//------------------------------// // The Azure King and Why Am I Crying? // Story: The New Guy // by SilverWind102 //------------------------------// As the lazy day rolled on, Silver found his company of three mares dwindle down to just Celestia again. It would seem that even though the ivory alicorn cleared her schedule, her co-ruler still had duties to preform. Twilight was the first to leave, and shortly after Luna did as well, though not without warning her sister to watch her hoofs. Celestia simply rolled her eyes at the mare. “Honestly,” she sighed, after the Luna had closed the door and taking her spot back on the hammock, “I'd forgotten how jealous she can get some times.” Silver chuckled as she sat down next to him, “Well I wouldn't say jealous. Jealousy implies that you have something she doesn't. I think she territorial. She's just protecting what's already hers.” “Oh? So you agree with her then?” Celestia questioned. Silver shrugged, “I know you didn't mean anything by it, but I can understand why she'd be upset. I mean, if I came back and found Black Wing with his wing over her, I don't think I'd be nearly as composed as she was.” “It would seem you're both irrational then,” Celestia concluded. “Not irrational. Just territorial. But I wouldn't expect you to understand. When was the last time you had a stallion of your own?” The ivory mare stiffened at the subject, her cheeks turning a brilliant pink, “I-I've had plenty of coltfriends over the years,” she defended, “Th-that's none of your concern!” “Ooooh?” Silver said with a devilish smile of his own, “Tia, you may be a magnificent liar when it comes to political issues, but you really can't keep your own secrets.” “Shut up!” “Oh, no. For making my marefriend mad, I'm subjecting you to an interrogation of the most personal and embarrassing degree.” “I'll just not answer your question then!” “Tia, it's written all over your face,” the wolf said flatly, only causing her to blush harder, “Now, for the first question. When was the last time you got a good dicking?” … SMACK ...Perhaps it was his cocky attitude. Perhaps it was that he pushed the joke to far. Perhaps it was because he used the word “Dicking” to describe sex. Regardless of the reason, Silver suddenly found himself whacked across the cheek with the full force of an alicorn hoof. ….said force was strong enough to knock the wolf clean off the seat and right into the side of the house. The crash reverberated across the mountain as birds took flight from the trees. The huffing and puffing of the embarrassed mare across from him was all the accompanied the flaps of the wings. While his head was still stuck wall, he could feel her eyes glaring daggers at him. Silver groaned as he unstuck his head, smacking his lips, “Huh...I think that's the first time you've ever hit me.” “WELL IT WAS FOR A DAMN GOOD REASON!!” The wolf couldn't hold it in. The way Celestias face became a bright red, how her snout scrunched up and her little huffs of angry breaths sent him onto his back, howling with laughter. “STOP LAUGHING!” the flustered mare shouted, which of course only made him laugh harder. “I-I don't think I-HAHAHA! I don't think I've ever seen you like this!! HAHAH!” he wheezed out. Celestia simply turned away, pouting with rage. After a few more minutes of Silvers torment, the wolf finally managed to collect himself enough. “Hahah...aha....haaaa,” he sighed as he wiped a tear from his eye, “I haven't laughed like that in a while.” “I hope you pulled your stitches,” she cursed at him. The wolf paused and looked over his body, “Mmmm, nah. I think I'm good. Although, I think your slap knocked my tooth loose.” “Good!” she shouted, “Honestly, who asks something like that? And in such a..a..” “Vulgar way?” “Yes!” “Um, me. You should know this. Besides, I'm pretty sure I've asked you worse than that.” Celestia went to argue, but stopped as she remembered all of their less decent conversations, “...Yes, I suppose that is true. I remember you asked me once if I pee in the shower.” “Exactly! And I know you openly answered that!” Silver exclaimed, trotting back over and hopping into his seat, “So why slap me for asking about your sex life? I'm pretty sure you know almost every detail about mine, and that's only because you got me drunk and asked for them. Why can't I know about yours?” Celestia hesitated for a moment. She hadn't spoken of the subject to any pony. Ever. It was none of their concern, after all. She was a princess, and even if she weren't, she still didn't have any obligation to share her sex life with anyone. But Silver had a point. For all the times she asked, he was always open about his