The world always seemed to make more sense looking through the two small panes of rose colored glass. Ebony took a moment to reposition the goggles sitting on the bridge of his snout as he cast a hungry eye over a plethora of valuable trinkets dotting about the lavishly decorated hallway. Not able to pass up so much wealth completely empty hoofed, he carefully slid a gold encrusted candlestick into the saddlebag hanging off his leather clad body. Just a small token to give him something to remember his visit, and possibly line his pockets with some coin. The hide armor he wore helped to muffle the stallion’s movements as he crept through the dark interior of the Earth Pony temple. Leather cuffs secured tightly over his hooves reduced the echo of his hoofsteps against the hard surface. At this hour it would be unlikely that there would be anyone else roaming the deserted corridors of the temple, except for maybe the guards that he had snuck by on his way in.
Creeping his way down the dimly lit passage, Ebony found himself faced with a bit of a choice to make. Three doors on the right and three doors on the left, all perfectly identical in every way. The stallion sighed in frustration, running a hoof through his red mane as he scrutinized which direction would lead him down the correct path. Almost a minute passed and his choice became no less clear, instead just moving toward one at random and placing his hoof upon the latch.
Slowly the handle turned, holding his breath as he pulled it open so he could peek through the thin crack inside. The room on the other side was utterly devoid of light, however, no lanterns or windows to help illuminate what was inside. Even his goggles did little to help pierce the blackness as he adjusted the dial on the side. Curiously, he slid the door the rest of the way open, instantly regretting his folly as a broom fell only inches from his head and the wooden handle smacked loudly against the hard stone floor. The resounding echo that reverberated down the hallway made his blood run cold.
Ebony’s ears stood erect as his body was turned to granite, the world coming to a stop around him as he listened for any sign that someone was coming to check on the disturbance. Several painfully slow seconds passed before the stallion could breathe again, letting out a quiet chuckle of relief as he placed the broom back inside what he now knew was a supply closet. Luck seemed to be on his side tonight, or at least he thought until he heard the handle of the door directly behind him some clink to life. Ebony whipped around, eyes wide with panic as he desperately scanned for a place to hide as the door began to creak open.
A moment later and a large burly guard stepped through the door, the beige stallion taking a moment to take a look around. The lantern anchored to his saddle via a long pole swayed back and forth as he moved.The flame contained within the glass panes casting out its wavering glow upon the walls of the empty corridor before him. With a tired yawn, the guard turned down the corridor to the left and lazily kicked the door behind him shut with his hoof.
Had he but turned as the door clicked shut, he would have seen the black, leather clad pony with his back mashed up against the wall on the opposite side. Ebony was doing his best to simply melt into the wall, his heart pounding in his chest as he stared into the flank of the guard pony walking in the other direction. Waiting till the guard had moved a comfortable enough distance away before he started to move again, he silently exited the hallway through the same door that the guard had come through.
The reassuring sound of the latch sliding into place allowed Ebony to finally breath, gasping as he slumped against the door and took a moment to let his heart slow down. That had been far too close for comfort. Turning to take stock of his most present location, the black stallion’s ears perked up curiously, finding himself looking down a rather short passageway leading to another door at the opposite end. Each wall had large purple and gold banners draped from one end to the other, and a long rug mirroring the decor was strung out between them. Finally finding something of interest, Ebony made his way to the opposing side and gave the door’s handle a tug. It was locked. A broad smile stretched over his face with the discovery. Locked was good. Locked meant there was something worth protecting on the other side. Reaching enthusiastically into his satchel, a long slender rod was produced from his bag with a few indecipherable markings etched onto the surface. It was made from a peculiar looking stone, polished until it gleamed in the light. Carefully sliding the thin shaft into the keyhole, Ebony quietly whispered a single word.
“Açıq.”
There was a soft glow within the lock before the internal mechanism turned with a solid click. Ebony removed the stone and gave the handle another try, grinning as the door swung inward on its hinges. The room beyond shone brightly through his goggles, forcing him to adjust the dial so that the crimson lenses darkened and blocked out the light.
Ebony stood inside of the central part of the temple, a large skylight cut from the ceiling to allow the moon to shine down into the antechamber. At its center, there was a large gold plated bowl balanced carefully on a intricate pedestal filled to the brim with perfectly shaped gems. The black stallion had at long last found what he was looking for.
With a spring in his step, Ebony trotted up to the side of the basin and scooped out one of the many gems into his hooves. Rummaging around within his bag for a moment, he pulled out a piece of stone and a metal shard. Nodding his affirmation, he plopped the gem down onto the floor and raised the dull stone up with his hoof. With the steel grasped tightly in his maw, he struck the rock a few times above the crystal, cascading down sparks upon it and almost dancing his delight when the gem was suddenly consumed within an eerie green flame. Having found what he came for, the black stallion stowed his flint and steel back into his bag, replacing them with a scrap of leather that he floated down over the fire to extinguish it. Ebony quickly wrapped up the purple gem, tossing a few more in with it before carefully sliding them into the pockets of his pack. Taking a moment to make sure they were secure he began to scan around the room for an exit.
