//------------------------------// // Appropriate Dinner Conversation // Story: The Equestria Chronicles: Journey Through The Crystal Mountains // by Slippin_Sweetie //------------------------------// The night had barely started, and Twilight was already over-cumbered by the dozens of horderves and hoof sandwiches. To think she only intended to have a light lunch and small dinner during her brief stint at the Empire but no. It was practically a party with Cadance, Shining Armor, and all her friends. Cadance spoiled them to their heart's content with the splendor of all the food and drinks they could ever possibly want or need. The servant ponies trot to and fro from the kitchen constantly, primarily due to the insatiable hunger of Pinkie Pie. Cadence looked over to Applejack as she tilted her head curiously, "Strange, I don't remember you with a bow in your mane." "Uhh…well, I wanted to try a new look," admitted Applejack. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but snicker at the sight; the rough and tough cowpony all dolled up! She tried to take a bite out of one of the fancy sandwiches the servants had provided, but she found she couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Haha, geez, AJ, what's next, a dress?" she snorted, wiping her mouth with the back of her hoof. "I don't care what you think, Dash. I'm just tryin' something different." The farmer adjusted the bow in her mane. "It took me ages to convince her; at first, I wanted to get her a new hat, but she insisted on how she didn't give away her hat but gave it to her sister Apple Bloom to watch over," sighed Rarity, "But it's different, and I can proudly say I changed her look!" Applejack smirked, "I changed my own look the second I gave my hat to Apple Bloom." "Let me have this, please," Rarity groaned. Pinkie Pie, pulling her face away from her plate, chocolate frosting plastering her face, took one look at Applejack and smiled, "Oooh, it's so cute, AJ! Just like Apple Bloom's! Are you tryin' to match her? That's soooo sweet!" Applejack chuckled and rolled her eyes. Shining looked over to Spike, who was happily devouring the finest crystals the servants could provide, "Is everything to your liking, O' Spike The Brave and Glorious?" Spike quickly forced a crystal shard down his throat as he politely wiped the crumbs off his face, "Oh, mm, yes, thank you, your highness." "Just try not to eat too much, Spike; you don't want to... ugh, get a stomach ache." Sitting up, Twilight groaned, pushing her plate back as she took a sip of water. She didn't think she could take another bite, no matter how delicious it looked. Glancing over at Applejack, Twilight smiled and nodded. "I think it's really nice. Is that all you girls picked up while you were out?" Pinkie shot up, "Ooooh, I packed some of my bags with the abso-toovely best candy in the Crystal Empire! Crystal rock pops, sugar crystals, crystal berry delight, crystal cakes--" "Yeah, okay, I think we get it." Rainbow rolled her eyes, taking a bite of her sandwich, speaking as she chewed, before turning to Twilight, "I actually decided to fly around the edge of the Empire, y'know, just scouting it out. The cloud layer is pretty thick out there, so I don't know how well I can clear it. The wind is pretty strong too." "Well, that's better than nothing at all; apparently, the Crystal ponies believe that Sombra's spirit is haunting the mountains out there." The purple alicorn replied in a defeated tone, "Not even one Crystal pony has managed to make it past the mountains in over a thousand years!" The servant ponies appeared to be uneasy at the mention of King Sombra, giving Rainbow Dash a wirey look at the news that she flew near the mountain. They would've voiced their concerns if they weren't trained not to speak to the guests. Spike let out an amused snort, "King Sombra? You mean, the same King Sombra I righteously vanquished?" smirked the dragon, as he raised his plate for another helping of gems, "I think that calls for a second helping! (more rubies, please.)" "Yes, that King Sombra. But we all know that ghosts and spirits don't exist; it's simply coincidence or paranoid ponies mistaking normal things for the supernatural! At most, they probably saw a Windigo." Twilight snorted. Not a single book in the time she had studied the subject had any hard proof! "But even so, there must be a valid reason for their fears. We should be prepared for anything." "Sombra's haunting the mountain?!" Fluttershy squeaked, nearly ducking underneath the table in fright, eyes wildly looking about the room. "Oh c'mon, silly, he's not here right now!" Pinkie giggled. "C'mon, Fluttershy, we saw him get blown to smithereens; I don't think he'll come back anytime soon. Besides, I'm pretty sure you can make friends with any beast we find up there by giving them a belly rub." smirked Applejack. "Yes," nodded Rarity as she took a sip of wine, "It's clear as day, or should I say crystal, that our dear Spike destroyed that ruffian." Fluttershy