Once per Day

The secluded garden of Goldflame's Canterlot manor was once again host to a gathering of those few Equestrian Elites who had aided him in propelling his schemes for seizing the throne. For once, however, the mood was jubilant and the manor's staff were run ragged as they scrambled to meet their guests' requests for sharper and fancier drinks.

"Here's to the Golden Age of Equestria!" Lofty Heights cheered, beating her wings as she thrust her glass into the air.

"Hear, hear!" Mirror Sheen replied as he and his brother clanked their glasses together, causing the latter to beam.

"And to the Golden Age of our Pocket Books!" Mirror Shine added, offering a bright smile to the other four ponies present, all but one of whom cheered at his declaration. However, Goldflame, being the odd one out, wore a dour and severe expression as he leered down at the wine glass held in his magic. The sight caused Shine to frown and tilt his head. "Something troubling you?" The elder unicorn blinked and considered his guests who now turned their attention to him. Scanning each of them, he again looked into his wine before taking a careful sip. Holding it behind his lips he donned a brief, almost imperceptible grimace before carefully spitting the wine back into his glass.

"We are not across the finish line yet," he replied as he set the glass on the arm of the chair he stood beside before wiping his lips and the inside of his mouth with a cloth. As the other elites recoiled, he slowly scanned the staff hurrying around the garden. When none of them paused or returned his look, he shot a severe glare at his guests. "In the event I am late to the wedding for any reason, it is to carry on as planned." The others shared a look before considering their own drinks and slowly emptying them onto the floor, much to the audible alarm of one of the maids who then threw her head back with a groan and trotted off to the inside of the house.

"You, ah, expecting much interference?" Weaver hummed as he now also scanned the garden with an anxious look. Goldflame snorted with a nod in response.

"Considering they believe without me they will be able to thwart us, yes," he explained before shaking his head. "However, so long as you keep to the charter I have provided, even in the event of my death, we shall be victorious." He grunted and cast an annoyed look off to the side.

"On that topic, there is a chance I will be late regardless," he huffed before raising an eyebrow as the maid returned with a cloth. "I have to go to Stalliongrad to speak with a prospective business partner."

"Pardon me," the maid whispered as she carefully hugged the ground to begin cleaning the spill. Ignoring her, Goldflame hummed and leered at the rest of the house staff.

"A fairly rash and impatient fellow, I'm told. Very eager to learn the ins and outs of my field and unwilling to listen to any of my associates," he continued to scan the staff as he spoke, but none of them paid him any mind. "Shouldn't take more than a week. As I said, the wedding carries on even if I do not return in time." His eye suddenly fell hard upon his guests, causing them to shiver.

"If she escapes again, one of you will answer for it," he added in a dire tone. The four ponies swallowed hard and nodded vehemently, causing him to smile before making his way inside. The four co-conspirators shared a look, but once he reached the door threshold he hummed and turned back to them. "Ah, and don't forget our new friend if Fremont elects to cause trouble." Lofty, the Mirrors, and Weaver all tilted their heads in confusion, but Juniper perked up.

"Ah! Yes, of course," she chirped before giving a salute. "Thanks for reminding me!" Goldflame gave her a nod before turning and disappearing into the house. The four ponies sighed hard before sharing a look and then carrying on with their celebration. Once the maid had finished cleaning the floor, she carefully bowed to each of them and trotted back inside.

As soon as she cleared the door she turned and made her way to the laundry room. As she moved, she studied the paintings adorning the walls, taking each instance where she did to carefully glance back the way she came. When she finally turned into the laundry room and dropped the dirty rags into the laundry basket, she again peeked behind her to make sure she was alone. Satisfied, she slipped a little grey crystal from her mane that was hidden behind her headdress. Setting it on the floor, she spun it a few times until it began to glow and quietly hum.

"Got something," she whispered into the gem. "Oh, and the concentrated nightshade didn't work." The gem continued to hum for a moment before a voice slowly hissed out.

"Great," the voice grunted with a distorted sigh. "So?"

"He's going to Stalliongrad, and- HYEK!" The maid tensed up and then slowly turned her head with a pained expression. There, just behind her and on the other end of the sword currently driven through her back and out her chest, was the master of the house.

"Minty?" The voice in the crystal called. Minty the Maid winced and tried to respond, but only managed a quiet squeak. Goldflame fixed her with an unimpressed expression before he twisted the sword once and slowly drew it out of her. The maid tensed again before gasping quietly and dropping to the ground. As Goldflame considered the glowing stone, a hulking biped slowly stalked in behind him.

"Minty?" The voice pressed with a more urgent tone. In response, Goldflame bent his head down to the crystal.