There was a small window big enough for a pony his size to slip through cut into the stone just a few feet the floor. Trotting over and placing his forehooves onto the wall, he crouched down low and sprang up and hooked his forelegs through the hole, smiling victoriously at his triumph.
“Stop Thief!”
Ebony’s world slowed as he glanced back over his shoulder just in time to see the guard entering in through the opposite side of the room hurl something his direction. The blade glinted as it passed through the moonlight pouring in from the ceiling, barely giving the leather clad pony time to release the ledge he hung from as it sailed over his head and out into the night sky.
Once again, Ebony found himself on the cold stone floor, eyes locked on the Earth Pony only a few yards away. What held his attention most, though, were the several long, thin blades braceleted around the large stallion’s hooves, a choice weapon of the Earth Race’s military. The two stared each other down for what seemed like an eternity, each waiting for someone to make the wrong move.
The guard reacted first, hooves clinking together as he loosed another blade and that foreleg arched back to hurl it at the red-maned intruder in the temple. Ebony ran. He barreled left across the room, hooves pounding against the stone floor as he made a desperate sprint for the door. His whole body slamming into it just as he heard the sound of metal striking stone only a few inches from where he had been moments before.
The latch holding the door in place exploded, flying open on its hinges and loudly crashing against the stone wall as the black stallion came flying through. The sound drew the attention of more guards at the end of the hallway, Ebony cursing under his breath as they turned to gallop after him. Tapestries elegantly strung out along the walls all blurred together as the black stallion bound down the hall at full tilt, chest heaving and his heart pounding in his chest. He could hear the shouting of the guards after him, a flickering glint of metal whistling past him in the dark told him that they weren’t about to let him escape.
Coming to a stairwell, he angled himself to go down, only making it the first few steps before the lanternlight from below caused him to halt and reverse. He came back up into the hallway as yet again one of the guards hurled a dagger at him and he ducked underneath it just in time for it to clang loudly against the wall, mere inches above his spine. With nowhere else to go, Ebony began to make his way up, legs burning as they carried his weight up the staircase and up to the roof of the temple. Along the way, he managed to rip a low hanging tapestry off of the wall and hurl it down at the guards behind him. The sound of their armor clashing against one another and the stone floor helped to ease his mind, making the distance between him and their daggers a little more comfortable.
Smashing through another door, Ebony found himself underneath the low light of the stars, not taking time to enjoy the serene night air as he sprinted to the edge of the temple roof. His hooves skid across the stone a few inches as he ground to a halt right at the edge, casting his gaze down in desperate hope that there would be some way he could escape. No ledges, no outcroppings, not even a single misaligned brick stuck out from the considerable drop straight down into the marketplace. Ebony openly cursed the Earth Ponies’ crafting skill as he turned to try and go back the way he came. The idea went as quickly as it came as four guards stepped out of the doorway, teeth bared as they glared at him furiously. He could hear two of them unhitch their blades as they slowly began to make their way forward, boxing him in against the edge of the wall.
Ebony had nowhere to run, his options growing slimmer as the stallions spread out to either side and closed the distance between them. He took a step back, rear hooves slipping off of the ledge a bit as he cast another glance down at the ground below. One of the market stands caught his eye, the green and white striped cloth pulled taut between two tent poles almost like a beacon to the black stallion. He was quite a ways up, though, and it was doubtful the fabric would hold his weight. As he took note of how close the guards were now, Ebony started to realize he didn’t have many other options open to him at that moment. Back and forth his head swiveled between the guards and the tent, trying to figure out which he would deem a worse fate, the guards starting to notice his strange behaviour. They were almost upon him now. Should they reach out they could have easily seized him, but caution stayed their hooves a moment too long. With a deep breath, Ebony’s legs pushed off of the temple’s edge and he sailed through the night sky.
The weightless feeling was enough to make his stomach churn, legs flailing in the air around him as he careened down toward the ground. The vision of white and green rushed up at him like a missile, the stallion closing his eyes tight as he made contact with the tent. There was a fraction of a second where Ebony thought his plan had worked, inertia forcing him down as he felt his descent slow. Then the grievous sound of fabric being rent apart filled his ears. Through the tent the stallion went, slamming down on the wooden stand underneath and splintering it under his weight.
All the air was torn from his lungs as he lay there on the ground, the distant sound of the guards shouting down from the rooftops filling his ringing ears as a crowd of ponies gathered around the destroyed stand. He could hear muffled words coming from them, voices filled with concern for the stallion that had just fallen from the heavens into the market square, but the only thing that Ebony could focus on was the throbbing pain lancing through his side with every beat of his heart. The leather armor had helped to take a lot of the impact, but there was only so much it could do against gravity.
Elsewhere, the guards had made their way down from the roof as fast as they could, at least a minute passing by before they charged into the crowd filled street. Shouting out over the heads of nearby ponies and shoving them aside, they made their way toward the center, soon able to apprehend the thief that had taken from the temple jewels. Upon their arrival, however, all the guards would discover was the shattered remains of the market stand, tattered scraps of the ruined tent, and a few grumbling ponies going about cleaning up the mess..
