A lavender coated mare with shining armor was barreling across the compact dirt of the in-closed training grounds, watched unbeknownst by a pair of dilated striking sapphire-blue eyes and a second pair of (also dilated) gentle sea-green.
They watched the scar riddled mare pull a large steel plow behind her, whilst the mare kept pace with a dark blue stallion levitating a small set of swords and daggers out to the other side of the training grounds and out to the front gate to be delivered to the blacksmith for tempering.
The pair of dilated striking sapphire-blue eyes belonged to the slight slender form of a white unicorn, wearing a Torc around her neck and a silver circlet upon her head with three small spires topped with equally small white diamonds.
Next to the white unicorn the (again also dilated) gentle sea-green eyes were peering out from behind the wall of pink that was the butter yellow pegasus’s mane. Upon the mare’s head was a gold encrusted headband. Her mane was, in fact, put up in a ponytail, but her mane was still long enough that the part not pulled back could cover most of her face.
The two mares watched the lavender in comfortable silence.
The unicorn had a pleasant rosy blush across the bride of her muzzle and the pegasus had a rose pink blush across hers, through hers was more out of embarrassment than pleasure, like the unicorn’s was.
But that blissful moment that the unicorn had while watching the lavender was not to last.
“Your highness, word has come from our spies in Archduke Blueblood’s court.” A dark brown stallion walked up to her.
Queen Rarity sighed wistfully and nodded, “I’m coming.”
She took one wistful look back at her bodyguard training so hard on her behalf.
“One day, Twilight…one day...” And this madness of attempted assassinations will stop. And maybe…just maybe…you’ll finally see past my flirting…and see what’s really there.
The dark brown stallion turned around and noticed the faraway look in his queen’s eyes. But in that moment her head started to turn back his way and his head snapped around.
“Firefly has found out useful information about the assassin’s sent after you. The one that escaped has shown signs of having a magical leak in her horn, thus leading to the suspicion that her attempted assassination did not leave her as uninjured as we thought.” The brown stallion continued.
Rarity simply nodded and winced every time she heard her metal brace click upon the stone, and her normally graceful stride cursed with the odd lit she had become used to because of the brace on her hind leg.
“Although we have not confirmed our theory of this magic leak, we have managed to gain some insight of the assassin’s background. Firefly refused to tell us though, until you were in the room.”
The Queen nodded and stopped at the large set of oak wood doors.
“My cape, if you please.” Rarity asked, though she knew the guard would give it to her even if she demanded in a loud and obnoxious manner. He was bound by his oath to serve her even if she was a snobby, prissy, annoyingly whiny unicorn, she would still be Queen and her word goes.
The guard nodded and a faint golden glow surrounded his horn, and he levitated the blue robe with white trim over to her. Rarity nodded her thanks and a very pale and faint blue glow surrounded her horn to levitate the cape over her back to hide the brace hindering her hind leg, but even this small show of magic caused her great pain. Her magic reserves were badly damaged, as were Twilight’s, but she managed to slowly settle the comforting weight onto her back and nodded for the guard to open the set of double doors as she adjusted it, so as not to trip on it while she walked.
The large oaken doors opened and what was revealed behind them was a squabbling, arguing group, consisted of a pink pegasus with a windblown and tousled blue mane and tail, a larger unicorn mare with a grey coat, and finely combed and styled purple and white mane and tail, and finally a grey earth pony mare with a somewhat muddy green/blue mane and tail with glasses on her muzzle that were attached to a gold chain going around her head and connected to the other end of her glasses.
“Firefly I don’t think we should rush into this! This unicorn mare is one of the best assassin’s in Equestria! You can’t just send another assassin after her! She’ll find out and kill our assassin!” The cloudy mare, who was normally very reserved, looked like she was about to throttle the brash pegasus mare.
“I agree Cloudy! It is a ludicrous idea to send an assassin after the best assassin in Equestria!” The grey unicorn mare shouted at the pegasus.
The pink pegasus mare shouted back, “Well then what do we do! The assassin is a threat to Queen Rarity’s safety, and is even a threat to her bodyguard! We need to raise defenses and get a better network of spies into Blueblood’s court! And we need to send someone to either incapacitate the assassin or send somepony or creature to go end her.” When she said ‘end her’ the room seemed to get slightly colder and less inviting and defiantly more sinister.
Rarity made a light coughing sound to get their attention.
The brash, pink coated pegasus, thoughtful cloudy grey earth pony mare, and the inquisitive pale grey unicorn, all turned their heads at once toward her, training 3 sets of eyes onto her, one a intense, reckless violet, one a bright and, if you looked deep enough, playful shade of cloudy green/blue eyes to match her mane, and the last a very wise and, again if you looked deep enough, warm icy blue eyes.
“YOUR HIGHNESS!” The three mares shouted at once, and all immediately dropped to the ground in a bow.
Rarity merely waved her hoof as to dismiss their behavior. “Not now, we have much to discuss.” She cantered slowly over to her seat around the large table with a thick sheet of granite on the surface. She seated herself in a low-to-the-ground throne made of oak wood with a small hoof stool for her hind leg, which she slid under the table and eased herself into the velvet padding on both her hoof stool and throne, grateful for the magical enchantment on it to massage whatever parts of her were knotted and sore, which brought great pleasure to her hind leg, neck, back, and basically her whole body. But it felt good especially her bad hind leg.
