight, throwing her forehooves around him as she cooed, “I promise, you won’t regret it, Silver!”

“Rarity, we’re not suppo—” He was suddenly cut off as she kissed him deeply, not caring about the rules. Sure, she understood restrictions as much as the next pony. But she was a mare in love – that had to give her some exceptions, right?

“Thanks for the help with the homework, Miss Earth!” the pegasus colt said.

Seated at her desk, Rare Earth – Rarity, to her friends – smiled. It was a grueling life on the frontier, no doubt about that, and being the lone elementary schoolteacher in town didn’t help, either. But she found her calling in her students and she loved each and every one of them as if they’d been her own foals.

She sighed, though; surely she’d find somepony that would woo her, right? She was a single earth pony mare, and as she brought up a mirror, she gazed at her beige coat and midnight-blue mane, both of which enhanced her brown eyes. Granted she was no “Rarity” – the luck that she shared a name, even if just a nickname in her case, with the most beautiful of the Knights Elemental was kinda cool – but she’d hoped that somepony would take notice of her!

“Uh, Miss Earth?” She looked up from her desk and saw an adult standing there, by the front door.

“Oh, hello, Tumbleweed!” she said to the pegasus as he came in. She thought he was a nice stallion, raising his little sister Dusty Mesa. She never knew the reason why, but she thought it was awfully sweet of him to do so. Plus, as the mailstallion in town, she got to see him often. “Your sister went off with Chaparral and Desert Rose.”

He nodded. “I know, ran into them as they were headed off to go try to get their cutie marks.”

“So what can I do for you?”

“Well, Miss Earth—”

“Tumbleweed, we’re the same age,” she pointed out. “You can just call me Rarity.” It then dawned on her that she and he were the same age…and he was single…and he wasn’t here for his sister, so…was it possible that he…? Oh, Holy Celestia on Her Throne, please grant me my wish, she prayed silently.

He gulped. “Well then, Rarity…. You know about the barn dance that Cherokee Apple’s holding this weekend, right?” He took in a deep breath, and then asked, “I was wondering…well…would you like to go to the dance with me?”

She smiled softly, though in her heart of hearts she was doing backflips. Yes! Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes! “I would like that very much, Tumbleweed.” She felt her cheeks flush, but she didn’t care.

Apparently she wasn’t the only one, either. His cheeks reddening and standing out against his off-white coat, he said, “Great! So, I’ll pick you up tomorrow night at eight?”

“I’ll see you then!” she said, happy as a lark. He bounded out of the classroom and just in time too, or else he would have heard her cheer “THANK YOU CELESTIA!” at the top of her lungs. But as soon as the excitement died down, she had to make plans: what would she wear? It had to be something simple to dance in, but at the same time, something to catch and keep Tumbleweed’s attention.

“I wonder if Denim and Corduroy can come up with something for me,” she thought aloud. The town’s twin seamstresses were her friends and were always supportive of her – she was sure that they’d come up with something special!

“There you are,” a voice said behind her. It was dark and guttural, and nowhere near familiar. She turned and faced a hulking minotaur, scarred and covered in tattoos and brands.

“C-can I help you?” she squeaked.

“Sorry, this isn’t bovinal, just business,” he said as he reached out for her. She barely had enough time to scream before everything went black.

To say Sweetcream Scoops was depressed was an understatement. She’d nursed a love for her entire life, and now she was on the verge of losing it all. Ever since the day she’d met him, back when they were foals attending Miss Wintermint’s class, all she could do was to dream about the day she’d be his. And even though their lives had led them in slightly different directions, she always held a hope in her heart that he’d finally see her as the way she wanted him to.

She sighed. Why did this have to be so hard? She’d loved Big Mac since day one, and now he was seeing Fluttershy, who was a friend of hers. If Fluttershy had been dating anypony else, she’d be happy for the soft-spoken pegasus; and if Big Mac had only seen how much she’d carried a torch for him all these years, he would understand. But now the unicorn was confused and hurt.

I have to try to win his heart. I’m sorry, Fluttershy, but I was here first! She felt sick to her stomach. Flutters had always been a good friend, even as recent as last week when Scoops’ pet dog Sherbert was ill – Fluttershy had been sure to nurse him back to health. And now here Scoops was, about to repay her friend’s kindness with betrayal.

“Rarity? Are you home?” Scoops called out as she walked into the Carousel Boutique. She had a sure-fire plan, one she knew would work. A few months ago, she and Waterfalls were talking and the earth pony had admitted that she’d had a sexy little saddle and socks number done up for her so she could entice the stallion of her desire with it. While Rarity had been somewhat embarrassed to make the clothing, she’d done so and Waterfalls had admitted it had definitely gotten the attention of her beau, as evidenced by the wedding bracelet and the just-starting-to-show foal bump.

Scoops had to do it. Her heart would settle for no less.

“Rarity?” the unicorn called out. Everything was here, save for the fashionista. Why wasn’t she here? Right when sh…. Oh, that’s right – she moved. Stupid, stupid, stupid…way to think this through, Scoops! she chided herself. She remembered that Aloe and Lotus mentioned that Rarity had moved a few months ago to Canterlot as part of her new duties; with their best customer gone, the business wasn’t doing as well as it used to. It seemed as though everyone missed Rarity.

But that left Scoops with a new problem: should she risk going to Canterlot and commissioning Rarity? Or maybe purchasing one from a tailor there? Well, I suppose I can see if Rickrack can make me one. The only tailor in town now that Rarity was gone, Rickrack was a capable fashion creator, but he didn’t have the verve that his female counterpart did – Rarity often did double-to-triple the business the earth pony stallion did. Not to mention that having a stallion make such clothing for her would be mortifying, especially since she’d have to put it on in front of him eventually to make sure it fit correctly….

She sighed. The things I’ll do for love, she mused, as she decided to head over to Rickrack’s.

There was a sudden rattle from the backroom, and a smile came onto Scoops’ face. Maybe Rarity was here still, even just visiting her old home, and Rarity never turned down a mare in need. I just need to make sure that I don’t mention why I need it. Heading into what was Rarity’s workspace, she found a bunch of rolls of cloth torn into shreds and the room completely ransacked, as if the place had been robbed.

This isn’t good. I think I’d better tell Caramel, she thought, as she picked up a torn bit of measuring tape in her hoof.

“Heh, heh, heh…I knew you’d show up sooner or later.” Scoops turned and saw a donkey standing there. Unlike most donkeys, who tended towards thin and frail body types, this one was muscular and could almost be confused with an earth pony in build. He had a look on his face, a look that made Scoops very, very afraid. “Boss said I could play with you if I caught you. I think it’s going to be worth it.”

“Ex-excuse me?” she asked, taking a step back.

“You know what?” he said, taking a step forward. “It’s been a while since I’ve been with a female, not since I got out of the joint. And now I get you. This is icing on the cake – if I’d known the bossman was going to give me this opportunity, I’d done it for free.”

Her eyes widened as she suddenly realized what he meant. She turned to run, but he moved far too fast.

Nopony heard her scream.

Johnny Law was a believer in the physical realm. Sure, he knew magic was a part of life, but as an earth pony, magic just didn’t count for much in his world. He dealt with facts and evidence, things that could be tangibly and physically proven and present – more so because that’s what Equestria’s justice system required. Magic could easily tip the balance of scales for or against, so magic was often dismissed when it came to legal proceedings, and when it was allowed, there had to be at least three different supports for its use, and one of those had to be physical as well. He didn’t have a problem with magic, per se, it’s just that it wasn’t a part of his everyday exposure.

So the Baltimare sheriff was having a problem with the earth pony in front of him, wearing a golden gorget upon which was a glowing citrine gem in the shape of an apple. Despite her earthy appearance – she looked like a farmpony, with that Stetson of hers – there was something regal about her, a quality that most ponies didn’t possess; not a surprise, given who she was. That much he could deal with. No, his problem stemmed from her words.

“Boilerplate’s innocent,” Applejack told the sheriff. “Had jest a five minute chat with him, an’ even without th’ Element o’ Honesty, Ah could tell he’s tellin’ th’ truth.”

“So you’re telling me that he was framed?” That didn’t bode well. If Boilerplate was set up, the whole investigation fell apart like a house of cards. Worse, it would mean that whoever did the deed was still out there, and that pegasus in Ponyville was still in danger.

“Sure looks like it, Ah reckon,” she replied.

“I’m sorry, but I have to have more evidence than just your say-so, Miss Applejack. I realize who you are, but even still, the law is the law.”

“Figgered y’d say that, so Ah talked t’ him a little more. He does have an alibi; he just didn’ want t’ admit it, because it’s embarrassin’ fer him.” Applejack hoofed over a sheet of paper and said, “If’n y’ get a hold of this gal here, she should clear him.”

He noted the address, that of Boilerplate’s next door neighbor. “And she’ll vouch for him?”

“He admitted that he an’ his neighbor’s wife are havin’ an affair – he wuz with her at th’ time, an’ her husband wuz on a business trip t’ Detrot,” Applejack said, her mouth in a tight line. “Ah hate cheatin’ varmints like him, but…it clears him from suspicion in hurtin’ Derpy.”

“I’ll have one of my deputies talk to her as soon as possible. If we can get her to document it, we can release him as soon as possible. Unfortunately, this means that the real culprit is still out there, and your friend’s in danger.”

“Dontcha worry yerself none, sheriff,” Applejack promised. “Derpy’s a friend o’ mine – heck, she’s a friend of all of the Knights – an’ we protect our own. She got hurt once,” the farmmare said, and her next words chilled Johnny to his core as she said, “It won’ happen again.”

“Um…okay. Well, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule, Miss Applejack. I’ll be sure to inform you of what happens next.”

She nodded. “Ah ‘preciate that, Sheriff.”

As Applejack left the BSO headquarters, she headed towards the chariot that had brought her here and the two pegasi that had been assigned to transport her. “Sorry fer makin’ ya wait so long, boys,” she told them.

The sergeant in charge of the pair shook his head. “It’s our job, your grace. We serve at the behest of the Crown, and you are a part of the Royal family, milady duchess, so we aim to please.”

“Besides, if we weren’t assigned chariot duty today, we’d have combat training,” the second pegasus said, “and I’m not in the mood to get my flank kicked again.”

“You just don’t like Sergeant Lily’s effectiveness in her job,” the sergeant said. Turning to Applejack, he explained. “Sergeant Tiger Lily from Star Song squadron occasionally heads the combat training. She’s rather, uh, ‘enthusiastic’ when it comes to her training and usually somepony ends up getting a wingsprain or something. Granted, she does it because we need to get the job done and she’s damn good at what she does, it’s just…well, she can get a little too ‘eager’ at times, if you catch my drift, your grace.”

Applejack merely nodded; she’d been there whenever her friends had gone overboard; she’d also admit that the others had been there during the times when she herself had flown the coop. But then again, maybe as a military mare, her job was supposed to go overboard in order to save other ponies’ lives in the long run. That didn’t quite jibe with what Applejack thought, but then again, she didn’t have to make the same choices, as, say, Shining Armor.

“Well, since Ah’m makin’ y’ play hooky from trainin’ an’ all,” she said with a wink, “in fer a cent, in fer a bit. Know any place ‘round here where we c’n get some vittles? Lunch’s on me.”

“Wheat! Flax! It’s so wonderful to see you! And I love what you’ve done with the place!”

“Rarity! It’s so good to see you!” Wheat went over and embraced her friend. “And I see you brought your heart of hearts?” Wheat went over and looked critically at Silver. “Your chakra is restrained, my friend, but here at our commune, we’ll see what we can do to realign your aura for you.”

“Thanks…I think.”

Flax looked at the stallion, eyeing him even more critically. “Are you, like, one of those Heavy-hooved Government Broncos?” He raised a hoof in defiance. “Down with the system, pony! Free love and peace for everypony!”

Wheat facehoofed. “Sorry – he’s been reading works from the Weather Underground lately. Those pegasi claim to be hippies like us, but they’re very controversial. I hope they don’t run into a position where the authorities have to deal with them.”

“I’m sure it will be fine, Wheat, darling,” Rarity assured her. “So,” the unicorn said, looking around. “I love what you’ve done with the place.” And she meant it. That week she’d spent here helping them turn a disaster of a failing farm into a thriving business had earned her both friends and connections and while Rarity and Wheat had vastly different ideas of beauty, both agreed that it was those differences that made them better mares. That had been a couple of years ago, when the commune was on the verge of becoming a future location for a Barnyard Bargains store.

Now, she noted, the commune was doubled in size. The left half of it seemed to be a vastly improved version of the original farms and fields, still done organically and by hoof, but with a lot more employees and members of the commune. To the right, however, was a series of bungalows and a new barn, complementing the old one.

“We rebuilt the barn you stayed in the last time and use that now for our main preparation area,” Wheat explained. “The new one over there is a hotel for those who want the stay and experience the commune lifestyle for a week. We also have our own bungalows, so we can start raising our own families and a couple for special guests – we have you staying in one of them.”

“That’s wonderful, dear,” Rarity said with appreciation. Though that week had been unique, she was more than willing to assist her friends again. Plus, it would give her time to walk around the grounds with Silver and just have time for themselves. “Plus, I’ve noticed that the commune has grown quite a bit.”

“There’s been a few changes. Tempeh and Paisley eloped and moved to Los Pegasas so he could work on his music career. Tofu’s still here, and he and Yin-Yang have settled down; she’s due any day now. Riverpine and Black Diamond went to go start another commune in Idahorse, and Sweet Smile moved back to Manehattan to go back to college. But we’ve got some new ponies here: I think you’ll like Tie-Dye, Patchouli and Peppermint Incense and the others.”

“Like, they’re really groovy, pony,” Flax said, agreeing. “They totally know what it’s all about, y’ dig?”

“Well, I’ll have Bee’s Knees take your bags to your bungalow,” Wheat said. “Would you like to take the tour?”

“That’d be wonderful, dear,” Rarity said, looking at Silver. “What do you think?”

Silver, however, noted the way that some of the ponies out in the field were acting. For starters, some of them weren’t ponies – he noticed at least one diamond dog, two polar bears, a zebra and a gryphon working as part of the field. They also didn’t look like the rest of the hippies here, or the kind of individuals who would be working at a commune. “What about the ones in the robes?”

“Oh them!” she said with a wide smile. “They’re from the International Holding Hooves Commune over in Minos,” the hippie mare replied. “They wanted to see how communes were in Equestria, so they volunteered to work with us for a week! And when I told them all about how Rarity helped us fix everything, they begged us to invite her – which I was more than happy to do!” She waved to the big, burly gryphon. “I should introduce you to their group speaker.” She smiled as the gryphon flew over. “Rarity, Silver, this is Brother Galahad, the chief representative from their commune. Galahad, this is Rarity, the mare I told you about that helped us save the commune.”

“Ah, benevolent day to you, Miss Rarity,” the sizable creature said. “Sister Wheat and Brother Flax told me all about your ingenuity in rescuing their business and I had to meet the mare who did it. I would hope that you would be able to travel to our commune in Minos and apply the same talents.”

“My schedule is quite filled at the moment, Brother Galahad, but I’m sure if I spoke with her majesty, we could arrange something of the sort.”

The gryphon clapped his claws together. “Wonderful! I’ll let the others know. I understand you’re busy at the moment, but if you’d please, would you mind if we discussed this over breakfast in the morning?”

“That would be delightful,” Rarity said, pleased to be able to offer assistance once more.

“Well, I shall let you get back to your tour,” the gryphon said, “and I must get back to the honeycombs – honey doesn’t extract itself, unfortunately. Until the morrow, Miss Rarity.” With that, he departed, flying back towards the apiary area.

“What a gentlegryphon,” Rarity said. “Sadly, I’ve met too many gryphons who aren’t as gentle.” She then saw the look on Silver’s face and said, “Silver…is something the matter?”

“Something about him….” he said. “Combat trained, if I read his stance correctly. Plus the rest of his commune – a couple of them move like folks trained for battle.”

“There are hippies around the world who used to be former guardsponies or soldiers for their nations,” Wheat explained. “One of our own pegasi, Sunshine Saffron, used to be a member of Starcaller squadron before he gave up his ways for the commune life.”

“Like yeah, pony – peace, joy and free love!” Flax stuck his hoof forward, using the hoofspace to make the traditional hippie greeting. “That’s what it’s all about, pony, a world without war.”

“Sorry, old habits die hard,” Silver said.

“Dear,” Rarity commented, “do try to relax.” Slipping her forelegs around his neck, she kissed him softly and said, “For this weekend, it’s just you and I – no regulations, no titles or rank, just a mare and her stallion.”

He smiled. “You know how to make me go weak in the knees, you know that?”

“Oh,” she said impishly, “there are other things I could do as well.” His response was simply a wide grin. As she sighed while leaning against him, Silver wondered exactly what his fillyfriend had in mind. But for some reason, he just couldn’t get his mind off “Brother Galahad” and his followers. Something seemed very wrong, and while it was too early to be sure that something was amiss, he didn’t quite feel the need to let down his guard yet.

“So, here’s the plan,” Gutslasher told his folks, in the dark of the night. “Sneg Nozhom will lead the attack on that stallion. I also want Stone Cold and Rockbreaker on him.”

“Hah, it will be child’s play,” the polar bear said, his accent thick. He looked at the minotaur and earth pony that would accompany him and they nodded in grim agreement. “Sending anything else would be overkill.”

“Well, don’t forget that your job is to keep him busy, not actually injure him – our client wants him alive and unharmed,” the gryphon reminded them.

Sneg nodded. “Then why do you need the rest of our forces? As I said, it will only require myself, Stone and Rocky on him.”

“Oh, boyo, these aren’t fer you, laddie,” a pegasus with an eyepatch replied. “The rest of us have the hard job – dealing with her. You sure this is that one, Gutslasher?”

“Max Damage said that mare in Tacksworn crunched easily, so she couldn’t be the Element; and Ramblejack said he liked the fact that his target ‘played with him’ a little bit before he finished with her, so I’m guessing that sick motherbucker didn’t run into an Element either. That leaves just this Rarity, and while she doesn’t seem like she’s anything, I get the feeling this is going to be one of those situations where we’re going to earn our pay in spades.” He looked to the zebra. “Have we got the flower foals taken care of?”

“Was easy as pie, Gutslasher,” a zebra mare looked at him haughtily. “The incense I used will not let them stir. They’ll be asleep for at least a day, and by then we’ll be far away.”

“Okay, holding you to that,” he said. “Okay, you all have your assignments. Let’s get this done!”

Silver stared, his mouth agape. He couldn’t breathe, and his heart raced. He’d seen beauty before in life, sure. But there were no words to describe what appeared before him.

“Well….” Rarity purred, “Does this meet with your approval?” She stretched slightly, letting the curves of her lacy socks and saddle say everything for her. His mouth was still agape, so she approached him, her mane tied back with a long, ivory ribbon. “Is there something wrong, darling? Opal have your tongue?”

“I….” he managed to get out, just before she playfully kissed him.

“Well, I think we should go to bed, dear,” she cooed. “Tiring day – and if you aren’t, I can correct that.” She reached out with her tail, wrapping it gently around his leg, and as she reached up with the end of her tail…she froze. She then retracted the tail, the look on her face one of shock. “I….” she said, suddenly, blushing furiously. “I-I’m sorry, Silver. I…I just can’t go through with this.”

“Um….” he said, feeling a little bit out of sorts at the moment. He hadn’t expected what just occurred, but….

“I just can’t do it.” She sat down on the sofa, and he sat down beside her. “I…. I wanted this to be so perfect for you – for us,” she started. “But the moment I…well, I knew I had you ready, I realized you’ve had a whole life and loves before me….”

“And…?”

She blushed shyly. “I’m still pure, Silver. I have no experience, no knowledge of which other than tawdry novels and a maiden’s dreams. I don’t have the …‘practice’…that Derpy or any before her have given you. And I cannot make our first night perfect.” Her eyes started welling. “I wanted this to be for you, my heart…but now I know I can never be as perfect as I want to be for you.”

Silver smiled. “Rarity…I don’t care about that. Maybe other stallions do, but I don’t. I’m here with you,” he said, reaching up to caress her face; she leaned in and nuzzled. “It’s about sharing love and the ultimate expression of that love. Yes, I’ve been with other mares – but that’s in the past. I’m here and now with you, Rarity – the mare I love.”

She suddenly looked as though she’d been cut to her core. “You’ve never said that before, Silver.”

He smiled, leaning in for a kiss. “Then it’s far overdue that I did say that to the mare that holds my heart.” Instinctively, she leaned in as well, her heart beating at a furious pace, her body warming in a way it had never done before as their muzzles grew closer and closer….

The side of the building exploded as three shadows hit Silver hard and sent Rarity flying back. The trio of shapes slammed him through the adjacent wall, turning the bungalow into a tunnel as they departed. Debris and dust filled the air, temporarily smoking the room as the magical lights briefly failed before flickering back on, dimly.

Rarity shook her head. What…what happened?

“Hey, boys, lookit this!” a guttural voice announced. Rarity looked up and saw five figures, all different species, standing there, wearing armor and all with dour and determined looks on their faces, save for the gryphon in front, who said, “She’s all wrapped up nice and neat. I get first shot, the rest of you’ll have to wait your turn.”

She recognized Gutslasher in a heartbeat. And she realized that Silver’s hesitancy from earlier in the day had been correct: she’d never seen it before because she’d never had to be combat ready.

“How DARE YOU.” Rarity moved to her feet. “Do you realize what you just did?”

“Yeah. I’m going to put you out of somegryphon else’s misery,” Gutslasher taunted. “And the fun me and the boys are gonna have…is just icing on the cake,” he leered.

Rarity understood that threat immediately. She decided it was time to turn the tables. Her horn blazed with blue spellfire. “Gentlebeings, let me be perfectly clear: you…” The flames began to surround her, burning away her socks, saddle and docktail, as her hair fell free. “…have just made the biggest…” A star erupted on her chest, a blinding blue ball of luminescence which transformed into an amethyst embedded in a golden gorget which sat on her neck. “…mistake you will ever make!”

“Get her NOW!” Gutslasher shouted, and he and his forces moved forward.

“FEEL THE WRATH OF A MARE DENIED!” Rarity roared as the world exploded in azure.

V: Have You Ever Watched the Day Passing by Your Door?

“Thank you for the invite, Luna,” Twilight said as she ascended the stairs to Luna’s private observatory. Admittedly, while it had once been the castle’s general observatory, the moon alicorn had commandeered both it and the wing of the castle it adjoined to for her residence upon her return from her exile. Since that day Luna had gone out of her way to ensure her telescopes were the most advanced possible, rivaling – and possibly even exceeding – that of the Royal Astronomy Service. Though the Service at the time complained about the loss of such vital and valuable equipment to private use – even if that of the Princess of the Night – Celestia could hardly deny her little sister, and with the additional building of observatories around the realm the argument was quickly made moot.

“The Lyrid meteor shower is tonight and it’s expected to storm,” Luna said with a slight smile. “Since the last meteor storm was before you were born, and I have not seen once since my return, I thought it would be something that we would all enjoy.”

A second voice spoke out. “I hope you brought snacks – I haven’t had anything sweet all day, and it’s driving me mad.”

Twilight laughed, and her horn flickered. Out of her saddlebags came a slice of chocolate ganache, which immediately floated over to the waiting – drooling was probably more accurate – sun alicorn. “If the average pony saw the things I’ve seen from you in my lifetime,” Twilight giggled, “they wouldn’t see you so much as distant and unattainable perfection.”

“We all have our private sides, Miss Obsessive Smarty Pants Doll Collector,” Celestia said, teasing her protégé and sister royal. “Truthfully, though, while I do wish I could be more informal, you know the populace needs to see me as they do, even if I’d rather otherwise. Besides, as somepony once told me, a private life is for being with one’s family – and here, with my family, I’d be hard-pressed to disagree.”

“I do hope you brought enough,” Luna said, sitting down next to her sister – the biological one, anyway. “Tia’s likely to inhale the whole cake.”

“I kept that in mind.” Twilight’s horn flickered and suddenly iced coffee and donuts appeared on a platter before them, along with the remainder of the cake. “Got them from Pony Joe’s, just the way you like them,” the unicorn said as she sat down with the two princesses, at ease with two of the ponies she cherished most in the world.

The trio looked into the sky, and for a few seconds, nothing occurred. Then a shooting star split the sky. Then two. Three. And soon the sky was filled with hundreds of shooting stars, far more than the normal meteor showers that happened once a season. This was the rare meteor storm, an inexplicable event that not even the alicorns could explain.

“I wonder where they come from,” Twilight mused. “Obviously meteor showers are the remains of comets that break up due to the gravitational pull of the earth, the sun and the moon, but if that was the case, meteor storms would be a lot more common.”

Celestia and Luna looked at each other, as if sharing an unspoken conversation. Finally, the elder looked at Twilight and said in a somber tone, “We believe it’s a message, meant for us.”

“From our mother,” Luna added in equally melancholy tones.

“You never discuss her,” Twilight commented, sympathizing for the two alicorn sisters. In all her years of knowing Celestia, Faust’s name only came up a handful of times, and it was always bittersweet.

“Mother abandoned us without warning one day,” Celestia said, “or rather, that’s what I thought at the time. All I knew is that I had a baby sister that I had to raise almost from the moment she was weaned, and without a mother’s help. It wasn’t until I came across Quick Canal, the first of our seneschals, that I learned the truth: that Mother had somehow forcibly been removed from us and that Quick Canal and her successors, even into the present day, are there to help and aid us on Mother’s behalf – though it’s been millennia since anypony’s heard from her. In any case, it was our third seneschal, Night Traveler, who told us the storms were a message from our mother, left there in case of an emergency.”

“I never knew her,” Luna said. “I’d always hoped that we could read the message, but they’re few and far between – too far between, an—”

Twilight leapt to her feet. “We have to get the girls,” she said, her voice sounding anxious.

“For this?” Celestia shook her head. “This is a private moment for us, dear Twilight. Luna and I invited you tonight because, truthfully, you were family to us before the Bonding or Shining’s marriage to Cadance. You have always been family to me, my dear faithful student.”

“No, no, you don’t understand,” Twilight told her. “Rarity activated her Element.”

“Perhaps she’s showing it to her beau,” Luna thought. “Rarity—”

“Not summoned,” Twilight insisted. “Activated.”

“Ignited?” The alicorn sisters looked at one another, knowing what that meant.

“If that’s the term you want to use, fine – but she’s in trouble.”

“I’ll fly to Ponyville and fetch Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie,” Celestia said, getting to her hooves and stretching her wings. A second later, there was a flash of energy nearly as bright as the sun as the princess regnal teleported to their location.

Luna closed her eyes. “Fortunately, Rainbow’s here in town…with a friend at the moment.” She didn’t clarify what she meant, but it was clearly intimate. “I’ll awake the others in their dreams and get them ready. We’ll meet back here in five minutes. Twilight, summon some guardsponies and have a chariot ready.”

Silversteel came to a stop against a tree, having been knocked head over tail for a couple of seconds. As he got to his feet, he heard the distinct deep, booming laughter of somepony clearly enjoying the situation. “And he shook it off as though it were nothing! Truly this will be fun!”

The guardspony looked in the direction of the voice, finding a towering polar bear there, flanked by a nearly sizable minotaur and a bulked-out earth pony who looked as though he’d used too many muscle enhancing spells. The polar bear, who was clearly the lead heavy, said in his thick Polaran-tinged accent, “Now remember, we’re only to keep him busy, not to rough him up too badly.”

“You’re after Rarity?” he asked briefly, his eyes going wide with concern. A second later they narrowed in anger as he snarled, “That’s not going to happen.”

“Unfortunately for you, you’ll have to go through me,” the bear replied, “and then if by some chance you defeat me, you will still need to take on my friends there.”

Silver grinned wickedly. “I thought you said this was going to be difficult.”

The polar bear rushed in, attacking. “Oh, it is, I assure you!” The polar bear swiped at Silver, letting his claws do the speaking for him. Silver dodged, moving into his strike zone, and with a quick, acrobatic twist, turned and bucked. The blows connected and lifted Sneg Nozhom off his feet with an audible crack as his ribs went. The polar bear was boosted into the air by the strike, gravity’s rainbow carrying him on a ballistic parabola towards the apiary area, on the other side of the commune, a good hundred yards away.

Rage building within him, Silver didn’t even bother to look as to where he’d bucked his first opponent. Turning his attention towards the next two, he said, “I thought he said this was going to be difficult.” He waved a hoof towards them, beckoning. “I need the warm-up before I destroy the rest of you plotholes!”

Suddenly in the distance behind them a geyser of sky-blue power reached into the sky, lancing towards the heavens with a brilliant intensity. The three males saw the blast and Silver smiled. “Looks like my girl doesn’t need quite as much help as I thought she did.” Turning to them, he said, “Okay, I’m more worried about her than I care to beat you two senseless. I’ll make you a deal. Get out of here now and you get away.” When they didn’t move, he added, “Oh, and if I catch you? You’re going to have to explain what you did…to Princess Celestia.”

As the duo headed for the hills, Silver raced over to the apiary, where the bees had crawled all over the polar bear, who was very afraid to move. “Terrified of bees?” Silver asked.

“Yes. Allergic to be venom,” the brute admitted.

“Good. I’ll be back later to come get you. In the meanwhile, I think our little friends’ll keep you busy.” With that, he raced back towards the destroyed bungalow, hoping he could make to Rarity’s side in case she needed help.

Gutslasher knew this was going to be problematic, so much so that he figured bringing the rest of his team in to deal with one simple unicorn shouldn’t have been a problem. Even if she was an elite combatant, it wasn’t as though they hadn’t dealt with that type before. In fact, a year ago they’d successfully assassinated the head of the Mikadogumi, the Inari Emperor’s elite guardsfoxes. That six-tailed kitsune was a born-and-bred warrior, a swordsvixen without parallel, and did not go down easy, but in the end, she fell.

Right now, Gutslasher wished he had a repeat of that job right now. That, at least, had been easier.

Of course, in his current situation, embedded in what appeared to be a prison made of pure sapphire, there was the question as to if he was going to be able to do anything ever again. With the limited movement he had, he noticed that the others in his group hadn’t been casualties: they, too, had been encased in similar gems. That was the good thing.

The bad thing was the white unicorn in the center of it all, glowing like a star and with a very angry look on her face. “Now, you all have made me very cross.” As she approached, Gutslasher noted her eyes blazed on the level of magic that he’d only seen a few individuals and that was never a good sign at all. “I’ll give you a chance, however, to tell me who put you up to this.”

Gutslasher knew he could play his claw here. “Yeah, and if I don’t tell you?”

“YOU’LL BE TELLING ME,” a voice rumbled from the sky as midnight became high noon in less than a second.

Gutslasher’s confidence fell at that point while Rarity merely smiled.

“Rarity!” She turned and saw Silversteel racing towards her at full speed, worry in his eyes. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the look on his face, the anger in his eyes that told her he was willing to take on any- and everything to keep her safe. And as he arrived, the first thing he did was to take her in his forelegs, the look in his eyes terrified. “They didn’t hurt you or anything?”

“No, Silver, I’m fine,” she promised, kissing him.

“Good.” He let go of her, then wheeled to face “Brother Galahad”. “You start talking now,” he seethed, “or I’m going to play hoofball with your cage the hard way.” He took a menacing step towards the crystal, only to be blocked by a large white wing.

Celestia looked down at him, warmth in her eyes. “See to your fillyfriend, ensign,” she told him. She then looked at the gryphon and all the warmth in those lilac eyes disappeared. “I believe I have somegryphon to discuss issues with.”

“Yes, your majesty,” he said, “but I’m a cornet, not a….” He paused as the thought entered his brain. Without acknowledging his words, the sun alicorn moved towards her quarry.

“You mean you were,” a new voice at his side spoke, and he found himself looking nearly eye-to-eye with the Princess of the Night. “Your bravery should not go unrewarded, and we shall insist upon that.”

“I see, your highness,” he told her. “But isn’t that nepotism? I am dating one of your sisters royal,” he pointed out.

Luna smiled softly, the mirth in her eyes. “Only if it’s unearned, ensign,” she replied. Behind them, there was an explosion of amethyst power, and Luna added, “That should remove the spell from the residents here. I have it on very good expertise that the spellcaster knows what she’s doing.”

“I think I’d best check on Rarity, if you don’t mind, your highness,” he told her.

“You do that. We’ll deal with the prisoners,” she promised.

“I’m soooo sorry!” Wheat told Rarity as soon as she was informed about the truth of their visitors. “I didn’t know, Rarity, I promise!”

Rarity gave her friend a smile. “I know you didn’t, Wheat. You couldn’t have.”

“Like, I can’t believe that Brother Galahad was like that, pony,” Flax said, sounding disappointed. “I thought he was really all about being down with authorities and up with peace and free love.”

Wheat suddenly noticed that their ruling princesses were in earshot, and she blanched. “Maybe I should’ve dated that one stallion in high school when I had the chance,” she groaned. “Come on, Flax, let’s go back to bed. Again, my apologies for everything that’s happened.”

“It’s not your fault, Wheat,” Rarity assured her. “You’re not the kind of mare that would ever allow this.” At that, Wheat smiled and, dragging her clueless husband off, went back to their bungalow.

Twilight took that moment to approach Rarity. “I’ve sent a flamefax to our ambassador in Minos. He’ll petition the king to see if they can give us any information on that commune, though I suspect it doesn’t exist.”

“I can be there by tomorrow if I take off now,” Rainbow said.

“But isn’t Minos on the other side of the Ethopic Ocean?” Fluttershy asked, her voice radiating worry. “You’ll wear yourself out.”

“Naaah….” Rainbow said, pointing to her Element. “If I use my Element to keep my going at supersonic, I can fly all the way to Aegus City in about four hours, tops.”

“Be careful, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “If they’re after Rarity, they could be after the rest of us, too.”

“Hah! Nopony’s as fast as me normally,” Rainbow boasted, “and with my Element boosting me? I’m not even sure the princesses can keep up.”

“Let’s test that then,” Luna said. “I’m going with you, Rainbow. King Powers might take a while to get to our ambassador, but nothing greases the wheels like a state visit.” With that, there was a sudden rainbow blur as the pegasus rocketed off, followed a second later by a sonic rainboom illuminated by the moonlight. “Showoff,” Luna laughed, then rocketed off herself, the indigo blur of her movement turning into a non-visual ordinary sonic boom as she rushed to catch up.

“Well, Ah’m guessin’ that Celestia could use some help with th’ prisoners,” Applejack nudged Pinkie.

“Oh! That’s right! C’mon, girls! Let’s go tie up them up! Then we can torture them with cake! Or is it pie you torture prisoners with? Pastries?” The party pony looked at Applejack. “Do you remember?”

“Ah have no idear what yer talkin’ ‘bout, Pinkie,” Applejack sighed, “but we’ll figure it out.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Celestia has them well in hoof,” Twilight said, completely oblivious to Applejack’s hint. “There’s no way they’re….” She paused as Fluttershy silently mouthed Let’s go, Twilight! and craned her neck in the direction of the door. Flush with embarrassment, the unicorn mage added, “Well, you never know….” With that, the last two Elements departed the bungalow that Wheat and Flax moved Rarity and Silver into, where they could spend the remainder of their nice, quiet relaxing weekend…along with the seventy guardsponies that were now walking around the commune’s perimeter.

“So, alone at last again,” he said to her as Twilight closed the door.

“I’m sorry,” was the soft, almost inaudible sound that came from Rarity. She then looked at him, and the emotion in her eyes was one of sorrow. “I’ve ruined things between us, Silver. It’s bad enough that I’m not the mare who can please you, but now…I’ve put you in danger because of who and what I am. I….”

“Ssssh,” he said, silencing her with a kiss. “What you are is a beautiful mare. Who you are is the mare I love. Anything else is for other ponies to deal with,” he said with a comforting smile. “I told you before: I don’t care about any of that. What I care about is you, and I’d feel that way whether or not you were a fashion designer, nobility, a Knight or sister to royalty.” They kissed once more and he said, “Have I ever told you that your kisses just light me up?”

“Really?” He nodded. She blushed, saying, “I guess I learned from the best – kissing you, that is.”

“Well, we have the whole weekend to learn other things, if you’re interested,” he said, kissing her once more.

She put herself into that kiss, responding with a sudden hunger she’d felt an inkling of earlier; now it was an inferno. Taking her hoof, he led her towards the bedroom as she admitted, “I…had to destroy the lingerie I’d made. I hope you’re not disappointed.” His response was to kiss her more passionately and close the door to the bedroom.

In their home in Canterlot, Cadance woke up and sighed.

“What now?” Shining groaned, trying to go back to sleep. He knew that particular sigh.

“I’m sorry, hon. Goes with the territory of being the Avatar of Love,” she said. “But this one’s really special: it’s Rarity.”

He turned and looked at her with bleary eyes. “Cady, hon, I don’t know if that’s good or really, really creepy.”

“Well,” she blushed, “It does have the side effect of putting me in the mood….”

“No it doesn’t, otherwise I’d never get any sleep.”

“Humor me,” she said as she leaned down and kissed her husband passionately.

He thought about it for a second then gave in. “I think I can deal with that,” he said as he returned the kiss.

“You haven’t much time – they’ll know of your crime,” Kamali, the zebra mare that had been part of Gutslasher’s group, told Tiger the next morning. “You must flee while you can and while you are able, but don’t wait too long, for things grow unstable!”

“What are you talking about?” Tiger screeched, though inwardly, she had a pit sink in her stomach.

“The attack on that mare was doomed to fail. Gutslasher will talk to save his tail,” Kamali warned. “I’ve already planned for my retreat, and you must also or you’ll be beat!”

“No….” Tiger whispered, now horrified. All of her plans were going to hell, and she was going to end up in jail for what she’d done. Worse, she’d lose her chance to have her one true love by her side. “No! It’s not going to end this way!” she cried. “He’s mine!”

“Not anymore to be your mate,” Kamali replied. “Now you must flee before it’s too late. I have something that may be of use,” the zebra said as she handed Tiger a scroll. “The info is sound; it’s not a ruse. I’m taking a risk to pass this around – I hope you’re worth it if you go to ground.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Tiger threw the zebra a coinpurse filled with bits. “Was going to give this to Gutslasher. You can have it now. I’ve got business to attend to and make sure that my pretty little flank is covered.”

“I’m leaving now, so best of luck,” Kamali said, departing. She was well out of earshot when she finished her rhyme: “You have no idea how badly you’re bucked.”

“Thank you for your time, your majesty.” Luna, having magicked up a formal dress that Rarity had made for her, curtsied. Behind her in her formal Wonderbolts dress uniform, Rainbow saluted, a bit stiffly since she wasn’t used to military mannerisms. King Power nodded his head, the traditional end of the session. Rising to her feet, Luna sent a telepathic message to the pegasus: Rise slowly, then follow three paces behind me. Do not take your eyes off me until we leave the throne room.

Rainbow wanted to protest, but Luna knew more about court than she did, so she complied. As the two slipped out of the room, the tomboyish pegasus groaned. “Lun…er, Princess, what was that all about? And ugh, I hate wearing clothes – they weigh me down!”

“Duchess Jennet, we would have words with thee in private once we return to the embassy,” Luna said in formal tones and Rainbow sighed, wondering what she’d screwed up without trying.

“Yes, your highness,” Rainbow said, looking as though she was never going to hear the end of it.

The ten-minute carriage ride was silent, so much so that Rainbow strained to continue looking serious. And she was trying! She just wasn’t used to the extra stuff in her life: the military lifestyle of the Wonderbolts, the extra duties of her ducal crown, and her duties as a Knight. She wondered how the other girls were doing it and she had to admit she was kinda jealous now that Pinkie had opted to remain in private life, taking over the Cakes’ old bakery when they moved away.

As they arrived in the Equestriani embassy, Luna spoke briefly to the ambassador, occasionally giving Rainbow the briefest of looks and making sure Rainbow knew how much trouble she was in. Finally, the princess turned to Rainbow and said, “We will discuss issues in the map room.”

“Princess, I’m so—”

“Go, Rainbow Dash,” Luna said sharply. “We will not repeat ourselves!”

Wondering what she’d done wrong, Rainbow entered the map room, followed shortly by Luna. Luna looked outside the door at the guardsmare there and ordered, “And no one is to disturb us until we depart, is that understood?” She then closed the door and looked at Rainbow.

“Look, Princess, whatever I did, I’m sorry!” Rainbow yelped.

But the dusky alicorn merely shook her head and favored her sister royal with a smile. “No, Rainbow, I owe you an apology for making you worry, but I couldn’t say it until we were in a magically-sealed room.”

“Huh?”

“The Court of Minos is filled with formality and intrigue and would have eaten you alive – you’re not one for courtly life, which is why I came along,” Luna explained. “But another thing Minos is known for is keeping their cards to their chest, so to speak. They were focusing on me, which didn’t allow me to use my magic to find out what I needed to know. But by ‘letting them know I was displeased with my military attaché,’ quote unquote, it put the focus on you, which then let me cast my spells unhindered.”

“Oh, so you were faking them out!” Rainbow said, relieved. “But why didn’t you tell me?”

“Rainbow, you’re loyal…but you’re not deceptive,” Luna said. “I could count on you to not fail me, ever, but their spells could have easily seen through any deception between us.” She sighed. “Sorry about worrying you needlessly. I hope you can forgive me.”

“Eh, already forgotten. Just glad you let me wear my uniform instead of having to put on another frou-frou dress,” she laughed. “So what’d you find out?”

“The Kingdom of Minos has an informal agreement with that group that attacked Rarity last night,” Luna replied. “I gleaned that from their field marshal’s mind. But when Gutslasher’s group isn’t working for the king, they’re free to freelance, so long as it doesn’t come back to haunt the Minosan court. And in this case – that’s what they were doing. Neither King Powers nor any of his court are aware of what transpired. Likely, it’s not an attack on Equestria, or even the Knights.”

“But that means….”

Luna nodded. “It was an attack on Rarity.”

“Then we gotta get back!” Rainbow insisted.

“We leave tomorrow morning via airship – the fleet dispatched one to come pick us up,” the princess explained. “We’ll be back in Canterlot by tomorrow night.”

“Oh, good. I’ll be glad to see Soarin’ again,” she said with a smile.

“Then who was it that you were with last night?” Luna said, looking evenly at Rainbow.

The rainbow-maned mare had a guilty look on her face. “Is this the part where I’m in trouble now?”

“No, but I think you might want to talk to me why you’re seeing two stallions at once.”

She sighed. It was going to be a long talk. “Well, I hadn’t planned to start up with Roughwind, but I met him at the ball, and we just clicked.”

“My understanding was that you went to the ball with Soarin’.”

Rainbow pawed the floor nervously with a hoof. “Look, Soarin’ and I have an open relationship. We love each other, but we’re not sure that we’re right for each other. And it’s not as though I’m cheating on him – he dated Twi a couple of times, he told me. But I like Soarin’ and I like Roughwind. And I know that’s a really bad place for Loyalty to be, especially for me.”

“Do they know about each other?” The look on Rainbow’s face said it all. “You’re a grown mare, Rainbow, and though we are sisters, I’m not going to get into your personal business. But I will say two things: first, sooner or later – and I don’t know when, but I know it will happen – this whole love triangle of yours is going to come back and haunt you. But the second thing I will say is though I love you dearly, I can’t say I’m not disappointed in you over this.”

“I know. It’s something I need to work out for myself.”

“You should.” Rising from her seat, she said, “The ambassador has set aside guest rooms for us. I’m going to turn in and get some sleep, since I’m running on extra hours right now. I’ll see you after I get some sleep, okay?” Seeing the morose look on the pegasus’ face, Luna turned and gave the smaller pony a hug with her wings. “I trust you, Rainbow. I trust that in the end you’ll do the right thing.” And with that, Luna left.

“Yeah,” Rainbow said to the empty room. “I just wish I knew what that was.”

“You’re lying!” Shining Armor said as he interrogated the prisoner in the dungeon.

“What, did I hit a nerve, Captain?” Gutslasher sneered. “Some ex-fillyfriend of yours?”

“No, but you have the gall to accuse one of my best sergeants of hiring you to murder one of the Knights?” he snarled. “Okay, who really put you up to it? The changelings? Was this an operation for another country? Tell me, damn you!”

“Get it through your thick skull, Captain. It was Tiger Lily. She paid us to take out this Rarity gal – and she paid Dragonkick to hospitalize some mare named Derpy. Don’t blame me if you’re too prissy-hooved to believe any of it.”

Shining stepped away from the table. “Guards, open up.” The cell door opened and as it did, Shining Armor turned to face the gryphon. “I don’t know what your game is, but we’re going to get to the bottom of it and you’re going to wish you weren’t playing around.” As he stepped out of the dungeon cell, he looked at one of the guardsponies present and shook his head. “I’m sorry you had to see this, Goldie, but I know Sergeant Lily is a friend of yours.”

“No, Shines, I’m glad you told me,” Golden Sun said. “It’s just that…well, Tiger’s been acting a bit weird lately and….”

The look on Shining’s face was one of shock. “He’s telling the truth?”

“Are you kidding? Buck no, he’s not!” Goldie insisted. “I’ve known Tiger forever and she’s not that kind of mare. What I am saying is that she’s been acting kinda strange lately – she’s going through some rough times as of late – and that’s probably why he blamed her, because she looks guilty. But Tiger – she’s loyal to the Crown and wouldn’t be caught dead doing something like this!”

The unicorn nodded. “Hey, if you’re vouching for her, that’s good enough for me – I believe you, Goldie.”

“Thanks, Shines. I’ll have a talk with her and tell her to straighten up a bit – it’s probably a good warning that anypony can be compromised if they’re not careful. I just hope they really find who’s behind all of this.”

“So do I, Goldie. So do I.”

Rarity opened her eyes, and the scent of chocolate hit her the moment she’d reached consciousness. She knew for a fact that there was no chocolate in the bungalow whatsoever. She looked at the sleeping form next to her, dozing softly – the strange, yet soothing aftersound of two ponies sharing love in the most intimate way possible.

She lay back in the bed. Her mane was a mess, and she felt worn out, but in ways she’d never felt before. A small, winsome smile crept onto her face.

Everything…was perfect.

“Now that’s the smile of a mare who loves me,” she said. She turned her head to see him looking at her, love in his eyes. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore,” she admitted. Her mother had explained to her that it was always sore for the mare the first time. At the time, Rarity had thought her mother to either be teasing, or just needlessly crass. But it turned out to be truth – the advice a mother gave her daughter for her sake. “Does it get easier?”

“Eventually, I guess,” he said. “Two bodies have a way of…well, molding to each other, if that makes sense. I can’t quite explain it without being ungentlemanly, but….” He shrugged as best as he could.

A thought came to mind. “Oh, dear. In all this, I never thought to….” She sat up. “I just realized: did I remember to cast a contraceptive spell?”

“Probably not,” he admitted, “because you weren’t thinking about those sorts of things – as you said yourself, you don’t have much experience to go by.”

“Well, you certainly can’t, and….”

He held forward a hoof; on it was a small silver band that she’d never quite noticed before. “I love you, Rarity, but I don’t think we’re ready for that just yet,” he said. “Besides, Goldie drilled into me that it’s the responsibility of the stallion to pay attention, because it’s not fair to the mare.”

“‘Not fair to the mare’?” she repeated. “Oh, please don’t tell me you’re quoting from those public service announcements from high school.”

“Would you have rather that we both forgot?”

“You do have a point there, love,” she admitted. “So now what?”

“Well, we slept through breakfast,” he said, “and I don’t recall seeing anything about room service, so we’ll just have to power though until lunch.”

“No, I mean, what about us? Where do we go from here? Sex is a huge change in our relationship, Silver, and I didn’t give my maidenhood to some stallion just to lose you.” She then realized she’d misspoken and said, “I’m sorry, that was bad wording on my part. What I meant to say i—”

“Let me guess: this is the part of the book where the stallion kisses his mare lovingly and says that he must go, but he will always remember her fondly as he disappears into the night?” She looked at him and with a flush of embarrassment, nodded. Silver chuckled. “Do you really think that after everything we’ve been through together that I’d give you up now? I mean, we just beat up our first group of attackers as a couple – that has to count for something, right?”

She found herself laughing, releasing the remaining stress from the prior evening. She laughed until tears of mirth came to her eyes, and as they fell, she felt something warm against her face. She suddenly realized as her tears fell, he was literally kissing them away, as if he refused to see the mare of his heart cry if he could prevent it. She knew at that point, wherever his future led, she wanted to be a part of it. Would they marry? She still didn’t know; they hadn’t been together for even half a year yet. But she knew that what happened next to him couldn’t happen – wouldn’t happen – without her. They were tied together.

“Silver?”

“Yes?”

She smiled shyly at him. “Could we…practice molding some more?”

He kissed her softly. “As my lady wishes,” he said with love in his heart.

“I know you’re in there, Tiger!” Goldie yelled as she knocked on the cloud door of Tiger’s barracks room at the facility in Cloudsdale. “Tiger, open the door! I need to talk to you!”

The door opened slowly and a sleepy-eyed pegasus poked her head out. “Goldie, wassup….” she said in a half-awake mumble. “Lon’nite las’ nite.”

“Where were you last night?”

Tiger rubbed her eyes with her wings, trying to make herself wake up. “Um, I was playing poker with Highspeed, Featherdance and Dandelion Days last night. Why?”

Goldie was upfront with her friend. “We got a report that you got involved with a soldier-of-fortune who claimed that you ordered a hit on the mare Silver’s dating. Worse, he also claims that you’re the one who had Silver’s ex hospitalized as well!”

“Really?” A sarcastic grin came onto her face. “Damn, I must be good, then. Having all that power – I must be the Dogfather! You can just call me Don Fido Collarleone!”

“Plus I already talked to Featherdance, and she said you were really acting weird last night, talking about wedding gowns and honeymoon locations…it really weirded her and Highspeed out – and they just got married!” Goldie sighed. “Tiger…. What in blazes is going on?”

The pegasus opened the door to her home. “C’mon in and let’s talk.” Goldie entered the cloudhome and found that, like everything else in Tiger’s life, it either focused on the spartan aspects of military life, or Silver. In fact, the number of pictures she had around the home of her and Silver throughout the years kinda creeped the golden pegasus out, now that she thought about it.

Why hadn’t I noticed this before?

“Tiger, what’s going on?” Goldie asked. “Something’s been up for the past few weeks, and I can’t believe it’s all just coincidence.”

“Oh, that’s not important. Hey, look, got a question for you,” Tiger said, a smile coming onto her face. “Ready to make my move now. I was thinking of taking a couple of weeks’ leave and inviting Silver to head off with me to Neighagra Falls. It’d be perfect for us, Goldie!” The look in the mare’s eyes was a strange mixture of fillyish glee and…something else. “I just know that when we go, we’ll finally have the chance to be together, like we always should have been.”

“Um…yeah,” Goldie said. As she looked around the home, she noticed other things that were slightly off. She wasn’t sure what it was but it was setting off alarm bells in her mind. “Listen, Tiger….”

“I’m thinking about leaving the Guard,” Tiger said, matter-of-factly. “I mean, I don’t want to leave the Guard, but the fact is that once Silver and I get together, we need to think about raising a family and I’ve always thought about being a stay-at-home mom. I mean, he’s an officer now, so we should be able to afford it, right?”

“Tiger….”

“Oh, and I’ve been thinking about foal names, too! I mean, yeah, maybe it’s a little too early to think about that, but…have to make sure that I have colts and fillies names for each of the tribes, right? Doesn’t make sense to have a pegasus colt’s name if we have an earth pony filly, right?”

“Tiger….”

“Of course, it means that I’ll have to move out of this apartment. But he still has that place in Canterlot and it’s good for the short-term, but as soon as we have a family of our own, we’re going to have to move. Think the Captain will agree to reassign Silver somewhere with lots of room? Maybe we’ll have a whole herd of foals!” she cooed.

“Tiger!” Goldie screamed.

“Oh, this calls for a celebration!” the russet mare said, walking towards the kitchen. “Coffee okay? I’d offer you a drink, but I decided to stop drinking last night. Have to keep a healthy body for my hubby and future foals!”

“Hubby and future foals?” Whatever alarm bells were going off in Goldie’s mind at the moment intensified at that point. She’s really not acting like herself. Did something happen? Sitting down on the couch, Goldie saw a stack of magazines on the coffee table. Rifling through it, they were orders for lingerie, catalogs for homes in earth pony towns like Colton and Pumpkin Flats, and the Airkea baby furniture catalog.

A chill went down Goldie’s spine as she realized the truth: somewhere along the line, Tiger had snapped. Not “snapped” in that way when ponies lost their patience or even the occasional rare and tragic cutie mark failure insanity syndrome that some ponies had when they had a mental breakdown. No, this was “snapped” as in something in her mind went and wasn’t going to be coming back anytime soon.

“Here,” Tiger said, coming back with a couple of coffee mugs. “Thought about putting whiskey in yours, but then I thought that as an aunt, you’d probably want to set an example for your future nieces and nephews, so….”

Goldie knew she had to do something and fast. Taking the tray, Goldie looked right into rose-colored eyes and saw madness. “Tiger, are we best friends?”

“Of course! And sisters-in-law!” Tiger chirped.

“No, Tiger.” Goldie felt guilty for what she was about to do. She wanted Tiger to be happy, and she would have done immelmans of joy in the sky for hours if she and Silver married. But it was hurting Tiger, one of the ponies she cared about most, and she couldn’t let that happen. Not to her best friend. Goldie reached forward and embraced Tiger. “This is all my fault, Tiger. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry, for what? We’re family, Goldie. We’ve always been family, and even more now that Silver and I are married.”

MARRIED? Goldie immediately pulled back from the hug and looked her best friend in the eyes. “Tiger, what’s happened to you? This…this isn’t you.”

“Of course it is, silly! It’s always been me. I’ve always been your best friend,” she said softly, “and I’ve always been Silver’s one true love and wife.”

“Tiger, stop, please!” Goldie said, the guilt hitting her. “You’re not married to Silver! You’re not!”

“Uh-huh! I have the wedding bracelet and everything, see!” She held up a foreleg, upon which sat an engagement bracelet. “See! See! Happy wifey!”

Goldie froze in her tracks. Th-that’s…. Goldie knew what it was in a heartbeat: the police report said it so. The engagement bracelet that Silver had given Derpy was one of the few things that had been missing from her home, and it was believed that her attacker, Dragonkick, had pawned it somewhere. But now, seeing it on Tiger’s foreleg…a pit of despair sank into her heart.

I did this to her, Goldie realized. She’s always been like this, and I never noticed. Worse – like an illegal salt dealer giving a hit to a junkie, I dangled his breakup in front of her. I did this to her…and now I have to make it right.

“Tiger,” she said, her eyes welling with tears as she embraced her clearly-insane best friend. “You’re…you’re not married to Silver. You’re not even engaged to him. And he loves you…but just as a friend, like a sister, just like me.” Goldie took a breath, then took a metaphorical step forward. “And Silver’s been dating a mare named Rarity for the past four months. They’re in love. I haven’t met her yet, but Shining Armor – as in the prince and captain of the guard – knows her and says she’s great for him. But they’re the ones together, not you.”

“What?” Tiger said, looking at Goldie as if suddenly shocked.

“But that’s not all. That’s not your wedding bracelet – that’s the engagement bracelet Silver gave Derpy. You stole it. Either you or that thug Dragonkick….” And her mind made the connection. “It was you! You hired the attack on Derpy – and you’re the one who ordered the attack on Rarity!” Goldie’s mind spun as she realized she’d just unintentionally lied to Shining, her friend and superior officer. “What have you done, Tiger? What have I done?”

“No….” The word came out of Tiger’s mouth as if she’d been told her husband had been killed. “You’re lying!”

“No, Tiger, I’m not. You’re my best friend – I would never lie to you.”

“NO!” the russet mare said, and Goldie suddenly realized that Tiger was on the verge of becoming a metaphorical version of her name. “YOU’RE LYING TO ME! YOU’RE TRYING TO KEEP ME FROM HIM, LIKE THAT HARRIDELLE!”

Goldie backed away as the look in Tiger’s eyes became ones of hatred, a look she never thought she’d see on her best friend’s face. “Tiger, please calm do—”

She never finished her sentence.

“YOU WON’T KEEP HIM FROM ME – NOPONY WILL!” Moving on instinct, Tiger backflipped in the air, getting just enough distance between her and Goldie to do a point-blank sonic boom, one of Tiger’s specialties. Thankfully, Goldie realized, Tiger had also taught her the countermove, so she could dissipate it. But she knew she’d have to take her friend down, and as she moved to block, tears fell from Goldie’s eyes.

Screaming incoherently, Tiger whipped her wings forward, and as she did, stormclouds formed in the movement, something that should not have been possible – regular clouds shouldn’t have been possible, let alone thunderheads. As the wings came together, the thunderclouds lit up, unleashing a torrent of lightning at their target.

Normally, pegasi were naturally resistant to lightning – Goldie had flown through a thunderstorm during training and had taken a direct hit that would have killed or seriously injured an earth pony or unicorn, but merely singed her and scorched a few feathers. Normally, it wasn’t an issue in the least, because thunderbolts were generally undirected and hit by happenstance, so nearly all of the energy was dissipated in the air when they connected.

But this one was directed – at her. And at this range, all of the power in that lightning bolt would still be within when it hit.

And hit it did.

Goldie screamed in pain as the energy blast hit her, burning straight through her and turning her into a bluish-white ball of electricity for a second. She tried to muscle through it, but the pain was nothing she’d ever felt before – that earlier storm hit had been a beesting in comparison. Her neurons frying and overloading, she collapsed into unconsciousness, a charred, smoking husk hitting the cloudfloor and lay still.

Tiger suddenly saw Goldie lying still on the floor, and she gasped. “G-G-Goldie?” she said in a soft, terrified voice. “Goldie!” Tiger moved immediately, checking for a pulse, trying in vain to give her friend CPR. “Goldie! I’m sorry! I’m….” But the senior pegasus never moved and continued to stay still.

Crying madly, Tiger took her best friend in her forelegs, sobbing incoherently about how she didn’t mean it, how it was a mistake and she loved her best friend so much, she never meant to hurt her. None of it mattered though, as the silence of one pegasus grew and the sobbing of the other grew, which soon began to drown out Tiger’s frantic pleas to Goldie.

But as Goldie lay as still as death, one thought formed in Tiger’s mind: this was all her fault. None of this would have happened if it was for her. Tiger would still have her best friend with her, and would have the stallion she loved more than anything by her side. But she ripped it all away from Tiger, just because she could.

Tiger set her best friend’s body down on the cloud floor, kissing her on the cheek and tearily promising she’d always remember her – and that she and Silver would name their daughter after her, regardless of tribe.

Then, with rage building in her eyes, Tiger Lily screamed against the howling winds, “RARITY, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!!!”

The resulting tornado that had inexplicably built in the middle of Cloudsdale tore apart six cloudhomes that day – and nopony knew why it happened…or where it came from.

“I gave her the scroll, as I promised, and she did not think it was amiss,” Kamali spoke to a figure in shadow. She was in the badlands at the moment, in a tiny town southwest of Dodge Junction known as Tacksworn. The town, still festooned with the signs of a festival that had been planned – a barn dance, Kamali had noticed – was now instead somber and sad, as she’d been told a funeral had recently occurred: the town’s lone elementary schoolteacher had been murdered and nopony knew who did it or why.

Deciding she’d stay here in town for a while until her new mission was complete, she vowed afterwards that she’d move back to her native Zebrababwe and stay there. She had enough money from her freelancing after all these years that she could go home and buy enough land to have the king himself recognize her and make her a chieftainess, the equivalent of nobility in her homeland. And that would buy her safety.

“I see. And did she agree to this?” a gruff voice, likely from a male, said from the dark.

“That’s not my call, to change her fate. That’s up to you, to mark her slate. Should you want her within your group, you must bring her into your loop.”

“If that map you gave her did its job, my scouts will keep an eye out for her,” the voice said gruffly. “I guess you’ve done as much as you could.”

“I thank you sir, but thanks are mere nits. I think you owe me a lot of bits.”

“Yeah, you buckin’ mercs are all the same,” he said, as a heather-green hoof pushed a sizable saddlebag towards here. “As we agreed. It’s a shame, Kamali. Our group could use a shamaness like you – we almost trust you, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think you weren’t attractive.”

“As much as I would, good sir, I feel I’ve caused much of a stir, and in your side I would end up as a burr.” She gave him a smile. “Still your offer is…compelling. If I take it? Well,” she flashed a smile. “I’m not telling.”

“Well, perhaps I could convince you,” the voice said as the source, a well-built pegasus, leaned forward and kissed Kamali passionately. She looked as though she was shocked at first, but soon gave in, the two making out in a corner of the near-empty saloon.

Breaking away, she smiled and said, “Room 17 – come and be quick,” she said, picking up the bag and flashing bedroom eyes at him. “I’ll show you this mare knows a few tricks.” As she departed, he patted her on the flank and she cooed softly, as she headed towards her hotel room.

The pegasus drank the rest of his cider and stroked his neatly-trimmed beard, wiping off the foam as he finished. “And now, to have a little fun.” But as he did, two more pegasi, one of each gender, showed up, both wearing red berets – the same color as he wore.

“Report,” he told them in a firm tone.

“Sir!” the mare said, coming to attention. “We just received word from our spies: you were right. It’s begun.”

“Sir, I don’t trust that zebra,” the stallion said. “She’s a merc and mercs don’t believe in the cause.”

“Spinnaker,” he said to the mare, “get a flight going and keep an eye on the target. She’s going to bolt soon and we want her to know she has friends. And as for you, Candlewick,” he said gently, “yes, Kamali has much to learn. But I’ll tend to that. I promise by the time I’m finished with her, she’ll be a part of the cause.”

“And your gal, I take it,” Candlewick muttered.

“Sometimes, being Commandante is a lonely job,” the bearded pegasus laughed. He looked at them both. “Now, you two have your assignments. Go and do well for the cause.”

Both pegasi saluted, raising their wings. “Hail to the Underground!” they said in unison.

He returned the salute. “Hail to the Underground.”

Silver looked at his parents. His mother, Sandalwood, had cried herself into a stupor. His father, Silver Hammer, had the look of a stallion who, if sheer will mattered, would turn himself into an alicorn and hunt down the monster that hurt his baby girl. But in that, there was pain as well, because of who the attacker was.

As for Silver, he said nothing, wondering how much of his life was spent in hospitals after death and injury took its toll…and if it would ever stop. The first time it had been him near death. The next time it had been Derpy. And now, it was Goldie – but most horrific of all was the revelation of the pony that had put both Goldie and Derpy in the hospital.

It had been a small miracle Goldie had survived, the doctor told his family. She’d been hit by directed-blast lightning bolt, a weapons-grade spell only available to unicorns and pegasi with that particular special talent. But…that makes no sense, he thought. Tiger wasn’t a ranged attacker; her cutie mark revealed her as a specialist in melee and point-blank fighting, a rarity amongst pegasi. She was good enough that she could even hold her own in a fight against earth ponies.

But somehow, the paramedics and guards on the scene managed to revive Goldie and she told them everything before she slipped back into a coma. And if that wasn’t enough…there was the partially slagged engagement bracelet that he’d given Derpy. It had been in Goldie’s hoof – partially fused to it, actually – and held trace hairs which definitively proved the last one wearing it had been Tiger.

His mind numbed. His older sister, in the hospital, put there by her best friend, a pony that was just like a sister to Silver. And worse, she’d been the one that had attacked his ex-fiancée, the mother of his daughters.

“Silver?” At his side, Rarity spoke. They rushed back to Canterlot the moment Goldie had been brought in, and she hadn’t left his side since.

“I’m okay, Rarity,” he said, his voice too numb to say anything further.

“No, love, you’re not,” she told him.

“What am I supposed to say?” he told her as he looked at her. “That my sister is on the verge of death? That the mare that I love just like a sister – her best friend – put her there? And that the same mare in question nearly killed Derpy as well?”

“Don’t you dare say that, son.” Silver looked up at Hammer, the senior earth pony’s eyes tight with hatred. “Tiger Lily is dead to this family now. And your sister will not die and if by chance she does, I will hunt down that murderess myself.”

“No!” Sandalwood sobbed, Hammer’s words having caught her attention. “Hammer, please don’t hurt her. She’s…Tiger has to be sick. It’s the only reason why she would ever turn on Goldie. We’ve known that mare since she was a foal. She’s part of this family. There has to be a reason.”

“None good enough for m—” Hammer began, but found himself cut off by Rarity.

“You will do no such thing,” the unicorn said, drawing authority into her voice. “Your family has been hurt, Baron Salerno. Don’t compound the mistake.”

“You don’t have that right to dictate anything to me, your grace.”

“Please, Silver Hammer, let’s not play the ‘who’s more noble than thou’ game. Tend to your family – they need you. Let the authorities handle this. Your daughter needs you, sir. Don’t remove yourself from her because of that.”

“Dad!” a voice shouted and Sparkler, followed closely by Dinky, raced into the waiting room. A short time later, Derpy walked in, tears in her eyes. “Is Aunt Goldie going to be okay?” the unicorn teen asked.

Silver looked at his older daughter and just embraced her, the tears starting anew. Dinky, already crying, gripped his hindleg in a virtual bear hug.

Meanwhile, Derpy looked at the ponies that would have been her in-laws and embraced them both. “I’m so sorry this had to happen, Sandalwood, Hammer.”

“It’s not your fault, Derpy,” Sandalwood told her. “How are you faring?”

“Wing’s still a bit stiff, but I’ve got friends in town helping me with physical therapy,” Derpy replied. “Thank you for caring.”

“You’re still family,” Hammer said, blinking away tears. “You may not have married my son, but you’ll always be family as far as I’m concerned, Derpy.”

As Rarity watched the others, she couldn’t help but wonder what had gone through the missing pegasus’ mind. What had caused her to snap like this, to turn against the ponies that were a surrogate family to her? It made no sense at all. “I just don’t understand any of it,” she said to herself.

A few minutes later, Shining and Cadance showed up, followed by the rest of the Knights, sans Rainbow, who would arrive once the airship she was on returned to Equestria. More crying, hugs and sorrow ensued, enough so that Rarity felt her heart would shatter in a million pieces. But finally, as the condolences stopped and Cadance and Twilight went to offer their magical abilities to the doctors, Shining looked at them all.

