Unification Day

Unification Day.

Thats what these crystal ponies call it, the day when all three tribes united together and fought back against Discord, Spirit of Chaos and the biggest threat the world has ever seen since Grogar the Necromancer, Tirek the Magic Eater and Nightmare Moon.

This day is meant to celebrate over the victories the ponies of all races had to endure and fight against over the centuries, and each year they throw this celebration to remember and commemorate those that gave their lives to free them from their grasp.

The same can be said for the Crystal Empire, except that they mainly are celebrating me for killing Sombra and freeing them from not one but apparently two leaders. They didn’t want Sombra as their emperor because he was practicing dark magic, slavery, tortured his own subjects and drained the life force from them as well. And as for the two alicorn sisters that used to rule over them, they couldn’t beat a single unicorn that was way younger than they were, weaker in terms of magical powers, was not immortal, and was outnumbered.

That was the deal breaker for them.

When I looked into the history of the Crystal Empire I saw that both Celestia and Luna, when they were in their teenage years as alicorns, were the ruling party at the time, they thought that nothing would come after them but of course they weren’t expecting Sombra to gain power by draining the life essence from those around him. When they found out about his agenda they fought against him, they of course lost and they say the rest of it is history because I am now the ruler.

The celebration officially starts when I shoot off the first firework into the sky, naturally it has to be a big one and of course I made sure the alchemists in the crafters hall make an assload of them.

Another fun part about this celebration is the competitions and the food being served.

The crystal ponies will be having jousting, dart throwing, log throwing, melon-pulting, pie-eating contests, ice and crystal carving contests, water-dunking, hoop throwing, the works.

This day is in essence one big carnival to celebrate their freedom from tyranny.

They just don’t know that my rule so far is like that but a benevolent tyranny, sacrifice some freedoms to ensure safety for all, everyone has jobs except for the youth who are being educated and the elderly either work for fun or are relaxing and enjoying themselves. They may be watched secretly by the lampposts and street lights but it is for their own good.

“My Kell, the citizens of the empire are waiting for you.” Glittering Quill says to me as she goes over today’s events and schedules for me.

“Thank you Quill, I am on my way out now.” I said as I shifted in my armor, today is supposed to be a fun day for all.

And with that I grabbed my staff and started to make my way towards the balcony and declare Unification Day to begin.

It was during my walk there did something happen, mainly it was Shining Pearl arguing with what looks like a noble, not sure of which house but at this point it didn’t matter as it was starting to turn into a shouting match.

“You know we can’t trust those filthy mutts! They attacked us once before and we let them off the hook and now you want us to give them a chance? To what, stab us in the back and make off like a bandit with everything we own! I will not stand for this poor leadership decision that could cost us everything!” A voice shouted beyond my sight, it was around the corner it was sounded distinctly male.

“And if you don’t like it then you can kindly leave this city with everything you own, I know a few crystal ponies and diamond dogs that can use that manor of yours.” A feminine voice said back, this one I recognized as Shining Pearl’s.

“Why you insufferable mare! Why I oughta-” The stallion said just as I turned the corner and was now standing behind Pearl and staring down at the offending stallion.

“Why you oughta...what?” I said while glaring down at the stallion, the effect was immediate as he started to quiver and shake where he stands.

“Oh I uh...my Kell...we are just...having a disagreement is all.” Real smooth, trying to lie to my face and claim that it is the truth.

“You were leaving this palace and are going to spread the word that I will not tolerate those having a disagreement about my decision. It was my choice to make not yours or those that agree with you, I am going to make this loud and clear, if it wasn’t for me this empire would cease to exist. Sombra would have killed most if not all of you, and those equestrians would have been unable to do anything to stop him. They already failed once, they would have failed a second time and then where you all of you be.” I growled out, trying to keep my temper in place and to keep my intent to murder the idiot from coming true.

“...” The stallion stayed there, too scared to move let alone acknowledge my demand.

“Now unless I made myself unclear in my request, Get. Out. And spread the word.” I said in a sharp, quiet tone as he started to move fast, galloping out of the palace to do as I say.

“You know Skolas that this will have negative repercussions.” Pearl says as she straightens out her reading glasses.

