The bathing pools beneath Sombra's manse reminded Fluttershy of the spa she used to frequent with her friend Rarity. The water, which was heated through a channel of volcanic vents that flowed deep withing the surrounding mountains, was drawn and then pumped through a nozzle that served as a faucet. The tub itself was a bowl-shaped recess in the ground with a stone bench carved out of its walls. The light looming above her was magic in nature, a ball of luminous energy that flickered and glowed like a indigo star hanging in the twilight. Fluttershy liked the way it made the water glow as it swished and swirled all about her, the pressured flow from the spout creating pleasant sounds akin to that of a gurgling stream.
Fluttershy reached for her glass of sweet red and took a sip from it before she allowed herself to sink back to her muzzle in the hot, rushing mineral waters of her bath. Wine was something that she was beginning to acquiring a taste for. Supper with her king and subjects had been yet another sumptuous feast. Nevermore had served them a delicious creamy cheese and broccoli chowder as an appetizer, followed by the main course, which was an exotic and decadent pasta whose name she still had trouble pronouncing. Sombra had taken advantage of the time they had together to teach her about wine and its variety of bouquets. He taught her how to identify them from their scent. After several tiny samples of different wines, she had come to the realization that the lighter sweets were to her liking. Her husband seemed to be pleased by that.
The young queen watched her long, pink tresses swirl lazily along the surface of the water as she pondered on about her king and husband. It was strange to see how the servants were already beginning to warm up to him. A few of them even had the temerity to call out to him and lift their mugs as he would pass them by in the feasting hall. They were making eye contact with him now, instead of groveling and prostrating like they had done that morning and the night before. It had appeared that her king had forged a bond with some of them while he was overseeing their projects. Fluttershy, however, had spent the entire day in the library, consumed with her self-appointed task of gaining more knowledge about him. The fairy tale she had relived evoked such a fierce curiosity within her. The rest of the free time she had was spent scouring the library for more information, but her attempts were in vain. She found naught but passages and accounts of her husband doing things she doubted he would do. All of it just seemed like arbitrary acts of barbarism and madness, which seemed to serve no means. Sombra was indeed a terrifying creature, and he certainly had the capacity for cruelty in his heart, but she couldn't bring herself to believe he would simply be cruel for the sake of being cruel; unlike another creature of chaos with whom she was acquainted, Sombra seemed the type to employ logic and order to his actions.
"My queen?" Came a familiar voice.
"Ethey?" Fluttershy sat up and turned to face the entrance to the bathing pool, though it was impossible to see through the thick veil of steam that had accumulated within the chamber.
"Are you enjoying your bath?" The tip of Ethey's horn flickered like a lantern in the fog as she drew closer.
"I am," Flutterhy replied. "I was just getting ready to get out."
"There's no need to rush." The adviser stepped through the opaque shroud and stood at the edge of the pool. "I just wanted to check on you. You've been down here for a while now."
"How long has it been?"
"An hour, or so."
"It's been that long?" Fluttershy drew her hooves above the water and observed how pruney they had become.
Ethey looked up at the shining blue orb looming over the tub. "I don't blame you for losing track of time." She paused, admiring the soothing atmosphere. "It's nice down here. I wish the servants' bathing quarters was this nice."
Fluttershy climbed out of the pool, her sodden coat clinging to her lithe, feminine frame. "You can use the pool whenever you like." She selected a thick woolen towel from a rack mounted to a nearby pillar.
"You're sure that's okay?" Ethey reached down and swirled the surface of the water with her hoof.
"It would seem rather selfish to keep something this luxurious all to myself."
"What about the king?" Ethereal Moon pushed her glasses up her muzzle with an impish smile on her face. "You could share it with him."
The unexpected comment made Fluttershy blush. She attempted to pretend she didn't hear it, but the tips of her reddening ears betrayed her.
Ethey acknowledged Fluttershy's body language with a knowing smile. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to embarrass you." She looked at her with those piercing amethyst eyes of hers. They were bright with laughter - and the magical light above the pool seemed to intensify their vividity. "But you know, when you blush, it's freaking adoracute."
Fluttershy draped the towel over the back of her neck. "A-adoracute?"
