//------------------------------//
// Breaking The Rules 
// Story: The Olden World 
// by Czar_Yoshi 
//------------------------------//

In the new Izvaldi compound, a lone room on the outskirts had its windows thrown wide, shielding from the rain while allowing as much fresh air as possible. Against one wall was a bed where Crystal lay, sweat-caked and exhausted and staring with quivering pupils at the foal that, seconds ago, had been inside her womb.

"It's a filly," a unicorn said, dressed in a clean hospital smock and wearing the fake-batpony regalia of the Firefly Sisters' fans and Chauncey's followers. She held the tiny creature gently to Crystal with her hooves instead of her magic. "We will bathe and clean her soon. She's been through an ordeal and needs her mother."

Crystal stared at the filly's tiny, tufty ears and shivered.

The midwife gave her a look. "Your child..."

"What," Crystal hissed, her body spent but her eyes burning. "Is. This?"

The midwife pulled the newborn filly back in concern. "Madam?"

To the side, standing with several other medical staff, Percival looked on numbly. "Crystal, you... Why?"

"There must be some mistake," Crystal whispered. "I did nothing. I did nothing! Chauncey must have been wrong. Whoever confirmed for you must have been wrong. This is our child. This is our child..."

"Madam, what are you talking about?" The midwife frowned, glancing at the feeble, crying bundle she held. "She hasn't left your sight since she was born. This is your foal."

Crystal's emerald eyes flashed harder. "She's a sarosian foal. Not a griffon like Percival. Sarosians always breed true. That's the rule Garsheeva's heresy is supposed to obscure!"

The midwife's brow furrowed slightly. "So her father is someone else you consorted with. She is still your-"

"Imbecile!" Crystal screeched, rising from her bed and drawing on some otherworldly well of energy to kick the midwife at maximum force. "How dare you accuse me of giving myself freely when I have true love? Is that what your barbaric life has conditioned you to believe is normal, you lecherous mongrel!?" She threw back her head and screamed.

The midwife flew back and impacted the wall, dropping Crystal's foal as she was kicked. With a flash of telekinesis, a waiting mare grabbed the foal and saved her from hitting the ground, floating her over and hugging her close as she started wailing as well. Crystal landed, stood and seethed.

Percival's jaw fell, and he lifted a robed talon, utterly unable to respond. "C-Crystal, I forgive you-"

"I did nothing." Crystal stood, panting, her head lowered and glaring. "Even you don't believe me? I did nothing! I did!"

As she roiled, a pair of rounded sphinx ears rose into sight outside the window. Then Gazelle was there, looking in through the open aperture with pursed lips and wide-eyed interest. "She cheated? On you?"

"Gazelle," Percival warned, "this is a family affair, and we-"

"Shut up." Crystal's chest heaved, and she turned to glare at Gazelle like a venomous snake. "Shut up. Don't you dare accuse me as well. Percival loves me. None of you fools understand..." Her eyes flashed to Percival. "This is a trick. He knows. It has to be."

"Crystal, it's alright!" Percival raised his voice. "Please, calm down! We'll get to the bottom of this together, and figure out what happened!"

"What happened?" Gazelle gnawed his lip. "Ooh, that's tough. Looks to me like she cheated..."

Crystal tried to stalk to the window, but her legs gave out and she slumped to the floor, shaking in rage as her sweaty mane spilled around her. "Shut up...!"

"You can't deny that, of course," Gazelle continued, sounding utterly reasonable yet tenser than a loaded ballista, folding his paws on the windowsill as his eyes glimmered with laughter. "I'm sure Chauncey made you all well aware of what happens when sarosians break the taboo on loving others. But isn't there a little something you're overlooking, here?"

Percival's face rose in strained hope. Crystal roiled, standing shakily again.

"It's just... if this is a surprise to you..." Gazelle gestured at Percival. "They would have known." He pointed at the medical staff. "Everyone working for Chauncey? Tell me they lack the means to tell you were harboring a sarosian instead of a griffon in that womb of yours." He broke out into a grin. "It looks to me like they helped her hide this from you, poor Percival. Or helped Chauncey, since they're loyal to him. Now what reason would an old goat like Chauncey have to hide a perfectly normal kid like this...?"

The midwife who now held Crystal's crying foal frowned. "No, we just assumed this was normal and not worth commenting on..."

Percival wasn't listening. "You... No, they couldn't..."

"And she wouldn't cheat on you, blah blah blah." Gazelle grinned harder. "So much for that. You know, I really have no idea what's going on here, or any investment in this whatsoever. This is all just after-show entertainment now that I'm Lord Everlaste. She's the infidel, don't blame me."

"Gazelle, leave," Percival commanded, voice barely restrained. "Crystal, please, I'm not angry! We can work through this...!"

"But you don't trust me?" Even Crystal's tail shivered, and she rocked from side to side. "We love each other, but you would rather forgive me than believe me? I did nothing..."

Percival glanced around at the medical staff. "He has a point. They would have known-"

"You poisoned him against me!" Crystal roared, rounding on Gazelle. "Stop stealing my love!"

Gazelle finally lost it, rearing back and roaring with laughter. "Bwahahahahaha! Stealing your love? You robbed yourself, little cheater. Should have stayed on your friends' ship and not let him see. Maybe they'd have helped you keep it hidden..."

Crystal gave an animalistic growl, her dirty aquamarine mane covering most of her face. "Shut up, you fool. I'll kill you..."

"Everyone, please!" Percival raised is voice over the rain against the roof and the sound of the crying newborn. "I am not poisoned! Crystal, I love you! Everyone, calm down!"

Gazelle wiped a tear from his eye, flicking it off into the storm. "Oh, you and about three dozen others. I can't say I've ever had an adulteress who was upset she didn't have a heretical child among them, though. Go on, go forgive each other and retire to a happy life instead. Maybe let Percival settle the score..."

"Hey guys." Valey strolled into view, standing in the open doorway where she could both see into the room and watch Gazelle. "What's up?"

Percival looked ready to panic. Crystal seethed, eyes suddenly widening at Valey's presence. "Help me...!"

Gazelle frowned slightly, waving a hoof at Valey to shoo her away. "Enjoying a little dramatic dessert. It probably wouldn't fit your tastes. Didn't you want nothing more to do with me?"

"I changed my mind." Valey grinned, rain streaming off her Riverfall poncho, and then winked at Crystal. "And I gotcha. This dude's the problem, right? Whatever he's up to, it smells like trouble."

Gazelle blinked, eyes widening in interest... and Valey threw off her poncho, revealing Starlight on her back with an already-charged horn. FLAAAAASH!

A jet of teal light blazed between them, and Gazelle reared back, his head encased in a faceted orb of crystal. Valey was in the air as he clawed at the obstruction, clearing the distance in a heartbeat and ducking behind the distracted prince as Starlight jumped for safety. Valey bit hard, clamping Gazelle's leonine tail in her mouth and pulling, toppling him and countering his frantic kicks with the edges of her hooves as she pulled.

Using the wind to her advantage, Valey twirled, bringing Gazelle into a hammer toss. She spun twice, changed her angle, flipped him up... and slammed him as hard as she could into the hillside, Starlight dropping her crystal at the last second to avoid hurting her horn. Gazelle bounced once, groaning as he hit the muddy grass. "Oh, this is going to be exciting..."

"It's not a game, buddy." Valey flexed her wings, strolling forward and preparing to attack again. "There are no rules, and it ain't gonna stop once you start getting creamed. But if it was?" She raised an eyebrow in challenge. "This is the game where I never lose."