The Captain of the guard spun about the crowd, eyes peeled for any sign of the red-maned thief among the crowd, stamping his hooves. “Find him!” he yelled, practically bucking his fellow guards off to search for the escapee as he began to violently shout at the bystanders who must have seen where he went. All of them shied away from him, however, remaining silent as the guard only grew increasingly agitated. Unfortunately for the Captain, he wouldn’t notice the lump in the back of one of the carts being pulled along the road out of the city market and toward the edge of town.
Once the hustle and bustle of the pony hunt could no longer be heard, Ebony raised up the tarp hiding him from sight and poked his head out the back of the wagon. Making sure they weren’t being followed, he let out a long sigh of relief as the temple grew smaller in the distance and he could no longer hear the Captain angrily berating his guards. Not taking any chances, however, he slipped back underneath the tarp and laid out on the bed of the wagon.
“That sucked,” he groaned quietly to himself, feeling the pain still aching through his whole right side and his hind leg. Fortunately nothing felt broken, but he was going to be battered and bruised for quite a few days afterward until all the cuts and scrapes healed. Reaching down into his bag, he removed the ball of leather he had stored there, unfolding the gems he had taken and smiling to see that they were still intact. Rewrapping them and placing them back into his sack, he pulled his goggles off his head and gave them a good inspection as well. His previous jubilance replaced with annoyance to find that the right lense had been severely cracked. The red tint broken where the two long rifts stretched across it. The glass would have to be replaced. Not able to fix the problem there, he stuffed them into his satchel and laid his head down. It was best he tried to get some sleep now. There was nothing else he could do until they reached their destination and he could pawn off the gems he had been contracted to acquire. The two ponies pulling his cart would make sure that he got there. Especially with how much he had promised to pay them.
The two grinning stallions trotted away happily with the small bags of coin they had earned, likely to go drink them away in some run down bar. That was Ebony’s plan at least, but first he had to find his client. The small rumpled up piece of paper he held in his hooves had a crudely drawn, almost completely indecipherable map scribbled on it. It took him several minutes of wandering around the cramped streets of the unicorn capital before he finally found a recognizable landmark to follow and even then he wasn’t completely sure that he was being led in the right direction. The stallion stuffed the note away into his armor, trudging along with the flow of the citizens around him.
Ebony had to admit, it felt good to be back in the City of the Sisters. Canterlot was a bustling utopia compared to some of the other major cities across Equestria. The streets paved in perfectly polished stone while all of their houses were kept maintained with the utmost care. Ebony stood in the cities slums, and still the ponies that resided here lived in luxury, all thanks to that one extra bone that protruded from their skulls.
Magic in its own right was a complete mystery to the other two races, not born with the innate ability to bend and shape it with their minds the way a unicorn could. Even then there were facets of magic that even they couldn’t fully comprehend, not able to explain what it was or where it came from. Magic just was, for the unicorns. Something only they could use, and would probably die with them.
Coming to a break in the road, Ebony once again pulled out the parchment, glancing from the dirty piece of stationery to the old run down building in front of him. The faded sign posted above the door read, ‘Diamond Shine’s Gem Emporium’. The armor clad stallion rolled his eyes. Figured that the pony that had left the note at his marker would end up being some kind of crazed collector. They always were.
Not bothering to keep the parchment any longer, the gentle breeze carried it out of his hooves as he walked up and pushed on the door. The old oak swung inward, the loud dinging of the bell above the frame completing the image of a run down tourist shop in Ebony’s mind. Nopony could have told by the outside, but inside the store was almost sickeningly clean. The countless number of glass cases displaying all manner of gems for sale were gleaming with the meticulousness with which they had been polished.
“Coming.”
A young voice rang out from somewhere in the back of the shop that was beyond the stallion’s line of sight. He could hear the desperate clambering of their hooves against the floor, muttering a few low curses under their breath before a pale light blue mare with a short cropped mane came stumbling out of the doorway from behind the largest counter in the room. The dark azure locks looked a little unkempt and half hazardly put into place, but gave the mare a certain charm.
“Hello, Hello.” she sung cheerily at him, “and welcome to Diamond Shine’s Gem Emporium. As you may have guessed I am Diamond Shine and this” - her hooves swung in an arc over her head - “would be my emporium. How can I help you today?”
The young mare must have been new to the world of running a business, because she seemed to lack the usual calm and uninterested manner that some of the more established shops had in this city. Instead, she replaced her lack of business savvy for overwhelming cheerfulness.
Ebony gave her a small smile and trotted up to the counter, clearing his throat and setting down his bag on top. “Actually, I’m not really here looking to buy, but instead had something to sell.” As he explained he could see the luster in the young mare’s face slowly drain away, but was sure once she knew what he had with him it would return her elation. “I received a letter a few weeks back that you might be interested in a certain type of gem to grace your shelves.” A sizable leather wrap was pulled from his bag onto the countertop and he slid it across the glass toward the mare.
Diamond Shine eyed him warily, not recalling ever sending out any posts to other merchants recently for additional stock, but business had been slow recently and having something new might help bring in customers. Carefully unwrapping the leather ball he handed to her, she gasped and cupped a hoof over her mouth when she unveiled the precious stones held within. “Th-Those aren’t…”
“Chrysilian Fire Stones?” Ebony finished for her, chuckling and nodding his head. “The genuine article.”
