"And what of the requests of abolition of the monarchy from the Badlands?"
"That would not be possible. Tell them the monarchy stays in order to resume the alliance."
Princess Celestia was in one of their meetings with the Ministry, which was now being held daily. The recent problems circulating about the other nations were worsening, the proposal of a capitalist government in the dragon nations being one of them.
"Your Highness, South Haflinger has just closed our trades of silk and coal."
"We'll discuss about that later."
The alabaster mare sighed. Most of their trading routes were starting to slow down or close off. Canterlot was already preparing for the worst, with every district saving up on all their resources.
Her worries, however, were focused more onto the other towns like Ponyville and Cloudsdale, for instance. The economic downturn was starting to become apparent in most of the towns, with the exception of the northern ones.
"In the meantime, I want a summary of resources that Canterlot has. If we have more than enough, we would have to split it among the remaining towns. Negotiate a supply to be delivered from the north as well"
The ministers nodded, quickly taking down the notes onto their clipboard.
"Now to the main focus here."
She clinked her hooves against the marble floor. In response, the guards shut the doors, locking them tightly. The blinds were drawn as well, plunging the room into total darkness.
The chandelier above them flickered a little, before lighting up brilliantly in an instant. The princess then leafed through her documents, before beginning:
"What do we have so far?"
"The deaths of twelve ministers, all found scattered beyond the northern borders. Energy levels were at maximum capacity at night, only to diminish to near zero in the morning."
"What of the information of the recent paradox clash event?"
"The force field was detected in the surrounding regions of the Everfree Forest, the farthest known account being the town of Qui' Tairais in the Badlands. Our scientists concluded it was more that time itself slowed, but not the matter existing within the plane, meaning that all of us were not affected by the paradox change at all."
"Alright." she replied. That was one burden off her shoulders.
"Any other anomalies? Traces of distortions, perhaps?"
"There were certain distortions, concentrated more on the northern regions but is expanding southbound."
The minister placed his glasses down, passing the map of Equestria to the Princess.
"The rift was of foreign in nature and in dimension. Whoever the caster of these distortions are, he or she is moving through the gateways of time as we speak."
Princess Celestia sighed with frustration. She was already warned of this, but never knew how harsh the results can be.
"We need to safeguard the society to stabilize the economy." she ordered.
"Whoever this pony is, he or she is targeting our economy's largest superpowers. The death of Solaris Followfirm was already crippling the sugar trade at a large scale. I want all of our finest soldiers on the street."
"Right away, your Highness."
"Princess Celestia?"
A pegasus suddenly trotted towards her, his armor shining smoothly like refined sapphire. His helmet was a midnight black, contrasting the golden ones of all her guards around.
"It's Princess Luna, your Highness."
The alabaster mare immediately frowned. She glanced around nervously at the ministers, who were hastily flipping through their clipboards, before asking:
"What does the Princess want?"
The guard shuffled nervously. Princess Celestia could see the sweat crawling fearfully down his forehead and his troubled expression on his face.
"Your sister has requested a private session with you."
"Private, is it?"
She strode towards the door, the guards promptly opening the doors as both alicorn and unicorn stepped out into the corridor.
"Of what notion?"
The mare watched as the guard fumbled with his words, trying to rearrange it like lines on a script.
"The threat of an attack on Canterlot itself."
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"You're talking about my stallion."
Rainbow sniffled, the wind blowing across her signature mane. She was outside of the train, her crossed hooves leaning against the golden handlebars of the vintage train.
Her argument with Pinkie the night before was still fresh in her mind. She stared at the golden color of the dawn sky, which signaled for a new day.
A new day. A new danger.
Another small bump lurched the train a little, making her jump. The rest of them were still asleep, the pegasus waking up a little too early, immediately seeking solace in the bask of morning.
"Pinkie Pie... what's with you..."
"I sometimes wonder at that question as well."
The pegasus turned around, instantly frowning at the stallion before her, which gave her a decent smile.
"Although we both know there is no exact answer for the question, do we?"
"What are you doing here, Winter?"
"The same reason you're here as well, no doubt," he answered, giving her a smile.
"To think things through."
Rainbow just scoffed. To think things through? What's the next excuse he can throw at her? Have a little fresh air?
"I'm sure you don't have problems, Winter Palgiot."
The stallion just chuckled heartily at her reply.
"Funny, isn't it? How we see each other as the luckier pony."
"What do you mean?"
"Look at you, Miss Dash. Young, experienced flyer. A pegasus with five friends and a dream stallion by her side, not to mention many admirers throughout Equestria. The wielder of the Element of Loyalty and proclaimed savior of Equestria, always willing to help a pony in need."
