Author's Note
Originally published as a blog here, this story is part of my yearly tradition of writing a RariTwi story on Christmas. I've cleaned up a bit of the grammar and touched things up here and there, but the story is largely the same as in the blog.
Alea Iacta Fuerat
"Give us the location of the Alicorn Amulet, and we shall grant you a swift death."
Princess Platinum glared at her captors. "Never!" she hissed. "Do with me what you will. I am Equestria, and Equestria shall never break to her enemies." Gritting her teeth, she readied herself for whatever torture might be inflicted upon her.
Her vizier, Brute Force, smiled. "Oh, princess," he said, brandishing a wickedly sharp knife. "I've known you all my life. You are a strong leader, even if you made the mistake of joining with those filthy mud ponies and barbaric pegasi. I know there's nothing I could do to you that would break you." His horn glowed, and a moment later the door to her prison opened.
Princess Platinum gasped as a pair of her treacherous guards dragged in a purple unicorn with a magic lock on her horn. Cuts and bruises already marred her normally flawless coat. "You monsters!" she snarled. "I'll have all your heads for this!"
Brute Force tsked. "Now, now, Platinum, such behaviour is unbecoming of royalty." The blade floated over towards Clover the Clover, who struggled weakly against the guards' hold. "I know you care deeply for your servant, for reasons that elude me." He scoffed. "A princess should not become attached to the help, and today, you shall learn the reason why."
The knife flicked out, and Clover winced as yet another shallow cut formed on her barrel. "Tell me where the Amulet is hidden, and I'll allow your advisor to go free after I wipe her memory of this little negotiation."
"He's lying." Clover groaned as one of the guards slammed her against a chair next to Platinum. "You know he's going to kill the both of us no matter what you say. You need to be strong, Your Majesty." She cried out as Brute delivered a cruel blow to her side, opening up a few of her wounds.
"Clover!" Platinum struggled against her own bonds, her horn sparking as she tried unsuccessfully to overpower her own magic lock. "Release me, you fiends!"
"Give us the location, princess." Another blow, and Platinum felt Clover's pain in her heart.
"Don't do it, Your Maje — aah!" Clover writhed against Brute's assault.
"I—" she was a Princess of Equestria. Her needs — and that of her most loyal advisor — were second to the needs of Equestria. She had to remain strong, had to keep the Amulet from the hooves of the traitors.
And yet, everything within her wanted to scream out, to give them what they wanted for the hope of saving her companion from more harm. With each cut and strike, Platinum's resolve weakened.
"It doesn't have to be like this." The false sympathy in his voice sickened Platinum. "I take no pleasure in this. Please, just give us what we want."
For the rest of her days, Platinum would never know if she had been about to open her mouth to tell Brute to go to Tartarus, or if she had been about to spill the secret of the Amulet.
Before she could damn either herself or Equestria, a bright flash of light appeared in the centre of the room, followed by a shockwave that sent all of their captors flying.
"Oh no!" A panicked voice announced as the light faded to reveal two young mares. "I think I miscalculated the flux capacitance!"
Platinum's eyes widened as she beheld a young alicorn mare with a violet coat standing next to a white unicorn mare of around the same age. The unicorn's expression was much calmer compared to that of the alicorn, who appeared to be in the throes of panic.
"It's fine, dear," the unicorn said with a much more cultured accent, "I believe we've arrived at the right point regardless."
"We did?" The alicorn's eyes rested on Platinum, who reflexively tried to bow before realizing she was still bound to the chair.
"Most Divine Goddess, I beg your forgiveness for not bowing to your majesty." Even if she was tired, beaten, and restrained, Platinum had no trouble adopting a mask of regal reverence, and right now, she was every inch a Princess of Equestria addressing an Alicorn who had deigned to visit her.
"Oh, umm..." if she hadn't been a goddess, Platinum would have sworn that the alicorn looked awkward at the address. A reddish blush crept along her cheek, which was no doubt some divine way of showing judgement. "Don't worry about it. You're Princess Platinum, right?"
"I am. And I thank you for saving my life and that of my most loyal advisor." Admittedly, it was somewhat presumptuous of her to assume that was the alicorn's intention, but if it hadn't been, she was as good as dead anyways.
