//------------------------------//
// The Emperor 
// Story: That Which was Lost 
// by LadyRFC 
//------------------------------//

   Twilight was still impressed, and slightly concerned, with how quickly things got done when she used her full title. As soon as her speech ended, they were rushed through the gates and hurried through what appeared to be a rose garden with breathless speed, giving Fluttershy barley a second in which to exclaim, “What a beautiful butterfly!” They then walked through an ordinate gazebo that was big enough to hold every pony in Ponyville. Twilight had just enough time to see the dragons carved into the stone floor, before they reached another garden. This one was varied with so many plants that the alicorn easily lost count. Small pebble paths branched out from their larger stone one, weaving through the cherry trees, lilies and even a few fountains and ponds. As they neared a stream with a quaint wooden bridge curved over it, the guards escorting them turned around.
“Please wait here, your highness. We will come for you when the Emperor calls for you.” Before any protest could be made, they were gone.
“When he calls for us?” Rainbow recounted with obvious distaste. “Who does he think he is?”
“Our emperor,” Silverline replied dryly, landing lightly next to Twilight. She couldn’t help but envy those landings of his. They were silent, unlike hers.
“We came over with no invitation,” Twilight reminded her friends. “We have to expect a few delays. Especially if what we heard earlier is true…” She looked over at Silverline, who was carefully scanning around the garden.
He caught her look. “My platoon is well trained. If the princess is still on the grounds, I have little doubt they will find her.”
Twilight blinked and looked around them. Silverline’s platoon was missing. She smiled. “They’re pretty good.”
Silverline kept his own sly smile barely hidden. “I like to think they do their jobs well enough.” He frowned, looking around again. “Still… it’s unusual for them to keep guests here in the garden. They should have taken you to the inner audience chamber to wait…”
“You’re thinkin’ there’s somethin’ they don’t want ya seein’,” Applejack whispered on Twilight’s other side. 
Silverline nodded. “Highly likely. This whole thing is odd, to say the least.”
“Fluttershy!”
Twilight looked over at Rarity’s hiss and saw the shy pegasus heading for the pond and cooing at a tall white bird poised on a nearby tree. Rainbow exchanged exasperated looked with the alicorn before heading overhead to help.
“Is there anything I should know about this missing princess?” Twilight asked, returning her attention to Silverline.
The pegasus shifted his position, not looking at her. He seemed to be having a hard time deciding just how much to tell her. “She had some… interesting views on things…”
“You think this is all planned by her own father?” Twilight asked, shocked by the idea. Her own father was kind, though often busy. She was beginning to wonder about this “great emperor.”
“Nothing.”
Twilight looked up to see Blue Flame having above them, his comrades flying low back to the group.
“That was fast,” Twilight murmured.
Blue Flame landed next to his commander with a smirk. “We’re the fastest pegasus around.” At Silverline’s glance he straightened, the smirk slipping from his face. “No sign of her highness.”
“But there were signs,” a grey pagasus landed next to Blue Flame, “of a struggle near the lily pond. The one she liked the best.”
“What kind of struggle?” he asked.
The grey pegasus shrugged. “Magic, so far as I can tell. There were a few burn marks, pretty fresh ones, too.”
Before the conversation could go one any further, the royal guards reappeared. Silverline exchanged a glance with Twilight. That was far too fast. Twilight felt her stomach flop as they began to follow the silent guards. 

The throne room was not as massive as Twilight had anticipated. It was actually smaller than the throne room in Canterlot. Then again, the décor was far darker, with deep red and gold dominating the space. Six columns, three on each side of the room, held up the dark wood roof with a long golden path leading straight ahead to the throne area. Only one pony stood there, a unicorn with a black coat and white mane streaked with light grey. His mane fell long, almost reaching his golden clad hooves. 
“Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria!” Somepony announced as they trotted in, Twilight’s stomach a tight ball.
“And why,” boomed a deep voice from the unicorn near the throne, “is Silverline here? His platoon is no longer needed on these grounds.”