The young mare was practically quaking as she peered down at the crystals in front of her, examining every inch of them with a practiced eye. If the gems were fake, they were by far the best cut replicas that she had ever seen. There was only one way for her to be certain that what lay before her was the real thing, and she quickly disappeared underneath the counter to raise back up with a small contraption clasped in her hooves. A small stone dial sat upon a well oiled axle so that it could be rotated against a metal point.
“May I?” she asked, gesturing the object at the crystals. After a curt nod from the stallion, she turned the wheel at the tip of the tool, grinding it against the small piece of metal that rained down sparks upon the stones. The squeal that escaped the sky blue mare made Ebony’s ears fold back a little, cringing from the excited outburst before she calmed down once again.
“I can’t believe it!” she squeaked, practically drooling into the green flames atop her counter, “I have been trying for months to get my hands on a few of these, but none of the Earth Ponies I talked to had any interest in selling them to an outsider.” Her gaze turned up to the stallion standing in her shop, gleaming with the joy radiating through her whole body. “How did you manage to get your hooves on these?”
“Let’s just say that I found them lying around?” Ebony replied, giving her a nervous grin and running a hoof over the back of his neck.
Diamond Shine seemed to come to a sudden epiphany, eyes flicking back and forth between the stones and Ebony a few times before coming to a halt on the black stallion. “Wait…” she paused, removing her forehooves from off the counter and stepping around to look over the armor clad pony. “You’re the pony that I left the note for under the gnarled tree. I remember now.” She trotted over and locked the shop door, peering out the window to see if there was anypony watching them from outside. “I had just been turned down by another Earth trader and was upset, so I went to get a drink. One of the ponies at the bar told me about a pony that could get the gems for me and told me to place a note under the gnarled tree outside the south wall of the city. I thought that perhaps the old stallion had played me for a fool, since it was almost a month ago.”
Ebony watched as the mare closed the blinds, and cocked an eyebrow at her curiously. “That would be me, but uhmm… What are you doing?”
The mare turned toward him, having closed the final shutter so that nopony could peek inside. “Isn’t this how these transactions are done?” she asked, “Away from the prying eye of others.”
Ebony had to laugh a bit at that, shaking his head and walking over to open up the blinds again and let the street light pour into the room. “Maybe if there was anyone that knew what was going on, but I think we’ll be safe.”
A blush formed on the young mare’s face, feeling a little foolish since this was her first time dealing in what he was sure she considered to be the blackmarket underbelly of Canterlot. “Oh, well you can’t be too careful.” she stated and moved back over to her counter where the stones were still burning brilliantly. Splashing a bit of water to douse the flames, she cleared her throat and pulled out a small bag from under the counter. “Now, uhmm… I believe that I offered to pay you twenty bits for each one you brought, but I’m afraid that I can only afford to pay you for three of them.”
Ebony frowned. That would leave him stuck with the last one, and after what happened for him to retrieve the stones, he would rather not be caught walking around with it. “Tell you what,” he sighed, “How about we just settle for fifteen bits apiece.”
The confusion on Diamond Shine’s face was apparent, since his counter offer would still leave him at the same price but for four of them instead of three. “Wouldn’t that mean…”
“We can always keep the original price if you want.”
Diamond Shine smiled, pulling out the bits agreed upon and hoofing them over to the red haired stallion. “Deal.”
Ebony accepted the coins and slipped them into his satchel, throwing the strap back over his neck and smiling at the added weight within. “Then I guess our business is concluded,” he stated, giving her a quick nod before turning to leave.
“I can’t begin to thank you enough for these. Once I cut them down and set them up for sale, ponies won’t be able to stay away.” The unicorn saw the stallion pull open the door and quickly shot out a hoof to stop him. “Wait! I didn’t get your name.”
Taking a moment to look back over his shoulder, Ebony gave her a small smile and shook his head. “Not how these sort of transactions work remember.” Before the mare could object, the red maned pony was gone, once again out on the streets of Canterlot and among the bustling evening commotion. This time his mood was much better, however, pockets filled with the jingle of bits. It was time for a drink. A skip in his step, Ebony marched along the pathway toward the best pub in the whole city. Or at least that was his opinion.
~ * * * ~
The smell. The smell was probably the one thing about this place that had drawn Ebony back time and time again. Sure the tavern was messy, worn down, what some might call a hazard to one’s health, and probably filled with more drunken ponies than any other scum laden watering hole for a hundred miles; but the smell. That wafting scent of liquor apple cider that seeped into every nook and cranny of the place and left your mouth watering in need of a good long draught. That was what always led the dark colored stallion back there.
The red maned stallion’s head was buzzing wonderfully, eyelids feeling heavy as he was laid out along the bar counter, chin resting on the hard polished surface as the muffled sounds tickled at his ears of other patrons enjoying their evening. He had been there for quite some time already, having completed yet another successful job and in desperate need of a good place to relax. What better place could there have been? One of his hooves reached out and curled into the handle of his mug and brought it up to his lips, heaving his head high enough off of the countertop so that he could tilt the glass back for another gulp. Sour was Ebony’s disappointment to discover that once again his mug had emptied of the delicious brew.
