“Now his reign is over
Sombra's really dead!
He wants to go to Heaven
With a crown upon his head!
But now Faust says 'No!'
'You must stay down below!'
All dressed up with nowhere to go!” - Anonymous Crystal Pony
The celebration had lasted all night and showed little sign of slowing down the next morning. True, there had been some festivities when Princess Cadance and Shining Armor had first arrived, but these had been muted by the suddenness of the Crystal Empire's return to the world and by a suspicion that it had not seen the last of its old master.
Given a little time to prepare, and the public and dramatic death of King Sombra, the Crystal Ponies were much more enthusiastic. Princess Cadance, Shining Armor and Spike the Dragon were all being hailed as heroes, and though the three all wanted to give the estimable Twilight Sparkle her share of the glory, the mare herself had been happy to share the background rather than stand alone in the limelight.
In fact, Twilight and her friends were bound to leave the Crystal Empire the next day. The Equestrian Rail Service had laid on an extra train for the unusual circumstance, and though Shining and Cadance were reluctant to bid them all goodbye so soon, they were to be graced with the company of the ponies and dragon for at least one more night. The seven heroes of the Empire were scattered throughout the plaza, each sitting at a different table and being entertained by their hosts in their own way.
Twilight was, naturally, brooding. She stared into her meal and pondered all the different ways the day could have gone wrong, and all the ways it still might. If Spike hadn't been there – if she hadn't happened to study gravity earlier that week – if Sombra was only mostly dead – if if if. The possibilities swirled around in her head, along with her possible fate on returning to Canterlot. Had she failed the test? Would she be allowed to continue her studies? She kept on worrying until she caught sight of two Crystal Ponies kissing over the table. She realised that it didn't matter to them whether or not she had passed some silly test, and with that in mind it mattered slightly less to her, too. She was sure she would get back to panicking as soon as she set hoof on the train, but she allowed herself to be content for now.
Applejack had never been treated like anything other than a good old country girl before, but when word had gone about that her family owned the largest pile of land in Ponyville the Crystal Ponies had started feting her like some kind of noblemare. She had tried her level best to brush off the praise, pointing out that it was her granny who actually owned the land in question, but her newfound audience would not be deterred. When they got to actually fawning over her, and doubting that their fare was suitable for one such as her, she had to put her hoof down. Sure, some of the food was a mite funny, and some of it was a little simple for such a fancy occasion, but then simple had never bothered her. Besides, she recognised a feast when she saw it, and the Crystal Ponies were clearly doing the best they could with what they had. She dismissed their deference and dug into whatever was offered with gusto. “Good food and good company”, she exclaimed over a plate of something she couldn't identify but which had a certain charm, “How rich can a Pony be?” The Crystal Ponies took heart at her words, and set about their own meals with easy manners.
Spike, meanwhile, was much more familiar with what was on offer. The appetites of Dragons were known even in the dim and distant North, and if there was one thing the Crystal Empire had in abundance it was – well – crystals. His appetite had taken something of a dent when he had asked why there was quite so much obsidian on the menu and been shown to a stout stallion smashing statues of Sombra and sprinkling the shards with salt. “Are you sure it's OK for me to be eating these?”, he asked, looking askance at his plate.
The crystal mare next to him chuckled darkly. “I can think of no better place for his highness than in the belly of a Dragon.” When the rest of the table loudly agreed, Spike tucked back in with gusto. Political activism had never tasted so good.
Rarity was exactly where she thought she should have been all along: Surrounded by spellbound ponies hanging on her every word. Sombra's rule had been miserable, and now that he was gone some of the Crystal Ponies wanted a taste of the high life. Rarity was listening to their plans, trying to discern which were mere flights of fantasy and which were serious. She guided their ideas along, offering examples from fashion and art history and trying her best to be impartial. The conversation turned from grand designs to personal grooming tips and back again, as ideas long buried under tyranny were brought forth into the light of day. During a lull in the conversation, a stallion softly cleared his throat behind her and asked, “Rarity, may I ask for your help?”
She turned in her seat. The stallion in question was wearing a cloak and hood, and didn't seem capable of looking her in the eye. Nice to know she could give a boy an attack of shyness, she supposed. “By all means.”
The stallion sighed. “I heard you talking about makeup with some of the mares. I know it's not a common interest for stallions, but...you could say my need is greater than most.” He looked up under his hood, and Rarity could see a long scar twisting down the side of his face. It started up near his right ear, and didn't stop until it hit his nose. “I need a way to hide this accursed thing. A gift from my master. Well, former master now, and good riddance to him.”
Rarity processed this, and some part of her wished the stallion had simply been a cross-dresser. It was so much easier being able to say yes instead of yes-but. “I see. You want a way to use makeup as a mask.”
“Just so.”
She sighed. “My dear, I am not in the business of making masks. Underneath that scar, you have a fine, handsome face. I could not cover the scar without smothering the rest of it. What I can do, if you will meet me in my suite this evening, is bring out the face beneath the scar. I can't remove it altogether, but I can help ponies to look past it.”
The stallion nodded, and tried not to tear up. “Thank you. I – I'll not bother you any more.”