“I’ve put every squadron on alert, with orders to arrest Sergeant Tiger Lily,” he said, fighting to keep his voice stable. “I’ve ordered the Wonderbolts to take the lead on this and for Spitfire to act as group commander for this operation. I’ve also ordered every pegasus not attached to a squadron to report to the nearest airbase so we can put together ad-hoc units – I want nearly every flier we have on this. Lastly, because of the conflict of interest, I’ve grounded Star Song squadron until further notice.”

“I want her caught, Shining,” Hammer said, his voice not bothering to disguise the grief and anger he felt.

“Hammer, there’s another thing you should know: I’ve ordered Wonderbolts, Daring Dazzle and Skylark squadrons to have their ranged fighters take vanguard. In particular, Corporal Lightning Dust from Goshawk squadron has been temporarily transferred back to the Wonderbolts due to her specialty with lightning range magic.”

“Lightning range magic?” he asked, the retired captain of the guard looking at his successor. A second later, his mind kicked in and he voiced, “No….”

“Witnesses confirmed it: the tornado that hit that part of Cloudsdale originated in the exact spot that was Sergeant Lily’s home. We’ll never have to wonder if the old kingdom created a Redsprite,” Shining said in a tight, haunted voice.

“Nature did it for us.”

VI: Drifting Through a World That’s Torn and Tattered

A group of teenagers sat in a coffee shop in Canterlot, drinking coffee and watching the rain.

“Dad’s taking it really hard,” Sparkler spoke. “Dinky refuses to leave his side, and Miss Rarity had to promise Mom she’d watch us while we’re staying in town. Dad’s in bad shape right now and he needs us.” Sparkler took a sip of her coffee, then set it down. “Dad and Aunt Goldie are really close, and from what I’m told, Miss Tiger Lily was like a sister to them – she and Aunt Goldie were the best of friends. And yet she attacked her.”

“Sometimes, there’s a reason to things that we don’t understand immediately,” Sweetie Belle commented, adding sugar to her coffee. “Maybe she’s sick, or possessed or something.”

“Or maybe it was forbidden love,” Diamond Tiara added. “Maybe this Tiger Lily nursed a secret love for your father and just lost it.”

Sweetie shook her head. “Diamond, you’re not helping.”

“No, I am,” she said. “You don’t understand. My mother? She’s not really my mother – technically, she’s my stepmother. My birth mother ran off with somepony shortly after I was born. But my birth mother’s best friend had grown up with her and Dad and she confessed to him her feelings shortly after the divorce was final – I was a little over a year old. I didn’t even know the truth until I was eight years old, and like you and your father, Sparkler, I’ve never really known my mother as anything but that.”

“Ah didn’ know that,” Apple Bloom said, gaining a new appreciation for her former enemy. She’d thought Sweetie was kidding when she said that Diamond Tiara had changed, but it turned out to be true. She silently vowed that when she went back to Ponyville, she’d try to make friends with Silver Spoon and see if things had changed there. Looking briefly at Scootaloo, she noted that she’d thought the same and both teens shared a brief nod of agreement before turning back to the conversation.

“Mom loves me just as much as if I’d been her own, so I’ve never cared,” Diamond admitted. “But my point is that as cliché and ponytale-like that it sounds, maybe it’s the truth. Love makes ponies do strange things, the kind of things that you see in romance novels, but other weird things, too – like the ponytale of the prince and princess who loved each other to death because of a forbidden love potion.”

The three former Cutie Mark Crusaders shared an awkward look together, but Diamond didn’t catch it. “You don’t say,” Sweetie said in a wavering tone.

“I know. It’s not something I would’ve admitted before, much less to you three,” she said, a soft smile on her faces.

“That’s what friends are for, Diamond,” Scootaloo said with a grin. “And that goes for you too, Sparkler.”

“Thanks, girls,” she said, a smile coming onto her face despite the sadness she felt.

Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle watched the rain fall, and, closing her eyes and focusing on the sound, began to sing softly. It was a song of loss, of emptiness, of a mare wondering what the future would hold. The lyrics seeped deep into the heart of all those present: not just the teens at the table, but all within the café, and when Sweetie was done, the establishment broke out in deep applause.

The others sat, transfixed before Sparkler said, “Sweetie, that’s beautiful.”

“Thanks,” she said, blushing. “It’s something I wrote back when I thought I could get a cutie singing mark,” she said, looking at the magic sparkle and bell on her flank. “But it’s just a hobby, not my talent – singing mages aren’t exactly in demand.”

“You’re in demand as far as I’m concerned,” Sparkler told Sweetie.

“Hey!” Apple Bloom just realized. “Ya know, if Silver an’ Rarity get married, Sweetie’s gonna be yer aunt, Sparkler!”

The two unicorns looked at each other, then back at the earth pony. “You just realized that?” Sweetie said, shaking her head. “And you guys say I’m the dumb one.”

From the window in Silver’s apartment, Rarity watched the rain fall. She sat at the kitchen table, nursing a cup of tea and wondering if the rain would ever stop. It had been pouring for the past couple of days, and was as dour as the mood that went around the capital. By now, word had gotten out that the Guard was after one of their own, and that the pony in question was extremely dangerous and a threat to anypony she came across. It wasn’t supposed to be this way, Rarity mused.

She felt a tug on her leg and she looked down to see Dinky looking at her. While the young foal still didn’t care much for Rarity, she knew that her father was going to be with her, so she had to be at least nice; it also didn’t hurt, Derpy admitted, that she had a long talk with Firecracker (the name Derpy used only when she was truly disappointed in her younger daughter) regarding her mistreatment of Rarity.

Rarity looked at the foal. “Yes, what’s the matter, Dinky, dear?”

“Can I have something to drink?” she asked.

“Of course,” Rarity said, rising from her seat. “What would you like?”

“Um…hot chocolate?”

“That’s a wonderful idea,” Rarity said to the foal. It was an unusually cold Quadrus afternoon, the rains of spring not quite turned up to warm temperatures just yet. “Let me make some, okay?” When the foal nodded, Rarity fumbled through Silver’s pantry. She’d gone shopping a couple of days before when Derpy let the girls stay while Silver recovered from his emotional trauma, and besides, it was a good way to bond with the fillies.

“Miss Rarity?” Dinky asked, and the elder unicorn could virtually hear the question mark appended onto those words. “Is Daddy mad at me?”

“Of course not, sweetie,” Rarity answered. “Why would you ever think so?”

“Because I haven’t been a good little filly,” she said, looking down at the ground. “I’ve been naughty, and Mommy scolded me and now Daddy’s sad and….” She focused, trying to search for the right word in a vocabulary still expanding. “I don’t want Daddy to be sad anymore, Miss Rarity,” she chose to say instead. “So I thought if I said sorry to you, he might be happy again.”

“Oh, Dinky, dear, that’s not your fault,” Rarity said, scooping Dinky up in a hug. “Your father and your aunt are very close, and the pony who hurt your aunt and your mother is very sick. They want her to smile again, but they need to find her first. And that’s what’s hurting your father. But remember, that’s also why you’re here.”

“Me?”

“Yes, dear,” Rarity said, as she set Dinky back down while she got to the chocolate. “Your father needs the three of us, the ladies in his life, to show him how much we love him and want to see him smile again.” Pouring the hot chocolate into a mug, she magicked it down to the filly, adding, “Careful, it’s hot.”

“Uh-huh,” Dinky agreed. After blowing on it for a couple of minutes, she finally took a drink and smiled in approval while Rarity went back to her tea and watching out the window. “Miss Rarity?” Dinky spoke again, breaking the silence once more.

“Yes, Dinky?”

“Can I sit with you and watch the rain?” The look on the foal’s eyes was one of utter cuteness, Rarity thought to herself, something she couldn’t disregard.

“Absolutely,” Rarity replied as she scooped her up in her telekinesis, placed her on her lap and the two watched the rainspatter against the window, not saying a single thing, but enjoying one another’s company during this trying time.

“GET INTO FORMATION!” Spitfire barked. “Soarin’, Airburst, take left! Cloudcover, Snowflurry, you two take right!” The yellow pegasus turned to her wingpony, flying right behind her. “You and I have point. The second you get a positive identification, take the shot – don’t demand surrender. We’ve already taken too long dealing with this.”

“But Lieutenant,” Lightning Dust began.

Spitfire shook her head. “I know. It’s not how we normally do things. But this isn’t a normal situation.”

“Roger that,” Lightning Dust said, determined not to blow this. She’d been removed from the Wonderbolts before, and it had cost her both a prestigious career and a budding friendship with one of the Knights Elements. But in the past couple of years, she’d worked to improve herself and landed a position with the Goshawks, a squadron based out of Horseshoe Mountain as one of their ranged fighters, and her ability to create lightning trails and fire thunderbolts had come in help against several problems.

Now, she’d (at least temporarily) traded in her white red and black Goshawk flightsuit for the familiar blue and yellow of the Wonderbolts once more…though technically because of the situation, they were all in combat armor for safety. She also knew that said trade-up was due purely to her specialty in trade and that most of the vanguard for the squadron had also been set up with ranged fighters, from Spitfire’s firecasting ability to Soarin’’s ability to reach the point where air became space and to rocket down hard on his target. She wasn’t sure of Airburst’s or Snowflurry’s particular skills, but given the situation, they had to be just as dangerous.

In short, she was being given a second chance, and she couldn’t – wouldn’t – feather it up again.

A messenger rocketed up towards them, flickering a magic light in a pattern indicating friendly. Spitfire shouted, “Okay, slow down, I want to see what this is! Everypony at ease, but be ready to take off again.”

As the pegasus approached, Lightning Dust noted the newcomer wore the orange and blue of the Sunrisers, a squadron based out of Fillydelphia. “Looking for Lieutenant Spitfire,” the pegasus gasped; clearly he’d worn himself out in the flight.

“I’m Spitfire. You have a message?”

“Yes, ma’am.” The pegasus saluted, then pulled a scroll out from a sidesaddle. “Message from Captain Shining Armor: Cloudsurfer and Lightheart squadrons have been removed from operations. Blue Impulse is moving into the fray and bringing along with them the 1st and 2nd Ad Hoc squadrons.”

“What do you mean ‘removed from operations’?” Spitfire asked as she took the scroll, opened up, and read. A second later her face went ashen as she got the answer she wanted. “Th-this is impossible!”

“Ma’am, we’ve got the packed-to-capacity field hospitals to prove it.”

“I see. Thank you for your work, private,” she replied. “Mobile command is half-a-mile behind us; rest up there until you’re ready to return to your unit. Dismissed.” As the messenger took off, Spitfire called her forces towards her. “Bad news,” she told them. “Cloudsurfer and Lightheart are off the flightboard.”

“Both squadrons?” Snowflurry said, her ice-blue eyes going wide in surprise. “That’s insane!”

“Yeah, Spits, I’m finding that a little hard myself,” Soarin’ added. “Is the deserter getting help?”

“No – and that’s what scares me,” the Wonderbolts’ CO admitted. “Earlier this morning she created a downburst that shredded almost all of Lightheart, and then a little over an hour ago, she created a hailstorm that took out Cloudsurfer.”

“What, did she turn into an alicorn while nopony was looking?” Airburst grumbled. “I know that gal – she’s always been a bit unhinged, but she’s doing stuff that take either a weather factory or a fairly strong unicorn to do!”

“Doesn’t matter,” Spitfire replied. “Look: a lot of us know Tiger Lily, and many of us counted her as a friend or at least an acquaintance and colleague until yesterday.” But her orange eyes narrowed in anger as she said, “But she hurt one of us, turned against us – and now instead of facing the music, she’s hitting us hard while she’s running. To me, that’s the enemy. If we catch her and interrogate her, maybe we’ll find she’d possessed or brainwashed. But until then, the safety of Equestria comes first. Stop her – any way you can.”

Tiger was nearing her exhaustion point, both physical and mental. She was frightened and had no idea what was going on, only that her world was falling apart…and somehow, in the past few hours, she’d become a monster. The lightning she’d somehow hit Goldie with – she couldn’t deny that now, as guilt forced her to repeat the scene in her mind endlessly – had probably killed her best friend. Worse, it would cause her to lose Silver, the stallion she loved. And now she was a fugitive from the Guard, being chased by other pegasi; and if that last battle with a flight from Cometstreak squadron and the others had indicated, they were no longer merely bent on capturing her.

She nearly crashed as she landed ungracefully on a mesa in the badlands. The mesa had dried mucus on it; clearly at one point it had been a changeling hive, but that was a long time ago, else it would have been kept up. Still, she didn’t want to stick around in the event that some still remained, but…she couldn’t get back to her hooves. She was too spent, having completely burned herself out over the hell of the past few hours. She didn’t understand what was going on, and didn’t have the strength back. All she knew at the moment was fear.

No, not true, a part of her mind realized. I wouldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t for that tail-lifting harridelle, she thought to herself, her mind burning. She did this to me! She took Silver from me! She made me hurt Goldie when I would’ve given my life for her! Despite the fear, a lance of rage built once more in Tiger’s mind. Rarity would pay. Tiger didn’t know when or how, but the unicorn would pay for stealing Tiger’s husband and forcing her to kill her best friend.

But she had to get away, first. Get away and rebuild. That’s why she was in the badlands, a mostly-unexplored region of the country. There were still plenty of spots she could hide, then sneak south to the land of the jaguars and head towards the Southwestern Continent. Or she could island-hop across the Great Ocean and find a hiding place in the Great Eastern Continent or the massive island that was Canistralia. Pick up the ashes of her life and prepare for revenge and regain what she’d lost, no matter how long it took.

She blinked her eyes again and the sun had changed – she’d been asleep for hours, though she still felt sore and worn. Able to push herself back to her hooves, she scanned the sky…and blanched. Coming from the east, blatant as possible, were two whole squadrons of pegasi. The first wore standard pegasus combat flight armor, marked with the gray and black livery of Silverghost squadron. The second were pegasi in standard guard armor – clearly Canterlot was throwing everything they could at her. By her estimate, they were a couple of miles off, and would be on her in a matter of minutes, not counting their sprinters. She might be able to get airborne, but as exhausted as she was, there would be no way to outrun them. She couldn’t even use the mysterious powers she’d somehow gained and didn’t quite understand.

So it was a surprise to her that as the pegasi got within visual identification range…they were beset by a second group, a full army of pegasi and a few gryphons, all of which tore into the unsuspecting guardsponies. The war between the two sides commenced, but it was clear that the second group, wearing makeshift flightsuits of a solid olive color and red berets on their heads, well outnumbered the Equestriani forces; by a ballpark estimate, there were forty-eight guardsponies…fighting close to five hundred opposing flyers.

“Good, we got to you in time,” a voice said behind Tiger and she turned around to see two more pegasi standing there, easy as could be.

“Don’t worry, Miss. We’re not here to harm you,” the stallion said, sitting down as if to placate her.

The mare gave a wide smile. “In fact, you could say you’re among friends now.”

“Who are you?”

“We’ll explain later,” the mare replied, “but for now, I’m Spinnaker, and this is my twin brother Candlewick.”

Candlewick eyed Tiger, looking her over carefully. Gently lifting her wing, he asked with a caring tone, “Can you fly?”

She shook her head. “I’m not sure. I’m feeling wiped out.”

“That settles that,” Candlewick said, crawling underneath her and lifting gently, making sure Tiger was on his back. Knowing she was going to argue, he said, “Like we said, Miss Lily. You’re amongst friends.”

“How do you know who I am?” she asked, leaning against his strong form. There was something kind and strong about him that reminded her of her Silver.

“That will be explained in good time,” Spinnaker said as she eyed where her colleagues continued to tear apart the Equestriani guards. “But I promise you are amongst friends who will be here for you.” Their quarry safe, the three took to the skies and towards the west and the late afternoon.

The rainstorm continued unabated, and Silver finally found the strength to get out of bed. He hurt in a way that he couldn’t describe, all of it emotional. Though the combined magics of both Cadance and Twilight had some effect in getting Goldie out of the danger zone, the doctor had been clear with Silver and his parents: there was a good chance her wings were so damaged, amputation might be necessary. While Goldie would probably deal with it – she was, after all, a pegasus born into an earth pony family – he knew his sister loved the skies and was as much home there as on the ground.

But the other part was the pony who put her there: Tiger. It wasn’t like her, dammit! She wasn’t that kind of mare – she was family to them, and it made zero sense why she would do what she did, much less even how! His mother was crying because in a sense, she’d lost both a daughter and a mare who was like a niece. And though his father’s eyes radiated hatred for Tiger, he knew that deep inside, he was just as distraught as his mother. They hadn’t heard from Diamondplate, Lavender and their family, though Silver was sure they were already inbound.

Getting out of bed, he felt the intense need to eat something; he couldn’t remember the last time he did. Walking towards the kitchen, he noted that things were very quiet – a little too quiet, he decided. “Hey, anypony home?” he called out.

“Yeah, Dad, over here,” he heard Sparkler’s voice say. Coming downstairs, he saw her sitting there, gazing at something. As he approached, she lifted a hoof to her muzzle and whispered, “Ssssh,” then gestured with her head. There, asleep on the couch, was Rarity, peacefully sleeping. And in her forelegs, dozing away just as gently, was Dinky. The two looked natural together, two unicorns that could under different circumstances be confused as mother and child – or stepmother and stepchild.

“I think Dinky’s gotten used to Miss Rarity now,” Sparkler said, a soft smile on her face. “Y’know, Dad, if there was a mare that you were going to end up with that wasn’t Mom, I think I’m glad it’s her. She’s going to be a good stepmom.”

Silver chuckled. “Sparky, we’ve only been together for a few months. Aren’t you rushing things a bit?”

Sparkler grinned. “Dad, I’m almost an adult. A mare can tell these things,” she said in a semi-haughty tone.

“Yeah, I see Rarity is rubbing off on you some,” he grinned. “And you’re still just a teenager, sunshine. You’ve still got years left to go before you hit adulthood. Do your old stallion a favor and don’t be in such a hurry to grow up, okay?”

“I won’t,” she promised.

“C’mon, let’s go make dinner. Let them sleep a little – Celestia knows Rarity could use it after being mother hen the past few days.” The two went off to the kitchen, letting the pair continue to doze in contented bliss.

The following morning, all were assembled in the northern gardens of the palace. Initially, the plan had been for Dinky and Sparkler to take the train home, but when they’d discovered that as newly-invested nobility, both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo could commandeer the use of royal chariots, the plan soon became “they’re going back to Ponyville that way.”

“Okay, say hello to your mother for me,” Silver said, embracing his foals.

“We will,” Sparkler promised.

“Yeah, we will Daddy,” Dinky said, hugging with all her might.

“Thank you for taking care of us…and him,” Sparkler said to Rarity next, embracing her.

“Yeah! Thank you, Miss Rarity!” Dinky chirped, giving Rarity one of her patented death-grip glomps.

“You’re welcome, both of you,” Rarity said softly. “You’re always welcome.”

Scootaloo coughed. “Uh, Sparkler, Dinky, not sure the chariot’s gonna wait forever.”

Rarity went over and embraced her sisters’ siblings. “You two aren’t escaping without hugs either.”

“Yeah, Ah know, Rarity,” Apple Bloom said, affectionately nuzzling the white unicorn. “Too bad Sweetie couldn’ be here t’ say goodbye.”

“She’s got other stuff going on, Bloomie,” Scootaloo replied. “Besides, we’re all family, so it’s not like we won’t see each other again.”

As the group separated, the fillies all got on the chariot and headed out, the chariot clearing the ground and heading into the sky towards distant Ponyville. As they disappeared from view, Silver looked at Rarity and said, “Thank you, love.”

“Whatever for?”

“I know being in my life has been hard on you the past couple of days, and I’m sure you didn’t imagine having to deal with my daughters the whole time,” he said, nuzzling her. “But they adore you and in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m kinda smitten on you as well.”

“I did pick up on that hint,” she said, her eyes closing in ecstasy as he kissed her neck.

“So what now?”

“I probably should go home,” Rarity said. “Sky’s probably had to keep Diamond and Sweetie from killing each other again – apparently they’re arguing over who was the one who won tickets to front-row seats at Sapphire Shores’ upcoming concert next week. Plus, sooner or later I need to put in an appearance at work before they decide they don’t need a minister.” She batted her eyelashes at him, cooing, “Why, did you have plans for today?”

“Well, I don’t have to report back to my unit until tomorrow, and I figured we could spend the day visiting Goldie, if you don’t mind. I think she’d appreciate that.”

Rarity nodded. “That’s one of the things I love most about you,” she said, putting her forelegs around him and looking straight into his eyes. “You’re devoted to your older sister, and there aren’t enough stallions like that in the world.”

“Hey, Goldie would do the same if things were reversed.” He looked into the sky, his eyes wistful. “I can remember when she got her cutie mark. She was flying through the air, playing around with her friends while Diamondplate and I were watching from the ground. Well, one of her pegasus friends – can’t remember the filly’s name – flies into a tangletree, and if you know anything about those, pegasi can accidentally strangle themselves while trying to get out. Well, Glimmerwing – that’s what her name was! – is panicking, freaking out that she’s going to die, and Goldie looks right at her and says, ‘Not while I’m here!’ She starts pulling on the tanglevines with everything she’s got, not worried at all that they’re starting to wrap around her, too – and then all of a sudden she flares up like she’s Princess Celestia in a bad mood. The tree catches on fire and the first thing Goldie does is drag Glimmerwing to safety. And as soon as they land, Glimmerwing’s the first to notice the stylized sun that’s sitting on Goldie’s flank. Dimes and I were so proud of her that day,” he said, his voice breaking.

“Silver, she’s going to be fine. Twilight and Cadance were able to use their magic to save her, and I’m sure something can be done to help her still. Just have faith, love,” Rarity said, reaching up to caress his face. “Let’s go. I think you could both use some cheering up.”

He grinned, following her lead. “I love you.”

“Not half as much as I love you, Silver dear.”

“So, what do I get out of this deal?” Gutslasher said, leaning back against the wall in his cell, knowing he held all the cards.

“That’s easy: I don’t kill you,” Diamondplate seethed as he leaned on the bars of the dungeon cell. Buoyed by his earth pony strength, the bars began to bow slightly, a fact that the gryphon took note of, though it didn’t seem to faze him.

“You know what’s even easier than killing me?” Gutslasher taunted. “Not killing me and ensuring you get that info.” Looking straight at him, the gryphon said, “I want my lawyer here now, and if you’re going to make a deal, you’re doing it on my terms, got that?”

In response, Diamondplate slammed his hoof against the cell bars. Three bars snapped like twigs, and bent inward. The stallion pulled his hoof back, not wanting to cause more damage, though the look on his face made it clear that he could easily do the same to Gutslasher if he desired. “You’re going to talk, you’re going to tell us what you know, and if you’re lucky, her majesty will be lenient – more than I ever will.” He turned to the guards and said, “move him to another cell and have somepony fix this one.”

“Roger that, lieutenant,” the guard replied as Diamondplate ascended the steps to the main part of the prison, finding Shining Armor standing there.

“You were right, Shines,” Diamondplate said, sighing. “He doesn’t know a damn thing.”

“He’s been like that since we brought him in,” Shining said, looking at his junior officer and friend. “We’re liaising with the sheriff in Baltimare to have Dragonkick transferred to our custody so we can compare their stories. But I’m afraid we’re either going to find the same thing, or worse.”

“None of which gets us the real answer. None of which says what the hell happened to Tiger,” the earth pony answered.

“You don’t think she’s guilty?” Shining commented. “Dimes, she’s been acting strange as of late – that came from Goldie herself – and few in her squadron trusted her before any of this began. And now? Now she’s taken out three squadrons on her own, and then somehow got assistance from a small army out of nowhere that we can’t identify. I want you to think on that last one: she got help from a fleet of air fighters that we cannot identify!” Shining looked at Diamondplate not as a friend but as his senior officer and said, “I think you’re letting your feelings run away from your professionalism, Lieutenant.”

Diamondplate looked at him just as angrily. “And if your adopted brother suddenly turned on your sister and started attacking everypony and everything, what would you think, Captain?” Shining, not expecting that to be thrown right in his face, couldn’t say a thing as Diamondplate continued. “This…this isn’t her, no more than if Spike would be if he turned against you and your family, Shines. I know Tiger. I’ve foalsat her on dozens of occasions growing up and…this…it can’t be her. It just can’t.”

“And if it is?” Shining asked, understanding his friend’s concern. Silver had said the same thing, and Goldie was in a coma, so there was no way to get an answer from her.

“If it is her, then the mare we’ve known all our life never existed,” Diamondplate said, a haunted catch in his voice, “and we’ve had a fox in the henhouse for who knows how long.”

Tiger opened her eyes, finding herself laying on a simple bed in a rather empty room. Other than a desk and some small books and a clothing dresser, there was nothing else in the room. To call it Pegasuspolan in nature would be accurate; even rooms for Guard recruits were more ornate in nature than this.

There was a knock at the door and a slightly muffled voice spoke. “Are you awake?” It was the mare from earlier, Spinnaker.

“Yeah, sure, prisoner’s just waiting here,” Tiger replied. And that much was true, she was pretty sure; though she felt much more restful than earlier, she knew she wasn’t at peak strength just yet.

Spinnaker opened the door. “Miss Lily,” she said in a cheery voice, “you’re not a prisoner here – like I said, you’re amongst friends.”

“You mean like my ‘friends’ who attacked me?” Tiger said, archly. “Those friends, who I’d served beside for years and just turned on me like that?

“Or like our folks, who defended you? Ponies and gryphons who’d never met you and yet were willing to risk their lives for you?” Spinnaker replied. When Tiger had no answer to that, Spinnaker smiled and said, “The Commandante would like to meet you when you’re well rested.”

“Commandante?” Tiger wondered. She knew it was a term in many of the countries south of Equestria and meant captain in the same manner as the captain of the guard, a military leader.

Spinnaker nodded. There was another knock at the door and a diamond dog female opened the door and brought in food.

“I hope you’ll enjoy the meal,” the bicche said, a smile on her face as she carried in a tray of what looked like corn-and-parsley chowder and a small baguette, both steaming, the aroma wafting into Tiger’s nostrils. “It’s a new recipe that I worked on with some of the others in the galleys.”

Tiger blinked. She’s speaking! A buckin’ diamond dog female is speaking full sentences! How the buck did that happen? “I…uh…thank you?” she said, somewhat confused.

“You’re quite welcome,” the bicche said with a smile. “Now if you’ll excuse me, Adjutant,” she said to Spinnaker, “I’ll be late for my classes.”

“Thank you for your efforts, Maizy,” Spinnaker said with a smile. The bicche curtsied and departed. As the diamond dog left, Spinnaker said, “And I’m guessing right now you’re wondering why a diamond dog – especially a bicche – can speak full sentences, much less talk about education?”

“No kidding! I mean, diamond dogs are stupid enough, but bicches – all they’re good for is breeding, right? I mean, that’s sad, but that’s their culture.” Taking the spoon in hoof, Tiger took a bite of the baguette and the chowder. “Wow! This is great! And she made this?”

“Yes, she did. And she’s a friend of mine, so I would appreciate laying off the specism,” Spinnaker growled, catching Tiger by surprise; the soft-spoken mare seemed to do a 180 in her personality for a second. Then she softened again and said, “But I suppose that’s not your fault. That’s we were all indoctrinated into believing they were stupid, and diamond dogs like Maizy suffered as a result. Hopefully when we succeed, that won’t be the case any longer.”

“Succeed? Succeed at what?” Tiger said, demolishing the food before her. Either she was starved, or this was the best food she’d had in ages – or both.

“That’s not for me to say,” Spinnaker said. “The Commandante can explain it better than I ever could.”

“Well, I’m ready to go,” Tiger said, leaping off the bed. But the moment she hit the floor, pains jolted up her legs and her wings stiffened as every pain receptor in her body fired at once. It was all she could do to bite of the scream of agony and she knew it reflected on her face.

“Are you sure you’re up to this? You’ve been out for two days and Cloister said it would be best for you to rest up even for a couple of days once you woke up again.”

“I’ve been out for two days?”

Spinnaker nodded. “Your abilities are unformed, the Commandante said – like a pegasus flying for the first time, it took a lot out of you.” Spinnaker approached, the look in her eyes worried. “I’ll help you back into bed. You really should rest, Miss Lily.”

“No, I’m going to—” A knock at the door sounded again, interrupting her. “Lemme guess: that’s a dragon that’s a cleaning lady, right?”

“Not to my knowledge; our lone dragon’s our accountant.” She went to the door opening it to see Candlewick standing there, hitched to a wagon. “What’s up, Candle?” she asked.

He flashed his sister a grin, then looked at Tiger. “Hello, Miss Lily. Maizy informed us that you were awake again, and the Commandante felt that once you were awake, you were not the type of mare that would just sit and wait. But since Cloister informed us that she didn’t think it was okay for you to move about just yet, she asked me to get a wagon, so I can take you to the Commandante’s home.” Candle then looked at Tiger and asked, “I promise I’ll be as gentle as possible, but I doubt the Commandante would be offended if you needed to rest a few more days.”

“No, I want to get to the bottom of this.” With some gentle help from Spinnaker, Tiger got into the wagon, and they were off. As they departed the room, she was surprised to see that it was a small cottage. As they left, Tiger took a look at her surroundings and found they weren’t in the badlands any longer – she had no idea where they were. The terrain was mountainous, rugged, and lush, similar to the Canterlot Mountains, but that’s where the comparisons ended. The skies were clear, and there was no dropoff to a plain below; if anything, they seemed to be in a hidden valley where the mountain range split in two.

“There’s the fields, and farms, where we grow most of what we need,” Spinnaker pointed out as they walked. The buildings on the far side are the granaries as well as chandlers and all the industrial parts of the compound.” They moved a bit more down the dusty road before Spinnaker pointed to a series of huts on a nearby ridge. “And over there are the schools, both for the young ones and a separate building for the adult diamond dogs that want to further their education.”

“Diamond dogs don’t value education,” Tiger said. “Theirs is a culture that values brawn over brains.”

Candlewick and Spinnaker looked at each other and the sister nodded. Candlewick turned back to Tiger and said, “Don’t let Notary hear you say that. He’s proud of having memorized all of Aristrotle’s Analytics.”

“The Organon?” That was one of the oldest and hardest books in Equestriani classical history, dating back to Aristrotle, one of the seneschals of the historical queen Faust. Tiger knew a few well-educated unicorns who had a hard time wrapping their heads around it.

Candlewick shook his head. “No, ma’am, that’s just the first volume of the Analytics. Notary’s got all seventeen parts memorized. Anyways, here we are.”

Tiger stood before a simple cottage, no different than the one she’d just left or any of the others in the area. In fact, the only thing differentiating it from the others was the sign in front which read COMMAND. As Spinnaker gently helped Tiger out of the wagon, Candlewick unhitched himself and went over to knock on the door. “We’re here,” he said, “and we brought Miss Lily.”

“That’s good,” a female voice said as the door opened wide, and Tiger found, of all ponies – Kamali standing there. “It’s good to see you again, Tiger,” the zebra mare said demurely. “I’m glad to see you’ve recovered so quickly.”

Tiger blinked. “Okay, now I know I’m losing my mind,” she drawled. “Didn’t expect to see you here, Kamali – thought you’d be halfway back to Zebrabawbe by now.”

“Kamali is dead now,” the zebra mare said with a wide, beatific smile. “I am now Cloister.”

“Huh? Oh, what the buck is going on, Kamali? And…why aren’t you rhyming? Don’t zebra shamans always speak in couplets?”

“I will explain later, dear friend,” the mare who now called herself Cloister replied. “As for now, you must meet with my betrothed.” Turning to Spinnaker and Candlewick, she said, “You two can return back to your duties. I’ll take care of Tiger from here and escort her back to her cottage when we’re done.”

“Are you sure, Cloister?” Candlewick asked. “I wouldn’t want t—” Spinnaker elbowed him in the side, and he got the hint. “Well, I’ve got candles to make and time waits for no one! See you later, Miss Lily!” With that, the two pegasi flew off, headed towards the far end of the valley.

As the two departed, the zebra went up to Tiger and said, “I know you have questions, but I ask that you wait until my beloved has had time to speak to you. He will answer all then, I promise – and you may ask me whatever you wish, old friend.”

“Friend? Ha!” Tiger laughed. “Kamali, you and I were never friends. You were a merc, one I hired via your employer to do a job that you all bucked up. I gave you the money because you were smart enough to make it out alive, but that doesn’t make us buddy-buddy!”

“You weren’t friends with Kamali, true,” the zebra answered, “but she is nothing but a bad memory now. I am Cloister and I strive to be everything she wasn’t – including a friend to those she should have been.”

“Yeah, yeah, friendship is magic, whatever,” Tiger said as Cloister gently led her into the home. Unlike the cottage she was in, this one was decked out a little finer though generally still simple and somewhat monastic.

“And she finally appears. You are far stronger than I ever suspected, Redsprite,” a pegasus stallion said as he approached. She looked at him and found him odd-looking. A deep brown color, he wore the same red berets as the pegasus twins did, as well as an olive-colored shirt. His neatly-trimmed black beard matched a short but neat mane and equally-trimmed tail, and he seemed far fitter than the average pegasus did; if he wasn’t the military type he was certainly an athlete of some kind.

“Welcome to the Bastion, Miss Tiger Lily,” the stallion said, with a smile both on his face and his deep-green eyes. “I am Chaff Guarana, the Commandante of the Weather Underground, and it is my hope that you will join us in our struggle, and use your powers to aid our cause, Redsprite.”

“Look, my name is Tiger Lily, not Redsprite,” she retorted.

“I understand, but that’s what you are – a special pony, a pegasus pre-ordained since the time of the Discordian War. After all, how many other ponies can do what you do at the wave—” he unfurled a wing for emphasis, “—of a wing?”

“I didn’t start doing that until the other day when I accidentally killed….” The emotions hit her again. She’d killed her best friend in an accident, and she’d lost all as a result. She could never see her family again, never return back home – never be with Silver. And it was all Rarity’s fault.

“Because you were never taught what you were,” Chaff told her. “The truth of your birth was hidden away from you by the Sun Tyrant, who lies to her people to keep them in check. Here, we can offer you the truth and how to control your powers, and to use them for good, not for domination against innocents.”

“Sun Tyrant? Are you talking about Princess Celestia?”

“Princess,” he spat the word as if it were an epithet. “An unearned title, stolen from the heads of unicorns who equally did nothing to earn it. But I understand your hesitancy: once, I too believed in her majesty…until I found the ugly truth buried underneath the sugar-sweet lies.” He pointed at his cutie mark, a shield crossed with two spears. “I wanted to be a doctor, to heal and treat the wounded. That was even in my birth name, Caring Hooves. But I had the ill-fortune to be born into the Pansy family, and my father refused to have his son, a scion of the legendary Commander Pansy, work as a doctor. He forced me to join the Guard – and clearly I was born for it, as my mark claims…but it is all a lie.

“A lie?” How can you cutie mark be a lie?”

“Easy: they’re one of the ways the Sun Tyrant controls us. Did you know that a pony can, with diligence and effort, work to be as good in their desires as they can in their ‘natural’ talent? And what of the ponies whose cutie marks aren’t as clear? They’re ‘told’ or are deluded into believing something vague, when they have the chance to be something better. What does your cutie mark mean?”

“Well, er, I’ve always thought it meant I fight like a tiger, which is why I’m good at martial arts!” she boasted.

Chaff laughed. “And what if I told you when you were young that they were tally marks? Would you be a guard or a mathematician? Or if you thought them to be licorice sticks – would you be a confectioner of great renown?”

The thought confused Tiger. “I…I don’t know.”

“And most ponies never will, because they believe the lies passed down by the Sun Tyrant.” He looked at her and said, “But as part of officer’s training, I learned there was a better way. I learned we could be more than just toys for the royalty and nobility. I learned of the past, of the ancient Pegasus Statocracy, where you earned your way; and the Earth Pony Republic, where every hoof counted – none was left out. For years I toiled, trying to balance what I’d grown up with against what I’d learned during my studies in the military wing of the Canterlot Library. And one day, I found I could take it no more.” He waved his hoof, bidding her to sit down on the nearby couch. “And I deserted, just as you did. Left the Guard and did not come back.

“I changed my name, my very identity and wandered Equestria for years, looking at the world with new eyes, seeing the injustices that had been placed in our world. Seeing diamond dogs – intelligent creatures who have been told for decades that they are only good for manual labor and that their females are worth even less. Gryphons, who were forced to live like ponies if they were born in Equestria. Zebras and donkeys, given second-class status, all because they were not a part of the three tribes called ‘ponies’, even though we are all supposedly of a greater equinal species!”

He shook his head. “And on my travels, I gathered others of like minds to me. Diamond dogs who wished to be better than they were told they were. Donkeys and zebras who burned with a yearning for equality. Gryphons who wished to be treated as such, not as mutated pegasi! And even a dragon who wished to be free of the stigmatization his species was accused of. All of us, together! Here, we found a valley where we could live in peace – our Bastion! – where we could form our Underground and be free…and work to help others break their shackles.”

“Okay, I’m thinking you’ve got a bad case of CMFIS,” Tiger accused.

“Only the kind that sets you free, Miss Lily,” he said with a laugh. “We named our group the Weather Underground, both for the fact that most of our group are pegasi and for the fact that we weather the lies of Equestria until we can bring the clear skies of truth once more. And now fate has delivered us the chance to finally strike a blow for equality! And that blow is you, Tiger Lily.”

“Uh, no thanks. Leave me out of your crazy-plot plans,” Tiger commented. “I’ve got my own gig, like—”

“Rescuing your husband from the so-called 'Royal Family'?” Chaff inquired. When Tiger looked at him wide-eyed, he grinned. “We have a network of sympathizers who help to see the truth behind the lies. And I have been told that your husband, Silversteel, has been claimed by a member of the nobility as her – please excuse the term, for I mean no offense – colt-toy.” When her eyes narrowed in anger, he nodded sadly. “He is just as much a victim as you are. Did you know he is what they call a Monolith? The result of another Crown program designed to create super-warriors to do the Sun Tyrant’s merciless bidding? But she didn’t count on you getting free and getting to us…nor will she count on our forces helping you to get him back.”

That was music to Tiger’s ears. “You will?”

“Of course. We could use his help to train ground troops to help us throw off the yoke of oppression. But I will warn you now: we can do nothing to gain him back until we train your powers in full. And it will not be easy: you are the first of your kind and there is no roadmap to follow. It may take years, but I swear on everything that we will help you gain your husband back if you join with us.”

“Years?”

“I understand that seems a long time, but what is worse: leaving him in the trap for years only to rescue him…or die trying to rescue him now and leaving him for eternity in the clutches of the Oppressors?” He looked at her and saw she was thinking. “I understand you have much to think over, so we will end our conversation now. I will have my betrothed take you back to your cottage to let you rest until you are fully capable of moving around on your own…though I do have a request, if I may.”

“What’s that?”

“Cloister would like you to attend our wedding in two weeks. She says you are an old friend of hers, and she wishes you to be her Mare of Honor. Would you do us the honor?”

“I….” Tiger Lily was confused earlier, but she was completely perplexed now. “I’ll…talk to her.”

“Thank you.”

The wagon ride back was anything but; Cloister decided to take Tiger on an extended tour of the Bastion in order to let her see the grounds as well as so they could talk. Pulled by an earth pony, as the two went along, silence ruled for the first few minutes until Tiger said, “So, marrying him, huh? How long have you known him?”

“A few years – I’ve been a spy for the Underground for years. And while I will admit we…‘entertained’…each other, I was doing it as Kamali, not as who I am now. But a week ago, he gave me an offer I could not refuse, an offer that meant the world to me.”

“Oh? Let me guess – a pile of money the size of the Lonely Spire?”

Cloister’s response was to laugh. “As if such a thing existed. No. It was To Belong.” Tiger looked at Cloister as if she’d lost it and the zebra smiled winsomely. “I’ve never told anypo…anyone – we use the ancient species-neutral pronouns here in the Bastion – of my desire. In Zebrababwe, there are houses of nobility, respected because of their pure zebra bloodlines. But there is one exception to this: House Malindi, whose members are of pony blood. It shows in them – they are the only zebras with pony cutie marks. And yet they are respected not because of the talent of their family members, though that is considerable. No, they are, rather, exempted from contempt because their pony ancestor was said to be the lover of the Sun Tyrant before he escaped to Zebrababwe and took a zebra mare for his wife.”

“Let me guess: you are not a member of House Malindi?”

“No. I was of House Agebani…until my mother made a great mistake. She fell in love with a donkey – my father – and though they did not marry, their relationship bore fruit: me.” Cloister bowed her head slightly, as if in shame. “You knew me as Kalima the shamaness, but that is a lie – I was never a shamaness. While I look wholly zebra, I have the curse of donkey blood within me: I have no ability at magic whatsoever, including zebra alchemy.”

“But I’ve seen your potions! I’ve seen what you can do!”

“Yes, I have created medicines, poisons and the like…but it is chemistry, not alchemy. I cannot create vigors, nostrums, nor palliatives. And as for speaking like a shamaness?” She chuckled as she added, “Anyone can speak in rhyme if you simply practice all the time.

“My goal was with the money you gave me and other bits I’d saved, to return to Zebrababwe and bribe the right zebras to allow the king to create a new House for me, one with which I could use as a powerbase to utterly destroy House Agebani. But,” she sighed with the sound of a mare in love, “Chaff showed me a better way.”

“Oh?”

“He saw me as me, not as a half-mare, half-jenny. And he offered his own hoof in marriage, to give his undying love and affection so that he would free me from the cycle of hatred I’d bound myself in.” Cloister’s face was radiant as she said, “You don’t know how intoxicating true freedom is until you have it. And the day I became Cloister and became his betrothed? I was a free mare. Now I am in the cause, and someday I will end House Agebani, but only to break their shackles as we work to make a better world.

“We will help you get your stallion back. Not for money or a favor, but because he is yours and he deserves to be free. But you must trust us when we say it will take time – and a shortcut to sacrificing yourself will only ensure his slavery will be eternal.

As they stopped at the cottage, Cloister took Tiger’s forehooves in her own. “Lastly, I hope you will accept my offer to be my Mare of Honor. You may not have been Kalima’s friend, but I count you as one and hope you will do the same in return.”

“I…I don’t know what to say.”

“I hope you will say yes to both when I return on the morrow,” Cloister said. “And I hope that when you choose a new life with us, you will be prepared for the rigors of a new life so that you may save that of the one you love. Good night, Tiger.”

Rainbow sighed. It was turning out to be a really, really not cool week. First, at Luna’s insistence-but-not-insistence-insistence, she’d had to break off her relationship (if you could call it that) with Roughwind. While surprisingly he wasn’t too offended – it was the kind of loose relationship they had, after all – she still felt bad for the stallion. He was, she hated to say it, better in bed than Soarin’ was, and while she really didn’t have the same feelings for Roughie as she did for Soarin’, having him out of her life was kinda a sore spot.

And then she’d heard about what happened to Goldie and all the other pegasi while the attacker had gotten away. Rainbow felt incredibly guilty about that; if she’d returned to Equestria in time, there would have been no way that traitor pegasus would’ve gotten away – she might have been a powerful range attacker, but you had to be able to hit what you were aiming at, and Rainbow’s stock in trade was pure, unadulterated speed. Combined with her sonic rainbooms, she knew she could have taken down that pegasus. But she wasn’t here for that.

“Rainbow,” Spitfire said as they sat in her office, “you’re starting to creep me out. Stop that or I’m going to tell Aunt Firefly on you.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “You know, all those years I was absolutely just fanfillying over you only to find out that Aunt Junebug is your mom? Uggh, I feel stupid for not knowing that!”

“You know, all you had to do was ask. I knew you were my cousin the day I met you; I just thought you were keeping it on the downlow because you didn’t want to seem like you were getting a big head for being related to me.” She leaned back in her chair. “Now, the reason I brought you in here is because I need to talk to you about what we’re going to do in the aftermath of Tiger Lily’s betrayal. We lost a lot of good stallions and mares as a result. Not just the ones who were killed, but those who won’t fly again, like Sgt. Sunstreaker or Ens. Golden Sun—”

“Goldie’s going to fly again,” Rainbow insisted. “Once she comes out of her coma, if I have to bust my flank to get her back into shape, I will, but she’s going to fly again, Spits. Don’t you dare say otherwise!”

“Rainbow, I’m not going to argue with you about the prognosis. What I’m here to tell you is that because of the situation, I’m going to have my hooves full running the training academy to make sure we can rebuild the squadrons. As a result, I’m going to have to step down as CO of the Wonderbolts, and Soarin’’s assuming command. What I was going to ask you is if you can take command of Star Song.”

“I’d rather stay with the Wonderbolts, Spits.”

“Rainbow, look, I know that’s been your lifelong dream. But we need ponies where we can fit them right now. And you did agree that even though you outrank us all as a Knight, you’d take a temporary rank of lieutenant so you could fit in the Guard structure – and we need our lieutenants to step up to command.”

“I guess.”

“Look, we all rotate positions in command situations, so we’re prepared. In a few years, Soarin’ will have to rotate out of the Wonderbolts’ CO spot. Who knows: maybe Captain Armor will recommend you for the spot? He’s the one who gave Soarin’ the position and that didn’t come lightly. You want to lead the Wonderbolts, Rainbow? Just like you have to earn a spot on the team, you have to earn command – and the way to start is get command experience elsewhere.”

“In that case, I’ll do it. Tell Star Song they’re about to get the coolest commander in Equestria!”

“Stupid ex-Blank Flank!”
“Dummy!”
“Oh, that’s so original, you dork!”
“Like ‘ex-Blank Flank’ is such a stroke of genius?”
“Tail-lifting freak!”
“Talentless hack!”

It was the first night home in days and Rarity was already regretting it. “Sky,” she said to her cousin, “I can’t thank you enough for watching the girls while I was otherwise occupied.”

“Look, you’re my cousin and so’s Sweetie and I adore you both, but I’m not getting any sort of Hazardous Duty Pay!” Sky yelped. “They’ve been like this for days over those two damn tickets, and if they ask me to play referee one more time, I’m going to take them both as high as I can fly and then drop them from that height!”

“I’m guessing you want me to solve this?”

Sky rolled her eyes. “You’re the Knight – can’t you just zap them with that Element of yours?”

“Doesn’t work that way, I’m afraid,” Rarity responded as she watched Sweetie and Diamond Tiara continue to shout at each other. “Though believe me, if I did, I would have used it quite some time ago.”

“Braindead harridelle!”
“Stupid, stupid moron!”
“You’re such an idiot!”
“Oh yeah? Who’s the one going to the Mage Academy?”
“I’m an earth pony, you idiot! I can’t go to that school!”
“Who’s the idiot, you idiot?”

“Girls….” Rarity began. She’d had enough of this.

“Why on Earth doesn’t Celestia just send you to the moon?”
“Maybe because I’m not trying to pretend to be an alicorn, unlike some horned freak I know!”

“Girls….”

“Freak? The can’t do magic, can’t fly idiot’s calling me a freak?”
“No, the smart and rich filly’s calling your ex-Blank Flank plot a freak, you plothole!”

“Girls….”

“Plothole? How long did it take you to think that up?”
“Not long at all – I just needed to look at your face!”

“ATTEN-HUT!” a new voice bellowed in the room. Both Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara came to a complete stop as they saw the figure of Silversteel standing there, looking at both of them like they were new recruits on the first day of training. “Ladies, I am very disappointed in you,” he said, his voice dropping down to normal but still holding the same sharp edge it did a second ago. “Sweetie, you are both nobility and a member of the Royal Family and it is your responsibility to behave as such. And Diamond, while you are neither, you are Rarity’s apprentice and the scion of a wealthy family in Ponyville and you have a responsibility to behave as well. And right now, both of you are acting foalish and embarrassing both yourselves and Rarity.”

“I….” Sweetie began, but Silver just stared at her.

“Well, she….” Diamond suddenly got the same treatment.

“Here’s what you two are going to do: you’re going to give Rarity the tickets, apologize to each other and then go think about what you’ve done. And then tomorrow, you can have one ticket each and you can use your allowances to buy any other tickets that you need.”

“But they’re expensive!” both teens cried at once.

“So? The loser was going to have to spend money anyway,” Silver replied. “This way the loser doesn’t have to spend as much, because there’s no loser – or winner either.” He pointed towards the stairs. “Now get going, girls.” Not in the mood to go another round of getting shouted at, both teens sullenly went up to their rooms.

“You know, Silver,” Sky said, “I’d kiss you right now if it wasn’t for the fact that my cousin’s about to.”

“My hero,” Rarity said, getting to her feet and doing just as Sky said.

“Shucks ma’am,” Silver drawled, pantomiming the movement of adjusting a hat. “‘Tweren’t nothin’.”

“Okay, aside from pretending you’re a member of the Apple family,” Rarity asked, “how did you do it?”

“Well, love,” he said, “between two daughters and the times I’ve spent drilling junior troops, you kinda get a feel for this sort of thing.”

“I’ve decided,” Tiger Lily said to Chaff and Cloister the next morning. “I’ve reached the point of no return. My best friend is dead, my husband has been stolen from me and the monster that’s responsible for it all runs free. I don’t give a damn about your cause, but I can’t defeat her without your help, so…I’m in.”

“It’s a start,” Chaff said. “I won’t force the choice on you; that will come in time. But you will need to discard the life you had and put Tiger Lily aside. Once we have won, you may return to that life. But for now, you must become someone else. Choose the name you will be for this life.”

“I see. Fortunately, I’d thought about that already.”

Chaff nodded. “And now that Tiger Lily is dead, who has taken her place?”

The mare who once called herself Tiger Lily sighed. I’m coming to save you, Silver. Please just hold on and don’t give up hope until I can kill Rarity and save you. “There is only one thing to call myself,” she said.

“I am now, and ever will be…Revanche.”

VII: Here We Are, Caught Up in This Big Rhythm

“Must we? It will already be a busy week, Celestia. Why, there’s the International Art Exhibition that we’re sponsoring in Eyrie City, and the Royal Symphonic Orchestra’s month-long tour in Inari – I just received word yesterday from Octavia Melody that they arrived safely in the capital of Tokei the day prior.” Rarity drained her coffee, knowing she was going to need it; she’d been running virtually on fumes for the past couple of days. “And then there’s the huge science symposium in town that the Mage Guild is co-sponsoring with the Zebrababwean Embassy; I know Zecora’s been looking forward to that all year.”

The princess took a delicate sip from her tea and gave the most patient and understanding of smiles – and with that, Rarity knew she was in hot water. “Rarity, I understand your concerns. But these are two of the most important events of the year and given your status as a member of the Royal Family, you must attend, regardless of your personal feelings in the matter.”

“What feelings, Celestia, dear? Just because Blueblood gave me eternal mental trauma regarding the Grand Galloping Gala does not mean I hold any ill-will towards it; likewise, just because that mare he’s marrying the following week – Champagne Dreams, I believe her name is? – is too deluded and/or vapid to realize the sort of boor she’s shackling herself to does not mean I do not wish her the best of luck in her upcoming nuptials. I would just like to stay away from both – preferably as far away as possible.”

The sun alicorn sighed. “Rarity….”

“Would it be too much to ask you to send me to the moon for a couple of weeks – preferably with Silver? I could certainly use the peace and quiet.”

Celestia attempted to keep her composure even though she wholeheartedly sympathized with her sister royal. “You know how much the Gala bores me. Likewise, I have been sincerely hoping that we end up with another changeling invasion during Blueblood’s wedding – even Cadance thought it might be a good idea.”

“Isn’t it worth commenting upon when the mare whose wedding was nearly ruined by a changeling invasion hopes that another one comes by for her cousin’s?” Rarity drolled. “And if you dislike the Gala so much, I fail to see why you still hold it. It’s long overdue that if the previous dynasty wants to celebrate one that badly, somepony from one of the pretender houses can be host.”

“They still are, to some degree: a representative stands alongside me when I give the keynote address. But the original intent of the Gala was for the outermost and lesser nobility to see their liege,” Celestia explained, “and though it’s changed from just the nobility to that of the politically connected and the wealthy, enough commoners now attend that it’s still important that they see us – I wouldn’t have gotten to know any of you had you not attended.”

“You have a point there, I’ll admit,” Rarity said, choking further comment behind a bite of her crepe.

“And as for Blueblood’s wedding, either Champagne Dreams is a mare in over her head – I’m sure you’re familiar with that – or she knows exactly what she’s getting into. The former is a concern…the latter is a deep worry.” Celestia took a quick bite from a breakfast pastry, the flakes falling from the fork like dust. “Having mares there that have had…experience…with Blueblood and his antics will either give her a chance to discuss things with a neutral party, or send a subtle signal that we are watching.”

“Well, if nothing else, this will be the first year Sweetie Belle and the others will be attending the Gala. Perhaps I can have Scootaloo destroy a few columns while Silver Spoon yells at the wildlife?” The result was a sudden burst of laughter from the Princess of the Day as both mares treasured a disastrously fond memory.

“Sit still, Sweetie Belle!” Diamond Tiara said as she tried to move the measuring tape around her friend’s barrel. “It was hard enough measuring Scootaloo and she didn’t squirm!”

“Sorry,” the unicorn giggled. “It tickles!”

“Hey, not all of us are lucky enough to be unicorns and just use magic, okay?” Diamond said as she adjusted the tape, then took notes on the measurement. “Hrm…looks like somepony put on a couple of pounds. You haven’t bee—”

“I have not!” Sweetie defended.

Diamond looked at her sternly before breaking into a smile. “Kidding.”

“Diamond!”

A slight distance away, another two mares were going through the same thing, though in this case, both were unicorns. “Well, your measurements have changed as well, Twilight,” Rarity said, “though I daresay that’s muscle, isn’t it?”

Twilight nodded. “Ever since I took the Vicemagus position at the Academy, I’ve had to familiarize myself with various species’ magic systems. Jaguar magic, in particular, is very physically intensive, and I’ve had to spend a bit of time working out with Rainbow and Applejack to get me up to speed.”

“Well, don’t overdo it, Twilight dear. Your simple bodyframe is what makes you look attractive, and while muscles enhance Applejack’s and Rainbow’s own looks, it won’t do as well for you,” Rarity advised as she adjusted the tape once more and remeasured.

“Oh, don’t worry, I have no plans to look like Snowflake anytime soon,” the vicemagus assured her sister royal. “Besides, if I kept it up, I probably wouldn’t fit into my official mage robes.”

“Twilight, why can’t we just wear those to the Gala?” Sweetie asked.

“You know, that’s a good question. They are a sort of formal uniform,” Twilight noted.

At once, both Diamond and Rarity looked at their respective charges and said in unison, “Because they’re not fashionable!”

“I don’t see you giving this much grief to Rainbow or Shiny about their uniforms,” Twilight muttered.

“Twilight dear, those are dress uniforms they’ll be wearing to the ball, not duty attire or barding. They were made for formal circumstances, whereas as I understand it, the Guild tends to take an official line against anything formal, do they not?”

“Yeah, why is that, Twilight?” Sweetie asked.

“It was a decision by Wisteria the Wise,” Twilight answered. “Apparently one of the early Galas was attacked by timberwolves and Wisteria couldn’t get into the battle because she was in this ornately-designed ballgown that gave her no movement in battle. She finally tore it off in order to push away the timberwolf alpha, but afterwards decreed that the formal mage robes would suffice as formal attire for any mage.”

“Couldn’t they have just had somepony design something suitable for the Gala?” Diamond asked.

“Truthfully, mages rarely attend the festivities,” Twilight told her. “I’m not the most social of ponies, but when it comes to the Gala I’m a regular social butterfly in comparison to others.”

“That’s a shame,” Sweetie replied. “I can think of a few of my classmates that could stand to get outdoors. Then again, I think I’m much more of an active pony than a lot of my fellow students.”

“Sweetie, would you mind stretching your left hindleg out?” Diamond asked. “I want to make sure I get the sweep of your leg correctly.”

“And once again I’m reminded why I’m glad ponies don’t wear clothing on a regular basis,” Sweetie grumbled.

“Well, if it makes you feel better, Sweetie, dear,” Rarity said, “the stallionfolk who will be attending with us are probably having just as much of a time being fitted for their formal attire as well.”

“C’mon, Mac, loosen up a little!” Noteworthy told him. “You’re headin’ out to the Gala with your sweetie an’ everything’s all cool.”

The large stallion looked at the stallion his sister had been dating for close to a year now. He’d never thought highly of Noteworthy, mainly because he knew the jazz musician had a string of mares in his past a mile long. But he’d supposedly given all that up when he’d started up with Applejack. Supposedly. “Eyup,” he answered, not wanting to say anything further.

“Ow! Hey, watch the wing, okay?” Thunderlane said to Rickrack.

“Sorry, just not used to fitting pegasi for tuxedoes,” the earth pony replied. “I could’ve recommended you to a tailor in Cloudsdale, you know.”

“Maybe, but I promised my friends I’d come in with them,” Thunderlane replied, shaking his wing slightly to get the pain from the needle prick out. He turned and looked at the two not being fitted. “You two are the luckiest jerks here, you know that?”

Soarin’ and Silversteel looked at each other. “Well,” Soarin’ said, “you’re always welcome to join the Guard and get yourself a nifty dress uniform, Thunderlane. Celestia knows we could use the recruitment in pegasi right now.”

“Plus, Rarity asked me to make sure you guys got fitted so none of you will play that ‘I’m bowing out because I’m not ready for the Gala’ excuse. She wants it to be perfect and…well, you know how my fillyfriend can get,” Silver added.

“Eyup, tha’ we do,” Mac answered. “Speakin’ of which, who ‘re y’ gettin’ t’ take Twilight t’ th’ Gala?”

“And you’re worried about this why, you stud?” Noteworthy said, elbowing the larger stallion. Instead, he got a glare from Mac, and the musician threw his forelegs up in jest, saying, “Hey, just kidding, okay? Geez, chill, wouldja?”

“No, I get what Mac’s thinking,” Soarin’ said. “Betting Rarity’s going to insist that Twi have a date, because she’s the only one who hasn’t found her own special somepony. Well, I’m already spoken for, so….”

“Ha, ha,” Silver drolled.

“No, seriously, Silver. When Rainbow and I were seeing other ponies, Twi and I dated briefly. Didn’t really work out; we see each other too much as friends to have any real chemistry. Honestly, the one time we kissed? Kinda felt like I was kissing my sister.”

“And does Shining Armor know about that?” Silver asked wryly.

“Yeah – he says that answer’s the only reason my wings are still attached,” Soarin’ laughed. “But seriously, I think I might know a pony who might fit the bill, if he’s still available: unicorn stallion by the name of Life Bloom, attached to the 867th Combined Cohort out in Saddleback Mountain. Guy’s not a Guild mage, obviously; he’s the unit’s medic if I recall correctly, but he’s rather bookish and right up Twi’s alley.”

“You sure on this?” Silver asked. “As in ‘I’m going to have to send a message to Shines right now’ sure?”

“Oh yeah, absolutely,” Soarin’ assured him. “Suave, bookish, just as snarky as she can be – they’ll get along great.”

“That settles that, then,” Silver said. “You keep your eyes on the guys here. I’m going to head over to the Post Office and see if Derpy can get a last-minute express letter to Canterlot to let Shines know.”

“Okay, will do,” Soarin’ said. “You go have fun flirting with your ex.”

“You really like pushing your luck, don’t you, Soarin’?”

“Look who I’m dating,” the pegasus drolled back. “You start dating Rainbow Dash, you need to learn how to move fast.”

The rocks exploded in a wave of plasma, superheated as the lightning bolt hit them. When the blast faded away, what wasn’t partially slagged glowed a deep red, the sign it had been hit with a weapons-grade thunderbolt discharge.

“Your skills are improving, Revanche,” Chaff noted subtly. “Once you have complete control in a stable frame, we’ll get you to work on air tactics. It’s just as well, as the training you’ve given our forces has been invaluable.”

“Thanks,” Revanche said, wiping the sweat out of her eyes. She’d had a long day of training the Weather Underground’s forces, then a lengthy workout before getting back to the artillery range to practice her Redsprite abilities. Four months of learning and understanding her new skills and applying them in ways she never could have back when she was merely Tiger Lily, a guardsmare. But that life was long gone. “But, sir,” she told him, “we don’t go until this is perfect. I cannot afford to fail at my task.”

“At furthering the goals of the Underground or getting your husband back?”

“At either,” she replied, focusing as she began to channel the inner energies needed to summon a derecho, a good way to take out a number of flyers at once.

“Hey, Rev, you got a moment?” Spinnaker flew down, landing by her.

“Heya, Spin, what’s up?” Revanche and Spinnaker had become close friends, along with the third member of their little group, Cloister. To Revanche, it was bittersweet – these two were now her closest friends, but each time she spent time with them, it always brought up in the back of her mind, the pony whose life she took, the mare who Tiger Lily would rather have died than to ever hurt. And yet here I am, and Goldie’s dead.

“Cloister and I wanted to know if you wanted to go into town with us.” The town in question was Clustermare, a town deep in the badlands that was sympathetic to the Underground. It was as close to civilization things could get for them and the townsfolk appreciated the trade from the Bastion since they were too far from the majority of Equestriani civilization, and so the Underground and Clustermare had somewhat of a symbiotic relationship.

“I wish, but I was hoping to keep working on my aim.”

Spinnaker nickered. “Rev, you’re doing fine. But you need a break. C’mon, mare’s night out, okay?” Revanche was about to protest again when Spinnaker said, “What will your stallion think of you come back to him all dour and morbid? You need to show him you’ve never forgotten how to love, right?”

Revanche nodded. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“You know it, mare!” Spinnaker said with a wink. “We’ll meet up by the grotto in thirty minutes – give you plenty of time to shower and get ready.”

“It’s a deal, then.” Turning back to Chaff, she asked, “With your permission, sir?”

“Granted, not that you really need mine,” he answered. “You’re still young, Revanche – go enjoy your youth while it still lasts. There will be enough time for struggle and justice later, and you’ll want to be at your best then.”

“Roger that, sir,” she said, and headed off.

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to be at my meeting with the dairy team – they’re planning to make some interesting cheeses for this year’s Harvestide Festival and they wanted me to sample some of the wares.” He winked at her. “Ah, the life of a leader is never done. I’ll see you later.” With that, he also took to wing, headed for the opposite end of the compound.

Once she was alone, Candlewick fluttered down near Spinnaker. Looking around to see that they were alone, he asked, “You sure this is going to work, Spin?”

“Candle, are you sure about this? She seems attached to that husband of hers – the kind of true love that any mare wants.”

“Except that our spies report differently,” Candlewick replied. “There’s no marriage of a Tiger Lily and a Silver anypony. Our agents checked the Royal Library’s records, and unless something wasn’t sent in from another town, there’s nothing on paper at all.”

“Well, that’s easy enough: the mare who took him is one of the Sun Tyrant’s own thugs, so she can afford to change the records as she sees fit,” Spinnaker said matter-of-factly.

“Except that doesn’t make sense, either: There’d be no reason to hide that sort of thing – and a million reasons to have a divorce record or death certificate or some reason why she’s no longer married,” he pointed out. “And yet there’s nothing. Obviously while the Sun Tyrant’s records can be suspect, there’s still a question.”

“You’re just hoping that she’s really single and she’ll forget about him,” Spinnaker told her brother.

Candlewick nodded and said, “Is it that obvious?”

“Not to other ponies, I’m sure. But we’re twins, Candle. I always know what you’re thinking.” Patting him on the withers, she told him, “You’ve got two years at the least to get her to change her mind if it’s true – even she knows she’s going to need that long to get our forces ready and to master her abilities, and that gives you time you need to help her to forget about him and to focus on both you and your life together.”

“You think so?”

“I know so. A mare like her needs to break cleanly from the past, or else it’s gonna eat her alive. Plus, bro, a stallion like you doesn’t deserve to be second place in a mare’s heart.”

He flushed slightly. “Thanks, sis.”

“Hey, it’s what sisters do. But if you want some extra advice, talk to Cloister when you get a chance – she’s known Rev longer and can give some tips, I’m sure.”

“Will do,” he told Spinnaker. “C’mon, let’s go wait at the grotto. Bunch of pretty mares like you need an escort to town, and I’m just the stallion to do it.”

“Rarity, you’re going to wear yourself out,” Silver said as he watched her work herself to the bone. She’d cancelled the third straight dinner in a row in order to work on the dresses for the Gala and wedding; while he had no fear that it was for any other reason, he also knew his fillyfriend well enough to know that she was a bit on the obsessive side when it came to those issues. “I’d appreciate being able to not have to drag you by your horn everywhere we go for the next few weeks because you exhausted yourself to the point of no return, love.”

“I’m sorry, Silver, dear, but I must get the gowns completed in time and even with Diamond’s help, it’s going to be much busier than the last time I worked on so many garments. This time I have to plan for gowns for Sweetie, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Diamond and their friends, who will be coming. And also for the gowns for the princesses as well – thankfully, Luna and Cadance are the same size, save for Cadance’s slightly larger wings. Getting Celestia to agree to wear a gown was a task in and of itself,” Rarity said, a wan smile on her face.

“Then why is Diamond asleep upstairs and you’re still down here?”

“She’s still a growing filly,” Rarity answered automatically. “Plus, she needs to keep up with her schooling in addition to her apprenticeship, and Canterlot High will not ease up on her just because I’ve given her extra tasks.”

“That doesn’t mean that you need to do it all your own. What about Sweetie Belle? Or Sky?”

“While I’ve taught Sweetie a few things, dearest, she’s even busier than Diamond. And as much as I adore my cousin, she already has her studies in ornithology to keep up with, which leaves me. And before you ask, I will not contract out any of the gowns to just anypony. Hoity Toity, Savoir Faire and Haute Couture may be good at what they do, but this requires a delicate touch. The only pony I could trust with such a task is my own mentor, but Cardigan Sweater’s hooves aren’t as deft as they used to be, the poor dear.”

“When was the last time you ate, love?” he asked.

She briefly looked at the untouched stack of pancakes from this morning, still sitting there under a preservative spell. “Um…breakfast?” she said weakly, knowing it was a lie.

Silver had enough of this. Scooping her up in his forelegs, he picked her up and carried her, walking on his hindlegs – good thing they practiced that, though he had no feasible idea what good it would be for – and carried her into the kitchen, all while she continued to glare at him for being interrupted.

“Silver, let go of me!” she insisted as tried wriggling in his forelegs. Part of her liked it, she had to admit to herself, but now was not the place or the time to admit it. Maybe later, when things weren’t as hectic, she thought, but not now. “I still have things to do!”

“Yes, you do,” he said warmly, as he brought her into the dining room, dim save for the candles . “You’re going to have dinner with me,” he said as he plopped her into the seat, “and then I’m going to plop you on the couch and give you massages while you relax.”