Winter just smiled as the cyan mare scratched her head, settling onto a brass bench bolted to the platform.
"Who wouldn't want to live a life such as yours?"
"W-Well.... w-w-what about you? You're the famed Winter Palgiot, of the esteemed Palgiot family-"
"And that's about it, I suppose."
The stallion shook his head, giving Rainbow a warm smile.
"You know. There's three sides to every story."
Rainbow blinked her eyes, turning to him as he stated:
"There's one side. Then there's the other. And of course, the most important of the three, the truth."
"The truth?"
"The truth, you see, is simple, but hard to put into words."
Winter shuffled a little on the bench, joining his hooves together as if in prayer.
"Such was the case of Pinkamena."
"Pinkie, right?"
The pegasus thought about her. How she changed from the happy, laughing pink wonder into a gloomy, despaired mare. Not that it was the first time she saw that happen.
"What about her?"
"She's been traumatized by the past. Blinded in tragedy. Diane never expected it to come. She never wanted it to plague her mind, like myself."
Winter looked down as Rainbow paced to his side, curiosity beckoning her to ask:
"You and Pinkie both have the same power, right?"
"Yes and no."
Winter strode back into the cabin, the pegasus following him, shutting the brass door behind her.
"She has a different... how shall one put it... embodiment. A circumstance that splits the both of us apart."
The stallion sighed, his hooves massaging his temple, as he continued:
"She wasn't suppose to have that power, you know? To blur the lines of fantasy and reality. A surrealist's reverie. The envious endeavors of a dreamer's creations."
The stallion slammed his hooves onto the velvet chair, gripping tightly onto the fabric with guilt dilating in his veins.
"I was an idiot. I was stupid, foolish enough to bring Pinkie into the situation."
"But I don't get it," Rainbow said, scratching her signature mane. She soon settled onto the seat opposite of Winter, pondering about the problems lying on their shoulders.
"How did all of this happen?"
Winter just sighed. His hoof pointed to Twilight's satchel, which the unicorn left onto the table. The numerous contents were spilling out, though, from amidst the stash, the pegasus understood what the Patriarch was pointing at.
The lacquered surface of the box was evident from beneath the ruffled mess, the varnished oil-drawn flowers on the cover reflecting back at her.
Rainbow Dash turned to the stallion, who had only kept quiet.
"I don't understand," she spoke with a shrug.
"It's Persimmon's box. So?"
Winter just laughed a little, only making her roll her eyes.
"The fateful events. Of how it came to this. Of the source of all this chaos and cacophony. They were all stored into that small box, sealed by a dark string of black magic."
"Really?"
Rainbow glanced at the box again, the pieces fixing together in her head.
"So if we unlock it, we'll find out what's going on, right?"
"To be brought back into the light," he only muttered.
"The memories of those who had been lost."
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"So you're saying that once you're back, you and Spike wanted to announce..."
"About out relationship, yes," Rarity replied Octavia with a nod.
"Although I'm not so sure how we're going to carry it out."
Octavia just chuckled at her friend.
"Don't worry," she said, nudging the unicorn's shoulder. "Your friends will think of something."
The two mares were in Spring's room, the filly asleep on the bed before them. She had been crying in the morning, no doubt scared of the self-proclaimed Matriarch. Octavia was reading through about the tribulations of the Palgiot Family, trying to find something about Mirror Mare in the lettered pages.
Rarity, on the other hand, was sewing one of Spring's dresses, which she had found ripped and tossed on the floor. Despite her innocence, the unicorn could see the filly had a sort of maniacal rage.
"When do you think Winter will return?"
"Well," Rarity answered.
"For the record, I have no idea how swift he would be in coming back."
Octavia just sighed, before flipping the page, her eyes lighting up a little.
"Here it is. Pendulum Palgiot."
"Well, I have to sew this finish."
Rarity then gave a sheepish smile.
"Please?"
There was another sigh from the gray mare, before she read out:
Pendulum Palgiot continued the expansion of Palgiot's Finest, even introducing it outside of Equestria. He remained close with his father, Chicane, and his siblings, Carillon and Epsilon. Chicane remained fond of his child, teaching him of clockworks and brass mechanics even after being elected Patriarch.
Soon, the mechanisms and contraptions were easily found over the palace. Pendulum refrained from doing so, knowing that he might succumb to the curse that the Princess has placed onto them.His siblings, Carillon and Epsilon, also had talents related to Pendulum's aptitude of steam machines. Carillon's was her celebrated forte in music. She soon designed the Music Room in the Palace, which became her haven for days to come.