relationships, even if she did have to get him drunk on occasion to get him to share. She could at least do the same. And so , for the hundredth time that day, Celestia sighed. But this one was far different from its predecessors . It was long, and tired. And... Lonely... “Silver...truth be told, I haven't been with a stallion or mare for a long time, not sexually or romantically. When I first met you, I was still single and had been for quite some time. And when I realized you'd be willing to joke with me about those things...I don't know, I suppose it was an outlet of sorts.” “An outlet?” The mare nodded, “I honestly don't think I can handle a relationship. I'm far too busy and probably wouldn't have any time to go see them or spend time with them. And that's just my schedule. Heavens knows what other problems I have in my life.” “Other issues aside, you managed to spend the day with me,” Silver reminded. Celestia let out a chuckle, “Yes, and only because I've put in extra hours all week. Even working that much has only gotten me today off,” the mare crossed her front hooves and laid her head down. “Silver. I'm tired,” her voice became heavy with exhaustion, “I've been doing this alone for a thousand years, and even longer with Luna before that. I love this country and my little ponies that live in it. It's my home, and I don't want to be anywhere else, but....this....this has been going on for so long. I-I've been alone for so long....” The ancient mare closed her eyes, allowing her muzzle to slip beneath a hoof to hide her tear. She did not sob. She did not huff or puff. She did not shake. She did not whimper. Just a single tear, rolling freely down her cheek. “Celestia,” Silvers warm voice came, “I'm not going to pretend to say I understand your situation. We live completely different lives. You're a princess, and that's kinda hard for someone to approach and flirt with, much less actually date. But you don't have to spend every moment with the pony you're with.” The mares ears twitched for a moment, but she said nothing. “Or have you forgotten that I'm dating two princesses? And I have to train four ponies. And look for the elusive signer of a book no one even knew existed. And while I understand that the majority of these things concern all three of us, we're all still very busy. We can't all be together all the time, but it's the times when we are that are the most important.” A small giggle actually came from the alicorn, “You're being all lovey,” she teased. In truth, he actually gave her hope. She knew he had a point. Luna might not have had a schedule as busy as hers, but she was still busy nonetheless. And Twilight as well. In fact, between the three of them, she found it rather amazing that they had any time for each other at all. “Now come on,” Silver pleaded, nudging her neck with his snout, eliciting another laugh, “Stop being Princess Pouty Pants.” Celestia lifted her head with the second nudge that came, “Alright!” she laughed, “Geez, I don't see how those two stand your cold nose all the time.” “Oh, it's by my understanding that they love it. Especially the places I put it in~” he chuckled. The ivory mare groaned, “Alright, I don't need to hear about the sexcapades that go on between you, my little sister and my former student.” “Really? Cause I mean, you were talking about an orgy with the four of us earlier.” “Only to tease that new mare. What's her name again?” “Sica,” Silver reminded, “Which reminds me, just where did she wander off to?” “Oh, she left down the mountain path earlier while you were asleep,” Celestia informed, “I believe she was with that Beats stallion. In fact, I think Onyx and Ruppy may be skipping training today.” Silver shook his head, “Onyx doesn't skip training, she just trains in something else. Chances are, she's probably either with Twilight or down stairs in the smith room. But Ruppy on the other paw, I need to make sure she's not slacking off.” Celestia chuckled, “Very well then. Shall we go make sure your mares are doing their jobs?” “Yes, let's.” It was unusually bright in the smith room. It had no windows, but the furnace, when lit, provided the room with plenty of light to see. There was only one light bulb in the room, and it was old, providing very little visibility. The coal mare in the room pondered why the wolf wouldn't install more lights. Surely he must not keep the furnace on all the time while he was in there. But then again, he wouldn't need it to be on unless he were using it for something, and the only reason why he'd be in the room would be if he were going to use it. So in a way, it made sense. No need for a light bulb. The furnace worked just