"Goldflame," he replied before stamping his hoof on the crystal, shattering it. He took a shallow breath, looking over the dead mare beside him before nodding his head back at the biped. "Clean this up then return to your post. Burn her, eat her, I don't care. Just get rid of it." He waved a hoof at the corpse before trotting past the monster.

In response, Double chuckled quietly as he rubbed his chin. "Well, shoot, Old Timer, that's awful dirty," he hummed before reaching down and seizing the dead mare by the head with one claw. "Had a feelin' I liked you!" He chortled quietly as he effortlessly heaved up the body and hid it under his coat before making his way out as well.

Through the train car window, far below the distant shape of the family villa was visible. Every minute that passed, it crept closer and closer and with it, the looming threat of what would happen just days after she arrived. Honeysuckle took a deep, shuddering breath as she studied the villa before scanning the open fields in every direction beyond it.

Ordinarily, she'd think they granted her plenty of opportunities to escape. However, as she scanned the fields, she couldn't help but take notice of the dark shape flitting to and fro amongst the clouds, a constant and overbearing reminder of the guardian her father had ordered to keep watch. Clenching her eyes and turning away from the window she returned to staring blankly at the private car she'd been granted.

The other seats were all empty, but she knew that on the other sides of the doors letting into the other cars, there were guards standing watch. Not Royal Guards, no. Private security from her family's holding in Canterlot, here to ensure the future royal couple and the staff attending them on this trip made it to the villa safe and sound.

Meaning they worked for her father.

Meaning if they caught her trying to slip from her car, they'd drag her right back.

Ordinarily, she'd be confident of her ability to overpower any one or even two of them. In fact, at her peak, she could probably take over the whole train on her own.

But she was as far from her peak as she could get and every second that passed let her dwell on her father's words. And the longer she did that, the defiant and confident fire she'd cultivated across her life seemed to miraculously grow dimmer.

Sucking in a shallow breath she hopped out of her seat and began pacing the cabin floor. As a result, when the train carrying her to her fate rattled hard, she stumbled a little. Righting herself, she paused and considered the front of her car and then the back. Slowly, she crept to the rear door and peeked through its window. Sure enough, on the inside of the door of the opposite car was an armored pony.

But there was no one between either car.

Slowly, she carefully slid the car door open and all at once the cabin was filled with the rushing of wind on which the rumbling noise of the train came flooding in. Stepping out onto the platform connecting the two cars, she considered her surroundings. The train was currently descending from Canterlot's mountain and so on one side was a sheer rock face. On the other was a vast and certainly fatal fall.

She grunted as she considered either side as well as the speed the train was moving. Craning her head around the side of the car facing the mountain, she gasped when she saw the waterfall that flowed down from the mountain approaching.

"Bien!" She hissed, preparing to jump. No sooner had she crouched at the edge of the platform, than a heavy thud slammed down on the roof of her car, causing her to flinch. A moment later, a thick shadow fell over her as something loomed above the spot she stood upon. The shadow shifted to match the fluttering of the shape's flowing coat which itself matched the fluttering of her heart. Shortly thereafter, the waterfall rolled past, spraying the platform with cool mist as it slipped by. For a brief moment, the flame inside her had been reignited.

And just as quickly it was snuffed out again.

With a renewed sense of despair, Honeysuckle slowly considered the rocks as the train sped along. Before she could ponder the thought of jumping anyway, the door to the next car slid open and she jolted. Turning, she was met with the surprised face of Blueblood.

The prince looked at her in astonishment before noticing how close she was to the edge of the train. Clearing his throat he slowly held up a hoof. "I understand this situation isn't exactly ideal, but," he murmured and shook his head. "I still don't think that's the best way of handling it." Honeysuckle grunted and turned away.

"Why in Equestria do you care?" She huffed. After a brief moment, she groaned and grimaced at him. "Don't tell me. Can't wait to get your hooves on me?" Blueblood recoiled and furrowed his brow.

"No, actually," he sighed stepping out onto the platform. Just behind him, Honeysuckle spied the guard leering out at the pair of them. "If it were up to me this wedding wouldn't be happening." Honeysuckle scowled at the guard who smirked back, at which point Blueblood grunted.

"Er, no offense," he said with a weak chuckle. The words hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Huh?" She murmured. Blinking, she slowly shook her head. "Since when do you- Who are you?" Blueblood offered a weak and wary smile.

"Augustus Maynard Blueblood," he declared with a shrug. "Same as always." He squinted one eye and tilted his head back.

"Granted, I've spent some years cultivating a-" He grimaced with a nod. "Shall we say, repulsive reputation?" His smile became firmer as he spoke.