She looked at him as if he’d become an alicorn in her eyes. “You did all this?” she asked, looking at the dinner spread out before her on the table.

He chuckled as he reached for the wine, a Concord Valley merlot, a ’74 vintage. “Not all bachelors live on macaroni and cheese and portabella burgers,” he said with a smile. “Plus, my mother insisted that her foals learn how to cook in order to impress the ones they’d be with.”

“Consider me impressed,” she said, looking at the exquisite eggplant Parmesan and spinach pasta on the table before her. “Silver, I’m—”

“Shhh,” he said softly, silencing her with a kiss, then stroking the back of her head, the way he knew she liked. “Right now, it’s just you and me, love. Just us, no dresses or measurements, no worries or concerns, for the whole night.”

“But…I….” She looked about to cry. “What did I ever do to deserve you, Silver?”

“Maybe you were a host for Nightmare Moon in a past life?” he joked.

“Seriously,” she said softly, taking a drink from her wine. “This is what, the third night in a row that I’ve cancelled out on our dinner plans?”

“Well, the Guard does teach us how to adapt and overcome,” he said, taking a bite from his plate. “I couldn’t bring you to dinner, so I brought the dinner to you.”

“And yet you do all this for me,” she said morosely, “and all I’ve been is a bother for you, Silver. I’m a horrid fillyfriend, and I know it.”

“No,” he said, looking at her intently. “What you are is an incredibly busy mare who has far more on her withers than most ponies. You have royal, ducal, ministerial, military, business and mentoring duties when other nobleponies or the like would struggle with just one or two of those. And you do it all more than capably – you’re a paragon when it comes to that,” he told her. “Furthermore, you are Generosity, and not just because of your Element. Everypony tells me you were that way long before you met Twilight, and that had you not met her, you would still be the same mare. To me, that’s incredible and makes me love you all the more.”

She sighed. “You make it so easy to love you, you know that?” Raising a fork to her lips, she took a bite of the meal, savoring the taste on her lips. “My compliments to the chef – I haven’t had its like.”

He bowed. “I try.”

“No, seriously, dearest – with this skill, I’m surprised you don’t have a cooking cutie mark.” A few more minutes went by and she found that she’d all but inhaled the meal before her. “Thank you,” she said, leaning back in the chair, completely sated.

“I don’t suppose you saved room for dessert,” he said, reaching out and over to reveal a chocolate gateau.

She squeed. “You spoil me rotten, you know that?”

“No more than you do me, my love,” he said, leaning forward and kissing her, the two illuminated by the flickering candlelight.

“Sigh….” Diamond said, watching silently from a distance. “What I wouldn’t do to have somepony of my own.”

“What about our dates for the Gala?” Sweetie said, watching her sister and Silver and feeling just a slight pang of envy. “Bloomie said there were a few colts that wanted to go with us, but she wouldn’t say who.”

“I know. Silvie wouldn’t tell me either. I think she and the girls are up to something and we’re in trouble.” Sweetie Belle sighed; she knew her fellow former Cutie Mark Crusaders were capable of causing mayhem and mischief on their own, but now that they’d paired themselves up with Silver Spoon, that trio back in Ponyville were just as problematic as the prior trio had been.

“Girls, you know it’s rude to spy on them,” Sky said softly from behind. “Besides, you’ll meet your special someponies soon enough. Look at me: I’m just a few years older than you two, and I have yet to meet that special stallion of my own.”

Both teens looked at one another, then said to Sky as one, “You’re not helping, Sky.”

The days passed, as if a blur. Rarity exhausted herself even further, so much so to the point that Celestia had to insist that she take a day off working on the gowns in order to recuperate, a demand that was highly endorsed by nearly the rest of the Royal Family. During that time, Silver spent little time in his apartment, either spending the time with his unit, including being gone for a couple of days to investigate an abandoned changeling hive just on the outskirts of the Crystal Empire, or every moment of his free time with the love of his life. Each night, he insisted that she take a break, which gave him the time to make dinner, introducing her to the expansive range of his cooking skills and generally pampering her like the lady she was.

After a couple of days, Applejack came over to talk to Rarity. The two friends chatted for a bit as Rarity took the former farmpony’s measurements and argued a bit over the merits of moving to Canterlot vice Applejack’s grueling back-and-forth commute from Ponyville. Immediately Rarity got to work on Applejack’s gown as well as a secret project that the latter had requested, a particular task that Diamond was not allowed to work on.

“What are you up to?” Silver asked.

Rarity merely winked and kissed him, favoring him with an enigmatic grin. “It’s a little something special for the girls,” was all she said.

At last, the day of the Gala came; the night was filled with festivities and while the Royal Symphonic was still on-tour in distant Inari, the Manehattan Philharmonic had been chosen to perform at this year’s event. The crowds had already gathered from far and wide and this year promised to be a bigger event than ever, though many of the nobility present expressed “concern” that the six that had ruined one of the Galas years ago were now back – as members of the Royal Family, no less!

Getting ready for their grand debut, the mares all agreed that they would ready in Twilight’s tower, while the stallions all prepared in the Guard station within the palace. As the ladies all waited for their dates, Applejack and Rarity came up to the younger mares and said, “Girls, we have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise?” a voice shouted from the other side of the room. “I love surprises!”

“The s’prise ain’t fer ya, Pinkie!” Applejack shouted back. “Anyway, Ah thought y’all’d like t’ see somepony y’ haven’t seen in a while.”

“Yo, girlz!” a nasally voice spoke out and a caramel-hued earth pony mare stepped out, her long red mane interplaying with mint-and-grass-green gown. “Ain’t see any of youz inna while an’ when cousin AJ sed you all buried the hatchet, I just hadta come an’ say hi!”

“Babs!” Sweetie, Scootaloo, Bloomie, Diamond and Silvie said in unison. “Wow, you look good, Babs!” Silvie was the first to say, adjusting her glasses as she stood there in her golden lamé gown. “Who’d you come with?”

“Unforchunately, AJ wanted ta keep it a secret, so I gotta go stag,” she said. “But no worry, I’ll be in town all week, so we can catchup!” The six younger mares practically squeed with delight as they laughed about old times and wounds forgotten and made promises for plans for the week.

“Ah think y’ did good, there, sugarcube,” Rarity drawled in an imitation of Applejack, giving her friend a wink. “The girls look absolutely thrilled for tonight and this should make it all the better.”

“Nowhere near as innerestin’ as whut y’ got in store fer Twi,” Applejack replied. “That stallion checks out okay?”

“I met him last week,” Fluttershy said as she came over. She was still adjusting her own dress, a violet and indigo affair that seemed tailor-made to catch the attention of a particular stallion. “He’s very nice and I think he and Twilight will be perfect for each other.”

“I hope so, dear. It seems so sad that Twilight’s the only one of us that hasn’t found her special somepony, and I’d like to see that happen.”

“Hey, you’re talking about that medic – Life Bloom, right?” Unlike the others, Rainbow was present in her dress uniform once more, adjusting the aiguillette she wore denoting her as a squadron commander. “Not going to work.”

“Why would you ever think that, Rainbow, dear?” Rarity asked.

“He’s a colt-cuddler,” Rainbow said matter-of-factly. Though the others didn’t say it aloud, the looks on their faces all said the same thing: WHAT?! “Look, take it from a mare that had to put up with all those jokes until I started sleepin…er, dating Soarin’: he’s a stallion-lover.”

“Yer kiddin’,” Applejack said flatly.

“Twenty bits says I’m right,” Rainbow insisted.

“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy said, shocked. “You shouldn’t make a bet like that! It’ll hurt somepony’s feelings!”

“How? I’m sure he’s a cool guy an’ all, and I hope I’m wrong. But twenty bits says I’m right.”

“Yer on, sugarcube,” Applejack agreed, taking the bait.

Rarity went off to find Cadance immediately – if there was somepony who could steer the night away from this potential disaster, it was her, right? But unfortunately, the knocks on the door came just as Rarity passed it. She opened it, finding Shining Armor standing there in his dress finery, medals and all, giving her a smile. “Good evening, Rarity. You look absolutely beautiful. Is everypony ready?”

“Ah, Twilight and Cadance are still getting ready upstairs,” Rarity said, absolutely sure that if there was one pony in the universe right now that she could not tell about the potential backlash coming Twilight’s way, it was him. “Celestia and Luna are getting ready in their own chambers and will meet us in the anteroom. I take it you’re ready?”

“I’m the Captain of the Guard – I’m always ready for any eventuality,” he said with a laugh. “But are the mares prepared to be dazzled?”

“Of course,” Rarity said. “Shall we?”

“Well, I’ll let this gentlestallion go first,” Shining said, “since he’s been eager as you wouldn’t believe to get to escort his date.” The unicorn stallion stepped aside, allowing a pinto-colored stallion to take his place.

He was large, almost as large as Big Mac, though around his neck he wore a blue ascot tie with his tuxedo. His cutie mark was a sword partially pulled from a scabbard, but unlike the other guardsponies present, he wasn’t wearing a dress uniform, which likely meant he wasn’t in the Guard. He looked at her and said, “Good evening, your grace. It’s been a long time.” The voice held the slightest trace of a Trottingham accent, though it sounded as if it had faded away over the years.

“I’m sorry, good sir, but I think I would have remembered a gallant stallion such as yourself.”

The look in his eyes was both slightly surprised and full of mirth. Pointing to himself, he said, “It’s me, Miss Rarity. Pipsqueak?”

Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in surprise; she’d had no doubt that had she been Pinkie, they probably would have. “P-P-Pip? Little Pip? Little Pip?”

“Not so little now, I’m afraid,” he chuckled. “I’m escorting Sweetie for the night. Is she ready?”

“Bu-bu-but she’s…you….aren’t you a little young to be asking my sister out on a date?”

“Why does everypony think that just because I was smaller than the average colt meant that I was younger than most of my peers? I mean, yes, everypony – including me – was surprised by my growth spurt, but that doesn’t mean I was younger.”

“I’m sorry, Pip,” Rarity said. “I didn’t know.”

“Oh, Pip!” Sweetie said behind her. She was dressed in a light blue, form-fitting gown that looked similar to the one Rarity had worn the first night she and the others hosted the Hearths Warming Eve Play. Her hair was done up in a style that accented her mane’s natural curls and the choker she wore with the dress was adorned with a platinum and bronze clasp done in the style of her cutie mark. “You look handsome,” she said, blushing slightly.

“Not quite as fetching as you, dear lady,” he said as well and her cheeks flushed a rosy hue, contrasting against her fur.
“Well, far be it from me to intrude on your date, Sweetie,” Rarity said wryly.

“It’s not a date!” both teens protested. “It’s…um…we’re just going together,” they repeated in unison.

“Oh, really,” both Rarity and Shining said at once.

Rarity watched as the stallions stepped up and claimed their dates: Scootaloo had been escorted by Featherweight, who looked like he’d filled out a little. Apple Bloom, surprisingly, was being escorted by Snails; at first Rarity was concerned but Applejack said that since the colt had begun taking his talent in insect studies seriously, he’d become much less of the troublemaker he’d been earlier. Diamond Tiara was with Snips, who like his former partner-in-crime had also changed much, becoming taller and thinner and much more serious in his demeanor. Silver Spoon, who Rarity did not know very well, was with an earth pony stallion that she recognized somewhat but couldn’t place the name. That left Babs alone, but considering how striking the young mare looked, Rarity doubted she’d stay that way for long.

And then the adults arrived: Big Mac, looking quite elegant in his tuxedo, escorted his blushing fillyfriend, who appeared more at ease in his company than Rarity had ever seen her. Soarin’ and Rainbow looked quite the pair, more like friends than lovers, but Rarity knew there was more between them and…was that a flicker of something in Rainbow’s eyes? Guilt? Sorrow? Rarity wasn’t really sure; she’d have to press the pegasus mare for details later but likely wouldn’t get any, as her sister royal had been somewhat private as of late. Applejack was next, with Noteworthy showing up; he looked…“elegantly rumpled”, if such a term existed, more like a harried lounge performer similar to that singer Sinatrot that Celestia mentioned was popular decades before Rarity or the others were born. Pinkie followed next, practically vibrating with excited energy; somehow, Thunderlane had adjusted to that, given the smile in his eyes – they were well along in their relationship, apparently; would Pinkie be the first to marry?

Lastly came Twilight’s date. Silver had already informed her how they enticed Life Bloom to escort the Grand Duchess Shetland; a number of hints about her bookishness and shyness had been dropped, as well as the outright fabrication of a “stallion that had jilted” Twilight at the last moment. Clearly this Life Bloom was a gentlestallion, having stepped up to the need. He was fabulous in demeanor, with the same natural good looks that Blueblood had, though in this stallion’s case it was clear that it didn’t drive him to vanity. There in his dress uniform, he looked a natural site and Twilight would look absolutely radiant in his company.

Unfortunately, Rarity watched the way the stallion walked. It was just slight and anypony else probably wouldn’t notice it, but she did: a slight swish of his tail, something more akin to the way mares walked than stallions did. Rarity sighed. Maybe I can talk Rainbow into amending her bet with Applejack to just paying for Twilight’s drinks at the bar. She’ll likely need them tonight. As the two departed, Rarity felt bad for the bookish unicorn, but there was nothing that could be done at this point.

A second later, Cadance stepped up, looking absolutely beatific. Wearing her royal regalia as the Princess of the Crystal Empire, she descended the stairs, looking absolutely breathtaking in the way only an alicorn would. Though Cadance was a friend and a sister royal, Rarity couldn’t help but get a little bit envious as Cadance walked by. Somehow, the Romance Alicorn noticed and out of the corner of her mouth, whispered, “This isn’t a contest, Rarity. You look fine.” Walking over to her husband, Cadance kissed him gently and the two departed, the princely pair looking absolutely wonderful.

“So, I get to be the one to escort the most beautiful of all,” a warm voice said next to her. She looked at Silver, resplendent in his dress uniform, looking at her with eyes of love. “After all, the last one is here and the best is always saved for last, right?” She went weak in the knees at the sight of her lover; she’d always felt electric around him but there was something so magical and special about the moment that the world felt as if it were just composed of he and she, a yin and yang that forever encircled one another, bound together by destiny.

“Well, the Gala cannot start until the most gorgeous mare of all arrives, correct?” he said with a wink, offering a foreleg. She took it, and the two went off, drinking in each other’s company.

Celestia and Luna, having taken a small break from the thankless task of meeting the toadies, brownnosers and ingrates, watched as the six mares they’d made a part of their family took to the ball. While at first those who knew them from the earlier Gala panicked, the fact that the sextet had everything under control within minutes placated many of the bruised egos that had occurred at that event years back.

“Tia, so who do you think will marry first?” Luna asked. “Pinkie and her stallion seem very intertwined, though I think Rarity’s completely head over heels for the Guard she’s dating.”

The look on Celestia’s face, however, was sad. It was imperceptible to just about anypony else, but the only other pony who might have noticed it was currently attempting to flirt with a stallion that both alicorns knew was not even remotely interested. “Love is…something haunting, Lulu. Precious, but haunting.”

“I hope you’re not referring to what Twilight’s going through over there? I have to wonder who thought pairing them together was a good idea. Couldn’t they have at least checked to see if that stallion cared for a mare?”

“Not about that, though I have a feeling I’ll be consoling my broken-hearted protégé tonight or at least keeping her away from the hard liquor,” Celestia commented. “No, I was thinking about our old friends, the original Bearers.”

“You never did tell me what happened to them after I….” Luna couldn’t finish the sentence. Even still, forgiven by all, she had yet to truly forgive herself.

Celestia nodded, acknowledging what was unspoken. “Whirligig married the Guard that had wooed her. Crème Pastry and Meadow Rose lived together; nopony was sure if they were a couple or not, but considering they were Generosity and Kindness, it wasn’t unexpected. Arcana Majoris continued as my archmagus; he married Baroness Comtois’ daughter. But the hardest hit was Ballista – being Loyalty, having to use the Elements on you broke her, I think.”

“She was my best friend, Tia,” Luna said, her voice a near whisper. “For being the captain of the guard and so rough and tumble with others, she was nothing less than kind and sweet with me.”

“She was in love with you, Lulu,” Celestia said flatly. “After we banished the Nightmare…she quit the Guard and disappeared. I never knew what happened to her until her great-grandnephew Arbalest brought me her armor almost a century later. It’s in a treasured place in our map room. But the sad part is, as much as those five meant a lot to me, they’ll never be like the ones we know now. The Five were friends of ours. The Six are family.

“I hope they find love, all of them,” Celestia spoke; Luna wasn’t sure if her sister was speaking to her or merely aloud. “And I look forward to having their foals in our lives. Maybe…maybe if we do that, we’ll never have to worry about something as horrific as the Nightmare coming between us, sister. Perhaps the love in our lives wasn’t strong enough, and having more ponies to love – a family to love – will change that.”

“You sound as though you’ve given it a lot of thought.”

The sun alicorn flashed the briefest hint of a smile. “It’s something that I hope you’ll be able to understand someday yourself, Lulu.”

“…and so I was telling my snuggle-bunny that I’d be home after this, and that this time away really made my value our life together,” Life Bloom said, chatting breezily to Twilight. “And I appreciate the advice you’ve given, your grace. Not many would be so kind.”

“Why so?” Twilight asked, wondering if she could have a waiter give her dragonwater or something really potent from the bar. All of the stallions on the planet that she could have been paired with, and it was the one that didn’t seem to notice that there were nearly two mares for every stallion, not the other way around. Of course, she knew that was also unfair, but….

She sighed. He’s so perfect. And yet….

“Well, normal couples are just that, and mare-loving couples aren’t a problem either, but many ponies have an issue with stallion-loving ponies like myself, especially given the wide population dispersal. It’s almost like I’m supposed to suborn how I feel in order to knock up some mare I can barely stand to be around,” he said. “But you seem to be okay with this, and that gives me hope. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for that, and I honestly hope that stallion that stood you up tonight really learns what kind of wonderful mare he’s missing out on.” With that, he got up, and said, “I have to use the little colt’s room, but I’ll be right back. Care to dance after that?”

“Sure,” Twilight said, with a false smile. She then flagged down a waiter and said, “Waiter? Grifionican rum and dragonwater, on the rocks. Make it a double.”

“Sorry, your grace,” the waiter said. “Her majesty’s orders: none of you are to have anything harder than wine or cider, because of the concerns raised by several nobleponies.”

“I see. Well, another glass of Riesling then, if you please,” she said, giving him a crackling smile. The smile fell away as he went to the bar and she muttered, “Buck my life.”

As they waltzed together, Rarity felt like the world was for her as she danced within Silver’s forelegs. It was funny, she thought to herself: she’d waited so long for her prince, and in the process had a date with an actual prince, and one with nobility, both having crashed and burned. However, she’d had a date with this noble-born soldier, a stallion so junior in birthrank that he would never stand to inherit anything. Yet he was her truest treasure, an absolute prince amongst princes that would shame Blueblood completely and utterly.

He gazed at her once more, and all she could see in his eyes was the love that he had for her. And though they’d not even been together quite a year yet, at that point she began to wonder if there would be more than this, a lifetime’s more, complete with a marriage band on her hoof. While like any mare she imagined herself into a ponytale wedding, she could see herself actually married for the first time ever, and she could see herself married to Silversteel.

Relationships were, after all, built on things far flimsier than that, and was to accept her into his life just as he had Derpy before, she knew that it would take an extraordinary reason for her not to say ‘yes’. Of course, they weren’t at that point in their lives yet, but now, for the first time Rarity knew what her mother and so many older mares had told her, that same old nugget from her old hometown that rang truer and clearer than any clarion: the perfect flower for the perfect bee. And while she’d understood what it meant, she never really understood it until this very moment: she was his flower, and he was her bee. Perfect pair intertwined in love, to face the world together and share in a love only they could comprehend.

“I love you,” she whispered to Silver, gazing into his eyes and hoping she communicated all her love in that glance that she did with her words.

“And I you, heart of my life,” he replied in tones warmer than the noonday sun. As the music stopped, he looked just to a point past her and said, “Looks like Shining’s trying to get our attention. Shall we?”

“Of course,” Rarity said as both walked over to the unicorn. “Shining, dear, while you know I enjoy yours and Cadance’s company, I’d hoped to spend more time dancing with my dearest love here.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Shining began, “but unfortunately, I have to gather up the officers present for Celestia’s speech. By tradition, the Guard officers present give her an honor escort, so I need to gather them up early so we can which officer will be in which position. It won’t take long and after her speech you can have him back.”

She mock-pouted. “You’d better.”

Cadance laughed. “Tell you what: trade for trade – I’ll be your hostage while Silver goes with Shiny, is that okay?”

“Well, I’m sure you’re probably not a better dancer than my Silver, but,” the unicorn sighed playfully, “I’ll somehow manage.”

“Why, my dear Duchess Lipizzan, I’m shocked!” Cadance scolded in jest. “I’ll have you know that as an alicorn, I’m the perfect picture of poise and grace.”

“Well, we’d better get there soon,” Shining told Silver, “before Prince Blueblood decides he wants to take charge. We’ll be back soon, ladies.” And with that, both guardsponies headed off towards the nearby meeting point.

Rarity digested the words that Shining had just said. “Why would Blueblood be involved in this?” she asked Cadance.

But before the Avatar of Love could answer, someone said from behind them, “Because as my betrothed’s father is too ill to attend, my dearest must be the one that stands beside her majesty as the representative of the old dynasty.” Both mares turned around to see a unicorn mare standing there, dressed in a pristine white gown that nearly blended into her alabaster coat and accented her wheat-hued mane and eyes. “Good evening, your highness and your grace,” Champagne Dreams said, curtesying formally before her superiors.

“Good evening to you, Viscountess Falabella,” Cadance spoke softly, though Rarity imagined that just for a second there was a lack of warmth in Cadance’s tone that she never used with others, a stilted formality.

“Thank you, your highness.” Turning to Rarity, Champagne continued. “What I meant was that though her highness is biologically a part of the old dynasty as the daughter of Prince Helios, because of her alicorn nature she has been given the title of Princess Royal and Heir to the Crystal Empire and so thus is considered part of the current dynasty. Thus, it would fall to somepony else who descended from King Jasper: from the houses of Prince Campion or Princess Rising Dawn. As Prince Campion’s house is senior, it falls to him, but as my prospective father-in-law is too unwell to attend, my beloved must speak in his place.”

“I see,” Rarity answered, still curious about the mare before her. As nobility went, Champagne Dreams was an enigma. The fourth cousin of her predecessor, Virgin Dawn, she’d come out of nowhere to claim the title of the viscounty of Falabella. Luna had mentioned that had nopony claimed it, it would have gone extinct, but Miss Dreams’ timely arrival onto the scene made that point moot. While nopony challenged the new viscountess on her claim, and that she’d met all necessary proof to validate her claim as the rightful heiress, for many a pony it still seemed a bit too…convenient.

Champagne saw the flicker of interest in Rarity’s eyes and said, “Are there any other questions or concerns that I might be able to provide, your grace? Although I suspect that I know what you do wish to ask about, am I not correct?” She then looked at Cadance and asked, “I suspect that you have the same question, your highness.”

Both Rarity and Cadance looked at one another, questions in their eyes, before the latter addressed Champagne. “I do. Forgive me, Viscountess, but your experiences with my cousin seem to be far different from the ones the Duchess and I have had. My cousin is dear to me,” she lied, “but we do not always see eye to eye. Furthermore, the Duchess was a prior paramour of his, and from what I understand, your relationship with him has been quite different.” The Princess of Love looked out of the corner of her eye at her friend; if Rarity was going to react to her statement, she chose not to do so in front of the newcomer.

“And you’re wondering how I could marry such a stallion that many consider an upstuck, boorish individual? The stallion that some ponies say is the shame of his father and is not worthy of being a scion of King Jasper and the old unicorn dynasty? That he is not just a pretender to the throne, but he’s a pretender to being a decent pony?” She said, her voice rising angrily until she stopped and suddenly blushed. “Forgive me, miladies, but…I take great umbrage at what others have to say about my beloved. I will not pretend that ponies have not said unkind things about my betrothed, and I will not pretend that they aren’t undeserved – he himself has admitted so to me, that in the past, he wasn’t the best stallion he could be.”

But the mare blushed winsomely as she said, “But you must understand: my Blueblood has changed. He is not the uncouth boor so many see him as. I have never known him as anything less than the most gallant of stallions, and while I understand that those who do not know him as he is now continue to deride him for his past, I would defend him with my honor, my life and my virtue. He has been a true and stalwart love to me, and he has wholeheartedly won my heart.” She moved forward, taking each of the two ponies’ forehooves in her own. “Please, before the wedding: come visit us at his estate. Duchess, I’m sure he would very much like to apologize to you for his behavior back then; and, your highness, I’m equally confident he would like to rekindle the friendship you and he shared as foals – her majesty told me that you two often played together as foals and my Blueblood has always spoken fondly of those halcyon days.”

Both Rarity and Cadance looked at each other once again, completely at a loss for words. Had Blueblood changed? The mare before them was clearly his “type” – whatever that meant – but she wasn’t vapid or clueless, as expected of the kind of mare that he appreciated. If anything, she was smart, loyal and kind: the exact opposite of the sort of mare Blueblood would want, which was a huge indicator of how much things had changed, if indeed that was the case.

“I think…I would be honored to accept such an offer,” Rarity replied. If Champagne was willing to plead Blueblood’s case, the least she could do was at least give an opportunity to see if it was genuine.

“I believe I would like to as well. Please let him know that my husband and I will accept your gracious invitation as soon as we can,” Cadance answered in a voice that Rarity thought almost sounded genuine.

Champagne gushed. “Thank you! You have no idea how much this means to him – and to me, miladies. I am ever in your debt.” Letting go of their hooves gently, she said, “Well, the speech is about to start, so I will be heading back to my table. Thank you again for everything!”

As Champagne departed, both mares watched her depart. “Do you think she’s telling the truth?” Rarity asked.

“I want to believe…but I can’t,” Cadance said, a trace of sorrow in her voice. “I remember the kind and gentle foal that used to be my cousin and the monster he developed into over the years despite Uncle Campion’s guidance. Maybe it is true, and I’m merely being overcautious, but there’s something about Champagne that rings false somehow, like this was a practiced run at something.”

“She seemed…well, if I must admit: she seemed like me, back when I’d first met Blueblood before that disastrous night. But where it took me one night to realize what kind of an insult to Celestia’s honor he was, she’s been with him for over a year now and seems to maintain that fillyish innocence. I have to wonder if it’s genuine, or she’s the greatest actress since Stagecall.”

“I suppose we’ll find out before the wedding comes to pass, and let’s hope that it’s true,” Cadance said, putting a comforting wing around her friend. “Well, Celestia’s about to speak, so let’s go back to our seats. That way we can flirt shamelessly with our stallions and see if we can break their military composure.”

“Aren’t we not supposed to do that?” Rarity said with a slight grin.

“That’s part of the fun,” Cadance replied, an impish smile coming onto her face.

Finally, the party ended into the wee hours as the sun, guided by Celestia, began to creep over the horizon. Rarity and Silver walked the palace grounds, checking for guests that may have fallen asleep over the course of the night’s revelry. During the time they found a number of interesting things, including a pair of mares who had the good grace to be completely mortified when a bemused Rarity and Silver found them in the bushes performing a “rigorous activity.”

The cutest thing, by far, was Sweetie Belle. She’d fallen asleep on Pip, and like any true gentlestallion, he let her doze there softly, the look in his eyes warm. Rarity could see there was the beginning of something there, but where it would go, was like her and Silver: there would be a path walked together, but the two teens were too young to see what the end result would take them.

The saddest part was when Rarity and the girls had to console a very drunken and morose Twilight. Life Bloom had departed at midnight, with her blessings, so that he could catch the first train back to Saddleback Mountain in order to be with his partner. But that left a heartbroken Twilight in his wake, who was currently crying herself silly in Celestia’s embrace while the rest of the family stood there, giving encouragement. Rarity wisely chose to stay clear, as did Fluttershy and – to everypony’s surprise – Pinkie; as their respective relationships were the farthest along, the trio didn’t wish to agitate Twilight’s emotional troubles further.

And so the six sat, in the music room, watching as the last of the musicians packed away their instruments and prepared for their return to Manehattan. “I wish I could do more to help Twilight right now,” Fluttershy said, a sad catch in her voice, “but I’m afraid I might make things worse.”

“Twilight’ll be fine, Flutters!” Pinkie replied, waving off the pegasus’ concern. “Twilight knows we’re always gonna be there for her, so when she wants to talk to us, we’ll be there! And then I can throw a big ‘we’re talking again!’ party! Or is that a ‘Twilight wants to talk about her spinsterhood’ party? Or—”

“Pinkie, hon, I think you can let it go right now,” Thunderlane advised. “Let the Princess and the others take care of it, okay? Probably better that we stay out right now.”

“Oh, but Thundiiiiiieeeeee….” Pinkie whined. “We really really really really really really really really really really really really really gotta help Twilight!”

“Pinkie, darling, be a dear and just let Celestia and Cadance handle it,” Rarity replied. “They know her better than anypony else and they’ll make sure she’s fine.”

“But….” Almost as if on cue, the pink party pony’s hair began to uncurl and straighten, her coat seeming to fade from its bright pink to a slightly grayer shade, almost as if she was transforming into another pony.

Rarity looked at Silver with a glance that said I could use some help here, love!

Silver took a drink of the water he had on him and said aloud, “So, Pinkie, how does it feel to be the owner of your own business?”

With a nearly audible SPROING! of her hair, she seemed to be back to normal. “Well, I really miss Mr. and Mrs. Cake and the twins, but I got a letter from them in San Franciscolt and they say the Bake Cake Café is really doing great and that I should come visit as soon as I can. As for Sugarcube Corner, while I really like being a businessmare, ugh! I can’t do it all alone! So I hired Twist to come work for me and then Blinkie and Inkie decided they were going to come live with me for a while Ma and Pa were taking a year-long vacation from the rock farm, so they’ve been a big help, too.”

“Blinkie? Inkie?” Silver asked.

“Pinkie’s sisters Limestone and Marble,” Thunderlane explained. “She gave them the nicknames ‘Blinkie’ and ‘Inkie’, but she’s never really explained why and neither Blinkie nor Inkie really get it either. As for what they’re doing in town, Pinkie’s parents apparently won a year-long around-the-world vacation, and since they’d never left Rockton, they decided to close the rock farm for a year and go. Since Blinkie and Inkie didn’t have anything else to do, they moved in with Pinkie. Actually, I think they kinda prefer it to working on the farm.”

“Okay, what’s a rock farm?” Silver said. While he knew that nothing about Pinkie could be described as normal, this was beyond him.

“It’s an old term for a quarry, dear,” Rarity replied. “Pinkie’s family’s quarry is one of the oldest in Equestria, so they continue to use the term ‘rock farm’, even though it’s somewhat obsolete.” Suddenly, the fashionista yawned. Stretching, she said, “Well, I don’t know about you all, but I’m completely exhausted – it’s been a long night.”

“And morning, too!” Pinkie interjected.

“Well, I suppose that’s my cue to escort my lady home,” Silver said, rising from his seat. “I’ll see you all later, my friends.” As they all said their quick farewells, the pair then quickly went over to where Luna, Applejack and Cadance were. Rarity explained they were heading home and after a quick exchange of farewells there, both Silver and Rarity headed towards the front of the palace.

“Is everything okay?”

Rarity shook her head. “Luna put the girls in bedrooms, since they were on the verge of sleep. Shining Armor escorted the colts back to his place, where they’ll stay the day and get some sleep. Rainbow and Soarin’ took off an hour ago to Ponyville to update the foals’ respective parents on the situation, since a few of them were expected back late this morning and that’s not likely to happen. As for Cadance, Applejack and Luna, they’ll be the ones bidding the remainder of the guests goodbye, since Celestia’s…somewhat occupied.”

“I see. What about Twilight?”

The look on Rarity’s face was sad. “Apparently Celestia had Twilight brought to her room so she could comfort the poor dear – apparently Twilight was really taken with Life Bloom and his…well…you know…cut her to the core.” Rarity looked at the tower where Twilight usually slept. “It’s funny: we’re all sisters by bonds now, but the ties between Twilight and Celestia go far deeper than that. Celestia sees Twilight as the daughter she’ll never have, while Twilight sees Celestia as a sort of second mother.”

“It does seem that way; when her majesty found out about our plans for Twilight she apparently grilled Shines on it even though he didn’t know about it at the time.” The stallion chuckled. “That didn’t exactly go over well with him after I had to explain it to him after the fact.”

“I can imagine,” the unicorn murmured. “I don’t know who’s more protective of Twilight: Shining, Cadance or Celestia.”

Finally, the pair stepped through the front door, watching as the early morning sun continued its climb into the sky. “Well, let’s head home. We’ll be alone for the day, just you and I.”

“Careful,” Rarity replied. “All I want to do is just sleep, good sir – nothing else.”

“Can’t a stallion just desire to fall asleep in the embrace of the mare he loves more than anything?”

She kissed him on the cheek while a royal coach arrived to drive them home. “I meant it, Silver: nothing else.” She then smiled softly and said, “At least not until I’ve gotten some rest.”

VIII: You Were Only Waiting for This Moment to Arrive

“So are you really sure about this, Sky?” Rarity asked.

The pegasus nodded. “As sure as I’m ever gonna be,” she said with a smile. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, Rares, I love living here with you and Diamond and she doesn’t borrow my stuff too often….”

“I’ll speak with her on that,” Rarity sighed, taking a drink from her tea.

“She’s just a teen, Rares, I don’t mind,” Sky replied. “In any case, it’s an opportunity to study overseas in Saddle Arabia for a couple of years, and I’m not the only student going. Plus, one of the stallions going, Inquisitive? He’s kinda cute, so I get the feeling I won’t exactly be alone if you get my drift.”

“Yes, but do you have to leave now of all times? It’s almost Harvesttide, and I was hoping you’d at least be able to stay for that before heading off.”

“Don’t worry about that – I’ll be able to do that at least with Mom and Dad before I have to leave. Besides, I’m betting my little brother will be just bursting at the seams to ask me for stuff from Saddle Arabian cities like Marekesh and Trotpoli. And I’ll be back to do my final year of college back at RCU, so no sweat there.”

“I know, dear, but the house will seem very empty without you. Diamond’s going home for Harvesttide, Sweetie and Twilight are on a mage-training quest, and Silver’s unit is on an extended deployment right now – it’s been a few weeks since I’ve seen him.” She shook her head, adding, “I wish I could just head home to Ponyville for that week, but this is one of the Ministry’s busiest times of the year, so I’m stuck in town. I’d probably join Celestia, Luna, Cadance and Shining for dinner, but they’ll be hosting a state dinner in Empire City for some dignitaries from Donkonia who wish to learn more about the old Crystal Empire, so I’ll be alone in this big house, and….” Her words trailed off as the gears in her mind suddenly went into hyperdrive; a second later she sang out, “Iiiiide~a!”

“Okay, when you’re singing random nouns, I know something’s about to happen,” Sky jested.

“It’s been months since Mother and Father have come to visit me in Canterlot, and I think Mother would especially appreciate the visit this time of year, since she loves Harvesttide. So I’ll just let Mother know we’ll hold the Harvesttide dinner at my place this year.” A knowing look came onto Rarity’s blue eyes as she added, “Come to think of it, neither Aunt Periwinkle nor Uncle Topaz have visited you here, and I don’t think Persian Onion’s ever been to Canterlot before, right?”

“Nope, Persian’s never been here – and you’re right, it’s a great idea. Let me send a note to Mom and Dad, and we can make this the best Harvesttide ever!” Sky squealed.

Goldie crashed onto the ground, spent. “I can’t…I can’t do it anymore, Rainbow,” she gasped, panting for breath.

Rainbow came to a gentle stop next to her squadron mate. “You can, and you will, Goldie,” Rainbow promised. “It’s part of the reason I asked for you to come back to the unit – you can do this, I know you can.”

The two sat on the cliffside for the longest time before Goldie was able to catch her breath again. “Thanks, Rainbow.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it. After all, it’s not often that somepony gets flying lessons from the awesomest flyer of all time!”

“Apparently I’m also getting pointers on how to inflate my ego as well,” Goldie cracked.

“Well, since we’re working on your flying, how’s your special talent coming along?”

In response to that, Goldie held up her forehooves. They looked clean as a whistle, like nothing had happened before. “This is the result of months of Twilight and Cadance trying to heal me, Rainbow. I haven’t been able to do anything at all until now. I feel like a foal again – no, worse, because when I was a foal I knew who my friends were. I’m not even sure of that anymore!”

“Hey, hey, don’t do that to yourself, okay? I’m really not good at all this encouragement stuff.” Rainbow had obviously meant that as a joke, but the golden-brown pegasus looked as though she was fit to cry. “Hey, hey, just because that jerk hurt you doesn’t mean you’re down and out, okay? You have friends – lots of them. The whole squadron! And,” she said, pointing a hoof back at herself, “you got me – and when you got me, you’ve got Loyalty for sure!”

Goldie wiped away the tears that threatened to make an appearance on her face. “Did anypony ever tell you that you’re absolutely lousy at cheering ponies up?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Well, I do know plenty of ways to cheer up ponies, but…despite what others say, I don’t swing that way, and I’m guessing neither do you. And I’m not about to even try a Cloud Kicker moment. Sorry.”

Goldie just found the whole bizarreness of Rainbow’s statement to be so ludicrous, she busted out laughing. After a few seconds, she said softly, “Thanks, Rainbow. I needed that.”

“Yup, just one of the ways I’m here. Now you gonna do one of your solar flares, or am I just going to sit here?”

“Let’s try two at once. Give me some space.” As Rainbow politely stepped away a slight distance, Goldie looked around for something to target and found it, a lone raincloud that had somehow managed to escape the Cloudsdale cloud factory. Rearing, Goldie’s body began to burn with a golden aura usually seen on a much taller, whiter and horned pony. Beneath her hindhooves, fire began to burn, scorching the dry grass on the cliff and setting it on fire. Meanwhile, Goldie reached out with her left foreleg, as a fiery bow began to coalesce into existence. With her right foreleg, she began to pull back, a thin slash of flame appearing in the hoof. Drawing as far back as she could, she let go and the flame arrow burned forward, spearing forth like a magic blast from a unicorn’s horn. The flame arrow hit the trailing edge of the cloud, enveloping the whole thing in a pyre for a split second before it all became nothing but steam, vaporizing into nothingness.

Rainbow’s eyes went wide. “Wow! That’s so AWESOME!”

Goldie lowered her forelegs and sat back down, the firebow and hindflames disappearing, leaving wisps of smoke and the stench of burnt grass behind. “Not really. I was aiming for the center of the cloud. I’m out of practice. But I’m back in the game if you’ll still have me as XO, skipper.”

“XO? You should be CO, Goldie. You were unit commander before I was.”

“Yeah, but I’m not ready to take the reins again just yet. Give me a bit to get back into fighting shape once more, and you can bet that I’ll be back in charge again. By then, you’ll probably take command of the Wonderbolts or something.”

“You got it.” Rainbow extended a hoof to bump and Goldie gladly did so.

“Nope, cain’t help ya there,” the mayor of Clustermare, a dull-seeming stallion who looked as though his special talent in life was to bore ponies to death, told both Silver and Wheatstalk. “Ain’t seen nothin’ like whut ya described come this way.”

“Sir, are you positive?” Wheatstalk asked. “Last couple of reports stated the group in question was headed in this direction, and that it was an army of pegasi and gryphons.”

Silver let his junior assistant ask the questions while the senior officer looked at the mayor. Granted, Silver was just as graycoated as the mayor was, but he didn’t have a slightly different shade of gray for a mane, nor did he have gray eyes – or even a simple gray square for a cutie mark. Even the mayor’s name, Monochrome, indicated that he seemed to be just one living blur of bland.

Though with that voice, maybe his parents should’ve named him “Monotone”, Silver mused.

Monochrome looked at Wheatstalk. “Look, sonny, I don’t know the first thing ‘bout soldierin’ but I do know that there t’ain’t a single place ‘round these parts to hold an army of any kind, else we’d let your forces stay here.” Silver noted that Monochrome was right about that; the town was so small, there wasn’t even an inn for the senior cadre to set up shop in for the couple days they were running around the badlands. “Ya sure ya got that story of yours straight?”

“We have it on the best intelligence, Mayor,” Silver replied, “though you’re correct in that sometimes that’s not enough. Thank you for your time, and that of your townsfolk. I know this has been a trying ordeal for your town.”

“Small town like ours, only excitement we get this year,” Monochrome said with a faint smile.

“Understood, sir. Well, we’ll be departing the area in the afternoon, so we’ll be out of your mane by then.”

“Where y’all headed, if I can ask?” the mayor’s secretary, a small unassuming pegasus named White Sail, asked. “That way if we hear any news before you head back to Canterlot, we can get word to you.”

“That’d be appreciated, ma’am,” Silver answered. “We’ll be headed down south towards Damshire for the rest of the week, then back towards Ambleville before we return back to our base of operations in Appaloosa. So if you can get word to us if something occurs, it would be appreciated.” Turning to Wheatstalk, he said, “Let’s get going.”

“Roger that, sir,” the younger stallion replied as they departed town. “What’s the orders?”

“Have camp broken up, then have word sent to Coronet Mudslide and have her squads continue west to Gallopsburg and Fillyvale before meeting us in Appaloosa. Then also send word to the bison tribes keeping a look out and have them run one more round if they can spare the extra hooves.” He shook his head. “Don’t know about you, but I’ll be glad to be back in Canterlot in time for Harvesttide – hoping to spend time with my girl.”

“Yeah, well, lucky you, sir,” Wheatstalk grumbled. “Mom and Pop are having sis and that idiot husband of hers over for Harvesttide dinner. I swear, if Flax calls me a ‘Heavy-hooved Government Bronco’ again…pow! Right in the breadmuncher!”

“Oh, you won’t have to worry about that, Corporal,” Silver grinned. “After that time Rarity and I stayed at the commune, I’m pretty sure he’s learned how to keep that tongue of his under wraps.”

As the two Guardsponies departed, Monochrome breathed a sigh of relief. “That was too close, Spinnaker,” he said to “White Sail”, his voice changing from a dull tone to a deeper, bassy tone.

“We appreciate everything you do for us, Mayor,” Spinnaker replied as she removed the rest of her “White Sail” disguise. “The Weather Underground never forgets its friends, and we’ll stand beside you no matter what.”

“It’s my pleasure,” Monochrome said, his eyes narrowing in hate as he continued to look at the ponies that departed. “My grandfather, Wisdom Seeker, was a doddering old pony when he mistakenly joined the Army of the Nightmare a decade back, but he didn’t deserve to be murdered by the Sun Tyrant. If I can help get the smallest bit of justice for what they did to him…tell the Commandante so long as Clustermare exists, he’ll always have a friend.”

“And that should put an end to the magic flares, your majesty,” Twilight Sparkle said, curtseying before the Penguin Emperor. Behind her, also curtseying, was her apprentice, Sweetie Belle.

“And thank Celestia for me when you have the chance,” the emperor said, stroking his beak. “Without you, the magic fountains would have torn apart this part of Antrotica and the Empire of Iceflonia would have been in great peril. We have no magic of our own, so we are ever grateful that our friends in Canterlot would send their greatest mage to assist. Go now, with our eternal gratitude, Duchess Shetland.”

As Twilight rose and departed the throne room, Sweetie Belle caught up to her. “Wow – that was some kind of adventure, Twilight! Thanks for taking me with you.”

“I promised Rarity I’d take you under my metaphorical wing,” Twilight answered, “You’re still not technically at the stage yet that you’re supposed to have a mentor, but I’ve convinced the Archmagus to let me have an exception. I don’t know if it’ll happen, though: other ponies might be concerned about nepotism.”

“Nepotism? Why that?”

“Remember, the Bond applies to you as well, Sweetie. Technically, you and I are as much sisters royal as Rarity and I are.”

“No offense to anypony else, Twilight,” Sweetie said, “but I don’t think I’d want to train under anypony else but you. Harmony Grass might be a nice stallion but he’s too strict for my tastes and Scarlet Satin keeps looking at me like she wants to put me in a saddle and socks.” Sweetie shivered at the thought.

“Well, just keep up with your studies and earn the top slot in your class. Top slot does get to choose whomever he or she wants as a mentor,” Twilight said with a wink.

“I’ll try, I promise,” Sweetie replied. While magic came naturally to her, she still struggled at regular scholastics.

“That’s all I ask. So, since we’ll be back in Canterlot sooner than expected, what’s your plan for Harvesttide?”

“Probably back home to Ponyville for the week. It’ll be good to see Mom and Dad again,” Sweetie answered.

“And Pip?” Twilight teased. When Sweetie’s face became a shade of crimson, Twilight nuzzled the younger unicorn. “I’ll keep it a secret, Sweetie.”

“Thanks, Twilight.”

“Well, I still haven’t met that stallion of yours,” Magnum told his daughter the next day at lunch in Ponyville. “And you’ve been dating him for nearly a year now. If we come to Canterlot, should I expect him there?”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Considering that you and Mother have yet to come to Canterlot as you promised….”

“Dear, you know that when your father caught strephoof, Dr. Stable told him he couldn’t go when he said we would, and I had to stay home to watch him,” Pearl added. “It’s not as though we wanted to miss spending time with you or Sweetie Belle.”

“Besides, Canterlot isn’t big enough for that stallion of yours to hide,” Magnum said. “And if he thinks he’s going to get away with not meeting me until the day of the wedding….”

“Father, he hasn’t asked me to marry him,” Rarity said.

“So, what, is my little filly not good enough for him?”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “We haven’t even been together for a year yet. Neither of us have really considered that step.” When her both of her parents gave her a flat, even stare, she amended her words to, “Well, he hasn’t considered that step, as far as I know.”

“Then I believe it’s time I find out if he does plan to,” Magnum grunted.

“Father….” Rarity realized she wasn’t getting anywhere with him, so she was going to have to break out her secret weapon. Looking at him coquettishly, she said in a tiny voice, “Daddy…don’t you trust me?”

Like a charm, it worked: His stern gaze melted like butter in front of Celestia on a bad day. “Of course I do. You’re my little girl,” he said in the same sweet tones she remembered when she was nothing more than a little filly toiling away at her toy sewing machine in the hopes of earning her cutie mark.

“Then it’s settled: you both will come up for Harvesttide dinner, and as Sky is inviting Uncle Topaz and his family, it will be good to have us all together again.” A thought crossed her mind: “I wonder if I should invite Silver Hammer and Sandalwood as well? That would be a wonderful way for all of us to meet.”

“I have a suggestion as to whom you can invite,” Pearl spoke up. “What about your old mentor, Cardigan Sweater? She asked about you the other day when I ran into her in the marketplace.”

Rarity immediately felt a crushing guilt. She hadn’t really talked much to her mentor since she’d become more and more involved with what would ultimately become her duties as a Knight Elemental. She considered Cardigan to be a very important part of her life, much as Celestia was to Twilight…but in the past few years, the two had talked very little. “You’re right, Mother,” Rarity said sadly. “I will visit her while I’m in town still and invite her.”

“That’s a wonderful idea, Rarity!” Pearl said, smiling. “I’m so glad you thought of it.” Rarity sighed at her mother’s usual passive-aggressiveness and decided after lunch, she’d make the trip across town to Miss Cardigan’s.

A few hours later, she found herself at an older but still well-kept home in one of the oldest parts of Ponyville. Rarity knew it well: to the left was the original road that led to Sweet Apple Acres until the current main road was built the year she’d moved into town. To the right was a park that used to be the site of the town’s first Town Hall, back when this was just a small hamlet offered to a bunch of settlers moving into the area. At the end of the cul-de-sac was the Rich family mansion; after she was done with her current visit, she’d have to schedule a quick visit to the Rich family to get a status report on her business as well as give them a progress report on Diamond’s apprenticeship.

But first, the mentor has to be the apprentice, she thought to herself as she knocked on the door. To her surprise, a little filly, a pegasus answered the door. “Hello, can I help you?”

“Yes, dear,” Rarity said. “I’m looking for Miss Cardigan Sweater.”

“You’re looking for Momma?” the filly said, and Rarity held back her surprise at that. Cardigan adopted? I didn’t know that, which was immediately followed by the guilt that she didn’t know – and probably would have if she’d been more attentive. “Momma’s making lunch for me, Miss…?”

“Rarity, dear,” Rarity replied, and the filly’s eyes opened wide as recognition suddenly seeped in.

“Omigoshomigoshohmigosh! The Knight of Generosity! Here!” The filly squeed and before Rarity could say anything further, the pegasus pulled the door wide open and dragged Rarity in shouting at the top of her lungs, “MOMMA! ONE OF THE KNIGHTS IS HERE! IN OUR HOUSE! OMIGOSH I’M SO EXCITED!” The young filly began scampering around in circles before finally looking at Rarity and fired of a staccato of questions: “WhatareyoudoingherecanIhaveanautographisFluttershyreallynicecanIbeaKnightsomedaycanIgetanautographformyfriendstoodoyouwantsomethingtodrinkwhyareyouheretoseeMommacanIbringyoutoschoolwithmesoyoucantalktoallofusinMissCheerlieesclassisPrincessCelestianicemyfavoriteprincessisPrincessLunacanImeetFluttershysho—”

“Bramble, dear, lunch is on the table. There will be more time to talk to our guest later,” a unicorn mare in her middle age said to the filly, gently petting her on the head and equally pushing her towards the kitchen with her tail.

Getting the hint, the filly scampered off towards the kitchen as she sang back, “Don’t go anywhere, Miss Knight! You have to promise!”

“She will, dear, she will,” the aged mare called back, before turning to face Rarity. “Bramblepatch is…rather excitable,” she apologized. “Most pegasi are diehard fans of your friend Rainbow Dash, so it’s rather interesting that Bramble’s so taken in by Fluttershy.” The mare stepped forward, embracing Rarity. “And it’s been too long since I’ve seen you, young Rarity. How you’ve been?”

“Too long, Mistress,” Rarity replied sadly. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around as much as I should have been.”

Cardigan waved it off. “You’re a busy mare, Rarity. You’ve gone places I couldn’t have even dreamed of and accomplished things that I could never have. I don’t have your talent in fashion or mercery – my talent has always been to be the artisan’s artisan, not a star. And besides,” she said, “after my last student, I felt it was time to retire, anyway and that’s when I found Bramble.”

“Oh?” Rarity sensed there was a story there, and that thought was confirmed as Cardigan led her to the nearby couch.

“Bramble was a foundling, abandoned on the edge of the Everfree.”

“What?” Rarity made a note to notify both Shining Armor and Fluttershy soonest; the former for law enforcement reasons, and the latter in case other foals suffered the same fate – as Minister of Health and Family Services, Fluttershy’s dominion included the realm’s orphanages.

“I know what you’re thinking, and I don’t blame you. But I found her parents shortly thereafter and they gave up their parental rights to me. They were a pair of destitute wanderers who made a mistake and didn’t intend to leave their foal at the edge of so dangerous a place. As my life was empty because of my retirement, I took Bramble in, adopted her and am giving her the kind of life she deserves, Rarity.”

“That’s very generous of you, Mistress,” the younger unicorn said.

“Coming from you, that’s quite the compliment, Generosity,” Cardigan said with a wink. “But you can’t have come just to complement me on becoming a parent.”

“I wanted to invite you to come join us for Harvesttide at my home in Canterlot. I’m hoping to have my coltfriend there and to have him meet those important to me in the facets of life that he hasn’t met before. He’s come to know me well in the time we’ve been together, but I want to show him the sides of me that I don’t often reveal.”

“E’er exposing thyself to the one of thine heart, for good or ill, in the hopes that dreams desired will become dreams fulfilled,” Cardigan said, finishing the quote. “You know, when I read you the poems of Sonnet Cycle as part of your apprenticeship, I never expected you to memorize them.”

“It’s as you told me, Mistress,” Rarity said with a soft smile. “‘An untrained heart is a restrained one, and an educated heart is a passionate one. Keep ever the passion, and the talent will stay true.’ I’ve never forgotten that.”

“Then I’m looking forward to telling those stories of the past to your dear stallion, and to hope he has the proclivity for poetry you do. I would hope you didn’t fancy some boorish, asinine mule of a pony who was all looks and no brains.”

“No, thankfully I’ve been disabused of that notion.”

The magical scroll appeared in a burst of azure flame and the scent of lavender, before gently falling onto the sofa beside Sandalwood, who was reading. “Well, it looks as though we’ve received a flamefax, dearest,” she called out to her husband.

Silver Hammer poked his head into the dayroom as he passed. “Who is it from, dear?”

Unfurling the scroll with a combination of hooves and mouth, she read the scroll briefly before summarizing for her husband. “Oh, it’s from Rarity. She and Silver are planning to have a Harvesttide dinner and they’ve invited us.” A sweet smile shone in her violet eyes. “Do you think that they’ll…?”

“Probably not,” Hammer said, gruffly. “It’s probably just a chance for us to meet her family, not that there’s anything wrong with that – we should get to know them just in case.”

Sandalwood pouted. “But dear, Diamondplate and Lavender got engaged almost a year to the day after they met.”

“Yes, and they had a whirlwind romance – a once-in-a-lifetime event. But Silver’s still somewhat reserved over his relationship with Derpy, and I think he’s taking it easy for the sake of our granddaughters,” Hammer pointed out. “Besides, even we didn’t consider marriage until three years into our relationship, so let’s allow our foals to figure it out for themselves.”

“A mare can dream, can’t she?” she said, laughing breezily as she went to the nearby armoire to get flamefax stationary to reply back to Rarity. Of course they would attend; for a chance like this, they could hardly say no.

Sparkler read the note again before looking at her mother. “Are you sure you’re okay with this, Mom?”

Derpy nodded. “It’s fine, muffin. Besides, you should spend more time with your father and Miss Rarity. I’ll miss you and Dinky both, but I’ll be with your grandparents, so I won’t be lonely. Besides,” she sighed, “somepony will probably have to play peacemaker between your aunt and your uncle and take care of your cousins, so maybe it’s for the best.”

“Well, if you’re sure….” Sparkler said, both concerned for her mother and glad that she’d be able to see her father again. She hadn’t seen him since he’d went out on deployment a few weeks back and considering they were hunting for some “troublemakers”, as he’d termed it, she was more than a little bit worried.

Derpy reached up and mussed her daughter’s hair, then embraced her in a winghug. “I’ll be fine, Sparky. You and your sister should go have fun. Besides, I can ride the train into Canterlot with you and then fly northwest to Pransing from there.”

“Maybe Miss Rarity can let you ride in her chariot?” Dinky asked. When Derpy looked oddly at her younger daughter, Sparkler explained that in the letter, Rarity was arranging for the girls to be picked up by chariot and brought to the house. Without even waiting for an answer, Dinky turned to Sparkler and said, “Ask Miss Rarity if she can have her pegasuses—”

“Pegasi, Dinks,” Sparkler gently corrected.

“—escrots,” Dinky ambled on without stopping, “take Mom to Pransing.”

“Muffin, as much as I would appreciate that, it wouldn’t be fair to the guards. After all, they have families of their own and they should be able to celebrate Harvesttide too, right?”

“I guess….” Dinky pawed the ground in clear disappointment before her eyes lit up with an idea. “Well, why can’t Mom come with us?”

“Dinky, that’d be a really bad idea,” both Derpy and Sparkler said in unison.

As the airship pulled up to the pier, Silver could see Rarity waiting there for him along with the other spouses awaiting the return of their loved ones. The moment the two made eye contact, she blew him a kiss, and he pantomimed catching it and holding it close to his heart. The troops around him chuckled at the pure hamminess of the action, but not a one of the ponies there was about to hold it against him. As the fleetponies took their time tying the ship up to the pier, both paramours waited anxiously while the ship’s crew finished up their last-minute berthing and anchor detail before the ship’s gangplank went up.

As dozens of guardponies finally boiled off the ship, Silver had to pretty much rely on their military bearing to get them back into order. “Okay, troops, we’re finally back. For those of you on duty, assume watch stations. Those of you who aren’t, you’re getting a week’s break, save for those who have to report in for watchstanding. After that, then we’ll figure out plans for the Harvesttide, Hearths Warming and New Year’s holiday period. Dismissed.” As the guards broke away, Rarity excitedly raced towards her stallion, all but leaping into his forelegs for a welcome kiss.

“I’ve missed you, love,” she said as she broke the kiss. “You’ve no idea how much of a lonely time it’s been without you, dearest.”

“I can imagine,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s been somewhat of a hectic few weeks on my end, having to hunt down this mysterious army that appeared out of nowhere and disappeared just as quickly.”

“I thought that was a normal guard function, not a concern for anti-changeling units,” Rarity inquired.

“Well, when a group that size disappears into the background, it makes you wonder,” he said, without clarifying further. But he shrugged it off and said, “Enough of that. I’ve got the week off and I’ve got all that time to spend with you before I head home to my parents’ place for Harvesttide.” A thought came to him and he said, “I don’t suppose I could convince you to come to the manor? I know my parents would love to see you again.”

“Oh, that’s been taken care of, dear,” she said, playfully rolling her eyes skyward as they left the pier.

Silver had the idea instantly. “You didn’t.”

“Of course I did,” she said with a wink. “For that matter, I also invited my parents, my old mentor and Sky invited her parents and brother as well. It’s going to be a full house for Harvesttide, and a good chance to showcase my cooking skills, though I may see if I can have Pinkie whip up some holiday-appropriate desserts.”

“Well, this should prove interesting. I get to finally meet your father. Should I have artillery on standby, or will just the duty staff in full barding suffice?”

“Oh, you’ll be fine, dear. My father’s a pushover.”

Silver rolled his eyes. “Your father, according to you and Sweetie, is also a retired hoofball player who keeps in shape and is still extremely muscular and powerful for a unicorn, which would put him at the average build for an earth pony,” he noted.

“Dear, I think you’re a little too worried. We have two weeks to prepare for Harvesttide, and I’ll need your help finding a suitable tempeh loaf for the family – I’m wondering if I should get two – as well as helping me figure out what the meal plans are.”

“Isn’t that the hostess’ job?”

She shook her head in that so-so way that she knew always caught his attention. “No, dear, it’s the duty of the host family. And like it or not, as I am a single mare, you’re the closest thing I have to the other half of the equation in this, so you’ll be helping me with everything. Besides,” she added, to drive home the point, “I could always ask Sweetie for assistance….”

He blanched immediately. He still remembered the day that Sweetie had made breakfast in bed for him and Rarity; it had taken a month to clean the stains off the ceiling and remove the stench of burnt orange juice and Celestia-knew-whatever-else was in the younger mare’s concoction…and that last only with liberal application of purification spells from both Sweetie and Twilight. Factor in Sweetie’s somewhat embarrassed admission that she used to be much worse at cooking – if that was somehow actually possible – and Silver knew his fillyfriend’s threat was indeed a valid one.

“I think I can help put together a meal plan,” he said softly.

She kissed him on the cheek. “It’s good to have you home, love.”

The two weeks of planning went by without a hitch. Sweetie, somewhat relieved to not have to cook, offered to help with the decorations, as those could be accomplished via magic and without her having to step anywhere near the kitchen. Sky, who could help, thought it was best to assist with the decorations as well so her cousin didn’t have to do all the heavy lifting. That left both Rarity and Silver in the kitchen, trying to come up with ideas.

And that’s when the hitches started to pile up like a ten-hitch wreck on the main highway leading to Ponyville.

Rhythmically tapping a pencil against her cheek in thought, Rarity sighed. “Well, I guess there goes the rose and dandelion casserole,” she sighed. “I’d forgotten that Uncle Topaz is allergic to dandelions.”

“That’s going to be a shame. My mother absolutely loves dandelions,” Silver said. “She’d probably go nuts if we didn’t have a rose and dandelion casserole – it’s a family tradition with us. Maybe I can come up with something in addition for your uncle?”

Sky, having come into the kitchen to get something to drink for her and Sweetie, said, “Well, my dad’s fond of pinecone and almond goulash. Maybe that’s something we can do?”

“Sky, that sounds great. If you’ve got a recipe, I can do that that,” Silver replied.

“I’ll see what I can dig up for you,” she said as a knock sounded by the door.

“I’ll get it!” Sweetie Belle shouted from the other room, followed in a few seconds later by, “Hey, Sparkler and Dinky are here!” Anything else the teenaged unicorn mage said was drowned out as two other unicorns scampered into the house and into the kitchen.

“Daddy!” Dinky said, aiming straight for his foreleg, a specialty of her glomping technique. “Can I help make the cake for Harvesttide? Can I help with the decorations? Are we staying here or at your apartment? Do you think the weather pegasuses will schedule snow? Are you going to make any desserts? Can I have a cookie right now?”

A second later, Sparkler came in and embraced her father as well. “Heya, Dad, Miss Rarity,” she said, embracing both stallion and mare in turn. “Mom says to thank you for having your chariot take her to Pransing.”

“Oh, that’s quite all right, dear,” Rarity said, as Dinky detached from her father long enough to engage a death-grip of love onto Rarity’s leg. “A couple members of the palace guard are from Pransing, so it was no problem to let them go provided they performed a public service for a long-time Crown representative.”

“Still,” Sparkler said, her horn lighting with magic, “Mom wanted to send along this as a token of thanks.” A second later the magic released, and a basket of chocolate raspberry muffins appeared in its place. “Fresh as can be from the oven – and Mom really had to restrain herself from taking any.”

Rarity nodded in gratitude as she accepted the gift; while the stories about Derpy and muffins were slightly exaggerated, it was very true that the pegasus would do a lot for her favorite foodstuff. “Sparkler, be a dear and put them in the pantry for the moment? We can have them for breakfast tomorrow.”

“Sure. Anything that I can do to help?”

“Well, we could use a hoof or two setting up the decorations and such,” Sky said, and with that, both Sparkler and Dinky followed the pegasus out of the kitchen, leaving both Rarity and Silver alone once more.

“It’ll be good to have the girls here,” Rarity said. “With my younger cousin Persian Onion being here and Mistress Cardigan’s daughter Bramble as well, that should be enough foals to keep Dinky out of relative trouble. Besides, I’m more than sure they’ll find wholly new ways to cause entirely too much mischief without our assistance.”

He kissed her on the cheek. “In that case, I’d better go to the store before they run out of pinecones – surprisingly, they’re hard to get this time of year. Anything else you want me to pick up while I’m out?”

Dinky fidgeted in her dress. “Do I hafta wear this?” she asked.

“Yes, you do,” Sparkler told her, dressed in her own attire. “We’re the hosting family, so we have to look nice for Dad and Miss Rarity’s sake, okay?”

“But Mom doesn’t make us wear clothing for Harvesttide!” Dinky insisted.

Silver went over and picked up his youngest daughter. “Sweetie, you’re supposed to be the prettiest little filly here, okay? Besides, Rarity worked hard on that dress just for you – nopony else gets to wear anything that special,” he said, nuzzling her.

She giggled. “Okay, Daddy,” she said, kissing him. “I’ll wear it.”

Looking at Rarity, Sparkler said, “I know it’s hard to get it out of her, but thanks for the dresses, Miss Rarity. I really do like mine and I’m sure Dinky will as well once she gets used to it.”

Rarity gave the younger unicorn a glowing smile. “I’m glad you like it, dear. I had to guess at measurements since the last time I saw you, so I’m glad you aren’t in a growth spurt or else that would have been somewhat awkward.”

Sparkler then looked at her father, who was currently in a suit and tie. “I’m impressed: you got Dad to wear something formal that wasn’t his dress uniform.”

“Well,” Rarity said thoughtfully, “I had to explain to him that this wasn’t a military exercise, but it helped to dress nicely. Ultimately, he sat down patiently with Diamond while she made him the suit and tie, which I thought was nice.” A second later, she admitted, “Plus, he is meeting my parents for the first time today, so I thought that having us dress nicely together made us look like a family, which will help in Father’s opinion of him.”

“He’s never met your parents?”

“No, dear. The first time we were in Ponyville, we were there because your mother was attacked. And the second time was to see Dinky’s school play, but my parents were out of town on business. Since then, things have been so busy that nopony’s had time to schedule a lunch or dinner together, and this was the first opportunity I had.” She shook her head. “I just hope that Father won’t be too envious.”

“Envious? Why? Dad’s lucky to get a mare like you, Miss Rarity.”

“You’re too kind, Sparkler, dear. But what I meant was that it seems that all fathers are very protective of their daughters. I don’t doubt that when it comes time for you to meet your first date, your father will be standing there with every weapon in his arsenal to get his point across to treat you well.”

The door opened and Sky came in, looking somewhat harried. “Okay, going to head upstairs and take a quick shower, then get dressed. Rares, my parents’ airship just docked, so they should be here in thirty. The train from Ponyville will arrive in ten minutes, so I’m assuming they’ll be here in thirty minutes as well; Sweetie’s going to bring them over.” Heading for the stairs, she said, “Oh, and thanks for the dress! I know you didn’t say anything, but knowing you, you made one regardless!”

“Well, that’s that….” Rarity said, nervousness creeping into her tones. “I suppose I should check the spare bedrooms to see if they were equipped properly. And then there’s to make sure that the accompaniments are prepared, and that the temperature of the house is per—”

Silver silenced it with a kiss and a caress to her face. “You’ll be fine, Rarity. Things will be great, so there’s no need to be nervous.”

“That’s what you think,” she said, feeling somewhat squeamish.

“Uncle Topaz! Aunt Periwinkle! And little Persian! How are you three?” The moment the doorbell rang and Rarity went to answer it, all nervousness faded away as she moved into her element, metaphorically speaking. Greeting her three family members with the ease of somepony who hadn’t seen them in a while (as she hadn’t), she went and embraced the three of them in turn.

“Heeeeey! Lookin’ snazzy, Rarity!” Topaz said, giving his niece a wink and a hug. As always when greeting her uncle, she tried not to gag; his preference for wearing plaid blazers with striped ties gave him a disjointed, unfashionable look, an appearance not helped in the least by the squarish black eyeglasses he wore. His mustard-yellow coat and aqua mane also gave her a headache, from an artisan’s standpoint. But he was one of the kindest stallions she knew and it had been a number of the spells in his given trade, lapidimancy, that had helped her career over the years.

“This is a beautiful place, Rarity. You should be proud.” Contrasting with her husband, Periwinkle nuzzled her niece, smiling. The violet-blue-hued pegasus with the soft white mane looked at the house appreciatively. “Must have cost a fortune, but you’re more than worth it.” Rarity gave her aunt a grin; the cultured florist had helped a young Rarity with color theory and had been an inspiration to the young unicorn.