fine. ….Unless, of course, you're not actually using the damn thing. Silver may have worked with it all the time, but Onyx certainly didn't. Making jewelry didn't always require a furnace, usually just a kiln. So the lack of steady lighting made it difficult for the mare to see what she was doing. The flicking of the flames caused the shadows of the needle and thread to change and distorted, making it harder for her to pinpoint the location she needed to stitch. That, and the feeling of a pair of eyes watching her. They'd been there for a while, ever since she came into the room. Their gaze never left her for a moment, and something told her the eyes watching her were familiar. After an hour and a half of being watched, Onyx sighed and turned to the door, finally annoyed with the spying, “Ruppy, what do you want?” She couldn't see her body, but Onyx could still tell the mare stiffened when called out. There was a pause for a moment, before a nervous chuckle came from the hall. “Hehe....soo....how long did you know?” the pegasus asked as she slowly opened the door and stepped in. “Since I started working,” Onyx admitted before turning back to her work, “Why are you watching me?” “Well I was just kinda curious mostly. I usually only ever see you make stuff out of little trinkets and things you find on the ground. I wanted to see what you could really do.” The mare walked over to the work bench Onyx was sitting at and stared at the piece before her. “Wait...” she said as she examined it closer, “This...this is a--” Before Ruppy could finish her sentence, a black hoof was stuck in her mouth, “It's not and shut up!” Onyx denied. Even with the hoof still in her mouth, Ruppys grin grew wider, “Smp smits smo smer!” “No, it's not. Shut up. It's just a thing I made to practice.” Again, the grin grew, but this time the sandy mare stepped back so she can speak, “So is it almost done!?” she asked excitedly. Onyx shrugged and turned back to the item, “Kinda. I still have to finish the stitching and the name pla--” ….too late. She said it. Slowly, the unicorn turned to find Ruppy staring wide eyed with the biggest smile she'd ever seen. She'd give that Pinkie Pie mare a run for her bits. “Finish it today, and then show it!” she exclaimed. “NO!” Onyx defended, “I can't do that! It'd be weird!” Ruppy just blew raspberries, “Pfft! Like you haven't done weirder. Come on! Please!?!” she begged, but Onyx refused to budge. “No.” The pegasus rolled her eyes and sighed, “Fine then,” before turning around and leaving. With the peace and quiet restored to the room, Onyx got back to work. Without the feeling of being watched, she found it much easier to concentrate on the threading and stitching. After about an hour or so, she'd finally finished her pet project. The leather (fake obviously) had been all sewn together. The silver name plate on the front was centered and held down by the strings laced through the holes drilled into it. On the inside of the piece, the words had all been burned in neat and gone over with a permanent staining ink. All in all, it was a rather simple build, but elegant all the same. Now, what to do--- “….where did it go?” “Why am I being dragged by my tail?” “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!?!?” The coal mare soon found herself out of the smith room and at the end of the hall. She was moving quickly towards the stairs, but before she reached the bottom step, her rear was lifted off the floor and she began to fly....by her tail....upside down. As uncomfortable as the position was, she was finally able to see her captor. And who else should it be but the only pegasus in the house. “Ruppy, put me down!” “Nope!” she rejected, “We're doing this now.” “Doing this...RUPPY NO!” “Too late! Silver!!!” she quickly shouted as they reached to the top floor. Refusing to let Onyx get away, she held her tail tight in her hooves and and dragged her along until they were in the living room before sitting down and shouting again, “SILVER, GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!” Just after calling, the back door slid open and the wolf and alicorn stepped inside. “Ruppy, Onyx,” Silver greeted, “We were just about to come find you. I hope you two weren't slacking off.” Onyx continued to struggle and attempt to crawl away, but Ruppys grip on her tail was like a maticores jaw. Every time she pulled away, the mare would just yank her back. Eventually, she sat her up right and forced the craft she snatched off the work table into the unicorns hooves just as Silver and Celestia came around the couch to see them. “Well, I was. But Onyx here was working on something very special,” she teased as she pushed the mare to sit in front of her. Onyx quickly hid the item behind her back. Now if only she could do the same for the blush on her muzzle. “I was not!” Onyx refuted, refusing to look the two being in front of her in the eye. Celestia, she could handle. She wasn't worried about what the princess thought of her. But Silver.... “Well go on!” Ruppy coaxed. The coal mare squeezed her eyes shut and looked away. “Onyx?” Silver asked, “Is everything okay?”