"Very useful for making schemers aiming for the throne think twice about trying to marry their daughters off to me," he paused and considered the guard behind him for a moment before whispering. "The ones who care about them anyway." Honeysuckle recoiled causing him to jolt and wave his hooves at her.

"Ah! Sorry, I-" She held up a hoof and shook her head.

"Non, non," she sighed before hanging her head. "It's true." At that moment, a heavy woosh split the air causing them both to flinch. Looking up, they saw nothing and then shared a look. Honeysuckle looked Blueblood up and down for a moment before considering the guard again. Then, she nodded her head back at her car before returning inside.

When Blueblood followed and the door was shut, he sighed. "I'm not sure what he hopes to gain through this," he huffed, shaking his head as the pair sat down beside each other.

"I think he thinks if we are married, he can use me to steer you," Honeysuckle quietly replied, turning to leer at the window and the sky beyond it. "And since you'd be the one in charge, well."

Blueblood furrowed his brow and shook his head at her words. "Why would you listen to a thing he says?" Honeysuckle stared off for a minute before replying.

"He frightens me," she finally and quietly said. "Deeply." The prince recoiled at her response before sulking.

"Ah," he sighed with his ears snapped back. "My aunt mentioned she has her- suspicions about your relationship." Honeysuckle snorted and shook her head.

"They probably fall short of reality," she grumbled. Silence held the car for a few moments. "I really thought I was finally free of him." Her head drooped and dragged her whole body down until she was lying on the floor.

"And yet here I am," she murmured. Blueblood looked at her sadly for a moment before humming and lying down beside her.

"Well, here's not so bad," he offered with a weak smile. "I might lead folks to believe I'm highly disqualified for my upcoming position, but!" He gently nudged her shoulder, drawing her attention to him.

"I think I can manage to do you some favors anyway," he added with a nod. "I certainly know enough to be able to keep him as far away from you as possible, for instance." Honeysuckle perked up and tilted her head at him.

"Really?" She asked, earning a nod from him.

"Certainly!" He chirped before pausing. He considered her for a moment before smirking. "Assuming he makes it back from his business trip, anyway." He weakly chuckled causing Honeysuckle to recoil.

"Makes it back?" She murmured.

"You were a lieutenant, yes?" Blueblood asked, at which she nodded. "Ah, so you know about S.M.I.L.E?" When she nodded again, he grinned wickedly and leaned close.

"But what about their secret step-sister?" He pressed.

The Fields of Eastern Prance, Western Equestrian Territories

Four Days until the Wedding

At one end of a vast and deep canyon, across which the Equestrian Railway ran, a pair of unicorns, one yellow and the other pink, in matching black button-up coats sat waiting inside one of the countless thick bushes that decorated the landscape. One had a pair of binoculars held in her magic as she scanned the opposite end of the canyon along the train tracks while the other scanned the bridge crossing the canyon.

"Our operative in the train system got the seating arrangements fixed," the pink binoculars mare said, smirking as a train slowly rolled into view, speeding towards the bridge. "As you can guess, he'll be in one of those upper-class private cars at the back." She nudged her partner and gestured to the train.

"But! He's the only one in his car. All the other hoity-toity types had their tickets screwed up and either missed this train or are further up than he is," she added as the other mare beamed at the approaching train.

"Aw, that's a shame. I wouldn't mind catching a few pieces of collateral," she declared as the train arrived at the far end of the bridge. The pair slipped inside the bush. "So, he's really fine with her getting hitched even if he croaks?"

"I dunno! I mean the wedding's supposed to carry on with or without him, so," the pink mare shrugged as they focused on the train. At that moment, from one of the other bushes, a grey pegasus shot forward and vanished on the opposite side of the train.

Inside one of the train cars, alone with just his personal guards, Goldflame sat with his head reclined on a pillow and his eyes shut. The captain of his squad sat directly across from him with his tongue stuck out as he scanned the newspaper he held up in his magic.

"Five-letter word for awful?" He asked, drawing a grunt from Goldflame. At that moment, a rattling boom echoed through the cabin followed by a shrill metallic squealing noise. Goldflame shot to an upright position as he and the captain looked out the window in surprise.

While the rest of his guards murmured or rushed for the doors, Goldflame magically yanked the window open and jerked his head through it. Looking back the way the train had come, he discovered his car and the four behind it were now crawling to a stop atop a bridge. Turning his head the other way, his eyes went wide upon spotting a grey pegasus waving at him from the platform of the car his had previously been attached to as it and the rest of the train cleared the bridge.
"Merde," he hissed before diving back inside and rushing for the door, pushing past his guards as he galloped. Before he made it, however, the entire car lurched and was thrown into the air by an explosion.