“With all due respect, your highness,” Silverline called out, stepping forward and bowing very low, his nose nearly touching the floor. “I am escorting this diplomatic train to ensure they receive the fullest hospitality of our great nation.”
The unicorn, who was quite obviously the emperor, seemed to sneer down on the pegasus, but he then turned his attention away towards Twilight. “Your nation has been most silent, Twilight Sparkle. I heard nothing of this venture. I hope you have not been too inconvenienced by our lack of preparation.” He inclined his head towards her slightly and Twilight quickly mimicked the pose.
“Not at all, your highness. In fact,” she nodded towards Silverline, “your soldiers have been wonderfully helpful to our mission. Commander Silverline escorted us safely across the desert and, if not for his assistance, we might very well have gotten lost.”
The unicorn cast a quick glance at his subordinate. “I am glad you are pleased, Twilight Sparkle. But I fear your arrival is at a most inopportune time.”
Twilight inclined her head again. “I heard that your daughter seems to be missing,” she gazed at his eyes, but saw no visible emotion there. Not doubt, nor worry or guilt. “My condolences. I hope you find her quickly and she returns in good heath.”
The emperor nodded. “Worry not for us, Twilight Sparkle. Our best dragons are already leading a search for my daughter.”
“The dragons are searching?” Spike hurried to the front, leaving Fluttershy’s side in his excitement and causing a stir among the guards in the room.
“Spike!” Twilight hissed low, forcing the dragon to halt and return to her side immediately. She had noted how the guards had stepped forward and she didn’t like it.
“You have a dragon,” the emperor commented, his voice fluid and only mildly interested. But his eyes looked over Spike sharply.
“Yes,” Twilight said carefully, “Spike was given to me as an egg. So far as we know, it was found in Equestria and, well, I was the only unicorn able to awaken it…”
The Emperor’s gaze shot towards the alicorn. “You can awaken dragon eggs? How… interesting. We have only one unicorn capable of this here. It is a very rare talent.”
Twilight normally would have blushed, but instead she felt a bit cold. She took a breath, her lungs filling with an incense so strong she nearly choked. “Thank you, your highness, but I’m not so sure it wasn’t simply a mistake on my part. I’ve only done it once and I’m not entirely sure how I managed it. I was quite young.”
Twilight couldn’t be sure, but she thought she saw a sparkle light the unicorn’s eyes. It made her feel cold.
“All the better,” he drawled, blinking slowly. 
Eager to get off the topic of dragons and her own abilities, Twilight announced, “We came here out of concern, your highness. We have reason to believe that changlings may be in the area… They caused us quite a bit of trouble, and damage, recently and were banished. We fear they may be appearing again around here.”
“Changlings?” he echoed, his voice showing the most curiosity thus far.
“Yes,” Twilight said. “But we are now aware that you call them by another name. You call them darklings.”
At that one word it was if Twilight had lit a fire. The Emperor’s eyes snapped to life and he stomped one hoof loudly, the clang echoing through the room. 
“Escort them out,” he commanded. 
Guards surrounded the group. Twilight cast a glance to Silverline, but his face held just as much confusion as her own.
“Hey!” Rainbow called out angrily as magic forced her to the ground. “What’s your deal?!”
“Please,” Twilight called out to the emperor, “I did not mean to offend you, I just-“
“I shall protect my own on my own,” the emperor snapped, his eyes nearly wild. “I’ll have nopony interfere with our dealings.”
“Dealings?” Twilight whispered. Her eyes widened and she raised her voice. “You’ve seen them?”
The emperor looked at her as if she were an unwanted bug. “We have made a deal, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Your nation, your Equestria, will stay out of it. It is none of your concern.”
Twilight felt like she was missing more than a few pages. She felt like she had skipped an entire book. “What deal?” she called.
The emperor paid her call no mind, turning his back on her as the guards pushed them out of the room. Twilight’s last “please” was only met by the loud bang of the double doors and answered by the guards waiting outside for them.
“Princess Twilight Sparkle? Your lodging is prepared. You are to come with us.”