//------------------------------//
// Voyager's Arc: Tempus Fractura 
// Story: Of Laurels & Lace 
// by WritingSpirit 
//------------------------------//

	The crumpling paper bag in his jaws finally tore open, as Charter Freewings reached his hoof inside, already licking his lips to the strong, tempting smell wafting into his nostrils.
Primrose was already chewing gleefully on the lettuce sandwich of her own, topped with mayonnaise and - as an addition of her own - a sprinkle of shredded basil, parsley and thyme.

The two Voyagers were in the library of the orphanage, having failed to discover anything after rummaging through half of the archives. They were already into the other half, with stacked folders and mottled books already piled across the table, their search only halted by their little lunch break.
The pegasus held up his own snack, his stomach letting out a gurgle as he grimaced at the sight in his hooves.

Instead of the similar, solid sandwich in his friend's hoof, there was a slop of mashed bread and white goop, which was now dripping down to the floor.
Primrose couldn't help but burst out in laughter, which only made the stallion furrow his brows.

"T-Told you that you shouldn't fly with that b-bag in your mouth!" she exclaimed, before continuing to laugh.

"Whatever..." Charter just muttered, rolling his eyes. He frantically shook his hooves, yet the mayonnaise still clung onto him like a white mix of glue, dripping slowly onto the floor.
"At least get me a darn tissue?" the stallion asked wryly, prompting the mare to reach towards the side.

"You're lucky I bought two!" Primrose said, handing another of the paper bags.
"And you're lucky the town actually have takeaways!"

"For an old town, pretty impressive I guess."
The pegasus remembered their futile attempts to find one back in Fenderville, due to their constant engagements in their research and adventures. He had to stop an argument between Dresden and a few waiters as a result, the thought of it only making him groan under his breath.
"Now then," he said, reaching into the paper bag.
"Where did we stop?"

"This one," the caramel mare answered, sliding one of the older, thicker books towards him.
"Fedora's journals."

"Right..."
Charter glanced at the archaic logbook before him with a sigh, already weary just by glancing at the thickness of the volume behind the tearing covers.
He placed his badge: the most treasured item of his, onto the table, glancing at the engraved words once more; the ones that were frozen stiff in his head, residing with the unforgettable memories of its original owner.

Without any more hesitation, he flipped the latch open, his hooves shifting amidst the black, cursive words on the yellowed pages.
The pegasus tried not to grimace at the sight of it: it was all theories, laws and the most interesting being historical drafts and reports with defiant, red circles standing among the grand wall of words.

"Charter?" Primrose suddenly said, snapping him out of his lethargic search.
"Is there any mention of this in Fedora's notes?"

"Mention of what?"

"Tempus Fractura," the mare answered, prompting the stallion to quickly look back down.
Scanning throughout the pages, he finally spotted it; the pair of words scrawled with two ugly lines and circled twice with a few red exclamation marks popping at its end.

"Got it here," Charter instantly replied.
"What's the matter?"

"Apparently, I stumbled upon this yesterday," she explained, "when I was going through Flair's notebook."
"I thought it might just be one of their random scribbles, until I found it again in Palladium's notebook, along with Ochre's log. I don't think it was just a mere coincidence that these four ponies just somehow wrote down the same thing in each of their generations."

Reaching for another pair of dusted books, the pegasus quickly flipped through them, before seeing the words scrawled on each of the pages the books had held within.
"Evanescence wrote it down here as well..." he muttered, before glancing towards the other book.
"As well as Pendulum..."

"What does it mean?" Primrose asked worriedly.

Charter held his breath, the translation of the words already stirring up a storm of confusion in his head.
"Literally," he finally spoke, though with a quiver.

"It means 'broken time'."

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"And shalt the salve of one be tempted to flourish in another, he cried. And shalt undo the faults of the Sun and the Moon, as shalt he rise in the form of an angel, bringing the word unto the beginning of Existence herself."

Harmony Peridot glanced at the crinkled pages, partially confused, partially intrigued.
Venturing only into the first few pages of the book, and she was already enlightened by what it had said. The pink unicorn was already halfway through it, carefully flipping each page as her hooves tensed with anticipation, her eyes quickly glinting at the sight as she read out the first word:

"Power-"

A knock on the door stopped her, making her hastily shove the old book under the blankets.
Winter Palgiot stepped in with a beaming smile, his horn glowing with a silvery tray hovering just right behind him, settling it neatly onto the trunk in front of her bed.
"Morning, sleepyhead," he teased with a grin, already pouring the mare a small cup of warm tea.
"I assume you had a rough night?"

