The dull and colorless Main Hall of Castle Char had been transformed into a colorful and exciting place to be. From Twilight's and Alex's exploration of the dungeons, some of Castle Char's old banners, statues, tapestries, furniture, rugs, and portraits had been rediscovered. Allowing Pinkie Pie to incorporate them with her decorations for Smolder's coronation, banners hung from the ceiling depicting the emblems of the previous Kings, the stained glass windows had been cleaned allowing the sun to cast a kaleidoscope of colors to wash over the floors, tapestries mounted the walls revealing small glimpses into Flame Pony history, and portraits were hung in the corridors of famous Flame Pony Generals, philosophers, and passed Royal Family. I wasn't able to marvel at the decorations as much as I would have liked, Pinkie Pie was already running me through the procedures for tomorrow night.
"Alright Sparky, you'll hear the band start to play 'All Ye' Gentle Ponies', which will signal you to step down the steps." Pinkie Pie explained motioning me to start moving.
"Alright." I said taking a single hoof step.
"Head up, Sparky! Chest out and try lifting those knees!" Pinkie Pie shouted at me immediately, as I quickly made the corrections to my posture.
I tried to position my body in the way that she had told me to conform, trying my best not to look rigid while doing it.
"Alright, so the music will keep going until you reach your seat, so I recommend putting a little speed on it because no pony can stand 'All Ye' Gentle Ponies' for very long." Pinkie Pie said reading off her stone slate directing me to the stone block at the landing.
"Is this where I sit?" I asked looking at it awkwardly.
"Yep, you plant your flank right on top of it. The music will die down, and Wingston will go on with a declaration of Flame Pony history, the purpose of the stone and yadda yadda yadda where he will have General Hearth bring up the crown." Pinkie Pie explained further as I sat down.
Pinkie Pie removed my crown from my head, leaping off the platform, hustling to the other side where she strolled up the side carrying the crown formally.
"General Hearth will hand it off to Wingston who will turn to you and ask 'Is his Majesty willing to take the oath?' Which is where you say…?" Pinkie Pie asked trailing off.
"I am willing." I replied looking down at my own stone slate.
"Louder! No pony is going to hear that!" Pinkie Pie shouted into my ear.
"I am willing!" I shouted loudly in surprise.
"Good, Wingston will raise the crown over your head and ask 'Will you govern your ponies, Ashen Field, towns, and colonies accordingly through our laws and customs?' And you say…" Pinkie Pie asked holding the crown over me.
"I solemnly promise to do so!" I replied loudly, feeling Pinkie Pie place the crown back on my head.
"He will then ask, 'And will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy to be executed in all your judgments?' And you're going to say…" Pinkie Pie asked strolling away from the platform and dragging a stone table into the middle.
"I will!" I said aloud watching her move it.
"This is where you will get off the rock, approach the table and give your speech." Pinkie Pie continued ushering me towards the table.
"Speech?" I asked sounding confused, looking over my stone slate and not seeing one.
"We can't do everything for you, Sparky." Pinkie Pie said looking at me crossly.
"But I don't know what to say." I mentioned turning the stone slate over hoping to see more words on the other side.
"So after you've given your speech you will then finish it off with the final few words…" Pinkie Pie trailed off once more.
"The things which I have here before promised I will perform and keep. To the end of my reign or life." I read off the stone slate.
"You will then hoof print the book, sign the oath, and you're King." Pinkie Pie said simply with a smile.
"It's rather easy to be crowned King." I said watching Pinkie Pie push the table away.
"You can say that again. After that, your banner will unravel overhead, adding your place among the other King's that came before, you'll parade down the aisle and out through the front doors of Castle Char where every Flame Pony will celebrate." Pinkie Pie explained pointing towards the other end of the hall.
"I have a banner?" I asked curiously looking up at the ceiling.
"We had Rarity work it in to her already busy schedule." Pinkie Pie said looking up with me as well.
"What does it look like?" I asked curiously.
"It's your cutie mark." Pinkie Pie replied.
I felt my mane flare. It was simply a smoldering pile of embers. It didn't really seem to fit the grand, intimidating sigils that the rest of the banners had.
