Venus Transcendent

Fate has a way of being rude. Of taking our most sheltered and happy moments and wrenching us out of them and throwing us into another proverbial tub of cold water. Specifically, those that act as the harbingers of fate, e.g. Celestia, are masters of inconvenient timing. The Sun Empress seemed to have a knack for acting at the worst of times, and interrupting some of the most sacred and memorable moments.  Her title among her servants was the great and mighty Trollestia, and the way she could ruin a perfect moment was almost uncanny.

So when she couldn't find something to wear, she decided that she'd reach a little out of her way and call out for somepony with a sense of fashion. Not so much as call out, than moreover teleport them to her and see just how badly she'd messed up their day. She gazed from one dress to the other, thinking that the pieces of cloth she held were the worst things to ever be made to wear. But she was supposed to be ceremonial, as she had an ambassador coming from a rather small country  to the north. She didn't know why, but she felt that if her day was going to be ruined, than somepony else's could be ruined as well.

The Princess made up her mind on who's schedule she would pulverize. With a flash of her horn, she summoned Seamus.

Back in Cheerilee's classroom the teacher was giving a lecture on the nature of magic. A lot of the students were snoring loudly, but a purple-maned filly and a maroon-coated alicorn were passing notes about how they could somehow get the former to fly. Seamus was reaching out to pass Scootaloo a note, their hooves both on the piece of paper when, at the worst possible time, he disappeared, dragging the filly with him to his unknown destination. In his head, just as he teleported he thought to himself that this had something to do with Celestia.

"Ah, Seamus, good. Could you please tell me which of these looks better?" Celestia grinned, knowing he'd just ruined his whole day.

"Really?!" The colt put his head in his hooves. "That was the worst, and I repeat the worst possible time! You even dragged Scootaloo along!"

"Oh, I am so sorry about that." The princess' voice dripped with sickly sweet sarcasm.

The colt gave her a look of pure anger. "The left one. Can I go now?"

"Oh, I was thinking, while you're here, you could help me with this meeting I'm going to have. You see, little one, I have an ambassador coming from a certain country in the North and I'd like you to be there, seeing as how you have so much knowledge of their culture."

"What do you mean 'Certain country'?"

I mean, the mare coming to visit here is from your country. And she is no mere ambassador, she is the Princess there."

"So... Amethyst is coming here...."

"You know of her?" Celestia questioned, hovering over him, eager for details.

"I was owned by her for a good year of my life. She was so kind.... never once asked me to do anything wrong or immoral. She wouldn't force me to do anything. She even brought Sky into my life and sheltered me from her tyrannical mother. I couldn't have asked for a better mother, but sadly no sooner was I ready to call her that was I sent here. Not that I don't like it here, of course."

"Really? This mare owned you as a slave and you don't loathe her? Fascinating... so she is Melody Amore's daughter?"

"Umm... yeah, but now that I... kinda killed her mother she's the head of the country now. She runs the Northern Counties. And she is sharp as a tack, let me tell you. I couldn't beat her at a game of chess, or cards, or backgammon, or-"

"Yes, yes." Celestia interrupted. "But tell me what she has to do with you!"

"That's it, really, I mean she is nice, smart, well meaning. I think that your meeting will go well.... Without me. Send me and Scootaloo back to class now, would you? I don't think Cheerilee would notice us slipping back in."

Celestia shook her head. "Oh no, do you know why she's coming here? She's here to negotiate herself out of poverty. Don't you want to know what happened after you left your country and killed the Queen?"

The Princess trotted over to her shelf, where many chess boards were stacked. She found one, in perfect arrangement. Her horn lit up and suddenly the king caught fire and burnt to ashes. She drew her hoof over the entirety of the board and suddenly the pawns were gone, and some of the knights. Right after the enemy side advanced with lighting speed, destroying most of the other team's pieces and leaving once side of the board in shambles. Celestia regarded to board as she would a bug she found in her washroom, curiosity, accompanied with the eager impulse to stomp it to death.