“Wowowowow! Heya cuz! This place is cool!” Persian Onion was next. An excitable little colt, he quickly hugged his cousin and then immediately made a beeline to Dinky, who was the same age as he was. Immediately the two started chasing each other around the foyer of the house, and then immediately up the stairs.

“Dinky! Get back here!” Sparkler shouted as her sister, followed by the young colt, bounded up towards the second floor. She sighed. “I’ll take care of this, Miss Rarity. You and Dad can just leave it to me.”

“No, I’ll take care of it, Sparkler. You stay here with your father, as Rares’ parents’ll be here any minute.” Sky immediately flew up the stairs, chasing after her brother and Dinky before the two foals got into any mischief.

The answer to that came a few seconds later as a knock came at the door. Rarity opened it again, finding Sweetie standing there, a wide grin on her face. “Is Silver ready to face the music?” she asked, a mischievous grin plastered on her young face.

“What did you tell Mother and Father?” she mock-scolded her sister as they embraced.

“Nothing at all,” Sweetie replied. “I don’t think I could invent anything anywhere near as bad as what Dad has in his head. Plus, you just know that with Uncle Topaz here, they’re probably going to both gang up on Silver.” As the broke the embrace, Sweetie patted her sister on the withers. “I just want you to know that I’m here for you during this trying time and I love you, okay?”

“Great, now I really am worried,” Rarity half-joked, to which Sweetie then stuck her tongue out at her sister.

A second later, Magnum and Pearl stood at the doorway, followed closely by Cardigan Sweater and Bramblepatch. Sparkler, already sensing what was going to happen, quickly had the young pegasus filly say her hellos to everypony and squee over Rarity for a few seconds before she took the overexcited foal to play with Dinky and Persian.

The moment he entered, Magnum didn’t say a word to his daughter. Instead, he walked straight up to Silver and eyed the stallion carefully. Though extremely large and bulky for a unicorn stallion, Magnum wasn’t quite eye-to-eye with his target of choice. As a result, the earth pony stallion looked just slightly down at Rarity’s father as the two locked stares.

“So…you’re the stallion after my little filly,” Magnum said, evenly, his speech vibrating his mustache ever so slightly.

“No, I’m the stallion dating your daughter Rarity,” Silver said. “As much as I do think your younger daughter is quite fetching, she’s not my type and she’s a little too young for me.”

Magnum’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, so a wisenheimer, huh?”

A slight smile cracked on Silver’s face, not big enough for the others to notice, but just enough for Rarity to see it on his face. “I like to think so, yes.”

Without warning, Magnum cocked a forehoof back and then thrust forward. Thinking just as quickly, Silver matched the move instantly and the two hoofs connected in a hoofbump, the two stallions putting their muscle into it, either vying for dominance or trying to show their primacy in the most infantile manner possible.

“Nice to meet you,” Magnum said. He didn’t sound as though he meant it.

“A pleasure, likewise,” Silver responded. His reply appeared equally lacking in conviction.

Pearl, Cardigan, Sweetie and Rarity watched as the two stallions sized up one another: Magnum continued to put more muscle into it, determined to see if this was the right stallion for his daughter through mere strength alone. While Silver knew he could put far more strength behind it than he needed to – he was an earth pony, after all – he decided to match Magnum hoofpound-for-hoofpound as to not embarrass Rarity’s father. So as a result, as the third minute of the two staring at each other and putting increasing strength into a battle royale of hoofbumps, the four mares were at a loss whether or not to laugh or shake their heads in disgust.

“I’m sorry, dear,” Pearl apologized to Rarity. “You’re father’s usually more…sensible?”

“Stallions are always the same, Pearl, darling,” Cardigan explained it away, “and fathers even more so. If you think he’s this bad now, just wait until it’s Sweetie’s time to date. It will be that much worse then.”

Rarity immediately decided to shut up about Sweetie’s current dating situation, while the teen decided she owed her sister the favor of the alicorns just for not mortifying her at that moment.

Fortunately at that moment, Topaz decided to intervene. “Colts, colts, c’mon: let the ladies in the house, and close the door – you’re lettin’ in the draft. You two wanna settle this like stallions?” There was a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Rarity, you gotta pool table here?”

“Uh, I hadn’t quite set up an entertainment parlor yet, Uncle Topaz,” she admitted, “but….” She turned and looked at Sweetie Belle evenly.

“Yeah, let me go find a large enough empty room,” she sighed, muttering under her breath, “I knew somehow Twilight was going to assign me homework, but I didn’t think it’d be this way….”

“Down the corridor, last room on the left,” Rarity pointed helpfully. “Feel free to make whatever else you think needs to go in there as well.”

“Sure, but I’m sending you the bill….” Sweetie grumbled as she headed down the hall.

“Relax, dear,” Pearl told her daughter a half-hour later as the older mares helped Rarity in the kitchen with dinner preparations. Sky and Sparkler were still watching the foals, and Sweetie bounded in and out twice to get something to snack on as she was using up her magic in virtually building an entertainment room for her sister. “If your father truly disliked Silver, it would be much worse.”

“How much worse?” Rarity said. “Father’s practically acting like a jack playing conquest over the attentions of some jenny.”

“Well, in fairness, Rarity,” Periwinkle said as she stirred a bowl in preparation for a cake, “your stallion could have easily backed down.”

“Not likely, Periwinkle,” Cardigan pointed out. “My experience with alpha stallions like those two is that they’re going to keep going until one or the other bends. Magnum is a proud stallion, and quite so: he’s accomplished a lot in his life. But from what I can tell – and please correct me if I’m wrong, Rarity – Silver has the look of a guardstallion about him and the military doesn’t exactly breed wallflowers.”

“No, you’re quite co—” The white unicorn was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. “I think I should go get that, if you’ll excuse me, ladies.”

“Would you like me to come with you, dear?” Pearl asked. “You look a bit frazzled.”

“Is it showing that much?” Rarity asked, a wild look in her eyes.

“No, dear,” Pearl said diplomatically, “but a mother knows her foal.”

The two mares went to the door, opening it and finding both Sandalwood and Hammer standing there. At once Rarity and Sandalwood greeted one another like old friends, the two smiling happily. “I brought a little something for the home, Rarity; I hope you like it,” Sandalwood said, smiling softly.

“Thank you,” Rarity said, looking at the lovely crystalline flower vase and wondering where to put it. “And Hammer! So good to see you.” For once, she noted, he was out of military attire and dressed in a suit and tie, just as her own Silver was; she presumed that family habits apparently died hard for them. “If you’ll follow me to the game parlor, you’ll see your son and my father trying not to pound each other into the carpetin…I mean, they’re getting along fabulously,” she said with a forced laugh that sounded both clearly faked and just to the right of neurotic.

“Don’t worry,” he said with a wink. “I know how this works, Rarity.”

“You do?” She felt a bit of hope rise into her chest…

He nodded. “And I know that my presence will only make this that much worse. So, lead me to the battlefield!”

…and the hope sank like a stone tossed into Lake Ponyville.

Meanwhile, Sandalwood looked at Pearl and said with the knowledge that only one mother could say to another, “How bad is it?”

“My husband and your son seem to be in a proxy war with one another over Rarity,” Pearl said sweetly. “Once we got the hoofbumping exercise out of the way, we exiled them to the game parlor where my brother is watching them as they either play billiards or proceed to joust at each other with the pool cues.”

“I see,” Sandalwood said evenly before breaking into a wide smile. “So, what do you think the grandfoals’ names will be?”

Once she was done adding the final dartboard, Sweetie ran from the room as fast as she could. The stallionfolk had initially kept to quiet warfare because of their presence, but it was clear that as Magnum and Silver continued their test of wills, that any sense of propriety was headed straight out the window – likely defenestrated out said portal. Worse, every attempt that Topaz had made to try to inject some sense of placidity into the situation only made it that much worse, and a simple game of billiards was now turning into ballistic warfare.

As she reached the door, she’d had to put up a hastily-prepared force field, hoping for some chance to survive. So focused on survival, she didn’t notice that she’d run straight into Silver Hammer. “Hey there, little miss, is something the matter?”

“Only if outright warfare is your idea of fun!” Sweetie moaned.

Hammer chuckled. “Ah, that kind of day.” A pool ball came towards him, and without even taking his attention off her, he reached up and caught it with a deft move of a hoof. “Let me take care of this, young miss. By the way, are my granddaughters here? I haven’t seen them in a while.”

Sweetie looked at the amazing catch for just a second, blinking as if completely stupefied.

He nodded, as if that was an answer. “Please let Sparkler and Firecracker know that as soon as I’m done here, I’ll go see them. A grandfather should always pay attention to his little fillies, correct?” Sweetie, finally grabbing some presence of mind, merely nodded, trying not to make a further fool of herself. “Well, then, let me take care of this. Please do close the door on the way out, and I promise we’ll try not to break too many things – I wouldn’t want Rarity to be disappointed in me.”

As she departed the room, she tried not to pay attention to the sudden shouts or banging that was occurring behind the closed door. The only thing on her mind was I wonder if Twilight would mind if I suddenly showed up at her parents’ place and had Harvesttide dinner with them? It was probably the safer thing to do. Even safer was heading back to her dorm room at the Academy, barricading herself in and not coming out until the Harvesttide vacation period was over.

“Hey, Sweetie, you okay?” Sparkler approached her, a smile on her face. “I thought you could use some company – Miss Rarity says you were looking a little bit out of sorts.”

“You have no idea, Sparkler,” she said. “Do me a favor: if Rarity and Silver get married? Don’t ask me to be in the line of fire when you finally bring a colt of your own home. I’m already going to need a psychiatric evaluation after this Harvesttide and I don’t think I could survive another.”

“Um…aren’t you dating already?” Sparkler asked.

Sweetie facehoofed. “Buck my life.”

Finally, after a couple of hours of the mares cooking, the stallions…doing whatever stallions did while the mares were cooking, and the foals playing to the point of exhaustion, the group sat down before the table ready to eat. A drink of cider in her hoof – thankfully Applejack had sent over a cask of her first batch of the Sweet Apple Acres’ Harvesttide Premium Non-Alcoholic – she looked at the ponies in front of her, her extended family, close friends and those who could become a part of her family in the near future. She stood up to deliver the Harvesttide toast, looking warmly at the stallion of her heart, who was sitting down next to her.

Smiling radiantly, she said, “Thank you all for coming. This is,” she admitted, feeling a bit flustered, “a special moment in my life, and I’m glad to have somepony – all of you – to share it with. When I was just a small foal growing up in Maneapolis, I never thought I’d see this point. Spending time with my parents and having my uncle and aunt nearby,” she said, nodding to Topaz and Periwinkle, “I never saw what they first knew: that my life would be counted as special. And the day I got my cutie mark, I knew that they were right.”

“You also scared the heck out of us,” Pearl recalled. “We panicked about what happened to you for days only to find out that your magic spell dragged you out to the badlands for rare gems? Nopony but my dear filly could have done that.”

“It was my aunt and my mother who contacted their old friend Cardigan,” she added, as she looked fondly at her mentor, “who took me under her horn and taught me so much about my art and skill, and it is because of her that I began to become the pony that I was, and for that, I am eternally grateful.”

“It was always you, dear,” Cardigan said warmly. “A cardinal gem can only be polished, not created. The gem must exist, regardless.”

“And now, through a few years of changes in my life, here I am, a duchess, a Knight and a sister royal. But I would be nothing without all of you. And it’s a hope that I can continue to rely on those here, including those who I’ve invited into my life,” she said, looking lovingly at Silver.

“Always, my love,” he told her warmly. “Always.”

“So with us all together,” she spoke, raising the glass of cider, “let us enjoy this Harvesttide together. Cheers!”

“Cheers!” all said as one, clinking the glasses together, drinking and smiling as they began to eat and chat. Rarity sighed as she slumped in her seat, glad that despite all the pain, the dinner was going well and nothing could go wrong no—

SPLAT

“Whoopsie.” Persian looked at Dinky, who now wore mashed turnips on her face. “I made a mista—” The colt never finished the sentence, as Dinky magicked over a spoonful of rose-and-almond goulash right into his face and started laughing.

“You look silly, Persian!” Dinky said, only to quickly duck as Persian fired an intentional volley. The payload of quinoa and cranberries splashed straight onto Sandalwood’s face, and the sweet earth pony mare smiled impishly.

Things went downhill from that point, as food started flying everywhere and both sides started a food fight. Whether it was the stress of Magnum and Silver’s first meeting, the need for both potential in-laws to impress one another or general holiday anxiety, it didn’t matter. What only mattered was that the flying foodstuffs made for great tension relief, and that some of the stains were probably going to not going to come out of the walls very easily.

As a slice of roast tempeh and gravy splattered against the side of her face, Rarity did exactly what Applejack suggested. Reaching down to grab a small bottle she placed by her chair, she looked at the note, still attached to it.

Rarity,

In case you need it – and I’m betting you will.

Your pal always,
- AJ

Opening the bottle of Sweet Apple Acres Harvesttide Double-Barrel Alcoholic Cider, she drank the whole bottle in one go. Her Harvesttide might have been ruined, but at least she’d be too drunk to care at that point.

“Well…that was interesting,” Silver said as he helped Rarity clean up the house hours later. It was two in the morning and the pair was still picking up the wreckage of what had been the planned dinner, along with what they’d actually ended up eating when everything died down. “I guess we should be glad that Beet O’ Brady’s does a special holiday takeout?” His joke was met with silence and he knew what that meant.

She looked at him, crying. “Everything was ruined! I’d tried so hard to come up with something special for all of us – something to impress us all – and in the end, I embarrassed myself and everypony!” she wailed. “Small wonder that everypony ate and then headed straight to bed! They’re too embarrassed to see me!”

He shook his head. “Actually, hon, I asked them to – to leave us time together to clean everything up by ourselves.”

“Are you insane?” she gasped. “I had plum-colored walls in the dining room this morning! Now they’re stained pea-green!”

He chuckled. “Glad to see you still have your sense of fashion about you; I thought it was more of a spinach green, myself.”

“Silver….”

He set down the broom and walked up to her, kissing her. “I don’t know about you, but I had fun tonight. Your dad…I think this finally got him to unwind. And I don’t know about your family, but I can tell you my mother absolutely enjoyed letting her mane down, because she hates formal Harvesttide dinners. There was this full seven-course dinner my aunt held a few years back, an event so ridiculously stuffed-shirt that my mother eventually blew her fuse after the fourth course. I swear, when Aunt Cedarwood finally managed to escape Mom’s verbal explosion, she looked as though she’d been at a ringside seat at an ursa major rampage. Derpy actually had to take my mother out to the balcony for about ten minutes just to calm her down.

“But this, hon? This was fun. Granted, I don’t think we should ever do this again, but all in all? It was a great way to introduce my family to yours.”

She blushed. “You…you really think so?”

In response, he took one of the remaining intact crème puffs and gently smushed it into her muzzle, then kissed her through the crème. “Have I ever told you how good you look in pastry?” he said.

She couldn’t help but laugh.

IX: Just an Illusion We Believe

“We’ll be pulling into Pearis in twenty minutes, your grace,” the pegasus at the door said. The ship’s master, Bowsprit, was an experienced skipper and said to be in line to be promoted to Commodore, the head of the Fleet, once the current one retired. As it was, she was in charge of the Fleet’s flagship, a storied airship known as the Serene Velocity.

“Thank you,” Rarity said, smiling. She was nervous, to say the least. “Please have Ensign Silversteel see me as soon as he gets the chance.”

“I will have one of my crew detailed to retrieve him for you, your grace,” Bowsprit replied. “Now if you will excuse me, I must make sure my crew’s ready for berthing and anchor detail.” Nodding courteously to the duchess, the pegasus left, closing the door to the flag cabin.

Alone once more, the Duchess Lipizzan sighed. She knew this was going to be one of the hardest things she’d ever done, because this particular mission involved diplomacy, and Rarity was going as the Crown representative to the Republic of Donkonia. The Equestriani ambassador to that nation had asked for Crown assistance and with all that was going on at the moment, only Rarity had any sort of free schedule to assist, so Celestia had assigned her the task. She knew it was going to be difficult, the sun princess had told her sister royal, but she had the utmost faith that Rarity would succeed.

Now if only I were as confident, she mused to herself.

A knock came sounded at the door and she said, “Come in.” The door opened, and Silversteel came in, wearing his duty uniform. “You asked to see me, your grace?”

“Yes, Ensign,” she said. “Please come in, and close the door.” He did so, and the second he did, the titles and formalities disappeared and duchess and ensign were gone, replaced by two lovers. “You never know how used you get to having somepony sleeping next to you until they’re not there,” she said sadly. “I should be used to it, since you’ve been deployed before, but with both of us on the ship….” She shook her head. “It vexes me greatly, love. Here we are, just a bit over our first year anniversary of being together, and we’re both on a trip to the Northeastern Continent when we should be on vacation together.”

“Wouldn’t be the first anniversary that’s been spoiled for me; and sadly, being in the military, it probably won’t be the last,” he admitted. “I guess I’m used to this and you haven’t quite adjusted yet. It doesn’t get any easier, but I’m sure Cadance can tell you that.” He then gave her a kiss and embraced her. “Besides, it’s not as though you’ll be alone in Donkonia. I’ll be there with you, and Shining did agree to let me be your escorting guard.”

“More like I begged Celestia to let you come with me,” she laughed. “But I know that even though we’re here together, there are limits that we’ll have to deal with. As we’re not married, to be with you onboard would be a breach of protocol, which is why you’re staying with the ship’s crew instead of here with me.”

“But it doesn’t mean I can’t be your personal escort everywhere, milady,” he said, bowing with a soft smile on his face.

“Well, as long as you don’t forget the lady in waiting I had to bring with me,” she said. “I have no idea why the Donconegasque are such sticklers for formality, but they insisted that I have a retinue.”

“Has to do with their national inferiority complex, I’m told,” Silver said, “though if you ask me I think that’s somewhat insulting.”

“How so? They’re the only equinoid species without magic, they refuse to believe that the princesses are deities or avatars, and with the exception of the ones born in Equestria, they tend to be, well…rather…problematic, shall we say.”

“You mean brusque.”

“No, I mean rude.” There was another knock on the door, and Rarity said, “Come in,” as she gave Silver a quick peck on the cheek and an apologetic look.

A familiar earth pony came in, wearing business attire, pulling a clipboard out of a matching saddlebag as she sat down. “Well, I’m sorry for breaking up your little moment of intimacy,” she said, “but I thought we’d best get started. Though, I’m still at a loss as to why you brought me along as your assistant when you have actual assistants back at the Ministry.”

Rarity smiled. “Just keeping a promise to you, Bon-Bon,” she told her oldest friend.

A few minutes later, as the ship approached the port of Pearis, Bon-Bon facehoofed. “Really? This is why you wanted me to come?”

The grin on Rarity’s face was wicked. “Well, who was the mare who told me back in Ponyville High that she wanted to see the Great Mammoth Jackstock and see if it was anatomically corre—”

“RARITY!” The earth pony blushed furiously as the Serene Velocity passed by the colossal – and anatomically correct – statue. “Um…that was before I knew that I was a mare lover, and certainly before I met Lyra,” Bon-Bon sighed. “I was stupid back then, fooling around with a lot of stallions and trying to find out why none of them really….” She blushed again.

Rarity patted her friend on the withers, then bumped her with her own flank. “Hey, Mane Mares Forever, right?” she winked. “Besides, I’m told they make some lovely confections with pomegranates and some other fruit you can’t get in Equestria, and it’d be a great thing for your candy shop.”

“True. Plus, it’ll give me a chance to see if I can commission a lyre from the Tieffenbucker family – they’re a family of famous luthiers, and Lyra’s wanted an instrument from them ever since she got the chance to play one from a visiting Donconegasque musician. And since her birthday’s coming up….” She sighed. “It’s probably a fortune, even with my shop’s profits.”

“Well, remember, you’re on my payroll temporarily,” Rarity said, “and I’m sure your pay will certainly be able to afford one.”

“Rarity, I’m not looking for favoritism because we’re foalhood friends.”

“No, just being honest. Derpy Hooves apparently said the same thing when she was appointed by Princess Cadance for an assignment years ago. It’s just that high-level positions like this are given wide latitude. And for the record, while you may be working for me, I’m not in charge of your pay; I insisted on that in order to avoid nepotism. So if you wish to take it up with somepony, you can take it up with my Vice Minister.”

Bon-Bon nodded. “Thanks, Rarity. So, while we’re here, are you and Silver planning to sight-see?”

“If I can. I’m going to be very busy as is. Unfortunately, with the state funeral of Prince Campion, that tied up just about everypony in the family that knew him, and those who didn’t had to step in to fill the void. If you think I’ve got it bad, you should really feel sorry for Applejack and Fluttershy – they’re acting in Celestia’s and Luna’s places as seneschals of the Day and Night courts, respectively.”

As the airship approached the docking platform, Silver approached, wearing his formal uniform, just as Rarity wore her courtly outfit and ceremonial sword of knighthood and her Element. “We’ll be berthing soon enough, your grace and Lady Bon-Bon,” Silver said with a bow. “As soon as it’s feasible, I’ll be escorting you off the ship and to the embassy to meet the ambassador.”

“What information do we have on Ambassador Morning Song?” Rarity asked.

“She’s been at the post for ten years now; requested it, actually,” Bon-Bon said as she read from a sheaf of papers. “Her majesty appointed her on the retirement of the prior ambassador, and she’s well-respected amongst the Donconegasque aristocracy and the Directorie, their national government. During the Nightmare Moon incident, Morning Song got the Directorie to promise an expeditionary force to aid Equestria should it be needed, and did the same during the Discord and Sombra crises – the changeling invasion happened too fast for them to react, obviously.” A thoughtful look came over the face of the earth pony. “Rar…I mean, your grace, a question if I may.”

“Certainly,” Rarity replied. While she disliked the formality with which she was being treated – she’d grown out of that in the past year – she knew that protocol was protocol.

“Given Morning Song’s adroitness at handling diplomacy…why couldn’t she finish the job? Everything I’ve read about it is hardly out of the ordinary, and from everything in the wording, the document is so average that anypony could have signed this for the Crown without issue.”

“I’m sure Morning Song has her reasons,” Rarity replied, “though I’m at a loss to understand why. Perhaps once we speak to her we’ll know more.”

“Oh, thank Celestia you’ve arrived, your grace. I was quite worried that negotiations would fall apart if things weren’t settled soon.” Morning Song was a pegasus with a coat the same color as Twilight’s, with a mane and tail of soft orange, pink and yellow; accompanied with her blue eyes, she looked attractive enough that both Rarity and Bon-Bon felt just a tad bit jealous. This was confirmed a couple of minutes later as both mares noticed that just about every stallion – and a few mares – in Rarity’s escort were virtually fitting Morning Song with a saddle and socks in their respective mind’s eyes.

“Don’t worry, I only have eyes for you,” Silver, who was standing close by, quickly and diplomatically whispered in his love’s ear. “She might be gorgeous – but you’re radiant.” She gave him just the briefest look out of the corner of her eye that said "smooth recovery" before addressing Morning Song directly.

“Lady Song, from the documentation you’ve forwarded along about this treaty, forgive me, but…this seems to be a run-of-the-mill agreement, and well within your abilities to argue on behalf of Equestria, especially given your quite substantial diplomatic skills. For what possible reason has anything changed?”

“I….” She bowed her head down in shame. “It would be to my utmost shame if I admitted to you, your grace.” The look in the mare’s face was one of fright.

“I see,” Rarity said, figuring it out instantly. Looking around, she said, “Okay, with the exception of my aide and my military attaché, everypony is dismissed.” While the room cleared, Rarity led the frazzled pegasus to the nearest couch in the office. “Now, then, that’s better – and we can be a bit more relaxed.”

“But your gra—”

“Please, just call me Rarity. And please do not feel that you’ve done anything wrong.”

Tears began to well in her eyes. “But, your grace—”

“Just Rarity is fine, Morning – it is Morning, isn’t it?” When the pegasus nodded, Rarity smiled. “Now, please, tell me what is wrong.”

“But….” Morning looked at the two ponies behind her and shivered.

“Oh, them? Well, allow me to introduce my aide-de-camp, Lady Bon-Bon, also known as my foalhood friend and a mare I can completely rely on; and Ensign Silversteel, Commander of the 18th Specialized Operations Cohort, also known as my coltfriend. I promise you that both of them will keep everything in confidence.”

Bon-Bon looked at Morning, smiling. “Rarity and I have known each other forever. Whatever you’re worried about, I promise Rarity’s not like that.”

Morning sighed slightly. “But I thought that Prince Blueblood….”

“Do not worry about Blueblood, dear,” Rarity assured her. “Regardless of which, I promise you as a sister royal, he will not be a problem. However, whatever seems to be bothering you is. You’re clearly one of our most effective ambassadors, and if the situation requires that one of the Royal Family arrive to attend to the matter, then it must truly be bothering you, dear. Now, please let me know what I can do to assist – not just regarding the current affair, but you as well. In the meanwhile…Bon-Bon, would you be a dear and make us some tea?”

A quick cup of tea later, and Morning’s nerves were settled. “It’s Sir Roadspierre, mila…uh, Rarity. He’s an up-and-comer in the Directorie. He’s a jack of great renown and mettle, having proved himself in affairs both civil and military, so much so that he’s been awarded his own name.”

“Given his own name?” Rarity asked.

“I see somepony wasn’t too busy making out with her coltfriend while on the flight over,” Bon-Bon drawled in a tease. “Traditionally Donconegasque commoners have a name that ends in –jack for males or –jenny for females. But for those who rise to great stature, they are allowed to choose a distinct name and their descendants are entitled to the name as a clan name afterwards.”

“I see,” Rarity said. “And I was not making out with Silver,” she said archly.

“Yeah,” he joked. “She got a little too airsick the first night a—” A look akin to “you’re going to pay for that” was sent in his direction and he chose to keep quiet instead.

Morning giggled softly; the whole situation seemed to put her that much more at ease. “So to continue, Roadspierre is the chief negotiator for the Donconegasque side, and…well, he is a fearsome jack, to be honest. Every time he faced me, he looked at me in a way that….” She looked at Rarity, sighing. “I am unnerved. In all my years of serving her majesty faithfully, I have never once failed our divine Princess. But I when I see that jack and the way he looks at me, I….”

“The intimidating type. Not surprised,” Silver said. When Bon-Bon looked at him for clarification, he replied, “It’s an occasional problem when long-time members of the military serve in civil posts. If they’re not trained for the difference in the scope of duties – or worse, if they don’t actually care – they tend to see every issue as something to be defeated, rather than solved.”

“When all you have is a hammer, every problem just looks like a nail?” Bon-Bon asked.

“Something like that,” the stallion replied. “In Equestria, officers are trained to deal with military and civil issues separately, so that we do not conflate the two. It seems that here in Donkonia, where the government is a timocracy, it wouldn’t surprise me that the issues become combined, am I correct, Morning?”

“You are,” she said. “And previously, I’d worked with Sir Berry du Pancake, a gentlejack if there ever was one. But I fear my old friend has fallen out of favor with the Directorie, and Roadspierre will trample our position to further his ends.”

“When is your next meeting with him?”

“Tomorrow morning, at eight, in the Palais Barnstille. If the negotiations are not completed by then, the prior treaty will expire and we will lose valuable progress in further negotiations with the Directorie.” Morning shook her head. “Things are changing, Rarity. You know as well as I that Donkonia has always been a fickle ally to Equestria, but the crises of the past few years have eroded the respect the Directorie has for her majesty. If we fail this, I fear diplomatic ties with Pearis will be that much worse in the future.”

“I understand. Well, as a Knight Elemental, I shall not fail, I promise you, on my vow to her majesty, my sister royal. And on a more personal level?” Rarity winked. “He won’t know what hit him.”

Rarity looked up at Roadspierre as the jack sat across the lacquered table from her. From her viewpoint, she could see why Morning Star would be intimidated by him. The jack was massive, muscular and imposing, in the same way that both Big Mac and Silver were. But where Big Mac’s natural laconic and easy nature set people at ease, and Silver’s natural leadership and friendliness inspired confidence, the attitude from this donkey before her was clearly intended to display one thing: pure, unadulterated power and ambition. He didn’t so much sit in a room so much as he dominated it.

This was enhanced by his suit. She noticed that most of the functionaries, bureaucrats and directeurs here within the Barnstille wore waistcoats and tailcoats, powdered wigs and other objects of Donconegasque station. Not so Roadspierre: the jack was ever in armor and surcoat, wearing a style of armor slightly different from Equestriani barding and designed to look more imposing, if anything. It was clear that he made his way through emotional intimidation and bullying; he’d certainly done so with Morning Song and, most likely any potential opposition or detraction that he could not outright destroy. He was quick to make anypony – or any other being, for that matter – that he faced into a wallflower in short order.

Unfortunately for him, Rarity was not that kind of mare. Just as he came dressed for a battle of sorts, so did she, wearing her formal attire as a Knight Elemental and sat at the table with regal composure. As the two set down and the table and briefly introduced one another, he looked at her coldly and said in a deep, bassy voice, “I am…unaccustomed…to having my plans set aside.”

“I daresay, sir,” she told him with a smile that could match Celestia’s sun in intensity and brilliance, “you’ll have to get used to it.”

And so the negotiations began in full. Seated on the far side of the room where the Equestriani delegation was placed, Bon-Bon and Silver looked to Morning. “He’s treating this as if it’s war,” Silver said, his defensiveness for Rarity rising to the top.

“Silver, don’t worry about it,” Bon-Bon told him. “It’s just a regular trade treaty. Most of the details have been worked out, from what I read; he’s just arguing over what little is left in order to score points, is all, am I wrong, Morning?”

Morning said nothing, merely sitting there and watching the proceedings. There was something unreadable in her eyes, as if she was taking more than just a professional interest in the proceedings, but neither Bon-Bon nor Silver was really sure what it was.

“Is there something the matter, milord and milady?” a voice said to the side. Both ponies turned to look at a donkey jenny seated next to them. She’d been introduced the previous day as Cottonjenny, the latest in a family of Donconegasque commoners who had been serving the Equestriani ambassadors since the first one arrived centuries ago.

“Sorry, just wondering as to why Morning is taking this so seriously,” the earth pony whispered back. “I thought she was intimidated by Roadspierre.”

“Aye, unfortunately my lady is,” Cottonjenny said, “but I’ll wager Lord Roadspierre’s never seen the like of her grace before. Milady Duchess Lipizzan seems to making quick work of his verbal sparring, and while I am but a simple jenny, even I can see her grace is a master of the finer skills.”

“Rarity’s learned from the best,” Silver said with a note of pride. “On her own, she’s incredibly capable to begin with, but she’d had some last-minute coaching from Twilight – Grand Duchess Shetland – and that makes her very formidable, if you ask me.”

“Though you might just be a bit biased there,” Bon-Bon said with a laugh.

He smiled. “True, I might just be.”

Meanwhile, seated at the table in the center of the great room, with just her, Roadspierre, and the neutral observer from Gazellis, the two continued to verbally spar. “And so, Equestria will be responsible for supplying the markets of Pearis with approximately two tons of apples and carrots, to mostly come from the farms in central Equestria, and in turn our farmers will supply Equestria with four tons of pomegranates, olives and tulips? That seems to be a hard bargain, madame, and I fail to see what the trade advantage is in such a disparity.”

“My dear sir,” Rarity said, leaning conspiratorially against the table as she said, “The apples come directly from not only the Apple family, the most famous apple farmers in all of Equestria, but from Sweet Apple Acres, which is the farm given Royal Warrant for supplying apples, grapes, corn and oranges to her majesty’s court. Additionally, the carrots, turnips, beets and onions come from Any Carrot All Farms, which is also given a Royal Warrant for supplying those to her majesty’s court. Between the size and capability of the two farms, you’ll have the best that Equestria has to offer – and I didn’t see any Official Provisios to the Directorie on your list, sir.”

“Here in Donkonia we don’t believe in such – we are a nation of equals, not one that relies on scraps thrown from supposed betters.”

“In Equestria, good sir,” Rarity said as her eyes narrowed, “we are all considered equally precious in the eyes of her majesty – not as foals or serfs, but as her valued and treasured subjects. And, if there’s no supposed Official Provisio to the Directorie, then, my good sir, why are you wearing a surcoat made from the tailors at Braybury & Sons, which is listed in the documentation your nation provided to ours as one of a dozen Official Provisos, hmmm?”

Roadspierre blinked. Twice. Thrice. Then a wide, but cold smile split his muzzle as he said, “In all my time, I have never had anyone so capably have their facts and logic so irrefutably unassailable.” He made the slightest ghost of a bow to her. “The game, such as it is, is yours, milady duchess. I know when I have been bested in the short term.”

“Think nothing of it, good sir,” she said, meaning to pacify him; he clearly looked like the type that would carry a grudge and she didn’t want anything to unfairly spill back onto Morning once she left. “As a member of her majesty’s cabinet of ministers, it behooves me to ensure that I keep every potential detail on-hoof, lest my performance be subpar.” Roadspierre looked at the gazelle overseeing the treaty negotiations. “I believe that both parties agree to the final details and can sign the final version of the treaty.”

The gazelle nodded. “Please allow me a few minutes to make the official amendments to the treaties so they may be signed. It shan’t take long.”

As the gazelle’s horn lit up with magic so he could make the changes quickly, Roadspierre took a sip from tea in front of him. “Jousting with you provided a…stimulating diversion. I look forward to much more.”

Rarity shook her head. “Perhaps if you visit Canterlot, good sir. But unfortunately, now that these negotiations are done, I shall be returning home on the morrow.”

“So you think,” he said enigmatically, punctuating his statement with another sip of tea. Rarity looked at him oddly, but was unable to inquire what he meant as the gazelle requested their attention at that point.

“Okay, for this to be completed,” the gazelle said, “I need your hoofwriting and magical signatures – or in Sir Roadspierre’s case, magical stamp – on these documents. Once I countersign, the treaties will be immediately in force and enforceable, with all penalties, requirements and debts to be executed immediately. Are you agreed?”

“Yes,” Roadspierre said. There was something odd in his tone that made Rarity wonder what that meant. Yet, with a deft application of hoofwriting, the jack placed his signature upon the documents, a serpentine, sinuous grouping of turns that seemed to imply his nature within the coils of his written name. A second later, the jack picked up a stamp made of jade, and as he placed it on the parchment next to his signature, a flash of verdant light occurred as the magic stamp left his marque, passing the copies to Rarity.

“Understood,” she said, figuring that the sooner the treaty was signed, the sooner she could depart and leave this whole mess behind. Summoning a bottle of silver ink, Rarity dipped a quill and signed the document. A second later she lowered her horn gently onto the paper and with a quick flash of blue, a copy of her cutie mark appeared next to her signature, further proof the signature’s veracity.

All copies were then collected by the gazelle, who immediately signed and placed his magical signature on it. Once he was done, he rose from the chair and handed the record copies to both Roadspierre and Rarity, and then bowed deeply to both. “You both have my congratulations on a successful treaty – this shall ever strengthen the bonds between your two nations and in turn, we of Gazellis thank Donkonia and Equestria for their faith in selecting us as the neutral observer party.” And as the gazelle prepared to depart, he looked at both participants remaining at the table and said, “And…please forgive me for being somewhat forward, but in my country it is meant as a compliment: may your union be blessed with many years and many young ones, and may it ever prosper. I wish you two the best of luck on your impending nuptials.”

“What is the meaning of this?” Rarity shouted, reading the treaty in full – a treaty that was longer than the version she’d seen earlier, and while it was for the most part the same document she saw in the advance copy that Bon-Bon carried, there was nothing that indicated that she was to marry anypony, much less that brute of a jack!

I should have read the final signature version in full, she thought to herself, but I assumed the wording on the advance copy was more or less the same. What a foal I am! But I’m not the only one to blame here, and I want answers!

“I-I can explain,” Morning said, backing up slightly. There was a hint of a guilty look on her face and that was more than enough for Rarity.

“You will explain. Now,” Rarity said, bringing herself up to royal authority. She’d seen Celestia pull it once or twice, and while the sun princess absolutely hated doing so, Rarity wasn’t about to second guess herself given the precarious situation she was in.

“Your grace, my sinceres—”

“No excuses!” Rarity’s tone caused Morning to blanche in fear, skittering slightly back.

“Ambassador, please leave us,” Bon-Bon said, stepping between the two. “I will speak with her grace, and then afterwards I will speak with you later, are we agreed?” The pegasus needed no further explanations and instead flew out as fast as she dared, leaving the earth pony to face her friend. “Rarity, what has gotten into you?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” the unicorn snarked as she brandished the treaty in her hoof. “Might have something to do with this document that says that as part of the successful culmination of this treaty, I am bound to marry Roadspierre and bear him heirs!” She dropped the scroll and buried her face in her hooves. “What am I going to do, Bon-Bon? My life’s about to be ruined!”

“C’mere, girl,” Bon-Bon said, hugging her old friend. “We’re going to get through this. Her majesty’s not going to accept this – the Princess would never allow this to stand!”

“Except that breaking this treaty is a declaration of war,” Rarity said, looking at the despised document at her feet. “The contract specifically states that as the party making most of the concessions, only Donkonia shall have the right to declare the treaty annulled or revised.” Rarity cried onto her friend’s shoulder. “What am I going to do, Bon-Bon?”

“Mane Mares Forever, pal,” Bon-Bon said, nuzzling her friend. “I don’t run out on you, you don’t run out on me. We stick together—”

“—like two leaves in a tree,” Rarity said, whispering their old motto. “Thanks, BB.”

“Hey, never a need to thank me, ‘Ritty. You know you’re the only straight gal I’d do anything for,” Bon-Bon laughed. “We’ll figure our way out of this, I promise.”

“We’ll do more than that,” Silver said, as he approached, with Cottonjenny behind him. The look in his eyes was steely, and though Rarity knew it was in no way directed towards her, she couldn’t help but feel horrible about the situation she’d just put both herself and him in. Turning to the donkey, he said, “Care to repeat what you just told me, Cottonjenny?”

The look on her face was frightened. “But sirrah! Milady Morning – she….” the jenny began.

Silver’s eyes softened. “You’ll be safe, Cottonjenny. You have my word as an officer and a gentlestallion – nopony shall harm you. Now, please. This concerns her grace…it concerns both of us.”

“Aye, that it does, sir.” Turning to Rarity, she said, “Milady, please hold nothing against Lady Morning. That beast Roadspierre – he forced this on us and he said that if she’d signed it herself, he would’ve….” She buried her face in her forehooves, but Rarity swore she heard the words “murdered.”

She reached over and pulled Cottonjenny’s hooves away from her face. The jenny looked horrified out of her wits. “Are you telling me Roadspierre would have murdered you if Morning signed the treaty?”

“Far worse, milady,” the maid moaned. “My little sister, Muslinjenny – she’s all I have after our parents died, and I’ve been raising her. But Roadspierre and his thugs…he threated to do horrible, disgusting things to both her and I.” Tears filled the maid’s eyes. “Muslin’s just a foal, a mere slip of a molly! She’s done nodonkey wrong, milady! And for that horrible, horrible cur to threaten my sister – and then to threaten me and Lady Morning?”

“But why would he do that?” Bon-Bon wondered aloud.

At that point a porter opened the door and announced, “Sir Roadspierre of the Directorie of Donkonia, here to see his fiancée Rarity, Duchess Lipizzan, Knight Elemental of Generosity. May I have the honor of showing him in?”

“Absolutely not!” Rarity said. “You tell that cad—”

“You can tell him directly,” a new voice announced as Roadspierre walked into the room. He glared at the porter and the smaller jack immediately retreated without so much as asking for a “by your leave.” As he strode into the room with the swagger of a jack that owned the place, he announced, “I am here to see my lesser half. The rest of you are to leave now.”

“No, they will not!” Rarity strode up to him, anger in her eyes. “These are my aides and trusted friends and they will not be leaving!”

“You dare speak to me in those tones?” Roadspierre said, his own eyes flashing with animalistic rage. “Mind your tongue, slattern. You may be a noblemare and a knight where you come from, but here you are nothing more than the mare that will be lifting her tail for me at the end of the week.”

“You, sir, disgust me!” Rarity said, looking at him. She knew that behind her, neither Silver nor Bon-Bon would sit through the insult very well, so she had to end this fast. “As if you would think I would marry you!”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I had to settle for a mere ‘knight’, damn that funeral! I would have much preferred Celestia’s tail, but I suppose Luna would have been more pliable in bed.”

If his intent of his words had been to completely enrage the three Equestriani, it worked like a charm. Bon-Bon looked at him with complete shock. Silver’s eyes narrowed in slits of anger, and Rarity went volcanic that point. “You dare to threaten the Royal Family? Are you that stupid as to court disaster with goddesses?”

Roadspierre let out a laugh. “Goddesses and avatars – are you all so unbelievably imbecilic that you actually believe that tripe? No, what they are is nothing more than a mutation of your species; extremely powerful mutations, but clearly quite fortuitous mutations. But you see, that power is what I value.” He walked up as close to her as possible, invading her personal space. “Bringing a so-called ‘goddess’ to her knees is power. Having that power at my disposal is even better. But best of all? Having that power at my hooftips to tear down this failure of a government and to become a king – no, emperor. ‘Emperor Roadspierre the First’.” The sudden grin on his face held no humor. “Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

He then locked eyes with Rarity. “But the death of your ‘poor beloved’ Prince Campion – I remember him, he was weak and that son of his, Blueblood, is an idiotic fop – ruined my plans by sending a minor member of the royal family to deal with this. If they were going to send someone weaker, why didn’t they send that mage, Twilight Sparkle? Her power would have been…adequate…for my needs. Unfortunately, they sent you.” He shook his head. “Oh well, breaking you to the halter will be just as poignant for my purposes, and who knows?” He looked at her body invitingly, and she suddenly felt sick to the core of her stomach. “You look athletic enough to entertain—”

Rarity had enough and backhoofed him across the face, indignation glittering in her blue eyes. “You disgus—”

She never finished her words as he returned the slap across the face, the blow knocking her to the floor and drawing blood. “Do that again and you’ll find out just how rough I can be during the consummation, slattern! Unless you like being broken to the bridle like that!” He reached into a pocket, pulling out a kerchief and daubing his muzzle. “That’s likely to leave a mark for a day,” he grumbled.

“No,” Silver said, moving forward like lightning and his voice registering as cold as ice. “This will.” With the speed of a soldier in his element, he unsheathed his sword, and in one swift move, backhoofed Roadspierre across the face with the pommel hard enough to knock him back and off his hooves. The move scored Silver’s swordhoof as he bled from it, but he made his point, the challenge made.

Roadspierre got back to his hooves immediately. “I accept your challenge, fool. I claim right of conditions as the challenged. I choose combat to incapacitation, and I choose rapiers as the weapons of arms.”

“Rapiers will suffice,” Silver said, his red eyes burning, “But no first blood. You Donconegasque have a phrase – à l’outrance – and I demand those terms.”

“This is equinal for you, isn’t it.” The smile on Roadpierre’s bleeding face was diabolical. “I shall enjoy taking your mare on your grave, you fool. I shall expect you in the Duello at dawn in five days.” Without further ado, the jack stormed out of the room.

Silver immediately moved to his beloved’s side. “Are you okay?” he asked, his eyes clear with worry.

“No, I’m not. À l’outrance? What were you thinking?” she asked him, looking at him with terror
.
“He’s never going to touch you, Rarity. I refuse to let him harm the mare I love,” the stallion said, his voice both firm and gentle. Turning to Bon-Bon, he said, “Bon-Bon, please have Morning send a flamefax to Canterlot and have her tell them everything. Tell them I will deal with the issue myself – and that I wish his highness Prince Shining Armor to be my second.” He turned back to Rarity, kissing her gently. “Now if you’ll excuse me, love, I need to find a blacksmith here who can make me a rapier – I’m more of a broadsword kind of guy.” Looking at her sadly, he then departed as well.

“Rarity, what just happened?” Bon-Bon asked. “What does ‘Ala trance’ mean?”

“À l’outrance, Bon-Bon,” Rarity said in a horrified voice. “It means ‘to the death.’”

“You’re an idiot, you know that?” Shining said to Silver two days later.

“Shines, you weren’t here for what he did to her and what he said,” Silver replied as he held the rapier in his swordhoof. “If he had his way, he’d rape Celestia in broad daylight just for a shot at becoming head bronco of this country.”

“I didn’t say you weren’t in the right, Silver,” Shining told his friend, “only that you should’ve thought things through! Although…if it had been Cady in that situation, yeah, I would’ve done the same thing as you.”

Canterlot’s response was swift and immediate. The first response was a reply from Celestia herself to the Directorie to request a formal change in the treaty. When Roadspierre accused Canterlot of subterfuge – breaking the treaty just so one of their royal family members would not be embarrassed – the Directorie had no choice but to decline Canterlot’s request and to formally allow the duel to proceed. Once that occurred, a second flamefax was sent directly to Silver, notifying him that Shining would be present to be his second, and that one of Canterlot’s blacksmiths would be sent to make a rapier for their champion.

The next day the airship Milky Night arrived, embarked with Shining and his personal escort of Cadance’s Romance Guard, as well as a unicorn mare named Wandering Star. Wandering was the main blacksmith for Celestia’s own Solar Guard, and was detailed to make the finest rapier possible. Measuring his swordleg quickly and then taking his broadsword briefly in order to get analytical measurements, the pink-and-rose unicorn immediately got to work on the sword, promising it would be ready the day before the duel.

In the meanwhile, he spent time training in practice duels with Shining, who had more experience than he cared to admit when it came to it. As the two lowered their practice swords, Shining said, “Silver, her majesty told me to inform you that she’s willing to break the treaty if it’ll avoid bloodshed. She doesn’t want Rarity to be hurt, obviously, but…she doesn’t want you to be injured either.”

“Thanks for the confidence vote, Shines,” Silver drawled, picking up a mug of water and drinking from it. They’d been working out for the past few hours and he was parched.

“I’ve asked their Duello officiates to give me copies of their records. Roadspierre is unbeaten. He never goes for the first blood, but most of the time injured to incapacitation. He’s had a few l’outrance duels as well, and he’s won those. This isn’t your typical jack who’s all mouth and no buck, Silver. He’s a dueler, an experienced one – that gives him a large advantage over you.”

“He’s just a jack,” Silver said, picking up the practice sword again and giving it a few swings. “He can be brought down just like anypony who draws a breath. And I will beat him, Silver. I have to.”

“No, you don’t,” Rarity said as she entered the practice hall. “Silver, please reconsider. I don’t wish to see you hurt, love.”

“Doesn’t anypony have any confidence in me?” he groaned.

“It’s not that, love – I know you’re a capable soldier, or else you wouldn’t be a member of the guard. But I don’t trust Roadspierre to play by the rules. Bon-Bon and I have been looking into his history and he’s an absolute beast. With Cottonjenny’s help, we managed to find out he’s bribed, murdered and lied his way to the top. He wasn’t just grandstanding when he says he intends to take over the country, and he would harm Celestia and Luna if he had his way. I won’t let anypony I love be hurt by that brute…including you.”

“Then it’s a good thing you’ll be able to practice with this, then, Ensign Silversteel!” Trotting in merrily, Wandering Star wore the sword on a belt around her barrel, then came to a stop before her. “Got this done early – it’s a natural!” she said, winking as she sat down and undid the belt. “My finest creation if I do say so myself. Because the Princess asked me to make this for you, I call this sword ‘Sun’s Blessing’.” Picking the scabbarded weapon off the floor, Wandering presented the rapier to the stallion.

Taking the hint, Silver withdrew the blade from the scabbard. It felt perfect in his hoof; if he was used to his broadsword, it was as though Sun’s Blessing was born in his hoof. The weight and balance were perfect and the edge seemed to sing through the air as he went through a quick pattern of paces. Finally, after a few seconds, he resheathed the blade, flashing Wandering a smile. “It’s beautiful. My compliments to the smith.”

She grinned wildly. “Hey, I know my stuff. The sword will take any blow possible. Just make sure that you stay the same way,” she told him. “It’s too bad that the rules of the Duello prevent you from wearing armor, or I’d make you some custom stuff there as well. But,” she said, looking at him critically, “you’ll get the job done. Princess Celestia wouldn’t have commissioned the blade for you if she didn’t feel you weren’t the best at protecting the mare you love.”

“Silver, come back to bed.” Rarity saw him standing by the window, watching the moonlight and the Duello in the distance. A winter storm fell from the sky; in this part of the world the Donconegasque preferred to let weather run naturally, as if it were one giant Everfree Forest and so the snow fell wild and uncontrolled. It was the evening before the duel and they’d spent the time together in love and passion…and, Rarity had to admit, frustration. They hadn’t been as amorous this evening as normal.

Finally she got off the bed and walked over to him, embracing him from behind as her tail curled around his hindleg. “Sweetheart, come back to bed and get some sleep.”

He shook his head. “Can’t sleep, hon. Too restless.” He turned to look at her. “It’s different than usual military operations. This is a duel, and that’s a whole different type of combat that I haven’t been in before. It’s different than solo combat – that I’ve been in before; I had to deal with it a few times during the changeling invasion. But this is a deliberate fight.”

She leaned her head against his neck, embracing him as tightly as she could. “You’d better win, Silver. There’s nopony I want to go home with other than you.”

He craned his neck to kiss the crown of her head. “As if I’d ever let you go, love.”

Silver’s breath crystalized in the frigid air. The snowstorm had disappeared an hour ago, just before dawn. And based on both the history of duels and the notoriety of the standing coliseum known as the Duello, he’d expected it only to be just the principals involved in the duel. Unfortunately, for him, that was far from the case. Dozens of jacks and jennys had braved the cold to come see the clash of two duelists; a few of them had even brought their mollys and johns, the donkey foals excited to see the action that would take place.

“This is barbaric,” Shining whispered. “There’s no reason to expose young foals to what they’re going to see here,” he hissed under his breath, as a stitch of steaming heat escaped from his muzzle.

“This is to be expected, my lord prince,” Cottonjenny told him. “These are all Roadspierre’s retainers, save for the ones that are sitting at the topmost stands. The former are here to provide witness for their lord in return for whatever scraps he’s promised them. The latter are here in the hopes that Sir Silversteel will defeat the cretin.”

“Then let me see what I can do to arrange that,” the earth pony stallion said, ignoring the biting cold and readying for the heat of combat. He tried not to look at Rarity, for fear that he would lose his composure. She knew that and stayed just out of his viewsight.

“He’ll be fine, ‘Ritty,” Bon-Bon said. “He loves you and he’s so determined to win that I’m not sure even her majesty could stop him.”

“Oh, I’m sure she could,” Wandering Star said coyly, “but that’s not what she has in mind, I’m sure.”

“I’m sure the Princess has an idea,” Morning Song replied, “or else she wouldn’t have allowed this. Still, forgive me if I say I hope that the ensign can put an end to Roadspierre’s plans.”

“As do I,” Rarity said as a lump settled in her throat. “As do I.”

Meanwhile, Silver, followed by Shining, approached the Duello officiate. From the other direction, Roadspierre, flanked by his second, a nasty-looking gryphon, walked up, looking as though he owned the place.

The officiate, a member of the Directorie, looked at both seconds. “Have all attempts at mediation been attempted?”

“Yes they have,” Shining said, though he knew that was false. There would be no attempt at mediation by Equestria, not when Rarity’s safety was on the line.

“We’ve already stated our point – and we intend to run it through,” the gryphon said, the bloodlust in his eyes.

“Then if the duel must go, let the duel begin. Seconds to your places, and may fate determine who is successful here.” For a second there was a flicker of concern in the officiate’s eyes, just barely enough to be read and it was clear: the officiate was unofficially rooting for Silver as well, as he knew the fate of his nation might hang in the balance here.

As the seconds backed away, Roadspierre went into a battle stance. “You know, I’m going to enjoy taking your mare,” he said evilly. “I’m not just going to lift her tail – I’m going to cut the damned thing off. Let her be exposed to the world so I can do whatever I wish.” Roadspierre unsheathed his sword, a serrated rapier commonly known as a swordbreaker. While it was utterly unethical, the sword was technically a rapier and thus allowed; chances were, the officiate wasn’t going to risk his neck telling the jack otherwise.

Silver refused to take the bait. “This is where your plans fail, Roadspierre. You might have succeeded before, but now you face Equestria. And we protect our allies from monsters like you!” And with that, Silver withdrew Sun’s Blessing and both equines started to circle one another.

The two, from a distance looked evenly matched: Both carried lethal swords, both were very muscular, and both were slightly off-balance because of one of their legs being tied up by the use of their swords. But that was where the similarities ended. Roadspierre’s movements were slight and fluid, the motions of someone with a large amount of expertise in dueling. Silver, however, had faster motions and better reflexes as well as more recent time in the field due to frequent operations against changelings.

The two eyed one another with nothing less than disgust and determination to beat one another. And then Roadspierre stabbed forward, only to be blocked by Silver’s parry, and the battle began in earnest. Black and golden steel slashed and clanged against one another repeatedly, whistling as they cut through the air in arcs of attack, with both males pushing forward and dodging, stabbing and moving, searching for places where a strike could end the battle as soon as possible.

Roadspierre, moving to and fro in measured strikes, relaxed. He was in his element, and if the fool before him was ready to die, so be it. He was better than expected, but sooner or later he would fall. He had no chance, after all, not against the sheer force of will that was Roadspierre.

Silver moved and struck with every bit that Shining had explained to him over the course of the past couple of days. It was a testament to both Shining’s training and Silver’s ability as a soldier that he’d been able to pick up what little he knew and he was using it for everything he was worth. Even still, he was not the experienced duelist that Roadspierre was, and so the earth pony had to end this as soon as possible.

Watching from a distance, Rarity held her breath in her throat. More than once, her hoof went to her own ceremonial sword, which she wore. It was a little-known secret that the swords the Knights were given were not just ceremonial blades, but actual live steel, and though Rarity had no training whatsoever, she’d throw herself into the fray in a heartbeat if it meant that it saving Silver.

She suddenly felt a hoof on her own, and looked up to see Bon-Bon shaking her head. “Have some faith in your stallion,” she whispered. “If you don’t believe in him, who will?”

“I don’t want to lose him, BB,” Rarity said in a tight voice that barely masked her fear.

“And if Lyra were in that fight, I’d be in the same position you’re in now…and I know you’d be here telling me the same thing I’m telling you: if you don’t believe in the pony you love, then there’s no chance for them. Believe in Silver, because he needs you – fight for him by believing in him!”

Rarity looked at her old friend, then hung her head down in shame for a second before looking at Bon-Bon with a wide, loving smile. “What would I do without you, BB?”

Bon-Bon grinned. “Probably date stallions. Oh, wait….” she teased.

Meanwhile the two combatants continued to savage one another. Both had landed some strikes, and blood had appeared on their coats. Roadspierre had landed a painful gash across Silver’s left flank, while Silver had gotten a few strikes against his opponent’s neck. Both equines were starting to fatigue, and what had started out as a relatively elegant duel had now become a grueling grudge-match where both were cutting one another to ribbons.

Breathing heavily and feeling weakened from the blows, Silver refused to give in. He couldn’t afford to lose. It wasn’t just about Equestria anymore, or about saving Donkonia from the villain he battled. In the end, it was about Rarity. He had to save her. He was going to save her – there wasn’t any alternative.

Even if it costs me my life, Silver raged silently, you’re not getting your Luna-damned hooves on her, you bastard!

Feeling the rage building up within him, Silver let himself flow into battle. This was all about protecting the mare he loved. Celestia would understand. Cadance would understand. There wouldn’t be a single pony that would deny his feelings in this. He stopped going into duelist mode, ceased to be a soldier. He assumed the mantle of guardian, of the last line between himself and the threat to Rarity. With every fiber of his being, he was going to end the danger to her for once and for all.

Sun’s Blessing became a controlled comet, the arcs of strikes moving faster and faster as Silver pushed harder and harder through Roadspierre’s defenses. The strikes he received didn’t matter. Each cut and slash his body didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except tearing down the wall and destroying his opponent for once and for all.

SNAP

The sound of metal breaking rang throughout the Duello, echoing through the empty space. Metal spun like a missile loosed from its control, coming to a final crash in the snow, standing up like a shattered ebon jag in the snow. Meanwhile, Sun’s Blessing was pointed straight at Roadspierre’s throat, held by a stallion drenched in blood, sweat and snow.

Silver, nearly blinded by the blood and sweat seeping into his eyes, snarled at his foe, “You are done, and I will not take your life in cold blood. Yield.”

“You dare to think I’m done?” Roadspierre said, still brandishing his broken sword, staring in empty rage at the stallion before him who’d just destroyed his sword.

“Your game is over, Roadspierre!” Silver seethed. “Yield!”

“This is but a setback, you foal. The moment you le—”

“YOU WILL NOT TOUCH RARITY! NEVER!” Silver roared with the fury of the Royal Canterlot Voice. “YIELD, DAMN YOU!”

Roadspierre saw the unassailable fury in the stallion’s voice and he knew: the stallion wasn’t fighting because of power, or pleasure or ambition. He was fighting for nothing more than the most potent force there was – love.

He threw down his shattered sword. “I yield. And now,” he then added, “you die.” And with a quick motion, the jack reached from a point in his mane, and swung his hoof forward.

The needle buried itself straight into Silver’s neck, and already wounded, the stallion fell to his knees. “Wh…wha…whu….” Silver burbled, his body suddenly going into shock, and not from adrenaline discharge.

“Iocane-dipped needle,” he said with a grin. “Always works like a charm.”

“Silver! No!” Rarity’s heart stopped as she screamed her love’s name. Silver had beaten the malevolent jack, only to be downed when Roadspierre had thrown some sort of poison needle at him. Not caring about anything, she ran to him. She pulled his head into her embrace, terrified by his cuts and pulled away the needle. His body was growing cold.

“Did I…?” he said, his voice woozy and faint.

“Sssh. It’s going to be okay, Silver,” Rarity said, as she set him down, and then reached for her own sword, pointing it at Roadspierre. “You’ll pay for this!”

But the jack roared with laughter, and in two quick moves slapped away her sword, and punched her hard across the face. “I swore I was going to take you on his cold, dead body,” the jack breathed into her ear. “Taking you while he’s dying just makes it more fun. And you know what? Once I’m through with you,” he taunted, “Celestia’s next.”

“I DON’T THINK SO.” The words shook the Duello, knocking every individual off their feet. Roadspierre loosened his grasp on Rarity and looked in the direction of where the voice had come from.

Walking towards him was a rose-and-pink unicorn mare, rage in her lilac eyes. “YOU FANCY YOURSELF A PINNACLE OF POWER, FOAL? LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT TRUE POWER IS.” The unicorn continued her stride, her steps leaving gouts of molten earth in her wake as each hooffall literally burned. And as she continued forward, she grew taller in stature, turning a blinding white as pastel hues radiated from her. Wings exploded into existence, spreading out like the rays of the sun. And as she came to a halt over him, Roadspierre finally felt something akin to fear in the first time in his life as he stood before the unassailable power of the inviolate force that was Caelum de Aurae, Princess Regent of the Dominion of Equestria, Avatar of the Sun.

Eyes literally aglow with the power of nuclear furnaces, she spoke, her voice pure power in spectacle. “YOU KNOW NOTHING OF POWER, FOAL. NOTHING AT ALL.” Lifting a single hoof, Celestia then brought it down in a slight tap on the ground. The explosion of force threw Roadspierre the two hundred feet towards the opposite end of the Duello, slamming him into the concrete supports of the stadium seating hard enough to shatter something in his body. Before he could blink or breathe, she was straight in his face, her face calm as a summer day – and her eyes burning with the intensity of supernovas.

“You would dare to threaten me? Any reasonable pony would tell you that is beyond stupid,” she told him in a calm, measured, normal voice – and somehow sounded all the more terrifying for it. “And I am long used to the long line of impotent threats of enemies who would lift my tail and violate me – it has never happened and will never come to pass.

“But you made a mistake that actually hurt me – you threatened my family, threatened the ones I love. And that I will not stand for. Consider your life forfeit, Roadspierre. Consider this your end.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” he spat at her, though both of them knew he was broken and spent. “My eyes are on you and they will tell of the totalitarian princess who invaded our fair land and made a martyr of me.”

“You actually think you’re getting off that easy?” she laughed. “I banished my own sister to the moon for a millennium. You’re going to get much worse.” With that, she brought her horn down onto his head, and his body became awash in a bath of sea-green magic. She then lifted her horn away and whispered something in his ear.

As Celestia walked towards Rarity, she ignored Roadspierre’s insane, inequine howls. They didn’t matter anymore. What mattered was her family.

“Celestia! Save him!” Rarity cried, holding Silver to her like a talisman, her eyes red already with tears. Behind her was Shining, a worried look in his eyes, and Bon-Bon, crying for her friend’s sake.

The Princess of the Sun gave her sister royal a soft smile. “The sun is rising, Rarity,” the alicorn said, as her horn started to glow with golden power. “And everything is brighter in the day’s light.”

Silver came to. He was sore all over and his mouth tasted like…well, he couldn’t identify the taste, but he knew it wasn’t anything he was familiar with. As his vision came to, he recognized the place as the room he shared with Rarity in the embassy.

A zebra mare looked over him; she looked familiar for some reason, but he couldn’t place it offhand. “How do you fare, gallant sir, now that you’ve started to a-stir?”

“I feel like crap,” he told her.

“I see our friend is feeling fine,” she said over her shoulder. “He’s taking well to the healing brine.”

“Thank you, Zecora,” Celestia’s voice said from just outside Silver’s field of vision. “I appreciate your assistance. If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to our friend here alone.”

“Don’t forget to let him rest, or Rarity will be quite the pest,” Zecora advised as she departed the room.

Meanwhile, Celestia pulled up beside the bed, looking at Silver. “How do you feel, Silver? It is Silver, right?”

“Yes, your majesty,” he said, his mouth still feeling like cotton.

“Just Celestia is fine,” she told him. “You’re dating one of my sisters; you’re entitled to a little leeway.” She looked at him again, a smile coming to her lips. “That was, in all respects, the most stupid, idiotic and inane display of dueling I have ever seen – you turned a matter of honor into a schoolyard brawl with all the finesse of two hydras fighting,” she told him. “Honestly? I’m a bit jealous that Rarity has a stallion like you.”

“Huh?”

“Not many stallions would go that length for their mares. In the end, you didn’t do it for my honor, or Equestria’s honor, but for the mare you love. And speaking as your ruler and as a sister royal, I can have no higher compliment than the fact that you did what you did out of love for Rarity. You definitely earned the right to carry Sun’s Blessing.”

“I…. Thank you, your majesty. But I did it because I didn’t want to lose her.”

“I know. And I can assure you, she feels the same way.” She saw his smile at her words, and the sun alicorn grinned warmly. “Get some rest, Silver. We leave for home in a few days and we need you well enough for the trip. Oh, and if you’d be so kind as to promise me a couple of things?”

“Absolutely,” he said.

“First, always love her. I can think of no better suited stallion, and no stallion she would desire more. And two? Don’t do that again – let me deal with the stupid crises?” she chuckled.

“I think I can do that,” he mumbled before sleeping once more.

“She really did that?” Rarity asked Shining. The two, along with Bon-Bon, were standing on the balcony, watching the afternoon sun slink towards the end of the day, several hours off.

He nodded. “She told me last night. Roadspierre’s finished. She let him live, but he’ll soon beg for death. For him, a simple end would be a mercy. But for what she did to him? That’s divine justice, if you ask me.”

“What’d she do, if I can ask?” Bon-Bon inquired.

“She made him Irrelevant,” Shining told her. “No matter what he says or who he says it to? They’ll forget within minutes. As a result, his powerbase will be gone within days, and within weeks, he’ll be reduced to nothing but a gutless, powerless jack of less-than-modest means. And because she blessed him with a long, long life – not exactly immortal, but he’s screwed for the next couple of centuries – generations of no more means will pass and in the end, he will be remembered as a minor functionary at best, or the historical figure who nearly trashed everything for his own greed. He won’t be regarded well once he retires.”

Rarity was about to say something to her friend when Zecora flagged her. “He’s awake now and waiting for you,” the zebra advised. “Go show him that your heart is true.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice!” Rarity said as she rushed in to meet her beloved, tears of joy rushing down her cheeks as she reentered the bedroom.

X: Love Will Never Do What You Want It To

“Come on, girls!” Twilight shouted over the gale-force winds. “We’ve only got one chance!” Wielding their Elements, the six raced down into the shattered wreckage that had been the town of Withersdale. They’d just arrived after having nearly been beaten down by the initial attack, but now it was time to end this. As they reached the town limits, several guards were stationed there, doing perimeter duty.

The sergeant approached. “Your grace, we’ve already cleared the town and our forces have the target pinned down. Captain Armor has the area locked down, but we don’t know how much longer he can do it.”

“Okay, we’re going in,” Twilight ordered. “Tighten up the perimeter – if reinforcement windigoes get here, have every unicorn strike at them. Keep them busy until we can take their boss down!” As the six raced down into the depression, the sergeant barked orders to get the troops into the new formation.

“Oh, my,” Fluttershy said, looking around at the destroyed houses; one of the ruined shells had an unopened Smarty Pants doll box. “The poor ponies that lived here! They lost everything!”

“We’ll give them something to smile about,” Pinkie promised, “once we get rid of Mr. Meanie McMeanypants!”

As they reached the center of the town, they saw Shining standing there, powering his barrier shield. “Hey, girls,” he said, his jaw firm as he put his all into the spell. “Dealt with his generals?”

“Oh yeah! Pasau, Fazuzu and Pazusa couldn’t stand up to these babies!” Rainbow said proudly as she pointed to her Element.

“What Rainbow means t’ say is that we managed t’ save Empire City, Manehattan an’ Los Pegasas,” Applejack pointed out. “Glad t’ see you an’ Silver were able t’ keep that varmint pinned down before he could get t’ Canterlot.”

“Right now Celestia, Luna and Cadance are hitting every windigo nest around the world,” Twilight told her brother, “but if we can banish their boss, that should keep them at bay for another five thousand years!”

A sudden thought came over Rarity. “Shining…where’s Silver?” Her voice sounded panicked.

“He’s in there,” Shining told her. “My shield wasn’t going to hold out against the King of Windigoes forever, so Silver went in to keep him busy while I cast it.”