. For a brief moment, a pair of sapphire eyes flicked up to meet his, then shot back down to the floor. "Ony--?" he tried again. "Screw it!" The wolf was cut off by the sudden feeling of something wrapping around his neck. Well, not something. But somepony. Looking down, he saw it was indeed Onyx that had just thrown her hooves around his neck. She didn't say anything. She just held onto him for a minute, although he could feel her hooves moving around on the back of his neck. After a moment, she let go, falling back onto her haunches and again, refusing to look the wolf in the eye and just stared at the tile. The blush in her cheeks still present, possibly more so than before and she sat while scuffing a hoof. The strange thing was that, even after she let go, he could still feel something clinging to his neck. “I...I made it for you,” she admitted. Silver looked down. Around his neck was a collar. It was made from a deep brown leather, almost a dark auburn. On the front, there was a square, silver plating, with four holes drilled into each corner. Looping through the holes were black strings that held it in place. Silver tugged at it with a paw. On the inside, there was a messaged burned. “For the one who rules the skies.” He let it go and ran a paw over the plating on the front. “The Azure King,” Onyx read for him, causing him to cock his head in confusion, “I figured since everypony else was getting you a get well gift, that I should get you one too. But I wanted to make it special. I didn't just want to print your name on it, I thought it would be too simple, but I didn't want to use one of your old titles either. So I...made you a new one," her last words slowly dipped into a whisper, coming out in a half rushed manner. Silver just looked down at her in amazement. “Do...do you like it?” The was a pause after her question, but then in a swift moment, Onyx found herself lifted off the ground and wrapped up in a hug. At first, she thought it was Ruppys doing, but then realized that the one embracing her was much, much softer. The laughs that came from the captor were much deeper and filled her tummy with butterflies. “Like it?! I love it!!!” he exclaimed as her spun her around. Onyx squealed and clung to him, mostly in an attempt to not go flying across the room, “Onyx, this means more to me than you could possibly imagine. Thank you so much!” “Does...does it really?” she asked as he set her down, much to her dismay. “Of course! For so long, all the world has ever thought of me as is the things the books call me. Fallen King. Dog of the damned. Shinning Fang. But you! You've given me something new! A new name that isn't stained with blood and death! Something I can finally build my life off of the way I want to,” he leaned forward and wrapped her in another hug, this one much more gentle but even more loving than the one before, “Thank you.” “I—it—jus--,” in essence...Silver just broke Onyx. “I believe the words you're looking for are, 'You're welcome',” Celestia chimed in. The coal mare simply meeped and nodded her head. She did it. She made him happy. She made him smile in a way no other mare had done before. And all with a simple gift and a name. Who'd have thought? To Onyx, it was an embarrassing gift at first. But now, it held some much more and not just to her. Silver chuckled and released his hug, “As much as I love this, you two do need to get to training. Beats and Sica are already out there.” Onyx groaned, but complied anyways. Arguing right now would only ruin the mood, “Fine...Come on Ruppy.” She turned around and went to the hall, but realized the pegasus didn't follow her after a few steps. “Ruppy?” she called, looking back over her shoulder only to find the mare laying on the floor on her back, “Ruppy!” The mare lying down snapped up and looked around, “WHO!? HUH?! WAIT! WHAT?!” she rushed out. It wasn't until she calmed down that she realized everyone was staring at her. She sat with a confused look on her face, one that mirrored the expressions the others in the room were giving her. “Oh, right. Sorry. I just died a little from cuteness overload,” she excused before hopping to her hooves, “Alright, come on. Let's go.” The coal mare