//------------------------------//
// (Bonus) A Christmas Past 
// Story: The Knight 
// by TheStoveHater 
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Snow covered the ground in a thick powder, and a chilly wind blew only lightly through the forest, much of its powerful gale stopped by the ancient trees surrounding the large glade. This weather was perfect for foals (and the occasional adult) to romp and tumble outside, as long as they wore thick scarves and boots to protect from the heavy snow already coating the ground. As a result one could spy several great battles between massive snow forts and brave snowball wielding warriors clashing in furious battle, giggling and shrieking as they retreated or charged against one another. 

Yet the palace that lay in its center, surrounded by a tall metal fence, was untouched, its patios and gardens were not only clear of snow, but filled with a warm wind that moved gently through the trees, rustling the leaves and making the out of season, but ripe, fruit sway gently. The statues of famous ponies long since forgotten by all but the oldest were clean and untouched by the cold winter outside the garden, and the ponies that strolled slowly through its grounds wore tuxedos or dresses, ill suited for anywhere else. Covering all of this splendor was a series of large opaque hemispheres stemming from large crystals on roof tops and lampposts, each humming and pulsing gently, protecting the palace and its inhabitants. 

Two of the palaces inhabitants stood in a more secluded portion of the gardens, the large square hemmed in by tall hedges on all sides, one sat upon a throne made of obsidian, and the other stood in front of her at a distance, large blackboards filled with all manner of diagrams and schematics written upon them, arranged in a half circle around him. 

"As you can see the crystal regulators remain relatively stable in subdued weather, however my current issue is keeping them from cracking under more strenuous circumstances, such as extreme weather, the greatest downside seems to be how they're situated, working almost as grounding rods, but due to their current nature placing them inside somewhere prevents the shield from forming properly." The gray furred unicorn turns away from his black boards and pushes his glasses up, pointing to a demonstration crystal nearby, which created a very small dome around its own pedestal. "It seems the larger the crystal the stronger the enchantment, but the more likely they are to attract high voltage discharges from even the smallest of storms, equal to the increase in the enchantments power. Reducing the size of the crystal reduces this chance but, as stated before, also reduces the power of the enchantment." 

The stallion turns again and points to the black board opposite "My goal is to not only increase the current output of the regulators, which would increase the radii of the shield, but also strengthen their integrity, allowing for prolonged use. The increase in strength will also boost its resistance to high voltage which would allow it to be used not only as a weather regulator inside the dome, but replace existing ground rods." The stallion finishes with a smile and a bow, his long black mane falling into his eyes briefly before he stands back up. 

For a moment only the soft sound of birds chirping and rustling leaves filled the air as the pony opposite digests this information, her slitted pupils flicking over the complex math and magical theory, but quietly the pony opposite begins to clap, her armored hooves chiming together like a ringing bell, making the stallion stand taller and his eyes shine with pride. "Excellent work my student. The wonders you work with crystals, in spite of being given such little time, truly amaze me, now all may enjoy my art." 

The pony in the throne stood, and while she towered over the smaller stallion she did not mean to intimidate, nor was he intimated, for both had grown comfortable, as much as Empress and Student could be, with one another's company. The stallion bowed lowly once more, his cheeks ever so slightly red from the glowing praise. "Thank you Empress Moon! It was truly an honor to have you take such an interest into my little pet project! I assure you with just a little more tweaking I can increase the output of my current crystals... However..." The stallion pauses and looks away for a moment, before taking a breathe and standing tall once more, brushing his mane from his eyes again. "I shall need to fund an expedition into the Frozen Wastes, by all accounts, rumors, and previous expedition's recollection stronger crystals can be found there. I have already created a ledger containing all expenses required for an expedition of the size I will need, and without stronger crystals-"

"You shall have it." The stallion stops mid sentence, his eyes locking onto his Empress'es. Hope bubbling up into his chest as he carefully considers his next few words. 

"... Including the increase in pony power and the addition of Thunder Warriors...?" He asks carefully, not very surprised that his Empress had known about his next project, despite having to hide it from his 'colleagues' that constantly tried to claim credit for his work.

With a soft chuckle the Empress moved to stand nearby, looking over his work once again and placing an armored hoof against her chin, the armor covering her body making nary a sound as she moved. "Correct, I have reviewed and accepted all stipulations laid out in your ledger as well as the majority of your manifesto. However..." With this she turned and regarded the young stallion with a light glare, an edge in her voice. "The latter forty-three pages of your manifesto is worrisome, and some might even consider it almost... Traitorous... Should a certain monarch obtain it. I chose you as my pupil because of your great intelligence, and only of slightly lesser note, lack of political connections due to your low birth. I had hoped you would not join those fools in the 'Court'" She spoke the word like it was venom from a bite wound, frowning deeply "in their political intrigue and increasingly belligerent attitude towards your brethren..."  

