"Look, you don't get it." The crystal stallion frowned at the big happy tsuki. "He's enslaved an entire kingdom!"
The tsuki bobbed his head. "Two." He held up two big fat fingers. "Yours and ours. He get better. We have Toby."
The stallion sputtered with incalculable rage. "He took over your kingdom too, and you're alright with that?"
"He get better," stated the tsuki as if that explained everything, bobbing his head.
"Being an egotistical tyrant is not something you get better from!" shouted the stallion, clopping a hoof with building irritation. "It's not just some passing head cold we have to endure."
"Sombra got better," argued the tsuki with a light nod. "Why is this bad? Why angry?"
"He is not better," stated the stallion slowly as if talking to a simpleton.
The tsuki shook his head, frowning a little. "Is better, is. Work days get shorter." He held two fingers closer together. "Allowed time do art or whatever like. I like--"
"How short is short?" demanded the stallion.
Their argument had drawn a crowd of others. Ponies and tsuki watched the two debate in a loose circle. The tension was growing between the two and the crowd seemed aware of it, drawn to the conflict.
"Down to 18 hours," reported the tsuki with such pride, smiling brightly.
The pony took a shaking step back. "Eighteen... hours?" That reverse course quickly flipped around and he approached the tsuki with a scowl. "That's barely enough time to sleep! How do you even function!"
The tsuki shrugged gently. "When tired, take nap. How is hard?"
The pony thrust a hoof at the tsuki. "You're alright with him because you're so stupid you don't know he doesn't want you to take naps while you're working."
The tsuki's smile had been worn away, replaced with a growing frown to match the angry expression the pony wore. "Maybe it is pony that is stupid! Why not sleep when tired? What next, not eat when hungry? Not drink when thirsty? Stupid pony!"
With an incensed nicker, the stallion reared up. This only prompted the tsuki to do the same, but while, for one, it was just a gesture of exasperation, for the other, it was a symbol of readiness to fight, to clash, as friends or foes, and the tsuki was not feeling friendly towards that pony.
The tsuki pounced forward, driving the pony to the ground with a distressed yelp. The pony lashed out with his hooves, thudding into the soft flesh of the rabbit-oid. His soft fur only offered mild protection to real attempts to battle and the tsuki grunted with pain at the new bruises those sharp pony hooves could inflict.
The crowd parted, giving more room even as they began to talk among themselves more animatedly. Why were they fighting? Who would win? Should they interfere, or keep watching?
With a roar of battle, the tsuki slashed with his claws. Fortunately, their claws were not retractable, like a cat, which meant they had plenty of time to be worn down as they hopped around or dug into dirt or stone. That was only a mild comfort to the pony who suddenly sported several angry lines across his face, red and bleeding lightly.
The pony lashed out in a practiced swing, catching the tsuki across the cheek in a vicious return. His hard hoof drove into the soft cheek, knocking the tsuki's face aside as the crowd winced. "Get off me!" He scrambled up to his hooves in the momentary daze his swing had created.
"What this?" With a heavy thud, a new figure landed just inside the circle of watches. The fighting tsuki immediately went limp, backing away from the pony. "You have some sense." Celene shook her head, frowning as she fixed her eyes on the pony. "What fight for?"
The pony angrily pointed his hoof at the cowering tsuki. "He just jumped at me! He started it."
The tsuki shook his head, though the action was aborted quickly, his stinging cheek throbbing with the motion. He raised a hand to cover where the hoof had hurt his poor cheek. "He call tsuki stupid, then make noise and stand. He want fight, get fight."
Celene grunted low and deep. "Pony is guest." She pointed at the tsuki. "Go." She then pointed at the pony. "Pink Princess will be told."
The pony paled. "I didn't mean to..."
The chastised tsuki suddenly smiled despite how it hurt to do that. "Afraid of angry one in charge? Is yours not good?"
He frowned deeply. "I will face her judgment, gladly."
"Good." Celene reared up and crossed her arms. "Unless want fight me, both go." She had given the symbol of being ready to clash, but neither of the two combatants rushed to accept the offer. They seperated, the tsuki bounding out of the cave entirely, while the pony went to join his peers.
Quick stepped into the tunnels, nodding lightly. "And that is how we extract valuable stone and ore in the first place. As you have seen, we are fully capable of industrialized output."
Cadance nodded as she followed along with her retinue. "I do see, very impressive. The tsuki's natural preference to live beneath the surface works to their advantage in mining efforts."
Shining strode at her side, his eyes wandering, but less often than they had before. They were going back the way they came and there were less new things to see. "They have less actual crystals, but more metal."
"Correct." Quick turned to them. "But is that not what trading is for? You have what we want, and we have what you want, and, with a--" He interrupted himself with a soft chuckle. "--dash of friendship, both problems can be mended. And without a casualty report to go with it."