pulled herself back into her seat and began smoothing her mane in a self-soothing manner, "I-I know, I-I'm hoping we might see some new wildlife; that would be fascinating... I'd love to make new friends." she decided to look on the positive, shutting out the nightmarish thought of Sombra's return. "I just really don't want to see... him again." "Puh-lease, if he is up there, we'll kick his flank!" Dash shot up from her seat, nearly kicking over a plate full of hors d'oeuvre's to the sparkling crystal floor. A servant just barely managed to jump and catch the entire contents perfectly. Rainbow looked down sheepishly, "Heh, sorry..." "Yeah, Dashie's right; if that big meanie is up there, we'll stop whatever he's planning!" Pinkie chirped, "Oooooh, what about that Glimmer pony?" Pinkie Pie looked around suspiciously, "Do you think she's here right now?" She hissed. Twilight looked less than impressed, "No, Pinkie, I'm certain she's not in the castle." "I don't think anycreature we ever faced was as spiteful and vengeful as that pony," added Applejack, taking a bite of her apple pie. "She ought to be thrown in the nearest dungeon for her crimes against fashion alone… oh and the Cutie Marks." the prissy unicorn stated, taking another delicate sip of her glass. "Not to mention Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle!" crossing her hooves, Rainbow sat down in a huff. "She was pretty mean..." the shy mare mumbled softly. "Twilight gave us a description of her, now everypony in the Crystal Empire will know that she is not welcomed here and to stay awa-" The doors quickly flew open, "Sir!" Shouted the Officer pony as he saluted Shining and quickly bowed at the Princesses, "Permission to speak?" "Permission granted, Officer Velvet Bristle, is something the matter?" "Yes sir, that pony you wanted posters of, she was involved with a recent assault and robbery in the lower part of town; she used a freezing spell on a tavern owner and immobilized his sons. She's not alone, either. We have reports saying she has an accomplice. A Trixie Lulamoon, we believe that she at least participated in the robbery." Explained Velvet Bristle. Shining quietly stared in muted horror as he slowly turned to his sister, "We will handle this; this will not interfere with your expedition." Twilight shot up, her previous lethargy gone completely, "Are you kidding?! How can we leave now when she's loose somewhere and causing chaos? Especially because she's only here trying to get back at me!" "C-Calm down, Twilight; I'm sure your brother and his guard know what they're doing." Fluttershy offered, trying to calm her friend. "But doesn't it make it partially my fault?" Twilight asked, "I'm the one who decided to push ahead on this, and now ponies are hurt." "It's not like you could have controlled that, Twi. You're not responsible for some crazy pony going off and hurting people." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, sitting up in her seat. "And please, she's hanging out with Trixie? Pffft, what a joke. With that loud mouth, they'll be spotted in no time." "Yeah, all we gotta do is look for her wagon!" Pinkie piped up, smiling wide, "It's got purple on it, just like her cape!" "Your highness," Velvet Bristle assured as he removed his helmet with his magic, resting it next to him as he looked the Princess in the eye, "We won't let a couple of thieves ruin your time in the Crystal Empire and interrupt your much more important ventures. We have secured Ms. Lulamoon's cart, and we have patrols entering the lower city." Shining Armor rose from his chair, "Well spoken, Officer Bristle, I will also join in the search. Twilight, you won't have to worry about a thing." "You have to understand, she's a very powerful unicorn, even she had me by surprise. I can't just leave you while she's out there doing... something! It's not like her to do something so blatant, it might be a trap of some sort!" Twilight protested weakly. Fluttershy couldn't help but shift uncomfortably, "Wouldn't that mean she's trying to lure you in Twilight? Maybe it's for the best that we go..." "I know she's a super big meanie Twilight, but we didn't come out here for her!" Pinkie shrugged, taking a big bite of a cupcake drizzled in hot sauce. "I know, I know..." she turned to Cadance and her brother, "I just don't want you two getting hurt." Cadance turned to her husband before looking back at Twilight, "I agree with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie; she wants you, Twilight. But I believe all of you must stay here and allow Shining Armor and the royal guard to take care of this." "Your mission is important, Twilight; we won't let you down," smiled Shining, before turning to Velvet Bristle, "I want all patrols to scout the entire city! I want these two brought to justice!" The purple alicorn sighed and sat back down, "Alright, you talked me out of it... but if anything happens, I want to hear it," She still didn't like it, or perhaps she was just being