Outside, the pair of mares who were leading the operation watched as the explosives they'd planted along the underside of the bridge collapsed the entire structure in a fireball. The last few cars of the train that had been left behind were violently shoved upward by the explosion before being sent tittering into the canyon below. As they beamed at their work, the yellow mare narrowed her eyes and pointed.

"Oup. There he is," she declared. Down below, a certain white unicorn shot forward through the door of the car he'd been riding in. For a moment, he seemed to be flying, by as he darted through the air and the falling debris it became apparent he was galloping across the debris itself and using it as a pathway to safety. Suddenly, he leaped and twisted, hurling something toward the cliffside below the mares. Glancing down they saw it was one of his swords which then stabbed into the rockface. Seconds later, the unicorn himself slammed hard against the side of the cliff just above the sword. As he slid down he snapped over and clamped his teeth onto the hilt of the sword, and then hung there with a frayed and furious look in his eyes, both of which were visible now.

"Oooh!" Both mares balked, recoiling for a moment before the yellow one smirked and shook her head. "That's not a surprise." Goldflame wrenched his body up and perched upon his sword before sitting and panting. He considered the fiery wreck of the car he'd been in as it vanished into the abyss below before glaring up at the mares. They shared a smirk before turning to the field behind him.

"Alright! We've got like ten minutes before he scales the cliff. Let's get our perimeter set up!" The pink one declared. At her command, from the bushes all around the field, thirteen other uniformed ponies, including the pegasus who'd detached the train car, suddenly appeared, dragging equipment and weapons with them. Among them, a pony in a suit of heavy black armor appeared with a special helmet and mask held in her magic. She gave a nod to her commander before donning the headgear.

"Get the cannon rolled in!" The yellow mare ordered, gesturing along the edge of the cliffside. "Razor wire there and there!"

Sweetleaf Family Villa, Central Equestria

Day of the Wedding

Perhaps as a symbolic gesture or perhaps as a method of allowing and encouraging rapid response to any monsters that might slink out of the woods, the Sweetleaf villa had been built within sight of the Everfree Forest. Certainly, for three generations at least, the heads of the family had made use of that proximity to execute their duties as defenders of Equestria to great effect.

Befitting its potential purpose, the villa's grounds were enclosed in a stone wall of about ten feet, with four gates at the cardinal points of the wall. Within the wall, a set of four tiled paths split the grounds into four as they led up to the house at the center of it all. The house was two stories with a red tiled and sloped roof, but there was a flat platform atop the center of the roof on which previous heads of the house had perched to spy out at the forest in the distance.

Facing south, there was a wide rounded balcony that stretched from one corner of that side of the house to the other and provided a shaded porch in which much of the wedding's proceedings were set to take place. The musicians were set up atop the balcony and were currently playing a quiet piece, setting the austere mood of the ceremony as the guests milled and mingled. Seats were arranged on either side of the path that led up to the porch, and either quadrant of the yard had been decorated to serve a specific purpose: One side held the food, and the other held the registry and gift table. Each quadrant was carefully patrolled by family guards and atop the platform above them all, a mysterious, masked biped in a long coat stood watching.

Celestia considered the stranger with a distant and even frown. Her frown turned to blinking annoyance when she was suddenly and rapidly flashed by a camera hoisted up by Bally Hoo's assistant. Fixing the mare with a frown as she trotted away to snatch photos of the other attendees, Celestia sighed hard and then slowly trotted to the food table where her nephew was currently sitting, staring off with a sad frown.

Once she sat beside him he perked up for just a moment before sighing hard and adjusting his bowtie. "You sure you couldn't, I don't know," he murmured, nodding his head up at the sun before sulking again. "Pull the sun down and maybe discreetly start a fire?" Celestia chuckled and brushed his back with a wing.

"Oh, I could," she replied. "But I shouldn't." At that moment, the musicians went silent, drawing their attention to the doors beneath the balcony, out of which an old, bald unicorn stallion in flowing black robes emerged. He stood at the center of the porch and cleared his throat before drawing a set of cards from his robe and mouthing the words as he read them.

"Unbelievable they aren't letting you lead the ceremony," Blueblood groused.

"Very believable, unfortunately," Celestia replied before hugging her nephew. He returned the gesture before she urged him forward with a wing. "I think you'd better go ahead." Blueblood sighed hard with a nod before trotting off. The sight of him caused the guests to all make their way to their seats. As they did so, one of the serving staff approached the food table and began depositing a few extra plates from the kitchen.

"Any word?" Celestia quietly asked.