“Shining Pearl, they need to learn that I will not tolerate anyone double guessing my decisions. The only reason why they are still nobles even though they allowed Sombra to keep on studying the dark arts instead of turning him into the proper authorities to be executed or exiled is that without them to keep the status quo from falling apart and that whenever I have a need for a particular job I would know which house to call upon.”

“But what about-” I cut her off as I continued to talk.

“Shining, there is something you don’t understand about this situation. If my plan fails and falls through then not only will I lose the support of the crystal ponies but the support of the noble houses as well. If I lose the support of the masses then they will call for a vote of no-confidence, I will lose the throne and then there will be infighting by those that have an eye on it. That is how this government works, all eyes lie on the crystal throne and all eyes are constantly watching me, waiting for me to make a dire mistake.”

“They are ever waiting, ever watching, but I am watching them as they watch me. I am watching their every move, learning everything about them, every little last detail, their likes and dislikes, their hobbies and places to go to relax and hang out. I know I have enemies within the empire, I know that six of them are within my court and I know that almost half of my maids are in the pocket of two of the nobles.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that-” Pearl tried to talk again but I covered her mouth with my hand.

“One of those two nobles is your father.” The icebreaker, her father being a possible traitor to the empire.

“...how did you find out-” Pearl was absolutely shocked, not only did she not know that her father has been planning something behind her back but also behind my back as well.

“I had some of my guards keep an eye on a few of the maids that was not completely loyal to the crown, one found a maid coming from this palace and went straight to your family’s manor. She came in empty hoofed and left with a bag of gold, Pearl it’s not that hard to put two-and-two together to get the result.” I said, with a guard following a maid and finding evidence is quite a heavy thing to lay onto the poor mare.

“You’ve been spying on my family!?” This of course was the thing she wanted to know, not of the other things I have said.

“Shining Pearl, I have been spying on all of the noble houses to see which one would make a move and stab me in the back and twist the knife to make sure I don’t get back up. I know that your father has been spending quite a bit of gold on reinforcing his own private guards with that of my own guards, getting some of the lowest ranking to train his, even going as far as to give them spare weapons and armor.” The real question I really want to know is that who will he support.

“But-”

“Shining Pearl, your father is gearing up for an eventuality and I am going to find out whose side he is on. You are lucky that I trust you enough to not have you relieved of your duty as the master of coin and sent back home until this blows over.”

“I-”

“Dismissed, go enjoy the celebration, and if you meet your father, tell him to pick the right side.” And with that said and done we went on our separate ways.

With that said I walked passed the stunned mare, I know that her father has been preparing for a possible coup but I still don’t have all of the variables, I need to know who he is supporting.

Me, or some other noble.

Stepping onto the balcony I can see that all of the citizens of the empire, with a small mixture of the diamond dogs melding into the crowd, are all standing there, waiting for me to start.

“My fellow ponies and dogs, today marks the one thousandth and third of the annual Unification Day! Today we remember those that fought and gave their lives to free us from the oppressive hold that was once on us all. We remember those that fought and defeated the very beings that would have spelled death and ruin for all if they weren’t stop. Today, we will drink, sing, dance, and compete to show those that have fallen that we have not let it be in vain.”

“Tonight, we celebrate their sacrifices that they have made to unify the pony tribes against a common enemy and now we celebrate the victory over King Sombra, a dark tyrant who drained the life out of his subjects just to extend his unholy life.”

“Now...let the celebration...begin!” I shouted with my staff raised in the air, the signal was given as a large firework is lit before screaming off into the sky, exploding into a multitude of colors as the festival begins.

As soon as it started I went down and started to participate with the masses.

I did not drink because there is no way in hell my PR would be able to deal with the fallout of a drunken emperor. Let alone the fact that if I got so drunk that I couldn’t walk or think straight that I might screw up badly and hurt my reputation beyond repair.

I ate what I could, the crystal version of pumpkin and apple pie was amazing, sadly my stomach couldn’t handle any more because I lived off Ether and I was not going to risk getting some sort of body whiplash effect. I still drank whatever punch or water that was on hand, that seems to not have any negative effects on my body when I do it in bulk.