Epsilon's was the ability to, like his brother, build machines, albeit his were passive ones. While Pendulum can build fighter jets and steam-powered dragons, Epsilon can build steam energy cores, brass circuit timers and sapphire extractors.It wasn't long before both brothers built their first, fully-functioning train. They then established the train station, which then connects to most of the main tracks of Equestria.
Pendulum then started on a project named Dreamscape: to build a machine able to connect directly to the Chronostream and predict future events by means of traversing through dreams.It wasn't long before he got married, he and Epsilon agreeing to abandon the project completely. Pendulum then had two sons, which he named Tantrum and Harrow Palgiot.
"Tantrum... that's Winter's father."
"I guess so."
Rarity bit her lip, finishing her sewing. The machine stopped whirring as she stood up, trotting towards her friend.
"Harrow was the one that abolished that organization, didn't he?"
"He should be the one," Octavia replied, settling the book aside.
"But if anything happened that made Mirror Mare run astray, it must've something to do with Winter's father."
The white unicorn could only nod, a sinking feeling in her gut telling her this was not a good sign.
She gazed at Spring, who seemed to be squirming from beneath the bed sheets, her eyes squinting fearfully, her hooves flailing about in her sleep. Her face turned to that of worry; the filly was somewhat suffering in her dreams.
"I don't think we'll like how this ends."
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"Come on, Macintosh!"
"W-wait... Wait up, Fluttershy! Ah've just finished applebucking. My... my hooves... phew..."
Fluttershy was already far in front of him, as the stallion trudged through the mountain path. He was sweating from head to hoof, wanting to just collapse into the dirt.
"Hurry up! I mean... um... please?"
Big Mac just chuckled. There's the Fluttershy he know.
"Ah'll catch up in a bit. Hooves still a little sore from all that applebucking, you know?"
"Okay then..." she said, before giving him a wink.
The red stallion just smiled, watching as his marefriend ruffled her wings, gently skipping down the mountain path. She was more comfortable around him since her and Applejack's return from Cloudsdale, always tending to the animals while he plowed the farmland and picked the apples.
The two would then spend some together, walking around town or enjoy the breeze in the meadows. This time, though, she's taking him to a place he had never been before.
Big Mac wiped the sweat off his forehead. He couldn't believe he was getting tired from only walking over a few hills.
"Come on, Macintosh," he muttered under his breath, his front hooves aching from all the work.
"For Fluttershy's sake."
With a grunt, he galloped towards the yellow pegasus, who was by now entering a cave.
Big Mac skidded to a halt, staring up at the looming opening of the mountain before him.
"Fluttershy?" he called out nervously, his voice already echoing inside.
A soft, mellow reply reflected from inside, making him sigh with relief.
"Oh... um... it's okay. I'm fine..."
"What is it you want to show me?" he asked, before stepping into the darkness.
"Something just... um... wonderful..."
The stallion gazed into the darkness, trying to feel his way through the dark, rocky subterranean cavity. His left hoof reached around like a blind pony, feeling the walls and the surfaces of stalagmites sticking from the ground.
How Fluttershy navigated past all of this was a wonder to him. He tried to breathe, but the damp, dusty air only made it harder for him to focus.
Then, at long last, a small, trickling ray of light seeped from afar. Big Mac took off immediately, galloping towards the light with anticipation.
The warmth of the sun fell upon his face. His jaw slowly fell at the breathtaking sight before him, the loud roar of water ringing into his ears.
The grandiose torrent of water plummeted from a natural oculus in the ceiling, raining into an underground lake. The rays of the sun shine onto it, revealing the trees and grass growing over the craggy floor of the cavern. A slight flit of wings caught his attention as a hummingbird zoomed past his face, before reuniting with its clan.
Big Mac could only look in amazement: the powerful and pristine sight before him stealing his breath away.
"Wonderful, isn't it?" Fluttershy said, walking to his side.
"Come on. There's nothing to worry about."
The stallion just chuckled as the two trotted towards the underground lake.
"Treatin' me like ah'm one of your animal friends."
"You are a friend..." she replied, holding his hoof.
"A very good, very special friend."
"Aw shucks..."
Fluttershy just giggled, leading him towards the lake. Upon closer inspection, though, Big Mac could see steam rising from the surface.
"It's a hot spring..."
"One of the... um... few, I guess..."
The pegasus immersed her two front hooves, shuddering at the sweltering yet comforting heat. It wasn't long before she dipped her whole body in as well, closing her eyes and relishing the moment.