"Afterwards you'll be greeted by all the political ponies, royal ponies, and every pony else here in the hall. You'll mingle for a bit, we'll open up the courtyard for dinner and entertainment. After a few hours of partying we'll let the fireworks commence." Pinkie Pie explained reading off her stone slate.
"How many ponies are going to be here?" I asked curiously looking over Pinkie Pie's shoulder at her stone slate; to my surprise it was a picture of cupcake.
"Almost one hundred honored guest ponies, almost another hundred special guest ponies, and the rest will be common guest ponies." Pinkie Pie replied.
"What's the difference?" I asked looking confused.
"Well the honored guest ponies will have gold trimmed cloaks, the special guests ponies will have silver, red, or blue. The common guest ponies will be dressed in however they what." Pinkie Pie explained to me.
"What are the colors for?" I asked curiously.
"It's to help you recognize the important ponies you have to be Kingly in front of; the rest you can be yourself around." Pinkie Pie said ushering me back up the stairs.
"Well that will be helpful." I said climbing back up the stairs.
"Now, I need you to work on your speech. Some of your guests will be arriving later tonight and you'll need to formally greet them." Pinkie Pie said shooing me up the stairs.
"What guests?" I asked surprised.
"The ponies that are traveling all the way from Saddle Arabia, and other really far places. Jeez, Smolder, it's not like they can make the trip in a single day." Pinkie Pie said rolling her eyes.
"Indeed, we'll need to have the Main Hall ready before their arrival. Are we still on schedule?" Argo Fleece asked aloud descending the stairs opposite of me.
"No worries, we're actually a little ahead of schedule." Pinkie Pie replied throwing Argo a salute.
"I hope everything is to your satisfaction, my Lord." Argo asked approaching me.
"It is fantastic, Mr. Fleece, you have my sincerest gratitude for overseeing this." I said bowing my head to him.
"The Pink one insisted on spear heading this, she is the one who needs your thanks." Argo replied still descending the stairs past Pinkie Pie.
Pinkie Pie and I watched Argo cross the hall towards main entrance. I noticed Pinkie Pie looking rather serious as she stared after him.
"You alright, Pinkie?" I asked leaning my head out in front of her.
"How much do you know about Argo, Sparky?" Pinkie Pie asked me suddenly.
"Argo? Only what Wingston shared with me before I brought him onto the Council." I replied with a small shrug.
"What did he say?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.
"Well, Wingston told me that Argo was unmatched in terms of coin. That I should be cautious when considering him a position when picking ponies to be on the Council." I said.
"Why did you need to be cautious?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"When my father disbanded the Council, he sought younger ponies, ponies capable of working with him; this was before he was the Mad King of course. Argo was one of the few ponies that believed in my father and helped him during his reign." I explained.
"What happened?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.
"When my father started to fall into madness, Argo supported my father through it all, until the day my father was banished to the Void." I said quietly to her, making sure no pony but she could hear.
"Why would he do that?" Pinkie Pie asked in a whisper.
"Well, it was actually General Hearth who told me in confidence that Argo had personal reasons for doing what he did." I whispered back.
"What reasons?" Pinkie Pie asked in a hushed tone.
"I cannot talk about it, it was told to me in secret and it would be wrong to tell another pony." I said waving it off.
"I can keep a secret!" Pinkie Pie insisted.
I shook my head no, refusing to answer her as I made my way back to the Royal Chambers.
"General Hearth said he lost his family during the reign of the Mad King." Pinkie Pie hissed to me, running up alongside me.
"He said what?" I asked in a hushed tone looking around the hall for any pony that might have heard.
"He said Argo lost his family." Pinkie Pie repeated quietly.
"You can't tell a pony, Pinkie, and I mean no pony." I said quickly pointing my hoof at her.
"I promise." Pinkie Pie said crossing her heart.
"The Mad King threatened any pony that stood against him, banishing ponies from the Kingdom or worse. Argo agreed to help the Mad King to make sure his family was spared from his wrath. Argo's wife didn't agree with Argo's choice in helping the Mad King hurt other ponies, but when Argo refused to stand against the Mad King she left him and took their filly with her." I explained quietly.
"She ran away?" Pinkie Pie asked quietly.
"General Hearth said she fled north, but there wasn't ever any word if she made it or not." I said quietly.