When I went to the log throwing I wasn’t allowed in for the obvious reason that I have hands and that I can throw it farther than any of the ponies here.

The ring toss game wasn't meant for me, I kept over tossing the small ring past and over the glass bottles but I digress, these games are not meant for me but the very least I can do is make it appear that I am enjoying myself.

During the festive activities going on all around me, one of my agents trotted up to me and told me that Chroma Gem has located the other nobles who were against me. I told the guard to tell Chroma to have them marked, if they are to ever betray me then I want those to be the first to be arrested and sent to the dark cells below the castle. With that minor threat taken care of I went back to the festiveness going on around me.

Arm wrestling was completely in my favor until the giant ponies started to get involved. It was almost a close match when Hammer, Morningstar and Forge joined in on the fun. I almost broke the first two’s foreleg in the ensuing contest, Forge on the other hand...that was a battle of the ages.

Jousting was fun to watch although I couldn’t compete for being incompatible with the lance.

Then came the archery contest, the crossbow I was given was made for my size, I don’t know how these ponies managed to pull this off but they did. My aim was a bit off target due to it being a medieval weapon but it took me a while to get a bead down range and it wasn’t before long that I started to hit close to the center of the target.

My reward was an adorable teddy bear.

The melon-pulting is something to be desired because the thrill of shooting a watermelon out of a catapult is very thrilling, the melon being tossed, it exploding upon impact with the target, now if there was a way to weaponize plants of varying species then we would just need to put them in heavy vegetation areas.

That and I think that was an actual game...I think.

Anyways I was enjoying myself until something came up.

And by something I mean someone.

Being paraded through the street in chains, a muzzle and several wing restrainers, was a dragon. The dragon had red scales from where I can see him and from where I was also standing I saw bits of white.

The crowd of crystal ponies were cheering loudly along with some of the present diamond dogs, this dragon was fighting hard to get free from its restraints but failed to when he was knocked down by Hammer, knocking the back of his legs out with her signature weapon.

“If you want to keep roaring and throwing a fit then keep doing it, you are not going to escape justice by escaping the empire.” Hammer said as she pushed the dragon to keep on moving toward the prison entrance.

Maybe I should have constructed a prison that is far from civilization so if someone was to escape then they would not survive for long.

“But I did nothing to you nambly bambly ponies!” And that right there is a clue that this dragon hates ponies of all races.

“No...but you did kill several diamond dogs for trying to better their lives and for not working hard enough while they were in your care. That is not how you treat those working underneath you and you should feel ashamed for what you have done.” Ah...so this must be the ‘Garble’ that the diamond dogs were talking about.

“Bah! I did nothing wrong, those damn dogs breed faster than they can think! Those four should have already been replaced by some new pups by now, I did you a favor, those can be taught to not steal from a dragon!” Keep digging your hole buddy, your sentencing is being adjusted word for word.

“A dragon that just got his butt handed to him on a silver platter by a nambly bambly pony.” Hammer said in a smug tone as she pushes him again, leading him away.

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you fought fairly.”

“So says the dragon with scales for armor and can breath fire.” Oh snap, shots fired.

Before the dragon can make a remark they finally get too far away for me to hear anything anymore, maybe it was for the best cause after all from what I heard from the grapevine that is the crystal guards, Hammer has been known to be rough with prisoners.

“Hey Skolas!” a voice shouted from my side.

Turning to see who it is I saw that it was Forge, and she was swaying a bit as she trots over to me. And by swaying I mean she was just barely toppling over drunk and she smelled like a brewery.

“Hey buddy *hic* hows it goin’! *hic* So glad to see you!” Forge said as she pulls me into a hug, she smelled of sweat, booze, mareish scents, some scent of stallion from those she probably roughed up or played with.

“Good to see you to Forge...you’ve been drinking.” I said as I took a brief whiff and was repulsed back a bit. She smells awful and my it feels like my nose is burning.

“Well what else am *hic supposed to do? Not have fun? *hic*” Well when you put it that way...and we are pretty much having a festival going on all around us right now...

“No Forge...your allowed to have fun, you're just not allowed to get tanked beyond reason because it will interfere with your job.” I sure hope I made the right choice right now.

