It was not a busy day at Carosel Boutique. Rarity was at her sewing machine, horn aglow, holding a thread and needle. She was working hard on a blue dress for Derpy who wanted one "so she could feel pretty." Derpy was not a rich customer, but Rarity was putting all her effort into the ruffles and folds of the garment. After all, she lived to make others beautiful. A jar of sapphires was by her side which she intended to attach to the dress as soon as it was done. She would see to it that the Pegasus felt as pretty as a Princess.
She looked up, her creativity induced trance broken by the jingling of bells and the swish of a door opening. Rarity jumped up from her sewing machine. "Welcome to Carosel Boutique where everything is chic, unique and-oh, Twilight! Princess!" She hastily bowed.
"Please rise, My Little Pony."
Rarity did so, observing the two. Twilight and Celestia were standing right next to each other, Celestia's wing over Twilight's withers. It had been two days since the trial and Twilight had sent word that she was resting, the trial having apparently been an arduous event. Rarity rushed up to Twilight and they exchanged a quick nuzzle. "I knew you'd pass the test! How are you?"
"I'm doing great! Better than great, in fact."
Celestia cleared her throat. "Everything is indeed very great. I have an order for you."
Rarity raised an eyebrow. "As in a royal command or a dress order?"
"A dress order. Two dresses. Gowns, actually."
Rarity telekinetically lifted a notepad and pencil. "I see. Gowns, right. Tell me more, Darling. Oh! I mean Your Highness, Darling! Oh dear!"
Celestia touched Rarity's lips. "It's alright."
Gears had started turning in Rarity's mind. "Two...gowns?" She looked from Celestia to Twilight who were standing very close to each other. They looked as if they could barely keep their hooves off of each other. "White gowns?" She asked on a hunch.
The regal diarch and noted scholar shared a glance and then burst into giggles. Twilight recovered first. "Yes, white gowns, please."
Rarity put down her notepad. "Darlings. Are you asking me to make you wedding dresses?"
They both nodded. Rarity clapped her hooves together and squealed before grabbing both of them in a tight hug. They hugged her back, patting her shoulders. Rarity broke away. "I am so, so, sooo happy for you two! Come here! Twilight, I already have your measurements, but I'm going to need to measure you, Princess!"
Rarity dragged Twilight and Celestia into her fitting room and grabbed a measuring tape, examining Celestia with an intensity that almost aroused jealousy in Twilight.
Celestia adjusted herself on the podium that Rarity had ushered her onto, "Miss Belle, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but did you not already have another dress you were working on?"
"I'll get back to it as soon as we get you measured." She wrapped the tape around Celestia's barrel. "You're quite a bit larger than the average Pony aren't y-" Her hoof flew to her mouth. "Oh Dear! Not that you're fat! You're lovely and majestic!"
Celestia shook her head. "Please Miss Belle, there's no need to be frightened of me. I realize that I am very much larger than the average Pony."
Rarity moved the tape up several inches. "You have thick, strong muscles like an Earth Pony. Your wings are stronger than that of the average Pegasus and that's saying something. I'll put gold trim on your gown, unless you're in love with traditional pure white."
"A golden trim would be wonderful."
"And purple trim for Twilight."
Celestia re-positioned herself. The tape was poking and prodding places she wasn't normally poked or prodded. "How much should this cost? You will be reimbursed from the royal treasury."
Rarity jotted down some notes on the pad she had floating beside her while levitating the tape at the same time. "I do not charge my friends nor do I charge royalty."
"But, surely, you should be reimbursed for your hard work."
Twilight tapped Celestia on her shoulder. "Don't even argue with her."
"Listen, Your Highness." Rarity snapped the measuring tape closed. "It is a privilege to make a beautiful dress for a dear friend's wedding and it is my duty, honor and privilege to serve my liege. With all due respect, I can not accept money from you."
"That simply will not do. I've spent my reign instilling the idea that hard work should be rewarded. Why do you think I banned unpaid internships?"
Rarity levitated some silk. "I quite agree with that, Darl-Your Highness. But this is a reward in and of itself, you understand?"
"I suppose that I do."
"Would you please remove your peytrayl? It would give me a more accurate measurement."
Celestia complied, taking off the golden symbol of her office and setting it aside next to the stand she was on. "You really are sincere in that, aren't you?"
"Absolutely. I do not love you the way Twilight loves you, but I do love you and I love Twilight. I'd go so far as to call her my horn sister, especially after she used the last bit of her magic to heal me."
Twilight blushed. "Rarity, I had no idea you felt that way."