A few knocks on the bar were enough to get the bartender’s attention, waving his mug at the tan colored stallion to convey his need for yet another refill. The earth pony only glared at him, making the darker stallion grunt as he reached a hoof down into his bags on the floor beside him and hoofed over a few bits onto the counter. With a smile, the bartender swiftly collected up his coins, shuffling about behind the counter to reappear with a fresh frothing mug of cider. Across the bar the glass slid toward Ebony, hoof extended, ready to catch his prize.
Before the mug could reach him, however, a blue foreleg was dropped in its path and halted its progress to him in a splash of the precious fluid across the smooth countertop. Ebony grimaced up at the pony that dared to come between him and his drink, that hard stare softening as he stared up into the bright green eyes of a pegasus that he had not seen in ages. Dark colored bangs hanging low over one side of her face as she smiled down at him pleasantly, that one white highlight stark in contrast to the rest of her mane. Several silent moments passed, his eyes sliding downward to the cloak she wore around her body, held around her neck by the clasp melded in the shape of the royal seal.
With a heavy sigh, Ebony laid his head back down on the bartop, closing his eyes as he grumbled out a few hoarse words. “What do you want, Sure Fire?” he blurted.
The pegasus only rolled her eyes and chuckled at the rather rude question, sliding herself onto the barstool next to him and taking a sip of his drink. “Come on, Ebony,” she said, “After all this time and that’s all you have to say to me.”
Seeing her gulp down his drink was enough to make the stallion bristle, but he bit back his anger and turned enough toward her that he could hold a conversation. “Pardon me,” he droned at her, lifting himself up into a sitting position. Taking a moment to collect himself, he gave her a forced smile, the over exaggerated gesture taken notice by a few patrons. “How are you?” he asked with all the sincerity he could muster.
Sure Fire’s own smile was far less enthusiastic, doing her best to hide her annoyance behind the facade as she pushed the mug of cider toward the stallion. “Was that so hard?” she said, keeping her tone light and cheery.
A black hoof quickly swiped the glass from her grasp, Ebony yanking it up to his mouth and taking a particularly large swig of the fermented fluid within, before wiping his mouth with his foreleg. “What do you want, Sure Fire?” he repeated, now that the mare didn’t have any leverage to coerce him with.
With a heavy sigh, Sure Fire gave up on the friendly approach. There was obviously no reasoning with the inebriated pony while he was in this state and she might as well just get to the point. “Celestia sent me.”
“Yeah. Kind of figured that one out on my own.”
The urge to berate the belligerent stallion was hard to resist, but with a calming breath she reigned in her anger and continued on. “We could really use your help with something. It would mean a great deal to her highness if you would just hear her out.”
Ebony scoffed and gave the pegasus a sideways glance. “Sorry, but I’m sure her majesty and the loyal army of drones that worship her will do just fine without my help. I’ve got other jobs that require my attention.” Another few gulps of his liquor and he quickly emptied the mug, pushing it across the counter for the bartender to take away. “Or are there soldiers waiting outside to drag me to the castle if I refuse to come willingly?”
Sure Fire huffed and shook her head, taking a moment to keep her tongue at bay as she stood up from her seat. “Actually, there isn’t,” she stated, that light tone in her voice suddenly replaced with one more stern. “Believe it or not, Ebony, yes. There are others that we could, but the princess wanted to ask you. I’m here instead of her guards, because she is asking for your help. If you would just give her a chance instead of being so bullheaded, you might realize that.”
Ebony turned back to the bar, leaning his forelegs on it and resting hishead in his hooves. “If a princess asks you for something, they expect you to do it,” he stated, eyes stonewalled ahead at the bricks in front of him. “One of the many perks of being royalty.”
Shaking her head, Sure Fire decided she’d had enough of the drunk stallion and made her way toward the door, only taking a few steps before she paused to glance back over her shoulder. “Oh, and one more thing,” she cast back at him casually, “You might be interested to know that there is a reward in it for you.” She let the thought hang in the air before she also added, “A lot more than you deserve if you ask me.”
The gears within the stallion's head began to crank to life, slowed by the effects that the alcohol had taken on him, but he had enough sense to know when he was being made a deal. However, his distaste for the upper class and their deity held his tongue as the blue mare waited patiently for him to give her a response. When none came, she shrugged and continued on her way out the door.
“Suit yourself, but I think you’ll find it increasingly difficult to afford that cider you love without any bits to pay for it.”
With that she was gone. Once again the black stallion sat alone in the bustling pub, tuning out the other patrons around him as he mulled over the offer that was sitting on the table before him. His eyes cast down at his bag lying on the dirty ground at his feet, catching the soft glint of the coins remaining from his most recent job. Without really noticing he had already put quite a dent in them and he would have to take another job sooner than later to replenish the supply once it ran out. A groan escaped him as he smacked his forehead against the hard countertop and stared down at the floor. The pegasus was right. He could really use the bits, and there were worse jobs and far less lucrative ones than playing errand boy for the royal sisters. He ground his teeth together as he tried to talk himself out of it, but in the end, the need for coins to pay for his lifestyle was progressively winning the battle. With a growl of frustration, he drug himself off of the stool and saddled his bag around his neck to chase after her.