“Come now, live a little! *hic*” I can totally tell that this won’t end well for any party involved.

“Ms. Forge, if I do live a little would you stop bothering me?” I asked as I stared at the bottle floating by her, I think I just might join in the festive drinking.

“Maybe.”

Welp...thats it I guess, time to join in.

“Well...nothing ventured...nothing gained.” Was all I said before taking the half empty bottle that she had somehow managed to keep levitating in the air from her magic hold and downed it.

At first I felt nothing, it tasted a bit funny but it was nothing that I couldn’t handle so I asked for more. After four bottles of hard ale and half a bottle of moonshine did my body start to feel the effects of liquor coursing through my veins.

IE I couldn’t see straight, and with four pairs of eyes it was pretty freaking horrifying. Each eye was looking at something different, nothing was straight it was all blurry and also I think I might have started to let my alcohol fueled mind take over and started to do things that I am not proud of or should be proud of.

I can’t exactly recall what I have done that night but all I can remember is that I did some wild and crazy things...I think.

What I do remember is that Forge was helping me get to my room and when we got there the door was closed, locked, and not the way I left it.

Without even the kind gesture of knocking I kicked the door open to reveal unto the world two crystal ponies screwing on my bed.

Two ponies were in my bed, I was standing there utterly confused as hell while Forge was laughing her drunk ass off.

Clear Cut, a Captain within the Guards, and Mint Julip, the Head Maid, were in my bed having sex and they were staring right at me as I slowly unhooked my shrapnel launcher from my back.

By the time they were trying to escape I threw my launcher at them, one barrel managing to singe a piece of flank on Clear Cut who let out a yelp of pain before getting up and off the bed with Mint in tow. I could only stare at the pair as they huddled together as I towered over them and gave them my verdict on the pair.

“Clear Cut...your demoted and you are on latrine cleaning duty. Mint Julip, your demoted to Head Maid Assistant, Ms. Spring will take your position and you are to follow her orders to the letter. Dismissed.” I said in my one moment of lucid thought before throwing my sheets out of my room and collapsed on my bed with a thud and groaned as I started to feel my head start to ache.

“I think I will never touch alcohol of any kind...ever again….” I groaned out as I tried to remove my helmet but I gave up on doing so when I couldn’t even get the latches to unlock.

Moaning in agony as the booze started to plague hell on my brain. Apparently Fallen biology works very fast with alcohol, it took me several bottles and a half to get drunk and it was barely two hours later that it starts to kick in, I can only guess that an hour or two later that the hangover will kick in and wreak havoc with my head.

“Move over big guy, this girl gotta sleep.” I heard Forge say from behind me and before I could even say no she pushes me over, gets onto my bed and plops down roughly on top of me.

“You serious?” I asked as I shifted my head to the side.

“What? My bed is too far away and yours is big enough for the two of us.” That is a bullshit excuse but I will accept it.

“No.” Well...this is going to be a long night.

“Come on! Not like you haven’t slept with a mare before!” And she is right, I haven’t.

“Well...I know from experience with the people I am familiar with...but not with a mare.” Yes I have slept with a girl before but a mare...I haven’t really thought of going over that particular edge. Skolas on the other hand is staying quiet...not sure if he agrees with me or is just not saying anything on the matter.

“Pfft whatever, now move over cause I ain’t budging.” Forge mumbled as I shifted a bit in the bed, trying to make room for her while at the same time trying to not really move at all.

“For fuck sakes...fine you can stay...just keep your hooves to yourself.” I gave in as I slumped back into bed, trying really hard to force myself to enter a sleep-like state of mind.

“Not shut up and sleep, tomorrow morning I got somethin' to show you.”

I can only wonder what that could be, I sure hope it isn’t one of those sexy surprises I have been hearing about from some of the guards and maids give to their loved ones.

The next morning I was expecting to wake up naked with a thoroughly pleased Forge lying on top of me.

I was not expecting to be in just my leather under armor, lying on my side, and being used as the little spoon while Forge got to be the big spoon. If I was my human size it would be more along the lines of Forge being the ladle while I was a teaspoon.

'What the fuck is going on with this pony...why is she cuddling with me and why am I the little spoon?'

Questions for later.