"I do, Darling."
Celestia pursed her lips. "I feel I owe you an apology."
"Whatever for?"
"I misjudged you. When Twilight told me about the way you acted at her birthday party, I assumed you were like other Unicorns who seek to emulate the so-called nobles. Power-seeking. Self-centered."
Rarity stared down at the floor. "I behaved dreadfully, truly I did." She gulped. "It was a long time ago. But, may I ask you pardon? I need it."
Celestia crossed her horn with Rarity's. "I hereby pardon thine offense. Know Twilight forgave you long ago."
Rarity closed her eyes. "Thank you. Since that incident I have had so many doubts about myself."
Celestia drew back. "Often, forgiveness must be sought within. Even I can't fully grant it."
Rarity listened intently, drank in the wisdom. "Thank you, Princess. Consider this gown an offering."
"Very well. You have helped me to come to a decision. I have been toying with it for a long time, but now I know."
"A decision?"
"Yes, something I must discuss with Twilight."
...
There were many reasons Earl Grey and Earl Shimmer disliked meeting with their co-conspirator. For one, it was where he insisted on meeting. They had to travel deep into the mountains surrounding Canterlot, then enter into a damp, dark cave. The cave mouth yawned before them, like a primordial beast aiming to devour them.
They entered into the cave and the second they did, they were enshrouded by darkness.
The second reason they disliked meeting their co-conspirator was his insistence on reminding them of their place on the food chain. Ponies were prey animals. They had driven out all their predators long ago, but their ancestors had been prey and so they remained.
Jormungandr took up the entirety of the cave. His mouth was open, though there was no real reason for that to be true. Venom dripped down his fangs. Where the venom dropped, the rock melted away. They kept several feet between themselves and the great serpent.
It still didn't feel close enough. Steam lifted up from holes where the stone had dissolved. The steam obscured much of his face. He closed his mouth. "You have failed again, mortals."
Would it kill him to address me by my title? Earl Grey thought this. She did not say it.
Jormungandr flicked his tongue. They jumped back. Some abominable sound that could have been called a laugh emanated from his throat. "I was only taking a breath. Such frightened creatures you equines are. So soft. So much...flesh."
Earl Shimmer backed farther away. Earl Grey stood her ground, but couldn't keep from trembling. Jormungandr's lips curled back, revealing rows upon rows of teeth, all shining with poison.
Earl Grey took a few, faltering steps forward. "We must merely change our approach."
He shot forward, his face touching hers. Coils flowed around her. She felt her lunch nearing her throat. "Change your approach? When I came to you, I assumed you had as much reason to wish for Twilight Sparkle's death as I do."
"We most certainly do, Lord of Serpents." Earl Shimmer warily eyed the coils squeezing her ally. Earl Grey was trembling.
"Do you? It does not seem it." His fangs suddenly ripped into Earl Grey's neck. The scream that broke from her throat deafened Shimmer who nearly ran from the cavern, but her legs locked up when she tried. Jormungandr drew away. "You have a week. Kill Twilight Sparkle or the venom will kill you. How's that for incentive?"
He dropped her on the ground, sank into the shadows. Earl Grey writhed on the rock. Earl Shimmer rushed to her, helped her up off the hard floor. "Are you alright, Grey?"
Grey didn't respond. Her skin felt cold to the touch and she hadn't stopped shaking.
Shimmer lit her horn. "What did you do to her?"
He drew back, towered over her. "Speak very carefully right now, lest you wish to join her."
"What did you do? Tell me!"
Grey leaned against her. "Stop it. Just stop it, he'll kill you."
Jormungandr lashed his head. Shimmer tried to summon a shield, but his fangs pierced it. The long, blade-like teeth plunged into her flesh. She screamed and jerked back. Blood spurted from the wound and her veins filled with fire. A horrible sound filled the cave. It took her several minutes to realize that the screaming was her own voice.
She didn't remember falling onto the ground, only the pain of the rock crashing against her knees. Jormungandr bent down low. "I do not tolerate failure nor insolence. Is that clear?"
Her throat was ragged and raw. She opened her mouth, nothing came out.
His head struck hers so she could feel the slime that clung to his scales. "Answer me, Mortal. Take all the time you need." Another obscene laugh.
Shimmer coughed. "It's clear."
"Good. There will be...harmony...between us then."
Shimmer bristled. She might have been a traitor to country and crown, but she didn't like this aberration mocking the philosophy she had been raised on. "I don't know how much harmony we'll have if we die before we can kill Sparkle."