Sure Fire had only gone a block when she heard someone call out after her and she came to a halt in the middle of the street. A grin tugged at the corners of her lips, but she suppressed it and turned to see the red haired stallion trotting up the street, quite clumsily in fact as he almost barrelled into a couple of pedestrians out for an evening stroll. Apologizing profusely, and stumbling his way over to the pegasus, he took a moment to catch his breath.
“How big of a reward are we talking about exactly?” Ebony asked, only gaining a shake of her head as a response before she turned and continued up the street.
“Just come on,” she stated, that cheery tone having returned to her voice. “Celestia will tell you everything once we get there.” The two made their way down the city street, the pegasus offering her support to the stallion as he stumbled a bit in his stupor.
~ * * * ~
Celestia had moved down to the grand hall, waiting for word that Sure Fire had managed to get Ebony Heart to agree to come to the castle so that they could discuss a trade. An hour or so had passed since the pegasus had left and the princess was given plenty of time to think about what she was about to ask the stallion and whether or not he could be trusted. The conversation earlier with her General, and advisor, was resonating in her ears, having a few doubts now that maybe doing so was not such a good idea. She would take precautions, however, one living as long as she had learned not to leave anything to chance.
So engrossed was she in her thoughts that when the doors to the hall burst open, she had nearly leapt out of her skin, head whirling about to see one of her guards approaching only to bow at her feet and mumble his apologies for startling her.
“Any news?” she asked him, eager to hear what he had to say.
The guard rose and stood at attention before his princess, eyes forward as he began to list off his message. “The pegasus, Sure Fire, was spotted leading a stallion with a bright red mane up the main street to the castle gates. They should arrive shortly.”
Celestia couldn’t help the smirk from stretching across her muzzle as she silently congratulated Sure Fire on her success. “Tell the others that the pegasus and her companion are guests of the estate and are not to be hindered from making haste to the main hall.” she ordered with all the the power one in her position held.
The unicorn nodded his head vigorously, saluting the princess before he turned tail to trot briskly back out the main doors as they boomed shut behind him. Celestia let out a sigh, relieved that the night had turned out better than she had hoped. Trotting over to one of the thrones that sat elevated up above the rest of the room, she took her seat and gazed forward at the entrance way to the grand hall, waiting for her guests to arrive.
She wasn’t left there for very long in the lingering silence, soon the door creaking open as a purplish blue mare stepped in leading a rather heavy footed stallion in beside her. Celestia cocked her head curiously at that, lifting up off of her throne to descend the stairs toward the two.
“My goodness, Sure Fire, is he alright?” she asked, eyeing over the pony underneath her wing as he swayed back and forth groggily.
“He’s fine,” she said, the irritation in her voice apparent as she glared over at him. “He just had one too many drinks before I could get to him.”
Those last two pints of cider that Ebony had guzzled down before his visit to the castle were definitely having an effect on him now. Still conscious enough to realize where he was, however, the black stallion gazed up at the princess, the sudden change in altitude of his head making the room spin and he quickly sat back on his haunches.
“Sorry to grace your highness with my presence in such a state,” he said, words slurring a bit as he tried to keep his focus. The tone of his voice was thick with sarcasm as he bowed before her. “But one doesn’t refuse an invitation from the mighty Celessia.” The way he pronounced her name caused the stallion to smile, giggling inwardly at the funny sound.
Sure Fire rolled her eyes, punching him in the shoulder as she stared daggers into him and the drunk pony rubbed his arm, pride wounded. “Perhaps you should wait until tomorrow when he is sober before you talk to him, your highness. I don’t think you’ll be able to get much out of him in this state.” She glanced over her back at the doors they came through with a soft mumble. “It was hard enough just getting him here.”
Seeing the stallion like this left the alicorn less than pleased, her frown running deep as she glared down at him. “I have a better idea,” Celestia half growled, her horn lighting up as her magic began to stir within her and cast out its ley lines toward the stallion. She could see his expression change as the tendrils worked their way down into his body, her magic seeking out the cause of his inebriation, and with a small flash of light it was burned from his body.
The effects weren’t totally without repercussion, however, and as the alcohol was removed from him, Ebony was suddenly gripped by nausea. Scrambling across the hall, his hooves gripped at the sides of one of the potted plants, head spinning, chest heaving, and he blanched at the root of the small tree. Several times the contents of his belly spilled out of his open maw, coughing up the remnants of the cider that the princess had forcibly torn from his body.
Sure Fire was shocked by the violent upheaval of the stallion’s gut, glancing up at Celestia who watched on with cold distain that she had to resort to such crude methods of magic. “I think now he should be a bit more agreeable,” she stated to Sure Fire, turning to walk down the hall and toward one of the rooms designated for holding important political discussions. “Come.”
Ebony was fuming, remembering why he hated unicorns and their magic so much, his chest still burning from the exertion that he had been put through. Not to mention that he had completely wasted all of his spent coin on the cider now seeping down into the tree’s roots. With a low growl and a wipe of his mouth, Ebony stomped after the princess, casting a venomous glare at the pegasus that had brought him there.