She waded deeper into the lakes, leaving Big Mac behind, who was still hesitantly tapping the water with the tip of his hoof.
"Just try it. I.. um, was quite scared of it too..."
Big Mac sighed. "If 'ya say so..."
Closing his eyes, he took his first steps inside. He gave Fluttershy a sheepish grin as she smiled meekly at him, holding out her hoof. A part of him wanted to jump out of the spring, but with the pegasus watching he knew that must never happen.
"C'mon Macintosh," he muttered quietly to himself. "Don'tcha back down now..."
Suddenly, he felt a hoof bring him forward, right into the pegasus's pouting face.
"You're taking a really long time. I mean! Not that I mind... um..."
"Ya sure?" he said with a chuckle.
"And Ah thought ya want to be assertive?"
At the mention of that word, Fluttershy started to grin coyly. "Assertive, huh?"
Big Mac suddenly felt the scalding water splashed across his face, stinging it as he let out a short cry of pain.
"Ow! What was that fo-!"
His complaints were immediately silenced when he felt his lips pounded against the pegasus's. He felt his chest being gently pushed down into the hot water, yet the fiery kiss overwhelmed any scalding feeling on his body.
Fluttershy's wings pent up as her hoof caressed the side of the stallion's face, her tongue seeking solace in the stallion's mouth. She rested her flank against his hoof, letting out a small moan of pleasure.
The two broke their kiss, looking at each other longingly. Both could detect the strong arousal rising from each of their bodies, the steaming heat only lifting the lusty sensations higher.
Fluttershy then pushed Big Mac against a rock, her hoof firmly gripping on his shoulders. She nipped his ear, making him grunt a little, before whispering:
"I'm ready... um... are you?"
Big Mac was unsure. He seemed so big for her, and she seemed so... frail. Yet he could see the blossoming lust in her eyes, the flame of his own about to erupt as well.
He blinked for a moment, before gently licking the side of her face. The pegasus just giggled, holding her breath as the stallion below her whispered one more thing before their lips met once more:
"More than ever."
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"How about Quirky Blue? Or Fluffy Wings?"
"I don't think Rainbow would want either of those names, Pinkie."
Soarin' smiled at his marefriend as the pink pony stopped to think, before suggesting:
"Why not something cooler? Our foal could be a colt or a filly, after all."
He and Rainbow Dash were busy thinking of a name just in case they have a foal, and Pinkie decided to help out.
She was completely over their argument, much to everypony's relief, especially the pegasus's.
"Come on, Pinks!" she cheered.
"You gotta have a name! Something extremely awesome!"
"How about... Lollipop?"
"Too sweet."
"Witty Wings?"
"Too lame."
"Tipsy Flipsy!"
"Too girly."
Twilight just chuckled from afar as Pinkie spewed out countless of names, all of them being denied by the cyan pegasus.
She turned to Winter, who was busy shoveling coal into the furnished engine. He let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing the sweat off his forehead, before noticing the unicorn staring at him.
"Seems you're having a good time," he said with a chuckle.
"Just thinking about everything."
Twilight just brushed her mane aside, stretching her hooves.
"I'm just curious about something, though."
Winter settled the shovel down, before sitting right beside the unicorn.
"What is it?"
"Pinkie and you... how did you guys meet?"
The stallion blinked for a second, holding his breath.
"How shall I explain this..."
"Well, it was one of those random encounters in town, you know? I was seeing if the town was alright, and she just happened to be there."
"So it's like love at first sight, that sort of thing?"
"Not really," he replied, shaking his head.
"It's complicated. Much more than actual love is."
Twilight just sighed, following Winter's gaze towards Pinkie, the both of them chuckling as she blew a raspberry, making Rainbow and Soarin' laugh.
"She's a special mare," the stallion said, staring dreamily at her.
"She only wishes for the happiness of others."
"That's Pinkie Pie," Twilight retorted with a shrug.
"Ooh! Ooh!" the pink pony exclaimed, jumping up and down.
"How about Firefly? Firefly Spectra Glorytail!"
"Firefly Spectra Glorytail..."
Soarin' pondered at the name, as if something clicked in his mind. He turned to Rainbow, who seemed enlightened by her friend's selection.
"Whatcha think, RD?"
"It'll work if the foal was a filly."
The pegasus fluttered her wings, giving Pinkie a hoof bump, the pink mare giggling at that.
"Knew you'll come up with something awesome!"
Pinkie just laughed with a snort.
"No sss~weat!"
Everypony else chuckled at her personality. Twilight could see Winter's face beam with pride at the mare, his smile even wider than the unicorn had ever seen before.