Cadance gestured to two tsuki who were speaking quietly to one another that they were walking past. "They seem quite eager in their professions. Every tsuki we've met is not only proud, but excited to learn more and better ways to do what they do. I must admit, it's quite nice to see. How do you keep their spirits so high?"
Quick turned an ear to Cadance as he walked. "They are a motivated people. With Lord Sombra before them, how can they not be inspired?" He wove with them through the tunnels, working back towards the largest, the entry cave. "We have reached an understanding, and it benefits the whole of the kingdom greatly."
Flash hurried a little to get a little behind Cadance and to her right. "Your Majesty, there doesn't seem to be, you know, a lot of tsuki actually... here? Is this a holiday or something?"
Quick snorted softly, an amused smile on his snout. "Oh, but it is. Sombra declared that your presence was reason enough for celebration, and released the tsuki from their obligations."
Cadance stopped, a bewildered look on her face. "Then who were the tsuki we ran into, if they were all given the day off?"
Quick turned to her, gesturing down the caves towards the tsuki they had met. "They did as they pleased. They were there because they wanted to be, to meet you, and make sure your visit was safe and comfortable. The tsuki are a deeply caring people, with passions that burn just as bright. Like the heat that melts the ore into metal, it can be... amazing."
Cadance could hear the threat being woven into those words, but she ignored them for the time. "That was very kind of them. Please, do tell them that I appreciate them working when they had no obligation to, simply for my benefit. They owed me nothing."
Shining nodded, his cheeks warmed. "I wouldn't have pestered him with so many questions if I had known he was only there to keep us safe on his day off."
Flash laughed suddenly, drawing Shining's attention. "Sir, he looked very happy to answer those questions. I'm pretty sure he likes talking about his equipment. Would you consider it a terrible thing if a pony showed up and wanted to gasp and wonder at your finest soldiers?"
Shining's blush deepened as his hooves shuffled. "I suppose I would be... alright with that. Though if they were important ponies, that can be quite stressful."
Cadance sighed wearily. "Remember when the Equestrian Games representative was there to inspect us? That was a time..."
Flash waved a hoof in disagreement. "We're not here to judge them, and I think they know that."
Quick Stroke resumed his walk, only to find a furry tsuki blocking his view. He knew that tsuki and flinched despite himself. He buried that reaction as quickly as he could, standing all the taller and ready. "Celene."
"Quick," she replied. She pointed at Cadance. "I must report to her."
Quick stepped casually to the side, specifically measuring his steps to give no impression of fear. "Are you in the habit of reporting to foreign princesses?"
"When it about her people," replied Celene as if it should be obvious. "Cadance?"
"That's me." She smiled gently at the large female tsuki. "You are... Celene, Toby's special some-tsuki?"
Celene's impassive face erupted into a smile. "You remember me. Yes. Is good see again, but I have bad news. One of your ponies fight one of our tsuki."
Cadance's happiness faded instantly. "Were either of them hurt?"
Celene shook her head. "Both have marks, not hurt. I seperate them before do stupid things. More stupid things. You are guest, we apologize." She dipped her forebody down. "Sorry."
Cadance quickly reached out a hoof, placing it gently under Celene's chin to raise it. "You did nothing wrong. This is entirely between the two that had the fight. I don't take it as a sign of aggression on your people as a whole, and I hope the feeling is returned. If you can arrange it, can both of them be brought to me? I'd like to see this handled, gently. Most ponies and most tsuki I have seen so far have gotten along reasonably well."
Celene perked up, sitting on her haunches. "Why tsuki not like ponies? Smart, cute, and good for hugs."
Shining perked an ear at the large doe. "I'm cute?"
"Very," she easily confirmed. "Ponies shape funny, so cute! I will get them." She hopped up and came down facing away. "Find you with them."
Quick put out a hoof in front of her. She could easily have hopped over it, but she paused. "Inform Sombra of this. He is equally entitled to know of the event."
Celene bobbed her head, then was gone, darting down the tunnel at the speed only the tsuki could manage in them.
Quick gestured forward. "She will find us when she is ready. She is... capable." The others did not know she was the tsuki depicted in the carving, and he felt no need to inform them. "This will conclude our tour for today. Take some time, decompress, and we may resume tomorrow. Until then, you are welcome to relax, speak with the tsuki, or even watch their classes. During their time off, they take great pleasure in exchanging techniques and tricks among themselves."
His expression eased into a cocky smile. "In fact, I will be hosting a class on the deflection and use of shadow magic. It should prove interesting. I hope we get some new students with potential."
A jack tsuki landed beside him. "Like Celene?" he asked with a big smile. "She best magic bouncer."
Quick's expression faltered faintly, though he struggled mightily against it. "If she graces me with her presence, I will... gladly... expand her knowledge. Perhaps she can help instruct the others in how it's done. She is a tsuki, in the end, she knows what it feels like to be a tsuki."
The jack bobbed his head eagerly. "Will be there! Hope Celene be there too." He bounced away eagerly, bursting free into the main hall just moments later. They had arrived at the end of the tour.