"Negative," the serving pony replied as he carefully slid the items onto the table. "He must have escaped." Celestia grimaced at the report.

"Unfortunately. Even with Sundown assisting and the element of surprise, I advised that fifteen agents might not be enough," she sighed quietly and tilted her head back, staring at the sky. "I pray otherwise, however. If we let them ruin a vital piece of infrastructure for nothing." She furrowed her brow for a moment when she realized the biped atop the house was gone.

"Not to mention," the serving pony replied with a hum as he moved to leave the table. "Their failure to report it would have a very unhappy connotation."

"Somepony mention reporting?" A newcomer suddenly asked causing the serving pony to jump. Turning, Celestia saw the smirking face of Bally Hoo as he pushed past the serving pony to her side. "How are doing, Princess?" The server scowled at him before trotting away and Celestia nodded with a smile.

"Quite well. It is a happy day, after all," she replied as the musicians picked up with a wedding march, drawing her attention forward.

"For you?" Bally pressed with a hum.

"It's not about me," Celestia replied with a quiet laugh.

"Hm," Bally hummed slowly nodding his head, before fluttering up to her eye level and smirking. "Well, since you brought it up, I notice a distinct lack of our host, the fellow who this is about." Celestia grimaced for an imperceptible moment before fixing him with a confused frown.

"Pardon?" She asked, drawing a wider smirk from the stallion.

"Goldflame," he replied, wagging his eyebrows. "The leader of the little coalition attempting to usurp you."

"Usurp me? Goodness! What a peculiar thing to think," Celestia gasped, shaking her head.

"What else would you call it?" Bally huffed, tilting his head and still smirking. Celestia giggled quietly and gently patted him on the head with a wing.

"Calling for a vote of no-confidence is hardly an attempt at usurpation," she replied, raising a hoof with a sage nod. "And I would urge you to remember that regardless of what happens today, the vote is not decided yet!"

"True! But~," Bally landed and fixed the crowd of guests with a suspicious leer. "If it were a conspiracy to claim the throne then seeing this presumably vital step in said conspiracy come to fruition would certainly give confidence to those voting in a way that behooves said conspiracy." He turned back to Celestia with a wide grin.

"Many of whom I note are present now," he added, at which point his assistant suddenly slid into view, holding up a camera and fixing Celestia with an expectant frown. The princess glanced at the pair before shaking her head.

"I think you read too many of your own drama pieces," she huffed before rising and making her way to her seat. The pair watched her for a moment before sharing a look and trotting to their own seats. By the time the princess and the journalists were seated, the musicians' performance swelled. Against tradition, but as necessitated by the shape of the house, a train of guards and flower mares suddenly appeared around the eastern corner of the house.

As the flower mares threw flower petals, slowly and with her head hanging Honeysuckle appeared, fully adorned in her wedding dress. Behind her were a pair of mares helping carry the trail of her dress and behind them were four more guards. Celestia grimaced at the display, watching with another even frown as the mare made her way to Blueblood's side. Her nephew offered a weak smile to his fiancé who made no motion in response. As the guards lined up at either side of the cover porch and the flower mares lined up on either side of the soon-to-be-weds, the stallion leading the ceremony beamed and nodded. As the musicians slowly finished their song he spoke.

"Gathewed fwends," he declared causing Celestia to balk. "We awe gathewed hewe today to cewebwate the howy matwimony of these two wove stwuck ponies." He held a hoof to his chest with a wistful look on his face as Celestia slowly blinked.

"Ah! Wove! A cownowstone of our society!" He swept his hoof to the ground and shook his head. "Fow without wove, whewe would we be?" He beamed again but then frowned.

"Is that a twee?" He asked, tilting his head. Suddenly, a tree slammed into him lengthwise and roots first. The stallion vanished as the uprooted arboreal missile slammed straight through the spot he'd been standing and then on through the door to the house. The entire crowd jumped and a few screamed before all eyes snapped back the way the tree had come.

There, slowly stalking down the path toward the house, was Blackbeard. In his right hand was a pipe he was smoking from and in his left hand was the strange biped who'd been keeping guard atop the house. His fingers were fully enclosed around the creature's neck and the creature was completely limp. Taking a long drag from his pipe, he held up and rattled the unresponsive thing.

"Caught this errant pup sneaking up upon me," he hummed, tilting his head to fix the creature with a sideways smile. At that moment, Lofty Heights fixed him with a firm frown before spreading her wings and bolting forward from her seat and vanishing through the destroyed door. "All by his lonesome, too. A good joke!" Blackbeard heaved a plume of smoke out as he held the creature close.