"Yeah, you know, like, adorable and cute all at the same time?" She flicked a strand of her blue black mane that had managed to liberate itself from her skull ribbon. "It's a portmanteau."
Fluttershy just blinked.
"Like... 'Bad' and 'wrong?' I'm making you feel awkward right now, so I combine the words. Making you feel uncomfortable is both bad and wrong. Therefore, it's 'badong.'"
Fluttershy blinked again. "Badong?"
Ethey tittered. "You said badong."
A smile began to tug at the corners of Fluttershy's lips.
"See that?" Ethey said. "Now you're being adoracute again."
The smile on Fluttershy's face finally broke free. "You're silly."
"And you're adoracute."
Fluttershy finished drying herself off and donned her royal attire while she prattled on and laughed with her adviser. Ethey, though strangely dark in her sense of humor, was cheerful, and a delight to converse with. The childlike mare was in possession of a fun-loving yet, somehow, nihilistic personality that made it difficult to tell when she was kidding or being serious. It was because of this unique trait that Fluttershy had decided to bestow upon her the title of 'Anti-Pie.'
"Anti Pie?" Ethey echoed as they ascended a row of stairs that led away from the bathing pool.
Fluttershy nodded. "I have this friend named Pinkie Pie back home. She's funny and fun to be around - kind of like you... Only opposite."
Ethey cocked an eyebrow. "Pinky Pie, that's her name?"
"You would love her," Fluttershy promised. "She'd love you as well. So much so in fact, she would most likely throw you a party."
"I don't do parties, or cuteseneras, or social gatherings of any kind, really."
"That's why you're the Anti-Pie," Fluttershy explained. "She would throw you a party whether you wanted one or not, though. She always puts together parties to mark the occasion of making a new friend, complete with a massive cake, and streamers, and all sorts of crazy games. I have no doubt that she'd even go so far as to dress up like a clown to entertain you."
"Clowns!" Ethey's muzzle wrinkled in disgust. "If any creature on this planet was deserving of a holocaust being inflicted upon them, it would be the paste-faced, rainbow wig-wearing excrement known as the clown. It would be forever known as the great clownocaust, and it would be the brightest chapter in Equestrian history."
"I, uh, take it you don't like clowns?"
"Only the dead ones."
Fluttershy was thinking of a way to inquire upon her adviser's extreme case of coulrophobia when a faint voice in the distance caught her attention.
"Are you stupid, or are you just going senile?"
Ethey and Fluttershy shared a quick glance. The voice sounded like it was coming from the foyer just up ahead.
"There's nothing for me back at the Crystal Empire," came a second voice, which was heavily distinguishable with a harsh, gravely rasp.
"And what about the princess? You're just going to turn your back on her?"
"She's the one who turned her back on me!"
"Sounds like a fight," Ethey said in a hushed tone.
Fluttershy bit her lip. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was confrontation. When they reached the door at the end of the stairs, Ethey carefully pushed it open just enough to provide a crack she could peek through. She turned and silently gestured for Fluttershy to join her. She didn't like eavesdropping, but she could feel her curiosity getting the better of her.
There were three of them, donned in the gilded garb of Celestia's royal guard. The fourth, the only one not in armor, was an elderly stallion with a long, unkempt mop of silver hair. He was a graying Pegasus with a heavily wrinkled brow, a deep scar on his muzzle, pronounced cheekbones, and a physically fit profile that made him seem younger than he probably was. There was a fearsome yet world-weary look in his golden eyes that was common with those who possessed a lifetime's worth of hard-honed experience. "Those were the guards who escorted us along the pass," Ethey whispered.
The stallion who had balked at Sombra's story that morning of how he had managed to slay a dragon was among them. "I'll ask you again," he said, "are you stupid, or are you just going senile?"
The old stallion bristled. "I refuse to go back just to be stripped of everything I have ever worked for. Fifty years of faithful service. Fifty!" he spat.
"You'd rather spend your twilight years in the service of some maniac torn from the chapters of the dark ages, instead of retiring honorably?" The younger guard accused.
"You know as well as I do that this land needs order," The elder fired back. "Celestia has turned a blind eye on the suffering of those who dwell within the peninsula. There are no leaders here. No political figures. There's nothing but brigands, and squabbling warlords, and the poor souls caught in between. There's no one to quarter with over the condition of this place. Even if Celestia tried to extend her rule to this land, which she hasn't, how would she do it? Her diplomatic approach just wouldn't work... Sombra, he may seem like a monster, but I believe he has the right of things. Sometimes, it takes a monster to kill a monster."