Pinkie Pie looked down at her hooves, apparently in deep thought as I felt like I shouldn't have said anything to begin with.
"Argo wanted to protect his family, I know what that feels like, and I offered him a place on the Council because of it. Wingston was worried that Argo wasn't of sound mind to be on the Council, but aside from his attitude he has been good for the Ashen Fields and its ponies." I explained.
"Thanks Sparky, I promise I won't tell no pony." Pinkie Pie said heading back down the stairs.
"Pinkie." I said turning around, Pinkie Pie stopped short to look back at me.
"Thank you, for everything you've done here." I said with a smile.
"Just don't forget your lines, Sparky." Pinkie Pie said threateningly, but quickly followed it up with a smile.
Princess Sapphire was several paces ahead of Twilight Sparkle and Alex Papyrus. Sapphire strode with such a brisk pace that Twilight and Alex almost had to trot to keep up with her. She seemed to know her way around the Castle very well, crossing the Main Hall in no time, making her way out the front of the Castle before proceeding around the side to reach the Obelisk that stood halfway out in the fields.
"My Lady, the Obelisk isn't going anywhere. Perhaps you can slow down a bit?" Alex asked struggling to carry an arm full of blank stone slates.
"Need I remind you that the Obelisk was seen flying to where it is now?" Sapphire asked, refusing to slow down.
"She makes a good point." Twilight replied, picking up the pace.
Rounding the corner of the courtyard the Obelisk came into view; standing ominously in the distance. Sapphire broke out into a gallop, leaving behind Twilight and Alex in a flash. Twilight took after her while Alex gave up his pursuit, deciding to get there at his own pace; mumbling to himself of how unfair it was for him to carry everything.
Sapphire reached the base of the Obelisk, Twilight only seconds behind. Leaning hard against the Obelisk, Sapphire discerned that it wasn't going to budge, which caused her to start examining ground beneath it. Twilight stood off to the side, observing its interesting designs and watching Sapphire trace her hoof along the edges.
"Other then it having flown here, I don't see anything different." Twilight commented.
"On the surface is remains the same. Come; place your hoof on the Obelisk." Sapphire said ushering her to come closer.
Twilight did as she was asked, placing her hoof upon the Obelisk, feeling a small pulse faintly beating.
"Why is it doing that?" Twilight asked curiously.
"I really can't say for sure, but it may be having something to do with my missing Obelisk." Sapphire suggested, stepping back and looking at it from top to bottom.
"You think the two are connected?" Twilight asked curiously.
"I was under the impression that the Obelisk in the Frozen North was the only one left in all of Equestria. With there being two now… well I'm not sure if there are merely two or perhaps a hundred out there." Sapphire said looking perplexed.
Alex finally reached the Obelisk, composed and admiring the Obelisk himself. Sapphire quickly approached him, taking the stone slate with her hoof and using her magic to sear her writing into the slate. Alex looked rather impressed with her resourcefulness and her eagerness to get to work.
"What have you deduced?" Alex asked approaching Twilight.
"Well, there could be more than the two we know of and there is small pulse coming from Obelisk." Twilight reported.
"Fascinating, where should we begin?" Alex asked looking excited.
"You could start by drawing accurate and detailed pictures of the designs found on each side of the Obelisk." Sapphire said aloud, not looking up from the stone slate.
"Right away, my Lady." Alex replied placing the blank slates on the ground.
Taking a blank slate off the top of the stack, Alex went to work on sketching out the markings. Twilight picked up a blank slate as well, approaching Sapphire with a smile.
"What can I do?" Twilight asked cheerfully.
Sapphire looked up from her slate at her, narrowing her eyes at Twilight's horn, she turned to face her.
"Do you know any spells that would be used for detecting things or other objects?" Sapphire asked curiously.
"I know one or two that have proved useful to me." Twilight replied.
"Would you check the immediate area of the Obelisk and see if you can't find a reason to why it landed here?" Sapphire asked looking around at the mostly barren field they were in.
"Am I looking for anything specific?" Twilight asked curiously.
"I suppose anything that doesn't belong nor has a distinct pattern to it. Anything at this point will be welcomed as good news." Sapphire replied.