“Alright. Let’s get down to business: Firefly.” She pointed at the mare with her hoof. “What have you found out about the assassin mare?”
The pegasus nodded and pulled a thin scroll out. “This is what I have so far: Her name is Gusty and she is a unicorn for hire, which will do almost anything for a good payment of bits, though she has presently taken up residence in Archduke Blueblood’s court. She is a white mare with three amber/orange autumn leaves for a cutie mark, whose color matches the red-ish streaks in her green mane. Originally she came from a very wealthy family, but apparently they are died in a raid from some Air Pirates. She earned her cutie mark after the kidnapping, and her special talent was that she could blow any of the sails for miles with ease, and for a short time she was one of the most ruthless Air Pirates to ever live. She left them after she found that she was bored of the rouge life of an Air Pirate and went out to try and become a skilled fighter in the army of Earl Sundancer’s, but the guard threw her out before she could even meet Sundancer for her first mission. I later found out it was because the guards disliked her even though Sundancer wanted greatly to meet with her, so they simply told her that Sundancer did not want to deal with the likes of her, which caused Gusty to quit the guard. This lead to her rouge life as a pony for hire. After several attempts at being assassinated, Gusty learned the ropes of assassination, and almost silently killed her assassin. This earned her a small halo of fear, which grew and grew as more ponies heard of her, and she started taking jobs to assassinate and word started to spread that she was the greatest assassin in Equestria, and soon after that Gusty was welcomed into the court of Archduke Blueblood.” Firefly rolled the scroll up. “That’s all I've learned.”
Queen Rarity, if possible, leaned back even further into her throne. ”Oh my…”
Cloudy Quartz slumped I bit down on her council-mare seat and Twilight Velvet placed her chin onto the table.
“‘Oh my’ is an understatement. It seems like the only thing that we can do is hope that this magical leak in her horn will prove faulty. That is our only hope right now.” Cloudy whispered.
Rarity nodded, Twilight Velvet nodded, and Firefly grunted, approving of this idea.
Rarity rubbed her temples with one of her hooves.
“I’m going to go speak with my bodyguard…Quartz, Velvet, please go send a messenger to bring in Moondancer and Sundancer, Firefly, please start setting up your system of spies in Blueblood’s court…”The white unicorn Queen turned around, and twisted her body of the throne and cantered slowly to the door. ”Leo, please go send for my council members.” She told the guard as he opened the doors.
“Yes, My Queen.” The guard responded.
Rarity trotted over to where she had been standing before and noticed that Fluttershy was gone. “Probably with Pinkie…”She whispered to herself.
Looking down, she glanced at the in-closed training ground for her bodyguard. To her displeasure, she didn't see the familiar lavender coat she was looking for. “Where is she…?”She whispered to herself once more.
She nodded her head in discomfort in not knowing where Twilight was.
Rarity walked carefully down the stone stairway to the training grounds.
“Stronghold! Where is Twilight Sparkle?” Rarity asked the stallion in front of her.
“Your Highness, we do not know. She simply disappeared after she finished pulling the plow across the field.”
“What!? Why didn't you tell me sooner!?” Rarity fumed. Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Calm yourself, Rarity…
“Um…we expected that she had gone to you. But apparently since she hasn't gone to you, maybe she’s in the infirmary getting her magic reserves checked.” Stronghold replied.
Rarity nodded. ”Thank you Stronghold…”The white unicorn turned around and went back up the steps.
Rarity pounded her hoof on the stone infirmary floor.
“Twilight! You can’t keep risking your life for mine!”
The lavender mare pounded her hoof down. “It’s my DUTY! I have to protect you at all costs.”
Rarity cried out loudly at Twilight. “No. I won’t let you die!”
Twilight glared at her Queen, wincing, feeling her heart twang as she saw the desperation in Rarity’s eyes. “If I die protecting you, then I know it was worth it.”
Rarity’s eyes were full of desperation which gazing into the steely eyes of her bodyguard.
“My life won’t be worth it if you die. You need to be more careful.” She cried.
Twilight’s eyes steely guard faltered for a moment, betraying a hint of wonder, sadness, and confusion.
Rarity saw those and whimpered. ”Please, Twilight.”
The lavender unicorn mare merely gave a hint of a nod. “Fine…”
Rarity smiled. “Good. Now about what the Matron said about your magic reserves.”
A pink pegasus mare which a red/pink mane walked up and a cutie mark of three large hearts and one smaller heart with silver wings on all of them was on her flank.
“Hers seem to be recovering fine. Now about yours…” The pegasus mare beckoned the unicorn mare towards her.
Rarity trotted over to her. “Hello Heartthrob.”
“How are you Rarity?” The mare pulled a small disc of metal over Rarity’s horn and a small diagram of the interior of Rarity’s horn and magic in it was projected over Rarity’s head.
“Meh.” Was Rarity’s response.
Heartthrob snorted.” I can see that…hmm…your horn’s magic reserves are healing well.”
Rarity smiled. “Good…”
Heartthrob removed the ring and put it down into a drawer full of medical supplies.
“On with your day.” She issued them away, and as they walked through the door together, she muttered under her breath, “Such a cute couple…” She smiled.