“What?” Rarity said, shouting at her friend. “He just recovered from the duel two weeks ago and you sent him in? How could you?”

“Rarity, he’s a soldier and he’s here to do his duty,” Shining reminded her. “If you were here in this situation instead of him, I’d have sent you in. Lives are in the balance – the whole world’s at stake!”

“Fine,” Rarity said angrily. “But if he gets hurt, Shining, I’m holding you accountable.” The white unicorn started to walk towards the barrier.

“Geez, what got into her all of a sudden?” Rainbow said.

“Shiny, please tell me that was the only option,” Twilight asked her brother. Upon their return, Celestia had told them everything, including Silver’s near-death at the clutches of the villainous donkey Roadspierre. During his two weeks of convalescence, Rarity had refused to leave his side, and if anything, the sudden reappearance of the windigoes had been what brought her back to some semblance of normalcy – but only because they needed her to be.

“He volunteered to do it,” Shining told his sister. “I was against it as well, but Silver refused to be coddled. Said that he couldn’t protect his friends and family and love if he was perpetually sheltered.”

“I see,” the vicemagus said. “Well, let us get into position and then drop the shield.”

“Be careful, little sis,” he told her, worried. “He’s huge – bigger than an ursa major, even.”

“The bigger they are….” was Twilight’s answer as she and the other Knights went to join Rarity.

“Okay, let’s get into formation!” Twilight ordered, as the six ponies got into position. She turned around and called back to her brother, “Lower the shield!”

The opaque magenta shield fell…and six ponies gasped, but for very different reasons. The first five gasped as the finally gazed upon the five-story tall force of nature that was Pazuzu, King of the Windigoes, still gaining power after waking up from his millennia-long slumber. The creature balefully stared at the virtual insects at his hooves, knowing they were here to challenge him.

But Rarity stared at something different. Her eyes grew wide in horror as she saw Silver, frozen solid in a block of ice, holding Sun’s Blessing as he clearly attempted to fight against the wind demon. Based on the numerous slashes on his legs, Silver had given as good as he’d gotten before Pazuzu got serious.

“SILVER! NO!” Rarity screamed in a panic, immediately racing towards her coltfriend, only to be caught up in Twilight’s magic. “Twilight! Let me go! Silver’s in trouble!”

“Rarity, we’re all going to be in trouble if we don’t deal with Pazusu!” Twilight shouted back.

“Fine!” she grumbled as the six stared down the titanic windigo, their Elements starting to glow.

A blanket around him, Silver continued to shiver from the residual cold still in his body after being frozen in a block of ice. “Y-you kn-now,” he said, his teeth chattering, “I alw-ways th-thought that I w-w-was c-cool, but I did-ddn’t think it’d be like th-that.”

“Oh, hush,” Rarity said, an irritated look on her face. “I’m very cross with you right now, I’ll have you know.” Her horn flickered, and before her a cup of hot chocolate appeared, which she immediately hoofed over to him. “You’re lucky I’m too much of a lady to pour it over your thick skull.”

He took a sip, grateful at the chocolatey warmth sliding down his throat. “Rarity,” he sighed, “I’m a soldier. It’s my duty to protect Equestria, her majesty and the Royal Family, and our citizenry. It’s what I do.”

“What, get yourself killed on a regular basis? I just watched you get turned into an ice cube!” she said. “And the time before that, I nearly watched you get cut into ribbons and then poisoned by that brute!”

“I had to step in or else Pazuzu would’ve smashed Shines’ shield in an instant!” Silver replied. “And I had to step in to face Roadspierre or else he would’ve hurt you! I can deal with being torn to bits, love,” he told her, “but I can’t deal with losing you.”

“As if it’s any easier watching you die in my hooves!” she moaned. “Do you realize how much my heart broke that day, Silver?”

“Do you realize how much my heart raged seeing that bastard eye you like you were some mare of the night?” he retorted back testily.

“Hey, hey, cool it, you two,” Twilight said, approaching them. “We still may have leftover windigoes in the area and you know they feed off negative emotions.”

Silver and Rarity looked at one another, then back at Twilight, and then with a “hmph!” that seemed all-too-well choreographed, they turned their attentions away from one another.

“Rarity, do you mind coming with me for a second?” Twilight asked. “We’re setting up some emergency shelters for the townsfolk that just lost their homes and we need all the unicorns we can get working on it.”

“Of course, dear,” she sighed. “I’ll be right there.” Not acknowledging her better half as she walked away, she hadn’t meant to snap at him like that, but she’d nearly lost him less than a month ago, and now here she was, at the tail end of yet another one of Equestria’s crises, and he’d risked his life again. What would happen the next time? Or the next time after that?

What if he never came home one day? Or worse, came home in a coffin?

“Twilight….” Rarity said, knowing she had to discuss this with someone. While Fluttershy would have been the ideal choice, she had offered to help the medics in taking care of the various wounded. Likewise, Applejack would’ve been better as well, but she was assisting the rescue teams in searching the damaged buildings for anypony that still needed assistance. Rainbow had already departed for nearby Cirrusburg, in order to get needed supplies for the recovery effort; and Pinkie was helping to set up a soup kitchen to feed the survivors and guardsponies present. That left Twilight as the lone pony to talk to. Granted, she loved Twilight dearly, but Twilight was the only one of them not in a relationship and likely wouldn’t understand.

“Yes, Rarity?” the vicemagus asked.

The fashionista shook her head. “Nevermind….”

“You’re worried about Silver, aren’t you?” When Rarity looked at her sister royal, Twilight smiled. “I’m not that clueless about relationships. I did date Soarin’ a couple of times before that went south, and went on a another date with a stallion Life Bloom fixed me up with – didn’t work out well, though. And before you ask, no, I’m not attracted to mares; while I also went on a date with a marefriend of Lyra’s, that just confirmed my preferences, though it’s nice to know somepony thinks I have a nice flank.”

“My apologies – I didn’t think you’d understand, and I didn’t want to bother you with my troubles,” Rarity commented.

“Rarity….” Twilight stopped and looked at her fellow unicorn. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told Sweetie: we’re family now. To me, ‘sister royal’ isn’t just some official bond, oath or title, it’s an acknowledgement. We are sisters, period, and I am always here for you. Even if I don’t understand, you need somepony in your corner, and I will always be there.”

“Always?”

Twilight nodded. “For you, and whatever foals you have, and whatever foals they have, if I’m still alive. I will do everything I can for my family, because family means the world to me.” Twilight embraced Rarity, and said, “Now, please, tell me what’s wrong?”

Rarity nodded as the two continued walking towards their destination. “The events of the past few weeks have just gotten to me, I suppose. I was so afraid that I’d end up in Roadspierre’s clutches, and when Silver stepped up to rescue me, I knew he’d save me…but I didn’t count on him getting poisoned by that fiend.”

“You’re lucky Celestia was there,” Twilight said. “Iocane’s a fast-working poison, and only a hoofful of ponies know the medicinal counterspells.”

“Please don’t remind me,” Rarity said sadly. “But after two weeks spent in convalescence, here we are, just in time again for him to end up hurt once more. I can’t bear to see it anymore, Twilight. I’m all too used to us being in danger – I was even foalnapped by those misguided diamond dogs once – but it’s different when you’re watching somepony you love take the slings and arrows. When I held Silver’s head in my forelegs, wondering if each breath he was taking would be his last while Roadspierre threatened to do horrible, despicable things to me…I…I….” She was shamefully quiet for a second before admitting, “I would have let him do it to me if it meant saving Silver’s life – I would have gladly, willingly lifted my tail if it meant saving Silver!”

“Rarity, you shouldn’t blame yourself for that. Everything you told me about that jack said that he needed to be stopped before he did something we couldn’t counter. And Silver risked everything to save you. Didn’t you want to be saved?”

“Yes! I mean, no! I mean – aarrrgh!” Rarity grunted in frustration. “Yes, I wanted to be saved, but not at the cost of Silver’s life, or him getting injured, for that matter! What if he’d lost an eye, or a leg? I’d still love him even if he’d been turned into a hideously scarred beast – even though I’d probably discreetly inquire about industrial grade glamor-spells – but I don’t want to see him hurt!”

“I….” Twilight began, but stopped. She then said, “I’d tell you the same thing: I’m sure he’d rather have lost a leg or an eye than to see you be hurt as well, but I know that’s a cold comfort for you right now. What I’d recommend is that when we get back, talk to Cadance. She’s probably the best pony to talk to about this and she won’t steer you wrong.”

“I see,” was all Rarity said. Twilight’s eyes widened and Rarity amended it to, “I know you’re not just ignoring my needs, dear, I know you better than that. It’s just that’s what I figured that you were going to say…and frankly, had I talked to Fluttershy, Applejack or any of the others instead, I suspect they would have given the same advice.”

“Sorry I couldn’t have been more help,” Twilight apologized.

Rarity gave a faint smile as they arrived at their destination. “You already have been, more than you know,” the white unicorn said as she nuzzled her friend and sister royal. No, Twilight’s right. Not just ‘sister royal’. Not anymore. Just sister.

“Hey, Silver, how you feeling?” Shining asked.

“Inside or outside, Shines?” the earth pony asked. “Outside, well, I’m not a stallioncicle anymore, so that’s a huge plus. On the inside, though….”

“Yeah, I heard,” he said. “I wasn’t listening in, but unfortunately your conversation with her carried on the wind. Listen, Rarity’s just a little stressed right now, an—”

“No offense, Shines, but save it,” Silver said, sounding somewhat rejected. “I already had to deal with this the last time, and I’m really not in the mood to go through it all again.”

“Fine, but if you need somepony to talk to, you know where I am.”

“Yeah. Thanks. So what’s up? I take it you didn’t come here just to cheer me up.”

“You’re right, I didn’t,” he admitted. “Just got word there’s a nest of windigoes that cropped up near Whitehorse. The princesses are completely tied up with other nests, and yours is the only cohort we can spare.” Pointing to the airship that floated just in the distance, he said, “The Cybele’s Reverie is ready to take off immediately. I know your folks aren’t a standard unit, but the 249th Combined is already on site and I’ve sent orders for Coronet Tomato Ketchup to report to you.”

“Okay, I’m on it,” Silver nodded. “Let me get to my troops and we’ll get going.”

“Don’t you want to say goodbye to Rarity, Silver?” Shining asked. “You’re going to be gone for at least a couple of weeks.” Instead, Silver didn’t answer and just walked up the hill towards where his troops were. Shining sighed; he knew that was enough of an answer.

“Well, that’s that,” an exhausted Rarity said, spent from long hours of putting together relief supplies and tents. Finally, as another group of unicorns arrived to relieve her and Twilight, she set down her work, glad to be able to take a rest and get some sleep.

“Hi, Rarity! Hi, Twilight!” Pinkie came up, carrying huge bowls of stew, bread and mugs of cider for both, as well as herself, apparently. How she managed to do so while walking upright and balancing everything on her forelegs and her head was anypony’s guess. “Flutters and Applejack ate already and went to sleep early since they were tired,” she told them. “Dashie’s bringing in another round of supplies; she already ate, too. I thought I’d wait for you gals!”

“Thank you, Pinkie, dear,” Rarity said, gratefully taking the stew, bread and mug from her. “How are things faring on your end?”

“Oh, great!” she chirped. “I was cooking all day and it was kinda bad because I didn’t have time to bake anypony a cake or plan any ‘Yay We Beat the Windigo King’ parties, but I guess I can do that tomorrow. Fortunately, all the troops that left a few hours ago made that easier.”

“We had troops depart?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah! Silver and his ponies left on the airship several hours ago and….” Clarity suddenly set in as a look of shock popped onto Rarity’s face. “You didn’t know?”

Rarity immediately dropped her dinner as she leapt to her feet, racing towards the area where the 18th Specialized Operations Cohort was camped. When she saw nothing there but an empty field, she immediately skidded and turned towards the command tents where they were camped along with Shining. She barged into his tent while was poring over troop movements with his cadre.

“Shining!” she panted. “Silver – he’s gone!”

He looked at her sadly before turning to his troops. “Okay, you all have your orders. Send me your movement reports as soon as they’re ready and we’ll discuss things later. Dismissed.” He waited until the officers had departed before looking at her again. “Rarity, as much as I know you’re not used to it, your rank as a Knight does come with military duties and I’d appreciate it if you’d at least try to act with military decorum?”

“I don’t care about that!” she shouted. “Where’s Silver?”

“He left on the Cybele’s Reverie a few hours ago. Assaulting a major windigo nest that the princesses can’t get to right now, and he’s the only forces we could spare at the time.” When she looked at him helplessly, he knew what that meant. “Yeah, I know. Look, I’m not going to lie to you: he was very hurt and angry when he left.”

“When will he be back?”

“I don’t know,” Shining answered. “My guess is that it’ll be a couple of weeks to dig that nest out, but the truth is – the princesses are the ones directly assaulting the nests for a reason. Hell, my own wife is tackling one on her own and she’s the weakest of the trio. He’s going to have his hooves full.”

“Will he be safe?” Rarity asked, her fears coming to the fore. When Shining couldn’t answer that, she gasped. “But I…. I didn’t mean to…. Oh, Silver….” She looked at him with fear in her eyes. “Shining, what have I done?” She started crying, uncontrollably, not caring at all. And as Shining went up to her and embraced her, all she could do was to fear the worst.

“We’ve got them on the run, troops!” Spinnaker shouted as they continued their assault on the windigo nest that had unearthed just outside of their valley. “Don’t give them any quarter!” Picking up a pike, she speared another, watching as it shrieked its unearthly sound before disintegrating into nothing more than snow and wind.

A bottle of something noxious spilled onto the mesa and suddenly the area became a wall of flame, burning three more windigoes into nothingness. A voice at Spinnaker’s side called out, “Spin, you okay?”

The pegasus turned to face her friend. “Thanks to you, Cloister. How’s everyone else doing?”

The zebra looked at her. “My husband is circling around with a group of close-in combatants to make sure none of these monsters get away. Candlewick’s still making sure the infirm and youth are protect, and Revanche, well, as for her….” Cloister merely pointed a hoof upwards, and Spinnaker followed its direction. What she saw next, surprised her.

Moving with a speed and grace that didn’t seem possible for combat-trained pegasi, Revanche seemed to be able to call lightning at will then almost literally ride its length to savage windigoes as they moved into her striking pattern. With a deft touch, she then spun away from them, forcing others to follow in her path. As soon as she had enough, she then immediately flipped her direction, whipping her wings forward as she spun, creating a downburst. The wind pattern in question was fatal for any kind of pegasus – not to mention anything already on the ground in the path of the windstrike – and so the wind demons had no chance. Half of them disintegrated before they hit the ground, while the remainder did so upon painful impact.

Revanche waggled her wings as she rocketed past her friends, still on the hunt for further windigoes that could threaten her fellow Weather Undergrounders. She’d been with them for nearly a year now and her opinion of them had definitely changed in that time. While she still wasn’t completely sold on their goals, there was no denying that she felt a kinship with the small band of rebels, a camaraderie she hadn’t known with those she knew in the Guard. She knew without a doubt that the beings she worked with now had her back just as much as she had theirs, and it made it all the much easier to integrate their tactics into her repertoire and vice versa.

Likewise, while she found almost all of the propaganda they’d been spewing out was nothing more than a joke, even she had to admit a lot of it had a certain ring of truth to it. Everypony knew the princesses were keeping secrets; hell, Princess Luna’s whole existence had been nothing more than a carefully orchestrated secret until a few years back. Plus, the myriad other dangers: Discord. Chrysalis. Sombra. The Heralds of Tirek. And now Pazuzu. So many things that the average pony didn’t know about, all because the princesses had tried to do the right thing in keeping the secrets forever buried instead of letting them come out into the light of day, where they could be defended against. If for nothing else, the government needed a change.

But of one thing she was sure of: the corruptness at the core. Rarity had stolen her love from her and then turned all her friends and family against her. That harridelle had been the one that had forced her, even if unintentionally, to kill Goldie, and cause her to abandon everything she believed in. That in and of itself would be unforgivable, but then there was the insult upon insults: the report that the Underground’s spies had collected that showed that Rarity had nearly gotten Silver killed by threatening to marry a noble from Donkonia unless he fought to the death for her. He did as bid, and was almost killed for it.

To Revanche, that had almost been the final straw. She would have left that night had it not been for Candlewick – kind, dear, sweet Candlewick. He’d been the one to talk to her, calm her down, offer her better ideas and stratagems. And his logic was unassailable: if Rarity had been able to expose Silver to such a threat, it meant she didn’t have him completely under her hoof yet. That meant there was still a chance to save him.

She sighed; it was plainly obvious how Candle felt about her. And truthfully, he was charming, handsome, kind – the type of stallion that any mare would be honored to have as a significant other, herself included. But she’d made a promise so long ago, that she’d be the one to ever be with Silver, and for good or evil, she now had to see that vow through. If things had been different, she’d have taken Candle’s offer to be her special somepony. But it was more than just that now.

She needed to free Silver from Rarity.
She needed to free the world from that damned unicorn.

Banishing the thoughts from her mind, she continued to focus on her attacks against the windigoes. There would be time to make Rarity pay for her sins later. For now, there was the fact that she had to protect the Underground from this current attack, and then pick up the shattered pieces, bury and mourn the dead and make sure that nest would never be habitable again.

And then after that?

Time to finally plan that sweet, sweet revenge: That was time long in coming, time to settle accounts long overdue. And when that happened, Revanche would not only finally become her namesake, but she could absolve herself, earn her husband back and finally return to what she was in the beginning.

“Miss Rarity, you’ve been in bed for three days now. This isn’t healthy.” Diamond Tiara brought a bowl of soup and a lily salad sandwich to her mentor. “You promised me that we were going to go to the Summer Fashion show this evening – while I know we’re not presenting this year, I’d really hoped that we’d get to see some of the new fashions.”

“Diamond, I’m sorry, dear, but I’m really not up to it,” Rarity said.

“But isn’t this important for you?”

“Dear, there’s a lot of things that aren’t as important as they used to be,” the unicorn said, turning over in the bed. Waving a hoof in her direction while not looking her way, she said, “Just set it down on the table and go. I’m sorry, Diamond. I’ll make it up to you somehow.”

“All right,” Diamond said, dejectedly, setting the tray on the table and leaving the room. But before she did, she stopped at the door and said, “Miss Rarity?”

“Yes?”

“Whatever’s bothering you? Well…I know I’m just your apprentice…but you’ve helped me out a lot on more than just learning to be a seamstress. If you need somepony to talk to, I’m always here. I-I’m probably not as good as you are, but….” Diamond didn’t know what else to say, so instead she just departed the room, leaving Rarity to stew in her own juices.

Rarity lay there in the bed, alone, still smelling his scent on the sheets. They’d been back from Withersdale for three days now, and while most of the crisis was over, the Princesses were still jutting around the world taking care of various nests. Celestia had the Knights return to their daily duties “so that it might be a morale booster for the capital”, but in truth she was likely more worried about some of the nobility taking advantage of the princesses’ extended absence – though, surprisingly, both Blueblood and his bride Champagne Dreams had done much to put a stop to that.

None of that mattered at the moment, as Rarity’s heart was breaking. Shining didn’t tell her much about what was going on, but she’d had some of her own staff make discreet inquiries and found that Silver’s unit had moved on from the spot he was initially sent to shore up and had been through a few more places during this worldwide crisis; at the moment, he was somewhere in Inari, where Luna was assisting the kitsune in dealing with a newly-awakened windigo general atop Inari’s famed Mt. Sakuyahime.

She didn’t care about that, though. She only cared that she missed him horribly and that she worried about him every moment he was gone, every single time he got a report from another one of her guards that he’d been moved into a new combat zone. She dreaded seeing a report that said he’d been injured in battle, but thankfully that hadn’t happened.

But what hurt most of all? She hadn’t heard from him since. During previous times he’d been out in the field on a mission, he’d always taken the time to send her a letter or flamefax, one that she could turn around and correspond with him. And yet he hadn’t sent one. Admittedly, she hadn’t sent one either, but that was more due to the fact that she didn’t know where to send it or if who administered his flamefaxes while he was out in the field – she could hardly send a note only to find out that it ended up in the hoof of some illiterate panda bandit in distant Zhanguo. So she was stuck, and the distance continued to grow.

Please come back to me, Silver, she thought, as if hoping her mind would send an answer to him somehow. Please come back.

Meanwhile, downstairs, there was a knock on the door. “Mare, I hope she didn’t forget about tonight. We don’t get enough time to hang around as is, and tonight woulda been great!” a voice said.

“I know, I know, but I suppose this is what we get for springing a surprise on her,” a second voice said.

Suddenly the door opened and a filly poked her head out. “Can I help you?”

A white unicorn mare wearing eyeglasses fixed magenta eyes on the filly. She had her hair set back in a two-tone blue docktail and wore a simple naugahyde jacket. She looked familiar, Diamond thought, but she couldn’t place where. “Hey, ‘scuse me,” the unicorn said, with a grin. “Does Rarity live here?”

A voice behind the unicorn nickered. Diamond looked in that direction and found a beautiful earth pony mare with a gray coat and black mane; the mane style was in that casual-yet-stylish look that Diamond always wished she could get away with. She was wearing a t-shirt with a sweater over it and looked beautiful in it. “Are you sure this is the place?”

“Beats me – I haven’t been to her new pad yet, and I’m guessing you haven’t either, Tavi.”

“Um…this is Miss Rarity’s place,” Diamond said, looking at both.

“See, Tavi? Toldja!” the unicorn said boisterously. “Well, can you tell her that Vinyl and Tavi—”

“Octavia, Vinyl – you’re practically the only one who calls me ‘Tavi’!”

“Yeah, what she said. Anyway, is she here? We were figuring she was going to head to the Summer Fashion Fling, and we’re old friends of hers, so we figured we’d spring a surprise on her—”

“Because you’re absolutely incapable of planning anything, you know,” Octavia said as she rolled her eyes.

“Aw, c’mon, Tavi! It’s not my fault that Ly and Bonnie were out of town last weekend when we went to go visit.”

“Which I knew, if you’d bothered to ask!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatevs. So, kid, can Rarity come play?” she said gleefully.

“Um…my mistress is feeling somewhat under the weather, so she’s not going to be able to go anywhere,” Diamond lied. But a second later, a thought came to mind. “Wait – you said you’re going to the Summer Fashion Fling?”

“Yeah. I really think it’s stuck up and snooty, but I like to scope out my rivals – I hear Tequila Sunrise is playing there this year, that talentless hack – and it’s good for connecting with those who need to be connected with, at least for Tavi’s job. And, hey! Free boozahol!”

“Is that all you ever think about?”

“No, I’m also thinking about the cute plot on that piano player in your orchestra. Guy can’t play the keys for crap, but he’s bu—”

“VINYL!” Vinyl merely responded by flashing Octavia a grin, and Octavia just looked at the ground, shaking her head. “Remind me why we’re friends?”

“Because you, me and Ly grew up together?”

“Anyway,” Octavia said as she turned to Diamond, “why were you asking?”

“Well, Miss Rarity and I were going to go, but then she got sick an—”

Octavia waved a hoof. “Say no more; you can come with us, young miss. I don’t think Rarity will mind, and if she does, I’ll talk to her…especially since I seem to be the only adult here.”

“Aww, come on, Tavi! Let the filly relax – it’s not often somepony gets to hang with DJ P0N-3!”

Diamond’s jaw fell. “You’re DJ P0N-3?”

“Yeah, but keep it on the downtempo, kiddo. I’m just going as myself, Vinyl Scratch, because even I want to enjoy myself sometimes. Plus, this way instead of me having to sign autographs, we can all go out for coffee after the show and find out what’s really bothering Rarity.”

“What do you mean?”

Octavia smiled. “For starters, Rarity would have to be dead to miss an event like this. And second, if she were really sick, she wouldn’t let you go either, both because you might spread germs and because she’d be worried about your health.” When Diamond opened her mouth to apologize, Octavia went up and patted Diamond on the withers. “We’ll talk about that later. For now, let’s just go have fun and make sure Vinyl doesn’t, okay?”

“But Tavi…!”

“Vinyl, if you hit on Ivory one more time, I am going to take your old Rickenbucker guitar and beat you over the head with it!” To Diamond’s surprise, Vinyl looked somewhat shocked and Octavia, who had previously been the soul of maturity, blew a raspberry at her friend.

“Sergeant, I figured you’d be asleep right now,” Silver said as he stood in the Kitsunegahara Forest, the largest in Inari and one of the largest in the world. The Inari samurai – soldiers like himself, but with very different armor – were scouting out the area, leaving the ponies behind in reserve. Silver didn’t mind that, as this was their nation and they were only here to assist; there was also the undeniable fact that as foxes, they could weave through the thick brush easier than ponies could. Plus, he’d been fighting practically non-stop for the past three or four days now, and frankly, he needed a break.

“Sorry, sir,” Wheatstalk said as he sat down next to Silver. The kid had earned his promotion and at the rate he was going, he would be a shoo-in for Master Sergeant in a few years, then Warrant Officer before making his way up the officer ranks. Silver was looking forward to seeing that happen; Wheatstalk was a talented stallion and was more than capable of solving any problem in front of him. “Just thinking of my gal.”

“Oh, you started dating?”

He nodded. “Met her in the flower shop just outside the garrison; she’s the owner. White Gardenia’s her name and…well, no offense to your gal, sir, but Gardenia…when she smiles? Makes me feel like I’m the greatest stallion in the world and I know that smile’s for nopony else but me.”

“Yeah, I know that feeling,” Silver said with exhaustion, trying to keep the fake smile up. He had to admit, it’d had been a few days now and he hadn’t written back to Rarity. Of course, when did he have the time? It was one battle after another, collapse from exhaustion, eat something barely this side of nutritious, then back into battle. This was a global-scale crisis, even if it was in the final phase and winding down, and there was no time to focus on minor things like love!

And yet you’ve always found time to write her before, he chided himself. No, what you’re afraid is that it’s the situation with Derpy, all over again. He reached into his barding and pulled out a small scroll, a letter he’d written to her letting her know that he was okay, and that she needn’t worry.

“Last call for mail!” a voice shouted out, as a junior soldier came around with a satchel of mail. “Sir,” he addressed Silver, saluting. “Got room for one more, if you’ve got a private message that’s gotta go out.”

“Well, actua—”

“Wait!” A mare rushed up, carrying a stack of letters. “These are for the intelligence bureau – they must get there immediately!”

“Roger that,” the mailcarrier said, taking them and sticking them in his pack. He then turned back to Silver. “Sorry, Ensign, but I’ve hit my weight limit – can’t safely carry another letter, sir.”

Silver slipped the letter back into his inner pocket. “No, that’s understandable, guardspony. Carry on.”

“I see,” Octavia said as she and Diamond had coffee at Pony Joe’s after the show. Vinyl, who had too much to drink, was asleep next to Octavia, drooling on her sweater.

“I know it’s none of my business, but Miss Rarity has been good to me, and if there’s anything I can do to help, I want to. But all I can say is that because Mister Silver’s not been around as of recent, and she’s not talking and acting depressed, they must’ve had a fight. But that doesn’t make sense, because everypony’s been running around dealing with the whole windigo crisis.”

“Well, she’s a Knight and he’s a guardspony; it’s entirely possible that they ran into each other somewhere and things just went bad. I know how that is. My first coltfriend and I broke up because I accused him of fooling around with one of my friends, but it turned out that I was wrong.”

“You were?”

Octavia nodded. “Turned out he slept with some other filly instead, but that’s not the point.” Octavia then elbowed Vinyl. “Attention, stupid, I need you awake for this.”

“Why yes, Ivory, I do that with a saddle o—oh, gee, thanks, Tavi; you ruined a good dream,” Vinyl muttered. When Octavia glared at her friend, Vinyl just returned a wider grin. “Didja at least get me some coffee?”

“No, that’s your problem. Anyway, looks like Rarity and her coltfriend are having a lover’s tiff, and it’s got young Miss Diamond here bothered. I wish I could think of something to do to help, but I’m really at a loss, considering that I’m currently happy with the coltfriend that you seem intent on sleeping with.”

“Oooh, but he’s got the cutest little dimple on his pl—” Vinyl squeaked. When Diamond just looked stunned and Octavia looked like she was going to commit metaphorical sororicide, the DJ took her friend’s coffee and downed it. “Aaah, much better. Seriously though, Diamond, while I tease Tavi a lot, we grew up together – she’s like my sister, and she knows I would never do that to her, so you can relax. Any fuses she’s going to blow are simply because she’s used to blowing them around me anyway.”

Diamond looked at the older mare curiously. “That’s…good?”

Vinyl nodded. “Of course it is – gets her saddle all unbunched. But anyway, I was paying a little more attention than Tavi here gives me credit for, and I think I have the blatantly obvious answer.”

“What’s that?” Octavia interjected, interested in her friend’s idea. It was probably idiotic, but trust Vinyl to come up with an idiotic idea that worked.

Vinyl rubbed Octavia on the crown of her head and said, “Don’t be stupid – who else?” Vinyl then said the name at the same time the lights turned on in Octavia’s brain as she suddenly said, “Cadance!”

Octavia grinned. “Vinyl! You’re a genius!”

“Are you actually complimenting me, or did you get replaced by a changeling when I wasn’t looking? And if it’s the latter, can I have your coltfriend?”

Octavia rolled her eyes. “Look, Diamond, it’s getting late and I’m sure you have school tomorrow. Just take care of Rarity and leave everything to me and Vinyl…okay, well, me, because Miss Immaturity here’s going to be in Manehattan for the next couple of days,” the earth pony said. “I’ll send a message to Cadance and see what she can do to help – she’s friends with Rarity as well, and if not, Cadance would do it for us and Twilight if we asked.”

“Sorry to hear about her grace’s extended illness,” Rarity’s assistant said to Diamond the following week. “Has she consulted a doctor?”

“She has, sir,” Diamond said, taking the stack of papers that they’d left for Rarity, It would join the already monumental stack of documents on the desk in Rarity’s personal office, untouched while the unicorn remained upstairs, in bed, still depressed. “But I will inform her of your concern.”

“Thank you, miss. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have other business to attend.” He saw himself out, and Diamond looked at the grandfather clock in the foyer. She had just enough time to grab her saddlebags and skedaddle off to school. “Miss Rarity, I’m headed off to school!”

Silence.

“Miss Rarity?”

The silence became deafening. Diamond feared the worst and galloped up the stairs, fearing for her mentor’s sanity. Things had deteriorated the past few days and while Rarity wasn’t on the verge of a CMFIS, she was clearly on the verge of her mind snapping in some manner. “Rarity!” Diamond shouted in a panic the moment she reached the top of the stairs.

Opening the door, she saw Rarity, almost catatonic, holding onto a long brown naugahyde duster that she’d made for his birthday. He’d forgotten it here, apparently, and she was holding it to her as tightly as she would if it were Silver himself, taking in its scent. The room smelled of chocolate and Diamond had to guess what was going on.

She blushed furiously – she was still a teen, but she’d already been told about the birds and the bees, but to.... No, just…no.

“Miss Rarity? It’s me, Diamond,” she said, carefully approaching the slightly-unhinged fashionista. Diamond wasn’t so much worried about herself as she was about Rarity’s health. “C’mon. Let’s go get you in the shower, then we’ll get some help.”

“There’s no help for me, for I am ever lost, adrift in a sea of passion unyielding to the darkeness of despair,” she said, staring off into the distance, and apparently quoting from some book of poetry. “I am ever lost, never to be found by my lover’s caress.”

“Please…this…this isn’t like you, Miss Rarity. You were always strong and brave, whenever I’ve seen you. I don’t know what’s wrong, but…this isn’t you.”

“I don’t know what I am anymore,” she said to no one in particular, burying her muzzle into the duster. “All I know is that I’ve lost hope.”

“Then trust in love,” a soft voice said as the room filled with a rosy, warm light. Diamond turned to the door to find an alicorn standing there.

“Sorry, I’d have been here sooner, but had a nest in Jaguapultapec to finish off,” Cadance said, looking a bit exhausted. “Pack some bags; we’re going to my place for a couple of days.”

Silver grunted as he finally reached his destination. He felt like five thousand miles of bad road, but that’s finally why Shining ordered his unit to return to Canterlot. The war, for lack of a better term, was winding down and Equestria could pull its military back and let other nations deal with the windigo issues in their own countries.

Besides, he had a different war to fight right now.

As he stood in front of Rarity’s home, he noticed no lights were on. Usually at this time of night, she’d be home, tutoring Diamond or giving her training in becoming a seamstress. Or she’d be sitting down, reading a book or any of a number of things that would cause her to be downstairs and the manse somewhat alive with…well, life. But this place looked cold and dark, as though nothing had really been home in the past few days.

He was tempted to use his keyspell to open the door, but he didn’t. He thought about knocking…but he didn’t do that either. He had to wonder if she was actually home.

Or, if she’s faking not being home so she doesn’t have to see me.

Turning tail, he sighed and headed towards his apartment, on the other end of town. He was too exhausted from the fighting to have to deal with yet more of it. He’d deal with it tomorrow.

Assuming there was a tomorrow.

“Oh, Cadance, I’ve been such a fool,” Rarity said as she wiped her tears from her eyes. “And I owe you all an apology for making you all worry about me. And Diamond, I hope you can forgive me for putting such a burden on you.” After all but throwing Rarity in the bath and having her hoofmaidens take care of the recalcitrant fashionista, Cadance sent off a note of excuse to Diamond’s school and the rest of the day they spent retrieving Octavia from her music practice, and Vinyl from a recording session.

“No, you’re not a fool,” Cadance said, leaning back in her chair. “You’re just having the same fears that Derpy had when she was with him – those same fears that I used to have about Shining being in the Guard. In my case, it turned out to be wholly incorrect, as I was the one put in more immediate danger by Chrysalis, not him. And you know Derpy – she’s not exactly a wallflower. But she left Silver because she was afraid of becoming a widow.

“You’re at that stage now, Rarity. Worse than she, because from what I know she was unconscious when she was caught in that explosion in Appaloosa, so she never saw Silver end up torn to shreds in front of her like you did. And unlike you, she has daughters to worry about, though I don’t doubt Sparkler and Dinky are any less worried about their father, and if you and Silver were to have foals the same would apply.

“I want you both to be happy, but I also want you to do what you feel is best,” the romance alicorn said. “And if you ask me, I think you’re strong enough to manage what Derpy couldn’t. Nothing against her – she’s a dear friend – but if she felt that confident, she wouldn’t have left him and you wouldn’t be in this position.”

“I see,” Rarity said. “Well…a wisemare once told me that no matter how old you get, you still have plenty of growing up to do. I suppose I’ve reached that point. I’ll talk to him as soon as I see him in person. I’ve been a foal and I want him to know that I love him – and that I’m not giving up on us, no matter what happens.”

“Good for you, Rares!” Vinyl said, downing a mug of cider. “When does he get back?”

“Tonight,” Cadance replied. “I asked Shining to have Silver’s unit relieved the other day; even if this issue didn’t come up, he’s been on the front lines too long and he’s probably exhausted.” The romance alicorn then closed her eyes, paused in thought and said, “Well, he’s not at your place. I left a small tracer spell there in case he went there looking for you.”

“Which means that he’s probably at his apartment, then,” Rarity said. “I feel ashamed to admit, he’s probably sleeping there for the first time in weeks…and sleeping there alone.”

“Well, I wish I could teleport you over there,” Cadance yawned, “but I have to run the Day and Night courts while my aunts are out of town and relieve Twilight and Applejack before they start wholesale imprisoning the nobility…which might not be a bad idea. But anyway, I’m heading to bed; feel free and stay as long as you need to – and if you need to stay overnight, let the duty hoofmaiden know and she’ll prepare some bedrooms.”

“Oh, heck no, mare!” Vinyl said. “We’ve got a mission of mercy to take care of! Saving the day for love! Isn’t that your job, Heartflank?” the unicorn cracked.

Cadance turned around and instead of chewing Vinyl out, went over and whispered something in the unicorn’s ear. The mischievous grin suddenly fell from Vinyl’s face. “You wouldn’t!”

“That’s what you get for annoying your old foalsitter,” Cadance said with a grin, before nuzzling Vinyl. “But you know I wouldn’t. I love you all too much…at least until you push your luck again, Vi.” Waiving a good night, the alicorn went upstairs to head to bed.

“So now what?” Rarity said, looking as her apprentice, droopy-eyed, had all but fallen asleep on the couch. She flagged the attention of the duty hoofmaiden and asked her to carry Diamond to the bedroom she’d be staying in while they were at Cadance’s.

“I don’t know about you two, but for me, it’s getting late,” Octavia said. “As much as I’d love to hear your stupid idea, Vinyl, it’s two in the morning.”

The grin on Vinyl’s face was wide. “I know – that’s why it’s perfect!”

The earth pony facehoofed. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

Silver twisted and turned uncomfortably in his bed. It was a weird experience: he’d had this apartment for years, it was his home, and yet he felt like a stranger here. The place felt empty and unfamiliar, more like a hotel room or a spare bedroom at a friend’s place than anything that he could actually call his own.

I hate to admit it, but I’ve gotten way too used to staying at Rarity’s place, he thought as his eyes opened up. Although it’s not the bed that’s the problem…it’s the lack of company. He turned and sighed again. He’d gotten into this same situation when he was with Derpy, staying at her place so long that her place had become home back then. And now here he was, back in that same situation once more.

Well, the unit has the week off, after all that crap, so I’ll head over there first thing in the morning and talk to her. What I wouldn’t do to see her face again right now, though.

And then that’s when the music started: A soft jazzy rhythm, not enough to wake the neighbors, but definitely enough to catch his attention. He tried to ignore it at first, but the volume just continued to increase, enough so that he wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight. Wondering if his neighbors were going to complain at first, he finally decided that wasn’t likely to happen, mainly because it sounded as if it were being directed only towards his window and that meant magic.

What, some freakin’ kid playing a game or something?

Getting out of bed, he went to the window to shout at whatever teenagers thought the juvenile prank was a good one. Instead, he got the strangest view of his life. Standing there, in the street facing his home, was Rarity, wearing the duster she’d made for him a couple of months ago. She was looking at his window with hope, her horn aglow as if she were casting a spell. But the weirdest part of all was the contraption she held over her head in her forehooves as she stood on her hindlegs, a silvery-metal box that seemed to be where the soft jazz was coming from. She just stood there as the music blared from what he assumed were speakers on the thing.

“Vinyl, what in Tartarus is that thing?” Octavia asked.

“I call it a boombox,” Vinyl said to her friend as they hid behind a nearby bush. “I commissioned my sound engineer to build it for me when I realized I needed a small sound system for when I need to travel light at some music gigs. Works great, too! But wondering why you’re not letting me play my patent-proving love wubs! That woulda rocked his world for sure!”

“Vinyl, we’re trying to get Rarity and her beau back together, not have him never speak to her together because he fears the portable earthquake she’s carrying.”

Silver, needless to say, rushed outdoors immediately. “Rarity, what’s going on?”

Seeing him, she turned off the boombox and set it down. “I want you to know something: I’m never giving up on you. I’m never giving up on us,” she told him. “I don’t care what Derpy said in the past or any of your previous relationships or whatever: this life is just you and me, and so long as you’ll have me I’ll always be your mare.”

He smiled softly. “Rarity…I o—” She immediately shut him up with a delicate placement of her hoof.

“Silver, I owe you an apology. I was thinking like a spoiled foal again. I realize that you’re a guard officer and you have duties, but I didn’t think about how it would affect the both of us – I only thought about how it would affect me. It was selfish of me to react as I did, especially when you keep doing it because you wish to keep me safe. For that alone, I owe you an apology, love, and hope you won’t think unwell of me.”

“Love, I could never think that way,” he told her. “You were worried about me. You cried when you thought I was on the verge of death, not because you thought Roadspierre had won, but because you were afraid of losing me. And then you did it again when it looked like Pazuzu had defeated me. How on earth could I ever think badly of a mare who wants nothing more than the best for me? If anything, I owe you an apology for storming off that day without telling you where I was going.”

“I guess we’re just a couple of foals then,” she laughed softly. “So, split the difference and call it a draw, love?” she asked. His answer was to kiss her gently. She joined in, willingly, hungrily. The two just stood there for several minutes, doing nothing but kissing one another and letting their love speak for itself.

As they broke the kiss, he said, “Come on in. We’ve got some making up to do, and lost time to make up for.”

“Yes, let’s,” she said, nuzzling him as they went into his apartment.

“See? Toldja it’d work!” Vinyl said with a grin as she went to go retrieve her boombox.

“Well, if it works that well,” Octavia cooed, taking the boombox out of the unicorn’s hooves, “Ivory only lives a half-mile away, so I’ll be borrowing this. Ta-ta!” she sang out, walking down the street with the box balanced on her back.

Vinyl looked at Silver’s apartment, where the lights had just gone out; then down the street, where Octavia had just disappeared into the distance. She sighed. “I really gotta get me a coltfriend,” she muttered, as she started the walk back to her own apartment.

XI: They Danced by the Light of the Moon

The door to the shop rang as someone came in. The store’s proprietor, Raspberry Beryl – a mulberry-hued unicorn mare with a lilac and sky-blue mane – chirped in delight as the bell rang. “Welcome to Beryl’s Baubles! How can I help you?” A second later, she smiled even more warmly, as this wasn’t just a typical walk-in customer. “Oh! Mister Silversteel! Please, come on in!”

“Thank you, Miss Beryl,” Silver said as he entered the jewelry store. “And please – just call me Silver.”

“Then call me Razz, if you don’t mind,” she replied with a smile. “So anyway, I assume you’re here to see your daughter?”

“Yeah,” he said, rubbing the back of his head. “In a nutshell.”

Razz went into the back part of the shop, while Silver spent a couple of minutes looking at the jewelry displays. Though he knew very little about gems and jewelry, he knew nice craftsmanship when he saw it; furthermore, it warmed his heart that some of the pieces had been done by his daughter and she was showing great skill in her craft – while he wasn’t sure, he pretty much guessed which ones were made by her and which by her mentor, though at some points it was somewhat difficult to be sure.

“Dad!” Sparkler went up to him and hugged him. “What brings you into town?”

“Just had my weekend free – Rarity’s on business in Torontrot for the week and I wanted to come to Ponyville and see how my girls are doing.”

“Well, I’m not off work for another few hours, but Mom should be picking Dinky up from school, if you want to meet her there,” Sparkler suggested.

“Well, I didn’t come here entirely just to see you, Sparky,” Silver admitted. “I’m also here to buy something.”

“Well, we’ve got a new selection of summerstone rings that I’ve just made, if you care to see them,” Razz said. “I’ll even toss in a discount.”

“No offense, Razz, but I was hoping that it’d be something my daughter made,” Silver said, an earnest smile on his face. “I’m thinking this one should, um, ‘be kept in the family’, if you know what I mean.”

Razz picked up on the meaning immediately, but it took Sparkler a few seconds to comprehend. Finally, when it sank in, she asked, “Does that mean you’re going to…?” When he nodded yes, she embraced him again. “Congratulations, Dad. I’m sure you’ll make Miss Rarity absolutely happy.”

That night, Silver sat down for dinner with his daughters and Derpy. It was a testament to how much changed in the nearly two years since the day their relationship ended that they were able to sit down and talk without dredging up memories of the past. Instead, they talked about Dinky’s school, Sparkler’s apprenticeships and attempts at dating – Silver expected her to introduce the young stallion should they ever be on a date where he was nearby – and then ultimately to recent events in Derpy’s life.

“And so Crescent Moon asked me out again, but I had to decline,” Derpy said, taking a bite from her place. “While he’s cute – very cute – I had to turn him down because I’m just not in the right mind for dating again. And no, Silver, that’s not your fault.”

“I know it isn’t, Derpy, but I don’t want you to have to give up on your own social life just for the girls – I’m sure they don’t want you to, either.”

“Dad’s right, Mom,” Sparkler agreed. “Besides, that way I can help make an engagement band for you like Dad’s asking me t—whoops!” She immediately covered her mouth, looking mortified. “I guess that was supposed to be a secret?”

“Hardly, muffin,” Derpy assured her older daughter. “I kinda expected this would happen sooner or later.”

“Derpy, I….” Silver began.

“No, Silver, you don’t have to apologize for anything. You love her, and proposing to her was only going to be a matter of time, I knew. And I’m hardly the jilted ex-wife; I like Rarity and I think you chose well,” Derpy insisted. “The way my social life is going really doesn’t have any bearing with how your life’s going.”

“Oh, good – for a moment I thought you’d be a little jealous.”

“I am,” she teased, though there was something in her voice that hardened just a touch, just a slight hint that perhaps it wasn’t entirely in jest. “Just a little, though, but that’s my fault – my heart’s never going to let go, even though my mind has, if that makes sense.”

He nodded. “It does.”

The two adults looked at one another. Sparkler knew her parents well enough to know that look. Turning to her younger sister, she said, “I think we should go play a game in the living room. Want to play Princesstratego?”

“How about Battleclouds?” Dinky said as Sparkler picked up their dishes and put them in the sink.

The two adults let the foals depart before Derpy gave a wan smile, closing her eyes as she said, “Our older daughter is far too bright at times.”

“Derpy, I never meant to hurt you by not telling you.”

“How am I supposed to feel, Silver?” she said, her eyes tearing up. “I heard Sparky’s words and the only thing going through my mind is that we should have been married for the past two years now. And now here you are, getting ready to propose to Rarity, and….” She sighed. “Do you know what my first date was like after I left you? Went out with Chocolate Haze, but that didn’t go well, because I kept – and quite unfairly, too – comparing him to you. Then afterwards, I went out with Chance-a-Lot, but I did the same thing to him, too. I tried a couple more stallions, but all it’s proven is that what I already knew: I’m not over you and I probably never will be.” She reached over the table and took his hooves in hers. “Did you know that just a few days after I called it quits I sent a flamefax to Shining to pass a note to you that I’d changed my mind?”

“I never got the note,” he said.

“I know. At first I thought that Shining was just stepping in to protect my feelings like he usually does, but after he found out, he did some investigating and found out that Spike gave Goldie the note to pass on – and your sister wasn’t too happy with me back then.”

“I’ll have to talk to her.”

“No, just leave it,” she said, her voice broken. She then took her hooves away and said, “Silver, I think you need to leave now before I do something we’ll both regret.”

“Derpy, I know you. You wouldn’t strike a fly,” he said.

“Silver, unless you want to explain to your soon-to-be fiancée why you and I have three foals instead of two, I think you need to leave now.” He caught the whiff of sweetscent in the air and immediately understood. He went over to give her a goodbye kiss on the cheek, but she pushed him away – with great reluctance. “Please, just go. I understand and the girls will too,” she sobbed.

Silver left the house feeling incredibly guilty that night.

“And that should be that,” Rarity said as she signed the last of the contracts with a flourish. “The Ministry is more than happy to pay for the Royal Torontrot Museum’s expansion.”

“Thank you, your grace,” Maple Leaf, the mayor of Torontrot, said as she bowed. “I should let you know that we’re scheduled to have a reception tomorrow evening to celebrate the expansion. Should I expect you’ll be joining us?”

She shook her head. “I’m afraid not, Miss Leaf. The train back to Canterlot leaves in the morning and as much as I would love to attend, I must get back to my duties at the Ministry.”

“A shame, that,” Maple commented. “Sapphire Shores will be performing a benefit for the museum that evening and she mentioned speaking to you about old times.”

“I’ll just have to send a note to Miss Shores leaving my condolences,” Rarity said. “But since I hadn’t had that tour of the museum yet, I wonder if you’d be willing to indulge me, Miss Leaf.”

“Gladly, your grace,” she said with a curtsey.

A few hours later, Rarity, with her guard escort in tow, departed the museum for the nearby hotel. “Thanks for indulging me, Night Lily,” she told the black pegasus.

Night Lily smiled. “Are you kidding? I love museums! Honestly, I bet if it wasn’t for the fact that my family’s legacy guardspony, I probably would’ve tried to work at a museum or something. Trust me, getting to be your guard is a pleasure – and I’d rather do that than be on guard duty for Duchesses Andalusia or Mustang, no offense or nothing.”

Rarity’s eyes narrowed in offense. “And what’s wrong with my sisters?”

“Nothing at all,” Lily replied. “Just that well, whoever has guard duty for those two that weekend usually ends up getting roped into helping out on the Apple farm, and between you and me? I’m a little too dainty for that kind of hard work.” She giggled. “Really feel sorry for whomever’s got that duty during applebucking season, if you ask me.”

“Why?” Rarity batted her lashes wickedly. “Volunteering?”

“You wouldn’t!” Lily gasped.

The unicorn flashed a smile as they approached the hotel. “Of course I wouldn’t, dear – with the obvious exception of Rainbow and Twilight, each of us has a retinue of guards that suits us, and I like mine being beautiful and cultured, of course. Though, no offense, I’d rather not need one at all.”

“You know the orders, your grace,” Lily replied. “Until intelligence and the Guild can confirm those letters sent to the palace weren’t just pranks, the four Knights not usually attached to martial duties are to have a small retinue of guards at all times. And no offense to you, your grace, but I was hoping to be home for my son’s birthday party this weekend. Little Watermelon Seed’s just turning ten and I’ve missed too many birthdays over the years.”

“Oh, dear. I’m very sorry about that, Night Lily,” Rarity apologized, feeling guilty. “Had I known, I would have required Birch Branch or Ribbon Rose to come along. When we return, I insist you take a few days off to spend time with your family.”

“Your grace is too kind,” Lily said, as they entered the building. “What about you? What’re your plans when we get back to Canterlot?”

“A peaceful, relaxing time with my coltfriend, hopefully,” she replied. “Other than that, spending time training my apprentice a little more, wondering what mischief my sister – and by that I mean my little sister, Sweetie Belle – and probably with the help of my sister royal – and by that I mean Twilight – and generally hoping that all this nonsense ends soon. We’re all still recovering from the windigo crisis; I do believe we’re all allowed a few minutes of peace and quiet for a change, are we not?”

The following morning, Silver left Caramel and Wind Whistler’s home as soon as he could – “Getting kicked out by your ex-wife. That’s talent!” Caramel, I’d hurt you for that if I didn’t owe you for letting me stay overnight – and went straight to the train station. The bite of autumn’s brisk morning chill was already in the air, and he almost skipped going by Razz’ place, pausing only to leave a note asking that Sparkler deliver the ring as soon as it was complete. Once that was complete, he walked the remainder of the way to the station, set in the center of town.

As he passed through the town, he saw the milkmare and a few other ponies milling about on their morning deliveries. He waved a jovial hello to a couple of them; it paid to be friendly, since other than work or catching the earlybird train to Canterlot, nopony in their right mind would be out of bed this time of day.

So it came as a huge surprise to see Derpy, sitting there at the empty station, waiting for him. “I asked Sparkler to take Dinky to school this morning on the way to her own classes,” the pegasus explained. “Silver, I—”

“You don’t have to apologize, Derpy,” he told her. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

“Yes, I do,” she insisted. “You don’t know how many times I’ve fantasized about breaking up you and Rarity whenever you’ve come to visit the girls. You don’t know how many times I’ve thought to myself that maybe I’d be happy just being The Other Mare – and then I berate myself for being just like my sister.”

“You’re not like Ditzy,” he told her firmly. “You’re a wonderful mother and a wonderful friend – and someday you’ll make somepony a wonderful wife, too. I wish it would have been with me, but that didn’t happen and we can’t go back. But I’m always going to love you, Derpy, and I’m always going to be your friend.”

“Even after last night?”

“Especially after last night, believe it or not,” Silver replied. “You could’ve given in to your desires and tried to do something we’d have regretted, but you didn’t. I’m not that kind of stallion and you’re not that kind of mare.”

“Yeah, I’d never do anything like that,” Derpy said, flatly and unconvincingly. It sounded like an outright lie to Silver’s ears, but he realized that it was probably because she didn’t believe in her own emotions at the moment; he knew her well enough to know she would never be that way.

He gave her an encouraging smile. “Well, maybe this is the wrong time to mention this, but I was hoping if you’d be Best Mare at the wedding.”

She shook her head. “No, I’m afraid I can’t, Silver, sorry.”

“I thought you sa—”

She giggled. “No, not because of that, but because it’s bad luck for the bride and groom, dummy! It’d be the same as if you’d asked Exotic Beauty to be your Best Mare if we got married.”

“Oh. I, uh, didn’t…know that.”

“I know. Well, you go propose to your gal and I’ll be at the wedding, I promise. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got my post office to open, and a letter to send to Cloudsdale to see if Crescent Moon’s up for a date tomorrow night – I’ll need one for the wedding, right?” she winked. She threw her arms around him and kissed him – not passionately, but just chastely on the cheek while being close enough to his lips to hint at something further. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help, Silver.” She then flew off back in the direction of her home.

He sighed with relief as he watched her fly off. “Well, at least that’s one problem solved,” he said aloud as he waited on the platform.

“Oh, I can think of a least one more that’s cropped up in its place,” a voice said behind him, and his manehairs stood on end. Silver slowly turned around to see Rarity’s father, Magnum, standing there, a nonplussed look on his face. “Well, I had plans to go to Canterlot for the day and speak to you about something, I gather?”

“Uh, yeah?” Silver said, seeing his life flash before his eyes. He hoped that his prospective father-in-law hadn’t just seen what happened.

“It’s going to be a long train ride,” Magnum said, noncommittally. “Lots of interesting things to be seen while on the trip. And sometimes even before.”

Oh, buck me. “Yeah, no kidding,” Silver said, trying to figure out how he was going to explain it.

“Oh, dear, I got the coffee for the trip and…oh, hello, Silver! What are you doing here in Ponyville?” Pearl asked, as she arrived at the station with two cups of coffee at the ready, held in the bright yellow of her telekinesis.

Silver tried not to shudder; today was going to be a really long day.

“Twilight! Sweetie! What a surprise!” Rarity said as she saw her sisters waiting on the train platform in Canterlot. After promising she’d be safe in the company of the vicemagus and her apprentice, Rarity dismissed her escorts and went over to her sisters. “Honestly, ladies, I hadn’t expected anypony to be waiting here for me, with the possible exception of my dearest beloved.”

“Just thought you’d want to know, sis; Mom sent a flamefax an hour ago. She and Dad are on the way here to Canterlot. Why didn’t you tell me they were coming to visit?”

“Because they’re not here to see you – or me, for that matter,” the fashionista said, as a wide smile broke onto the mare’s face.

“At last, it begins,” Twilight said, nodding to Rarity in congratulations.

Sweetie blinked in confusion. “Uh…what begins, sis?”

“You’ll find out when you’re older,” both Twilight and Rarity said at once, eliciting a groan from the youngest unicorn. Rarity then looked at Twilight and said, “I’m presuming you’re here for more than just to escort Sweetie?”

“Actually, I’ve got some good news: Celestia’s giving the family the chance to stand down the extra guards if they wish. Intelligence finally found out who was sending those letters; turns out they were traced to some anti-government protesters in Manehattan. The protesters apparently blame the windigo catastrophe on Discord – apparently somepony didn’t read the memo that he’s still frozen in stone,” Twilight commented. “Anyway, once we had a chance to explain to them that Discord was still in his prison and that writing letters that could be construed as threats was a bad thing, they immediately backed off.”

“Well, that’s good,” Rarity replied. “Night Lily and the others have been wonderful to work with, but I’m not sure how I feel about being followed around on a regular basis. It might work for Celestia and Luna, but not for me, I’m afraid.”

“Well, Fluttershy has opted to keep her guards for the interim, while Pinkie and Applejack have already detached theirs back to the main guard units. I’d recommend sending Shiny a note if you’re going to get rid of yours.”

“Oh, I definitely will. Besides, after today, I’ll be back in the strong, comfortable forelegs of a wonderful stallion and hopefully things will go well from that point. In any case, it’s getting late in the morning, almost towards noon. Has anypony had lunch yet? There’s this delightful Zhanghuanese restaurant that just opened on Royal Rise Road and I’ve been dying to try the place. Shall we?” With that, the trio walked off, hopefully to catch a taxi towards the restaurant.

Ten minutes later, a second train pulled in, this one coming from Ponyville. “And you’re sure about this?” Silver said to Magnum as both stallions disembarked the train.

“Yes. Silver…despite what I saw this morning, I know you’ve got the best of intentions for Rarity, and that’s fine by me,” the older stallion told the younger, “Which is why I’m admitting this to you and not them; Rarity wouldn’t take it very well and Sweetie…she’s just too young for this sort of news right now.” He shrugged. “I want my girls to be taken care of…in case….”

Silver reached up and patted the older stallion on the withers. “You have my word. I love Rarity more than anything, and Sweetie is an absolute dear to me. You have my word that I will see to both.”

“Thank you,” Pearl said in appreciative tones. “We’ll tell them eventually, but we were hoping that we’d discuss it with you first – for the support, you understand.”

“I do, but…well, no offense intended, but now I wonder if my own parents have yet to tell me about anything I should be aware of,” Silver stated. “I do think you need to tell them as soon as possible, though. I don’t want to keep anything from Rarity and even if I did, it would be unfair for them to find out that something was amiss without any chance to be prepared.”

“I will,” Magnum promised. “I just don’t know when the best time is.”

“Anytime is better than never. Never tends to be forever and comes up on you faster than you expect.”

“Well, that’s enough of that dour and gloominess!” Pearl chirped, throwing her forelegs around the two stallions’ necks. “What I’d like to hear is what you plan to tell her when the time comes! I’m sure you’ve had enough time to think about it and it’s the finest idea ever!”

“Silver…no offense, dear, but that has to be the worst idea ever,” Pearl told him an hour later while they were at a seafood restaurant not too far from the train station. At the moment, she was munching on a sargassum and rock rose quiche and trying not to look mortified over Silver’s suggestion.

“Well, that shoots down my major idea,” Silver sighed as he set down his drink. “I mean, that’s how my father proposed to my mother, and she repeatedly told me how much she loved it.”

“Son, remember that you come from a military family,” Magnum told him, “and even though your mother isn’t military, I recall that she comes from a military family as well, doesn’t she? So she’s used to full military tattoos. And to be honest, I think it is somewhat…um…‘unique’.” He gave a smile of the kind that tilted his mustache slightly; the lopsided, sloppy effect of the smile was a hint as to how bad the idea would go over. “But you know as well as I do that Rarity has…refined…tastes. And while I love my little filly very much, I’d be dishonest if I said that she’s not expecting you to completely knock her socks off.”

“I know,” Silver replied. “While she’s admitted to me that she’s, uh, ‘removed’ a bunch of previously defined notions in her head – seriously, I was trying to figure out where I was going to come up with a hoofpony-drawn carriage and a fantasy castle on my paycheck – I still want your daughter to feel like she’s the princess of my heart.”

Pearl beamed slightly at that last statement; though he wasn’t trying to, it was clear to Silver that he’d just scored major points there.

“Well, do you have the ring at least?” Pearl inquired.

“My daughter’s making it,” Silver said with a note of pride. “Once she found out what I wanted her to make, she promised me up and down that she wasn’t going to do anything less than her best – perhaps not her masterpiece, but certainly her finest work to date. She wants Rarity to have the best engagement ring ever made.”

Pearl smiled. “Well, your daughters are adorable, Silver, and I know Rarity absolutely loves them. I’m quite surprised, to be honest, that she took to the idea of motherhood faster than I suspected. Which means that I should be expecting grandfoals to come about not soon after?”

“At least let me marry your daughter first before we get to that stage, okay? Rarity and I can figure out planning a family once we get to that point – I’m sure she’d like foals, and I know I’d like to have at least one colt.”

Magnum smiled. “Well, one thing’s for sure: your foals will have an interesting family. I don’t know how many others can claim to have the five other Knight Elementals and three princesses as foster aunts, so I suspect you’ll have to be extremely careful about them spoiling your foals rotten.”

Pearl pouted. “But I thought that was my job! I’ll have to talk to Sandalwood and let her know we must speak to Twilight and her majesty about making sure we have first dibs on utterly spoiling the foals!”

“Well, if it’s a colt, you can be sure that Hammer and I will get involved, Silver,” Magnum assured him. “And then when they’re all as rambunctious and barely in control as Miss Pie is, we’ll just leave them with you and head home.”

“Gee, thanks,” Silver drawled suspiciously.

“Well, Miss Rarity,” Diamond inquired, a hopeful look in her eyes. “What do you think?”

Rarity eyed the dress critically. “And you said that this was a commission for you? Because I don’t recall anypony requesting a commission, and you know the rules about independently accepting commissions while you’re an apprentice, Diamond.”

The look on the earth pony was nervous. “Well, it’s not so much a ‘commission’, per se, as a ‘request’?” she said, hoping to explain the answer away.

“And the difference is?” Rarity pushed further as she narrowed her eyes, expecting an answer out of her protégé.

Diamond pawed the ground nervously, unsure of what to say. She finally sighed, deciding that the truth was in order. “Okay, it’s not really a commission, or a request: I made it for my mother,” she told Rarity. “Do you remember when my father visited two weeks ago?”

Rarity had; she and Filthy Rich had discussed the current business status of Carousel House – which was doing far better under his business acumen than it had under hers, she hated to admit – but he’d also spent time with his daughter. The immediate aftermath of that was terse, and that weekend Diamond Tiara had returned to Ponyville, but she hadn’t spoken much about it and Rarity wasn’t about to pry into what was clearly a private matter. “I do,” was all she said.

“Well, the truth is that Dad told me that my birth mother finally came to visit Ponyville for the first time since they divorced – she’s apparently been living in Saddle Arabia all these years. Anyway, she had some harsh words to say about both my parents, and Mom’s been in somewhat of a depression since. I was hoping that something that I made something for her because I thought it would cheer her up. I made the story up about making a dress on commission because I know the rules about apprentice works and I….” She looked downcast. “I’m sorry I lied.”

The look on Rarity’s face was touching. “Oh, Diamond, dear…you should have told me sooner! It looks extremely beautiful, and knowing your mother, this would look wonderful on her! To be honest, this looks more like it would work with my coloring instead of your mother’s.”

“Um…I was going for that blending look,” Diamond said. “Against your coat, it contrasts nicely, but since Mom has the same color as the dress, it’s meant to blend well.”

“Brilliant idea, dear,” she said, nuzzling the younger pony. “Well, I’m going to have dinner with my parents, tonight, so don’t stay up too long. You have that test tomorrow, right?”

Diamond nodded. “Thanks for understanding.”

“Think nothing of it, dear. Your heart was in the right place, after all. Well, I’m leaving. Ta-ta!” With that, Rarity gathered up a scarf and headed out into the night.

Diamond sighed; her secret was safe for the moment. I hope this is worth lying to my mentor, Diamond thought to herself as she put the manuluquin away. Silver, you’d better make her happy, because once she finds out this dress is for her, I’m really gonna have to explain! In the meanwhile, she brought out a second manuluquin and started working on the actual dress she was making for her mother – that part, at least, was true enough.

That afternoon, Silver met with his parents for breakfast. The topic, of course, was his impending plans.

At the sudden announcement, Sandalwood squeed, then leapt from her chair and hugged her son from all he was worth. “Oh, my little baby’s finally getting married! I’m soooooo proud!”

Silver rolled his eyes. “Mom, really?”

From his seat, Silver Hammer laughed. “Son, you know your mother has been waiting for you to finally tie the knot with your special somepony. Then the two of you will have lots of life and love.”

“Um…did you two forget that Goldie’s not dating anypony?”

Sandalwood continued her bearhug of an embrace on her son. “Dear, you know your sister is just taking her time finding her special somepony. But your brother found Lavender and now you and Rarity and – oh, you make me so proud,” she said again, wiping tears of joy from her eyes.

Hammer continued to laugh at his son’s discomfort for a few more minutes before offering to let him off the hook. Turning to his wife, he said, “Now dear, don’t you want to hear about the engagement ring, or how he’s going to propose?”

That did the trick. “Hammer, you’re absolutely right, love,” she said, returning to her seat. “Now, tell me everything about the rings and your plans, dear – don’t leave a single thing out!”

Silver nodded. “Well, for starters, Sparky’s making the ring herself – I thought it would be wonderful to keep it within the family.”

“That’s sweet, dear. I’m presuming that we’ll get to see it before you place it on her hoof?”

“Probably not, Mom,” he told her. “After all, I’m still trying to think of the best way to propose to her.”

“Well, why not do it like how I did with your mother?” Hammer asked.

“Pearl and Magnum thought that was a horrible idea,” Silver replied. “And honestly? They’re right. Rarity’s not from a military family, and so a military tattoo is probably not the best idea. Problem is, I’m not really sure how the best way is.”

“Well, dear, that’s what friends are for. After all, when they started dating I was giving dating tips to Velvet on what to do with Night.” Silver looked at his mother strangely and she added, “Twilight Velvet and her husband Night Light – Twilight Sparkle’s parents…or did you forget they’re old friends of mine?”

“No, it’s not that,” Silver replied. “You may have just given me an idea on how to solve my problem.”

“You think Twilight might be able to help you on that?”

“No, since I haven’t talked to her in a couple of days, but I know who can,” he said with a smile.

After two days of being relatively busy, Rarity and her parents finally managed to sit down together for a dinner. Since they wanted to get out of the house, they took her out to dinner.

“Father, Mother, while I appreciate you two taking me out to dinner,” Rarity said, her eye twitching, “did we have to come here?”

“Oh, hello, Miss Rarity!” Gigi, smiling as always. “Would you like the usual? Oh, and who is this charming gentlestallion and lovely lady?”

“Why, hello, Gigi, darling! I’ll have the usual, of course. And this is my father, Magnum; and my mother, Pearl. Mother, Father, this is Gigi. She’s our favorite waitress here.” The twitching did not seem to stop for some reason.

Gigi blushed as only a gryphoness could. “That’s so sweet of you to say, Miss Rarity! And what would you care for, sir?”

“I’ll have a Grifonica Sunrise, if you would please,” he said kindly.

Gigi squealed. “Perfect!” Turning back to Rarity, she said, “I did not know your father was so cultured, Miss Rarity! And you, ma’am?”

“I’ll have just the cranberry iced tea.”

“Excellent! That’s my favorite! I’ll be right back with your drinks.”

The moment Gigi departed, Rarity scowled at her father. “Grifonica Sunrise? Father, you told me you weren’t drinking Grifconican rum anymore, because your doctor said it wasn’t good for your constitution?”

“Baaah,” he waved it off. “Let an old stallion have his vices for one night while he still gets a chance to spend time with his little filly while she’s still his little filly.”

“Father, in case you’ve forgotten, I turned twenty-six last month. I’m hardly a little filly.”