"Rougher than yours," she merely replied, the couple laughing softly.
"And I see you're being a gentlecolt today."

"Maple syrup ran out, though. You'll have to enjoy the pancakes without them."
Despite his words, Winter watched his marefriend lick her lips hungrily, already busy carving into the crusted surface. The sweet flavors of butter and crunchy firmness of bread mixed in her mouth, her lips quivering at the perfection, only fueling to her desire for more.

"Mmm..." she muttered, her jaws busily chewing into the bread.
"It's not bad, even without the syrup."

"Well, I'm glad you like it, Harmony," the stallion replied beatifically.

"I'm sure you came up here other than to serve me breakfast."

"Yeah... about that..."
Winter scratched his mane sheepishly, the pink unicorn silently sipping on her tea as he asked:
"I was wondering that since you're free..."

Harmony nearly choked on her tea, her ears stopping at the words.
Her heart leaped with excitement; maybe he was going to take her to see the ruins! She could only imagine what might be hidden in there, maybe some secret that would astound the laws of time and space itself!
"What is it?" she replied, trying her best to hide her trembling anticipation.

"You see..." he began, but stopped, twiddling his hooves.
"I'm not really sure... but you could call it a sort of invitation..."

"And?"

"I was wondering if you and I..."

She tried to control her hooves, which were already pattering and rattling with enthusiasm.
"Come on... just ask him to spit it out!" her inner voice demanded, though she knew better than to scream at the stallion for something just like that. He's just nervous, that's all!

"... would like to take Spring to the beach today!"

All the stirring excitement in her head stopped, extinguished by a shower of stale realization. Harmony still held her wide grin, though the disappointment in her face was threatening to leak at any moment.
"Oh...!" she finally exclaimed with her sheepish laugh after a moment of silent gazing.
"Take her... to the beach.... that would be... um..."

"Fun, ain't it?" Winter finished her sentence, unaware of his blunder.
"You know how Spring enjoys your company when we take her to the beach. There'll be so many things that she wants to talk about with you, especially since it's been awhile the both of you had gone out together..."

Harmony held his breath, the stallion's voice already droning in his head.
Why wouldn't he tell her about the ruins below the town? She's his marefriend, for Celestia's sake! Can't he trust her with any information such as that?
"Um... Winter?"

"...and then maybe... yes, Harmony?"

"I... I think I have to decline today," she said, trying not to sigh with relief. She watched as Winter's face contorted into first of confusion, then of skepticism, before finishing off with a smile.

"I understand," the Patriarch said, though the tone of disappointment underlying his voice only made her stop, his shoulders drooping and his lips trembling as he continued:
"You... need some time to recover from Gypsum's death, I see."

"But-"

"It's okay. I won't bother you."
His soft, gentle tone somewhat reassured her, yet her heart twinged with guilt at the same time.
"I'll ask Autumn to accompany me instead, then."

Before she could reply, the stallion quickly excused himself without any further words, stepping out of the room.
Harmony scolded herself, yet a part of her blamed Winter for her sudden denial. The Patriarch might have known of the ruins way before they even arrived, seeing how there's an actual passage down into the stone junction under the palace.
A part of her wanted her to venture back down into the ruins again, though the more tempting hands from the book under her blanket wiped out any thoughts of them.

The pink unicorn plopped herself onto the bed, pulling out the book from the sheets. She held her breath, quickly flipping the pages as she continued to read:
"Power is but an illusion. A world of broken societies. Thou shalt said both Sun and Moon flourish in harmony, yet unaware of the clear segregation of both upper and lower classes."

"Such is the situation of Equestria itself.."

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"Here it is!"

Primrose's proclamation immediately made Charter slide towards her, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"Axle's diary," the caramel mare explained, the two glancing at the wall of intricate words before them.
"Says here he proposed the theory of Tempus Fractura, which stated that in each second of time..."

"There is an event that will be justified by only a small action," the pegasus continued.
"Thus it might drastically affect the future in ways we might never imagine. For example, one small gander at the world might lead to something more than just it; it may influence on a pony's mind."

"So he's saying that something as small as reading his journal," Primrose questioned skeptically.
"Would change Equestria as we know it?"