"I'll get started it on it right away." Twilight said nodding her head.
Twilight, Alex, and Sapphire spent the next hour mostly keeping to themselves. Focusing on their individual tasks, making notes, but Sapphire was the only pony who seemed to be making some sort of progress. Twilight's attempts to find something irregular with the Obelisk's placement was coming up short each time, slowly spiraling out from the Obelisk to scan new areas. Alex was having a very difficult time copying every small detail the Obelisk offered, the designs were of all shapes and lengths with sudden departures that curved around its edges.
"Have you found anything interesting?" Twilight asked aloud looking towards Sapphire.
"Nothing I haven't already discovered from the Obelisk in the Frozen North." Sapphire replied, sounding slightly annoyed by this.
"Did you spend a lot of time studying your Obelisk?" Twilight asked.
"I spent nearly three years studying the Void and its effect on Equestria. The Obelisk is the only known relic to have come directly from the Void and we still know next to nothing about it." Sapphire explained further.
"Is the Void a popular area of research in the Frozen North?" Alex asked curiously.
"Hardly, very few Ice Ponies consider it a worthwhile field to explore." Sapphire replied.
"Then why did you choose it?" Twilight asked curiously; she and Alex had both stopped their work to listen.
"I felt that are weakest fields should become our greatest strengths. The Void was used more frequently centuries ago but it suddenly stopped during the Rise of the Flame Ponies." Sapphire answered still busy taking notes.
"Rise of the Flame Ponies?" Twilight asked looking over at Alex.
"It was just after the Lord Smoke, the Dragon Rider, had assumed the title of King, just after he had successfully overthrown the Dragons. It was the first time the Flame Ponies governed themselves rather than being ruled by Dragons." Alex summed it up for her.
"Letters from ponies during that time describe a 'Moment of Fear'. Many letters stated it happened here, in the Ashen Fields. That Lord Smoke saved Equestria from certain destruction, but few mentioned what it was that threatened it in the first place. Except for one mention of a portal so large that it could swallow Castle Char." Sapphire said looking up at them.
"That is way bigger than the portal we used to banish the Mad King with." Twilight stated.
"Seeing the etching down in the dungeon made me fearful of what would happen if any pony was to try and attempt to open a portal that large once more. With our Obelisk missing, I didn't want to take any chances and smashed it." Sapphire admitted.
"It seems you had ample reason to be cautious." Alex said nodding his head.
"Well now that story time is over, let's get back to work." Sapphire stated waving her hoof at them to get moving.
"There is something that's still bothering me though." Twilight said narrowing her eyes at Sapphire.
"What would that be?" Sapphire asked tapping the Obelisk with her hoof.
"You saw this Obelisk speared through the dam, did you not?" Twilight asked.
"Of course, I had mistaken it for ours." Sapphire replied.
"You also incapacitated several Royal Guard Ponies, but didn't question a single one." Twilight continued looking at her even more curiously.
"What is your point?" Sapphire asked trying to determine where she was going with this.
"Why were so rough with Smolder?" Twilight asked curiously.
"I beg your pardon?" Sapphire asked taken aback.
"You merely knocked out the Guard Ponies, why bring down the hammer on him? I heard you turned his room into a winter wonderland." Twilight asked again; noticing Sapphire's hesitation to answer.
"I was… merely trying to uncover the truth about his involvement in the theft of our Obelisk." Sapphire said looking a bit flustered.
"Was that before or after you tried to flash freeze him?" Twilight asked with a smirk.
"What does this have to do with anything?" Sapphire snapped, flushing slightly.
"You just seemed to be a little angry with him than with any other pony you've met." Twilight mentioned trying not to sound too accusing.
Alex watched the clouds of Sapphire's mane swirl in frustration, the purple in her face was becoming more vibrant; Alex decided to not to get involved. Sapphire's mane showered small snowflakes all around her; she frowned at Twilight before whipping her mane to the other side of her head.
"If you must know… my parents intend for me to marry Prince Smolder." Sapphire said her face mostly purple.
"What?" Twilight asked in shock.
"Our Prince Smolder?" Alex asked looking equally as stunned.
"Of course your Prince Smolder!" Sapphire snapped, ice shards forming on her hooves from such embarrassment.