"So," said the younger guard, his eyes narrowed with contempt, "war is the answer. That what yer on about?"
"Sometimes it is!" argued the elder. "You can't quarter with someone who just wants to kill you and sell your family into slavery!"
The two stallions stared each other down. "Fine," the younger stallion finally said, breaking the silence. " Have it your way, then. I'll be sure to personally relay to Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence your declaration of treason."
"Treason," The elder scoffed.
"Treason," the younger repeated. "And you better hope you never run into me on the wrong side of the battlefield, old man."
"Alright, I've had enough of this crap." Ethereal Moon grunted. Fluttershy nearly fell forward when the tiny mare threw the door open. "Battle?" She said, storming into the manse foyer with all the piss and vigor in the world in her tone. All eyes were on her now. "Tell me, o holder of the spear, who stands so staunchly in front of ye old privy as Cadence shits, have you ever seen battle in your lifetime?"
"Piss off, midget!" The guard snapped.
"Mind your tone, boy," The elder cautioned. "She's the royal adviser."
"Adviser? That little half-mare?" The guard laughed derisively. "She's nothing but an upjumped stewardess."
Ethey smiled sardonically and replied, "And you're nothing but a glorified security guard with grandiose delusions of self importance. Oh, but please, do talk more about battle. I'd love to hear about it from an expert such as yourself."
The young guard's face reddened. "I may have never seen true battle, but I have been trained by the finest—
"Oh, bitch please, I've seen wet nurses with more combat training than you."
Fluttershy watched the exchange escalate until she could bare it no longer. She was a queen now, wasn't she? She could end the bickering with a simple command, couldn't she? She had never truly thought of herself as more than the weak and helpless little mare she had always been, but... Biting her lip, she timidly moved forward, forcing her hooves to move one after the other. "Uhm, if all of you could be so kind as to stop quarreling, I'd be most—
"You were nothing but a stewardess until Cadence got sick of you!" the younger guard was roaring by that point. "You sucked so bad at your job, she couldn't put up with you anymore, so she sent you here! I'm surprised the princess, in all her good judgement, didn't just pack you up and ship you off to some grotesquerie - or the very least, some whore house that caters to the grotesque enthusiast."
Ethey's expression was that of mock sincerity. "Oh, speaking of whores, how is your sister?"
"Leave my sister out of this, you freaky little garden gnome!"
The air was so thick with strife, it was palpable. "Please," Fluttershy attempted, "everyone, there must be friendlier ways to settle your differences—
"If you mock the adviser one more time, you'll be forcing my hoof, you impudent little pup!"
"I'm begging you all, please sto—
Another guard in the group finally spoke up. "You fall in the same category, old man. Cadence has no need for an over-the-hill warhorse like you. You'd just be a burden on the taxpayers, anyway."
"I'm just as spry as I ever was, you little shit!"
Fluttershy could feel a panic attack coming on. She felt it in her chest and in her gut. The air around her felt thick, and her eyes were beginning to water. Just as she was about to give up and go look for somewhere safe to hide, perhaps her cozy little nook in the library, where she would be out of earshot and out of sight of the squabbling - a thought came to her. It was something she never thought she'd ask herself: What would Sombra do? Or, at the very least, what would Sombra have her do? She looked down at her reflection in the polished tile floor and imagined that she could see her king standing by her, watching, waiting to see how she would act. She could practically hear his voice in her head.
Walk proudly. You're a queen now, never forget that.
I'm a queen now... I'm a queen now... She wiped her eyes and repeated the mantra to herself. Her velvety blue cape fluttered out like blooming peacock feathers as she forced her wings to open. Her hooves left the ground and she moved to hover above the squabbling quintet. Her heart was pounding nervously. She needed to speak before her courage abandoned her. She took a brief moment to imagine once again Sombra watching her. You're a queen now, she could hear him say. Never forget that. She closed her eyes, took a breath, and she let her voice be heard. "All of you, be silent this instant!"