"Shame I'm in no mood, hey, boy?" He hissed before unfurling his fist and letting the creature fall to the ground. The crowd fell into anxious and terrified whimpering as the pirate stalked forward again, beating his pipe against his leg. "Where's Goldflame?"

"Not again," Salt Spray whispered as he slowly curled up in his seat and tucked his hooves over his face. Before anyone could respond to the pirate's question, Lofty appeared on the balcony.

"Stop right there!" She screamed, drawing everyone's attention. "Look who we have!" She thrust forward another mare who was currently bound tight with ropes. Blackbeard beamed at the sight.

"Oh, there you is, Sneaky," he chirped, tilting his head with a chortle. "Thought you died."

"Blackbeard! Help!" Sneaky screamed as she thrashed. Lofty recoiled and looked between the two.

"Blackbeard? That's not Fremont?" She murmured. Blackbeard furrowed his brow at the question at which point Lofty gasped. "Oh, right. The beard. Whoops." The pirate looked her up and down before snorting.

"Is this supposed to be a hostage negotiation?" He demanded, shaking his head. "Because I'm afraid I just don't have time to care." Sneaky whimpered at his declaration as Lofty swallowed hard.

"Uhm," she managed before Blackbeard raised his hands and took a few steps forward.

"Now, granted, once I've settled my business with Goldflame, I'm pleased as pie to break every bone in your body over her!" He declared, causing the pegasus to wilt and turn pale. "But please understand, a man has to have priorities." At that moment, a single hoof clicked on the ground before him. Slowly, his eyes drifted down until he locked eyes with the hoof's owner.

"Oh-hoh," he purred as Celestia stood before him with a firm and even look. "Hello, you." A tense silence fell between them that gripped the entire crowd, during which time the guards managed to recover from their initial shock and began taking up positions in a wide perimeter around Blackbeard. The pirate hummed and stroked his beard.

"Well! Now, I be placed in an awful spot," he gestured to Celestia and then to the house. "To settle my quarrel with ye, or t'pursue my far fresher quarrel with the unicorn I trod all the way up here to catch." He fixed her with a wry smile for a moment before frowning when she just continued to stare.

"Hello?" He murmured, leaning in. Celestia blinked and then recoiled slightly.

"Ah, apologies," she huffed, shaking her head. "It's been a frustrating series of weeks, and I zoned out for a moment. What were you saying?" Blackbeard balked at her words before snorting and waving a hand.

"Ah, not important," he declared, leaning in at the hips with a grim smirk. "Mainly since I remembered something special about you!" He winked at Celestia as she raised an eyebrow.

"You always did have a soft spot for collateral," he whispered before standing upright and shouting. "Get to work, boys!" At his command, a host of creatures came spilling over the walls and through the gates, once against drawing cries of panic from the crowd. A few guests who were capable of doing so attempted to escape into the air only to be cut off by pegasi or griffins. At least, they seemed to be pegasi and griffins.

In truth, almost every creature that appeared at the pirate's order was stitched together amalgamations of a few different creatures. Some were ponies with lion or wolf claws, some were moose with extra legs or antlers. A diamond dog appeared who had the lower body of an Abyssinian and the agility to match as he slinked and slithered with cat-like grace, and a unicorn with a manticore's oversized jaws suddenly teleported into view. Their sudden arrival, freakish appearance, and unnatural power said appearance seemed to grant them allowed them to overpower the guards and cow the guests into terrified submission.

As Celestia considered the scene unfolding around her, she noted that Honeysuckle was still standing with her head hanging beside Blueblood, who for his part was anxiously positioning himself between her and Blackbeard, though his head was whipping left and right as a pair of ponies with timberwolf claws were stalking closer to him.

"Where's Pseudo?" Blackbeard suddenly asked, drawing her attention back to him and the earth pony beside him.

"Slipped away, like he does," Blueleaf sighed as he scanned the villa.

"Eh," Blackbeard huffed with a shrug. Behind him, an ordinary diamond dog suddenly appeared and waved.

"Hello, Sneaky," he called.

"Nettle! Help!" The captive pegasus screamed.

"Blackbeard!" Another voice screamed, causing Celestia to sputter and hang her head.

"Okay," she sighed. "That's good at least." The pirate furrowed his brow and turned to see Twilight and the other element bearers galloping in after him.

"We finally caught up with you!" She cried.

"Huh?" He murmured in response.

"Nice. Saucy, pictures," Bally Hoo demanded.

"Yessir, Mr. President!" His assistant chirped before snapping pictures of the entire scene. The pirate and the purple unicorn glanced at the pair for a moment before locking eyes again.

"You been following me? Since when?" Blackbeard demanded with a huff.

"Since you trashed Canterlot, you big jerk!" Rainbow spat, causing him to snort.