"I guess so," her friend replied, almost as if in disbelief.
"You have to say, though, it might be true."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it: if Princess Celestia did not banish her sister to the moon, if Pinkie's parents weren't shot down, if Tourist did not invite us into his hotel... these things might've changed how our journeys went by."
Charter wanted to continue, though his eyes were caught by the words on the other page.
"Hang on..."

"What is it?" Primrose asked, quickly following his glance.

"Listen to this," he beckoned, before reading out:
"One main source of Tempus Fractura is Calormor; the apex distinction of both past and future. It is the grand undergrowth that would suspend the infinity of seasons and one I hope would never be discovered by the Princess herself, lest it would implode for the continuum of time itself."

"So this was what they were suspecting?" the caramel mare asked.
"This is why we're here? This... 'Calormor' thing?"

"I'm not sure, but I suspect there might be more to it."
Charter held up the book, scanning through the endless scrawl of words, before finally landing on a more satisfactory sentence.
"He said: I hereby pass the four Gates of the legion to my successors, and thus built upon these structures of ruin anew; to conceal it from the innocent eyes of the ponies and nevermore be revealed to the outside world."

"Boy, this Axle fellow sure is a shady guy, isn't he?" Primrose commented with a scoff.

The pegasus ignored it, stifling only a small laugh as he continued:
"These places have been proposed as such, and are listed as follows: the North, Palgiot Palace..."

"He didn't say which part of the palace?"

"Never did, I guess..." Charter replied with a shrug, before moving on:
"the East, Medella Hospital..."

"Demolished many decades ago," the mare added.
"Where Fountain Square was situated right now."

"the South, Academia Nox - which was the academy for the obsolete assassination group hired by the Palgiots, Sicarius Nox - and lastly, the West..."
He stopped short, only being able to stare in disbelief at the words before him, as if they were laughing mockingly into his face. His heart thumped with bewilderment, his head thrown into a state of cynicism.
"Foster Grande Orphanage."

"Wait," Primrose halted, letting the wave of confusion hit her as well.
"You mean this Foster Orphanage?"

"Come to think of it, yes."
Charter ruffled his wings, looking at the vintage, luxuriously serene structure around, with bookshelves lining up nearly every inch of available space, the pathways between them thin as a tightrope between the looming structures of musty paper and creaking wood.
"It seems one of these so-called 'Gates' to Calormor is right here, right now."

Then, he spotted it.
Near one of the walls, an outcast to the crowd of bookcases all around, was a cupboard, with one door open to reveal the hanging coats and few books littered in the insides.
His attention, however, was focused onto the panel on its very tip. The slightly slanting position of it only made him raise his eyebrow in suspicion, prompting him to stride towards it.

With a flap of his brown wings, the pegasus flew himself gently towards the panel, giving it a knock.
A loud 'thump' in response scattered the dust from the cracks, as was the slight creak of the panel, which only made him glance at it in suspicion.
"It's hollow," he concluded.

"Well, go on!" Primrose beckoned impatiently.
"Open it, then!"

Without hesitation, Charter did so, before he stared into the face of cold rock.
It was smooth and white, almost as if gleaming if not for the cluster of carved inscriptions aligned all around. At the center of it was a small handle in the shape of a bronze bull, its brown eyes furious with a glare at the giant ring hanging from his nostrils.
The pegasus waited for it to come alive any moment, before giving the ring a small tug.

There was a metallic snap, making the two Voyagers turn, before the sound of sliding wood and a click made them glance back.
Instead of the wooden back of the cupboard, there was now a black space of emptiness, with musty air rushing out from it. The books leaning against what was once the wooden panel had now toppled over into the passage, scattering a grandeur pile of dust freely into the afternoon sunlight sifting through the windows.

"I don't believe it..." Primrose could only respond.

Charter could only nod as well, glancing into the black corridor.
He bit his lip with doubt, having heard enough legends that would even break the kindred, vigorous spirits of the most benevolent and eldest of ponies, yet he couldn't just stand there!
"Should we go?" the stallion asked his friend. who could only give a subtle reply:

"Why not?"

With a muster of their courage, the two Voyagers stepped into the cupboard, their manes brushing against the soft, welcoming cotton of the coats hanging within.
The wood below their hooves quickly made way for the rough texture of stone, luring their curiosity into the darkness of the unknown, with fear already creeping up against the edges of their heart as the wooden panel slid back into place.

Neither spotted the pair of eyes that watched them throughout their discovery, right down to their entry into the darkness beyond.