"I did?" The alicorn glanced around the room until her eyes alighted on one of the unicorns lying unconscious on the floor. "Wait, that's your vizier, Brute Force, right? The one who kidnapped you and— oh. Oh."
"I fear he would have done terrible things to Equestria if you had not stopped him." Platinum inclined her head towards the alicorn, the greatest show of deference she could make at the moment.
"No no no no." Verily, the alicorn appeared to be panicking now, of all things. "This is bad. This is really really bad. I wasn't supposed to show up this early."
"Ugh, I care not what you do to me, Equestria will not — huh?" Beside Platinum, Clover slowly regained her wits, her eyes taking in the sight of their captors lying unconscious. "Platinum!" She yanked the magic lock off her horn, hobbled over to the princess to do the same, and then quickly undid her bindings. "What happened?"
Platinum pointed at the alicorn and her companion, the former of which was now breathing rapidly and not paying attention to them at all. "Divine intervention, my friend."
"...temporal shock waves... instantiate a parallel timeline... paradox resolution protocol..." The source of the divine intervention was continuing to mutter to herself while the unicorn she had arrived with gently patted her on the back.
Clover's eyes widened before focusing on the glorious sight before them. "Hmm, I've never heard of an alicorn of her description," she said. "I wonder what domain she holds sway over?"
"...carry the two... independent projections onto probability space... destiny coupling..."
"Twilight, you're being overly dramatic again." To both Platinum and Clover's horror, the white unicorn slapped the alicorn lightly across the muzzle before turning to face them. "Forgive her, she gets quite worked up at times. It is truly an honour to meet two of the founders of Equestria. Isn't that right, dear?" She nudged the alicorn — Twilight? — once again.
"...reverse the polarity— huh?" Twilight started at the intrusion. "Rarity, you can't talk to them!" she admonished. "The timeline's already damaged enough without— oh my goodness it's Clover the Clever!"
"In the bruised and battered flesh." Clover bowed deeply at the two visitors. "And whom do I have the honour of speaking to?"
Twilight paused, a pained look crossing her face as her lips trembled. The unicorn — Rarity — placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Darling, sweetheart, I think it's far too late to avoid contact, and considering the universe hasn't torn us apart yet, we can probably afford a quick chat with one of your idols."
"If I may be so bold as to speak?" At the alicorn's nod, Clover continued. "It sounds like you're using a variant of Star Swirl's Temporal Translocation spell. If so, then that spell can only create closed loops, and will automatically fail if it would create a paradox."
Twilight's eyes widened. "Then... that means..." she stuck out a hoof towards Platinum. "Hi, I'm Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship."
Platinum scrambled over to place a kiss on the hoof. Twilight Sparkle flinched in response, and Platinum drew back, worried she had given offense.
A sympathetic look crossed Rarity's face. "Twilight, remember what time period we're in. The poor dears have never seen an alicorn before, and likely think of you as some sort of divine being."
"Right." Twilight Sparkle shook her head. "Please, I'm just another pony," she said. "Politically speaking, I hold the same amount of power that a vizier would." She looked down awkwardly at the fallen form of Brute Force. "Err, I'm not evil, though."
"Still, I must thank you for dispatching him. If you had not, then Clover and I would both be dead, and Brute would likely have the location of the Alicorn Amulet."
Twilight Sparkle shook her head. "You would've found a way to free yourself and Clover; that's what it says in the books."
"The books?" Did this alicorn possess dominion over Fate as well?
"I think she means the history books," Clover said, her eyes narrowing at the other princess. "You come from the future, yes?"
"Yes, and — oh my goodness I'm talking to Clover the Clever." To Platinum's shock and amusement, the alicorn rushed up to Clover, an almost manic smile on her face. "I'm a huge fan of your work! The formulation of thaumic matrices you outlined in your Principia Supernaturalis was nothing short of revolutionary!"
Clover let out a cough. "My theory is but a manuscript in my chambers at the moment, Your Majesty."