simply rolled her eyes as the two left and went down the hall. Once they were out of ear shot, Celestia leaned forward and whispered into Silvers ear, “Aren't you gonna tell her?” “I'm not.” The alicorn raised a brow, “Are you sure? It'll be embarrassing if she finds out later.” “...valid point. I'll try to find some time later. But for now, I just want her to feel proud for making this for me,” he said, running a paw over the collar. Celestia sighed, “Alright. Just don't let the others see it. You know how they'll react.” “Meh, they'll be fine. Speaking of which, Star said she wanted to see us the other day about the Zodiac Tome.” “Oh joy,” Celestia said with a roll of her eyes, “Because that book has been all sunshine and smiles.” Silver just chuckled as he went to the counter, pulling a note pad from one of the drawers and a pen before scribbling down a message. He spit the pen out, “Well would you rather it be something helpful and not know about it?” The mare went to argue for a moment, but stopped, “I suppose you have a point. Oh well. So much for a lazy day.” Silver just laughed as he headed for the door, “We can always have it another time.” The sound of whirring fans and beeps of machines filled a large laboratory. It provided an odd background noise, one that seemed to fill the air with an occupied silence. Even with all the machines running, the wolf in the room found it strangely quiet. ...Or she would, if she even noticed the sounds in the first place. Instead, she had her muzzle buried in papers and reports. Numbers, formulas, chemicals and analyzed samples were strung about the room in a seemingly messy fashion. To anyone else, it would be chaos, but to her, it was a massive system. The wolf was so caught up in her work, she didn't even notice the presence of two other beings enter the room. “Star!” Silver called to no avail. Rolling his eyes, he trotted over to the wolf in the center of the room who was mumbling incoherent words that wouldn't have made any sense to him even if he could hear them clear. “Star!” he tried again, this time tapping her shoulder. She actually moved this time...but away from him. She walked over to a machine tucked away in the corner, her eyes never leaving the paper in front of her. She poked some buttons on the machine, it started up and began doing...something. At this point, Silver didn't particularly care what the machine did, just as long as the one operating it would pay attention to them. Finally fed up with being ignored, Silver resulted to his last resort. He didn't like to do it, mostly because it made him feel really awkward, but also because he knew he'd have to apologize to three girls later on. So, with his “I'm sorry's” all planned out in his head, the wolf walked over and sat down behind Star Shine. He pulled a paw back and.... SMACK! The loud clap of his paw against the rear end of Star Shine seemed to make the machines whirs fall silent. The moment his paw made contact, her head snapped up. Now she just stared at the wall, ears at attention, a look of discomfort and shock written across her face, and a strange twitch the suddenly developed in her eye. “Do I have your attention?” he asked, almost sarcastically. Star Shine slowly turned her head, “Yes...along with my hate. Now, do you want to explain to me why you seem to find it acceptable to touch my butt?” Again Silver rolled his eyes, “For one, you weren't paying attention again. This is the only way to get you away from your work. Second, I've known you for a hundred years. I've touched your butt more than all of your ex's combined. And lastly, you called us here, remember?” The strange twitch that Star Shine had developed slowly began to fade, although the whole “known you for a hundred years” bit still annoyed her. She did a quick shake of her head before leaning to look behind Silver. There, she saw an alicorn with her mouth hanging wide open. She had to struggle not to laugh at the slack jawed sight, but some how found a way not to. “Um, P-Princess?” Star called, barely containing herself, “I-I'd like to show you something.” Celestia blinked a few times before finally closing her mouth and walked over to the two wolves, “So, if I understand correctly,” she said to Silver, “You can touch her butt, but I can't put a wing over you?” “Oh no, I'm still going to tell Luna and Twilight later,” Silver clarified, “I'm sure they'll be upset but it's nothing they can't get over.” “Uh-huh...” the ivory mare nodded and turned her attention to Star Shine, “So, you said you had something to show us?” “Ah! Yes!” the wolf exclaimed, rushing over to another machine in the room and pulling some papers from