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Pinkie hummed a tune, flailing her hooves about as she skipped merrily down one of the many corridors of Palgiot Palace, a genuine smile curling up her lips.
Her mane was the usual puffball it was again, dancing about her head like a pompom along with her tail, the strip of cotton candy eagerly flipping about.

She had made her plans, first and foremost wanting to thank Winter for his comforting words. Her heart tingled once more at the slight thought of it, only making her giggle with glee. Her stop at the stallion's room, however, was eventually fruitless; with a slight creak of the door, the only things meeting her eyes was his luxurious furniture.
"Oh well..." she muttered with a sigh, closing the door shut.
"Maybe next time!"

Next stop: Harmony's room.

The pink mare felt her hooves shiver. She had isolated herself from them for the past few days now, which only brought her uncertainty to a whole new level. How are they going to react when she finally seized the chance to talk with them, she wondered, before shaking the thought away dismissively.
She held her breath, her eyes trying not to furrow as she neared Harmony's room. Time to find out.

"Can't you just be happy for me?!"

Pinkie stopped immediately, the loud shriek of rage already clicking the gears in her head.
"Harmony..."

"Happy? Happy?!" the other voice shouted back, the pink mare recognizing it as Dresden's.
"Happy that you what? Lied to all of us?!"

"I was figuring out how to tell you guys, alright?"

"Sure! Tell us when we're all DEAD, aren't we?!!"

Her eyes widened in realization as she heard the stallion continue grudgingly:
"The Patriarch's marefriend... you betrayed our damn trust, Harmony!"

Without any second further, she hastily opened the door, just to see the two ponies glaring daggers at each other, their teeth crushing against each other with spite, their hooves clenched and ready to strike.
It wasn't long before they noticed her presence in the room, before turning around to see her look of confusion.
"Dresden?" she called him first.

"Finally decided to snap out of it, huh?" he scowled aggressively, his rude tone only making her shiver with fright.
"Just in time to listen to what this mare has to say."

"Pinkie already knew of this, Dresden!" the unicorn shot back, the cyan pony stopping in bewilderment.
"She knew it before any of you idiots did!"

Dresden furrowed his brows towards Pinkie's anxious face, evidently furious at her as well, before turning back to Harmony's jet-black stare, immediately resuming his shouting with the latter.
"You think just because you're his marefriend makes you the all-powerful mare of the house, don't you?!"

"He has his own secrets to hide, Dresden! He's hiding something from me!"
The pink unicorn's loud scream nearly made Pinkie cringe as well, who could only helplessly watch the battle of words being tossed among her two friends.
"He doesn't need to hide anything from me, won't he?! Isn't this why the Princess sent us here in the first place?!"

"JUST STOP!!"
The loud, pained shout immediately silenced the two of them, glancing back at Pinkie, who was already starting to tear up, her mane flattening once more.
"J-Just..." was what she could only say, before breaking down on the spot.

"Pinkie..." Harmony called, trying to lift the mare up, only to have her hooves pushed away.
"I'm... I'm just..."

Dresden wanted to turn away, but her friend's broken state froze his eyes - not to mention his whole body - towards her, trying to figure out how to help.
"Fine..." he finally spoke up, before turning to the unicorn.
"If you think being his marefriend helps us out, suit yourself, but what were you saying about him hiding something from you?"

The mare just grumbled, trying to quell her rage within her.
"I discovered a secret passage in the music room. It led under the palace and maybe under the town as well. I was eavesdropping on two ponies who were there, saying they, along with Winter himself, had found some sort of ruin."

"Ruin?"

"A whole city under Pendant Lakes, I believe."
Harmony's suggestion completely surprised her friends, who could only listened with rapt attention as she continued:
"I was thinking of visiting it and maybe figuring out what's so important that even that stallion couldn't tell me about. It's not like him to just hide things from me."

"Well, if you think it would be worth our whole time here..."
Dresden's voice seemed to have calmed, yet there was still the sharp, spiteful tone in it, which only bloomed when the unicorn shot him another glare.
"Then let's go."

Before anypony could reply, the cyan stallion had already stepped out of the room, leaving the two mares.
Harmony, though reluctantly, was about to follow, before turning back at her sobbing friend on the floor, feeling the trenching guilt taking over her heart.
"You coming, Pinkie?" she asked.

There wasn't a subtle reply, the pink pony only glancing at the floor.