"Ah. Determined, eh?" He chortled before sweeping his arms across the villa and taking a step to the side. "Well, what're you gonna do now? Take a look around ye." Twilight and the others paused and considered Blackbeard's followers, many of whom now had guests at knife or claw point, and the six of them flinched.

"Shoot! That's low of ya, fella," Applejack hissed.

"No fair, cheater!" Pinkie added, springing in the air to kick her hooves.

"Pirate" Blackbeard retorted with a smirk. He considered Celestia for a moment before furrowing his brow as she seemed to have zoned out again. Then, he held up his hand and shook his head. "Listen! I'm just here for that rat, Goldflame." Twilight recoiled at his words and glanced at Celestia who snapped out of her mild daze to leer annoyedly at the pirate.

"He and I have a score to settle," Blackbeard added as he paced in a narrow circle. "So, if you'll just-"

"What score is that?" Goldflame huffed as he slowly trotted up and around passed the element bearers. Blackbeard paused and slowly smiled as he turned to face the old unicorn who offered a weak nod at his second in command. "Ah, and Blueleaf? Tu me dégoûtes." Blueleaf recoiled at his uncle's words.

Celestia grimaced hard at the sight of Goldflame, especially his sword which was drawn and already bloody. Granted, the rest of him was in rough shape as well. His clothes were torn and charred, his mane and mustache were frayed, he had heavy bags under his eyes and he was drenched in sweat and covered in cuts and bruises. The old unicorn leered miserably back at her before fixing Blackbeard with a wry frown.

"Truth be told, I was coming back here to send a message to Stalliongrad," he hummed, slowly glancing across the entire villa. At the sight of him, many of Blackbeard's followers wilted, granting some of the guests a chance to scurry away. "I intended to check on the wedding before doing so." Goldflame's eyes locked with Celestia's.

"I was accosted by the most unusual bunch," he added with a low tone, tilting his head at her. "They seemed quite insistent on claiming my life." Celestia's eyes narrowed for a moment as he spoke, especially as he smirked.

"I managed to overcome them with some effort," he said, winking. "And hopefully before they were able to make contact with whoever was responsible for sending them after me." He took a breath and then heaved it out before furrowing his brow and tilting his head to look past the princess. Turning, she saw he was now looking at Honeysuckle, who at some point had collapsed and was hiding her face with her hooves. Returning her attention to Goldflame, she scowled as he took another, deeper breath and then sighed warmly. A change seemed to overtake him and he appeared to be revitalized as he fixed Blackbeard with a defiant smirk.

"Well? En garde," he urged, wagging his sword at him. The pirate balked for a moment before smirking and rolling up his sleeves. Twilight and the others shared a look before taking up a unified stance. Celestia hummed before bristling her wings and lighting up her horn, slowly scanning the brigands around the villa who weren't demoralized yet.

Then the daylight shifted from a clear and warm shade to a harsh and brown hue. Again the crowd fell into panic which was only intensified when a long, jagged, black shadow crept across over the western wall and into the yard. As it slithered across the yard, little black crystals shot up in its wake until it finally stopped and a larger specimen rose from its end. Atop this last crystal stood a grey unicorn in metal armor with fiery red eyes and a jet-black mane. The unicorn scanned the horrified crowd for just an instant before jabbing a hoof at the utterly astonished Goldflame.

"You! Goldflame, correct?" He demanded. When no answer came, he raised an eyebrow and nodded. "You look like the picture they gave me. How dare you?" Twilight balked at the new arrival and turned to Celestia before frowning when she saw the alicorn's head hanging and her wings drooping. More astonishingly, her mane had cinders dancing through it.

"Oy! I recognize him!" Blackbeard laughed, pointing up at the newcomer and nudging Blueleaf. "Hah! He's that silly little crystal boy!" The newcomer gasped and scowled at Blackbeard.

"Silly little-? Who dares-" He narrowed his eyes before adopting an even, if annoyed frown. "Oh, it's you." Blackbeard giggled and wiggled his fingers in a greeting. While many of the guests were cowering, either alone beneath their seats or in huddled piles, Bally Hoo and his assistant remained stalwart.

"King Sombra?" Bally hummed, rubbing his chin with a hoof.

"Who's that President?" Saucy asked, snapping pictures of the terrified crowd and the new arrival.

"The ancient tyrant of the Crystal Empire!" Bally declared, waving a hoof at Sombra. "A thousand years ago he was one of the many villains and foes that Celestia and Luna elected to simply seal away and deal with later rather than destroy utterly as I covered in my report: 'Ease of Today, Torment of Tomorrow! The Procrastination of Modern Equestrian Royalty'!" Saucy hummed with a nod as she snapped a picture of Sombra. Strangely, and perhaps on instinct, Sombra struck a pose the instant the camera flashed before returning to scowling at Blackbeard.