He looked at her fondly. “You’ll always be my little filly, Rarity. Both you and your sister. I can still remember the day in Maneapolis at the hospital when I first held you in my forelegs. You were such a tiny, beautiful thing, with a full mane – even then you were quite the little stylist,” he chuckled.

Pearl smiled fondly, then patted her husband’s hoof. “It’s those moments you learn to cherish, dear,” she explained to her daughter. “They’re always special and precious moments, and when you get to be our age, you’ll eventually trea—”

“WATCH OUT!”

There was a burbling splash of alcohols, combined by two drenched unicorns and a mortified gryphoness.

“OhmiCelestia I’m so sorry Miss Rarity I didn’t mean it why does this keep happening?” The look on Gigi’s face was one of utter terror.

Rarity removed a wine-soaked strand of mane from her eyes and blew part of the liquid from her lips. Suddenly, without warning, she started laughing – hysterically.

Gigi blinked twice, wondering if she’d somehow snapped her favorite-yet-most-cursed-customer’s mind. “Uh, Miss Rarity?”

“Please, dear, allow me,” Pearl told the gryphoness. She looked at Rarity and said, “Dear, cut the histrionics. Now.”

“Well, I thought it was some kind of cosmic joke,” Rarity replied as she punctuated her statement with a shrug.

“But you’re scaring the poor waitress, dear.”

“This happens all the time, doesn’t it, Gigi, dear?” Sadly, the gryphoness nodded. Rarity got out of her seat and looked the shaking waitress in the eyes. “Don’t ever change, Gigi, dear,” the fashionista said with a soft smile. “I know you don’t mean it.”

“Thanks, Miss Rarity.” As the gryphoness departed to fetch more drinks and some napkins, Rarity triggered the clean-up spell she’d long since gotten used to activating while eating here and then looked at her father. “Sorry; Silver and I come here on a regular basis and Gigi always does this. It’s never intentional, but she’s somewhat of a klutz. Still, she’s a dear, which is why we always ask to sit at one of her tables – and why I asked Twilight to teach me that drycleaning spell.” She then leaned forward and said, “So now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, would you two be so kind as to tell me what you two and Silver were up to?”

He shook his head. “If you think you’re going to wheedle that sort of information out of me, dear daughter of mine, you won’t. I made a promise to your coltfriend and I intend to keep that promise. I will, however, tell you that we had a very informative and engaging discussion and any choices that he may or may not make will come to light sooner or later.”

Rarity decided it was time to deploy her secret weapon. “Buuut Daddddddy!” she said softly, making sure to put a bit extra pout into the whole action. Unfortunately, to her surprise, nothing occurred. So she tried again, to equal failure. Finally, as Gigi brought the drinks again – carefully, this time – and took their orders, she looked at him with curiosity.

“Sweetheart,” he said, looking at her plainly, “there are some times when I can withstand your assault, so to speak. Don’t think you’re the first mare who’s tried that on me. Your mother, believe it or not, was a master at it, and often thought she had me wrapped around her dainty little hoof.” He patted his wife’s hoof in affection, leaning over to nuzzle her. “Granted, that’s not far from the truth, as it is with both you and Sweetie, but even I have my limits.”

Rarity’s face fell. “Oh,” she said in a soft tone.

“Well, if it’s anything you’ll be sure to be able to bring it to bear against your better half,” Pearl said with confidence. “After all, that’s what it’s really meant for.”

“I see. So what can you tell me?”

“Let’s just say that you generally know what he’s up to, but that how he’s going to do it is with verve and style – and something that I promise you, you’ll never forget.”

“I could really use your help – I have no idea of what to do, and you’re one of Rarity’s closest friends!” Silver yelped to Fluttershy around the same time as Rarity’s dinner with her parents. Since he knew that Rarity’s parents were going to be in town for a few more days, he knew he had to act relatively fast: while she’d been out of town he’d sent a note to Diamond asking her to make the dress; while he knew she wasn’t too happy about lying to her mentor, he promised he’d cover for her and thanked the teen for her help. Afterwards, since he knew Rarity was likely going to have dinner tonight with her parents, he also fired of a note to Fluttershy, asking for her assistance on an “issue” he was having that she could assist with. She’d agreed to dinner that night and selected a place where they wouldn’t be bothered while she helped with his problem.

The problem turned out to be something she hadn’t expected.

She eeped and nearly dived under the table in a panic. The rest of the patrons at the restaurant looked in their direction, saw Fluttershy, and left things be. She’d been to the restaurant enough times that her antics were familiar to the regulars.

“Sorry,” he said, realizing what he did; amazing that after all these years, she had still to gain some confidence and bravery for her actions. He wondered if she ever would. “I just need your help. I want to make this perfect for Rarity and…I really just don’t know how to make it as special for her as she deserves.”

“Oh, that’s okay,” Fluttershy said softly, climbing back into her chair. “I understand you’re just a bit…anxious, and, well, so am I. And I appreciate that you want to make things as wonderful for Rarity as you can. I just don’t know if I can offer much in the way of advice, but I’d like to, I mean, if that’s okay with you.”

“That would be great,” he told her.

The yellow pegasus smiled softly. “Well, there was a discussion that Luna and I had when I had lunch with her a few weeks ago. There’s a particular grotto that Luna mentioned that she’d created shortly after we freed her from the Nightmare, a place she created for her personal getaway. She mentioned it to me because she wanted to know which animals would be the best for populating the garden, though I had to tell her that the Veterinary Service isn’t under my Ministry.” She smiled softly as she added, “That might change in the near future, though.” Any further smile was covered up as she daintily brought a cup of tea to her muzzle.

Silver looked at his friend with new appreciation; he wasn’t sure if she was even aware, but she was changing. From what little he knew of her when they first met, she wouldn’t have made such a suggestion to a princess, even one that was family to her. But the Fluttershy sitting before her had clearly wanted to ensure her animal friends would be taken care of, so she hinted that the service she was once a part of was now going to be under her official purview.

“Does Rarity know about it?” Silver inquired. The idea of two of them just going alone intrigued her, but if Rarity was even remotely aware of it, it would ruin the uniqueness of the place.

“I don’t know,” Fluttershy admitted almost audibly. A few seconds later, she added, “You might want to inquire with her about it – well, either her or Twilight, because I think she’s taken Twilight before as well.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t know her highness as well as I should. I know Celestia well enough – it still feels weird just referring to her without her title, but she insisted on it – and I’ve known Cadance for years, but Princess Luna I’m afraid I’ve only met on a few occasions.”

“I’ll let her know you want to meet with her. It would prevent your request being lost by her clerical staff. I’ve sent stuff to her via her Office and it didn’t get to her until weeks or months later. At this point for anything that doesn’t require our offices, we just talk directly.”

“I’d appreciate that, if you don’t mind,” Silver told her.

“Just make Rarity happy, which I know you will,” Fluttershy said, giving him a smile so brilliant, it reminded him of why she still modeled on occasion.

Back at his apartment – Rarity’s parents were staying at her place, and while they knew he’d practically lived over there now, he felt it would be best to give the family some together time without him – he got ready to head to bed. He’d be out of town for the next few days on an investigation with his unit, and as soon as he returned, then he’d have a chance t—

“You asked to see me?” It was a credit to Silver’s training as a guardspony that he didn’t jump in shock at the sudden announcement behind him. Instead, he turned to face the Princess of the Night, standing before him, an apologetic look on her face. “My apologies. I’d intended to teleport to your front door, but I was distracted by one of my own guards…it doesn’t happen often,” she admitted.

“Well, welcome to my humble abode, your hi—”

“Just ‘Luna’ is fine. I understand you are a long-time friend of my niece, and you have Tia’s friendship as well. Plus, you are dating one of my sisters royal, so you are allowed a little bit of leeway,” she said with a smile.

“You know, Celestia said the same thing,” he told her.

“No doubt. So, Fluttershy said you had a question for me?”

“Yes. She recommended a private midnight grotto of yours, and I’d been looking for a place to propose to Rarity,” he told her. “With your permission, your hi…I mean, Luna, I’d like to use it.”

Luna smiled softly, the look on her face ethereally beautiful in the moonlight – unsurprising, he thought, as it was her element. “You’ll make her eternally happy, I assure you,” the alicorn told him, “and I know that, speaking on behalf of the rest of us, we’d like nothing more than to see you both in marital bliss. Of course you have my permission to use it; in truth, the ultimate plan was to make it a weekend getaway location for the family, so I’ll be glad to see it will get some use – it will help erase the stain of its original intent.”

“Original intent?”

Luna nodded. “The grotto was where Nightmare Moon intended to build her palace once she’d destroyed Canterlot. There was no plan to ever return to Castle Everfree; that was filled with memories, fond memories, that Tia and I shared and I think that it disturbed the Nightmare greatly. But there’s something about this place that drew her here and caused her to create this grotto when she escaped from the moon. Eventually, a palace would have arisen, but thankfully Twilight and the others defeated her and freed me from her clutches.” She sighed. “Tia told the public that I spent my first year back in seclusion and recovery, but that’s only partially true. I spent a good part of it removing the taint from the grotto and hoping to make it of some worth to ponykind once more. I have faith that I’ll have done that.

“If you choose to propose to her there, it will make the grotto a place of love and light, something that the Nightmare could never stand for. So, Silver – it is Silver, correct? – I’m not saying you have my permission to use it. I’m asking you to do so, both for my sake, but just as important, for your plans.”

“Silver’s fine,” he told her. “And I cannot imagine a greater honor, Luna. Thank you.”

“No thanks needed,” she said. “Unfortunately, my duties as of recent don’t give me much time to head to the grotto, so I won’t be able to escort you there. However, I’ve left it in the hooves of a caretaker.” Her horn flickered with turquoise power, and a stack of documents appeared before her. “I’ll detail an escort of my guards to take you there – I have a few that know the way – and if you let me know what day you plan to do it, I’ll be able to make a few extra arrangements for you two. As for the documents, they’ll let the family in question know you’ve got permission to use it, so you might want to make some plans ahead of time so that it doesn’t interfere with your special night.”

“Thanks again,” he told her, glad to know he had her on his side.

A week later, a chariot flew across the twilight sky, towards the northern mountains that separated much of central Equestria from the northern tundra that held Empire City. On the chariot was an earth pony, a bit too eager to land, but more due to what he was about to do as opposed to the natural disinclination of flying that earth ponies had. Finally, as they approached a cottage overlooking a large walled garden, the chariot began its descent.

“You know, I’ve been meaning to ask, Sergeant,” Silver asked as the chariot Luna lent him had landed by the cottage, “why do the members of the Lunar Guard assigned to chariot duty dress as batponies? They’re just myths, like merponies or humans.”

“Wasn’t always this way, sir,” the sergeant, a tall, byzantium-coated batpony with a dark-brown mane, laughed. “Blame it on her highness’ sense of humor. From what I understand, her original guard was composed of nothing but dark-coated ponies, but she dismissed them because of guilt over the whole Nightmare Moon issue. Well, she brought us onboard just before her first public appearance, which was Nightmare Night in Ponyville. Lieutenant Lightchaser had a suggestion that we all dress up as batponies and that we use the designs of Nightmare Moon’s old chariot as part of the effect. The Princess was absolutely heartbroken at first, until Corporal Softheart assured her we were doing it out of love and respect for our princess. Eventually, she liked the idea so much that she made it the official uniform while on chariot duty, though as you can see, she now uses a standard chariot. Besides, what are you going to be afraid of? A nightmarish, bat-winged monstrosity, or…” He suddenly tapped the front of his barding and his body flickered with a deep-blue, suddenly revealing a bright pink stallion with a soft yellow mane, almost as if he was a natural color inversion of Fluttershy, “…something like this?” He pressed his barding again, returning to his duty uniform.

“I get your point. Anyway, I’ll be right back,” he said, walking up the hill towards the cottage. He knocked on the door, and was surprised to find who answered it. “Twilight?”

“Silver, what are you doing here?”

“What’re you doing here?”

“Visiting a friend,” she told him. “What’re you doing here?”

“I came to speak to the custodian of the grotto. I’m…I’m proposing to Rarity next week, and Luna let me use the grotto for the place, so I came to arrange things to make sure everything’s perfect for that night.”

Twilight smiled widely, her eyes misting up. She reached forward and embraced him, squeeing in delight. “I’m so happy for you two! Congratulations!”

“Hey, Twi, want to tell me about your coltfriend?” a voice behind her said. Twilight let go of Silver, then turned to face the speaker. The first, and clearly the one who spoke, was an azure-blue unicorn, with a two-tone cornflower and faded-cornflower mane. The one next to her was also a unicorn mare, a misty-rose mane with a rosy-brown and rosevale-colored mane.

“Silver, these are my friends Trixie Lulamoon and Vie en Rose. Trixie, Vie, this is Silversteel, Rarity’s coltfriend…or should I soon say, her fiancé. Luna asked me and Trixie to see if there was anything we can do to add to the grotto, and Vie’s the custodian.”

“Really?” the one named Trixie said. “That’s great! I’m sure you two will be happy together.”

Vie looked at the paperwork that Silver provided. “Yeah, that’s her highness’ signature on it. Well, I can have the grotto ready that evening. What time do you plan to be present so I can make sure that you’re not disturbed?”

“Not disturbed?” he asked.

“I can have a no-fly zone set up over the grotto. We get curious pegasi from time to time, and you don’t want them disturbing you in case things get, ah, ‘intimate’?” Silver suddenly blanched, his eyes widening and Vie blushed in response. “Yeah, I had a date with my coltfriend there shortly after I was hired, and we…well, let’s just say that after I complained to the Princess, she advised that in the future I should set up a no-fly zone so that we’re not spied on. And as for the pegasus in question, well, she did send a gift basket in apology, so….”

“Vie, you didn’t tell me about that. I’m going to have to mortify you and Mushroom Quiche now, aren’t I?”

Vie’s eyes narrowed. “You do that, and you’ll be the ‘Great and Powerful’ Homeless Mare, got that?” Before Trixie could answer, Vie’s horn glowed with bright green as her magic gripped a large stone key, and she said to Silver, “Follow me and let me show you around, okay? Twilight, do me a favor and straighten out our resident lunatic? Thanks.”

As Silver and Vie walked out of the cottage, she said, “I’m sorry I had to shoot down your positive attitude back there. I’ve been asked to watch over Trixie’s ‘rehabilitation’ into normal Equestriani society after her repeated, er, ‘instances’. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the fact that Twilight vouches for her, I wouldn’t bother, but…well, we really can’t afford to have a unicorn as powerful as Trixie Lulamoon walking around being a potential problem, and….” Vie shrugged. “Being a Guard officer, I’m sure you’ve had some of your ponies in the stockade before, right? That’s kinda what this is.”

“She’s not a danger, is she? Twi’s a friend and I….”

“No, Twilight’s not in danger,” Vie assured him. “Frankly, she’s the only one that Trixie respects, because Twilight’s beaten her twice. Plus, even if Twilight didn’t know her, I guess we owe it to Trixie’s grandfather’s memory to rehabilitate her. Presto Lulamoon was the Archmagus of Equestria in his day and the Lulamoon family is pretty disappointed in their black sheep. But if Twilight thinks Trixie can change, well, hey, those are my marching orders.”

“Marching orders?”

“Oh, heh. I shoulda mentioned. I’m not just the custodian for the grotto – I’m also the head of the local Guild office. Town of Hoofstep Flats is a few miles down the road, so I kinda got that job as well. Honestly, I do more as the custodian than I do as a Guildie, but I digress. Anyway, here we are.” The two stopped at a large marble gate, inlaid with silver stars and crescent moons. With a flicker of magic, Vie inserted the key and turned, and the doors opened magically.

“So, whaddya think?” she asked as she stepped in.

His eyes opened wide. “Wow. She’ll love this.”

“Dad! Here you go!” Sparkler walked into his office, escorted in by Shining. “I made sure it fits Miss Rarity, since Miss Raspberry already had her bracelet size on-hoof.”

“She did?” Shining wondered.

“Well, kinda like Miss Pie seems to have everypony readied for a party at all times? My mistress has the bracelet and ring size of every mare in town, because…well, like she says, you never know when you want to get something special for your special somepony,” she answered.

“Makes sense,” Shining replied. “Anyway, I saw her at the gate and escorted her in. Congrats, by the way – and when were you going to tell me the news?”

“Trying to keep it low-key, Shines,” Silver told him. “Don’t exactly want this spilling out, or else it’ll ruin the surprise.”

“You know Cady’s gonna want to know,” Shining drawled. “Wouldn’t be surprised if she already does.”

“Wouldn’t be surprised if she di—” Silver was suddenly interrupted as the doors to his office were flung wide open, with an alicorn standing there, a hurt look on her face.

“Silver, Shiny, when were you two going to tell me?” Cadance pouted.

“I just found out about it, sweetie,” Shining said.

“Silllllver….” Cadance nickered playfully, “you know all marriage proposals in the Royal Family are supposed to come through my office because of their importance to the happiness of the nation and not just because I’m making up some rule on the spot.” The two stallions blinked in succession, staring at the alicorn princess. “What, didn’t anypony tell you? Seriously. I’m the Avatar of Love. I’m completely allowed to make these rules up on the spot.”

The two stallions blinked again, somehow managing to look even more confused than before.

Cadance shook her head and whispered conspiratorially to Sparkler, “Stallions – what would we do without them?”

The following week, the chariot, one of the standard ones pulled by palace guardsponies, flew towards their location. Rarity eyed her coltfriend, who was in a sportscoat, blazer and tie, with utter suspicion. “And you still haven’t told me why you had Diamond lie to me about this dress!” She looked down at the dress, “Though it is a lovely one, and she was making another for her mother.”

“Like I said, beautiful,” he commented, “blame me. She was making a dress for her mother – I’d been there to talk to her about her problem – and I asked her to make it for you. She adores you, so she did so and I promised her that I’d take the blame if she got in trouble. So…” he asked, giving her big pouty eyes, or at least attempting to, “forgive me?”

She laughed. “Silver, dear, you have absolutely no ability to do that effectively, do you know?”

“I know,” he said, kissing her gently as the chariot began its descent. “But it doesn’t mean I’m not going to try.” He nuzzled her, and she giggled softly in response.

As the chariot landed and they removed their supplies, he told the sergeant that Rarity would send a note back once they needed a return ride. Asking Rarity to wait a second, he left her with the picnic basket while he went into the cottage to retrieve the stone key. A second later, he came out and she had a curious look on her face. “Something wrong?”

“Yes. Why is there a bottle of Château Tannat rosé ’62 in the basket?” she asked, holding the bottle up. “This is expensive, Silver! How did you afford it on your salary?”

“I didn’t,” he told her. “It’s a gift, from a friend.” Though if that’s true, I’ll have to ask Twilight where Trixie got it from.

“If you’re sure….” she replied.

“I am, love,” Silver told her, balancing the large key on his back as he walked towards the large marble gates. “I think you’ll like this place, dearest heart,” he told her. “It’s a special place that I was recently told about, and…well, you’ll see.”

“And you’re sure we’ll be fine here by ourselves? That cottage looked empty, and this place looks large,” she asked.

“Well,” he said, reaching around and grabbing the key, “for one, you’re with me, and I will never let anything happen to you. Secondly, Luna was the one who recommended the spot and you know she wouldn’t steer me wrong.”

“Actually, dear, Luna can be quite the prankster when she wants to be – for some reason, it’s ingrained in the alicorns’ nature, though generally only the family is fair game.”

“I trust her,” he said as he turned the key and opened the mammoth doors, “and once you see what’s inside, you will as well.”

Silver had taken the tour of the place last time as night began to settle in and he’d found it to be amazing. With the extra week of work Vie en Rose had put into the grotto, it now even looked that much more incredible. The grotto was filled with shoulder-high shrubs, too tall to jump over, but not so tall that they couldn’t be seen over by the average pony. The walls formed an ornate shape that looked much like a pattern of the celestial dome above, with it all pointing to a beautiful moonstone gazebo inlaid with bronze, silver, and gold, all carrying marks of stars and crescent moons. The gazebo glowed with an angelic beauty as the first rays of moonlight lit it up, and that was the first stage that Silver had seen.

Then the second stage kicked in as dozens of starry lights on the shrubs kicked in: different species of plants that had been collected from around the world, just for this grotto, from Moonroses to Star Lilies, from Night Pansies to Nova Asters, dozens of different flowers, all glowing with a bioluminescent sheen, reacting to the beautiful moonlight above as the Moon began its graceful climb above.

And then the final bit kicked in. As the last rays of the sun disappeared over the horizon, the stars came out in their full brilliance, far more than could be seen from the blinding light pollution of Canterlot, or even the subdued lights of Ponyville. There were countless stars in shapes and sizes in the sky, radiating their luminal beauty down to the earth, as the star field opened up before both lovers as if it were meant only for them.

“This…this is beautiful,” Rarity said in hushed, subdued tones as they reached the gazebo. “I…Silver, I….” She found herself speechless, completely in awe that he would do this for her.

“Anything for the mare I love,” he told her, meaning it. Taking the basket from her, he began to lay out the picnic blanket, the food they brought for their evening excursion and the wine.

“It’s so perfect,” she exclaimed. “It’s even like a perfect spring day in here while out there it’s a blustery autumn evening.”

“Well,” he said, thoughtfully, “could be two reasons. The first is, as I was told, because the sunflowers planted around the perimeter of the grotto keep the temperature nice and spring warm all year round. Luna has a group of specialized earth ponies and a member of the Mage Guild working on this grotto, so she wants it perfect for the family.”

“And the second?”

It’s now or never, he told himself as he reached into the basket and pulled out the final item. “And I needed this to be perfect, because of what I had to say,” he told her, as he dropped to his launches and opened the box. “Rarity…will you marry me?”

Time lost all meaning at that point. Rarity was shocked. Stunned. She’d known it was coming, and yet, somehow, her Silver had still managed to surprise her with something that had wowed her. She hadn’t expected much; she knew he was of relatively meager means and it had never meant a single thing to her. And yet somehow he’d surpassed her wildest dreams.

This was the stallion that would do anything for her, she realized. Not like Blueblood, who had been so cruel to her back then. Not like Timorous Heart, who had abandoned her on the first chance he got. No, Silver had been there through thick and thin, pulling her into his family and never letting go: she loved his daughters, thought well of his parents, and got along well with his siblings. A perfect mesh of harmony, just as she always wanted.

He might not have been born a prince, she knew, but he would always be one to her, just as he thought of her as a princess above them all, a beautiful mare to have with him forever.

And in the end, there was only one thing she could say, one thing she wanted to say:

“Yes.”

He took her hoof in his, sliding the engagement ring onto it. The ring, blazing like a star with its set of diamonds and amethysts, glittered in their thrones of white gold and platinum, but ultimately being ignored as the two kissed, tears of joy coming to their eyes as love ruled the day. And silently, their bodies moved together, him taking her in hoof as they swayed to a symphony only they could hear, dancing together in the light of the moon.

XII: A Splendid High-Waisted, White-Flavored Day

“Tia, won’t it be wonderful?” Luna asked, the smile on her face wide at breakfast. “A chance to have another wedding here! I can hardly wait!”

“Don’t be so sure that either Silver or Rarity will wish to have their wedding here,” Celestia reminded her sister. “For one, memories are still fresh regarding Chrysalis’ invasion and that bruised a lot of feelings, sister.”

“But haven’t we improved security since then?” Luna asked. “What of the efforts that Shining and Twilight put into the shield towers and defensive parapets? Was that all for nothing?”

“No, of course not – at least I hope not, with all the time we spent ensuring that the Mage Guild and the Guards would be able to work together in order to ensure that the city wouldn’t be stormed like that again.” With a deft application of a temporarily-enchanted knife, Celestia added butter and jam to her croissant. “The second thing is that they may wish to hold their wedding in Ponyville or Empire City – perhaps even back in Maneapolis, where she’s originally from.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Cadance said as she entered the breakfast room, pausing only to give kisses on the cheek to her aunts. “For one, for something as grand as a Royal Wedding, Ponyville doesn’t have the infrastructure. I mean, look at the preparation that we had to make for my wedding, and even that took some construction, year-long plans and the like. Canterlot was still swamped despite that – there’s no way that Ponyville would survive all of that.” A thought came to the romance alicorn, etched onto her face. “I suppose that either Empire City or Maneapolis could also hold it, but let’s be honest – we’re talking about the wedding of one of the Knights Elemental. That’s probably going to be even bigger than mine, and realistically, only one of the biggest cities, like Manehattan, Las Pegasas, or here, could realistically host an event of that magnitude.”

“You think so?” Celestia asked.

“Definitely,” Cadance nodded. “I may be an avatar and your niece, but at the end of the day I’m just a princess. Rarity, however, is a globally lauded heroine, a duchess, a high-ranking member of the government and your sister royal. We had VIPs, nobleponies and lesser royals coming from all corners of Equestria for my marriage. Rarity’s will garner dignitaries and VIPs from across the globe.”

“Oh.” While she smiled on the outside, the Princess of the Sun was inwardly wincing. It wasn’t as though she wasn’t happy for Rarity and Silver, nor was it a case that she didn’t want them to get married. She just knew the huge amounts of planning that went into the weddings, and it always seemed that each wedding always threatened to be larger than the one before it. The planning for Cadance’s had been monumental, and before hers, the wedding for Mayrose’s daughter Princess Maybelle to her beau had commandeered the whole western portion of the town. If Cadance was even the slightest bit correct about Rarity’s wedding, this was going to require the ultimate in planning.

I wish the urban legend about mortal ponies arising to become alicorns was true, Celestia thought to herself. I’d raise Pinkie right about now just because I get the feeling we’ll need an Avatar of Parties for this one!

“…and who knows what will happen if Twily ever gets married,” Cadance finished, a dreamy look in her eyes and a smile on her face. “I’ll bet you’ll be looking forward to that day, right? I know I will.”

“That would be a lovely wedding,” was all Celestia said.

Astronomers that evening noted an ear-shattering scream of frustration, followed by a massive solar flare. It was unknown if the two were related.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot agree to this,” Chaff told Revanche. “I realize that the Royal Wedding was just announced, but we’ll need time to plan a strike of the magnitude you’re discussing.”

“This can work!” Revanche insisted. “If you give me the resources I need, I can strike right at the heart of Canterlot! We can take them down, and—”

Cloister pulled her friend aside. “Rev, a word, please?”

“Not now, Cloister!”

“Please.” The look in the zebra’s eyes was pleading.

“Fine,” Revanche huffed. Looking back at Chaff, the pegasus said, “Give me the team and I’ll take them down. I’ll be back.” Storming out of the command barracks, she walked out into the crisp winter air, her breath crystalizing in the frozen sky. Without looking back at her friend, she said, “I know what you’re going to say, Cloister. I have to do this.”

“No you don’t! The time you’ve spent with us has changed you, Revanche. You’re not the same mare you used to be. Tell me, when was the last time you thought about your husband?”

“I….” Revanche began.

“And if you truly thought of him, then why are you spending your evenings with Candlewick?” the zebra accused. “Are you just using him? You know how much Spin is protective of her brother.”

“No, it’s not that,” the pegasus said softly. “I long accepted my feelings for Candle and that Silver isn’t part of my life anymore. But I made a promise to him, Cloister. Even if I just rescue him, kill Rarity and return here to be with Candle – and that’s my intent – I have to rescue him from Rarity. She’s marrying him in six months – what if she kills him the day after that for the next stallion that catches her eye? She’s a black widow, Cloister. I have to do this.”

“Then you’re not going alone,” a chipper voice said behind her. Both mares turned to see Spinnaker standing there, a wide grin on her face. Moving forward to nuzzle Revanche, she said, “You’re my sister-in-law, Rev. Yeah, you really haven’t married Candle, but you gave up your whole life for him. You’re family, and if this is what you want to do, then I’m wholeheartedly behind you, hoof and all.”

“Of course I’ll go, if my husband will allow it,” Cloister said. “You two are my friends and friends back each other until the very end, correct?”

“Then you’ll need our help as well!” a voice behind them sang out, and Revanche turned to find Softwing, the gryphoness who joined them so she could live without a G-oriented name; and Fifi, a brilliant tactical mind amongst the diamond dogs who had been treated as nothing more than an unintelligent bicche until she’d joined the Underground. They were Revanche’s friends and they would join in as well.

More voices sang out, more voices joining the fray: Natural Balance, the unicorn. Big Bull the minotaur. Blackwing the pegasus. Gomez Glideflyer the gryphon. And dozens more and more, until she had her assault team, all volunteering to do so, all willing to take a stand amongst their fellow Undergrounder.

Watching from the window, Chaff shook his head at the assembly outside. “Nothing good will come of this. I believe in her, but…this is madness.” Turning from the window and facing another stallion, the commandante of the Weather Underground said, “Keep a rein on your mate, Candlewick. She is one of us now – but I fear she’s channeled her anger at betrayal by Canterlot into a razor-sharp hatred at the Crown that has blinded her so badly, she can no longer see straight.”

Candlewick nodded. “Yes, sir. Don’t worry – I’ve spent all this time winning her heart; I wouldn’t let the mare I love go into a danger she’d never return from. If she can make it work, I’ll make sure she does it so we all live to see tomorrow and avoid bringing the hammer of the Sun Tyrant down on our heads.”

“Hey, thanks for joining me for lunch, Shines,” Silver said as the two sat down at a nearby café. “I wanted to go over some paperwork, but also get your opinion on the wedding.”

“We can always worry about the paperwork later, Silver,” the unicorn told him. “So, what’s up?”

“Well, I was wondering if you wanted to be the best stallion.”

“Really?” Shining grinned widely. “Yeah, I’d be honored, Silver! Thanks.”

“No, thank you, Shines. I appreciate everything you’ve done for the both of us – we wouldn’t even be together if you hadn’t introduced us, so I owe you like no tomorrow.”

“So when and where?”

“We were thinking sometime in Octobris, just before Summer Wrap-Up,” Silver said, a goofy grin on his face. “She wanted a wedding on a crystal clear day, just before the weather teams have to start setting up for fall. As to where the wedding will be held, we’ll have to hold it here. She really has no ties to Maneapolis, and as much as she’d like to hold it in Ponyville, the town’s too small to host the kind of event we’ll be having. Plus,” Silver said, his hooves moving around as he animated his conversation, “there’s the fact that Canterlot has a castle and the whole ponytale wedding bit, plus Rarity’s a member of the Royal Family now, so there will be a lot of delegates, nobles and VIPs coming for the wedding. You remember your wedding, right? This one’s going to be a thousand times worse, I’ll bet.”

“We’ll make sure the Weather Service makes those crystal clear skies for that week,” Shining promised. “Last thing you’ll need is some unintended rain to ruin the whole thing for you. And as for the delegates, show stoppers and all that, don’t worry. We’ll get some help planning it. Trust me on this: you don’t want to burn yourself out just planning everything by yourself – I know how that goes.”

“No kidding, stallion,” Silver smirked, “Rarity’s already pulling her mane out trying to make sure that everything’ll be perfect – and she knows all she has to do is look beautiful.”

“Mother!” Rarity gasped when her mother insisted the fashionista was not allowed to make her own wedding dress. “How can you even expect that I would let anypony else design my wedding gown? Do you think I’d trust my design to some charlatan like Spooled Thread or Magnifique? This is a special moment in my life and I wouldn’t just let some foal who can barely thread a needle to make my dress!”

“Well, dear,” Pearl said, “are you insinuating that Cardigan cannot figure her way around a sewing machine? She offered to come out of retirement just to make your gown.”

Rarity had the grace to look embarrassed. “Mother, I….”

“It’s okay, dear. I understand how you feel. When the time comes that Sweetie gets married, I wouldn’t have anypony other than you make a gown. But your own situation is unique and the only one I felt you could trust was Cardigan. And when Cardigan found out you were going to get married, she insisted that nopony else even be allowed to come anywhere near the bridal and bridesmares’ gowns.”

The smile on Rarity’s face was angelic. “Well,” Rarity said, “I would at least ask that my own apprentice be allowed to assist, if Cardigan doesn’t mind. This is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion and I would very much appreciate Cardigan taking Diamond under horn.”

“I’m sure they’d both appreciate the chance, dear,” Pearl replied happily.

Cardigan clopped her hooves together sharply, the rapping sound cutting across the room in Rarity’s studio; outside, the snow fell, signaling the impending arrival of winter and Hearths Warming. “Diamond, make sure that you do double- and triple-measurements. These dresses are to be my magnum opus, and I shan’t fail!” the elderly unicorn vowed.

“Yes, ma’am!” Diamond Tiara said, adjusting her tape on the length of Sparkler’s back and loin. “By the way, Sparkler, saw the ring that you made for Miss Rarity. That’s great work!”

The unicorn blushed. “You really think so?”

The earth pony nodded, stretching out the tape to make sure the measurement was correct on the second go. “It was really beautiful. I mentioned it to my father and he said he’ll have to stop into Miss Beryl’s shop one day and check out the merchandise.”

“That’s good! Oh, and you should see the wedding bands I’m designing. It’s really interesting to work with red, white and yellow gold and mixing them into bands in such a way that brings out all the colors. I just hope that both Dad and Miss Rarity will like them.”

“I’m sure they will,” Diamond assured her friend. “I’m sure they will.”

On the other side of the room, Cardigan measured Rarity, the tape flowing around the younger unicorn with ease. “As expected, your body is in the prime of youth,” Cardigan sighed. “What I wouldn’t do to be sixty years younger and have your looks, dear.”

“Oh, but you’ll always be beautiful to me, Mistress,” Rarity said with sincerity. “‘Even as looks fade, our inner beauty will buoy us to horizons yet unseen.’”

“Quoting from Sonnet Cycle’s A Mare Ages Gracefully will get you nowhere, young lady,” Cardigan said with a smile, “though I appreciate the thought.” Cardigan then measured Rarity’s crest and neck to get the veil correct. “Still, you’ve always been a fetching young thing, so I suspect your beau will be beating off other suitors with spears and lances at the ready, hmmm?”

“More like I’ll have to do that for him: my Silver is quite the catch, if I must admit,” Rarity purred. But she soon sighed and admitted, “I just wish I had more time to spend with him. Since we announced the wedding plans, things have been at a fever pitch, and save for dinner or sleeping, we haven’t had much time for ourselves.”

“That’s a shame,” Sparkler, having overheard, told her. “I was hoping that you and Dad wouldn’t get frazzled over the wedding plans.”

“Well, Sparkler, dear,” Rarity said, “at least I know I’m not the only one suffering fittings today.”

“Y’know, I coulda sworn it was almost yesterday that we were all here gettin’ fitted in tuxes,” Noteworthy told Thunderlane while they were at Rickrack’s. “I’m tellin’ ya, the girls’re gonna start gettin’ ideas if we keep this stuff up, you know.”

Big Mac shook his head. “Nuthin’ wrong with that. Ah’ve been thinkin’ ‘bout poppin’ the question to Fluttershy, an’ this jest makes it sure that Ah’ll be doin’ jest that.” Though he kept it to himself, Mac thought about how much things had changed. At first, when Noteworthy had started dating Applejack, the russet stallion was hesitant about it. But despite his marenizing history, there was something about the farmmare that engendered a change in Noteworthy’s behavior and while he continued to be a cad, at least he was a faithfully monogamous one. “It givin’ you any ideas fer you an’ AJ?”

Noteworthy blanched. “Mac, I love your sister, but I am not the marrying type,” he insisted.

Thunderlane patted his friend on the back and said, “Notes, if you want to keep your head attached, you’ll just shut up from this point. I’m sure the girls want us alive to escort them to the wedding.”

“Whut Ah’m curious about, truthfully, is who’s got th’ job o’ pickin’ out a date for Twi?” Mac asked. The three stallions looked at each other and sighed; they knew how bad things had been that last time and none of them wanted her to go through that again.

“Well, I have a suggestion,” Notes said. “When I was performing in Canterlot a couple of weeks ago, ran into an old friend of mine that I hadn’t seen in years. His name’s Paraffin Wax, and he’s apparently working as an assistant chandler at the candlemaker that’s across the street from the jazz bar I play at.”

“Oh, great – are we going to run into another situa—”

Notes shook his head. “Naah, me an’ Parry? We had some good times. There was this couple of hot twins that….” He suddenly saw the look in Mac’s eyes and decided discretion was the better part of valor. “You know what? Never mind that detail. But I can assure you that Parry’s straight. Anyway, I hadn’t seen him in years since I moved here from Manehattan and he and his sister Whitesail had to go back to Norflank because of their parents. But unless he’s married – and I kinda doubt that since his big sister was the somewhat jealous type at the time – he should be good to go. I’ll even let him know he’s gotta behave, ‘kay?”

“He’d better, or else Ah’ll….” The look in Mac’s eyes was serious.

“Hey, I’ll swear on my sax if ya want, big guy. I’ll set them up, and it’ll be no problemo.”

“Um, yeah, sure,” Paraffin Wax said a couple of days later over lunch. “Though…if she’s such a bigwig like you’re saying, Notes, shouldn’t she have dozens of suitors waiting on her fore- and hindhoof?”

“Look, Twilight Sparkle might seem like she’s some untouchable unicorn destined for alicornhood or some jazz like that, but trust me: she puts one hoof up and down just like the rest of us. She’s a cute but shy little thing, and if you treat her right, well, just might be your golden ticket, Parry.”

“I dunno, man. Wouldn’t want to screw it up with the Princess’ protégé. You want the Sun Ty…er, Princess, on your case if you screw up?”

“Have some faith, stallion,” Notes said. “Twi’s a hottie, and I’d go for it myself if I wasn’t already spoken for. You’ll be fine.”

Paraffin sat there for a few minutes, as if thinking the whole thing over. Finally, he said, “Yeah, okay, I’m interested in meeting her. But if I’m in trouble, I’m telling her to come after your plot, got that?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. If that happens, I guarantee my girl’ll be pounding me into the side of a barn long before that.” Notes looked at the clock on the wall. “Well, I gotta get going to my gig. I’ll let Twi know you’re interested and I can introduce you two this week. I’ll get the bill. Talk to you later, bro!”

Paraffin left the table shortly after, leaving a decent tip for the waitress. Heading back to work, he walked down an alleyway where both Revanche and Spinnaker were waiting. “Well, how’d it go?”

“Paraffin” shrugged. “Okay, I guess. Notes is going to set me up on a date with this Twilight Sparkle and then I figure after a few dates, she’ll ask me to the wedding. Then I can be in position to deal with any potential problems from the ground.”

Revanche looked at Candlewick with concern. “Be careful, love. You’ll be right next to the Sun Tyrant herself, and she even suspects something’s the least bit wrong, you’ll be in terrible danger.”

“I’m not concerned. Once I found out that Noteworthy’s involved, it made me think as well – if an old friend like him, who was very much a playcolt when we were younger—”

“Don’t remind me,” Spinnaker said, rolling her eyes.

“—can suddenly find himself wrapped around the hoof of one of Rarity’s friends?” Candle asked, the look on his face determined. “What are those Elements? Saviors of society or pacification control? It makes me wonder who else needs saving, and…well, it’s worth the effort.”

Revanche leaned forward and kissed her beau. “Just, please be careful. Rarity might be powerful, but Twilight Sparkle’s supposedly even more so.”

“Don’t worry,” he told her with a smile. “I’m not just doing it for the Underground…I’m doing this for us.”

“Finally! A chance to relax together at last,” Rarity said, snuggling next to Silver on the couch. They had just sold his apartment and moved everything in just in time for winter. They were alone in the manor, Diamond having gone back home for the Hearts and Hooves holiday weekend, leaving the two lovebirds alone with wine, chocolate and other entertainments. They made the most of that time alone, and even though it was late winter, the house had been filled with enough sweetscent that Rarity had to open a window.

But now, just relaxing with wine and poring over catalogs, they planned their honeymoon, trying to figure out where the best place to get away from it all would be.

“No, no, no! Neighagra Falls is just too, too overdone, dear!” Rarity said, nixing the idea. “Too many crowds, too touristy, too much…it’s just too much, if I’m making sense. What about Manehattan?”

“Not much else to do there but shop, dear,” he said, and she pouted as a result. “Isn’t the point of a honeymoon supposed to be fun for the both of us?”

“I can think of ways of making it fun for you,” she purred wickedly, tracing the line of his muzzle with a dainty hoof.

“Rarity….”

She giggled. “Okay, you win.” She then grabbed the next catalog and looked at it for the merest bit of a second before tossing it away. “Pass.”

“What was it?” he wondered.

She quote the catalog’s title: “‘A Getaway in Beautiful, Wonderful Pearis’.”

He looked at her. “Pass,” he firmly agreed. Both of them weren’t about to desire reliving that hell anytime soon.

The pair continued to look at various locations, from picturesque Rainbow Falls to adventurous Eyrie City, from a cabin in nearby Shetland Valley to the distant dunes of Saddle Arabia, from the placid quiet of Oatmaha to the bright lights and beautiful shores of Los Pegasas. Each suggestion brought up was shot down in quick order for a dozen reasons from the mundane to the critical, from the pointed to the pointless, from the good to the bad and everything in-between:

“Hoofalulu?”

“Too touristy, darling; we’d never have any time for ourselves between one tour to the next. What about Seaddle?”

“Place is always cold and rainy – when did you start enjoying that?”

“You do have a point, dear. San Caballo?”

The playful banter – occasionally punctuated by drinks of wine or playful kisses – continued until both of them looked at the second to the last catalog. “What about Roam? Cadance was born there – which is why she has a Roaman name as opposed to the rest of her family—”

“She doesn’t talk about her parents or siblings much,” Rarity noted. “She barely knows them, as she was raised by Celestia.”

“I know, but she’s been to Roam a dozen times, so she can recommend whether it’s good or not.”

“Well, why don’t we have dinner with Shines and Cadance later on this week and see if they suggest it?”

It was two days later when the four finally met, very appropriately, at a Roaman restaurant. It was also referred to as a Bitalian restaurant, but the reason for that wasn’t clear until Cadance had explained that during the Warring States Era, a small nation of pegasi and unicorns attempted to set up a nation for themselves on a small island just off the Northeastern Continent. The nation of Bitaly had not lasted long, eventually becoming part of the Kingdom of Saddle Arabia – which in turn eventually was semi-absorbed back into Equestria proper – and most had forgotten the history of the ancient nation, which had eventually become known more for its capital, Roam, than anything else, and eventually Roam had become the metonym which the island was referred to.

“And Celestia says I’m named after the first two queens of Bitaly, Queen Mi Amore and her daughter Queen Cadenza, the former of which founded Bitaly and the latter of which ended it when she married King Wolfram to merge her nation into that of Saddle Arabia. For some reason, my mother apparently thought it was a good idea to dredge up the past when she foaled me in the hospital there instead of the Taj Mahoof, where the rest of my siblings were born an—” Shining set a gentle hoof on her own and she sighed. “Sorry. It’s still somewhat of a sore point with me.”

“Anyway,” Shining said, hoping to steer the conversation away from his wife’s anger before she exploded again, “you wanted to talk about Roam itself?”

“Yeah,” Silver said, looking at Rarity, who was eagerly nodding. “We were considering spending our honeymoon there and we wanted to know if y—”

“Of course!” Cadance said suddenly, her concerns forgotten. “You really didn’t even have to ask, you know! We don’t get as much use out of it as we’d like, so of course we’ll be happy to.”

Both unicorn mare and earth pony stallion looked at the married couple with confusion. “Be happy to…what?”

“You mean you…Oh!” Cadance giggled. “Sorry – I really don’t know where my head is tonight. For my twentieth birthday Celestia bought me my own villa on the seaside. My parents complained since Royal lands in Saddle Arabia are supposed to belong to my family, but Celestia put her hoof down and so I still own it outright. Unfortunately, with everything going on in life, I haven’t had as much time to go there as I’d like, and so I lend it out to the family as necessary. Luna recently borrowed it when she needed some time away after the whole windigo crisis, so it’s well upkept and if you want to borrow it, by all means.”

“Cadance…I-I’m touched,” Rarity said, smiling. “I don’t know what to say.”

“We’re family, Rarity,” Shining spoke for his wife. “You don’t have to say a single thing. In fact, you don’t have to do a single thing than to be happy – the both of you, together.”

The rest of the dinner was spent pleasantly talking about plans, as well as some suggested sights and the like. Shining recommended several museums and archeological attractions, while Cadance gave tips about intimate, well-regarded restaurants and some shopping. There were also some other ideas about things to do in the area, such as the Piazza del Olio di Oliva, the Villa Poniphilli, the Trotvi Fountain and the Spurnish Steps. There were enough things in the ancient city to keep both lovers busy for days, and Cadance recommended they take at least a couple of weeks off to enjoy it all.

“Thank you once more, you two,” Rarity said with a fond smile. “Silver and I shall cherish every moment.”

“Then a toast to your future?” Shining suggested, picking up his glass of wine. The others did the same, toasting to love and long lives together.

It was only their third date, yet Twilight somehow knew she was in love.

When the initial blind date was set up by Noteworthy, she didn’t want to chance it; while she didn’t have the bad feelings about AJ’s coltfriend that many of the others had, her “relationship” – if you could call it that – with Life Bloom soured her on relationships. Still, both AJ and Fluttershy had insisted that she at least try it, so she went for it…and that turned out to be the smartest move she ever made. Paraffin was charming yet friendly, debonair yet approachable, well-learned and wise yet approachable in all the ways she’d never really learned in life, even after all these years. By their second date Twilight knew empirically that she’d want to see more of him and when he put his wing around her at the concert they’d attended this evening, she knew she’d finally attained that goal that seemed so impossible for her: she had a special somepony.

Even still, though, there was something about Paraffin that she couldn’t identify, some random quanta that she couldn’t quite grasp. Was she just not a good enough fillyfriend? She knew almost next to nothing about sex – even less than she cared to admit, and while she had no interest in taking their relationship that far just yet, she wondered if that was the norm for other couples. He seemed so wistful when he talked about his hometown of Norflank, enough so that she got the feeling that he was an orphan – from the few times he’d mentioned his twin sister Whitesail, he’d hinted very strongly that she was no longer amongst the living. Twilight made a note to ask Noteworthy about it, but with his schedule and time spent with AJ, she never really had the chance.

And now, here she was, in front of her home – well, technically the home the Guild provided for the Vicemagus – experiencing her first kiss with the pegasus who now owned her heart. There was only one word that Twilight, Knight Elemental Commander of Magic, Grand Duchess Shetland and Vicemagus of the Mage Guild could use to describe that smooch: magical. It was a moment she wished would never end. It was a moment she wanted to tell everypony about – heck, climb to the top of her old tower at the palace and scream it in the Royal Canterlot Voice if need be – but it was an undeniable feeling. She was in love, and she knew he loved her as well.

“Parry…would you like to come in for coffee?” she asked. Nothing meant more to her, than just to cuddle with her beau and maybe practice kissing some more; if she was going to be a good fillyfriend she needed to get up to speed on that quickly.

Unfortunately, he yawned. “Sorry, Twi, but I’m going to be out of town for the next couple of days. Boss wants me to fly to Vanhoover to pick up a batch of special candlewax he has a supplier make. But I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

“You do that,” she said, kissing him again. Almost instinctively, her tail began to curl towards his hindleg, and only her force of will caused it to return back to where it was. She blushed winsomely, both embarrassed by the involuntary action and feeling something she’d never felt in her life before – desire.

Always the gentlestallion, he didn’t say a thing. “Well, I’ll bring you back something, okay?” he said with a wink. “Can’t forget my fillyfriend, now can I?” Kissing her again, he bid her a beautiful evening before he launched himself into the night.

As she waltzed in, she saw Spike sitting there, reading from a book. “Mom and Dad came by looking for you.” He held up a note and said, “They want you to get back to them on something, but I told them it’d have to wait until you got back from your date, to which Dad then demanded to know who it was and that he’d probably ask Shiny to get involved.”

“Oh, ha, ha, Spike,” she drolled, in too good of a mood to deal with her brother’s light teasing.

He gave her a lidded look. “Twi, you know our family doesn’t do things by halves. So, going to tell me how it went?”

“In the morning, maybe,” she said as she virtually danced to the stairs, a mare wholeheartedly in love. She would dream of her Roameo tonight, and sleep blissfully this evening.

“Ugh,” Candlewick said later that night in a bed with Revanche. “Still can’t get the taste of that berry lipstick she wears off my tongue. What is she, twelve?”

“I’m sorry you have to do this,” Revanche said, rubbing her mate’s mane. “Believe me, I don’t like the idea of you kissing another mare.”

He rolled his eyes. “Sometimes I’m not even sure that’s the case. Almost feels like I’m with an oversize filly who thinks she’s a grownup. In any case, I think I’ve charmed her enough that not only can I get her to take me to the wedding as her date, but I might be able to get us access to the defense parapets as well.”

Revanche’s eyes widened. “If you could do that….”

“Canterlot is defenseless,” he said with a grim grin. “We’ll be able to strike a blow against the Sun Tyrant for sure!”

“Well,” Revanche purred, “this calls for a celebration. Care to be with a real mare tonight?” she said, kissing him.

“Thought you’d never ask,” he said, joining in the kiss equally.

The months flew by quickly. As the globe rejoiced in the first marriage of one of the Knights Elemental, somehow it was as if the whole planet decided it was, for the most part, going to take a year off from chaos and strife. The changelings seemed, somehow, to keep an ultra-low profile, and other than a parasprite infestation in Alspurquerque, there was nothing major on the plate of the Guards or the Knights Elemental in Equestria. Things settled into a calm, almost lazy methodology.

Instead, the world turned its eyes towards Canterlot and the impending wedding to take place within a matter of weeks. Stadium seating was built along the wedding thoroughfare so that ponies from far and wide could partake in the festivities. The Crown declared the whole week of the wedding to be a holiday, and delegates came from distant countries to offer their congratulations; the hotels were swamped as a result, and even with four new hotels being built within the town, there was no certainty that they would be ready in time, so the nearby towns were also feeling the economic boom that came with such an event.

In Ponyville itself, Mayor Mare, in her last year of office before she was to resign and take a position in Celestia’s own office, gave Rarity the Key to the City. Everypony turned out to cheer on one of their local heroines, a mare done very well for herself, but to Rarity, the greatest gift she already had: her family, seated in the front row, now joined by her husband- and stepdaugthers-to-be. Blinking away tears, Rarity gave a short but eloquent speech that truly proved why she was the Element of Generosity.

But not everything was perfect. The Royal Intelligence Bureau reported rumblings coming from a few of the smaller towns in the Badlands. A manifesto detailing outrageous crimes committed by “The Sun Tyrant and the Moon Dictator”, mailed to the Canterlot Times-Herald, was eventually traced back to the post office in Tacksworn, but nopony could recall who delivered it. A similar copy, mailed to the Manehattan Sun, was traced to the town of Horseshoe Mountain, where the postal clerk swore it was mailed by a zebra mare, but nopony could confirm that rumor either.

And as the days faded into summer and the days flew down to the final moments, there was an excitement, an electricity in the air that practically everypony could feel. Whether it was the magic of love or just a stronger-than-usual coronal effect from the sun – likely caused by the extremely good mood Celestia had been in as of late – one thing was for sure: the upcoming wedding was going to be one to remember.

Lotus Blossom and Aloe practically bounced up and down at this latest accolade. The Knights were back once again in their spa, as they always had been before their lives had given them less time to visit, but now, they had brought all three princesses. Nine of Equestria’s most important mares currently shared the mud-bath, and even though it seemed as though it was very crowded, the mares were currently enjoying their time together, and the spa twins were trying to figure out where in the office they would put the Seal of Royal Warrant from the princesses’ patronizing of their establishment.

“This is a dream come true!” Lotus squealed in delight.

“Yes, yes! A dream beyond compare!” Aloe agreed, squeeing.

The two danced around their spa, both bouncing around merrily in joy and the change in fortunes this would bring for them.

Watching from a distance, Rarity grinned slightly. “It’s good to see Lotus and Aloe so happy. I know their business has taken a downturn since Fluttershy and I don’t come as often as we used to, so…well, it’s just nice to see old friends smile.” She then turned her attention to Twilight. “And speaking of smiling, dear, why don’t you tell us all about your new beau?”

“Paraffin?” Twilight said dreamily. “He’s…he’s absolutely wonderful, Rarity. He’s the perfect gentlestallion and he makes me feel so alive,” she said, “and though my parents haven’t met him yet, Shiny and Spike like him. Plus, he’s even offered to help with the wedding, setting up some special camera and scrying magic locations from the parapets – I wish I’d thought of that.”

“Seems like you’re quite taken with this young stallion,” Celestia commented, happy to see her protégé find somepony at last.

Twilight nodded. “But this isn’t about me, though. We’re here for the bachelorette party.”

“And I have everything set!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I’ve got the punch – along with stuff to spike the punch – at the Corner, plus cakes and pies and we got a couple of dancers from Strippendales – though I had a hard time putting temporary poles in the store – and Twist has the day off, though my sisters will be helping! Oh, and I made it mares only, just like you wanted! Oh! And I remembered to invite the ones on the list that you wanted! O—”

Applejack whistled appreciatively. “Strippendales? Ain’t that those…y’know…uh, ‘fancy dancers’?” The farmmare blushed, a rare sight.

Cadance nodded, an enigmatic smile on her face. “Yup. Went to this one show with a couple of friends of mine for another bachelorette party, and….” A sudden thought came over the Princess of Love and she went over and whispered something into Fluttershy’s ear. The result was a half-uttered Eeep! as the pegasus dived under the surface of the mud as the same time she squeaked in embarrassment.

“We can’t! Do you realize how much of a scandal that’ll cause for Celestia and Luna?” Twilight said, aghast.

“Aw, c’mon, Twi!” Rainbow said, laughing. “If you’re gonna make your stallion happy you have to know about this kind of stuff!”

“Rainbow!”

“I’m in agreement with Twilight,” Rarity said, leaning back against the edge of the mud bath. “I wouldn’t want you to be scandalized on my account, Celestia.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that too much, Rarity,” Celestia said, a soft smile on her face. “I think a lot of ponies forget that while I might be an avatar and a princess, at the end of the day, I’m still a mare, and I have needs and desires no different than any other pony.”

Twilight looked at her mentor in stunned silence, then whispered under her breath, “And that’s something that’s going to cause me mental trauma for a while.”

Meanwhile, over in Canterlot, a bachelor party played out at a bar.

“You know, isn’t it good to be coming to this bar for a good reason for a change, li’ bro?” Goldie said, a wide grin on her face before she called out, “Hey, Grampus! ‘Nother couple, over here!”

“Lassie, ye’ll drive me outta me own bar, ye will!” the bartending stallion shouted back.

“Don’t worry!” the pegasus shouted to him. “The Crown’s paying for this whole thing anyway!”

“I am?” Shining said, looking at Goldie suspiciously.

“Well, your highness, you were the one who suggested we hold the bachelor shindig here….” she teased. “Besides, do I look like I carry around the kind of cash to pay for all the drinks of our units?”

Shining Armor looked around at the various patrons in the bar. With a few noted exceptions, all of them were composed of guardsponies that knew Silver or members of Silver’s own unit. All of them, happily drinking away and chatting, all glad to take a break and congratulate the stallion on his coming day.

Shining sighed. “Fine, Crown’s paying for this. Maybe I can convince Celestia to write it off as a morale-boosting expenditure,” he mused, knowing that probably wasn’t going to be the case.

“See? And that’s why you’re the best friend a mare could have, Shines,” Goldie said, playfully giving him a peck on the cheek.

“Hey, saw that – you know Princess Cadenza is gonna be jealous!” Wheatstalk teased.

“Would you rather that I kissed you?” Goldie said, batting her lashes. The stallion made a kissy-face in response, and then both laughed at the joke. However, the look in their eyes hinted at something else.

“Hey, you two – it’s Silver’s big show here. You two can plan your own wedding later!” Shining said, embarrassing both ponies. Turning his attention back to the stallion of the hour, he asked, “You ready for this? Just two days from now.”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Silver said. “Been looking forward to this moment for a long, long time.” He drained his mug and said, “Hey, Grampus! Get me another!” Turning back to Shining, he said, “And hey, it’s not like anything’s going to go wrong.”

“You really think so?” Shining said, a smile coming to his lips as he lifted his own mug. “Let’s see: at my wedding, I got mindjacked by the Queen of the Changelings, my own sister thought that everypony – including me – hated her and my fiancée was locked away in a cavern in the underground mines deep below the castle. Celestia got taken out by Chrysalis, Luna’s forces were kept busy until they were overwhelmed, and Twily and the others couldn’t get to their Elements. If it wasn’t for that Power of True Love spell that Cadance used to magnify my anti-changeling barrier, Canterlot would be the biggest hive in history.”

“Yeah, I guess. But look at it this way: Cadance was willing to adjust her wedding plans when all the dust settled. With Rarity, I’m thinking I’m only going to get one chance.”

“Well, I guess we should get you a double, then, huh?” Shining cracked. “Hey, bartender! Make his a double, then give me a double, then give both mine and his to him!”

Finally, the day of the blessed event came. By the time Celestia had brought the sun to bear, the stands were already starting to fill with hundreds of ponies and other Equestriani subjects. Dignitaries and nobles, given their own special seating, had yet to arrive, but instead sent servants to reserve the seating for the lower-ranked ones. The delegations from the various countries were ready to make their presentations, and, upon waking up, one recently-married princess felt just a bit out of sorts that her own wedding hadn’t been this big until her husband had assured her that, sadly, she hadn’t seen the initial stages of those lining up for the wedding…and unwittingly being prepared for the assumed slaughter by the changelings. She then nodded and smiled once more, adding her love and blessings to the day – which she’d already intended to anyway.

As they departed the Vicemagal Manor, Paraffin stopped to kiss Twilight briefly before a thought came to mind. “You know what? I’m wondering if all the photographers and scryers are in position.”

“I don’t see why they wouldn’t be,” Twilight replied. “You were clear on what they needed to do, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, but never count out that one pony who thinks he or she’s a hotshot and wants to break the rules just to get that extra edge over his colleagues,” Paraffin laughed. “Maybe I should go doublecheck. Shouldn’t take long, and I’ll meet you at the Excedra.”

“I can get Rainbow or Soarin’ to do it,” she pouted, putting her forelegs around his. Today was a special day, not only because of the wedding, but also because she wanted to introduce him to her family, both birth and extended. They’d been together for a few months now, and she felt the relationship was getting serious.

“Didn’t you say they already had parts in the wedding leading ceremonial guards?” he reminded her and she sighed, knowing he was right. “Don’t worry – it’s why I offered to help. Just meet me at the Excedra and you won’t even know I was gone.” After a quick nuzzle and kiss, he took to the skies, looking at the crowds lined up on the street bleachers for the grand event.

You all have no idea what’s truly in store, Candlewick thought to himself as he spit out that taste of berry lipstick again. Well, you’ll be thanking us soon enough. After a quick fly-through of the city’s parapets, he then winged his way over to the one closest to the Excedra, the one where they would strike a blow for the freedom of all sentient species and to defeat both the Sun Tyrant and the Moon Dictator.

As he landed, Spinnaker was there, carrying a camera and looking almost like just another pegasus excited to be at the event. “Are all the assets in position?” he asked.

She nodded. “Everything’s ready, and Rev’s hiding in a safety cloudbank – one the Weather Service kept on-hand in case of emergencies. When we give the signal, she’ll make her grand appearance.”

“We’re going to have to be quick about it, though. Rainbow Dash will be on them in a heartbeat, and then there’s my little problem.”

“I thought about that. Blackwing is nearly as fast as Rainbow Dash, and if he tackles her mid-air at the right time it will take her out of the running. And as for your little issue….” Spinnaker reached into a sachel with her wings and brought out a small case, which she hoofed over to her brother. “When the time comes, use two of these at once – she’ll likely be prepared for a single one, but two at once should kill her instantly.”

He took the case. “Iocane – nasty stuff,” he said.

“Cloister does good work,” Spinnaker said. “Just…be careful. The sooner we strike our blow, the sooner we can leave and the sooner you and Rev can get back to your lives – we can all get back to our lives. Best of luck, little brother.”

“Yeah,” he said, tucking the case into his tux’s cummerbund. “You too.”

“You know, Father, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you in a tuxedo before, save for pictures,” Rarity told her father. At the moment, Magnum was fiddling with his tie, readying for the special moment.

Magnum’s hoof went to his muzzle, where his mustache had been up until two days ago; Pearl had insisted he shave it since she wanted him to look at his best, and it was a sacrifice he could afford to make. “Well, it’ll grow back someday,” he said to himself, absently.

“I could give you some extensions from my tail,” she teased. “Had to thin it out to fit through the tail slot, and it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done, ahem, ‘mustache repair.’”

“Wouldn’t match with my coat, Rarity,” he replied right back, trying to keep his voice from cracking. There would be time to recollect and focus on all this later; there would be time for him and Pearl to think back. But best to keep on the here and now, especially as the minutes ticked down.

“So, Father, I was thinking,” Rarity began.

“I would hope so, otherwise all this would be for nothing,” he replied gently and as a result got a gentle zap of magic from her horn – gentle being a relative term –in response. “When did you start using combat-level magic?” he asked, rubbing his foreleg.

She merely grinned in reply, but said, “Seriously, though: do you remember when I was just a little filly? Around the time I got my cutie mark; I was about ten or so, and I asked you what you meant when you said I was destined for great things?”

“You’ve asked me that quite a few times, as I recall,” Magnum mused. “I think you would have figured that out by now.”

Rarity pouted slightly and then added, “It was shortly after the trip to Dr. Bluepill’s, after I was recovered from the Badlands. You and I went out for lunch, and I asked you what had happened and you said I was destined for great things?”

Magnum nodded; like everything with his oldest daughter, it was a cherished memory. “Perhaps,” he said in a teasing tone.

She huffed, then smiled softly. “I understand what you mean, now. It’s because I’m your daughter, yours and Mother’s.” She knew he was going to say something, so she waved a forehoof and said, “Please, let me explain. I know you’ve told both me and Sweetie Belle that plenty of times in life; you’ve even mentioned it to Sky and Persian when you’ve seen them. That’s just the stallion you are. But,” she said, nuzzling him gently, “that’s exactly why: I couldn’t be the mare I am without having had the parents that you and Mother are. And I couldn’t be happier.”

“Even now?” he inquired, a smile wide upon his face and eyes misting with the first glint of joyous tears.

“Always, Daddy,” she said softly and genuinely. For a moment, Magnum saw the five-year-old filly she’d been, then blurred through the years into the mare she’d become. That her fame and fortune had far eclipsed his – and he’d admitted to himself a private envy of that at least once – was immaterial. That she was the pride of he and Pearl was the crux.

He offered a foreleg. “Ready?”

She accepted it. “Just as you taught me, Father.”

The pair departed her home, walking down sidewalk down to the carriage which would escort them to the palace where the wedding would commence. Today, Magnum would give his daughter to the bonds of marriage and the stallion she’d loved for the past couple of years. In a sense, he would lose her. But even in loss, there was much to be gained, he told himself.

As they stepped out of the manor, the first thing Rarity saw was her bridesmares, the five of them standing there – her sisters. Dressed in matching gowns – save, again, for Rainbow, who was in her dress uniform – they looked absolutely radiant and nigh perfect. Saying nothing, they all looked at her as one, giving her fond smiles and the unspoken promise that they would speak later. Giving them a quick wave and a mouthed “Thank you!” both she and Magnum got into the carriage, the bridesmaids getting into the following one as well as Rainbow marched over to her unit and, as per practice, barked marching orders as her unit fell into their escort positions around the two carriages.

It was at that point that Rarity felt she was living her own personal fantasy, finally truly coming to pass. As the carriages moved down the road towards the Excedra at a stately pace, ponies began to excitedly point and cheer at the oncoming procession. Others waved flags, and pegasi in the air flew across the path, dropping flower petals and other tokens of well-wishes. Sitting in the center of the open carriage, Rarity couldn’t help but wave to the crowds for her special moment, a moment that could never be topped in her life.

This was just like the dream, like the fantasy she’d had so often in her mind.
But this was better.

Finally, several moments later, as the carriage stopped at the Excedra, Rarity gasped in wonder at the beautiful ancient building. Legend had it that the structure was the last thing remaining from Castle Canteria, the ancient stronghold of the ancien régime of the unicorns, long before the city was rebuilt as Canterlot. In any case, it was a separate building from the main portion of the palace, and tended to be used only for the most formal of ceremonies by the princesses. Under normal circumstances, the ceremony would be held within the Excedra itself as it was for Cadance’s wedding, but due to the much larger crowds and the lack of concern about changeling attacks, the celebration had been moved outdoors.

Upon the temporary podium were the four thrones, arranged with Celestia’s in the center, Luna’s to her right and Cadance’s to the left. Behind them and raised, was a much larger and empty throne; most ponies didn’t understand the tradition, but those in the Royal Family knew it was the symbolic throne for Queen Faust, something Celestia had insisted upon despite the fact it would likely never see use. But now, as the carriage began to pull up to the location where her father would walk her down the red-carpeted aisle to meet her true love, Rarity’s heart skipped a beat.

The others got out first, assuming their positions to the right, with Fluttershy moving into the position of the mare of honor, something they all agreed was appropriate, as she would likely be the next to marry. The alicorns rose from their thrones, stepping forward in their formal regalia; Celestia was clearly playing this for all it was worth, as she didn’t even wear her formal attire while at Cadance’s wedding. Likewise, so did the other two alicorns; thankfully Rarity had redesigned Luna’s attire from the gaudy magenta, yellow and pink nightmare that a previous seamstress had suggested (probably via a prank by Celestia). Shining Armor, as the best stallion, for a change was not in his military uniform, but instead his attire of state as a prince of Equestria. To his left were the other groomsstallions, various friends of Silver’s…and one groomsmare, his sister, Golden Sun.

As Rarity and Magnum walked down the aisle, she took glances at ponies on both sides. On her side, Bon-Bon and Lyra sat, the former crying tears of joy. Next to them were Octavia and her coltfriend Ivory Keys, and then next to them, looking rather sedate for a change, was Vinyl. As they went up the rows, she could see others: the Apples, the Riches, the Pewters, Cheerilee and her coltfriend, and so many other friends and family. On Silver’s side, though she didn’t know as many of them, she could see those she knew: Derpy and her date, Spitfire and her date, and members of his kith and kin.

And in the center of it all, waiting just at the edge of the podium, attired in his dress uniform and wielding Sun’s Blessing at his side, was Silver. With a surety in his step he moved forward to offer her his foreleg. Rarity cried tears of joy, knowing that this was the finest moment of her life, and that she was soon to begin an adventure that held more promise than she could ever hope to have.