Rarity would not hear of it. “Don't be ridiculous! Come, sit, there's plenty of room.” He did so, and as he felt a new friendship begin to grow he was glad of it.
Rainbow Dash's exploits on the jousting field had attracted Ponies of similar interests to sit at her table. As their memories of the old times returned, they tripped over each other in their efforts to share stories of lists past, and Rainbow Dash soaked up their enthusiasm as only the true sports nut could. She in turn regaled them with sporting legends from Equestria's history, and if she did not quite manage to avoid gushing over the Wonderbolts to a bunch of Ponies who wouldn't know stunt flying from a fit of Holy Moley Dance, she at least gave it a good effort. Some of her fellow-travellers in the wide world of sports worried that were they to set hoof outside the Crystal Empire, they would be thoroughly trounced by gear and techniques a thousand years in the making. Dash waved her mug of something sweet, purple and strong and snorted dismissively. “You guys gotta start coming down to Equestria to compete in the lists! Las Pegasus has been sitting at the top of the league for like 5 years, they need somepony new to come in and give 'em a fright.” She grinned when she saw the old, familiar fire light up behind the eyes of some of the more competitive souls. These Ponies might have been separated from her by a thousand years and almost as many miles, but it was good to see they had something in common.
Pinkie sat enraptured as an elderly Crystal stallion passed over he heart's greatest desire. True, her heart changed its greatest desire as often as the Moon changed its phase, but the gift of a Flugelhorn was still something special. She took the Flugelhorn with both hooves and gripped it tight. When she looked around at the rest of the table, they could see tears in her eyes. “You guys...you guys are the best friends-who-were-until-recently-frozen-under-ice-and-or-crystals a girl could ask for.” The others at the table were quite impressed with her ability to say all that in one mouthful, but that was nothing compared to their reaction when she decided to bring their musical knowledge a little more up to date. She brandished her new Flugelhorn at the table as her companions grabbed their own instruments. “OK, everypony, repeat after me – Oh when the saints! Go trotting in!” Soon, she had them accompanying her on songs they'd never heard before, and bringing such a unique touch of their own that it was almost like she was hearing them for the first time too.
Fluttershy's own table was quiet, and off in a corner. She was spending the dinner the same way she spent most parties, in other words – in the periphery, not joining in most of the festivities but glad to be there all the same. She had attracted like-minded company, and now they formed a crowd of introverts, paradoxical as that might have seemed. She looked over Twilight writing notes at the table, Applejack and Spike each enjoying the food with customary enthusiasm, Rarity holding a mare's mane and trying to decide how it should be cut, Rainbow Dash hoof-wrestling a particularly burly stallion and finally Pinkie Pie leading an impromptu jazz band. She nodded gently, and took another spoonful of her soup. “This is nice”, she said eventually. A few of her tablemates made quiet affirmative noises. All was right with the world.
Meanwhile, Shining Armour and Princess Cadance sat up in the palace, working on the beginning of a political headache. In the manner of most tyrants, King Sombra had jealously hoarded as much power as possible for himself. On the one hoof this meant that Cadance, as his legal successor, had an extraordinary amount of power over her new domain. If she so chose, she could do things on a whim for which Princess Celestia would have needed a national state of emergency and a damn good justification besides. On the other hoof, one pony simply could not govern a nation, even one more like a city-state than a proper Empire. It was fine for one such as Sombra, content to live in luxury while thousands suffered in absolute misery, but it could not maintain anything resembling decent governance. Cadance had no knowledge of matters economic, agricultural or military beyond that of the laymare, and yet under Sombra's system nopony else had any authority to make decisions for her.
The solution was clear. She nicked Shining's ear to get his attention away from the fireworks some enterprising pony had begun to set off. “Honey, we need a cabinet.”
Shining Armor, to his credit, tried to resist. He really did. “Sure thing. Would you prefer light wood or dark?”
Cadance fixed him with a Look. Specifically, the one that said she wasn't sure whether to kiss him or strangle him.
“OK, I know what you mean. And you're right, we do - and I should be on it. But for now, just enjoy the party. I think you've earned it.”.
She planted a gentle kiss at the base of his horn. “As have you – and don't think you're weaseling your way out of a throne that easily, Prince Consort Shining Armor. I'm going to have you up at the top of the totem pole with me by hook or by crook.” She sighed. “For now, though, it's time to mix business with pleasure.” She climbed to the balcony at the front of the castle and looked out at the mass revelry below. Pinkie Pie herself could not have outdone it. Simply watching them celebrate was enough to wash some of the exhaustion from her heart, if not quite from her bones.
Smiling, she cast an enchantment upon her voice to let it ring out loud and clear across the square. “CRYSTAL PONIES!” Every eye turned to her, and every voice cheered. “As my first act as your princess, I hereby forever abolish slavery! Once you were subjects, but from now on you are all free citizens!” She had not thought their cheering could get louder. She had not thought their newfound joy could get any stronger. She had been wrong.
Author's Note
Hello, and welcome to Empire of Liberty. This first chapter is a bit of an oddity (note the lack of Mane 6 character tags) but soon we'll get into the plot proper. Cadance and Shining Armor have a government to put together, and no playbook to help them do it. Good luck!
