Rarity, as a Knight of the Realm, now had access to pretty much anywhere on the Damocles. With all of her friends down on Terra, she was sitting alone in the least frequented officer's lounge onboard. It was a nice place, a place where you could get a drink in peace and think about what you've done. She spoke idly with S.P.I.K.E. who simply ate up anything she said. She turned sharply in surprise when she felt a large hand placed heavily on her shoulder. It was Applejack. "Howdy Rares." She called out, clearly intoxicated.
Rarity got over her surprise and levitated out a chair for her inebriated friend. "Good evening darling. I thought you'd be planetside."
Applejack gave a tipsy grin. "Well ah was, but ah couldn't leave y'all all by yer lonesome."
Rarity chuckled. "But I'm not alone. I have S.P.I.K.E." S.P.I.K.E. appeared four inches tall in the bar and waved at Applejack. The drunken knight chuckled to herself for an overlong moment as a drink slid through his shimmering form. "So where's Rainbow?" Rarity asked over her drink.
Applejack stopped her chuckling and looked slowly away. "Oh she shacked up with some." Rarity could not understand the last word as Applejack had devolved into angry muttering.
Rarity, not that she'd ever admit it, was rather blunt and short tempered when she was intoxicated. Which she was presently. This little secret of Applejack's had always annoyed her and she felt now was as good a time as any to press her on the issue. She leared towards Applejack. "Jacqueline. . ." Applejack hated Rarity's name for her. It simply wasn't her name. Rarity stared her in the eyes and Applejack didn't look away. Rarity dropped the other shoe. "When are you gonna tell her."
Applejack looked quickly to her drink. She knew exactly what she was talking about, but she lied and gruffly asked. "Tell who what?"
Rarity didn't let up. "Tell a certain KNIGHT that you want to spend your NIGHTS. WITH. HER." She overenunciated every syllable for effect. Applejack didn't answer, she just swallowed half her drink. Rarity leaned back in her seat. "Well I suppose it's none of my business.''
Applejack growled. "That's right. It ain't." She overenunciated each syllable, mimicking her interrogator.
Rarity grinned maliciously over her drink. "Just wanted to help you avoid my mistake." Rarity sipped her drink.
Applejack took the bait. "Oh n what's that."
Rarity turned to the hologram who'd been sitting patiently on the bar while the two talked. "S.P.I.K.E.y wikey where are Twilight and Pinkie Pie now?"
S.P.I.K.E. momentarily froze as he processed the question. "On Terra."
Rarity nasally exhaled. "Specifically darling."
S.P.I.K.E checked specifically. "They are currently in one of the suites the Viceroy assigned them."
Rarity looked hard at Applejack with a smug grin. "Could you call them please?"
S.P.I.K.E attempted to establish a video connection, but the call was rejected. "Sorry Rarity, Twilight's not accepting calls right now."
Applejack glared. "What's that good to do with anythin? Maybe they're busy."
Rarity pouted her lips. "Well then my little S.P.I.K.Ey wikey could you please show us the room? Please pretty please?" S.P.I.K.E's eyes turned to little pink hearts and he brought up a tastefully edited video image of the inside of the room. Applejack's face went beet red as she saw a military uniform and several articles of feminine clothing scattered haphazardly about the floor, as well as a very peculiar shadow on the wall. Applejack stood quickly up but Rarity seized her wrist. "Applejack wait!" Applejack turned and glared at her, but suddenly realized she had tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't say this to hurt you!" She released the wrist and shrank into herself. "I was serious. I don't want you to do what I did."
Applejack was dazed but managed to breathlessly ask the question. "What's that."
Rarity turned, her cosmetics beginning to run. "To miss your chance like I missed mine!" Applejack stared in shock at the other woman. She'd had no idea of Rarity's feelings, much less Twilight's and Pinkie Pie's. She glanced at the ground in contemplation for a moment then began to walk away.
Rarity ran her finger along her drink contemplatively when she felt herself crushed in a bear hug. "Thanks" Applejack whispered. She turned to go find Rainbow Dash.
That's when the alarms started to shriek.
**********************************
Down on the planet Pinkie Pie refused to break the farewell kiss. Twilight was reluctant to pull away, but she HAD to get moving. She muttered out of the side of her mouth. "Pinkie! PINKIE! I love you, but I have GOT to GO! Celestia's waiting!" Pinkie Pie stuck out her lower lip and showed her big blue eyes and Twilight almost gave in. She gave Pinkie one more deep kiss then violently broke away. She called behind her, "Just wait for me in my quarters I'll be there soon I promise!" She teleported away before Pinkie's lunge could reach her. Pinkie ended up sprawled out on the floor. She banged her fist on the carpet and harrumphed.
She lazily got dressed and made her winding way towards the shuttle port, in no particular hurry, when who should she happen to see trudging slowly toward the same shuttle but her fellow knight Rainbow Dash. She jogged up to her and saw that she looked exhausted and had several different shades of lipstick as well as a few bite marks on her neck. "Well somebody's had a good night." She put an arm over her shoulders and helped a thoroughly spent Rainbow Dash into her seat on the private shuttle.
Rainbow Dash wheezed a laugh. "I've been trying to get back all day! Terran bitches are crazy!"
Pinkie Pie snorted remembering her own night. "Tell me about it. But I always thought you and Applejack were a thing."
Rainbow leaned forward in her chair and stared at Pinkie in surprise. "What?! Nuh uh. With Applejack? Nooooo." She shook her head at the floor. "Applejack's an ag worlder, she'd never go for someone like me."
"Oh yes she would silly!" Pinkie lightly batted an arm. "Jackie wants your balls bad!"