The old guard and even Ethey looked startled as their eyes went up to meet hers. "At once, my queen," said the old stallion with a dutiful bow of his head.
Ethey's eyes were wide with shock. She pushed her glasses up her muzzle and stammered, "B-by your command, your grace."
Th-they stopped... Fluttershy thought, nonplussed. I shouted for them to stop. And they stopped. There was a feeling growing in her chest just then, a kind of warmth. This must be what pride feels like.
"Oh, pack it in," challenged the younger guard. "You don't command me."
Fluttershy couldn't stop now. She was on a roll. She needed to act while the heat was in her blood. She tucked in her wings and landed so gracefully in between the circle of verbal combatants that she barely made a sound. The queen thrust a commanding hoof mere inches from the rebellious guard's muzzle and said, "You're standing in my house. You're under my roof. And while you're here, I am your queen, and you will do as I say, or you will find yourself explaining to Sombra your reason for disobeying me." Her own words sounded alien to her. They were harsh - but they felt necessary. The rebellious stallion would most likely not have listened to her unless he was given stringent incentive to do so.
The young guard did what he could to maintain his dignity with a defiant glare, but the submission in his body language was plain to see. "Fine," he acquiesced. "I was done here anyway."
"What do you mean?" asked Fluttershy.
"We're heading out." The guard looked to the other two in his company. "Come on, guys. If we leave now without a caravan slowing us down, we should be back at the Crystal Empire by sunrise." He looked at his former comrade and added, "I'd be surprised if this stubborn old goat isn't dust by then."
"Are you sure that's wise?" The elder said, in a way that sounded like he was more amused than concerned. "The peninsula nights are blistering cold, and don't forget the windchill factor, if you're planning on flying all the way there. There's the occasional rogue or highwayman to consider, as well."
The three guards broke into mocking laughter. "Old man, have you forgotten who we are?" one of them said. "We're Cadence's elite royal guard. The day we can be overwhelmed by a band of petty savages is the day I would turn in my helm."
"You won't have to bother," said Ethey. "The savages will take your head right out form under it, then keep it as an ornate chamber pot."
"Ethey," Flutterhy intervened in a mild tone, "there's no more to be said here." She turned to the group of guards and said, "If you wish to leave, then you may leave. Stay warm, and travel safely."
The younger guard, who seemed to be the highest ranking of the three, bowed his head in a mock gesture of respect. "Yes, your highness." It was as much as he dared in retribution for his chastisement, for it was obvious that he feared a more forthright insult may land him in audience with the king. He spun about on his hooves to face his company, adjusted his helm, barked a command. The other two guards saluted and fell in a practiced triangular formation behind him, their hooves marching in a synchronized cadence. Before he pushed the heavy lobby doors open, he turned to his aging former subordinate. "Old man," he said, to which the elder regarded with an emotionless frown. They looked at each other for a long time. "I'm not going to tell Cadence about your defection. I'll simply tell her you went missing and we couldn't find you. You have quite the legacy back at home, and I'll admit that you earned it. I'm not going to take that away from you."
The elder's expression couldn't be more apathetic. "I won't be able to take my legacy with me when I die, boy," he rasped in his harsh, gravely tone. "What's important is how one lives their life. When you come to be my age, you'll realize that."
"So," Ethey said, watching the last guard shut the door behind him, "you're staying with us, then?'
"Yes. I believe so."
"Uhm," Fluttershy broke in. "sir, do you mind if I ask you something?"
"You can ask me anything." The guard smiled as he stroked the stubble of his chin. "You are the queen, after all. Oh, and, uh, the name's Clash. Clash Steelsong. All that 'sir' and 'mister' stuff makes me feel old."
"Yes si— um... Clash..." Fluttershy would have to make a mental note of the stallion's request. Her parents raised her to always respectively refer to her elders as 'sir' or 'm'am'; she could already tell that it was going to be a difficult habit to break. "So," she said, "Mister Steelsong... Or - Clash. Sorry... Why is it that you don't wish to return home?" Extrapolating from what she had heard during the argument, she felt like she knew the reason, but she couldn't help but ask.
