//------------------------------// // ElCapítulo Veinte // Story: Meet me in Maretonia // by Paradise Oasis //------------------------------// In the throne room of Coltapec Castle, several noble mares and stallions had gathered from all over the kingdom. As the unicorn servants levitated around trays loaded with drinks and party appetizers, everypony was discussing and gossiping about the recent turn of events. Why was the duke stepping down? Was his son going to take over? What role were the griffons going to play? All of these questions suddenly died away, as the griffon Bifido ascended the center stage, and the Maretonian nobles hushed themselves so he could speak. "Honorable damas y caballeros, I would like to thank all of you for coming on this auspicious occasion." The griffin conquistador flashed the crowd a wolfish crowd, that made all of the ponies present shudder. "Here now, to speak to all of you about the coming change in authority in our beloved reino, is our own beloved duke Tlahtoque ." All of the noble ponies applauded and bowed, as what appeared to be the duke ascended the stairs. With a wave of his hoof, Tlahtoque shushed the whole crowd, and began his grand speech. "Noble ponies of Maretonia, after many decades of just and prosperous rule, the recent attack on my wife by this treacherous foreigner from neighboring Equestria, has left me in an emotional state, unfit to rule over all of you." The duke announced. "Therefore, I have decided to step down, and turn power over to the noble Bifido, my most trusted royal advisor. I ask that all of you do your best to help with this transition, and help to welcome our new-" "Stop it right there!" A mare's voice called out, filling the entire room. "That throne is not yours to give away!" A pair of earth ponies- a mare and a stallion- came galloping up to the stage, surprising everybody with their lack of decoro in the presence of royalty. Insulted by the audacity of these two ponies, Bifido snarled. "Why, how dare you two interrupt this most royal celebration!" The griffin captain glared at the two of them. "Just who are you to come in here, and make such an accusation?!" "I am Fiesta Flair, dama of house Flair, and protector of all the ponies who live dere." Fiesta exclaimed. "And I will not let my ancestral homeland be handed over to a bunch of griffo thugs, who will misuse the kingdom, and it's ponies." "Everybody, that duke Tlahtoque is an impostor!" Fresco exclaimed, staring down the mirror duplicate. "the griffins have the real duke stashed away in the castle somewhere!" The nobility began to murmur among themselves, uncertain of what to make of these accusations. Some commented they had not known of a surviving heir to house Flair, while others noting it seemed unlikely that Bifido could make the duke disappear like that. Still, the mare did carry herself like a member of the nobility, and mistrust and dislike of the griffo was great enough that a hostile takeover plot was something the nobility could believe. "Bah, such fairy tales!" Bifido scoffed, laughing nervously. "You have no proof of who you claim to be, let alone of the crazy accusation you're making! You and that stallion came in with that Equestrian ramera that tried to assassinate the duchess!" "My loyal advisor is correct, the two of you are enemies of Maretonia!" The impostor duke declared, pointing an accusing hoof at the two. "Jaguar knights, arrest these two troublemakers, at once!" Two of the knights on guard nearby stepped forward, and reached for the surprised mare. But Fresco jumped in front of them, blocking the path to Fiesta Flair. "Oh no you don't!" The stallion declared, headbutting one of them away. "You're not dragging us away just like that!" The stallion and the two Jaguar knight broke into a nasty fight, biting, kicking, headbutting, and biting as the three tumbled across the room, kicking up a dust cloud. while the guards were busy fighting with Fresco, Fiesta stood up before the gathered ponies to plead her case. "Noble mares and stallions of Maretonia, here me!" The mare started, drawing everypony's attention. "Athough I have grown up in a foreign land, I am still a pony of Maretonia. I have seen this beautiful kingdom, and it's beautiful ponies, and I have deeply fallen in love with all that you have buitl here!" "Silence, you foolish yegua!" Bifido snarled, taking a step towards her. "You have said enough!" "But now, the griffo seek to take all of this beauty and wonder away from you! They will despoil your land, polluting it and stripping away all of your resources! They will enslave the common ponies you nobles are sworn to protect, and work them and their descendants until they die!" The mare pleaded. "Is that one you want? Maretonia reduced to the griffo's plaything? Bifido doesn't care about any of you, or Maretonia! He only cares about gold, and how much of a profit he can make off of our home!" "I said that's ENOUGH, you stupid cabrona!" Bifido roared, jumping towards Fiesta, and slicing her across the face with his razor sharp claw. The mare stumbled backwards, and fell off the stage, blood oozing from the five open scars that now marred and disfigured her once beautiful face. "Stupid little pony! Do you actually think you can stop me? I am bringing progress and prosperity to these lands! So what if a few trees and pones are crushed in the process?" He looked out at the gathered noble ponies, and sneered. "You Maretonians make me sick! Honor, family, tradition-baaaah! You're just as bad as the Equestrain ponies and their friendship! These so-called virtues will not make you rich, only industry and efficiency can do that! Your stupid little sentimental pony civilizations will be crushed in the gears of progress and your pony blood will be the oil that greases those gears!" As Bifido boasted about the overthrow of Maretonia, the two Jaguar knights realized who was actually the villain here, and stopped fighting with Fresco. The stallion ran over to Fiesta, and cradled her in his hooves. "Are you okay, senorita?" Frisco asked, trying to sound Maretonian with that last word. "He didn't hurt you too bad, did he?" "Just my pride, senor, that's all." She replied, as he dabbled some of the blood off of her cheek with a handkerchief. "I'm sure I will be all right." The noble ponies in the crowd all glared up at Bifido, angry looks on their faces. "You shouldn't have let your true intentions show, El griffo." One of the stallions snorted at him. "You really think we gonna let you leave this place alive?" "I already thought of that, senor." Bifido snapped his claws, and a whole swarm of griffins came pouring into the throne room. "But have you all forgotten the duke let me have my own army of my kind stationed in the city?" The griffin commander laughed, looking back down at Fiesta. "Well now, Senorita Flair, it looks like your efforts to stop me have failed. How does it feel to know that Maretonia is mine." "Bifido, you are mucho estupido." Fiesta replied with a laugh, as the blood dried on her face. "I wasn't trying to stop you, I was just trying to distract you for just long enough..." The griffin commander stared at her in confusion... then it all happened at once. The windows exploded inward, as hundreds of mummies from the crypts below poured into the room, attacking the griffin soldiers, and tearing them apart. Then, the fully- healed duchess came flying through the open doors- her wings visible to the nobles, revealing her as an alicorn to all- and blasted the griffin commander on the stage with a powerful burst of magic from her horn. Bifido died with a terrible scream, leaving behind only a charred carcass and burnt feathers that smelled something like roast chicken. And the duke jumped up on the stage, a maquitil in his right hoof, and attacked the fake mirror duke, chopping his head clean off. As the mummies and angry nobles wiped out what was left of the griffins, Moonlight, Watercolor, and Sunny came rushing to Fresco and Fiesta's side. "Everybody, you made it!" Fiesta cried happily. "I'm so happy to see all of you!" "You did it, Fiesta! You and Fresco kept him distracted long enough for us to get here!" The prince exclaimed greatfully. "Thanks to you, my father and our kingdom are both safe!" "Oh, Fiesta! You're hurt!" Moonlight cried sadly. "I can't believe that horrible old griffin scratched you up like that!" "Oh no, Fiesta, I'm so sorry!" Watercolor whimpered. "It wasn't worth clearing my name if you got hurt!" "It's all right, Watercolor... really it is." Fiesta replied , as Moonlight used a damp cloth to wipe what was left of the blood off of her cheek. "As long as Maretonia... and my friends... are both safe. That's all that really matters."