“I am trusting you with one of the most precious things in my life,” Magnum said softly to the stallion he faced.

“I am ever honored to have her in my life,” Silver murmured, and in his red eyes shone the glistening of joyous tears as well.

Magnum passed her foreleg to him and as she took Silver’s foreleg, there was a tingle in her body, a feeling that for once in her life, she’d reached perfection. “I love you,” she said to him, a smile on her face.

“And I you,” he said to her. “Shall we go get married?” he asked with a smile, as both moved to the bottom of the podium, where Celestia stood, looking radiant – but not so radiant that she outstripped Rarity, the unicorn noted with a faint smile.

Looking at both briefly, Celestia then spoke to the multitudes, her voice carrying out towards the multitudes below. “Subjects and delegates, dignitaries, nobles and commons, loved ones and friends, sapients and spirits all, we are gathered here to witness the marriage of Ensign Silversteel of the Mithril clan to Rarity, Knight Elemental of Generosity and Duchess Lipizzan, a member of the Royal Family.” She looked at both of them again and quickly whispered, “We’ll get this done quickly, don’t worry.”

Returning her attention to the crowd, she then said the traditional start of the ceremony: “Now, before we begin, I must ask if there is anypony – anybeing out there – who wishes to challenge why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

“I CHALLENGE!”

The voice split the sky, a scream of rage, and Rarity and Silver looked at each other with confusion. That moment was the last moment the calm of the wedding had. Instead, the air was filled with the screams of dozens as the parapets throughout the city exploded in flame, taking down the shield wards. At once, dozens of ponies and gryphons filled the skies above Canterlot.

“We’re under attack!” Silver managed to shout out before a russet blur filled his face and he saw a familiar sight he hadn’t seen in years. “Tiger?”

“I’m sorry, but this is going to hurt,” she said, swinging her wings forward for a point-blank sonic boom that knocked Silver out immediately and threw Rarity back, tearing her gorgeous wedding dress. Summoning thunderheads before her, Revanche snarled, “And now I end you, monster!” firing a blast of lightning towards the stunned unicorn—

—that was instantly dispelled by one very irate princess. “Explain yourself!” she ordered, her voice carrying a commanding tone.

“I do not answer to you, Sun Tyrant,” Revanche snarled, then looking at Luna and Cadance, “Nor to the Moon Dictator or the Lustbringer. I am a free pony and I am here to claim what should be free of your clutches!”

“And what makes you think you have the right to this, my little pony?” Celestia asked calmly, though her voice still carried a regal edge.

“Because if you don’t…the unicorns under my command have the orders to set off bombs we have set throughout the city with the intent to bring this stronghold of evil to its knees,” Revanche said.

“You’re blu—” Shining started to say, but immediately stopped when there was a deep rumble to the east, followed by a black plume of oily smoke climbing into the sky.

“That was an empty warehouse,” Revanche said. “The next one is scheduled to blow up at the Mage Academy.”

“You wouldn’t!” Twilight said, flaring her horn—

—only to be stopped as a voice behind her held two spikes to the side of her face and said, “Don’t, Twilight.”

She knew that voice and she gasped in shock. “Parry?”

“I’m sorry, Twilight,” he told her in an even voice. Turning his head slightly, he told Revanche, “Get going. We’ll handle it here.”

Picking up Silver and hoofing him over to Spinnaker, she looked at Candlewick. “Be careful, my love.”

“I will,” he told her, as Twilight started to shiver, knowing she was being betrayed.

“You’re not going to get away with this,” Celestia stated. “Every guardspony is on the march right now and they’ll stop you.”

In response, Revanche summoned another thunderhead and with a quick flick of her wing, fired a jag of lightning. The bluish-white arc of electricity tore through the sky, impacting against and shattering a brand-new stained glass window that had been installed just yesterday in the palace – one of Rarity and Silver, standing as husband and wife. “You might be able to stop me…but will you be able to stop every bomb? Will you be able to save every life that could be in jeopardy now?”

“Tiger?” Goldie stepped forward, stunned to see a pony she hadn’t seen in ages, one who’d changed so drastically from the foalhood friend she’d been. “Tiger – what’s going on? What happened to you?”

“Goldie!” Though her voice was soft, the sound in Revanche’s voice was that of a mare in utter disbelief as to what she was seeing. “But you…you…!” Rage suddenly formed in her eyes as she turned to face Rarity. “YOU DID THIS!” she screamed at Rarity, who was just recovering from the earlier blow. “YOU NECROMANTIC HARRIDELLE!”

Rarity had no idea what the hell this strange pegasus was going on about, but she didn’t take the bait. “What did you do with my Silver?” she asked, knowing she wasn’t going to like the answer.

“Freeing him from your tyranny, you—” She stopped speaking, as Rarity suddenly charged up her horn, red spellfire encasing the appendage.

“You’ll return my fiancé, if you know what’s good for you,” Rarity snarled, and anger building.

“Oh, no,” Revanche said, suddenly smiling. “No, if you want him back, you’ll play my game, monster. I give you one week to find us. Come alone, or there will be a…penalty.” With a beat of rusty-colored wings, Revanche pulled herself into the air, ready to depart. “It will be just you and me – hoof to hoof. I’ll see you then!”

“Oh no you don’t!” Rainbow snarled as she launched into the air to take the offender down. Instead, she was hit by a black-and-yellow blur as Blackwing moved in to take down his opponent as planned. The two tumbled forward, crashing into a section of the bleachers, scattering innocents caught in the wake of the blow.

“Remember, monster – you have one week.” And with that, Revanche flew off into the distance. And as she did, explosions started to go off throughout Canterlot as the bombs began detonating, giving her a chance to escape. Seconds later, dozens of other pegasi and gryphons, some carrying non-flying species with them, departed as parts of Canterlot gave way to fire and mass hysteria began to set in.

Celestia looked at the attackers as they disappeared into the distance, as a determined look etched onto her face. “Rarity,” she bent down to nuzzle the white pony, “We’ll….” The Princess of the Day suddenly stopped as she saw Rarity, embracing herself, trembling. “Rarity?” she asked, as a spell seemed to be broken and Fluttershy moved to her friend’s side. Nopony else moved, as the rest of them cornered Twilight’s traitorous coltfriend.

“Silver….” Rarity sobbed, watching the shapes in the distance fade away. Wrenching herself free from Fluttershy’s grasp, she fell down the steps, her forehoof lifting as she stretched out symbolically to grasp him. “SILVER!” she screamed uncontrollably. “BRING HIM BACK! BRING BACK MY SILVER!” she roared towards the empty sky as Magnum moved to his daughter’s side in an instant, followed in short by friends and family on Rarity’s brightest day…as it turned into a hellstorm.

“She’s coming to….” a voice said, with some relief. Rarity opened her eyes and found her mother sitting next to her on her bed in her manor. As Rarity sat up, Pearl looked at her daughter and said, “How are you feeling?” Rarity didn’t answer – her haunted eyes said everything there was to say. Pearl said nothing more, instead embracing her daughter as Rarity sat there, numb.

After a few minutes, the younger unicorn let go of her mother and said, “Where’s everypony?”

Pearl clucked her tongue against her teeth before speaking. “Your father is out helping with the rescue efforts. The terrorist bombs…they ended up setting them off after they departed…they injured a lot of ponies and….”

“Mother?”

Pearl wiped tears from her eyes. “Cardigan’s daughter, Bramblepatch – she’s in the hospital right now, was caught in some debris from a nearby explosion. “Your apprentice, Diamond, she tried to shield her, but….” She sighed. “Thankfully, nopony was seriously injured that we know of, but….”

Rarity sat up. “What?”

A worried look came over Pearl’s face. “Rarity, you just—”

“No, Mother!” she snarled as she got out of bed. “My day has been ruined!” Rarity rushed to the nearby windows and flung them open, witnessing the damage done to the city she now called home. Fires spread across the whole of the town, and the bleachers and other festoons of her bright day were a distant memory as several of them were carbon-scored from smoke, charred and burnt, or still aflame. Dozens of pegasi filled the air, dragging rainclouds in a line from the local reservoirs and distant Cloudsdale, while flashes of light below indicated unicorns helping.

She knew that Canterlot had paid a heavy price on a wedding day once more, and that the love of her life was now in danger. And suddenly in the back of her mind was the vicious grin of a smiling pegasus as she spoke once more: “No, if you want him back, you’ll play my game, monster. I give you one week to find us.”

“This isn’t over yet,” she spoke to the air, her anger getting the better of her. “Do you hear me, whoever you are?” Rarity’s screams were unheard by a Canterlot that was otherwise occupied with pulling itself free of the hell that had been caused, but she didn’t care. This was between her and the one who dared attempt to thwart her happiness. “This isn’t over yet! IT. IS. ON!”

XIII: Today the Way I Play the Game is Not the Same

“You’re going to talk,” Shining told the pegasi sitting in the dungeon cell. “Especially you,” the prince snarled, pointing a hoof at Candlewick. “Thankfully, nopony was killed in your atrocities, but dozens were hurt and Equestria has a huge diplomatic crisis on its hooves, as one of the princesses of Inari may have to have a tail amputated – do you realize the kind of insult that is?” The two stallions continued to sit there in silence. “Answer me!” he shouted.

“I don’t answer to pet princes,” Blackwing said with a grimace. “Tell me: are you just the latest of the Lustbringer’s toys, or just the one she uses the most?”

Shining’s horn flared with blue light, only to be tapped on the shoulder. “What,” he said as he turned to face Diamondplate. The tone was one of pure anger, and while he knew it was unbefitting his station as both Captain of the Guard and a prince of Equestria, he didn’t particularly care at the moment.

“A word if you would, Captain,” Diamondplate told him in the calmest voice he could muster.

“You two clowns better be willing to talk when I come back,” Shining snarled, then followed Diamondplate up the steps to the next floor. “This better be important, Dimes,” he told his friend.

“Yeah, it is, Shines,” the earth pony told the unicorn. “It’s a reminder to calm down, okay?”

“That bastard in there used my little sister – you think I’m going to let him get away with that?” Shining growled.

“You are if we want to save my little brother!” Diamondplate responded. Shining’s ears cantilevered at the admonishment.

“Sorry, Dimes, just got ahead of myself,” the unicorn admitted. “Look, Rarity’s just hurting and she’s family, okay? Plus, that bucker in there used Twily’s feelings, and it’s either I tear him apart or my parents will do worse – and I don’t even want to know what Cady and the other princesses are planning.”

“Well, as far as I’m concerned, Shines, my family has dibs. Rarity was just seconds away from officially becoming part of our family – and we already consider her that way. And now my brother is in danger thanks to a mare we thought was a part of our family as well!” Dimes shouted. He then sat down and sighed. “None of this is just making sense anymore, Shines. Not a damn bit of it.”

“Then it’s time to change the equation, gentlestallions.” Both Twilight and Rarity walked into the room. Both mares looked as though they’d been through hell and were just about to start sending some of it back in that direction. “We’re going to speak to the prisoner.”

“Rarity, I don’t thi—” Diamondplate began.

“This is Knight business,” Twilight him off brusquely.

“Twily, no. I’m going to put my hoof down on this one,” Shining said. “You and Rarity are compromised right now.”

“We’re all compromised right now,” Twilight countered.

“Shining, dear,” Rarity began. “I have days to save my beloved before that…fiend does something to him. I nearly lost him once – you were there when it happened! I will not lose him again. Period.”

The look in Rarity’s eyes was something Shining hadn’t seen in a long time. She was a mare in love, and she was now a mare at war. He saw the same look in his sister’s eyes and understood why the bond between the Knights Elemental was rock-solid, even in a way that would persist if the Elements were to suddenly just up and disappear.

“Fine,” he said softly. “But be careful, you two.”

“We’re done being careful, Shiny,” Twilight answered. “Now we’re angry.”

Twilight and Rarity paused long enough to summon their Elements before going downstairs. “You don’t think we’ll need them, do you, dear?” Rarity asked.

Twilight shook her head. “No, but it never hurts to look official.”

The look on Rarity’s face was one of disappointment, and her tone was somewhat cold. “Pity.”

As they arrived downstairs, Twilight immediately addressed the guardspony on duty. “Leave us, Corporal. We have everything in hoof.”

“But Lady Kn—”

Twilight smiled, but there was no joy in that motion. “We will be fine, Corporal. You are dismissed.”

“If you say so,” he said, heading upstairs, as the two mares faced the cell and its two inhabitants.

“Well, well, well,” Blackwing said, a chuckle on his face. “If it isn’t that piece of tail you got on the side, Candlewick,” the black pegasus said, looking at Twilight as she came downstairs. “Think I ca—”

He never finished his statement as a loop of deep purple magic looped around him and in one quick sweep pulled Blackwing, face-forward into the bars. While his muzzle was able to fit in the slack space between the iron bars, the rest of him wasn’t so lucky and collided painfully against the metal; this pain was made all the more so by the fact that since Blackwing hadn’t been actually flying, his natural pegasus magic aura protecting him from friction and collision damage did not kick in. Twilight tugged him harder, as if trying to pull him through the bars.

“AAAAAAAAH! You miserable buckin’ harridelle!” Blackwing screamed.

Twilight looked at Rarity evenly and said, “Would you mind holding this for me, Rarity? I need to have a discussion with my….” She left the word unfinished; she wasn’t sure what to say.

“Gladly, dear,” Rarity said, lighting her horn. Silver magic replaced deep purple and Rarity gave a not-so-gentle yank, slamming Blackwing against the bars. Moving close to him, she cooed, “You know, I’ve had a very bad day, and things aren’t going to get much easier for me in the next few. Normally I consider myself a decent and fair mare, but if you misbehave…so will I. D’accord?”

With that in mind, Twilight walked into the cell…without bothering to open the cell doors, merely phasing through the bars as if they weren’t there. She then looked at the stallion she’d poured her heart out to, who she’d kissed, loved and wanted in her life.

The stallion that had betrayed her.

As he watched her just stallionhandle his partner, then simply walk through the bars, he suddenly realized who he was facing, and whose heart he toyed with. The most powerful unicorn in history, whose magic levels were so high the magic measurement system had to be reputedly revised to accurately measure her skill. And that was just her as herself, not as what else she’d accomplished in her young life.

He knew in that moment, he was a dead stallion.

So it came to a shock to him as she simply walked up to him and said a simple word: “Why?”

“Twili—”

“No, Parry. I deserve to know.”

“My name’s not Paraffin Wax, you know.” He shook his head. “Well, honestly, it is – it’s my birth name. But in our organization we take a nom de guerre and….” He paused, wondering if he should continue. “Look, you’re just going to torture me for the information, so let’s just get this out of the way, okay?”

“No,” Twilight said sadly. “I can’t, and I won’t. There’s been too much heartbreak already,” she murmured, and a part of him felt as though he’d just made the worst mistake of his life. “Was…was any of it real, Parry? Did you feel the same way I feel about you?”

“Twi, don’t do this to yourse—”

“Answer me!” she shouted, her voice sharp. Not with the tone of command, but with the sound of a mare who deserved to know the truth. Her eyes grew sad and she spoke. “Was all of it – all of it just to break Rarity’s heart? Was I part of the deal? Was this just to humiliate m—”

“No!” he said, suddenly. “No, it was never that.”

“But you’re married, aren’t you?” He nodded his head. “Then why?”

“You want the truth?” He sighed. “Fine. For starters, don’t blame Noteworthy. He didn’t know, and I don’t want him mixed up in this, but he and I did grow up together.”

“Thank you,” she said. “Applejack already confirmed that, and I appreciate that you’re telling us. But you didn’t answer my question. Why?”

“Because as much as I love Revanche – or Tiger Lily, to use her old name – I know she loves that stallion,” Candlewick said softly. “Even still, I love her and I would do anything for her. Maybe that means she’s using me just like I….” He looked at her as though realization dawned on him. “Twilight, for what it’s worth? I’m sorry. I know what you wanted from me, but I’m not that stallion.” A second later he added, “That, and I really recommend you drop the berry lipstick.”

Despite the situation, she blushed. “Really?”

“Well, you wanted me to be truthful, so…I always thought you looked cuter when you skipped the makeup.”

And then Twilight did something impulsive and unexpected. Despite the fact that he’d used her, despite the fact that she knew he belonged to somepony else, despite the fact that he was the enemy…she leaned forward and kissed him. Tears streaming down her cheeks as she knew that her love would be lost forever, she gave her all in that kiss – and for a second, she felt almost as though he’d reacted as well. And yet she could never be totally sure, and it was now a moot point.

As she broke the kiss, she said what came to mind. “I love you, Parry. Despite everything…I wanted you to know that.” She turned to leave the cell.

“Twilight?” Rarity said, concerned for her friend.

“We’ll find Silver,” the vicemagus promised. “One way or another, Rarity – at least you deserve to have somepony to love you.”

She’d reached the gate and prepared to use the same spell she used to enter when a voice behind her shouted, “Twilight, wait!” She stopped, turning around to look at the stallion she loved; in turn, he gave her that smile that made her heart flutter and made her go weak in the knees, and she felt for a second that it would take a superequine amount of concentration to not give in to her feelings.

He sighed and said, “They’re at the Granite Spires, north of Lake Vanner. And regardless of how Rev feels about that stallion, you’ll have to hurry fast, Twilight. I have no idea what she has in mind and if she decides that hurting your friend is a bigger priority than keeping him alive, I ca—”

“SHUT THE BUCK UP, YOU TRAITOR!” Blackwing screamed in anger, only to be sent flying in the opposite direction where he collided against the wall with a vicious crunch.

“Did I do that?” Rarity said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I must be having an off day – silly me.” The venom in her voice wasn’t being disguised any longer.

“Time for us to go, Rarity,” Twilight said, and with a flicker of her horn…

…the trio found themselves just inside the southern gate of Canterlot. The roads were empty, though the town was still on somewhat of a high alert given the attack that had occurred just the day before. A group of guardsponies stood by the gate, and, recognizing him immediately, blocked it, but Twilight looked at them and they backed off.

“Go,” Twilight told Candlewick. “You’re free. Go.”

Now it was his turn. “Why?”

She looked at him helplessly, then turned her head to bury it in Rarity’s side. “Just go….” she moaned.

It was the other unicorn that answered instead. “I asked her to, for two reasons: the first is because she loves you more than you deserve, and that’s going to be a scar on her heart that will never heal, something that will haunt her for the rest of her days. And I hope those words damn you for the rest of yours.”

“I’m beginning to think they will,” he admitted, seeing Twilight in the state she was in. A couple of days ago? He relished it; possibly even as late as just before the wedding. But now…something was making him feel guilty about the mare he’d spent the last few months with. “And the other reason?”

Rarity smiled, but there was something awful about that rictus. “The second is simple: you are a warning to your wife. When you see her, tell her I’m coming – and there’s nowhere in the world that she can hide from me. I am a mare scorned, a mare desperate…and if you think Nightmare Moon was a problem, well….” She shrugged, leaving it at that.

Candlewick looked at Rarity warily, but he approached Twilight one last time, pausing only to whisper in her ear: “Maybe I should have been the stallion you wanted me to be, Twilight. If nothing else, that’s my regret.” Then he reached out with his hoof, took her face in his, caressing it, leaning in for a kiss – this time, with no ulterior motives and of his own volition.

“Just go, Paraffin,” she sobbed, turning away. He nodded, and with that, he walked through the gatepass, where the guards scowled at him as he departed yet made no move to stop him.

As he left, Rarity held her sister as Twilight cried for what she’d lost – and maybe what she never had. “You will find a stallion worthy of you, Twilight, I promise,” Rarity said, her own eyes misting up in sympathy. “And I promise he will love you the way you deserve to be loved.”

As he exited the gate, he immediately felt a chill in his bones at the elemental level. The sky seemed to darken all of a sudden. Unbidden, he turned and found himself staring at an alicorn and a unicorn, both mares staring at him with utter malice. The alicorn was unmistakable – and knowing that, he knew who the unicorn was…and that made it worse.

“I have had many protégés before,” Celestia said calmly, “but only one have I ever loved as though she were my own foal. She has decided to spare you...and that is the only reason you still exist at this moment – the solitary reason you have not been reduced to component atoms.”

“Your majesty,” he began, feeling like a fly standing before a dragon.

“No – you don’t get to get away with begging now,” Twilight Velvet said, her voice full of restrained fury. “You hurt my daughter. You abused her for your own whims. And if I had my way right now, I would break you in half without thinking twice. But you still have a duty to perform, traitor.” Velvet briefly looked to Celestia, who nodded slightly before the unicorn continued. “Know that you will forever have three goddesses watching your every move for the rest of your days, and that should you ever step hoof in Equestria ever again, your life being forfeit will be the least of your concerns.”

“Are you saying that I should fear the three avatars?” Looking at the imperious fires in Celestia’s eyes, Candlewick had to note that it was a distinct possibility. As if on cue, the sky grew darker – as if the sun was being extinguished – and as he shivered, it went from a mere possibility to a dreadful certainty.

Seeing his reaction, Velvet’s eyes narrowed as she made it clear. “No,” the unicorn mare told him. “They’re there to keep you safe. From me.” She looked at him, eye to eye and within that glance Candlewick understood where Twilight got her power from. It was enough to make him turn tail and take to the skies as fast as he could go.

As they watched him retreat, Celestia laughed. “He has no idea that you’re not a mage, does he, Velvet?” The alicorn nuzzled her friend. “Nice bluff.”

“What he doesn’t know does me a world of good, Celestia,” Velvet said, smugly polishing a hoof against her chest in the exaggerated way action heroes tended to do in foals’ comic books. “And who said I was bluffing?”

Not too long after that, a council of war of began at the palace. Seated in a dining room at a table were the Knights Elemental, the three princesses, Shining Armor, members of Silver’s family and Rarity’s father. And nearly as one, their opinion was one united:

“Rarity, you cannot go alone,” Celestia said, firmly. “I will not permit it.”

“I must! You heard what that madmare said!” Rarity insisted. “She’ll kill him!”

“I understand how you feel, Rarity,” the Sun Princess responded. “But we will do everything within our power to save him. We have not been idle in the time you were recuperating from your shock. Shining Armor, would you be so kind as to explain what you’ve been up to?”

“Gladly,” he answered. “I’ve ordered all available units to go after them, and for our reserves to be activated. We’re taking this as seriously as it should be – this is a direct threat to the throne, and to the life of one of ours. They’re not going to get away with this, Rarity, I promise,” Shining vowed. Turning to Hammer, he added, “I understand you’re retired at the moment, but I don’t suppose you’d mind temporarily taking command of Silver’s unit so we can get them out into the field as well, do you? The—”

The look in Hammer’s eyes was fierce. “Try and stop me, Shining,” the elder stallion said, his nostrils twitching with a telltale hint of anger.

“I think I’ll join you,” Dimes said. “My unit’s all the way out in Los Pegasas, so they’re too far to be of help, but I think I might be able to do more assisting with the 18th at the moment.”

“I’ll get word to their second-in-command that you two are stepping in for the nonce. I’m sure she’d appreciate the help,” Shining said. “Rainbow, can you inform Spitfire that I want her to get every squadron within a day’s flight on this?”

“Roger that,” she replied. “I’ll get the word out and then afterwards, Goldie and I are taking our squadron on a little recon run – I think a bit of payback is due, don’t you think, Goldie?” While the golden-hued pegasus said nothing, there was a flash of something unreadable in her eyes, a suggestion that she hadn’t quite recovered from the whole ordeal that was unfolding.

Over the process of the next few minutes, a plan came into play: most of the Guard units closest to Canterlot would be mobilized to search in the available areas

“Excuse me,” Rarity said, getting up from the table and leaving. She didn’t detail where she was going, though by the look in her eyes it was clear that she wanted little to do with a council of war that didn’t put her at the vanguard.

“D’ya think it’s a good idea t’ let Rares jest walk away like that?” Applejack asked, concern hanging in her eyes. “Ah dunno ‘bout y’all, but y’think she just might do somthin’ dumb?”

“She won’t, Applejack,” Celestia assured her. “She knows that it’s best to leave it up to the Guard right now. The Knights Elemental are compromised by what’s occurred, and even if that wasn’t the case, you six cannot be everywhere at once. We must trust that between Shining, Diamondplate, Silver Hammer and the others, we will soon save Silver and put an end to this matter.”

Magnum rose from his seat to move to his daughter’s side, but a gentle wing placed on his shoulder by Fluttershy and a shake of her head suggested that he should just let her go.

He ignored it. “That’s my daughter, Fluttershy,” he reminded the pegasus. “You cannot ask me not to just ignore her pain and leave her be. She’s in pain right now and I…I just can’t stand here and do nothing,” he commented.

“Mr. Magnum, if I may,” Celestia said, looking at Rarity’s father. “While I know that you’re primarily a sports writer, sir, I would ask that you chronicle what has occurred today. I feel that the newspapers may find a way to…misjudge…what’s occurred and a fair, honest recollection of the events would serve to remind ponies that lives were affected today. Your family – and Silver’s – deserve better than the excoriation some of your colleagues in news would give.”

“I will, your majesty,” he agreed, summoning a pad and pencil.

There was a knock at the door. “Your majesty, the ambassador from Polara has arrived. He has requested an immediate audience with you,” the pagepony said.

The Princess of the Sun sighed; the polar bears had sent one of their princes as part of the delegation; while he hadn’t been harmed in any way, one of the explosives had gone off at the hotel where some of his entourage had stayed at and injured a few of them. “Luna, would you mind taking this?” she asked.

“Done and done,” the younger sister said. The three princesses had alternated meeting with the various delegations. The ones who were offered sympathy and assistance, mainly Equestria’s allies, were shunted Cadance’s way; the ones with mere grievances were handled with Celestia – but the ones most likely to cause serious problems were being handled for the moment by Luna. Enough of those nations still had concerns about Luna’s return from the Nightmare’s control, and the dusky alicorn was more than willing to solve those issues diplomatically while underscoring what her time with the Nightmare had meant and what the after-effects had been. The end result was that no other nation had so far given Canterlot any concern about the current situation, but considering that it was a de facto international incident, chances were it wasn’t going to last that way much longer.

“While you attend to that,” Celestia said, “I believe I have some other business to attend to in the castle. Please keep me informed as to what is occurring.” With that, the day alicorn excused herself from the meeting and headed off in the direction of the residential wing. She knew where Rarity went and felt it was time to have a discussion with the Knight Elemental of Generosity.

“Sandy…they’ll find him, I know they will, dear.” Pearl looked at her friend, worriedly. If Rarity’s condition after Silver’s absconding had been bad, Sandalwood was going through the kind of hell a mother losing her foal could only know…even if said foal was in his early thirties. The two mares were in a guest room in the castle, where Sandalwood had collapsed after her son’s disappearance.

“Shiny won’t let you down, Sandy,” Velvet, also present, said. “They’ll get him back and when this is all over, you can start focusing on the important things, like grandfoals.”

“Thank you both,” Sandalwood said softly, grateful for her friends. “I…it’s just…he’s my boy, my baby boy. Call me a foolish old mare, but I want him back, to hold him and protect him.” She looked at Pearl and added, “So he can marry your girl and live their life of love.” She then turned to Velvet and said, “So he can continue his friendship with your son and maybe tie our families together at the grandfoals.” The tears began in her red-rimmed violet eyes. “I can only imagine how Rarity must feel right now.”

Standing outside the door, Rarity was tempted to knock and let herself in to speak to her mother-in-law to be. But Sandalwood, she noted, was in worse shape than she was. And while Rarity had lost the love of her life, Sandalwood had lost her son – and a surrogate daughter as well, if the stories about Tiger Lily’s background were true. And none of it made any sense at all. But one thing did ring crystal clear: Rarity’s family – all three sides of it: birth, marital and royal – were wounded by this event and it was only getting worse as each moment passed.

I need to go, and soon, she realized. Each minute that ticked by was another one creeping closer to the death sentence for the stallion she loved and while everypony meant well, they were also mobilizing for military operations. From what little she knew about that sort of thing, that took time – time Silver didn’t have.

Rarity lowered her hoof, determination etching itself into her eyes. Celestia and the others might be disappointed for her taking action without them, but she had to move fast to save her love before it was too late. Turning away from the door, she headed down the hall, and somehow wasn’t surprised to see Celestia standing there, looking right at her.

“I’m going,” Rarity said, matter-of-factly. “I’m sorry, Celestia, dear, but you’ll have to stop me by force. Silver…he’s my life. I can’t live without him – I won’t live without him. I feel every moment that my heart is breaking without him, and every minute that goes by in her clutches means that I won’t ever see him again. I’m sorry to disappoint you so, but this is something I have to do – and have to do alone. No family, no friends, no Guard, no Elements. Just myself.”

Celestia looked at her intently. “You know, Rarity, all it would take is the merest thought and application of magic and I could stop you instantly.”

“It will only stop my body, darling,” the unicorn said with a measure of sad defiance. “It won’t stop me.”

The regent of Equestria stood there with a stern look on her countenance. And then, a soft smile split the muzzle of the princess. “Then you’d best get going soon. I can only delay the troops for so long, and there’s only one train a day to the Lake Vanner region.”

That was not the response that the fashionista had been expecting. “Pardon?”

The look in the alicorn’s lilac eyes was one of deep sorrow. “I once had somepony that I loved more than anything, that I wanted so much to be with that I’d seriously contemplated abdicating and returning the throne to the old dynasty. It was roughly halfway through Luna’s exile, and I’d grown so lonely and desperate that life meant nothing to me. All I had back then was my jovial nephew Blueblood – he was a far better stallion than his descendant, the one you know – and his sister Bluebell Knoll. And that’s the way it was…until Argent Lance came into my life.

“Captain of the guard, he’d never be – he didn’t have the demeanor, not in the least. Likewise, he had no true talent for magic; he’d mostly inherited the traits of his pegasus mother and was fairly quick and agile for a unicorn. But what he had,” she said, as a nostalgic smile crept into her face and her eyes, “was a sense of humor, a love of music and poetry, and a way to always make me smile. At first, I’d assigned him to be my personal guard because I couldn’t stand all the others who fawned over their ‘goddess’ and feared me more than knew me. But he never feared me; he befriended me. And in time, somehow we became lovers, and I was...overjoyed – I was proud – to be his mare.”

“What happened?” Rarity asked, knowing it wouldn’t be good.

“The nobility spoke up about our relationship – he was one of my guards, and of commoner blood; you know that while that’s not as much of a problem in modern times, back then it was blasphemy – and demanded that I let him go. In turn, I made an announcement that I’d intended to give up the throne and to give it to Blueblood. I didn’t care anymore. My sister was gone, and now they were trying to take the stallion I loved away from me.

“But Blu – bless his heart, how I loved that nephew of mine! – marshalled his allies and the guard to march into the Grand Galloping Gala that year, in full armor. And even to this day, I remember his words: ‘Mine aunt hath the right to love, just as you or I, and for all you to spurn that feeling of hers makes you all unworthy of the sobriquet of “pony”! I swear to you on mine ancestors’ graves, that should you dare to deny mine beloved aunt – thy divine sovereign! – her one chance at happiness, I will spill the blood of every noblepony here and then mine, and Canterlot can fly to pieces for all I care!’”

Rarity’s eyes went wide, disbelieving that anypony with the name of “Blueblood” could be so bold. “He actually said that? He meant to do that?”

Celestia chuckled. “Not in the least. Blu was no warrior…but he was quite the skilled statespony – though some would say gambler – and he knew the nobles valued their lives more than their principles. And to a one, they gave up their arguments and vowed to see me happy, even if it meant that my foals would have ‘commoner blood’.”

“So what happened? You don’t mention him, and you have no marital picture, so I—”

A tear shed from the alicorn’s eye. “Argent was so horrified that the nation almost came apart due to he and I – and this was at a time when our neighboring nations weren’t the allies they are now – that shortly after we sat down for our marital painting to be done, he ended our engagement. Said he loved me more than words could ever say, but that, as every guardspony swore, their allegiance was to their sovereign and nation first before their family, and I was his sovereign first…and because we were not wed, we were not yet truly family.

“The next day, he resigned his post, and left Equestria. For decades, I didn’t know where he went, but as time went on I discovered he’d found happiness: on the recommendation of Blu, he joined the court of the King of Zebrababwe as an advisor, and eventually married a zebra mare; together, they founded one of the Great Zebra Houses, House Malindi.”

“Zecora’s House,” Rarity answered.

Celestia nodded. “The only zebras with cutie marks, though theirs tend not to look like normal cutie marks. No other House has them, not even ones that have family members that have intermarried with ponies. But that’s not important. The reason I’m telling you all this is because I don’t want you to lose what I lost. I don’t want you to suffer the years of desperation I felt when I lost Argent, then Blu and Bell when they passed to the Great Pasture. I had no joy in my life again until Cadance and Twilight came into my life. And now that I have somewhat of a normal life again…I can’t bear to see one of my family go through the Tartarus I did.

“So go, Rarity, and persevere.” Celestia touched her horn to her younger sister royal’s for a second, then enfolded her in a loving embrace, her swan-like wings forming a cocoon around them. “Show that mare that you mean business and that….” Celestia suddenly giggled.

“Hmmm?”

The smile on the sun princess was impish. “That you’re there to kick plot and chew bubblegum…and Pinkie ate all your bubblegum.”

“Now arriving, Rockton Station, Rockton Station. Next stop will be Lake Vanner Town.”

As the slate-blue and gunmetal-gray train stopped at the dusty station, the main feature in Rockton, the stationmaster rubbed his mutton chops and adjusted his glasses; if the daily train was like anything normal, they would be dropping off the mail and any ordered cargo; the former would be picked up by the post office while Dry Goods, the proprietor of the general store, would be by shortly with his cart to carry off any sundries that had been delivered. That was the typical routine, day in and day out and there was no reason to think that it would change much.

So it was to his surprise when a lone mare stepped off the train, carrying no luggage. The conductor looked oddly at that; usually only ponies visiting family and the occasional businesspony came to this small town – emphasis on small, even if it was notable for being the birthplace of the Knight Elemental of Laughter. She was a white unicorn mare, and looked familiar for some reason, though he couldn’t put his hoof on why. She had a very fancy hairstyle and wore a black, epauletted sweater, the kind guardponies wore as part of their duty uniforms. She also had a butter-yellow scarf around her neck, an extremely long one that seemed more akin to the length of a coil of rope rather than simple neckwear. Lastly, though her eyes were unreadable due to the sunglasses she wore, he knew enough of body language to know what she was up to.

Femme fatale, he thought to himself. He’d seen their type before: some merc trying to make a name for herself like she was that fictional character Daring Whatsername or something. They’d go off hunting some monster or trying to free some treasure from the Spires and use that to parlay their fortune. Occasionally, one got lucky. The majority of the time, however, they were never heard from again – there was a reason why nopony in their right minds went off to the Spires, after all.

“Good sir, where may I find the Spires?” she asked, and he was disappointed at being right once again.

“Look, miss, it’s none of my business, I know, but I’m tired of seeing your kind get stupid and try to prove themselves against the Spires. The Spires always win. Now, I don’t usually say this, but you’re too beautiful of a mare to lose your life in that mess. You need bits that bad? I hear the Pie Rock Farm down the road is looking for hired hooves, since their kids all moved out an—”

“NO.” His eyes opened as he felt the simple word spoken in pure authority; he’d heard tales of the Royal Canterlot Voice, but he’d never heard it up close before. As he collapsed to the ground in shock, a smile came upon the mare as she said, “Don’t worry, I have everything in hoof. I believe the Spires are that way?” She pointed down a footpath heading up the lightly-forested hillside, towards where stormclouds had gathered in the past few days. He nodded slightly in surprise and she gave him a smile, the kind a manticore gave to prey it opted not to devour. “Thank you for your time, good sir.”

As she walked off, something about her told him that he’d somehow been in the presence of something incredibly powerful. Was this one of the Knights Elemental? He’d met Pinkamena Pie ages ago, long before she’d come into her station but not since, so he had no basis for comparison. But he’d been in an audience once when Princess Cadenza had been there. Her magic had been overwhelming. This was nearly the same.

“Who are you?” he called out to her.

She stopped, looked over her shoulder, and briefly lowered her sunglasses, fixing him with two blue eyes – two cold, blue eyes more icy than Lake Vanner in mid-winter.

“I’m the mare who’s going to burn it all down, darling,” she said simply, then turned back and continued up the hill.

He was drugged; he knew that. There was no valid reason why he couldn’t escape otherwise. But right now, he felt weaker than a baby and barely able to lift his head. That right there told him the full extent of his incapacitation, though it didn’t say what was coursing through his veins at the moment.

Besides, he was a bit more concerned about the friend he hadn’t seen in two years, the one that looked like she’d completely gone mad in that time. When he looked at her…it wasn’t the same foalhood friend he’d had. The eyes that looked at him now were pools of madness, signs of a mare whose mind had gone wandering off in the Everfree and never made it back.

She giggled with glee. “Oh, don’t you worry, Silver, sweetie! I’m going to kill that monster, and you and I and Candle can go somewhere, where the three of us can live happy forever! You’ll like Spin – she’s a girl more your style and she’ll absolutely love you the way you deserve to be loved,” she whispered in Silver’s ear. “Or, well…I might have a loving stallion of my own, but…I’ll always be available if you want something on the side. I don’t think Spin will mind.”

What’s happened to you? he wanted to shout. This was not the filly he’d grown up with, and he wanted to ask her what was wrong. But while his mind was sharp, his body was anything but and his word came out as a slurred mass of sounds. “Whzppnu” he said, looking at her blearily-eyed.

“Oh, it looks like that dose Cloister suggested was a bit too much,” she thought. Reaching for a handy bladder of water, she tried to pour it down his muzzle, but while he tried to lap it up, he couldn’t. “Wow, that really was a heavy dose. Here, let me help you with that!” she giggled, pouring some of the water into her mouth, and then forcing hers against his, kissing him, probing with her tongue.

Silver would’ve vomited right there if he had the muscle control. This was wrong on so many levels, just as bad as if Goldie was doing it. Whatever they did to her, it hit her hard, and Silver hoped that he could break her free of—

“TIGER LILY! I AM HERE FOR YOUR CHALLENGE!”

The roar of Rarity’s Royal Canterlot Voice echoed throughout the Granite Spires, enhancing the sound and making it all the more deafening. Thankfully, it caused Tiger to stop what she was doing and immediately rocket off in the direction of where Rarity was. As the relief of Tiger’s labial invasion ceased, Silver suddenly worried about the power she’d displayed at the wedding…and all of it was bearing down on Rarity.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

Leaving a trail of thunder in her wake, Tiger Lily rocketed towards her goal, and her goal was simple: kill Rarity. The simpering little thing was going to be easy to take down in any case, thanks to the powers she’d honed over the past couple of years.

Unfortunately for her, Rarity wasn’t going to go down as easy. Closing her eyes as the pegasus approached, her scarf undid itself, enveloped in blue energy, coiling around her like a snake ready to strike. And as she opened her eyes, she moved a foreleg in a slashing motion, and the scarf lashed out.

Though it seemed to be mere fabric, enhanced by unicorn magic and given speed, the air pressure it moved along in its wake was enough to hit Tiger and knock her off-balance, causing her point-blank sonic boom blast to go awry, hitting a newly growing spire and shattering it into fragments. The spire crumbled, and as pieces hit the ground the accursed magic within the shards grew, turning into new, needle-like growths, starting their stalagmitesque climb into the sky.

Curling into a ball and rolling in-air to adjust her profile, she immediately decided to strike again, this time playing for keeps. In the time it took to fabricate the thought, Tiger summoned thunderheads and lashed out with a directed lightning strike, sure to electrocute the damnable unicorn.

As the energy blast moved right at her, Rarity moved swiftly. Getting to her hind legs, with practiced movements of her forelegs, the scarf reacted immediately, slashing in front of her in a diagonal pattern, taking and absorbing the blast. Glowing white with plasma, Rarity then gracefully spun like a ballerina, and pointed. The scarf followed her path and at the end, releasing a ball of electrical power as if launched from a slingshot, heading right towards Tiger. Tiger, in turn, spun quickly, forming a small tornado to counteract the attack.

“Good, you’re able to duel,” Tiger snarled. “This makes killing you all the better.”

“I wouldn’t say that if I were you, darling,” Rarity replied, grinning wolfishly. “You’re going to have to hit me to get me, and I think that might be beyond your skill.”

Raising her forelegs up, Tiger summoned a huge cloud, and as she quickly lowered her forelegs, the cloud rumbled. Then it erupted, sending a shower of hoofball-sized hailstones raining to the ground. Immediately Rarity moved to counter them all, but while the scarf could handle the energy discharges with ease, the physical blows were too much, sending her staggering back.

Tiger immediately seized the opportunity and rocketed forward, getting into position and hitting Rarity with her point-blank boom. The sonic vacuum did its job, the blast of white noise sending the unicorn skidding over the edge of the cliff into the mammoth maw that had once been the largest rock farm in Equestria before the wild magic of the Moonfall War turned it into the ever-growing Granite Spires. Rarity screamed as she fell over the edge of the cliff, down into what was most certainly a fatal plunge.

Silence reigned as the last of the hailstones crumpled the earth. Certain of her victory, Tiger went to go peek over the edge of the cliff, hoping that she’d see the mangled remains of her tormentor once and fo—

A bolt of silvery-blue magic slammed into Tiger’s head, knocking her back as it stunned her. As the pegasus crumpled to the ground, across the maw a yellow scarf snaked upwards, wrapping around one of the larger spires in the canyon as its owner pulled herself up.

“This…isn’t over yet, Tiger!” Rarity growled, spitting a bit of blood from her mouth. “We’re not even remotely done yet!” And with a superequine leap that must have been enhanced by adrenaline, magic and pure determination, Rarity leapt from her precarious perch on the side of the spire, rocketing forward and tackling the errant pegasus.

“Are you stupid, you dumb nag?” Tiger said with glee as she effortlessly turned and bucked the unicorn hard. “My cutie mark is for martial arts. You’d be better off trying to fight a hydra than to fight me!”

To her surprise, however, Rarity rolled with the blow, and when Tiger tried to retract her legs, Rarity immediately coiled her battlescarf around a foreleg and swung. The scarf spun and jagged forward like a drill bit, slamming hard into the space between Tiger’s wings, hitting her back and causing the pegasus to scream in pain. As she juked to get out of Rarity’s way, she was almost hit by a blast of unicorn magic once more.

“You’re not going to beat me, that damn Element of yours or no!” Tiger roared.

Rarity wrinkled her nose in contempt. “Oh, I’m not going to beat you with my Element. It’s all me. What, darling, didn’t think that a Knight Elemental wouldn’t know how to fight?”

“You’re just a weak nothing without your Element!” the pegasus screamed as she torpedoed forward, ready to strike.

“I grew up in Ponyville – that should be a warning enough to you!” Rarity countered, charging up her horn for a magic strike.

As Tiger put on the speed, she called the wind around her, using it to give her both a velocity boost and to let its jetstreams tear at her target. From her point, Rarity poured even more magic into her horn, planning her own attack. And as the distance between the two dwindled, both let loose.

Tiger’s blow hit first: Rarity was buffeted by hurricane-force winds that tore at her, forcing her to wrap her battlescarf around her arm for safety lest it get torn apart in the buffeting winds. Even still, the damage was being done; the windshear was ripping out parts of her mane and tail, then finally creating pressure cuts against her skin, drawing blood. She screamed in pain as the attack continued, but continued to hold the charge on her spell for all she was worth. Finally, forcing herself to look at her foe, Rarity launched her attack.

Tiger grinned, watching as her winds tore apart the damn unicorn…at least until the first blow hit, feeling like she’d been hit by a meteor. Before she could recover, the second one hit her from behind, then the third, then the fourth. Screaming in agony, she called up thunderheads to protect her and cut lightning loose in every direction, the outward blasts cutting apart whatever hit her, but sapping her strength. Finally, as the impromptu thundershield dissipated, Tiger turned to look at Rarity…only to see one of her massive hailstones, encased in Rarity’s magical grip, smash her right in the face.

Slumping to the ground, Rarity cooed, “Terribly kind of you to leave me with a whole bunch of weapons to play with, dear – after all, what is the most natural spell a unicorn can perform but telekinesis?”

The battle from that point dissipated into nothing short of a catfight as both combatants knew they couldn’t tear each other apart via ranged attacks. Tiger slashed at Rarity with her wings. Rarity attempted to gore Tiger with her horn. Both bucked, kicked, bit and punched at one another, not caring about the pain, and in fact using it to further their aggression. While pegasi were slightly stronger than unicorns due to necessity, Rarity at this point was well beyond motivated to brutalize her opponent.

One way or the other, the two were dead-set on accomplishing their goal…even if it meant one or both were dead by the time this was all through.

“What? Are you crazy?” Twilight shouted at Celestia, angry. “What were you thinking?”

“Don’t you take that tone with me, young lady!” the Sun Princess scolded her protégé.

“And why not? You always did with me when I did something stupid – what about when the apprentice sees the mistress doing something idiotic…like you just did? Isn’t that the point of that part of our relationship?” Celestia had to concede that Twilight had a point; strangely enough, she was also proud that Twilight would stand up for herself like she was doing; it was something she wouldn’t have done in the past no matter how wrong the sun alicorn was, and it was just another sign that her little girl was grown up now.

Celestia hid the smile that threatened to break onto her face and instead, looked at her family. Putting her best disappointed look on her face, she said, “It’s Rarity’s decision and that’s final. Let her handle this. I certainly trust our sister royal, shouldn’t you do the same?” At the moment, she’d called the members of the Royal Family together to explain what she’d done. So far, that turned out to be just as good an idea as the private audiences she’d held for Silver’s and Rarity’s respective parents and siblings.

Well, if nothing else, I’m glad not everypony here’s learned how to use the RCV, she mused to herself. I think I’d probably lose it at that point.

“Don’t try to paper over your mistakes this time, sister!” Luna seethed. “Do you think us unworried about Rarity’s sake? You just sent her up against a monster – a combat-trained mare, one ready to kill!”

“Thankfully, Silver’s been working with her on some rudimentary combat techniques – after what happened to Derpy, he insisted upon it, and it just reminds me that I need to work with the rest of you to develop something as well,” Shining replied. Seeing Fluttershy’s nervous glance, he said, “Even you, Fluttershy.”

“Still, my decision stands: nopony here is to interfere,” Celestia said with finality. “I have faith that Rarity will persevere, and you should as well.” The results of that went as well as they could: Luna, Applejack and Rainbow stormed off in a huff, while the look on Fluttershy’s and Pinkie’s faces were one of heartbreak – Pinkie’s mane even began deflating as it tended to do when she was down in the dumps. Shining, torn between duty and family, opted to finally just go back to his office; Spike, much in the same way, followed his brother more out of anxiousness than anything else.

That left Celestia with her “daughters” – or so the Canterlot Times-Herald tended to refer to them – Cadance and Twilight. Cadance just looked somewhat angry with her aunt, while Twilight looked somewhere between apologetic and indignant. Finally, it was the younger that spoke: “Celestia, I—”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Twilight. You were standing up for what you believe in, even when you thought I was wrong, and that makes me proud,” Celestia stated. “It shows that you’re growing into your own mare.” At that, Twilight relaxed somewhat, even though the look in her eyes was still one of hurt.

“Are you sure you made the right call, Auntie?” Cadance asked. Celestia winced at that; Cadance never used the familial title towards her or Luna because she often felt it made them seem as if they were “old”. Thus, the youngest alicorn tended to use it, albeit unintentionally, when she was being rebellious or angry with her aunts. “You’re not only risking the life of one of the members of our family…but the life of one of the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony.”

“As sure as anypony can ever be,” Celestia replied. “I cannot explain how or why, but I believe that Rarity will win, I am certain of it.”

“How?” Twilight asked.

“Because I believe in love,” Celestia said, embracing both mares with her wings, holding the daughters of her heart close to her and assuring them that no matter what, she rolled the dice in Rarity’s favor – and that all the fashionista would need to do was to prove herself.

Win, Rarity, she silently pled. Win, for the price is much higher than you think.

At the moment, the two were in a lull phase of their combat – lull being defined as they had both descended into the Spires proper in order to hide from one another and at the moment were mainly reduced to blasting each other from a distance.

At the moment, Rarity was breathing heavily, resting against one of the Spires. She couldn’t feel the razor sharpness of its side cutting into her, as she was too exhausted to care. Her coat was a mess of carbon scoring, cuts, blood, dirt and bruises. Her mane and tail was so many tatters, she knew she was going to have to use an industrial-strength glamor spell once she and Silver got married. If anything, the only thing that was still in any decent shape was her battlescarf, and that was mainly because that had been heavily-enchanted by various spells Twilight had applied to it over the years.

If Twilight knew I was using the scarf as a weapon, she’d probably be rather put out with me, Rarity thought. Well, that or impressed at my ingenuity.

The explosion in the distance, followed by the rumble of stormclouds, meant that Tiger was getting closer. It was only a matter of time until they clashed again and this time it would be decided in finality. Rarity looked around on the quarry floor, seeing the skeletons of ponies and other beings that had been dead for quite some time; were she not so tired and desperate right now, it would’ve freaked her out completely and utterly. In particular, she looked at the skeleton of a dead pegasus, whose rusting barding indicated that he’d been one of Lun—no, Nightmare Moon’s followers during the Moonfall War. The spear that he’d held had long rotted away, leaving nothing but a pitted blade not too far from him.

You aren’t forgotten, Rarity thought while looking at the remains. She grieves every day for every pony that died under her banner, even though it wasn’t by her hoof. Luna hasn’t forgotten you, even if I don’t know your name.

A sudden chill breeze blew its way through the Spire bases, whipping at her. It was thankfully random and not a sign that Tiger had found her. But the wind seemed to adjust the skull of the dead pegasus slightly, as if to point it to look in a different direction. Rarity followed the direction of the eye sockets and saw something in the distance. And as she saw it, a plan started forming in her mind.

She had to wonder if it was somehow out of gratitude by the specter of the dead pegasus, thanking her for remembering that he’d been a proud guardspony once. Running the plan through her head, she began to charge up a spell, racing for the largest of the spires, hoping that she’d be seen by Tiger.

She didn’t have to wait long. “RAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIITTTTTTYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!” a voice roared on the rising wind, and Rarity sent a silent prayer to Celestia. This had to work perfectly, or else she would lose – and lose everything. Focusing, Rarity began to charge up a spell, then covered it with a second one so Tiger couldn’t se—

WHAM

Tiger hit Rarity with full speed, like a ton of bricks. The unicorn screamed in pain, but she held her focus, knowing it was her only option. As Tiger flew off to make another pass, Rarity lashed out with her battlescarf, wrapping it around the pegasus’ hindlegs.

“You harridelle!” Tiger screamed, vaulting into the air. “You want to die that badly? Let me oblige you!” Roaring into the air, the pegasus called a derecho in the distance, aiming it straight at them. Tiger, as badly wounded as she was, was going to have a hard time surviving it. Rarity, without the friction magic of pegasi, had zero chance of surviving at all.

She smiled. Perfect.

Just as the shockwave of wind hit, Rarity shouted, “Well, this is going to become electrifying!” and pumped her spell into the battlescarf. Both ponies lit up like Roman candles as the wind wave blasted past both of them, slamming them against the top of the highest of the spires. The fall was guaranteed to kill whomever fell into the distance.

With seconds to act, Rarity whipped her battlescarf around and caught the top of the spire…but the snags and damage to the scarf had been done and finally it was starting to tear. Meanwhile, she reached around and caught Tiger with her tail, the wounded, rat-thin exposed tail barely wrapping around one of the pegasus’ forelegs.

“What are you doing, you idiot?” Tiger gasped. “I’m going to kill you!”

“No,” Rarity gasped. “You’re done. It’s over. You lost. Now, I’m going to save your life, so we can all get back to normal!” Though her face was calm, inwardly she knew she was flagging. The weight on her body from Tiger’s form was dragging her down, she was barely able to hold onto the scarf, and even then it started to shudder, a sign that it was ripping.

“Are you crazy? Who saves their enemies? You’re nuts!” Tiger gasped.

“No. I’m Generosity,” Rarity said, “and I have to save the mare my fiancé loves like a sister. I don’t know what’s happened, but…he misses you. Goldie, too. Dimes, Sandalwood and even Hammer, though he won’t admit it. You are a part of their family, Tiger. Don’t give up everything just because it didn’t work the way you wanted it to.”

Tiger looked up at Rarity and felt water splash onto her face. “Are you crying?” she asked, stunned.

“Yes, dear. I’m crying…because it’s too sad not to. Because so many ponies were hurt for so many reasons, and even with all my strength – even with the very powers of my sisters at my side – I am only one pony, and I can’t fix every wrong, even though I’ll always try.”

“You realize we’re both going to die, right?”

“Not if you can help us, Tiger,” Rarity said, hearing the tear in her scarf became audible. The two shuddered, realizing the scarf didn’t have much strength left.

“No.” Tiger fanned her wings out, showing the extensive damage. “Too much damage, no time to recover. This is the end.”

“No! I’ll think of—AAAAAAAAAAAGH!” Rarity screamed in pain as Tiger bit her tail. Involuntarily, Rarity let the pegasus go, and as she did, Tiger shouted up, “Love him for me – always!” Then she fell into the distance, where there was zero chance of survival.

The extra weight now gone due to Tiger’s sacrifice, Rarity had precious seconds to think of a way to save herself. Unfortunately, she was exhausted, spent, and at that point, the scarf ripped in two, sending her falling.

As she fell, she heard a dull thump in the distance. Was that the sound of Tiger’s impact, ending her life? Would that be the same sound heralding her end in the next few seconds?

I’m sorry, Silver, she thought to herself. I wanted a lifetime with y—

Rarity felt something jarring, then a familiar and rusty voice calling out, “That was awesome! I have never done that before!” Rarity felt a weight under her, then looked up as she tore away from the ground, just seconds before being impaled on a spire. She looked around. I’m safe!

“That was cool!” her rescuer cheered as she continued her faster-than-sound flight. “No wonder Rainbow likes flying like a maniac! It’s incredible!”

Rarity looked at her savior with shock. “Derpy?”

Derpy Hooves, wearing corrective lenses that helped with her vision issue, continued to pour on the speed. “That was too close, Rarity! Do you know how many ponies would’ve been distraught if you’d gotten hurt?”

“How did…? How? I thought you couldn’t fly at supersonic speeds!”

“I’m not – technically this is transonic, under Mach 2,” the gray pegasus, ever the scientist, replied. “As for how, Twilight and the princesses teleported me up as high as they could, and I divebombed to pick up speed. Had to do the calculations on the fly to catch you, though, so that was a little touch and go!”

“But I thought Celestia said—”

“She said ‘nopony present’ could help you, according to Shining,” Derpy said as she started to slow down and look for a landing. “Good thing I was at the hotel with the girls, huh?”

As they came to a landing, Rarity noticed her sisters present. Luna was working a spell of some sort to remove whatever drugs were in Silver’s body, and as Derpy let Rarity go, it took all of her remaining strength to run over to Silver, shouting his name in joy as he collapsed in his arms, crying tears of joy. “It’s over,” she sobbed. “We won, love. We won.”

“I know,” he said, choking up and feeling both proud at his fiancée’s victory and the first edges of sorrow as he realized he’d never know why Tiger had completely lost it.

“I must look a complete mess,” she said, giving him her most earnest but weak smile.

“You’ve never looked more beautiful to me,” he said, leaning in to give her a kiss.

“And I now pronounce you husband and wife,” Celestia said the following week. “You may now kiss the bride.” Rarity and Silver kissed for the first time as husband and wife and all of Canterlot – as well as the dignitaries that remained and those who were able to make it back for the wedding – roared with rapturous joy. Though it wasn’t as big as the original plans were, it was still sizable enough that the cheers rocked the city in tumultuous celebration.

“Here we are,” Rarity, dressed in a replacement gown and a ton of glamor spells – her wounds, coat and mane and tail had yet to completely recover – smiled at her husband.

“And this is where we start,” Silversteel told his wife as they kissed once more. “A whole new world’s before us, my love.”

As they descended towards their wedding carriage to take them to the reception location, she waved to the crowds, crying tears of joy once more. “And I finally got my ponytale wedding,” she said, wiping a tear from her eye.

“Of course,” he said, nuzzling her. “Every ponytale needs a princess…and you’ve always been mine.”

Finale: A Beginning in the End

“And your job is to rebuild the Underground someday,” Chaffe said to Spinnaker as the two looked over the emptying Bastion. “You will know when the time is right, Spinnaker. The cause is currently ebbing…but you will make it shine once more.”

“I understand, Commandante,” she told him.

He shook his head. “You are Commandante now, Spinnaker. As for me, it’s time for me to change my name and together my wife and I will disappear into the mists of time. I failed our cause, and for that, I cannot be there when victory is finally achieved. But I believe that someday, Spinnaker, you will be the one who will change all. And we will watch your success from the shadows with pride.”

Chaffe looked at his wife, who had a wagon with their possessions loaded onboard. Their plan was to move to the Crystal Empire, where they would be able to live in an isolated part of the province, preferably forgotten by all. Unhitching herself, Cloister went and embraced her old friend. “I will miss you, Spinnaker,” she said.

“I’ll miss you both,” she replied. As agreed, the trio said not a word about Revanche or Candlewick – they were failed specters of the past, and if the group was to survive, they would need to be specters that could be easily forgotten. In the time since Revanche’s betrayal and defeat, the demoralized group had begun to come apart at the seams and splinter. Most of those who left were non-ponies, fearful that they would face less justice than their pony counterparts, given the evil that was the Sun Tyrant; the last non-pony to leave was Fifi, who vowed to find a way to prove her fellow diamond dogs were not the dim-witted brutes that so many believed them to be. The one that concerned Spinnaker the most was Gomez, who swore that if he could not change Equestriani society peaceably, he would do so by force – he had at least agreed, in principle, that they would never return here again.

It was decided, then, that those who wished to remain at the Bastion would build a town here and settle down, finding some way to reintegrate with Equestriani society. But out of the hundreds that had been here just months ago, less than a hundred remained in the place that was now to be renamed The Garden. It would be the beginning of something different, Spinnaker admitted to herself. For better or worse, the Weather Underground needed to be dismantled and made into something better.

But that was something to think about later. For now, she needed to see her friends farewell.

“Will I see you two again?” Spinnaker asked.

“We’ll keep in touch,” Cloister insisted. “We might be different the next time you see us…but I promise you we will always be your friend.” Letting them go, the former leader of the failed resistance and his wife hitched themselves to the wagon and departed, headed on a path through the Badlands towards the road that pointed to the Empire.

As Spinnaker watched them enter the tunnel that led to the hidden access, a voice behind her said, “Are you sure about this?”

The pegasus mare nodded. “If our ideals are to survive, drastic measures must be taken. Maybe I’m a foal for doing so…but at the end of the day, I believe in freedom more than I do the Sun Tyrant or her minions. I must save my followers – and I must save your town.”

Standing next to her, Monochrome, the former mayor of Clustermare, nodded. “The rest of the townsfolk that will be joining us will be here tomorrow to take over the empty homes. Do you want the town demolished?”

Spinnaker shook her head. “No – let it stand. Let ponies, bison, and others wonder of the fate of Clustermare and sow doubt and mistrust in Canterlot. Let them see the damage they have caused and the wounds they have dealt to our fellow Equstriani who have committed no wrong other than to have perplexingly been born as a non-pony, something they cannot be faulted for.

“Have your town come to the Garden, and we will make this our first place of truth and purity. A place where pure hooves can shine.”

The sun rose over the Zhuanganese capital of Si-Chuanlu. In the distance, shining like a great green mountain was the Palace of Jade and Bamboo – the home of the Zhuanganese Imperial Family. As dozens of pandas milled through the streets of the great city, going about their simple lives, a blessed event was happening in the Guoxia district of town, traditionally the enclave where ponies having emigrated from Equestria or Saddle Arabia lived.

“Blessed news to you my friend!” a panda said, carrying a bunch of Equestriani-style candles. The craftspony’s shop here was known to be the best in town, and all manner of species came from all parts of the great city to purchase his wares. It was said even Prince Hong Xiongmao, eldest son of his august majesty Emperor Daxiongmao, considered the simple candlemaker to be a close friend, though the latter was much too humble to admit such things. “I hope it’s the first of many to come.”

“Thank you, my friend,” the candlemaker, Chandler, said, bowing and replying in stilted Zhuanganese. He was still learning the language and customs since he and his wife moved here two years past. There were rumors about that, too: that they were criminals running from Equestriani justice, or that they were forbidden lovers having eloped to find a new life far away from Canterlot. It certainly didn’t help that the wife, kind and sweet as she was, was a crippled pegasus who was weak and frail, her wings so ruined that they had to be clipped. However, it was clear that Chandler was utterly devoted to his wife more than anything, and there was nothing he wouldn’t do for his Hubei Blossom. Strangely enough, though, those that had spent any time with the couple honestly wondered if they truly were a couple – or even lovers.

Chandler was just about to close up shop, when he was tapped on the withers. He turned around to see a doctor. “Did she…?”

“Congratulations,” the doctor, a panda, said in stilted Equestriani. “It’s a filly. But Blossom….”

“I know, doctor,” the pegasus said, his voice flat. “I expected it, somehow. Thank you for everything.” The panda, not certain what he could say to still the heart of a soon-to-be grieving husband, merely patted him again, offering comfort before departing, closing the door behind him.

Chandler walked back to the bedroom he shared with Hubei Blossom, looking at the pleasant life they shared together. The lie they’d lived for the past two years. When Candlewick found Tiger Lily, barely alive, she railed against him not only for saving her, but spat all the love that she’d ever had for him – and he for her – back in his face. Even still, he kept to his word to be with her, and nursed her back to health as much as he could for six months…but the damage to their relationship was done. By the time she realized what she’d done, the fires of love that he’d had in his heart were smoldering embers, never to be rekindled.

She promised that she’d stay with him until the end of her days, and had so far kept faith with that vow. But the truth was, she was a crippled pony; where could she go? And so they moved to the other side of the world, where they could live their lives in peace, both pretending to be a couple so very much in love when the truth was that they now could barely stand one another. In truth, they only conceived a foal just to continue their charade, and if Candlewick had remembered that night, both he and she had to be drunk beyond comprehension to remember what they once shared.

As he entered the room, Tiger Lily held their daughter in swaddling. But the once-proud Redsprite looked ragged, haggard, a mere shell of the mighty warrior she’d once been, the combat-ready pegasus reduced to living ashes. The sheets of their bed were stained with blood, the sign that it hadn’t been an easy foaling, and she was already in bad shape to begin with. Looking at him, she gave as much of a smile as she could and said to him, “Look at our daughter, my husband. Isn’t she beautiful?”

My husband. He could almost hear the sarcasm in her voice, Candlewick thought. He couldn’t remember the last time she’d used anything remotely sounding like love. “She is,” he said, not looking at his newborn daughter just yet. “What did you name her?” It was Equestriani tradition for the mother to name the foal.

“I haven’t chosen a name for her – that’s your task,” she told him, and he understood instantly; unlike pony customs, the Zhuanganese way was for the father to name the child.

“I understand. But how fare you, my wife?” he asked with a hint of sincerity.

“I’m dying – nothing can stop it. I only remained long enough to show you our daughter and to say a few things.” As he approached, she hoofed him the foal. “Promise me you’ll raise her to be better than I was. To love freely and fairly – to actually love the pony she weds.”

“I will,” he said, feeling the sting of tears in his eyes. Even though he didn’t love her anymore, she’d given him a portion of her life – he couldn’t deny that. “What else?”

“Promise me you’ll find a mare who will make you happy,” she said, a soft smile coming to her face. “You’re still young, and there are plenty of mares in this town who would make a wonderful wife for you. Plus, our daughter will need a mother to guide her.”

He nodded. “And lastly?”

“I wanted you to know…I’m sorry. I wasted our lives together. I shattered my family because I couldn’t keep my tail down. I failed my Princess and spurned our allies. I burnt every bridge I came across, then drove away those who tried to rebuild them. But I hope that you’ll remember the time when I genuinely loved you, Candle, before I went insane…though I don’t know if I ever was sane to begin with,” she spoke, her voice reedy as her strength flagged.

“I still do, Tiger,” he said, meaning it. No matter what, he still had that. And as he bent down, he gave his wife one last kiss, in commemoration of what they once had. And in that last touch, she poured her heart and life into it, giving him the last bit of what they had together before she fell back, eyes closed and a serene smile on her face.

Candlewick looked at the body of his wife as her spirit moved on to the Great Pasture. Tears streamed down his cheeks for what he’d lost, until a soft gurgling caught his attention once again. His newborn daughter needed him.

He looked at her, surprised. She was a unicorn filly, her coat a delicate shade of thistle-purple. Gentle red-violet eyes looked at him with awe and wonder, framed by a soft short mane of eggplant-purple, upon which was a single shock of violet-blue. He looked at his daughter and knew that this was, somehow, a message from the Goddess, a sole chance at redemption.

Eyes crying in both sorrow and joy, he kissed his daughter gently on the forehead. “I will give you a name of honor and justice, little one. You shall bear the name of the mare who I should have made happy; and of the one who wanted you to surpass her. You will be my reminder to be the best father I can be, and you will grow up to be a mare to make me proud. You will now and always be my beloved daughter…Twilight Lily.”

Both Sparkler and Dinky were practically vibrating with excitement as Sweetie Belle met them at the train station. “So what do you think it’ll be, a colt or a filly?” Sparkler asked after both embraced Sweetie. “Pegasus, unicorn or earth pony?”

“Well, we could’ve used magic to find out,” Sweetie said, “but Rarity made everypony promise they wouldn’t. She wants it to be a surprise for some reason, and both she and your father haven’t even really picked out names yet – they’re winging it.”

“Oh, I hope it’ll be a unicorn!” Dinky said. “Then I can teach her magic!”

“Uh, Dinks, I’m sure she’ll go to Sweetie first, if that’s the case – and if not her, then Twilight. No offense, Sweetie.”

“None taken,” Sweetie assured them. “Being Twi’s apprentice can be hard enough; I’m not sure what I’d do if I had to teach a little filly or colt. Personally, I’m hoping it’s an earth pony. I’m sure Silver would appreciate the break, considering his wife and daughters are all unicorns.”

“I never thought of that. Maybe it’s okay then to wish for a little brother that’s an earth pony – I’m sure Dad would love that,” Dinky mused.

“Maybe she’ll be a pegasus filly or something, Dinky,” Sparkler pointed out. “That’d be interesting, too.”