"Oops." Twilight Sparkle placed a hoof over her muzzle. "Anyways, as I was saying, according to the history books, you and Princess Platinum manage to escape from Brute Force. They're a little inconclusive on how you did it, and how you knew that Brute Force was working with Empty Shell and Cascade to usurp the throne. I've always wondered about that."
"Empty Shell and Cascade, you say?" A dangerous edge entered Platinum's voice. "I believe I'll need to speak with my spymaster when I return."
"I think we know how those names were revealed, now," Clover commented dryly.
"Huh." Twilight Sparkle looked thoughtful now. "Interesting, the time loop was able to produce information a priori, without a definite casual origin."
"I think we may be getting off track, dear." Not for the first time, Platinum noted that the other princess' companion spoke with much more refinement than the princess she accompanied, and seemed to be... managing her in a way.
"Right." Twilight Sparkle conjured up a quill and parchment in her magical grasp. "Rarity and I traveled back to this time to settle a debate based on some... questionable historical fiction we discovered. We were supposed to just observe, but now that all this happened, we'd might as well ask you directly."
"If I can answer without risking state secrets, I shall." Platinum still couldn't completely discount the possibility that this was some complex ploy to extract information from her.
"Are you and Clover the Clever... umm..." Twilight Sparkle made an odd gesture of pressing her front hooves against each other. "...together?"
"Clover has been my most trusted advisor since before Equestria's founding." Platinum gave Clover a warm smile as she spoke, which was returned in kind. "I can scarce think of a better pony to call my friend."
"I would give my life for you, Your Majesty." Clover did not bow, for she knew that Platinum would not demand it of her. "I count myself blessed by Fortune that I was appointed your advisor."
"No, I know you're good friends, and that's great!" Their alicorn saviour pawed awkwardly against the ground. "I meant, are you like— have you two—" she turned to glare at Rarity. "This is dumb. They're obviously not, you know, not that."
"On the contrary," Rarity replied, "look at how they gaze into each other's eyes, and listen to the affection in their voices — it could not be more clear if they were shouting it from the rooftops."
"Err, what are you talking about?" Clover asked.
It was Rarity who replied to the question. "What my dear princess meant to ask is whether or not the two of you were engaged in an illicit liaison, a tryst of secret passion shared under the cover of night."
"Oh Harmony, you're asking if Clover and I..." Platinum couldn't even look at her oldest friend and confidant as realization washed over her.
"No, of course not! That's preposterous! To think that Platinum and I would..." For some reason, the vehemence in Clover's voice hurt Platinum, her heart feeling as if it had been pierced by one of Brute Force's knives.
"Hah!" Twilight Sparkle pointed a hoof at Rarity. "I told you it didn't make sense! Princess Platinum and Clover the Clever were the perfect model of ruler and advisor throughout the entire history of their reign. The fact that neither was ever married doesn't mean that they had some kind of secret wedding ceremony on the other side of the Canterhorn."
"But—But they're the perfect couple! The regal, sophisticated princess and the grounded, loyal advisor!" Rarity placed a hoof over her forehead in a swooning motion. "Two beautiful mares who spend every day together, working together to better Equestria and sharing their deepest, darkest secrets with one another. Doesn't that just sound so romantic?"
"I suppose we've grown to be closer than most married ponies in our many years." Platinum turned to consider to Clover. Despite all the abuse she had just suffered, her beauty still shone through. Her soft, silky coat covered her sleek body and slender neck that led up to her lustrous — if ill-kept — mane that framed her rounded face.
"Just because they spend a lot of time together doesn't mean that they're lovers!" Twilight Sparkle protested. "You need a deep emotional connection and a powerful bond that transcends the mundane. Not to mention, I'm not even sure they're attracted to each other."
"Well, the princess is the most beautiful mare in Equestria..." Clover mused, much to Platinum's delight.
"And if you would just brush your mane or use any of the beauty products I gifted you, you would be a match for anypony at court in your pulchritude," she replied.
Meanwhile, Rarity was responding to Twilight Sparkle's argument. "They saved Equestria together from the Windigos! They've spent hours together drafting up laws and working out how best to guide the Nobility into helping the nation! How can you not form a special bond with somepony through all that?"
"Rarity, we've done those things together, and we haven't—" Twilight Sparkle paused as Rarity glared at her. "Wait, really?"