"Do you not realize you are but tools to me, Ponies? I can find new tools whenever I wish. If Twilight is not dead within a month, you will be. Come back here when she is dead and I will cure you."
He slithered back into the farthest reaches of the cave. Earl Shimmer and Earl Grey propped each other up as they stumbled from the cave mouth. A ring of tall mountains enclosed them. The ground was rough to their hooves.
Earl Grey stopped. "What are we going to do?"
Earl Shimmer stared up at the rushing rivers pounding upon the earth below, filling up the rivers which would bring life to the surrounding countryside. "I always told my children it is better to admit a mistake. We took a risk allying ourselves with him." She shuddered, nearly fell, as the poison rippled through her limbs. "Princess Celestia is merciful. What do you think we'll get? Twenty years in the Everfree?"
Earl Grey whirled around to face her so quickly a cloud of dust burst up. "No! We can't go to Celestia! Jormungandr will kill us!"
"He's already done that. She might have the cure!"
Earl Grey pawed at the ground. "I've worked too hard to get where I am today! I'm not going into exile!"
"Exile is better than death."
"Maybe for a mare like you who doesn't give a buck about honor!"
Earl Shimmer's ears pinned back. "Excuse me? I don't care about honor? If I go down, you're coming with me if you don't recall!"
"We are not going down!"
"I don't see any other way!"
Earl Grey shook her head. "Pathetic! Pathetic! Your first instinct is to run?"
Earl Shimmer stalked forward, lowered her horn. "My first instinct is to survive!"
Earl Grey lifted up, deliberately holding her horn in a neutral position. "Now, now. There is a problem, but I know Ponies who can solve problems."
"Oh?"
"Yes. Simply follow me and I will introduce you to one such Pony who knows how to solve problems."
Shimmer followed in step with Grey. "Is this the same Pony who solved your former lover?"
"The very same, my dear earl."
...
The Everfree Forest loomed before Twilight and Celestia. The Pegasi had planned a rainstorm. Grey clouds were marching in. Twilight took her familiar shelter beneath Celestia's wing and they entered into the tangled mass of tree limbs and leaves. The old gnarled trees of the forest intertwined into each other.
Their hooves sunk into the soggy earth, grasses coming up to their pasterns. The trees rose high above them, a cloud of green blotting out the sky. The leaves and needles of the trees formed a solid roof and when the wind blew, a rain of leaves gently fell down to the forest floor.
The air was starting to feel wet, but the first rain drops hadn't begun to fall. Twilight still took this as an excuse to rub closer to Celestia while struggling to move her hooves through the muck that the ground was composed of. "Celestia, where are we going?"
"It's a surprise, trust me, you'll love it."
Twilight mock pouted. "You just love surprising me, don't you?"
"Yep."
"I'm going to surprise you one of these days."
They passed through a grove of flowering trees. Blue petals swirled through the air, tossed by a sudden gale, released a strange scent.
"How would it be a surprise if you tell me?"
"I won't tell you before I do it."
The rain started to fall, first with little taps of water on the broad leaves, then increased in tempo, falling faster and faster, bending the leaves, pouring down onto the forest floor. Celestia summoned a shield, which the rain tapped against. Wind whooshed, knocking around the rain.
The torrent crashed through the emerald canopy. Celestia and Twilight both broke into a gallop, Celestia keeping the shield up. The ground grew wetter beneath the beating of the rain upon the earth, making it harder for the two to run. Twilight grunted as she attempted to tug her hoof free.
Suddenly, Celestia pulled Twilight up in her magic and set her on her back. Twilight held tight. Celestia rocketed into the air. The rain cracked against Celestia's shield, but she flew straight. Steam sizzled where the rain fell down against the heat radiating from the bubble of pure energy.
Celestia soared high above the grasses below them, the shield scraping against the tree limbs. Twigs snapped at her passing and clattered all around them. Twilight wondered where their destination was. Celestia whirled around the arms of a maple tree.
The rain danced on the leaves, droplets splattering on the hard wood. The farther along they went, the older the trees became. Gnarled oaks, covered in knots, birches who were now dying, rotting maples and pines whose trunks were as thick as a Pony was round.
Young saplings had sprung up where the old trees had laid down their seeds. To Twilight, there was something very familiar about the trees, the vines wrapping around them like serpents. She could barely see through the mist that the water vapor had created throughout the forest, but she knew those trees.
It brought her back to a night years ago, when her life had forever changed after facing a mad goddess alongside five others who would become her first-and best-friends.