“Well, we’ll see. Rarity’s due to foal this week, so we’ll find out what the future holds,” the mage acolyte said as she went to flag a taxi.

Having tea in her home with members of her family, Rarity shifted uncomfortably on her couch. “I feel like an overly plump ursa major,” she sighed as she drank her tea. “Even still, this is probably a memory that I’ll cherish for years.”

“Or have nightmares about, dear,” Sandalwood said, taking a sip from her own cup.

Rarity sighed. “Sandalwood…how do you do it? I think about motherhood and…well, I’m afraid. I never feel I’m being a good enough stepmother to Sparkler and Dinky, and now, with my own foal coming? I’m afraid I’m never going to be adequate.”

Sandalwood smiled sweetly. “I see how you are with both Sparkler and Dinky. You absolutely adore them and Derpy knows they’re safe here when they’re visiting you and Silver. You’ve already proven yourself as a mother, Rarity.”

Seated at the earth pony’s side, Pearl nodded in agreement as she looked at her daughter. “Or is it foaling that you’re afraid of?”

“Well, that too,” Rarity admitted.

“Dear, foaling depends on the individual. I won’t lie: foaling you was very rough, but it was much easier with Sweetie. On the other hoof, your aunt told me that Sky was an easy foaling, but Persian's was rough.”

“All three of mine were rough-going,” Sandalwood added. “Goldie had to be the worst, because it’s hard enough with pegasi due to the wings, but she was also a breach birth – they had to do a teleport birth, which is very tricky. But each of my foalings was worth it, worth every moment.”

“I see,” Rarity said, wincing as the foal within her kicked again. “But even still. With Dinky and Sparkler, it was a matter of finding the limits and setting them, or talking it over with Silver or Derpy. But with this little one,” she said, gesturing to her swollen barrel, “I have to wonder will I be as good as the three of you? Or will I be a crashing failure?”

“I’m still not sure how I fit into this equation,” said the fourth mare present. “I’m hardly a mother.”

“I have three mares who beg to differ, Celestia,” Rarity said with a smile. “Luna will readily admit that you’ve practically raised her since the day that your mother disappeared. And Cadance admitted to me once that she wondered why you just didn’t adopt her when her parents left her in Canterlot with you. And I need say nothing about Twilight. Regardless of any of that, however, we are family and I very much value your wisdom.”

“Well, the only advice that I can really offer is the same one that my mother gave me. At the time, I didn’t understand why she was explaining it to me; I was just a teenager – relatively speaking, of course – but it became very apparent to me once I realized that she was gone forever. She told me that mothers must always be there for their foals, for you are the sky and the sea, and their very life. That to do anything else is to be a disgrace as a mother, and to do that is to be a disgrace as a ruler.”

“Well, after everything I’ve been through to have this little one, I know I will always be there,” Rarity said with a smile. “He or she will be the start of the next generation.”

Fond smiles came over the three older mares’ faces. Almost as one, they said, “And the laughter of foals will ring through the halls.”

“Well, I don’t know about you three, but I’ll be entirely too happy to give birth and enjoy my only foal.”

Both Sandalwood and Pearl looked disconcerted at that statement. “Only…foal?”

“Well, I’m a Knight, which means I really do not have much time to have lots of foals – it might have been dangerous having this one while there are still dangers out there. Besides, I do love both Sparkler and Dinky and I hadn’t planned on having any others, so….”

Seeing the forlorn look on the two mothers’ faces, Celestia chuckled and said, “Well…there’s always Golden Sun and Sweetie Belle, correct?” At that, both Pearl and Sandalwood had a flash of hope on their faces.

“Thanks, Celestia,” Rarity whispered to her sister royal.

“You’re quite welcome,” Celestia said with a grin. To that, Rarity gave her a worried look. “Is something wrong, Rarity?” the sun alicorn asked.

“Um…my water broke.”

“I’m honored, Luna, really,” Silver said, as he met with the night alicorn in her office. “But don’t you feel there are others more qualified to lead your guard than I?”

“Silver, as your princess, I cannot think of a better pony suited for command of my personal guard. But as your sister-in-law…in a manner of speaking…you need to stay behind. You have a foal to come soon and I know you’ve mentioned you don’t see your older daughters enough. Your unit is starting to see more and more action as of late, and I’m concerned that you won’t be around when Rarity needs you.”

“The nation needs me, Luna,” he replied.

“Your family needs you more,” she answered.

He sighed, trying to form a response for that. After a few seconds, he said, “Luna…I don’t want to feel like I’m taking advantage of my ties to you, Celestia and Cadance. Ponies that knew me just a couple of years ago as the youngest son of a baron – and not really worth talking to – now constantly try to curry favor with me because of my status in the Royal Family. And while I know Shines has adjusted to it, I’m not sure I’ll ever completely do so.” He lifted his coffee from his plate and said, “I just don’t want to make a mistake that I feel will reflect on you.”

She smiled widely. “And that’s exactly why I need you as my lieutenant, Silver. I fired Shoepolish because he cared only about looking military, not about taking care of his ponies. I had several members of my guard disciplined unfairly when it could have easily been solved by just explaining things to them. I know you’ll do a far better job, just by being yourself.

“Furthermore, you’re not the only one who has to adjust. Now that Macintosh has proposed to Fluttershy, he will need to adjust as well, and I daresay he has much farther to go on that than you will. You had the advantage of noble birth, while he does not, and while he engenders those noble qualities, you know the gentry will eat him alive, Silver.”

“No they won’t,” Silver answered. “He’s family. I won’t let him get hammered like that.”

“Well then,” she said, a hint of a smile on her face. “I think you’ve answered your own question, correct?”

“I suppose so.”

“So will you accept the position?”

“So long as I don’t have to use that batpony-enchanted barding,” he said with a grin. “I’d look pretty weird since I’m not a pegasus.”

She laughed merrily, then an impish grin popped onto her muzzle. “What about Flufflepuff-enchanted barding?”

Silver thought about that strange, mute fuzzy pony that lived in Berryville and had the unique quality of being one of the few ponies who could consistently out-weird Pinkie on a regular basis. Shrugging, he said, “Sure, why not?” He would’ve said more if he hadn’t been suddenly cut off by the arrival of a pair of vitally-important flamefaxes.

With a sad look on her face, Twilight put the letter from Paraffin back into the lock box, then put it back into the closet. “It’s been two years….” she said to nopony in particular.

“Twily…I hate seeing you like this,” Cadance said from behind her. “He hurt you, and he doesn’t deserve you. And in any case, he’s not coming back.”

The unicorn wheeled on her sister-in-law. “So then why can’t I let go, Cady? Why do I keep seeing him in my dreams? Why do I keep thinking he’s going to come back?”

Reaching out with her wings, Cadance embraced Twilight. “Twily, please don’t do this to yourself. You have so much to live for, and while Paraffin wasn’t the one, it doesn’t mean that there’s not somepony special out there for you.”

“I know,” she sighed.

“C’mon, I came over to talk about good things, okay? We’re here to celebrate you being offered the position of Archmagus! Isn’t that what you always wanted?”

Twilight nodded, glad to be off the tortuous topic and focusing on something a little more her style. “Glittering Prize told me that he plans to retire, and that while Colorsfly and Gold Dream are also on the short list, as Vicemagus it’s mine to turn down. Plus, Colorsfly is older than Glitter and I think she’s planning on retiring as well – she privately suggested to me that Raspberry Blast would be a good Vicemagus for me.”

“Are you going to take it?”

She nodded. “Yes, but not right away – right now I’m working on a major project, and I have Derpy and Sweetie assisting me. This could be potentially huge for ponykind and Glitter promised me that he wouldn’t retire until I complete my prototype and present it to this year’s Royal Thaumaturgy and Science Symposium.”

“Well, no matter what, Twily, I’m always proud of y—” Two flamefaxes immediately appeared.

The trip to the Infirmary could best be described as “pandelirium”. The three princesses went into overdrive, immediately cancelling all their previous appointments and gathering up the family. Celestia, cradling Rarity in her magic, immediately flew her over to the Infirmary, where the doctors had already been notified of the situation.

A few seconds later, Silver raced in, looking for the doctors. “Okay, somepony care to tell me where my wife is?”

An orderly looked at him and said, “Wrong wing, Ensign. This wing of the Infirmary’s specifically for use by the Royal Family.”

Silver, worried about his wife, was about to explode, had his father not decided to pick that moment to walk in. “Son,” he said to the orderly, “Unless you wish to explain to his grace Duke Lipizzan here why he was not present with his wife, Duchess Lipizzan, Knight Elemental of Generosity, I would recommend you render assistance now. That or I can go get you a quill and parchment so you can start drafting your letter of resignation.”

The orderly’s eyes went open wide with shock. “I…t-t-terribly sorry, your grace,” he said to Silver. “Please, follow me.”

Silver looked at Hammer. “Thanks, Dad.”

The older pony gave a fond smile. “Trust me son, you don’t want a repeat of how I acted when your brother was born. My lieutenant had to have thirteen unicorns try to tranquilize me while I was trying to find your mother’s room. I think they still speak my name with fear in the officer’s wing of the Los Pegasas infirmary,” he said, chuckling. “Go to your wife. I’ll wait here for everypony else.”

As he rushed into the foaling area, he got into medical scrubs quickly – thanks to an on-the-ball unicorn – and then entered. As he entered the antiseptic room, he decided at that point to do what just about every father did since time began: he started running like a headless chicken, all concepts of coherent thoughts dying on the beachhead that was his mind.

I’m going to be a father, was the closest thing to a zen koan bumping up against the wall of normal thought. I’m going to be a father I’m going to be a father I’m going to be a father. Had either of his two older daughters been present and able to read his train of thought, they might have been somewhat offended or amused. Unfortunately for Silver, the only one present was the orderly, who was still fearing for his job and now had to deal with a stallion just on the verge of being a new father.

The moment Sweetie got the note, she and her nieces – boy was that making her feel old! – double-timed it right over to the hospital. They arrived a few minutes later, running into the reception area with confused and concerned looks on their faces.

“Excuse me,” Sweetie said to the first nurse that passed her. “My sister’s having her foal and we’d like to know which room they’re in?”

Before the nurse could reply, a doctor arrived, an annoyed look on his face. “Kids, while that’s adorable, I’d like to remind you that this is the Royal Infirmary, not the local playground. I recommend the park across the street.”

“Sir,” Sweetie repeated, “my sister’s about to have her foal an—”

But behind them, a new voice roared, “Move your wrinkled plot out of the way or I swear I’ll smack the cutie mark right off you!” Everypony turned in the direction of the elemental scream, and found Diamond Tiara standing there, the sweetest look on her face possible. “Hope I’m not late,” she told Sweetie.

The mage-in-training grinned madly. “No, you’re right on time!”

Meanwhile, the nurse, not used to being sonically assaulted by a teenager, looked at the three teens and the filly. “Um…right…this…way?” she whimpered, hoping that she wasn’t going to have her head bitten off.

Finally, after getting Silver back to rights, the orderly and the guardstallion officer entered the antiseptic area, ready to bring a newborn foal into the world. He arrived just as things started to get heavy for Rarity.

“Okay, your grace, I need you to press now,” the doctor encouraged. The doctor seemed a bit out of sorts, but everypony present assumed it was because he was laser-focused on the birth. It was a shame that just before he entered, he had a huge “pep talk” with Equestria’s three princesses who might or might not have unintentionally hinted that his welfare, health and freedom depended on a perfect delivery.

Pressing as much as she could, Rarity felt bloated. She recalled Applejack’s occasional nickname for her – “Marshmallow” – and for a change actually felt as though she met that criterion. But soon the pain came, the encompassing, and total. She felt awash in a sea of agony, alone.

And then she felt a strong, steady, sure hoof on hers. She looked up and saw Silver looking at her, with eyes of love, eyes that said he would be here for her, always. That he would be her bedrock, the one she could always rely upon for the remainder of her life.

“You’re doing great, hon,” he said, flashing her a smile. Rarity smiled wanly, wincing as another convulsion passed through her. “We’re almost there. Remember the Lamareze!” Another body-shredding ripple of pain passed through Rarity and though she tried not to scream, she felt Silver’s hoof there, holding hers and letting her know she wasn’t alone.

She looked up to him, sending a message with her eyes. I love you.

“We’re almost there!” the doctor called out.

Silver looked back at his wife, whispering, “And I love you, Rarity.” He bent down and kissed her on the horn.

A shrill cry, the first sound of a foal taking first breath, split the air.

The waiting room was packed to capacity – far more than legally allowed by the Canterlot Fire Department, but no one was going to tell three princesses, a prince, five Knights Elemental and their families that they needed to clear the room.

“Anything?” Luna asked Cadance for the fifteenth time in the past five minutes. Cadance had once admitted she could feel the first love between a mother and her foal, and right now that talent was being sorely tested as the romance alicorn was searching throughout all the feelings of the newborns in the past few minutes.

“I’ll get back to you on that in a second,” she replied, her eyes closed. “Strangely enough, there’s been a lot of births tonight, and I’m trying to find just…the right…one….”

“I don’t think that will be necessary anymore, Cady,” Shining said as a nurse entered the waiting room, looking at the Royal Family.

“Nurse, is everything alright?”

“Your majesty, your highnesses and graces, I am pleased to announce that her grace the Duchess Lipizzan has given birth to a happy and healthy little filly.” Looks of relief and joy started to spread throughout the room as the nurse continued. “I’ve been asked by his grace the Duke to have Lady Sparkler and Lady Firecracker be escorted to see their newborn sister.”

“Really?” Dinky asked. When the nurse nodded, the pre-teen unicorn squeed.

Sandalwood and Hammer looked to their oldest son and his family, then to their daughter, remembering the past. They then looked to their in-laws, and on an unspoken cue, Sandalwood, Hammer, Pearl and Magnum embraced as one, pleased to be grandparents.

“I think they’re going to be a while, girls,” Goldie bent down and told Sparkler and Dinky. “Go ahead and see your new sister.”

“Uh-huh, Aunt Goldie!” Dinky chirped, while Sparkler merely nodded in agreement as both followed the nurse to the back area.

Silver looked on a most beautiful sight before him: On the bed she’d been moved to, Rarity lay, holding a tiny bundle in her forelegs. Looking up at her husband, she smiled, shedding tears of joy. She shifted a little so Silver could see the front of the bundle. “I love you with all my heart, little one,” she told the foal, looking down at her. “And your father loves you too.”

In the swaddling was a precious treasure to behold: the earth pony filly had a light cream-colored coat, with a small shock of dark brown for a mane. She opened her eyes briefly, revealing beautiful violet-colored irises, before she closed them and yawned, the look adorable on her tiny muzzle. Instinctively she snuggled closer to her mother, causing Silver to break into a wide smile.

He felt tears sting his eyes; a gift of pure joy. “She’s absolutely beautiful,” he told his wife. “Just as beautiful as you, love.”

“She looks so much like her grandmother,” Rarity said, reaching up with a hoof to boop her daughter gently on the nose. “Silver, I know we were thinking of Amaretto for an earth pony filly name, but considering the resemblance….” Rarity left it at that.

“You mean it?”

Rarity nodded. “Our foal deserves no finer appellation.”

A second later, both Sparkler and Dinky walked in, both girls’ eyes reflecting a moment of absolute beauty as they saw their sister in Rarity’s arms. Their breaths seemed to halt as they were taken in by the precious moment.

Silver turned. “Congratulations, girls. You have a little sister. Come on up and say hi,” he said, smiling as he wiped away a tear.

As both approached the bed, Rarity looked at them, smiling, then back at the infant. “Your sisters are here, little one,” she said, “and they love you just as much. You are a part of a special family, did you know that? Your aunts and uncles and grandparents are just outside, waiting to see you.”

Sparkler looked at her newborn sister’s face. “She’s absolutely gorgeous,” the teen said, smiling. Hearing the new voice, the filly opened her eyes again and uttered a delighted neigh, reaching out with her tiny forelegs. Sparkler nuzzled the newborn’s forelegs gently before the filly leaned back and fell asleep again. “Hello, little sister,” Sparkler said, smiling in wonder.

“She’s soooo pretty,” Dinky said, dreamily. Looking up to her father and stepmother, she asked, “What’s her name?”

Rarity looked to her husband and he nodded. Turning back to her stepdaughters, she said, “Sparkler, Dinky, I’d like to introduce you to your little sister…

“…Sandalwood.”

Author's Note

A couple people have privately asked me about the titles, and as I mentioned in chapter one, they're based on lyrics, not song titles. For those curious, here's the list of the songs referenced:

I: 10cc, "The Things We Do for Love"
II: XTC, "Garden of Earthly Delights"
III: Poco, "Crazy Love"
IV: Real Life, "Catch Me I'm Falling"
V: Style Council, "Have You Ever Had It Blue?"
VI: Bryan Ferry, "Don't Stop the Dance"
VII: The Blue Nile, "Tinseltown in the Rain"
VIII: The Beatles, "Blackbird"
IX: Zero7, "Morning Song"
X: Tom Jones, "It's Not Unusual"
XI: Paul Simon, "Rene and Georgette Magritte with their Dog After the War"
XII: Linda Perhacs, "Porcelain Baked-Over Cast-Iron Wedding"
XIII: George Michael, "Freedom '90"
Finale: Seal, "Colour"

If anyone notices a theme of sorts along the lines of the songs, well, that may or may not be intentional. That was the result of looking for appropriate lyrics for titles, not liking them, and looking again (for example, chapter three's title originally belonged to the finale).

A song that I repeatedly listened to during the writing (because this is meant to be upbeat, after all), and I suppose could be considered a theme song for the series (of sorts) is Fantastic Plastic Machine's "Reaching for the Stars".

And that's that! Thanks for indulging me all this, hope you'll have a great holiday and stay tuned for the upcoming next part of AAG!

I: Like Walking in the Rain and the Snow When There's Nowhere to Go

The snow fell on the Wintertime Market as families in Canterlot scurried to and fro to ensure they completed their shopping in time for Hearths Warming. Colts and fillies ran through the snow, cavorting and screaming in delight as they played in a wintry wonderland, waiting for the festival to come. Young lovers walked in unison, their eyes mostly on one another as they enjoyed their first holiday time together, and a hopeful portent of their potential lives together. In the distance, a small band played traditional Hearths Warming music for the crowd, while a group of choirponies also practiced for their turn.

Yes, it was a beautiful, wonderful – magical – Hearths Warming yuletide to come. And right now, to the denizens of Canterlot, there was no finer time, no greater thing than to enjoy the celebration in the air.

Too bad one of them did not agree with that statement. He sat at a bar, taking a swig from a drink. He was in his late twenties, an earth pony with a silvery gray coat and two-toned gray mane; both served to bring out the glitter in his red eyes. Normally, there was a friendly, mischievous twinkle in those eyes. Not today, however – and probably not for a long time to come.

“Grampus,” he said to the bartender, “gimme another drink.”

The old, scruffy black-and-white bartenderstallion that looked as though he’d been the bartender since before there was a bar – or a Canterlot to host the bar – shook his head, speaking in the thick brogue of his native Barnstable Island accent: “Not tonight, laddie – y’ve already a few too many.” The regulars at the bar said that Grampus had been named due to his similar coloring to the mythical killer whale, though to those who angered the barkeep, the name was probably just a mispronunciation of grumps.

“Look, I’m a stallion who’s having one harridelle of a Yuletide, okay?” the younger male said as he looked scornfully at Grampus. “I’m busy drowning my sorrows, so pass me another shot and help me get with the drowning!”

“Och, I might be inclined t’ do so otherwise,” Gramps admitted, “but the lassie behind ye might have a bit o’ another thing or two ‘bout that.” Grampus picked up a nearby glass, wiped it, gave a kind nod to the pair, and went off to serve the other patrons at the bar.

“There you are,” a soft female voice sighed behind him. “Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you? We were supposed to meet Mom hours ago and…oh Celestia do you smell like a distillery.”

“Brewery,” the stallion corrected. “Cider’s made in a brewery. Now, I could switch to a distilled drink if you want.”

The mare’s eyes narrowed. “Or,” she said in a firm, disciplined tone, “I could just give you an order to get off that seat and on your feet, Sergeant.”

“You could, Cornet, ma’am,” the stallion replied, “but we’re both off-duty and not in uniform.”

She finally sighed. “Look, Silver…I know you’re hurting right now.”

“Then let me hurt in peace, Goldie,” he said curtly.

“No. You’re my little brother, Silver, and I want to help – everypony does. Don’t shut us out. Not now, especially not this time of year, when you should be around family.”

“Family.” He said the word as though it were an epithet. “You know, I had so hoped to…to….”

“Let’s not talk about that, little brother,” she said, putting a wing around his withers to console him. “Let’s just get going, get you sobered up, and meet Mom like we’re supposed to.”

“It wasn’t supposed to end like this,” he said to nopony in particular. “It wasn’t supposed to end at all. Did you know that I had planned t—”

“Sssh.” Carefully, Golden Sun reached around and embraced her younger brother Silversteel just as he started to silently weep. She could feel his hot tears soaking her coat, and part of her wanted to cry with him, but she couldn’t – she needed to be strong for him. He’d lost something very precious to him in the past few days, and while the tears would tear him to bits, they would be the start of washing away his pain. She only hoped that their older brother, Diamondplate, was able to get a hold of their mutual friend, Shining Armor, to see what had gone wrong and what could be done – if anything – to rectify the situation.

That way, everypony could have answers as to why on the Hearths Warming holiday that Silversteel had planned to propose to his longtime fillyfriend Derpy Hooves and introduce her adopted foals to his family…he was now mourning the sudden and inexplicable end of that relationship.

“Are you sure this is what you want, Derpy?” Seated in the home of the postmaster of Ponyville – well, technically both her home and the post office – Cadance sipped from a mug of mulled cider and looked at her friend. “You were so happy together. I don’t understand why.”

Derpy was so silent and still that she actually had both eyes transfixed on the alicorn. It was an improvement; she’d been crying very hard earlier and Cadance had just let her friend bawl into her chest for the longest time. “It’s hard to explain,” she began.

“I’m the Avatar of Love, remember?” Cadance reminded her. “I can deal with hard.”

Derpy suddenly asked, “Where’s Shining?” Any other mare probably would’ve felt slighted by that sudden statement, but Cadance knew her husband and Derpy were foalhood friends and had a very filial relationship. The fact that she asked was likely more out of concern for current events rather than anything else.

“Shining’s dealing with the remainder of the jaculus issue.” It had been a freak instance two weeks ago – hundreds of thousands of jaculi had torn into communities bordering the northern end of the Everfree Forest. The infestation was believed to be a side-effect of the changeling invasion from years ago; changelings were known to keep the vicious, hyper-aggressive winged snakes as pets and sentries for their hives. But eventually they multiplied enough that they’d burst through into the populated areas, and despite being reptiles, they had an unnatural ability to survive in year-round weather. “But what’s that got to do wi—”

“Do you remember my friend Raspberry Scone?” the pegasus asked the princess. “She married one of Silver’s friends, a nice but goofy stallion named Pumpkin Cheesecake. He was one of the guardsponies killed during the changeling invasion of Canterlot.” Derpy’s voice was soft, hushed and so very unlike herself.

“I’m sorry – I didn’t know.” A stab went right to Cadance’s heart; the invasion had been a co-opting of her wedding to Shining and even though a rushed ceremony the week after improved morale and brought her to as close to a dream wedding as she could have, she never knew there was still a dark side to it all – Shining never told her. Worse, she’d never told him of the nightmares she’d had of her time in captivity, nightmares that her aunt Luna had helped her to deal with.

“It wasn’t your fault; it was that changeling queen’s,” Derpy reminded her. “Anyway, Sconey had a foal with Pumpkin, and was resigned to just raising her filly alone when she met another guard, guy by the name of Quickwing. They were getting serious, when he was injured in the jaculus infestation in Berryville. She kinda lost it, and…. I talked to my friend Castor Oil – he’s the doctor there. She’s going to be fine, but Quick’s injuries gave her nightmares and spooked her completely. And it made me think about the guardspony I’m dating.

“I love Silver. Almost since the day we first met. He was there for me through thick and thin. My foals – Sparkler and Dinky – he’s a father to them, and he’s helped them to forget about the monsters that were their birth parents. I know he was on the verge of asking for my hoof – Mama said that Silver and Papa went out for a day a couple of weeks ago, just to ‘talk about stallionfolk stuff’. But then I think about Sconey’s situation and….” Derpy wrapped her wings around herself, shivering.

Cadance picked up on it immediately; she’d had a few of those same fears herself. “You don’t want to be a widow,” the romance alicorn stated.

Derpy sadly nodded. “The Guard…they’re being used more and more, lately. Shining’s safe, because he’s in a command position, but Silver…he’s turned down promotion after promotion because he wants to be there with his troops, protecting them.” She took a quick drink from her cup, then set it down. “I thought after the incident with the diamond dogs, that he’d be convinced to take that promotion to warrant officer. But he turned it down again, said there were other ponies far more qualified.” Her voice was a reedy whisper as she added, “He’d had two broken ribs from the fighting with the diamond dogs, and when they lost contact with his unit, I stayed up all night, terrified. What if I’d lost him? What if I never saw him again? And how would Sparkler and Dinky react? How could I tell them that their father’s never coming home again?”

“Have you discussed this with him?”

Derpy nodded. “Caramel even offered him the position of senior sheriff’s deputy if Silver wanted to resign from the Guard. But…that’s his life, what his cutie mark is telling him – he was born to be a soldier, and I can’t take that from him. And if it were just him and I…I would take the risk. But it’s not just me and him, it’s me, him and my fillies, and they’ve already lost one father, one that never loved them. I won’t let them lose another – especially one that loves them more than anything in this world, even if it means I have to tear out my own heart. Even if it means I’m a coward.”

“Derpy, you’re not—”

Tearstained golden eyes looked up at Cadance. “Am I wrong? Is it wrong to protect my foals’ happiness over my own?” The tears started again and it was all Cadance could do to console her heartbroken friend. For better or worse, Derpy had made her choice, the worst possible decision for all the right reasons, and knowing the other mare as well as she did, the romance alicorn knew it would be a decision that would haunt Derpy for the rest of her life.

“This is the. Worst. Possible. Thing!”

Applejack rolled her eyes, then looked at a stagehand. “Yup, there sh’ goes again.”

“How could you not tell me, Fluttershy?” Rarity was somewhere between flabbergasted and miffed. If she’d had a fainting couch on-hand, she definitely would have used it. “You mean to tell me you’ve and…. He and…. That is….”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Yeah, Rarity – even Twilight noticed Fluttershy and Big Mac have been dating for a while.” The speedster pegasus nudged her fellow pegasus with her wing. “Wanna tell her how long you’ve been an item?”

Fluttershy tried to hide behind her mane, then realized that wouldn’t work. In actuality, she had nowhere really to run at all. “Oh, I don’t want to inconvenience anyone by telling them about when he asked me out, but I could if you want…that is, if it’s okay with you.”

“Yeah! Spill it! Tell your favorite Pinkie everything!” the pink party pony shouted as she cavorted around the room with glee. “This’ll give me plenty of time to plan my ‘Fluttershy and Mac are Dating!’ party! Woo hoo!”

“Uh, girls, could we get back on topic here?” Twilight Sparkle said as she poked her head out from the script.

“Shucks, Twi, Ah dunno why yer so worried ‘bout th’ Hearths Warmin’ Eve play. ‘Tain’t really different from all th’ other times we did it.”

“Um, that’s because we’re not the ones doing it this year?” the lavender unicorn reminded her. “Remember, we’re still on-duty in case of more jaculus problems.”

“As if any old flying snake is going to outdo the Coolest Flyer in Equestria!” At Rainbow’s boast, Applejack merely rolled her eyes again; at this rate, she might as well keep them in the top of her skull, she decided.

Rarity grabbed Fluttershy, all but dragging her to a corner of the backstage area. “Now tell me all about it and don’t leave out a single detail!” she instructed.

Meanwhile, Twilight looked around and nodded as things went back to semi-normal. She had a number of things to accomplish still with her parts in the play, even though they’d been greatly reduced from what they’d been in years past. Since the first year they’d performed their roles, ponies enjoyed seeing the Knights Elemental as the major stars of the Hearths Warming Eve play. But this year, due to all the crises, they’d had to take a step back and let others shine in the roles. It worked out for the best, anyway; their recent investitures as members of the Royal Family and nobility left a lot less time to be, well, normal ponies.

“Excuse me, your grace?” a voice said to Twilight, as a hoof tapped her on the shoulder.

Twilight turned and saw an older earth pony in her mid-fifties or so standing there. Even though this was just rehearsal, she was holding a script for the few lines spoken by Lady Mascarpone, Chancellor Puddinghead’s wife – it was a small but pivotal role. Her well-coiffed mane was a swirl of brown and tan, while her chestnut colored coat brought out her violet eyes and enhanced the small golden pendant she wore. If anything, Twilight noticed that the mare seemed to be cut from a similar cloth as Rarity. “Yes, can I help you…uh….”

“Lady Sandalwood, Baroness Salerno, if it pleases your grace.” The older mare quickly curtsied.

“Please, just ‘Twilight’ is fine,” she insisted. “I’m not one for titles. Anyway, what can I do for you?”

Sandalwood smiled slightly as she sighed in relief; the mare was nervous as it was, but being in the presence of…well, the six mares who were now considered the sisters of her majesty herself…that could freak anypony out. “I was wondering, your gra…I mean, Twilight, if this version of the play is correct. I don’t remember anything of Lady Mascarpone.”

Twilight smiled, drawing from her authority. “Well, I happened to be in Trottingham earlier this year doing some research and, well, you know about how each town seems to draw from regional customs about what happened? According to the Mummers Play – that’s what they call the play in that part of Equestria – Lady Mascarpone had a much larger role in her husband’s dealings rather than just being a background pony. I thought it’d be a nice variation on our version, and thankfully her majesty agreed.” Twilight flashed a smile. “If you’re nervous about playing the part, I’m sure there’s nothing to be worried about. I’ll admit I was nervous when I first played Clover the Clever years ago.”

Sandalwood’s mouth soured into a line. “Actually, I’m more worried about my daughter making it in time for practice. She’s the one who’s playing Private Pansy this year an—”

“Oh, yeah! Golden Sun!” Rainbow called out from the other side of the room. “I met her the other day. Good flyer. Not as good as yours truly, but for a guardsmare? She’s alright.”

“I was wondering if you’d seen her? Last time I saw her, she went out for an errand, but she didn’t say why,” Sandalwood said.

“Hey, I can go looking if you want,” Rainbow offered. “Bored otherwise.”

“No, yer stayin’ right here t’ help me wit’ the settin’ up of the stage,” Applejack insisted, readying a lasso she intended to use to haul up some of the stage pieces. While Rainbow could have easily made them weightless, the bulk of some parts required a helping hoof, and with most of the rest of the stage crew involved with other parts, it left them to do so.

“Pinkie? Are you busy?”

“Can’t right now!” the party pony said as she inexplicably stared at a nearby wall. “I’m trying to figure out what’s on the next chapter of the story!”

“‘Next chapter’?” Sandalwood asked.

“That’s Pinkie being Pinkie,” Twilight assured the older mare.

Rarity and Fluttershy then approached. “Twilight, Fluttershy and I were about to step out to get some drinks and snacks for the crew. Perhaps if you describe her, we might be able to look out for her.”

“I’d be more than happy to be of help,” Fluttershy said, a soft smile on her face.

“Thank you, my ladies,” Sandalwood said, curtseying to the two duchesses.

“Please, think nothing of it. And just like Twilight, please, just call me Rarity,” the white unicorn said, smiling.

“And you can call me Fluttershy, if that’s what you want,” the pegasus said.

Sandalwood nodded, feeling much more at ease now. When she was first offered the part, she’d balked, not wanting much to do with the royal family if only because of the multiple unsavory times she’d had to deal with Prince Blueblood – a problematic situation, as he was one of her biggest clients. A shame that his father, Prince Campion, was in ill health; Sandalwood’s husband Silver Hammer had been the elder prince’s defense attaché while he was hale and the son clearly did not have the royal demeanor that his father did.

In any case, when the Knights Elemental offered to help with this year’s play, she worried. When the announcement came over the summer that they had become members of the royal family, all bonded in sisterhood with the princesses, her panic increased tenfold. But it turned out to be for naught; the young mares before her turned out to be as kind and sweet as her own darling foals – or, if rumor had it, her soon-to-be daughter-in-law.

Sandalwood smiled to herself. Soon her youngest would tie the knot and start his own family – or continue Derpy’s, since she’d already adopted foals.

This was going to be a wonderful Hearths Warming!

Just outside the bar, Silver decided his stomach no longer wanted to hold all the alcohol he’d just consumed. Or lunch. Or breakfast. Or what he’d had to eat for the prior day, for that matter. Goldie wrinkled her nose at the acrid blast of stomach acid being expelled. “Well, if nothing else you’ll feel better after this,” she drawled.

With his evacuation completed, he staggered over to a nearby crate. Gasping for breath, he looked at his sister and said, “Just leave me, Goldie. I really don’t want to deal with things right now, okay?”

“No, it’s not okay!” she told him. “I’m not going to let you drink yourself stupid just because your idiot of a fillyfriend dumped you!” She patted him on the back. “Look, you’re not going through anything that you didn’t go through with Exotic Beauty, right?”

“I didn’t want to marry Exotic,” Silver snarled. “I didn’t tell Exotic’s adopted foals that I’d always be there for them, be the father they need!”

Her smile fell. “I know, bro, I know. And I wish I knew what’s going through Derpy’s mind – I always thought she was a sensible gal. Are you sure you two are Splitsville, or is this just some ‘time-apart’ thing?”

“I know that look in her eyes – or rather, the one she couldn’t give me,” he said, staring into the distance. “The only time she never looks at anyone is when she’s deeply ashamed of something, because she gets sensitive about her eyes.” The stinging in the tear ducts started once more. “She couldn’t look at me when she said it was over. That’s what hurts most of all – if she did, I’d know this was all my damn fault somehow. But she didn’t and now I have no idea what’s going on.”

“Look, someone will talk some sense into her, I’m sure,” Goldie said.

“Yeah, probably either Shines or Cadance,” he commented.

Goldie whistled appreciatively, then flashed him a smile. “Look, stallion, you have the Avatar of Love as one of your friends – if there’s a mare to go bat for you, I don’t know who better!” She then dropped to her haunches, looking him face to face, taking care not to step in his mess. “Silver, I’m not going to lie. I know it hurts, I know it does. And I know that every day you hold onto that engagement bracelet you got Derpy it’s burning a hole in your soul. And I don’t know why she did what she did or if it will ever make sense, and I don’t know the full story since I’m not there.

“But I want you to know something: I love you, little brother. So does our big brother and his family, and our parents. And your friends do too, and I’m sure even Derpy does, though you probably don’t want to hear that right now.” She tapped him on the chest. “You are a wonderful stallion, charming and debonair, and the kinda looks that’ll drive the mares mad. And someday, you’ll look on this as a growing experience. You might not see that now, but it is, I promise.” She embraced him again and said, “And I’ll always be here for you.”

He gave her a bleary-eyed look. “Thanks, sis.”

“Hey, isn’t that what big sisters are for?” she chuckled.

Rarity walked along the main thoroughfare, a twinkle in her eyes and a smile on her face as she looked at the Hearths Warming decorations. The scene reminded her that she still had time to do all her shopping for gifts, though it was going to be hard to figure out what to get for Sweetie Belle, since she’d just started her tutelage at the Mage Academy.

Carrying the drink caddies in her telekinesis, she quickly looked over at Fluttershy, who had the snack trays from Pony Joe’s expertly balanced on her wings. “It’s a beautiful night,” she said to her old friend.

Fluttershy nodded. “I wonder how Mac is doing. I…” the pegasus suddenly blushed, “…miss having him here with me,” she admitted.

The fashionista gave her sister royal a warm smile. “You two are perfect for each other, you know that? No offense to dear Cheerilee, but I never really saw them as a couple. I’m glad that you and he have found love together.” She sighed wistfully. “Now if only I could find my own special somepony.”

“I’m sure someone just right will come into your life,” Fluttershy insisted.

“Perhaps, though thankfully I’m no longer as blind as I was when I thought that disgrace of a stallion Blueblood was worth my time. I was a flighty-headed mare back then, filled with fantasies and ponytales in my head, and I got exactly what I deserved,” Rarity mused. “Now all I want is for some charming stallion – not necessarily a prince! – to sweep me off my hooves and make my heart go all a-flutter.”

“I’m sure he’ll come someday,” Fluttershy assured Rarity. “After all, if Rainbow and Soarin’ can f—”

Rarity blinked. “Wait – Rainbow’s seeing somepony?”

“You didn’t know?”

The look on Rarity’s face was crestfallen. This was the worst possible Hearths Warming ever!

A swirl of a soft breeze hit the ground and blew powdered snow into the nighttime air. The snowflakes glittered in the lamplight of the evening, spraying a shower of sparkles everywhere.

“Oh, look! Diamond dust!” Fluttershy said. “Quick, make a wish!” When Rarity looked at Fluttershy in confusion, she said, “It’s a Cloudsdale Hearths Warming tradition that when there’s diamond dust during the Yuletide, if you wish with all your heart, Princess Celestia will make your dreams come true.”

“You do know I could just ask Celestia directly,” Rarity deadpanned. When Fluttershy gave an insistent look, Rarity gave in, and following Fluttershy’s motions, clapped her forehooves together, closed her eyes and wished: This is probably just going to be a fruitless endeavor, but if it’s real, Celestia, dear, would you mind introducing me to my future husband? In response, the dust picked up, and briefly swirled around them, as if by magic. Is this real? Am I to meet my special somepony? Rarity wondered. She held her breath, unable to believe this was happening.

At last, the dust went away, revealing a bar across the street. Standing there was a couple. The mare, a pegasus, looked as though she was chastising her earth pony beau. The stallion looked, Rarity had to admit, roguishly charming. Unfortunately, he was apparently drunk off his plot and involved with somepony.

Gee, thanks, Celestia, Rarity grumbled silently. I think next time I’ll just ask you in-pony – or maybe I’ll ask Luna instead. My luck can’t get any worse.

“Um, isn’t that Sandalwood’s daughter, Golden Sun?” Fluttershy asked. “She does fit the description.”

“Yes, she does,” Rarity replied, “but I’m sure Miss Sun has better taste in stallions than some drunken lummox vomiting outside a saloon. Well, these drinks and snacks won’t stay warm forever, so let’s get going.”

“I think he’s looking at you, Rarity.”

She huffed. “So he’s a cad as well? Poor mare.”

“Hey, Silver,” Goldie asked. “You okay?” She waved a hoof in front of his face, wondering what had suddenly caught his attention. She then turned to his line of sight, watching as two extraordinarily beautiful mares walked past. “Well, looks like somepony’s still got a heartbeat,” she murmured to herself. “See, things are already looking up, Silver.”

Silver said nothing. He just gazed as the white angel moving by, escorted by the cute-but-not-his-style pegasus. He’d never felt like this before. He found himself so enraptured by the beautiful unicorn on the other side of the street, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Part of him felt guilty for that; in some ways, it was a betrayal for his injured-but-still-present love for Derpy. But he then remembered a phrase his father once told him: the perfect flower for the perfect bee. It was apparently a saying from his father’s old hometown, referring to the reaction you got when you met your true love. Not one you gradually fell for in a lesser relationship, but the one you were destined to be with forever.

Could my relationship with Derpy have been just as a precursor to meeting her? he wondered in his alcohol-soaked mind. It made no sense at all. And it’d probably make even less sense when he sobered up.

Who is she?

He would get his answer three days later. As the audience crowded into the theater to prepare for the play, Silver went to find where the rest of his family sat; as his mother and sister were both in the play, they had priority seats in the front rows. Walking through the central aisle, he thought he swore he saw Derpy for just a second, but knew that to be impossible: she’d probably chosen to either stay in Ponyville after everything, or maybe head to her parents’ house. All things considered, he hoped it was the latter: Sparkler and Dinky could use a positive male role model in their lives right now and Derpy’s father was a great stallion.

Listen to me – I already sound like an ex-husband, he thought morosely, one that was never wed to begin with. But if that was the case, at least he was the kind that cared about his kids and ex. Last he’d heard, neither Bottle Rocket nor Oriental Blossom had said one word about their foals since custody was removed years ago, and even though they’d probably be out on parole soon, the chances of them coming back into the fillies’ lives were probably nil and for the better.

He brushed the whole thing out of his mind. He wasn’t going to do himself any favors beating himself up further, he knew. Besides, he had two nephews who needed him around for the holidays as is.

Finally, he arrived at the row, and saw his family there. “Uncle Silver!” two young colts squealed, even as two adults gave him broad smiles.

“Heya, kiddos!” he said, bending down as they ran into his forelegs for a hug. “You guys are getting so big!” Holding them tight, he then looked at his brother and sister-in-law. “Dimes, Lavender.”

“Dad decided to sit backstage with Mom so she gets over her jitters,” Diamondplate said to his younger brother as he gave him an even glance. “Shines sent me a note. Sorry to hear about what happened.”

Lavender Blue nodded. “And I know it sounds dumb, but we’re always here for you if you need us, Silver.”

“Thanks, but I’ll be fine,” he lied as he took a seat next to Diamondplate. The empty seat next to him, though actually meant for his father and not anyone else, felt too symbolic for the hole in his life right now, a sad reminder that the world had left him dour and gray – well, grayer than his normal coat color, in any case.

Meanwhile, Lavender’s eyes slid up towards the box in the opera house specifically for the princesses and their retinue. “That’s odd,” the mare said in a hushed tone. “Isn’t it normal for somepony in the Royal Family to be in attendance for the annual play?”

Diamondplate nodded; being a friend of Shining Armor’s gave him a few unique insights into how the Royal Family worked. “Well, from what I know, Princess Celestia is on a state visit in Inari, Princess Luna is mediating the peace negotiations between Jagultapec and Oceloteztlan. As for the lesser royals, Prince Blueblood never attends these, Shines and Cadance are visiting hospitals in the jaculus-afflicted areas, and the other minor princes and princesses are attending their own local plays as usual.” A thought came across the stallion’s face. “I wonder if they left the patronage to the newest royals in the family.”

“Sssh! The lights just dimmed,” Lavender said, reaching over and caressing her husband’s face with a tender hoof. As the room darkened, a spotlight fell upon the stage, and a young unicorn mare dressed in regal finery came out, soon flanked by five other mares. The room fell silent as the spotlight settled on the sextet onstage. The unicorn mare in front, dressed in a midnight-blue gown and silver tiara, looked on at the audience before her, and with a soft smile, began speaking.

Diamondplate grinned as he whispered, “Hey, Silver, you know what? Maybe you can get Shines to introduce you to his sister afterwards – she’s the one onstage speaking right now, and I hear she’s single and probably up for the position of Vicemagus of the Mage Academy. What do you think?”

Silversteel didn’t answer him. He wasn’t paying attention to much of what was going on the stage at all…until his eyes suddenly settled on the unicorn mare in the baby-blue satin nightgown and tiara, standing behind and to the right of the one speaking. It was her. He had no idea who she was, but somehow, he knew it had to be her – he could feel it in a way that…well, he hoped no one was paying too much attention to him at the moment.

Yeah, and why not just forget about Derpy while you’re at it? his conscience chided him. Have you no sense of decency? The war of emotions started to build up within him again and he shrank back into his chair, glad that everyone around him was completely enraptured by the play that had just started. It let him deal with the very separate drama that was going on in his head.

Meanwhile, the six returned backstage from their brief stage appearance. “That was a wonderful and moving speech, Twilight,” Rarity told her fellow unicorn as they moved out of the way of the actors and stagehooves. “‘On behalf of my sisters and I, we would like to welcome you to this most glorious of festivals,’” the unicorn repeated. “To be called family was very touching.”

Twilight blushed. “Well, Celestia did teach me a bit about public speaking,” she began, “and I thought it wa—”

“Hey, if we’re all sisters now, then who’s the big sister?” Pinkie interrupted with her usual lack of tact. “Is it Fluttershy, ‘cause she’s oldest? Or you, because you’re our leader, or…waitaminit, Fluttershy’s not the oldest, Celestia is! What about her, huh?”

“Pinkie, dear, I don’t think that’s really as important as the fact that we’re all family,” Rarity replied warmly. “As it is, are we still planning to have the New Year’s Ball, or will that need to be cancelled due to Celestia and Luna’s absences?”

Twilight shook her head. “Luna insisted that we should hold the ball and host it ourselves if they can’t make it back,” Twilight told her. “She feels it’s important to thank the ponies who worked so hard on the play, so we can’t let her down.”

“Of course we’re not gonna let Luna down!” Rainbow insisted. “Besides, I have my date already set, and we’re going to be the coolest couple in Canterlot!”

“Whee! I’m gonna see if Pokey’s free for the night! He promised to take me dancing!” Pinkie announced.

“I thought he was dating Trixie Lulamoon?” Fluttershy inquired.

“Then I’ll ask Caramel!”

“He married Wind Whistler last year, remember?”

“Time Turner?”

“Moved to Manehattan four months ago.”

“Lucky?”

“I think he’s dating Cheerilee now.”

Pinkie pouted. “Well…maybe I can get Thunderlane to take me.” She gave a fillyish grin as she added, “He owes me a favor anyway!”

“That’s good. In any case, it’ll be nice to have Mac by my side,” Fluttershy sighed dreamily.

“Yup, y’ got it bad, Fluttershy,” Applejack teased softly. Applejack then looked at Twilight and Rarity. “Looks like we’re goin’ t’ be dateless that night, Ah reckon.”

Twilight shook her head. “I don’t have time to date, anyway. I have to make sure that I have everything perfect for the ball. Admittedly, I’ve never run one before, but at least I’ve got a little over a week to plan it.”

Rarity nodded. “Of course, I’ll help out as well.”

“Me too!” Pinkie shouted.

“Nope – y’ three lucky gals get t’ be th’ ones with yer dates – so plan fer that,” Applejack insisted. “Leave th’ rest t’ us, ‘kay?”

“Twilight?” Sandalwood approached them, still in her costume as Lady Mascarpone, and escorted by her husband, Baron Silver Hammer. “Did I understand you needed some assistance with planning a ball? I’ve planned a few at our country estate, and I would be more than happy to assist you in planning this one.”

Silver Hammer nodded. “My wife’s good at this kind of thing, ladies. You should take her up on her offer.”

“We’d appreciate all the help you can offer, Sandalwood,” Twilight said to the older mare with a smile.

“I might even be able to arrange for some escorts for you three,” she added. “My daughter’s squadron is here, and there are plenty of eligible bachelors….” Three young mares suddenly looked at each other and rolled their eyes in unison; mothers, even when it wasn’t their own, always seemed to want to play matchmaker.

“Ah…Ah’ll go see if Ah c’n find mah own, if’n ya don’ mind,” Applejack said hesitantly. “Maybe Noteworthy.”

Rarity looked at the farmmare. “Wait – I didn’t think you liked him.”

“Ah don’t,” Applejack insisted. “But Ah’ll take mah chances.”

“Twily, dear, this is beautiful! I’m so proud of you!” Twilight Velvet resisted the urge to reach up and pinch her daughter’s cheeks – she was her little filly, after all. At her side, Night Light said nothing, wanting to spare his daughter any further mortification.

Twilight blushed. “Thanks, Mom, but the girls and I couldn’t have done it without Baroness Sandalwood – she played Lady Mascarpone in the play and she’s been an invaluable help to me in planning this.”

Velvet perked up at that. “Sandy’s here?” When Twilight gave her a questioning look, Velvet smiled fondly. “She and I were roomies together our freshpony year at Royal Canterlot University. I think that when we went there, your father was planning to ask one of us out – fortunately for you, he chose wisely,” she said with a wink.

“I’m sure she’d be happy to see you again,” Twilight offered.

Night Light looked around. “So, where are your brothers?” he asked.

“Not sure, but they are here,” Twilight responded.

Cadance, standing right next to Twilight, took over from there. “Well, Shining’s inspecting the troops, since he wants to make sure that they look good in their uniforms before they arrive.” She gave her father-in-law a wink and said as an aside, “Lots of eligible single ponies here, so he’s kinda making sure they look perfect so they have a chance. As for Spike, I think he was busy hanging out with his friends. I can go get them, if you’d like.”

“No, that’s quite okay,” Velvet said. “You two are busy as is and Night and I can find the boys once we finish catching up with Sandy. If I see your friends, Twily, I’ll be sure to give them my congratulations as well – you all have done a wonderful job.”

“Well, if you’d like, I can introduce you later to Rainbow’s parents. Rainbow Strike and Firefly just happened to be in town, so she asked them to come.”

“That would be nice,” Night mused. “Somepony else who understands the trials of raising a Knight Elemental.” When Twilight gave her father a bemused glance, he chuckled and added, “It was worth it, sweetie. Always worth it.”

Meanwhile, standing outside on a nearby veranda, fifteen rows of guardsponies stood in their finest dress uniforms, while the Captain of the Guard, Prince Consort Shining Armor, accompanied by Lt. Diamondplate and Cornet Golden Sun, addressed the assembly.

“Let me make this absolutely clear,” the unicorn prince told the formation. “While I want you to enjoy yourselves and have a good time, I don’t want any drinking, gambling or the usual stuff – if you really need to do so, please head back to the barracks, okay? Plus, while there are a lot of single and eligible stallions and mares for those interested, have the courtesy to take them back home or at least to a hotel room. If I have to explain to my wife and her aunts why someone ‘borrowed’ one of the bedchambers here, I’m not going to be very amused. Is that clear?”

“Crystal, sir!” the ponies spoke as one.

“Dismissed!” he said sharply. “Have fun, ponies.” As the assembly broke up, he turned to his friends. “Dee, Goldie, it’s good to see you guys.”

Goldie briefly hugged her friend and senior officer with her wings. “Good to see you’re okay. Looks like married life agrees with you.” Pointing a wing at her older brother, she added, “It does for this big lug.”

“Yeah, life with Cady’s just bliss,” he admitted. “Now that things in Empire City are normalizing, we can come back to Canterlot on a regular basis. Her majesty’s already looking to appoint a new governor-general to replace Cadance, so we can get back to all the normal stuff in our lives.”

“You mean like your backstabbing buddy,” Goldie hissed slightly. Watching her brother go through over a week of grief had done wonders for Goldie’s increasing dislike of his former fillyfriend.

Shining waved his forehooves in dismissal. “Look, I don’t know what happened, but I know this: Derpy loves Silver and whatever reason she had for pulling the plug on their relationship? It must’ve been huge. I know right now that she’s miserable as Tartarus and whatever happens, she’ll come to her senses.”

“Well, I hope so, Shines,” Diamondplate said. “When Silver introduced me to her last year, I thought she was a great gal. And I know both Lavender and Mom were looking forward to a summer wedding. Maybe there’s still hope.”

“Well, if not….” The look on Goldie’s eyes was positively wicked. “One of the gals in my squadron? Tiger Lily? She’s had her eye on him for a while and I just might let slip some, ahem, ‘tactical information’ regarding Silver’s revised relationship status.”

Both stallions looked at the mare with discomfiture. Shining said, “You wouldn’t,” in a deadpan tone while Diamondplate drolled, “Why am I not surprised?”

“Look, you guys take care of Silver your way, and I’ll take care of him mine. We all care about him, it’s just – well, one way or another, my plan ensures he’s up with a willing pegasus gal. It’s just a matter of what color coat it is that’s the question.”

“Stallion, you look bummed,” a mare said to Silversteel.

“Yeah, look, I really didn’t want to come to this, but my Mom was part of the play and the rest of my family’s here, and…look, I’m just having a hard time right now, okay? Personal reasons, Crystalline.”

She looked at him and understood. “Not going to pry, Silver, but I hope it works out for you. When my gal left me, I was bummed forever until I met my current fillyfriend. But, hey, ya ever need someone to chat with, come pester me. Always willing to lend a hoof for a friend.”

“Thanks, Crys,” he said, giving her a weak smile and patting her on the withers. “You go have fun with Strawberry and tell her I said hi. I’ll deal with this myself.”

“If you’re sure….”

“Sure, I’m sure. Trust me, I’m sure – I have the Captain and my brother and sister hovering over me like Commander Hurricane at war.” As she nodded and went back into the building, he decided he was going to go lean against the balcony railing and look at the view for a while. Maybe it would take his mind off things. Maybe he’d be able to foc…

That’s Ponyville in the distance, isn’t it?

…maybe not.

Rarity sighed as she leaned on the veranda just outside the main portion of the ballroom, nursing a flute of champagne. Things were not working out well for her. At Sandalwood’s suggestion, she accepted a date from a viscount, Timorous Heart, who turned out to be…well, timorous. Weak and nebbish, he eventually decided to call it an early night – “early night” defined as 8:30, just when the ball had gotten started!

And now, from where she stood, she saw Applejack in the distance, flirting with Noteworthy, a stallion she claimed not to like. In truth, the jazz player was somewhat of a rogue, but he usually traveled in different circles – possibly some not-quite-savory ones – than Applejack, who wasn’t the most worldly when it came to stallions. Rarity loved her friend and fellow sister royal dearly, but she feared the musician would take advantage of her if she wasn’t careful.

I almost wish somepony would take advantage of me at this rate, she mused to herself.

“Rarity?” She turned around and noticed Spike standing there, looking handsome in his suit. Older now than when they’d first met, she’d noted he was growing up to be a fine young drake…and that he’d gotten over his colthood crush on her.

“Well, hello, Spike,” she said, flashing him a smile. “Enjoying the ball?”

He shook his head. “No, not really. The girls were trying to get me to dance with them, but I’m not into that kinda stuff. Then suddenly this bratty filly named Funtasia decides that she likes me and wants to marry me, go figure. Bloomie’s keeping her occupied, and Scoots and Sweetie suggested I hide out here until they can get her mind off ‘being married to a margrave’.”

“Well, the title suits you, Margrave Palomino,” she teased, though in truth, he deserved it. When they’d received titles from Celestia, Luna felt that the younger ones deserved some measure of recognition as well and bestowed lesser, though by no means any less worthy, titles to Spike and the former Cutie Mark Crusaders. For the things that they’d accomplished was beyond that of anypony their age – and in truth, even many adults as well.

“Yeah, yeah. Besides, I’m looking for my brother, anyway – just got a flamefax for him and I thought I saw him here earlier.”

“No, I’ve been the only one here all night.” At least, since my date stood me up.

He saw the look on her face and asked, “Is everything okay?”

“No, no it isn’t, but you shouldn’t worry about me, Spike.”

“Of course I worry about you, Rarity – a drake always worries about the first gal who stole his heart.” His little comment was so cute, it made her smile warmly.

“I see Shining’s been rubbing off on you again – you can’t have picked that up from your sister.”

“Wouldja believe it was Cadence who suggested the line?” he laughed. “But seriously, are you sure?”

She looked at the young drake. Maybe if she were Sweetie Belle’s age, she wondered, she could enjoy that bygone sense of puppy love with him. But she was older than him, and he was more like a brother to her than anything else – more so now due to the royal family ties. “Thank you very much for your concern. Very gallant of you.”

“Oh Spikey-Wikey!” an off-pitched voice called out from within. “Now where did my dreamboat of a dragon go?”

“Oh great, it’s her,” he groaned. “Look, I gotta go, Rarity. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“I’ll be here,” she sighed, as she took another drink from her champagne and watched the young drake rush off. A few minutes later she watched as a rather chubby young earth pony with lilac coat and orange-and-white mane done up in a garish manestyle rushed past, calling out for her “sugarboo”. Rarity didn’t know whether to laugh or cry; even Spike, albeit unwanted, had more of a romantic life than she had.

I may as well join Twilight in the spinsters’ club…though with my luck, she’ll probably end up marrying a guard or something and I’ll be all alone.

“Hey Silver, you got a moment?” Silver looked up and saw Shining Armor standing there, looking at him with concern.

“Look, Shines, I already got it from both Dimes and Goldie. I don’t need it from you, as well.”

“I’m not here to say anything about that,” the prince told his friend. “What I am here to tell you is that, effective immediately, you are being promoted to cornet.” When Silver glared at him, Shining explained, “Look, I can appreciate that you think there are plenty of other ponies more qualified for command status than you are, and your loyalty to the troops is noted. But the Guard is getting busier and busier lately, and I need officers I can count on in order to lead troops.”

“You’re doing it for her, aren’t you?” he said, blankly. “No thanks.”

“No, I’m doing it because Equestria needs you, not because Derpy asked me,” Shining responded sharply. “My job is to serve her majesty, regardless of my feelings or any relationship that stands. Princess Celestia may be my wife’s aunt, but before that she was my sovereign. And right now, that takes preference.”

“Fine, you win,” Silver said, a little harsher than he intended. He was still having a hard time trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Shining’s actions had nothing to do with his current problems. “861st Cohort in Oatmaha needs a commander, right? I’ll take that.”

Shining shook his head. “Nope, I already detailed Graysmoke to take command there. What I want you to do is take the 18th Headquarters Garrison here in Canterlot.”

“A desk job?” Silver gasped. “Are you buckin’ kidding me?”

“In case you haven’t forgotten, the 18th is our anti-changeling specialty cohort,” Shining pointed out. “We only designated it a Headquarters Garrison for extra funding purposes.”

Silver shrugged. Turning to look back at the vista in the distance, he commented, “Well, if that’s the case, then, sure, I’ll do it. I suppose I could use the change of pa….” His words suddenly trailed off into silence, his voice suddenly failing him.

Shining took notice immediately. “Something wrong, Silver?” A second later, he followed the stallion’s line of sight to what he was looking at. “Oh,” he said, chuckling, as he noticed the unicorn sitting on the edge, somehow looking both sultry and fragile at the same time, as if she were a painting by Mareté. “Never did quite get how she does that.”

“She’s…beautiful,” Silver said, his eyes not moving. He’d seen her twice before and each time, there had been something about her that grabbed his attention and refused to let go. Now, as he saw her, framed by moonlight and in a deep violet ballgown, her pristine coat and mane kissed by the moonlight, she appeared as if she’d been created by Luna’s light itself. A vision of loveliness that seemed only to exist in his eyes. “Who…?”

“I can introduce you if you want,” Shining offered. “Rarity’s a friend of mine.”

“Rarity?” The moment he said the name, it was like nectar on his tongue, honey for his lips, sweeter than any wine. “Her name is Rarity?”

“Rarity, Duchess Lipizzan, Knight Elemental of Generosity. The Princess has asked her to head up the newly-created Arts and Sciences Ministry, though I don’t know if she’s accepted. But I know Rarity well enough to guess that she probably will. It suits her talents.”

She’s beautiful…unspeakably beautiful. Silver suddenly felt as though he’d never be able to take his eyes off her lest he be swallowed up by her presence. “I-I, uh….” he stuttered before blurting out, “Yes. Buck yes. You want me to take that rank and job, Shines? Yes, I want to meet her.”

Wow…you’ve got it bad, Silver, Shining noted and suddenly wondered if it was a good idea to introduce them. Rarity was a friend after all and the least thing he needed to do was to put her on the spot by a guy just coming off a brutal breakup the way Silver was.

“Let me go see if she’s busy,” he said, diplomatically, “and then I’ll see about introducing you two. I’ll be right back.” As he reentered the party, he saw Goldie standing there. “He accepted the post,” he told her. “Of course, this means you’ll have to take the promotion to ensign now.”

“Gladly,” she told him. “How’d you agree to get him to take it?”

Shining grinned. “Well, I have to call in a favor from a friend of mine to pull it off, but it’ll be worth it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go take care of that, then mingle with the guests a bit more before Cady and Twily get on my case.” And with that, he went off to go make his rounds.

Golden Sun stood there, wondering what her friend was up to, but before she could go ask Silver, she ran into a familiar young dragon, looking winded as he said, “I hope she’s not going to chase me around the entire palace!”

“Hey, you’re Shines’ kid brother, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Yeah. Actually, I was looking for him. Got something to pass over to him…well, actually it’s meant to go to a stallion named Silversteel, but it was sent via him.”

“Well, I think he went to go look for Cadance,” Golden Sun replied. “But I know Silversteel – I can deliver the note if you want.”

“I dunno….” Spike said delicately. “No offense, but it was sent flamefax, so it’s probably important to give to him fir—”

“Ooooooh sugarboo!” a filly’s cloyingly sweet voice echoed through the nearby portico.

“On second thought – here!” Spike thrust the note into Goldie’s left wing and then immediately scampered off, shouting, “If she asks – you didn’t see me!” The pegasus then watched as the drake scampered off into the distance, followed closely by a chubby filly who apparently had some designs on him and was followed in turn by a trio of teenaged mares, either trying to corral the filly or save the drake.

I probably don’t want to know the answer, Goldie thought to herself as she unfurled her wing to get a look at the letter she’d been given to pass to her brother. The letter was in two parts: a cover letter for Shining Armor, and an additional envelope, addressed to Silver. The moment she saw the hoofwriting on the cover letter, her eyes narrowed in anger.

Shining,
I need your help. I’ve made a horrible mistake. I’m at my parents right now, because I needed the support, and today something happened that made me realize how badly I’ve screwed up. Dinky looked at me and said, ‘When’s Daddy coming back?’ Sparkler looked at me and while she didn’t say anything, her eyes said everything that needed to be said.

I’ve made a terrible mistake. Tonight I realized I didn’t simply break up with my coltfriend – I separated my foals from the father they deserve. My parents haven’t said anything, but I can see it in their eyes, and while Autumn and Ditzy aren’t here, I get the feeling for a change she’d be higher on the mother of the year scale than I’d be.

If he’ll take me back, please – I need your help to make this right! I’ve enclosed a letter for Silver. Please give it to him and tell him how sorry I am and that I want him back so much. The letter basically says the same thing, but…with a few other things that are a tad more intimate. I’m sure you understand.

Thanks – you’re the best friend a mare could have.
- Derpy

Oh, no, you harridelle – you’re not going to screw with his head again! Placing the letters on the floor, Goldie placed a hoof on it, then turned said hoof as fast as she could. Instantly there were sparks and smoke, and both burst into flames courtesy of her fire magic – a “solar flare”, her special talent.

You had your chance, Derpy, the pegasus thought grimly, but I love my little brother too much to see anypony use him like a dishrag. He deserves somepony better. Quickly flicking her wings, she blew the burning remains over the edge of the balcony, sending it off the mountainside before anyone smelled the smoke. Looking around, she was glad to see that nopony had seen any of it.

The more I think about it, the more I’m sure that I’m going to be having a chat with Tiger about this, she mused to herself. Tiger, I believe you just hit the jackpot.

“You’re a vision of loveliness tonight.”

Rarity never took her eyes off the moon, but instead said, “A lady could be easily charmed by such words, good sir.”

“Sorry, Rarity, I’m not doing that dance,” Shining told her. “What’re you doing out here all alone?” he asked as he approached where she sat.

“I’ve had a dreadful night,” she said, draining her flute of champagne. “My date stood me up. Me! Meanwhile, Applejack’s canoodling with a jazz musician she barely knows, Fluttershy and Mac are a serious item, Soarin’ and Rainbow just departed for his place, and I think I saw Pinkie walking down there in the garden with Thunderlane…or maybe they were cavorting – with Pinkie, you can never really tell.” The look in the mare’s eyes was downtrodden, Shining noted, and she was morose – not dramatic in her usual way, but melancholy in a manner he’d never seen her before in the years since they’d met.

“Shining,” she suddenly asked him, “am I beautiful? Am I worth being loved? Could you love somepony like me?” He gave her a sudden shell-shocked look and she realized what she said. “That’s meant to be hypothetical, sorry,” she apologized, blushing. “I suppose I’m asking you because I have no older brother of my own, and Twilight once said an older brother can always be relied on for the truth.”

“I appreciate the confidence.” He gave her a sincere smile, as he said, “Speaking from an objective point of view, yes, you are beautiful and I don’t know why anypony would even consider bailing on a date with you – and had I been around to see it, I would have had words with him on that.”

“The word of a prince usually does have an effect, I’ve noticed,” she replied.

“Well, I try not to throw that kind of weight around, to be honest. However, I do know somepony who could give you a more subjective opinion, if you’re interested.”

She hopped off the railing, walked over to him and took the second champagne flute he brought, taking his drink. “Do tell.”

He pointed to the other balcony. “One of my junior officers, a cornet by the name of Silversteel, took one look at you and…I think he’s a bit, shall we say, ‘smitten’.”

Rarity arched a delicate eyebrow. “Smitten?” But just as quickly, she deflated. “Shining, you’re a sweetheart, and I appreciate the flattery, I really do. But you don’t have to invent fabrications for my sake.”

“I’m not,” he said. “But you captivated him. I’ve known Silver for years now and I’ve never seen him like that before. Plus, you should know I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“I suppose not.” She sighed. “Shining, I’m just…I’m just feeling down right now and I’m probably not the best pony to be around at the moment, certainly not at my best. But if he’d like to meet me, perhaps we could do brunch tomorrow morning? I’ll be in town for a couple more days before I return home.”

“I can arrange it. We can either eat here at the palace or head somewhere else.”

“I’ll leave it to you then,” she said. “I think I’m just going to retire for the evening.” Leaning up on her tiptoes, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you. I suppose I should be jealous that Twilight has such a wonderful brother.”

“Well, aren’t we all family now?” he told her. Her reply was merely a soft, touching smile that said more than she ever could verbalize. And with that, Rarity walked off towards her room within the palace. Shining continued to watch her walk off until she was far enough for him to say to nopony in particular, “I know you were worried too.”

“I was.” Cadance stepped out from where she’d been standing. While she hadn’t intended to spy on them, she’d felt Rarity’s anguish all night – it was part of her nature as the Avatar of Love. “Will she be okay?”

He nodded. “I’ll have Twily check on her in the morning before brunch. Honestly, as long as we’ve known them? I’ve never seen her like this.”

“I’m not surprised, love. Out of all the girls, she’s always been the one who’s the most romantically-inclined, and now that they’re all getting into relationships and she’s not…I can empathize with her feelings.”

“How so?”

“Well, I almost lost you to that monster,” she answered.

He gave her a loving kiss. “You’ll never have to worry about that. We defeated Chrysalis, and I promise you’ll never have to live a day without me, Cady.”

Author's Note

Hi, and welcome to a story that I'd been planning to write for a while, but didn't think about it until now. You all wanted to know what Rarity was like before she became the pony that she is in AAG, and here we go. For chronology's sake, the story is set a few years after the end of Polarity (and yes, I know I still have to finish that, but you already know how that ends.)

Also before anyone asks, yes, the titles come from song lyrics.