//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: The Rise of an Arch-Nemesis: Hail the Tambelon Empire // by Lord Shadow Eclipse //------------------------------// It was a lovely day in the grand capital city of Equestria: Canterlot. The sun was shining. The birds were singing up a storm. Princess Twilight and her ever-faithful dragon assistant Spike were getting ready to welcome their friends, the other members of the Mane Six (as well as being members of the newly established Friendship Council), and the Pillars to the palace to get ready for the Equestria Games. "Spike, did you remember to check to see if everyone's going get their own rooms?", Twilight asked the dutiful dragon. "For the 23rd time, yes, Twilight. I made sure. Fluttershy has the small shed by the Zoological Gardens. Applejack has the room overlooking the Palace Orchard. Rarity has the room with the sapphire chandelier. Rainbow has the highest tower overlooking the city. She always did love high, commanding views. Pinkie, per her own request, has the palace kitchen pantry of all places to room in. I don't think I'll ever understand how her mind works the way it does. Starlight and Trixie opted to room together in the second bedroom of the north wing. Starswirl is bedding in the Observatory. Stygian is sharing a room with Flash Magnus and Rockhoof. And lastly, Mage Meadowbrook, Mistmane, and Somnambula are rooming together.", Spike recounted to his adoptive mother. Twilight let out a sigh of relief. "Sorry, Spike. I just want everything to go smoothly so everyone can get enough rest to travel to the Crystal Empire for the Equestria Games." "Twilight, everything is going to be fine. Look, everypony's got their own accommodations. The old and new gang's going to get together again since defeating the villains. Everything is just fine. Now, as your number-one assistant, how about i assist you to the main gate to greet our friends?", Spike suggested with a loving smile. Twilight smiled and kissed Spike on the cheek, showing that she really appreciated Spike looking out for her the way he does and for putting up with her... issues. "Yes, let's go greet our friends, Spike." - At the main gate- Twilight and Spike made their way to the main castle gate, where a large platoon of Royal Guards and royal attendants were eagerly awaiting their beloved Princess. Some of the attendants sounded trumpets in response to the Alicorn's approach, signaling the Guards to stand at attention and salute the very Princess they've sworn to protect at all cost. Spike was particularly impressed with the dutifulness of the Guards before him. Twilight knew that Spike often dreamed about becoming a great warrior, so she gave him the title of a Royal Knight to help him achieve this dream. He was fitted for armor and had the Royal blacksmith forge a weapon for him. Spike chose a longsword, which he was currently wearing in a back scabbard. His armor was designed in a way so that he could still use his wings if he had to. The downside to that is that the gap in the armor left his back vulnerable to attack. But he quickly developed a fighting style to compensate for that gap. He had grown into a fine young male dragon. As they approached the gate, Twilight spoke to Spike. "So, how are you and Rarity getting along? I've noticed that you've been sending her a lot of letters.", Twilight said with a singsong voice. Spike smiled meekly and blushed redder than even Big Mac. "Well, things are actually going quite well. Her fashion empire is still going strong. In fact, it's going so strong that she's had to hire more help to keep up with the increasing demand for her creations.", Spike responded. "Not that. I mean your 'relationship'." "W-well, just before we invited everyone to the castle, I asked Rarity if she wanted to have dinner together sometime before we leave for the Crystal Empire. At a restaurant. By ourselves." Twilight was smirking. "Oooooooooh! I knew you'd gather up the guts to do it one day! Spike, you sly wolf." Spike was burning up from embarrassment. "Okay, can we just change the subject?! How is Applejack holding up? I remember that she was quite upset when Granny Smith died." "Well, fortunately she's doing a lot better now. Sweet Apple Acres is running as smoothly as ever, the crops are as healthy as always, and the whole family is pitching in to help. And great news: Big Mac and Sugar Belle are having a baby!" Spike's eyes widened. "No way! That's amazing! I'll have to get Applejack to congratulate them both for me." "Our other friends are doing pretty good, too.", Twilight continued. "Pinkie's so excited to help with the catering for the other nations' leaders when we meet them for the Games.". "What about Cheese or Lil' Cheese? Aren't they coming, too?", Spike asked. "No, I'm afraid. Cheese Sandwich got a contract to plan a big town holiday in Trottingham and Lil' Cheese wanted to go with him." "And what about Rainbow Dash? Is she going to compete in the Games this year?". "Oh, Rainbow's doing quite fine. And no, she's not going to be competing this year. In fact, she's leading her own squad within the Wonderbolts to fly the Equestrian flag across the arena.", Twilight said. "And Fluttershy?" "Well, aside from looking after her animals, Fluttershy has been doing amazing work in promoting conservation efforts for endangered species all over Equestria. Discord's been helping out a lot with her endeavors, as well." Spike let out a small chuckle. "Yeah. Those two are inseparable. What of Starlight and Trixie?" "Starlight's really been great as the new Headmistress of the School of Friendship. Trixie's stage tricks have become so popular that she's started to gain the attention of even the highest of Canterlot nobility. That's not an easy feat for a stage magician to pull off". Spike then asked, "What about the Pillars? I assume that they're doing well after returning to a modern Equestria. Starswirl in particular seems to be the most impressed about your accomplishments as the new sole