The old oak door swung inward as Celestia cleared their way inside, securely shutting and locking the door behind them as she turned to address the room. “I’m sure that by now you are eager to know why you’re here.” she stated, voice calm and level after many years of practice.
Ebony found a comfortable place to sit with as much distance between him and the other two as he could, dropping his bag onto the floor with a huff. “You could say that,” was his short reply, starting to wish that he hadn’t come after all.
Celestia’s expression remained emotionless as she stared at him, moving up to the side of the large wooden table so that he was on her right, and Sure Fire was on her left. “I asked you here tonight, because, whether you like it or not, there is something I need you to do for me.” Her gaze never wavered as she looked at him, hoping to convey how important this was to her. “What I am about to ask of you I do not do lightly. There are those in my court that would wish that I not ask at all, but in times like these we have few options available to us and it is best that we take advantage of every resource that we can.”
Ebony chuckled to himself and waved a hoof in the air next to him. “I’m guessing that your lackey, doesn’t approve of your decision to send me.” he mused, the thought giving him a bit of pleasure.
Celestia shook her head with a sigh, and continued, “No. General Iron has voiced that you are the least qualified pony to send on this assignment, but he has chosen to trust my insight and support my decision.” The words came from her mouth with a bit of a heavy heart, not often going against her advisor’s guidance, but this was a rare instance where the stallion’s judgment wasn’t as clear as it should be.
The room grew brighter as Celestia’s horn once again lit up with her magic, the light suddenly piercing down into the table with an audible crackle, striking the large crystal at it’s center. The gem came to life, humming softly before an image flickered to life above it of an immaculate glass sphere with a small cloud of smoke whirling about its center. Ebony leaned forward onto the table, taking a closer look at the conjured image and watching the smoke at its center start to alter in hue.
“It’s known as the Tear of Tumult, an ancient relic that has been lost to time for centuries,” she explained, seeing the sudden interest taken by the black unicorn leaning in close to the projection. “It’s rumored existence was the founding reason for a cult of unicorns who call themselves the Proselytes of Tumult, and they have devoted their lives to seeking it out and using it to end the feud between our races and unite all under one banner.”
Ebony glanced over to the alicorn out of the corner of his eyes, once again gazing up into the swirling mass of smoke trapped within the glass prison around it. For a moment, he thought he could almost see the smog suddenly reach out and strike at the wall of the sphere, but it came and went so fast it was hard to tell if it actually happened.
“If this thing is a misplaced rumor, then why would you need my help?” he asked, the silence that followed his question opening up room for another, “Unless of course, a once lost relic isn’t quite so lost anymore?”
Celestia nodded her head. “A few days ago, I received word from one of my allies in the Earth Pony kingdom that something had been dug up in their mines buried deep within the rock. A sphere that their description of matches almost perfectly to the one you see before you now,” she stated, waving a hoof toward the floating orb above the table. “I can't possibly know for sure if this object is indeed the Tear of Tumult, but if it is the lost artifact, then we can’t allow any more time to pass before we bring it back here.”
“Bring it back here?!” Ebony exclaimed, almost verbally laughing at the statement. “What makes you think that the Earth Kingdom is just going to hand over a rare, precious relic to their most hated neighbors? In case you have forgotten, we’re only a hairs breadth away from all out war with the them, and you expect to do what exactly? Ask for it nicely.”
“You don’t understand, Ebony,” Sure Fire chimed in, placing her forehooves upon the table. “The Proselytes of Tumult will be after the artifact as well. If they haven’t heard about it yet, they certainly will soon and if that happens we are all in danger.”
Celestia nodded her head and continued where the pegasus had left off. “You see, Ebony, the Proselytes will do anything to achieve the Tear for themselves and complete their vision of securing a world of peace once more.” Her tone became more somber and her gaze fixed firmly upon the orb floating between them. “Their vision of peaceful accord between the the three races, however, is enslavement for the other two. One world order with the unicorns at the head and leading the rest of Equestria. With the Tear of Tumult found, their one step closer to achieving their goal.”
Ebony had been listening intently, the frown deepening across his muzzle as she went on. The idea of an Equestria solely under unicorn rule was a future he would rather much avoid from happening. “I still don’t understand why you need my help,” he stated, turning toward the alicorn. “You have hundreds of willing ponies that will gladly go and retrieve the Tear for you, so why go through all the trouble of dragging me up here?”
Celestia smiled for the first time that evening, shaking her head at the black stallion. “I have hundreds of unicorns willing to do my bidding, and any one of them could either be watched by the Proselytes of Tumult, or very well be a part of their cult already. The idea of an Equestria where unicorns have control is favored in quite a few circles within Canterlot.” She finally relinquished the magic sustaining the floating image of the Tear and gave a heavy sigh. “What I am asking of you, Ebony, is that you have experience moving unseen where others cannot. If I send an airship full of Canterlot guards to go out in search of the Tear it will raise suspicion and make our task of obtaining the artifact unnoticed even more difficult. I can’t say that Proselytes don’t already know that the Tear has been found, but we need to assume that we are the only ones who know that the Earth Ponies have it in their possession. Fortunately for us, they are not too eager about sharing their secrets with unicorns and they will guard the existence of the sphere greedily.”
