Crystal Empire.
Crystal Gardens.
One week after liberation.

I gave a pleased hum as I sipped my coffee and thought about how the last week had gone.

While the first day of my rule had been quite uneventful besides the administrator's letters the second day was quite the opposite as the moment midday court was started the castle became absolutely crowded with ponies and griffons wishing to convey their thanks.

After an hour of gifts ranging from money to family heirlooms and some going from simply covering their thanks vocally to straight-up declaring their love to me, I realized the castle wasn't getting any emptier and ended up politely kicking everyone out.

Soon after I walked into the main balcony and gave the crowd below a simple speech about how they could express their thanks by working hard for the Empire and etc.

Thankfully natural charisma and centuries of conditioning meant I was met with cheers when I finished speaking.

After that, the next days were normal besides me visiting the archives for more specific information about the Empire.

While the books I had read on my first day were useful I wanted to learn more.

That I happened to go there when it was Diamond Quill's shift was mere coincidence.

Although something that had me thinking was a situation my head of the guard -Steel Bolt- had made me aware of when we met this morning.

Apparently a small group of Sombra's "acolytes" we're still on the loose.

While Steel Hoof had sent both guards and griffon hunters to track them down and were surprisingly swift they hadn't found anything yet.

Which meant that either they were so good at hiding that they could avoid both the sheer number of guards searching for them and creatures who's main skill was tracking and hunting or, they were still in the city.

Both options worried me.

Still, a good part was the fact that there were only thirty-two of them.

As I was deciding whether to make an extensive search around the city for them or simply waiting until they made a move a small flash of light signaled a small group of robed ponies appearing somewhere to my right.

After a moment of thinking on a course of action, I decided to simply set my mug down and stretched against the backrest while giving an exaggerated yawn along with stretching my front legs over my head, all without even glancing in their direction.

Sadly, it seems they didn't appreciate my calm as a moment later the table was destroyed by a blast of magic.

Looking disappointedly at the destroyed remnants of my breakfast I sighed and shook my head before getting off the chair and walking outside the gazebo.

Looking at the ponies before me I frowned as I saw there were only four of them.

"I'll admit I'm surprised, I wasn't expecting visitors today." I spoke, frustration starting to build up inside me. "Least of all some with such bad manners."

After a moment one of them stepped forward and spoke. "Greema, on the name of the Empire and it's people you are under arrest."

As one they took their cloaks off and I took note that the speaker and apparent leader was a unicorn while two others were earth ponies and the last being a pegasus.

With a deceptively calm tone, I responded. "Are you threatening me unicorn." As I spoke my eyes glowed and I took a single step forward.

They simultaneously backed away before seemingly gathering their wits and holding their ground.

Once again the unicorn stepped forward before speaking. "The Empire and those truly loyal to it shall decide your fate."

"Loyal to the Empire, or to Sombra." I responded, my tone darkening towards the end.

"And, I find myself curious as to how you're planning "to take me in", unless of course you believe yourself capable of defeating me." When I finished speaking the unicorn's horn came alight with magic as a translucent dome covered the area we were in.

Looking at it for a moment Grogar's knowledge plus what I had read up on the subject told me it was a simple enchantment field meant to keep magic and sound in.

What I found curious was that despite it being a "simple" enchantment it wasn't the kind of thing you could just create in a second as the unicorn did.

A field this large needed an equally big enchantment circle, which meant that hey had prepared this area beforehand.

I was broken out of my thoughts by the unicorn speaking again.

"You may have caught King Sombra by surprise while he was weakened by those fake goddesses but we will defeat you and return the Empire to its rightful ruler." Said the surprisingly confident unicorn.

Maybe it was another remnant of Grogar's or maybe simply my own personality but somepony blatantly looking down at me like he was, quickly transformed my frustration to anger.

"I... Am the Emperor." I said with narrowed eyes and gritted teeth as my anger rose.

"You are nothing but a usurper and a false ruler to us, goat." And just like that my anger boiled over.

A second later the unicorn and his trope had to dodge as a sphere of magic was shot towards them.

One of the earth ponies wasn't quite fast enough as he was caught up in the explosion caused by the sphere hitting the ground.

"So, it's treason then."

Meanwhile, in another part of the castle.

A cloaked figure sneaked through the castle while avoiding the patrolling guards as it tried to reach its destination.

Reaching a turn it looked around for any witnesses before approaching a set of big doors.

Opening them the main balcony was revealed, instead of focusing on the scenery, it looked towards the corner where the balcony met the wall.

There, sitting precariously between two balusters was a cracked crimson tipped curved horn.

The figure smiled before pulling a small marble from somewhere in its coat.

Back with Greema

I dodged the bladed wings of the pegasus before casually swinging my foreleg to the side.

I ignored the cracking sounds coming from my hoof smashing into a charging earth pony as I focused on the pegasus going around for another attack.

As he started flying straight towards me magic gathered between my horns.

A moment later a set of wings fell in front of me and the magic containment field rippled around us as it absorbed the disintegration spell.

I blinked as I felt a small tingling on the back of my head while my vision was momentarily covered in blue.

Turning around I stared at the panting unicorn for a moment before realizing he had just fired a full-powered magic blast at me.

I glared at him as I spoke. "Is that all?"

He gritted his teeth and fired another blast that just like the last one simply washed off me.

As he lay there panting I decided enough was enough as my anger abated.

Before I could do anything I stopped as I sensed the containment field dispersing.

The unicorn suddenly reached into a small satchel on his side and pulled a marble from it.

I frowned as I recognized it as a communication device, a common item used by many civilians to the military.

He started whispering into it but sadly for him, I heard every word he said thanks to my superior hearing.

"Did you find it...good, go to the ritual site and prepare everything, I'll meet you and the rest there." As he finished speaking my anger returned as I realized what happened.

"It was a distraction." I thought.

"I got played like an idiot and I didn't even realize it."I focused back on the unicorn but suddenly a rock smashed to pieces against the side of my head.

While it didn't hurt it certainly caught my attention.

Turning in the direction it came from I saw an earth pony standing on quivering legs just in time for him to cough up blood and collapse.

When I turned my head back around with the idea of adding a horned corpse to the garden's decorations a new wave of anger came over me as the unicorn was nowhere to be seen.

With a snarl, I stomped towards the dying earth pony and flipped him onto his back.

"Where did he go." I demanded.

The only answer I got was a gurgling laugh.

"Answer me." I roared.

A moment later he simply went limp, finally dying.

Situations that invoked my anger happening one after the other accumulated and I raised a hoof into the air as I exploded.

With a roar, I caved his head in along with the surrounding ground.

Rising my hoove I slammed it down again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

When I finally calmed down I looked down at the mess I made and realized that I may just have some very tiny anger issues.

That's how the guards alerted by the sound of my stomping found me, blood covering my whole front and standing over a pulped mass of flesh that could barely be recognized a pony by the remaining flank and hind legs.

Stepping away from the pile of gore my magic flowed as I used two simple spells.

A moment later the blood and bits of pony were washed off me followed by a small burst of flame that instantly dried me.

Turning to the two guards to issue out orders I was interrupted by the feeling of disgustingly dark but strangely familiar magic coming from somewhere in the city.

A moment later the castle alarm started ringing.

Author's Note

Well there you go, a nice 1620 word chapter.
Feel free to comment your thoughts on it.
PD: I've always wanted to do a cliffhanger, was it any good?
PPD: Remember to check out my other story too.