reigning Princess of Equestria". Twilight let out a tiny squeal. "I'm so happy that my childhood hero is so proud of me, Spike! Especially with how I screwed up our first meeting." Spike gave her a sly smirk. "Oh, you mean how you summoned not only him and the other Pillars from Limbo, but also the Pony of Shadows who could've plunged the entire land into darkness and evil? That about cover it?" "Yes, Spike. That just about covers all of it.", Twilight responded flatly. "Let's just focus on welcoming our friends, yeah?" "Yeah. Let's do this." The Guards up at the gate towers looked down to see Princess Twilight signal them to let down the gate. They quickly lowered the gate to let Twilight's closest friends into the castle. Twilight and Spike were greeted with nothing but happy faces, a bunch of "hellos", and warm hugs. Twilight spoke up, "It's truly amazing to see all of you again after such a long time!" "We're all so happy to see you, too, Twilight! And you, too, Spike!", Pinkie exclaimed. "Damn right, we are. I brought some good apple fritters for you. I bet you're sick and tired of that high-and-mighty royal kitchen food and need some good ol' down-home country cooking.", Applejack said, producing a plate of said fritters from her saddlebag. Twilight looked at them with an almost predatory gaze. "You have no idea, Applejack. I always missed your Apple Family cooking.", Twilight responded. "Hey, Twi! Haven't seen you in forever. I bet you missed racing, and losing to, me in the skies.", Rainbow Dash said with no small amount of friendly bravado. Twilight wrapped the blue Pegasus in a hug. "I missed you, too, Dash". Twilight then went to greet Fluttershy. "Hey Fluttershy. How are your animals?", Twilight asked the shy Pegasus before her. Fluttershy gave a smile that could melt icecaps. "Oh, they're doing very well, Twilight. Just last week, me and Tree Hugger rescued a little wolf pup from some poachers. We nursed the poor thing back to health and reunited her with her mother and the rest of the pack.", Fluttershy relayed with a bit of pride that was most unusual for the normally timid mare. The Pillars all bowed respectfully before Twilight. Starswirl and the other Pillars have barely aged a day since coming back from Limbo. Both Twilight and Starswirl hypothesized that them being in Limbo for so long has affected their aging process. It was the most logical conclusion that they could come to, since they hadn't aged while in Limbo. Starswirl spoke first out of all of them. "Your Royal Highness! Princess Twilight, Princess of Friendship, Element of Magic, and Sovereign Ruler of Equestria! We humbly thank you for inviting us to stay in your castle!", Starswirl said with all the one would normally show a ruler. Twilight giggled. "Thank you for your show of respect, dear mage. May you enjoy all the comforts my castle has to offer.", she said with a playful tone in her voice. She and the bearded wizard stared at each other for a good bit before they both started giggling. Then the giggling turned into a great burst of laughter. The Pillars all stood up and laughed along with everyone else. "So Rockhoof, how are you enjoying being a Royal Storyteller?", Twilight asked the mound of pure muscle standing before her. "Oh, it's great. Stygian's been helping me write stories as well as telling them", Rockhoof said, nudging his skinny buddy. Stygian gave a simple smile. "It's the least I could do for you, after all you've done for me. Remember when a Saurian almost sliced me in half with his warsword?", Stygian asked, recounting the experience. Rockhoof gave a hearty laugh that only warriors of high caliber can give. "Hahaha! Of course I remember. You almost lost your head until I gave that two-legged handbag a deadly whack with my trusty shovel!", Rockhoof said while twirling his shovel in the air like he was part of a marching band color-guard. Twilight spoke up, noticing that it was quickly becoming dark. "Okay, we're all happy to see each other, but why don't we do so INSIDE the castle?", she suggested. And with that, everyone went inside the castle to catch up. Twilight smiled to herself. Yes, this is perfect. The kingdom is happy, everyone's got a smile on their faces, and there are no more villains to worry about. Yes, sir, this is a paradise. The gate retracted upwards and the group of friends walked inside, unaware of the pair of beady eyes watching them. A rat had been watching the friends and had heard their conversations. The rat scampered off and made it past the gate before it closed completely. Now that it was outside the castle wall, it made it's way to a wall surrounding the backyard of some stuffy noble. Once it arrived, it heard a high-pitched raspy voice call out from the growing shadows. "Come here, child.", one of the shadows spoke. Out of the darkness, a tall figure cloaked in black reached out to the rodent with a clawed, four-fingered hand. The figure wore a large hood, obscuring its face. The rat climbed into the hand, which lifted it up to it's concealed face. "Now, tell me everything.", the figure ordered of its tiny servant. The rat began to squeak in its own language. These sounds would sound like regular rat sounds, but they were words to this mysterious figure. From underneath the hood, two beady, glowing white eyeballs widened. The figure gave a horrific smile, showing jagged teeth. "Oh, the master is going to be so happy to hear that! He'll probably congratulate us on doing such a fine job!", the figure said to its servant. The figure gently put the rat down on the ground and spoke to it again. "Go. Return to the castle and tell the others to keep close eyes and ears on them. The more information we collect, the more praise we will get from the master!", the figure ordered, pointing in the direction of the castle. The rat nodded once and returned to its mission. The figure spoke softly. "Yes, the master will be most pleased. Most pleased, indeed. After all, we all exist to carry out his vision. Hail the Tambelon Empire!".