The stallion flinched slightly at the 'low birth' comment, and hung his head in shame, in truth he had meant to remove that portion entirely before submitting the final manifesto, but his increased status had gone to his head, as it occasionally did, and now he was going to suffer for it... The only thing now was for damage control. "I-I understand Empress Nightmare, I shall cleanse it of any and all inclinations, I apologize profoundly for even thinking of inc-" 

"Sister! There you are!" The stallion jerked up at the regal voice, whipping his head around as a small contingent of guards and noble ponies strode arrogantly in. Each Noble was covered in a garish amount of jewelry that clanked like a small kitchen as they trotted haughtily into the clearing, their dresses and occasional tux covered in obscene amounts of lace and in patterns only a pony disconnected from reality could love... At the head of the flashy procession trotted a white Alicorn that put all others 'displays' to shame. "Luna dear, why aren't you wearing the clothing I had laid on your bed? You agreed to play nice as long as we had this holiday, but all you have done is hidden away with mud bloods..." The mare pointedly ignored acknowledging the stallions existence, the jewelry linked around her neck tinkling softly as she moved to stand beside her sister. "Come! You promised we would enjoy Hearths Warming as family, me... you..." With a jewel encrusted wing hiding her face she giggled, saying in a stage whisper "And maybe a few stallions hmm?~" This caused the rabble of noble mares nearby to titter and giggle, fanning themselves dramatically, while the noble stallions stood taller, trying to make themselves as 'presentable' as possible. 

Unamused Nightmare stepped away from her sister, her face a cold mask. "Dearest Daybreak We agreed upon celebrating Christmas the way it twas supposed to be celebrated, not celebrating Hearth's Warming with an overabundance of cake and narcissism." Empress Moon glanced pointedly at the gaggle of Nobles nearby, before returning her glare to her sister. 

With a mock hurt look upon her face the other alicorn sighs dramatically "How many times must I tell you Little Lulu? It is 'Celestia' now remember? But fine. If you won't play nice, neither will I~ How about we bump up my little light show on the schedule for tonight. I know it will hardly compare to... Whatever it is you do with the stars, but I'm sure it shall still be spectacular~" With a malevolent grin Celestia gives an unseen signal and looks into the distance. Turning Nightmare is greeted with the sight of a group of pegasi rising from the forest, corralling a large multi colored cloud that crackles with magic lightening. 

Nightmare frowned and watched, her eyes widening as it moved closer and closer to the castle, far closer than it was supposed to be. "Sister! What are you doing!? If those get any close to the crystals they'll-!" 

With a tremendous crack the lightening shoots forth from the magical cloud and slams into the nearest crystal, shattering it in an instant and making the force field stemming from it shatter and dissipate. The lightening chaining from one crystal to the next, arching across the gardens and palace with blinding speed, eyes wide Nightmare turns towards her Student, his mouth hung open in horror as he watches his work shatter into shards of worthless rock, frozen in place.

Flaring her wings Nightmare shoots towards him, slamming him into the ground just as the display crystal nearby is hit, shielding him with her body she feels the razor sharp shards slam into her armored flanks and wings, thanking the makers that she didn't wear that ridiculous outfit instead of her armor. 

Slowly climbing to her hooves Nightmare looks around before latching onto her sister, who looks about ready to burst with laughter behind a golden shield held up by several of the guards. "O-oh Poor Lulu! Now you're covered in mud! Snrk! B-before you come back in, be a Good Filly and wash u-up won't you?" With that she turns and exits the clearing, only able to contain her laughter until she and the other Nobles exit. Nightmare frowns and looks down, ignoring the raucous laughter from behind the hedge bushes, sighing softly she realizes she is indeed covered in mud, how she got it she wasn't entirely certain, but looking to her student she realize he isn't just splattered, but dripping in it.

Using her magic she carefully lifts him up and wipes herself clean, before wiping him clean as well, glancing behind him to the large mud puddle that certainly hadn't been there earlier. Throughout this the stallion stays quite, not saying a word as his Empress sets him back down, his head hung down in shame. 

For a moment all is quite, snow starting to slowly coat the ground around them, before finally Nightmare speaks "You shall have your expedition, Sombra... Including the entirety of your manifesto. Do you understand?" She glares at him pointedly, his confusion and sadness plain on his face.

"E-empress...? But that would create a new na-" Nightmare cuts him off with a burst of magic, glancing around before standing tall, turning and walking towards the exit. 

"Yes, my Student. I shall make sure of it..."