While the mist obscured it, there were faces carved into the trunks. Frightening faces, faces inscribed by a long-vanished race which had once inhabited these woods before they were woods.
Pinkie had taught her not to be afraid of them, not to be afraid of this disturbing remnant of a society that had destroyed itself through its own depravity.
Twilight nestled into Celestia's mane. Warm tendrils curled around her chin. The ground broke away so suddenly that if you were not prepared for it you would slip into the abyss. What had been solid grassland shifted into jagged cliffs. Celestia soared over them.
The thought came into her mind that one day, Ponies too might be a vanished race. There had been so many times where their very existence had been threatened. Tirek, Grogar, Discord, Nightmare Moon...
Celestia shifted position. "How you doing back there?"
"Contemplating Pony hubris and the ephemeral nature of civilization."
"That's my Twilight."
They surged further within the forest. Fur stood up on Twilight's neck. It always did. Memories played inside of her mind. The demonic visage of the corrupted Princess Luna, even though Nightmare Moon wasn't Luna, just a manifestation of the darkness she'd tried and failed to suppress.
"Are you alright?" Celestia gave her wings a solid flap, puffing them out so the water wouldn't stick to them. "You're shivering."
They flew over the rope bridge that still connected the two cliffs, the rope bride Dash had connected so that they could get across. Down below them was a fathomless, bottomless darkness. Twilight supposed that if one were to fall down them, there would eventually be a bottom, probably one where sharp spikes lay.
"I'm fine."
"You're not. You're scared of this place aren't you?"
Twilight bit her lip. "A little bit. It still feels evil."
"Do you believe love can redeem evil? That light can reclaim darkness?"
Twilight nodded. "I've seen it."
"Do you think our love could redeem an evil place? That the light of it could turn an evil place into a place of joy and gladness?"
Twilight settled herself up Celestia's back, sitting up slightly. "That's not a rhetorical question is it?"
"This wasn't always an evil place." Celestia stared straight ahead, let down the shield as the rain tapered away. "There was a city here. Festivals and great assemblies, shops and schools, temples and libraries...you'd have loved it."
Twilight nuzzled her ear."The fight with Nightmare Moon destroyed it?"
"Yes. It was a great battle and at the end I tracked her down and...begged her to see reason. You know the rest. The civilians had already evacuated, fled to the settlement at Canterhorn which was a fortress for certain Noble Unicorn families. With the civilians gone, I felt comfortable fully unleashing my power. I don't know how the castle survived."
The castle appeared out of the mist and with it the sound of hammers. Twilight's jerked her head up. The clang of hammers joined the grunts of stallions carrying lumber. The castle was yet in ruins, but the work of a few hours had begun to undo the entropy brought about by the steady march of time.
Wooden planks filled gaps in the wall. Masons busied themselves with laying stones where no stones had laid in thousands of years. The castle was completely surrounded with a flood of workers.
"Celestia? What is this?"
Celestia landed. The workers knelt, then returned to their task. "I know how important Ponyville is to you and I tire of the prattling herd of idiots in Canterlot that make a mockery of their noble ancestors. Still, this halfway point would mean I would be close to Donut Joe's, should the urge for one of his creations overwhelm me."
Twilight leaned, almost collapsed, into her. "You'd do this for me?"
"Yes. For myself as well. It's a halfway point. We could live together, both close to the places we love. This was once a place of joy." She lifted a hoof, raised Twilight's face. "It could be so again. You could help me to do so. Will you?"
Twilight nuzzled underneath Celestia's chin, delighted in the sensations of Celestia's chin rubbing against the top of her head. It fit so perfectly, made everything feel so wonderfully right.
"Is that your answer?"
"Wherever you go, I will go."
Celestia pawed at the ground. "Twilight, I don't want you to say that or do something just because I want you to do it. We're beyond that stage of our relationship-or so I hope."
"I know. I want to be with you and I want to be in Ponyville with my friends. This way I can do both. Thank you."
Twilight captured Celestia's lips in a kiss. They stayed that way for a while until they had to break apart in order to breathe. Celestia flared her wings, marched in the direction of the castle. She pushed open the door with a flick of her magic and strode into the great halls.
Light streamed through broken, multicolored windows that had once been stained glass images. Twilight couldn't make out what those images had been. Pegasus workers swooped in the air, taking down the broken windows. Unicorns and Earth Ponies ran brooms down the floors, blowing up a cloud of dust. Twilight coughed. Celestia rubbed her withers.
"It's hard to tell now, but this hall was beautiful once."