The unicorn let out a sigh, before reaching out her hoof.
"Look, I'm sorry things got messed up, alright? I'm sorry, on Dresden's behalf as well, that we argued."
She jiggled her extended hoof once more, beckoning her friend to stand.
"Come on, Pinkie."

Pinkie glanced up at her friend, her eyes glistening with fresh tears.
She let out a sniffle, no doubt scaring Harmony a little, though her widening smile made her friend a little content, not to mention relieved as well with her soft stammer of a reply:

"A-Alright..."

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Present Day





The world of the past faded into nothingness, with Pinkie now staring at the empty expanse of the platform, floating amidst the magical swirls of the foreboding dimension.
A slight rumble shook the whole platform, though she knew it was more than just a tremor.

"Pinkie?" Rarity's voice sliced into her thoughts, sitting right beside her.
"Are you alright?"

"I think so..." she replied, her voice quivering with uncertainty.
The two friends sat there, gazing into the vast world before them while watching their friends trying to calm their emotions down, no doubt noticing the slight tremor as well.

"Rarity?"

"Yes, Pinkie dear?" the white mare replied with concern.

"Do you..." she began, before holding back, only continuing when Rarity gave her a determined nod.
"Do you think he will make it?"

"Winter?"
The white unicorn pondered for a moment, before smiling.
"That stallion's a little bit too stubborn to lose."

Both mares chuckled, their heart fulfilled with the fluffy warmth of tender disposition and serene friendship; one that the two had began to sorely miss.
Pinkie took in a huge breath, feeling the cold, tingling air of wintertime (which somewhat surprised her, considering the location they were in) rush down her lungs. Her heart throbbed with nostalgia, having watched her cinema of memories pass right before her eyes.
"It's weird... seeing all these things happen again..."

Rarity could only smile warmly at her friend's comment.
"I guess..."

Another moment of silence captivated the both mares, who fumbled around and glanced at the others.
Rainbow and Soarin' were talking to each other discreetly, the two pegasi holding each other's hooves with hope. Octavia and Crimson just sat there, their mouths shivering for a need to speak, yet their heads couldn't formulate the right words to strike up a good conversation. Twilight herself was talking to Spike, the dragon trying his best to listen attentively at her grand yet increasingly dull lecture.
Pinkie watched the white mare giggle as he rolled his eyes, scratching his scales with uncertainty. She started to smile, before finally muttering:

"You're lucky you have Spike..."

Rarity turned back in surprise at her words.
"Well..." she replied with a blush, trying not to shout out with joy.
"I'm suppose I'm flattered to have such a fine dragon like him... but what's the matter?"

The pink mare glanced back down solemnly as her friend continued:
"Isn't Winter a fine gentlecolt to you already?"

"He is!" Pinkie retorted, before quieting herself down.
"I just wish... I just wish he could spend more time with me... like Spike did with you..."

"I see."
Rarity stopped to think over her friend's words. Yes, Winter didn't spend time with Pinkie much, but he seems to make the most of it when he can, knowing of all the chaos happening around.
"Well," she could only reply, "maybe when all of this is over, he might spend some time with you."

"In Ponyville?" the pink mare asked cynically, only stopping her short.
"He's a Patriarch of Pendant Lakes. He's busy all the time, running errands around the palace while I just laze around in the town. Even if he steps down, he can't just leave everything and move to Ponyville with me, can't he? And if I move all the way here from Ponyville, how am I going to see you guys again?"

The white mare wanted to speak, though she couldn't find the suitable words in her confusion.
"I guess you might be right," she finally said with defeat, before adding:
"But you know he loves you, right?"

Pinkie just nodded, prompting her to continue:
"Then he'll be more than delighted to have even a minute of his life with you."

"But can he?"

"He would try to find a way out," Rarity said with a wink. "I know Spikey would."
The two mares stared back, the white mare a more dreamy one, at the dragon, who was being reprimanded by his self-proclaimed elder sister.
"That dragon would do anything to have some time with me."

Pinkie could only grin with a giggle, feeling a nudge at her shoulder.
"Just believe in him, Pinkie," Rarity reminded, which only made her sigh, her thoughts focusing back onto the stallion of her life: the only one that dared comfort her in her deepest, darkest rage, yet trying not to laugh at the irony of it.

"Believing in Winter Palgiot..."

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"It's easy, Harmony..."

"But I can't do it!"

"Just raise your hoof like this... almost there..."

"Winter, you're not really the best teacher of dancing, aren't you?"