"Twilight, we just spent the night arguing if the two historical figures we played in the Hearth's Warming pageant were lovers, and then I convinced you to take me on an adventure through time to prove my point. This is likely the most subtle hint I've given you in the past week because, apparently, gifts of flowers, intimate fitting sessions, and asking if you want to re-enact scenes from bodice-rippers wasn't enough to convey my intentions."
As a connoisseur of gossip, Platinum would have relished the opportunity to observe this tense moment between Rarity and Twilight Sparkle, but at the moment, her mind was consumed by other matters.
"Clover," she said hesitantly, unable to fully process what was happening in her mind. "Do you— have you ever—?"
"Not until today," Clover admitted. "But, now that the seed has been planted in my mind... perhaps the reason why I never found another pony desirable is that none could ever live up to your example."
"The thought of being with you intimately, of sharing my body and soul with you in addition to my mind... it scares me. And yet, I think... I think I have never wanted anything more." It was like a fog had been lifted from her eyes. Clover was... radiant, and Platinum found her heart beating faster as she beheld her strength and resilience even after all she suffered today.
A darker part of her also burned with the desire for vengeance against Brute Force for what he had done, an anger that only served to sharpen her desire.
Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle seemed to be having her own epiphany. "Rarity... I never realized... do you really like me like that? Like, in a romantic sense?"
"I do, Twilight." Did that same light in Rarity's eyes also shine in Platinum's? "I've admired you for years, and at some point, it occurred to me that I wanted to be more than friends with you. If you'd have me, of course."
"I— yes." Twilight Sparkle smiled. "Yes, of course I'll have you. You're amazing, and I'd love to be your m-marefriend."
The pair moved closer, the tension between them overflowing until they embraced each other with passion.
Platinum used the silence between them to converse quietly with Clover. "And you, dear Clover? Would you accept me as more than your princess and your friend?"
"It will cause a great scandal if we were to become lovers," Clover warned.
Platinum sighed. "If these two are any indication, we shall have to keep our tryst a secret from the world. Can you love in the darkness with me?"
"The nobles already see me as the hoof in the shadows that guides you — I daresay I won't even notice the change," Clover replied dryly.
"Then kiss me, Clover."
"As you command, my princess."
The kiss was hasty and unpolished and Platinum could still taste blood on Clover's lips. And yet, it was more wondrous and pleasant than a thousand balls beneath the moonlit night, and Platinum would not have traded that moment for the world.
"Oh, look, it appears I've won our wager."
The pair broke off at Rarity's smug comment, turning back to the time-traveling pair to see Twilight Sparkle glaring at her new lover. "Rarity, that doesn't count! You meddled with the timeline to get them together!"
"Well, if I understand Clover correctly, this was all fated to happen, so I haven't changed history at all. Therefore, I win." Rarity turned her nose up in a gesture that Platinum wholly approved of.
"Actually, if you subscribe to Aristrotle's theory of—mmph!" Clover's argument was cut off by Platinum's hoof against her muzzle.
"Shush, dear," she admonished. "Don't ruin their first couple's spat."
"Causality invalidates the wager!"
"Hmm." A sultry look crossed Rarity's expression. "Would I be able to convince you otherwise with a kiss?"
"Rarity, that is an unethical method of debate and of course it would work."
As the other couple embraced once again, the glow of magic began to surround them. Twilight Sparkle looked up in surprise. "Oh, I think the time travel spell is running ou—"
With a flash, both alicorn and unicorn vanished, leaving Platinum and Clover alone with the unconscious bodies of their kidnappers.
"So, that happened," Clover commented, moving to restrain Brute Force and his ilk before they woke up. "Shall we agree to never speak of this again?"
"Outside of my bedchamber, yes." Platinum trotted over to the beautiful, strong, brilliant mare whom she had shared so much of her life with. "But when night falls, and we are free to be ourselves without the demands of the court, I wish to remember my first kiss with you in all its glory."
Clover nodded, leaning in to nuzzle Platinum. "I think I could live with that. And I think, when we return, I shall have to ask Star Swirl to finish his time spell. Our future shall be a past worth remembering."