Twilight attempted to imagine the dark, ruined space as it must have once been. The frayed, faded carpet once a royal, rich red. Shattered panes that had once been beautiful images. Holes in solid stone, record of betrayal and a battle that had brought an end to an age of glory.
Celestia stopped. "Do you know this is the first time in one-thousand years I've walked through these halls and it hasn't been for fighting a battle?"
Pegasus wings cut through the air, the Pegasus workers carrying the broken windows out of the castle. The shadows were banished by the light of the sun and stones that had been immersed in darkness for generations felt the touch of warmth. They could put in new windows, a new carpet.
One day, perhaps, their adopted foals would run through here. They would blend their lives together here. These grim halls would be filled with love and laughter.
They reached the end of the corridor. Celestia grinned and then vanished.
Twilight gaped. A trapdoor opened where Celestia had been. Twilight jumped down it, screaming Celestia's name. She landed on something warm and soft. Celestia wrapped her up in her wings and booped her nose.
"Gotcha."
Celestia was laying on a cushion that was somehow untouched by the march of centuries. Twilight was spread out on her warm belly. She lept up and frowned at the Princess. "Don't scare me like that!"
"Sorry, I was simply reliving my prank-filled youth."
Twilight sighed and laid down on the cushion. The rest of the room was shrouded in shadow. Only a few shafts of light brought the barest hints of illumination. She touched her horn to Celestia's. "Forgiven. So, were those trapdoors designed for escaping enemy armies?"
Celestia snorted. "They were for pranking dignitaries we didn't like. That's what happens when you put what are barely adolescents by the standards of their species in charge of a country. Me and Luna would prank each other too."
Twilight relaxed into her. "I get the feeling you and Rainbow Dash would have gotten along."
"I adore Rainbow Dash. A bit too fillyish for my tastes, but I could see us getting along."
"I'm going to have to think of a way to prank you. So, does this castle have any more surprises I should know about?"
Celestia grinned. "Pranking the mistress? I look forward to it. There are more traps. Can't remember all of them."
Twilight chewed her lip. "We should let Spike know if we're going to be moving. He should have a say in the decision though I'm sure he'll be fine with it."
"Of course. Would you still like a tour of this old place?"
Twilight hopped up. "Sure."
Celestia trotted down the hall. "Follow me."
Twilight strode alongside her. "It'd be my honor to help in planning the rebuilding."
"You don't need to."
"I want to. You know how much I love to plan. You want to restore the entire city?"
Celestia turned a corner. "If possible. It'll take a while. I'm not worried about any exiles wandering in as the part they're in is enchanted to prevent them from wandering into Equestrian territory before their sentence is up. We can create more enchantments against wild animals."
"Wild storms as well." She swished her tail, excited. "This is going to be fun."
"The seat of government will have to be moved, won't be too hard."
Twilight clapped her hooves. "It'll take some coordination, but we can do it."
...
Earl Shimmer groaned as she trudged up to the iron, painted silver gates which led to her mansion. The white edifice was pillared, carved from orange sandstone. Her family crest, a red sun, was emblazoned on top. She stumbled up to the walkway and immediately noticed the two, golden-clad guards, their coats died grey.
The first one strode forward. "Earl Shimmer?"
Earl Shimmer tried not to gulp. She tried to pretend it was the heat of the day that caused the beads of sweat on her forehead. "Yes, Gentlestallions?"
"I am Chief Investigator Nova Star. This is my colleague Onyx."
Onyx just barely acknowledged her presence with a curt nod.
"What is all this about?" She glanced around. "Am I being detained?" Her voice broke off in a coughing fit.
"Are you alright?" Nova Star asked.
She straightened up. "A cold, that is all."
An attempt to brush past them was met with them blocking her way, their expressions stern. Shimmer stepped back.
Nova Star cleared his throat. "Ma'am, you are under criminal investigation."
She stiffened. "For what? This is about Sparkle isn't it?"
"Yes. We need you to come with us. Afterwards, you are under orders not to leave Canterlot until the investigation is concluded."
"When will that be?"
Nova Star shrugged. "Most investigations are concluded within under a year, though that isn't always the case. You are being asked to remain in Canterlot as we have strong reason to believe you are behind Twilight Sparkle's attempted assassination."
She brought down her hoof. "Preposterous! Utterly preposterous! If she grew sick it is only because of her propensity for dark magic!"
"Our investigation has revealed otherwise. Please, come with us."
"If I refuse?"
"You will be put under arrest for resisting an officer."