it before running back, “So I ran another analysis on the Zodiac Tome, this time with some magic properties, and I think Onyx was right. I think Nightmare Moon may have written this and not Princess Luna,” Star Shine gave the papers to Celestia to look over, “The results show that while the magics used to make the book were indeed similar to the Princess's, they were weren't the same. There was a far darker element used in the creation of this book.” “Hmm...” Celestia hummed as her eyes scanned the paper. Despite popular belief, Celestia had quite the adept understanding of science. She was the one who taught Twilight everything she knew after all. Upon looking over the paper, the mares eye caught something...unusual. “Star Shine,” she said, floating to paper down to where they could both see it, “This magic signature here. It doesn't seem to belong to either Luna or Nightmare Moon.” “That's what I called you here for,” Star Shine explained, “If it were just the case of the book being made by Nightmare, I would have told everyone all at once. But the signature you pointed out didn't belong to either her or Luna.” “Did it come from the signer?” Silver asked. Star nodded her head, “I think so,” she said as she went over to yet another machine, this time flicking her tail to indicate she wanted the other two to follow. They did and watched her as she pressed numerous buttons on a computer before a chart popped up on the screen above it, “The dating on the traces of magic were indeed from 400 years ago.” “Wait,” Silver chimed in, “I thought you said the book couldn't be dated.” “The book can't. Whatever materials it's made from or whatever enchantment that may have been cast on it keep it from deteriorating, so carbon dating is useless. But the third magic traces aren't from the book. They're from the ink used to sign the back, and that was a completely separate material. If a spell was cast on it, then the ink wasn't there when it was.” “So, you've confirmed that the signer of the book was different from it's creator?” Celestia asked, receiving a nod from Star Shine, “Is there anything else you can tell about it from it's magic traces?” “Nothing aside from the fact that it's old. I don't think I've seen anything as ancient as that. I was going to ask Black Wing if he knew anything to help specify things.” Silver sighed, “If anyone knew anything about ancient magic, it'd be him. Alright, ask him and see what he knows. If anything, at least we know Nightmare Moon had a hoof in this. Maybe we can find some way to...I don't know, summon her and ask.” Celestia snapped her head towards the wolf, “You would bring the mare back? Do you realize what that would mean?” “If you're referring to the risk of her taking over Luna, then yes. And no, I wouldn't be stupid enough to let that happen. There are other ways to draw out another side of someone.” “And you're sure these methods come with no risk to Luna?” Celestia clarified. Silver turned his eyes away from the mare, “It wouldn't put Luna at risk...but--” “NO!” Star yelled, “Silver, I know what you're thinking and the answer is no!” “Well how the hell else do you want us to figure this out?” Silver countered. “First, we still haven't met with that asshat you call a source. If he does know something, then we might not need to drag Nightmare Moon out. Second, even if we do have to, how would you expect us to control her? Did you forget she's an alicorn too and that the Elements of Harmony have been lost?” “We'll call Luna and the others if we have too,” Silver replied, “Without the princess as her vessel, she wouldn't be as powerful. She might have the form of an alicorn, but I doubt she would be fully fledged.” “Ahem,” Celestia called, getting the bickering wolves to stop, “Perhaps we should continue this discussion with Luna later. Like Star Shine said, there is no immediate need for us to speak with Nightmare Moon. We will meet with your source first. Which reminds me, when will we be doing that?” “As soon as I'm in a decent condition,” Silver answered, “He's a bit unpredictable, and while I doubt a fight would break out, I'd rather he didn't take advantage of me being weakened.” “So sometime after the meeting with the Duke then?” Celestia asked and Silver nodded, “Very well. I'll go tell others what we've found.” With that, the ivory mare turned and exited, leaving behind two wolves. One of which was studying the other with a small but seemingly terrifying smile. “Silver?” Star asked, her cold smile never fading, “When did you get married? I'd love to hear all about it." Silver chuckled, tugging nervously at the collar that had gotten into this, “Hehe....about that..”