Rainbow stared at Pinkie completely stunned. She'd never once considered that maybe a strong, morally unambiguous woman like Applejack would ever go for her, the scrawny pirate. "You really think so."
Pinkie Pie grinned and put on her best ag world drawl and did an uncomfortably good impersonation of their big blonde friend. "Cum ere Are Dee. Let's go for a roll in the hay." She squeezed Rainbow Dash and made kissy faces.
Rainbow winced and shouted, "AH Pinkie fuck off! I got bite marks everywhere! Seriously let the fuck go FUCK!"
Pinkie refused to let the struggling figure go. She continued her impersonation, "Nuh uh Darlin. Yer mah special liddle sugar cube. Imma just eat you up!" The shuttle barely touched down on the deck of the Damocles when Rainbow flopped out the door. Pinkie was still making kissy faces, and Rainbow giggled while she tried to fight her off.
That's when the alarm started to shriek.
**********************************
On Terra Twilight was trying to make up for lost time by teleporting from landmark to landmark. She didn't want to manifest inside anything valuable and destroy it, and she could only appear within line of sight. Her head spun as she popped in and out of reality. She'd gone from never been kissed to in love and in bed in ten seconds flat. She tried to keep the big silly grin off of her face but Pinkie had been a bad influence on her. She looked up into the sky and an idea Pinkie would have occurred to her. She teleported several hundred yards into the air and continued to pop in and out of reality closer and closer to her destination. She cheered and hooted as she went. Occasionally letting herself fall for several seconds before popping back up to a safe height.
She landed at the Imperial palace and popped safely onto the doorstep. She had a short giggle fit and had to fight hard to suppress it. She put her hand to the door and again had to fight to keep her face straight. She pulled on the door handle. It was locked. Then Twilight's good mood died. This door was never locked, this was the private entrance only allowed for the Viceroy's inner circle. This door was NEVER locked.
It hit Twilight that no one had tried to intercept her as she entered the palace airspace either. Where were the guards? She let her mind wander and there was no life of any kind to be felt for miles around. This was bad, this was very very bad.
And that's when the alarms started to shriek.
Twilight's hologram generator that she used to control S.P.I.K.E. projected a life-size image of Viceroy Luna. Twilight reflexatorily knelt thinking it was her calling to explain what was going on. The Viceroy stood erect and proud, her long ethereal hair shining like the milky way seen from the dark side of the moon. Her large vestigial wings folded close behind her, their black plumes shining dark as the void. Her skin shone like the full moon on her stern countenance. Her voice was deep and cold as she spoke.
"Citizens of the Solar Empire. It is my unfortunate duty to inform you all, that my sister, Celestia, Solar Viceroy, has betrayed us all. History recalls Celestia's reign of terror. How she ruled with the sword and the all consuming flame. Well it is apparent now that she longs for those days again and wishes to shrug off the restraints of constitutional rule."
Twilight's tears flowed freely. Her heart sank. This was not possible. She knew Celestia's history, but this could not happen. She looked around and noticed the same message was being projected at every security station around the grounds. She heard the echo of Luna's voice coming over the hedge walls, as well as a few horrified screams at the news.
"As is my duty, sworn in blood on the day I took the throne. I have sought to end this dire threat to your safety, but alas I have failed you. I am not strong enough to defeat her. Therefore as Viceroy of the Solar Empire I hereby order all Navy vessels in orbit to destroy this palace." Twilight's eyes shot open in panic.
"I will do what I must to contain Celestia here. It does not concern me whether or not I survive the barrage, so long as this crisis is dealt with, that will be enough. Soldiers of the Imperial Navy, do your duty. Hail the Solar Empire." With that the hologram cut out.
Twilight was momentarily frozen. That's why there were no guards. She'd had the entire palace evacuated. Twilight's head slowly craned towards the sky. Soon hundreds, if not thousands of vessels were going to be loosing macrolaser right where she was standing. Luna wasn't going to destroy a palace. That much fire power all concentrated in the same area would be enough to cause nuclear winter. She was staring straight down the barrel of an exterminatus. Twilight's paralyzed stillness burst into a flurry of activity. She summoned all of her psychic might and burst straight through the heavy doors. She levitated herself as fast as she could down the long ornate corridors. She summoned S.P.I.K.E. The little dragon hologram cheerily chirped, "Hey Twilight! I thought you'd be in a meeting with.~"
Twilight screamed in her mind at the babysitter unit. "S.P.I.K.E SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LISTEN TO ME! CONNECT ME WITH THE GIRLS NOW!" S.P.I.K.E momentarily froze with surprise. Twilight screamed. "NOW! NOW!! NOW!!!" The little dragon scrambled to bring up four separate video calls. She saw concern written on every face and could see Applejack and Rarity were running. "Girls I need you suited up for intercept double quick!"
"Me and Pinkie are already there!" Rainbow Dash barked as her cockpit sealed around her.
Rarity breathlessly said, "Five minutes for me and Applejack. GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY!" She shrieked at a group of pilots that she none too gently elbowed out of the way.
Applejack asked. "We're not seriously gonna have to kill Celestia are we?"
Twilight glared at the screen. She knew Applejack knew better, but it still infuriated her that she would countenance the very notion. "NO! Something's wrong."
Rainbow Dash unhelpfully chimed in. "Yeah no shit dumbass."
Twilight managed to continue. "I'm going to see what's going on. I'm at the palace. Keep them off of me for as long as you can."
Pinkie Pie screamed, "THE PALACE THAT'S ABOUT TO GET NUKED?!"
Twilight was almost to the throne room. "I'm not going to let this happen! Keep them off of me for as long as you can. Do you hear me? DO NOT LET ME GET FUCKING NUKED!!!"
Pinkie Pie tried to say "Twilight I love~" but Twilight ended the call and burst into the throne room.