"Once you killed Melody the massive source of wealth disappeared. The Counties that she had pulled together and managed to oppress and command as her own revolted. Amethyst lost control of the mines the other counties held. Most of her populace left. Then, just as Amethyst stepped up she finds bandits and raiders at her borders, plundering towns and burning villages to ashes, slaughtering foals and committing atrocious acts of depravity. She lost all control of her kingdom."

Celestia turned back to Seamus, solemn. "And now, she is here to sell me everything to get back control. She needs everything, money, troops, strategy. She inherited a tinderbox of anarchy and it went off in her hooves. I want to help the poor mare but it's just too far gone. There is no Northern Counties anymore, there is just a no-pony's land with little more than mountains, outlaws and the occasional pony that hasn't lost their mind to the sudden revolution."

Seamus jumped up onto her nightstand so he could look her in the eyes. "So there is nothing you can do? It's just going to get worse and worse?"

"Last night Amethyst was ambushed leaving her castle to come here. Her country loathes her because her mother ruined their trust in their ruler. I want to help, but it just seems like a lost cause."

"What if I helped?" Seamus begged. "I was born there, and Amethyst is a good mare! If she could show her subjects she isn't her mother then maybe she could get her kingdom back on her side!"

"You to realize that is the real reason I called you here, not to discuss some frivolous fashion crisis?" The Princess gave him a sly look. "After all, did you really think I just love to toy with my subjects like that?"

"Yes."

Scootaloo, who had been otherwise invisible through their conversation burst out laughing. Celestia shot them both looks of death, annoyed beyond measure at how the smaller alicorn saw right through her ruse of well meaning.

"So what do I do?" Scootaloo asked. "Sit back and try to be invisible?"

"Yup." Seamus stated simply.

No less than an hour later did they stand in the throne room, the throne room that had seen the faces of many shadows of the Venus Alicorn's past. Jakben and Melody had both stood on the same carpet he now stood upon, and upon closer inspection the colt could swear the faint outline of blood was visible from when the Lady of the North had stricken him with a wine glass. She was dead now, he'd killed her himself, but through all she had put him through a slight echo of guilt still lingered in his heart.

But now a new face was walking into the room and down the aisle, a pony that Seamus hadn't seen since the day he'd left the castle a year ago. Amethyst Firenze' Amore opened the doors with a rugged shove, throwing her crown at a slight angle. She trotted in with not a single guard with her. She bore no weapons to protect her but her hooves and her magic. The carriage outside had a single stallion at it, and he didn't wear so much as a helmet to protect himself. While the Princess of the bitter North wore a rather worn suit of leather armor, on which there were a few cuts and stab marks where knives and swords had tried, and failed, to take her life, she still held her stature of pure royalty and class.

Overall she looked haggard and weary, but she still had the air of a ruler. The crown in her head, despite being a bit awkward and odd-fitting, still gave her the aura of power. Her peppered white coat was still groomed and styled, her mane was still short with a slight curling flare towards the bottom. She strutted up the entrance hall with all the cocky swagger of a rock star, but every movement reminded the bystanders that she wasn't just for show; the muscle under her leather armor could easily part them from their heads. Without a doubt, the greatest asset was Princess Amethyst's eyes. They were slits, like that of a feral bobcat or a puma. She held the air of a predator, and she lived up to that title.

"Princess Amethyst Firenze' Amore... I am glad to make your acquaintance."

"Princess Celestia, I'm so sorry to interrupt formality and I'm flattered that you wore ceremonial garb to address me, but I'm going to have to ask you to cut to the chase. I just traveled thousands of miles to come here and ask you for an small army. I need it and you know well enough that I'm willing to swear fealty to you to do so. That is the situation, now let's negotiate."

Seamus, who sat next to the throne, smiled a bit at how forward the mare could be. She cut to the chase, and when she couldn't she cut to the bone.

Another Unchecked one in this line of experimental chapters. Tell me how I did in the comments please!