The elder sighed and explained, "When I received my orders to accompany and provide protection for the caravan heading out to the peninsula, I was given a letter, signed by Cadence herself, that informed me this would be my last task under her service, and I'm to be honorably discharged upon my return. I was so outraged that I ended up storming into the throne room, where I personally submitted my refusal to Princess Cadence. She showered me with compliments, thank yous, and apologies, but she ultimately insisted that it was time for me to go. I heard Sombra's speech this morning and, all the things he said - it just resonated with me. That was when I made my decision."
"That's understandable, I suppose," Fluttershy said thoughtfully. "But, if you don't mind me asking, why don't you want to retire?"
The guard offered his queen a sad smile and replied, "I was born and raised in an all boys military academy. I spent most of my life in Celestia's royal infantry, and when she had come to the presumption that I was too old for that, I was inducted into Cadence's royal guard and shipped off to the Crystal Empire. And now, The Princesses, in all their divine wisdom, think I'm too old for even that. The military life: the training, the discipline, the regiment, it's the only thing I've ever known. To just one day expect me to stop living the way I've always lived, to just give me the metaphorical boot and expect me to assimilate with the civilian populace... It's like trying to teach a fish to fly. Or, to be more accurate: It's like forcibly removing the fish from the pond, and telling it there's no longer a place for it there, and that it had better learn to fly if it expects to survive."
"I completely understand," Ethey put in. She placed a sympathetic hoof on the old stallion's arm and added, "I'll be sure to let the king know about all of this. I'm sure he'll make you the head of his guard in light of all your experience."
Clash regarded her with a thankful smile and said, "I think I'd rather be a drill instructor. Sombra is going to need guards and soldiers. He'll need somebody to train the new recruits, show 'em what's what." He turned his glossy golden eyes upward, as if he was hinting toward the presence of someone or something that the two mares hadn't been aware of. "Besides, I think he already knows."
Ethey and Fluttershy gave each other a curious glance before they turned their attention toward the direction in which the old stallion was looking, and it was there Sombra was standing, still as a gargoyle as he looked down on them over the polished railing of the second story balustrade. "Good evening," he bade - but no one replied.
How long has he been standing there? Fluttershy felt a jolting sensation run along her spine. It wasn't a feeling as visceral or unpleasant as terror. The utter lack of trepidation perplexed her somewhat. It felt more like suspense than anything else.
"I promised reward and remuneration for those who would pledge themselves to me," The king said, in that deep, methodical tone of his. "I plan to follow through with that promise... Clash Steelsong, is it?"
The old guard nodded. "It is, sir. Er - My King."
The king closed his eyes for a thoughtful moment. "A good name. A strong name..." His eyes opened. "Your experience would no doubt be an asset to me. Therefore, you shall henceforth wear the title of Master-At-Arms. You will be responsible for the regiment of my fighting force." He placed his hoof upon the railing and added, "Don't disappoint me."
The old guard bowed his head. A single tear of gratitude could be seen running along the trail of that hideous scar of his that ran from his eye and all the way down the tip of his muzzle. "Thank you, my king."
The king then turned his eyes to his queen. Fluttershy returned the gaze and wondered what he was thinking. It was no longer a wonder as to how she could so strongly feel his presence when she stepped up to end the quarrel between the guards and the adviser. "Lady Fluttershy," he said, in a tone that was almost gentle. There was the slightest ghost of a smile on his face. It was the first time he had addressed her by her name.
"Y-yes?" she said at once.
"I've never felt so proud to call you my queen."
Fluttershy had been complimented before. She had been told that she was cute, at least a million times. She had been told that she was kind, that she was a good singer, that she was sweet and caring, but it was the first time she had ever heard anyone say that they were proud of her. Not even her parents had ever given her that honor. She could feel the temperature in her cheeks beginning to rise.
"Now then," The king said, after a bout of silence that seemed to have lasted an eternity, "I'm off to bed. Won't you be joining me, little dove?"
"I'll, uh, be along in a bit?" Fluttershy replied, befuddled.
"Very good." He turned and seductively whipped his tail in a way that could be construed as to say 'don't keep me waiting' as he was off.
Fluttershy watched her husband saunter away, aware of the stinging sensation in her practically incandescent cheeks. She wasn't sure if it was the rush from earlier, or if it was from the realization that she was no longer afraid, but she was overcome with a strange kind of euphoria, which was now baffling her in the most pleasant way.