"I was wondering why he didn't show up alongside the Crystal Empire," Bally hummed, tilting his head. "But why is he here?" At that moment, Goldflame sighed hard and Sombra returned his fury to him.

"Nopony snubs King Sombra!" He bellowed, shaking a hoof at Goldflame. "Not you, nor your pathetic little Platinum Pony-whatever!" Goldflame recoiled as the weariness of his recent trials began to show on his face again. Sombra scoffed and shook his head.

"Some Grand Master you turned out to be!" He humphed, sticking his nose up with an indignant snort. "You can't even be bothered to attend a guest!"

Goldflame snarled and shook his head before hissing in an exhausted squeak. "I was stranded over a hundred miles from Stalliongrad! You expect me to-"

"Trot the whole way? Yes!" Sombra shot back with a damning jab of his hoof.

Goldflame ground his teeth and shook his head as he blinked in exhausted exasperation. "You-"

"Goldflame!" Bally cried, drawing the unicorn's attention to him. The journalist was still focused on Sombra but now had a steadily growing smirk. "You two are in cahoots?" A chill danced across Goldflame's back and snapped him back to full consciousness. As if sensing the unicorn's realization of his mistake, Bally beamed and rolled a hoof toward Sombra.

"And Mr. King Sombra-" He began.

"That's King Mr. King Sombra!" Sombra bellowed back.

"Apologies! King Mr. King Sombra, what was that you were saying about the, er, Platinum Pony-whatever?" Bally urged, pulling out his notepad and fixing the tyrant with an expectant smirk. At that moment, Celestia paused and adopted a purse-lipped frown.

"Oh! Listen to this!" Sombra huffed, jabbing another hoof at Goldflame. "These miscreants come and tear me away from my well-formulated ploy for revenge so they can sell me this scheme of overtaking all of Equestria in one fell swoop!" Bally nodded vehemently as he wrote down the tyrant's every word. Sombra suddenly turned into smoke and slithered down before rematerializing right beside Bally.

"Now, I'm all in favor of swooping, especially of the fell variety," he added, waving a hoof dismissively at the utterly stunned Goldflame. "Regardless of the Tribalistic motivations behind it! But when I'm told I must wait on their Grand Master to come and give me directives, well!"

Sombra uttered a firm snort as he shook his head. "I simply can't stand by and-"

"The Grand Master of the Platinum Ponyhood, is that right?" Bally asked, holding up a hoof.

"Huh? Oh, yes. Him," Sombra replied, pointing a hoof at Goldflame. "He expected me to wait in their secret lair for him to come along and give me directions on how to proceed with our conquest of Equestria." Sombra barked a cry of discomfort as he shook his head.

"Honestly! To think-" He then fell into a lengthy spiel, during which time Goldflame's eyes became unfocused. His ears, however, picked up the whispers being uttered by his guests.

"Goldflame's with the Ponyhood!" Someone hissed.

"He's a dirty Platter!" Another added.

"Holy smokes, we're working with a tribalist extremist!" Juniper squeaked.

"I feel dirty," Mirror Sheen grumbled.

"Ah, well, I mean," Mirror Shien giggled nervously. "The money'll still be good, right?"

Then, Goldflame blinked and saw Honeysuckle, sitting upright. The moment she saw he was looking, she smirked and his teeth gnashed hard together. For his part, once he was finished writing down Sombra's spiel, Bally Hoo donned a thin-lipped smile as he leered at Goldflame.

"Oh hoh! This is rich!" He finally declared before clapping his hooves. "Saucy! Get pictures of the idiot!"

"Which one?" Saucy asked as she raised her camera.

"Good question!" Bally hummed, rubbing his chin before thrusting a hoof in the air. "First Goldflame, then King Mr. King Sombra!"

"Wrong! Me first, then Goldflame!" Sombra argued. Before she could begin snapping pictures, all the pony's ears swiveled and everyone turned toward the sound of another set of steps clicking against the tiled path. There, sprinting and panting through the west gate, came Victor Fremont.

"I object!" He screamed once he was clear of the gate, thrusting a defiant and pointing arm toward the alter. He stood there panting with his arm raised before he slowly took in his surroundings and let his arm sag. "Shit, I didn't time that right at all, did I?"

"You?" Blackbeard chortled.

"You!" Sombra spat.

"You," Goldflame growled.

"Him?" Honeysuckle gasped.

"Me?" Victor huffed, bringing a hand to his chest.