"And you're not the best student either... don't give me that look!"

"Why? It's funny when you're frustrated!"

"Come on, let's try it one more time... one, two, three....

"One, two, three, one, two, three..."
Winter slid his hooves smoothly across the marble floor, sweeping it like a janitor with his virtuous firsthand knowledge of dancing in his early age, though with more impatience this time around.
He glared at his partner, who was busy muttering under her breath, her hooves raised in an unwanted connection with the stallion's, their heads stiffened up in a tango.

"Seems life has been a little nasty to you, Harmony," he stirred the mare, who grumbled with a gander at his face.
"Judging from the scars of gratitude that each of your unfortunate victims have given."

"Really?"
Harmony's horn lit up a dark red; a satanic change of the demon nesting in her.
"Neither of my victims ever touched me."

"So I assume you loved his company?"

Her frown grew into a devious grin, their hooves stomping to the beat.
"Much more than yours, I reckon."

Winter just scoffed at that, their hooves facing the other direction.
"Masochistic love. Why am I not surprised that murderers just crave their weapons being used on them?"

"Whips are more of his commodity."
She suddenly brought him closer, the Patriarch grimacing as she whispered in his ear:
"But his size... ooh~! Just how wonderfully endowed he was..."

"Way bigger than yours, even."

The stallion merely chuckled at her answer, surprisingly for the mare.
"Big, but there's nothing to it other than striking down under, is there?"

Harmony laughed at it as well, albeit coldly. Her hooves suddenly settle down as the music shifted in a Viennese waltz, prompting her to frill up her dress.
Winter straightened his bow tie, his collars slightly ruffled with impatience. He glanced at the clock, watching as time slowly ticked, being able to hear the melancholic echo of the click of gears in his head.
"Tell me," he struck a question, "would you be my marefriend if I asked you right now?"

The mare shot him a cold stare, as if wanting to snap his neck for asking that.
"You think, Winter Palgiot?"

"But of course, Diane has more fruitful tastes than yours, seeing how... eccentric you always seem to be."
The stallion's horn glowed, yet he could feel his hooves starting to weaken from the curse, his glowing Cutie Mark already fading from its radiant intensity.
"If she and you were to switch places, do you think you would still be with me?"

"I'd rather not switch places with a whore."

That comment made him let out a humph of displeasure, their hooves switching direction as they slowly strode across the center of the room once more.
"And I rather not date a slaughtering slut."

"They're in trend these days, Winter," she merely replied.
"Pinkie is, after all, one of them."

"But she has control. I have control."
With a twirl of his hooves, Harmony spun a circle, before being jerked towards her ex-coltfriend, whose face suddenly twisted into concern and worry.
"Why can't you control yourself? Why did you let this demon overtake you?"

"It freed me, Winter. It banished all my problems away."
Harmony held her breath. For some reason, her mouth was chattering, her body shuddering despite the grand crowd of dancers waltzing around them.
"It's liberation, Winter; something that you can't just gain from any part of Equestria."

"And you think working for him might benefit you as well?"

"His goals are far more powerful than mine, yet he requires my services."
There was a giggle, the mare grinning yet again.
"Even the most... sensual of them all..."

Winter ignored her statement, instead driving back to the topic.
"So he sent you only? No other ponies?"

"Well..."
Harmony scrunched her lips, as if sarcastically, before smiling at the great crowd around them, prompting the Patriarch to turn around.
"I've had invited a few adversaries..."

He glanced through the numerous faces all around, most of them busy in indistinguishable, inaudible conversations or savoring the luxuries on the platter, their lips licking hungrily.
Then, he spotted it: the few, if not, many, of the ones not fitting in the crowd.

Like Harmony before, they all wore a mask, yet with different colors, their 'cheeks' intricately decorated with some of the eye-holes designed to display various emotions. The only thing they had in common were the stitches at the lips.
No, Winter thought to himself. They couldn't be still alive. His uncle abolished the order years ago, so why are they still existing in the palace?

His eyes widened in horror, glancing about at all the innocent ponies, unaware of the gratified few lurking amidst the crowd, their blades glinting in an ever-ready position.
"Everypony here is vulnerable..." Winter thought to himself, gritting his teeth furiously yet helplessly as Harmony laughed quietly under her breath, glad to see the stallion in his breaking patience.
"Everypony here is vulnerable to the blades; the blades of an order rising back from the dead."

"The blades of Sicarius Nox."