Her hooves twitched, begging for her to run. The confession sprung up on her lips.
The guards stared her down. "Are you coming?"
Earl Shimmer grit her teeth. "Very well."
...
Earl Grey rushed into her home and slammed the door shut. Her servants looked up in alarm. She doubled over, coughing ripping through her body. He had only injected a small amount of poison. It would take a long time to flow through her bloodstream.
A month, he'd told them. If he could be relied on. She didn't know if the guards had gone after her or Shimmer first. They wouldn't go after them at the same time, wouldn't allow them to get their stories straight.
The questions had been clear. Where were you at the time the potion was being brewed? There had been other questions, she couldn't remember through the haze of pain and panic.
The old sorcerer would be interrogated too. They all needed to get their stories straight. She grabbed up a letter and sat at her living room table. First, something very important needed to be taken care of. After a few minutes, she'd finished writing the letter to Shimmer which she handed to a new servant whose name she couldn't remember.
Fleeing was an admission of guilt and a death sentence if they couldn't kill Twilight and convince Jormungandr to cure them. She rubbed her forehead. There had to be a way out, just had to be.
Antivenom? She had got some at the store on her way home. It'd made her vomit immediately and she was still sick. Of course, he'd make the venom resistant to such measures.
He didn't do that to Twilight as he'd assumed Twilight was going to die immediately. What had protected her? She levitated over the book she'd found on the Lord of Serpents. He could change the degree and power of his poisons. For them, he must have picked a slow acting one.
She set the book aside. The words were swimming around too much. Stretching, she gave a sharp order to the servants to prepare the special sort of tea. Her daughter was nowhere to be found. Only the servants going about their daily tasks. She stalked into the back yard which was a dominated by a tall, knotted oak that reached out wide, brown arms over a white table.
The servants had set up a silver tea tray, a pink tea pot and a bottle of vodka. The chair was more comfortable than the one at her desk. She poured the tea into a blue tea cup, added the vodka and threw it down her throat. The sting of vodka reminded her that she was still alive, at least for now.
Earl Shimmer arrived nearly an hour later. Earl Grey reclined in the chair, watched her approach, shocked that her peer could still walk considering how badly she was trembling.
Earl Grey offered her the vodka, holding it up in her mystic aura. "Well, Sunrise, just how much did you spill?"
Earl Shimmer grabbed up the bottle and swigged from it before slamming it down. "Nothing. They interrogated me for two hours, Agnes. I revealed nothing."
Earl Grey sipped the tea. "I'm impressed."
Earl Shimmer scowled. Her tea cup trembled in her aura. "This is too much."
Earl Grey frowned. She was about to crack. Earl Shimmer's previous schemes had merely involved spreading malicious rumors or revealing Pony's secrets. It was as if adolescence had never ended for her.
"We confess, get the cure, take our punishment. Celestia is kind, understanding."
Earl Grey snorted. "The sun is warm and can reduce forests to deserts. Do not speak where treacherous ears may hear." You idiot.
"This is your estate. We're safe here, aren't we?"
"Servants are only loyal to a paycheck."
She lit her horn, scanned the grounds. No one else was near. No one could have heard what Earl Shimmer had just said. This was her sanctuary. Servants weren't even allowed back here without prior permission and then only to carry out maintenance of the grounds.
The knife whipped out from under the table and was held at Earl Shimmer's throat before she had time to react.
"Secrets are to be kept. Understand?"
Earl Shimmer tried to snatch control of the knife, but Earl Grey batted her magic aside. "I have enjoyed our association. I'd hate to have to end it on unfriendly terms."
Earl Shimmer could only stare at the blade poking at her jugular.
"Your magic is weak. A small child could have torn through your shield. Your curved horn is a thing of beauty, a unique marker. You've never realized that it's a weapon, have you?"
The knife traced her throat.
"I've never had cause too."
"That's the problem with the High Nobles. Life's too easy. Breeds complacency. On the middle, you have to scrap. Never developed your gift. Shameful, when Curved Horns are known for their power. Vow to keep the secret."
"I vow."
Power built as the words were spoken. "May your bones break if you break your word."
The energy of the words seeped into Earl Shimmer. "May my bones break if I break my word."
She returned the knife to its hiding place. Earl Shimmer gulped down her tea. "Why do you have that?"
"It encourages the keeping of secrets."
Earl Shimmer gulped. "Have you ever used it?"
"There's a first time for everything."
The other Noble stood. "I...I need to go."
Earl Grey sipped her tea. "Have a pleasant afternoon."