The longer Ebony listened on, the more unsure of the situation he became, knowing full well that the princess meant to send him into the heart of the Earth Ponies’ territory to try and peacefully obtain the relic from them. “How am I expected to get them to hand it over to us?”
“We are going to try and explain to them what the Proselytes want with the Tear and what it could mean for them if they got their hooves on it.” Sure Fire explained, “Hopefully if they are asked by somepony that isn’t a unicorn themselves it might help to ease them into coming to an agreement.”
Ebony shook his head. “You want to tell them that the Tear of Tumult is a tool to help unicorns conquer Equestria and then expect them to hand it over to the unicorns. Don’t you see where the fault in your plan lies.”
Celestia interjected with a stamp of her hooves. “I expect them to hand it over to me.” she stated firmly, “The ruler of the Earth Clans know that my sister and I have remained neutral in all affairs between the three races and hopefully will understand how dangerous the Tear is left unguarded.”
The black stallion still wasn’t convinced of their plan, having dealt with Earth Ponies many times in the past and if anything they were far more stubborn than reasonable. “They would still be delivering the means of their enslavement into the unicorn capital, and if you think that they will voluntarily do so, then you are fooling yourselves.” Ebony got up out of his seat and shoulder his bag, having heard enough of this ill conceived venture that he had no interest in being a part of. “You’ll have to do it without my help, because I know a bad job when I see one.” The stallion was already halfway out the door when Celestia turned to stop him.
“Five thousand bits.”
The declaration of the alicorn froze Ebony in his tracks, ears standing tall over his head at the ludicrous amount of coins thrown out at him from the princess. “What did you just say?”
Celestia stepped forward and stared sternly down at the stallion. “Five thousand bits. I am prepared to offer you five thousand bits if you would do this for me.”
The number on the table was more than Ebony could possibly ignore and Celestia knew it. That kind of coin could set the stallion up in luxury for quite some time, and pay off most of his debts to certain ponies he would rather not be indebted too. His hooves twitched, part of his mind telling him to just walk away before it was too late, but the other part just kept repeating that number over and over within his ears like a soft lullaby to lull an innocent foal to sleep. Five thousand bits.
With more than a little hesitation, Ebony glanced back over his shoulder into the unwavering stare of the princess and let out a defeated sigh. “I’ll do it.”
Princess Celestia was hard pressed to hold back the grin tugging at the corners of her lips, but she reigned in her emotions and stepped up beside the stallion. “Excellent,” she declared, “And don’t worry, you won’t be going alone. Miss Sure Fire has volunteered to accompany you as well as a few of my most trusted associates. I will also be sending along my personal protege to make sure that the Tear is handled correctly and that nothing goes wrong on your return trip.”
Ebony groaned to himself, knowing that there wasn’t anyway he could convince the princess to let him go on his own, but there was a part of him grateful that he wouldn’t be responsible for the relic once they got it out of Earth Pony hooves. “I need a favor if I am going to do this for you,” he said, reaching into his bag to pull out his goggles, the fractured lens having lost a few pieces since his arrival. “I need to get these repaired, and at the moment I don’t have the bits to afford the work.”
Celestia nodded her head and captured the goggles with her magic, floating them out of his hooves. “I will see to it that they are mended in time for you to leave first thing tomorrow morning,” She turned to the pegasus still waiting patiently behind them and gestured toward the stallion. “If you could show Ebony to where he will be staying for the night, then I will go and begin the preparations for your journey.”
“Yes, your highness,” Sure Fire said, giving a respectful bow to the alicorn before she left with the red maned stallion’s goggles in tow. The two were left standing alone in the great hall and the blue pegasus nodded for Ebony to follow. “This way.”
The walk through the castle was made mostly in silence, both parties not able to find the words to speak to one another, making the trip seem to take that much longer until finally they reached a small room for guests of the castle to stay in. Sure Fire pushed in the door for the stallion and he took a few steps inside before turning around. He felt like he should say something, but wasn’t exactly sure what.
“Guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” he droned, the words forced from his mouth like a bitter taste.
Sure Fire nodded. “You should get some sleep. Celestia wishes us to be on our way as soon as possible so we will be departing early in the morning.” With that, the blue pegasus turned down the hallway and began to trot away.
Ebony felt like he should have stopped her, but there wasn’t much for either of them to say. Closing the door and trudging through the dark room, he began to strip off the leather armor that was matting down his fur from days without removing the hide exterior. Once all of it was removed, he could fill the relief bristling through his fur as a breeze from an open window tickled at his skin. Unceremoniously, he flopped down on the bed, the expensive sheets fit for royalty easing away the ache from his tired muscles and the pain still resonating dully from his most recent affair. It had been ages since Ebony had stayed in a place as luxurious as a castle, and he planned on taking full advantage of it before he had to leave tomorrow, the idea of a warm shower to wake him in the morning leaving a small smile plastered on the pony’s face before he drifted off to sleep.