"Does Smolder know about this?" Twilight asked still looking flabbergasted.
"No. My parents offered me a choice: that they introduce me to him or I come down here and meet him myself." Sapphire said quickly trying to focus on her notes.
"So you attacked him?" Alex asked looking puzzled.
"There were several conflicting emotions!" Sapphire snapped again, her mane showering snowflakes.
"So… did you attack him, hoping he would dislike you or something?" Twilight asked making her way over to her.
"I was angry, upset, annoyed, frustrated and above all else… afraid." Sapphire said refusing to look at Twilight.
"Afraid of what?" Twilight asked, sounding concerned.
"I'm a Princess; there are things that are required of me. My responsibilities leave little to no room for compromise. I do what I am told and I do it to benefit the Ice Kingdom and its ponies. I was afraid of… losing what little freedom I had left." Sapphire said quietly, Alex got to his hooves to move closer.
Twilight's magic pushed Alex back several yards back, getting the hint that he wasn't going to be a part of the conversation anymore.
"I had no idea." Twilight said to her sympathetically.
"I've spent most of my life being molded into an upstanding Princess, and I'm paired up with Flame Pony who doesn't even know the first thing about being a King." Sapphire said bitterly.
"I don't think Smolder's intention was to become King; when you're last on the list you don't really see yourself making it to the top." Twilight said trying to comfort her.
"He's a dork." Sapphire said glancing over at her.
"Well… I can't argue with that." Twilight said nodding in agreement.
"It's deplorable to see a Prince act so… carefree in the way he carries out his duties." Sapphire said whipping her mane to the side.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous." Twilight said with a coy smile.
"Me? Jealous? Jealous of what?" Sapphire asked looking completely guilty.
"The freedoms Smolder had growing up." Twilight replied.
Sapphire tossed her stone slate aside, her mane fluttered for a bit, flakes of snow falling from her mane. Twilight waited patiently for her response.
"Being promised to a pony I hardly know isn't quite how I planned my life to unfold." Sapphire confessed after a while.
"Smolder doesn't have to agree with it." Twilight said optimistically.
"The joining of two Kingdoms, fire and ice, will be a windfall for the prosperity for both sides. The union would expedite years of political squabbling over trade and market, it would ease the relations of Flame and Ice Ponies, and it will allow for intermixed communities of our ponies to live in both the Ashen Fields and the Frozen North." Sapphire stated, almost reciting these words.
"He still doesn't have to do it." Twilight insisted.
"It would be morally and politically irresponsible for him to disagree with this arrangement." Sapphire stated.
"Do you want to do it, or do you have to do it?" Twilight asked curiously.
Sapphire didn't respond, struggling to reply in the way she knows she's supposed to, rather than how she feels.
"Standing up for yourself is never easy, Princess Sapphire. You just need to have a talk with your parents and let them know how you feel." Twilight said gently patting her on the shoulder.
"I'm afraid that I will disappoint them." Sapphire replied solemnly.
"The only pony you'll be disappointing is yourself if you allow your feelings to stay buried." Twilight said reassuringly.
Sapphire turned her head for a moment, wiping her eyes away from Twilight before lifting her head high and taking a deep breath. Glancing over at Twilight, Sapphire gave her a soft smile.
"I had wondered why Prince Smolder put so much trust in such common ponies. I'm beginning to realize how extraordinarily uncommon you all truly are." Sapphire said sounding more cheerful.
"Why don't you go speak with Smolder about all this, Alex and I can handle this." Twilight said reassuringly picking up Sapphire's stone slate.
Sapphire nodded her head slowly. Making her way back towards the Castle, glancing over at Alex who was laying on his back staring up at the sky in complete boredom.
"Alex! We've got work to do!" Twilight shouted to him.
Alex bolted up. Collecting the stone slates in his arms he hurried over to the Obelisk, noticing Princess Sapphire making her way back towards the Castle.
"What did I miss?" Alex asked curiously.
"Alex, focus. We've got to figure out why this is here." Twilight said, ignoring his question.
"But-" Alex began but she gave him a hard stare that had him rethinking his question.
"What would you like me to do?" Alex asked, deciding to drop it all together.