"She's so energetic every time."
Winter just sighed, looking down at the floor. Gummy was at his hooves, trying to chew it off with its toothless jaws.
He laughed, picking the alligator up before cuddling it, flicking its snout.
"Gummy!" the pink mare called its name, trotting towards Winter with a giggle.
"Silly Gummy! Always biting other pony's hooves now!"
A chorus of chuckles echoed through the train again. Winter watched as Pinkie rocked it to sleep like a mother, singing a small, sweet lullaby that honeyed his heart.
"Such a mare you are, Diane..."
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"What do you mean 'an attack on Canterlot'?"
Princess Celestia was pacing around her sister's room, leafing through the stack of reports on the table. She could only stare in disbelief at all the notes scattered around, her frantic worry flushing evidently through her face.
"Where did you get this from?" she asked the cerulean mare, waving one of the papers in her hoof.
"It was found on one of our ministers that were murdered in the north," Princess Luna explained.
"Remember Starsign, Tia?"
Starsign Fleet. One of the most trustiest, wisest advisers that the Ministry has ever had.
She sighed, remembering his 'disappearance' a few weeks ago, only to be found mangled in some ventilation shaft up in the northern city of Fenderville.
By her own protege.
"He managed to infiltrate the Lakes?"
"Barely. Some of the guards patrolling nearly caught him, but he evaded them with ease."
The cerulean mare walked to her sister's side, gazing at the bloodstained papers. She watched as the alabaster mare's eyes widened in disbelief, nearly dropping it to the floor.
"I couldn't believe it either."
"A weapon? That's what the Patriarch's been building? A weapon?!"
Princess Celestia slammed the paper onto the table, crumpling it up in her hooves. The loud bang also made Princess Luna jump, striding back a little out of fear.
"We're trying to recover his notes. He might've had a clear description of the weapon itself."
"I hope he does," the mare replied, grimacing at the papers on the table.
"This has gone too far. What does he think he's doing?"
"I wonder as well."
Both princesses turned to the balcony, gritting their teeth with anger as a familiar, masked pony manifested from nowhere, swirling into shape from strips of a black, paper-like substance.
"My Princesses, Celestia and Luna," it said, giving each of them a bow.
"What a queer... coincidence, don't you think?"
The younger mare just spat at the floor, her sister buckling her hooves behind.
"What does thou want?" Princess Luna asked in her booming, Canterlot voice.
Mirror Mare just snickered, only enticing them a little more.
"One of us has blown the cover. Which one was it again, I can't recall. Princess?"
"The present." Princess Celestia answered.
"I don't know what you're up to, but you're not welcome here."
"Not welcome in my own home?" it said, sweeping it hooves against the midnight-blue carpet, which only made the cerulean mare growl.
"How absurd that is, isn't it?"
"Thou'est trying to test thy patience?" she shouted in her regal voice again.
"Calm down, Luna," her sister said, stepping forward towards the masked pony.
"This was not your home. This was never your home."
The pony just laughed maniacally in response, wiping the eyes of its mask pretentiously.
"Really, your Highness. You do have a way with your words. They seem so..."
The mask glinted a bright gold as Mirror Mare turned back, its voice twisting into a gentle yet darker form as it completed its sentence:
"...threatening."
"Well, isn't your Patriarch's so-called 'weapon' a threat?" she accused defiantly, stomping her hoof onto the carpeted floor.
"I assure you, it is but a ploy. A trick!"
Mirror Mare glided towards the balcony, kicking its hooves in the air like a swimmer doing a backstroke.
"Just something to throw our Princesses off their hooves."
Princess Celestia could hear her sister sigh quietly with relief, although she herself begged to differ.
The masked pony's body started to tear apart, back into the black strips of 'paper' it was originally formed from. It let out a mere, cold chuckle as it uttered:
"For now."
Both alicorns stopped short, before galloping after the disappearing pony in vain. The echo of its morbid laughter rang throughout the room. only flaring each of their hatred for the assassin even further.
"Notify the ministers about this!" Princess Celestia ordered, her sister immediately nodding and rushing towards the door.
"I want Canterlot to quadruple their defenses. Get the most powerful of our ponies on guard now!"
Princess Luna skidded to a halt, turning back to the alabaster alicorn.
"And what of us, Tia? How can we assist?"
Princess Celestia just wrinkled her nose. Out of the zillion ideas in her head, there was only one that was exemplary for the dire situation, but she wasn't going to like it.
"Prepare your things, Luna," she told her sister with a frown.
"We're going to Pendant Lakes."