paranoid. She huffed and watched her brother and the guard leave and began picking at her food. "Yes, sir!" saluted the Officer, as he and Shining quickly trotted out of the room. Cadance placed her hoof on Twilight's shoulder, "Everything will be okay; let's save you for a change." She smirked. "Yeah, Twi, Starlight's just one pony, after all," pointed out Applejack, leaning back in her seat. "Oh, lest we forget, the Great and Powerful Trixie!" Rarity giggled, taking a sip of her wine. "What's she going to do? Throw a smoke bomb at us?" Spike laughed through a mouthful of gemstones. "Well, I mean, Trixie *did* take over Ponyville that one time..." Fluttershy murmured quietly. "Yeah, but she had that magic doohickey that gave her those powers! Without it, she's just a showpony." Dash took a long gulp of apple cider, letting out a pleasurable sigh from the flavor, "Gee, Applejack, this crystal cider is almost as good as your family's recipe!" "Almost." Applejack nodded as she took a sip of cider, "But not quite." She'd chuckle good-naturedly before turning to Twilight, "I think you give that pony too much credit. Do you really think she and Trixie can take an army?" "Or our brother, for that matter." the young drake replied as he gnawed a gemstone. "What we're all saying is Darling is that we are currently in one of the finest cities in the world as honored guests, and we should spend the night enjoying ourselves!" asserted Rarity, smiling at the purple mare. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at Rarity, "Yeah, that's definitely what we're here for, to lounge around. News flash Rarity, this isn't a vacation!" Rarity scoffed at Rainbow Dash's impudence before taking another sip of wine, lest she say something uncouth in front of Princess Cadance. "Aw c'mon Dashie, it's not a crime to have some fun along the way!" Pinkie poked the pegasus in the side, who squeaked indignantly at the sudden contact. "I couldn't have said it better myself," smiled Cadance as she clapped her hooves, alerting the servant ponies, who quickly cleared and cleaned the table. "Alright, alright, I get it. I'm just nervous because, well... she's unpredictable. I mean, Trixie of all ponies?! What is she planning?" Twilight yelled in exasperation before taking a calming breath. Fluttershy leaned over and gently patted the alicorn on the back, "Well, I think it's a good idea for us to relax before we begin our journey. It won't help any of us if we get worried about that pony." Twilight sighed, "Oh... okay, fine... Well, what do you think we should do?" "The castle has plenty of things to do; we have our own library and bathhouse. We can arrange an escort to take you anywhere in the Empire if you wish. The only thing holding you back is your imagination," Cadance offered, a soft smile on her lips. "Perhaps a trip to the bathhouse will do you good, Twilight; a steam bath and a massage always calms me down," offered Rarity. "Tch, you kidding? She'll go over to the books first," chuckled Applejack. "Less we forget the time she tried to take a book into the spa," smirked Spike. The purple alicorn looked over scornfully at Spike, "That was one time, and I didn't expect Pinkie to literally jump in the tub!" grumbled Twilight; she quickly perked her head at the mention of the library. "Library?! Say no more!" Twilight squealed, jumping up from her seat as she trotted in place. "I haven't had the opportunity to really scour the Crystal Empire's catalog since our first visit! I could even reorganize for you if we have the time!" "I... don't think we have THAT much time." Rainbow snickered before letting out a loud yawn. "I'm actually thinking about a nap. No offense Cadance, but I'm used to a cloud mattress, so I'll probably be outside." "Don't you wanna jump on the beds and try the soap they have? They're shaped like seashells!" Pinkie giggled, summoning the soap from... somewhere. Twilight didn't question it. "Ooh, ooh, what if we have a sleepover?! We can tell each other stories and jump on the beds and have pillow fights...!" "Um... I wouldn't mind, if you don't," Fluttershy smiled, "I only wish Angel was here... I hope he's behaving." "Sounds lovely, we could use the spa and be entirely refreshed tomorrow! Fantastic idea, darling," the elegant unicorn tossed her mane, "What do you think girls?" "Awright, I don't see why not," Applejack groaned, "But I ain't lettin' them put any hoof polish on me– never again." "Come now; you looked fantastic!" Rarity chuckled, tugging the cowpony along. "I know I'm not having anypony touch my hooves…" Rainbow grumbled, Pinkie plonked along beside her, "C'mon Twilight, don't make us drag you there." Twilight chuckled and followed after her friends, pushing Starlight Glimmer out of her thoughts for the moment. She could afford one night without having to save the day, couldn't she? Shining Armor and the royal guard had it under control. She could afford this one night of avoiding danger before putting herself in unavoidable danger.