//------------------------------// // XIII: Today the Way I Play the Game is Not the Same // Story: Kind Hearts & Coronets // by Shinzakura //------------------------------// “You’re going to talk,” Shining told the pegasi sitting in the dungeon cell. “Especially you,” the prince snarled, pointing a hoof at Candlewick. “Thankfully, nopony was killed in your atrocities, but dozens were hurt and Equestria has a huge diplomatic crisis on its hooves, as one of the princesses of Inari may have to have a tail amputated – do you realize the kind of insult that is?” The two stallions continued to sit there in silence. “Answer me!” he shouted. “I don’t answer to pet princes,” Blackwing said with a grimace. “Tell me: are you just the latest of the Lustbringer’s toys, or just the one she uses the most?” Shining’s horn flared with blue light, only to be tapped on the shoulder. “What,” he said as he turned to face Diamondplate. The tone was one of pure anger, and while he knew it was unbefitting his station as both Captain of the Guard and a prince of Equestria, he didn’t particularly care at the moment. “A word if you would, Captain,” Diamondplate told him in the calmest voice he could muster. “You two clowns better be willing to talk when I come back,” Shining snarled, then followed Diamondplate up the steps to the next floor. “This better be important, Dimes,” he told his friend. “Yeah, it is, Shines,” the earth pony told the unicorn. “It’s a reminder to calm down, okay?” “That bastard in there used my little sister – you think I’m going to let him get away with that?” Shining growled. “You are if we want to save my little brother!” Diamondplate responded. Shining’s ears cantilevered at the admonishment. “Sorry, Dimes, just got ahead of myself,” the unicorn admitted. “Look, Rarity’s just hurting and she’s family, okay? Plus, that bucker in there used Twily’s feelings, and it’s either I tear him apart or my parents will do worse – and I don’t even want to know what Cady and the other princesses are planning.” “Well, as far as I’m concerned, Shines, my family has dibs. Rarity was just seconds away from officially becoming part of our family – and we already consider her that way. And now my brother is in danger thanks to a mare we thought was a part of our family as well!” Dimes shouted. He then sat down and sighed. “None of this is just making sense anymore, Shines. Not a damn bit of it.” “Then it’s time to change the equation, gentlestallions.” Both Twilight and Rarity walked into the room. Both mares looked as though they’d been through hell and were just about to start sending some of it back in that direction. “We’re going to speak to the prisoner.” “Rarity, I don’t thi—” Diamondplate began. “This is Knight business,” Twilight him off brusquely. “Twily, no. I’m going to put my hoof down on this one,” Shining said. “You and Rarity are compromised right now.” “We’re all compromised right now,” Twilight countered. “Shining, dear,” Rarity began. “I have days to save my beloved before that…fiend does something to him. I nearly lost him once – you were there when it happened! I will not lose him again. Period.” The look in Rarity’s eyes was something Shining hadn’t seen in a long time. She was a mare in love, and she was now a mare at war. He saw the same look in his sister’s eyes and understood why the bond between the Knights Elemental was rock-solid, even in a way that would persist if the Elements were to suddenly just up and disappear. “Fine,” he said softly. “But be careful, you two.” “We’re done being careful, Shiny,” Twilight answered. “Now we’re angry.” Twilight and Rarity paused long enough to summon their Elements before going downstairs. “You don’t think we’ll need them, do you, dear?” Rarity asked. Twilight shook her head. “No, but it never hurts to look official.” The look on Rarity’s face was one of disappointment, and her tone was somewhat cold. “Pity.” As they arrived downstairs, Twilight immediately addressed the guardspony on duty. “Leave us, Corporal. We have everything in hoof.” “But Lady Kn—” Twilight smiled, but there was no joy in that motion. “We will be fine, Corporal. You are dismissed.” “If you say so,” he said, heading upstairs, as the two mares faced the cell and its two inhabitants. “Well, well, well,” Blackwing said, a chuckle on his face. “If it isn’t that piece of tail you got on the side, Candlewick,” the black pegasus said, looking at Twilight as she came downstairs. “Think I ca—” He never finished his statement as a loop of deep purple magic looped around him and in one quick sweep pulled Blackwing, face-forward into the bars. While his muzzle was able to fit in the slack space between the iron bars, the rest of him wasn’t so lucky and collided painfully against the metal; this pain was made all the more so by the fact that since Blackwing hadn’t been actually flying, his natural pegasus magic aura protecting him from friction and collision damage did not kick in. Twilight tugged him harder, as if trying to pull him through the bars. “AAAAAAAAH! You miserable buckin’ harridelle!” Blackwing screamed. Twilight looked at Rarity evenly and said, “Would you mind holding this for me, Rarity? I need to have a discussion with my….” She left the word unfinished; she wasn’t sure what to say. “Gladly, dear,” Rarity said, lighting her horn. Silver magic replaced deep purple and Rarity gave a not-so-gentle yank, slamming Blackwing against the bars. Moving close to him, she cooed, “You know, I’ve had a very bad day, and things aren’t going to get much easier for me in the next few. Normally I consider myself a decent and fair mare, but if you misbehave…so will I. D’accord?” With that in mind, Twilight walked into the cell…without bothering to open the cell doors, merely phasing through the bars as if they weren’t there. She then looked at the stallion she’d poured her heart out to, who she’d kissed, loved and wanted in her life. The stallion that had betrayed her. As he watched her just stallionhandle his partner, then simply walk through the bars, he suddenly realized who he was facing, and whose heart he toyed with. The most powerful unicorn in history, whose magic levels were so high the magic measurement system had to be reputedly revised to accurately measure her skill. And that was just her as herself, not as what else she’d accomplished in her young life. He knew in that moment, he was a dead stallion. So it came to a shock to him as she simply walked up to him and said a simple word: “Why?” “Twili—” “No, Parry. I deserve to know.” “My name’s not Paraffin Wax, you know.” He shook his head. “Well, honestly, it is – it’s my birth name. But in our organization we take a nom de guerre and….” He paused, wondering if he should continue. “Look, you’re just going to torture me for the information, so let’s just get this out of the way, okay?” “No,” Twilight said sadly. “I can’t, and I won’t. There’s been too much heartbreak already,” she murmured, and a part of him felt as though he’d just made the worst mistake of his life. “Was…was any of it real, Parry? Did you feel the same way I feel about you?” “Twi, don’t do this to yourse—” “Answer me!” she shouted, her voice sharp. Not with the tone of command, but with the sound of a mare who deserved to know the truth. Her eyes grew sad and she spoke. “Was all of it – all of it just to break Rarity’s heart? Was I part of the deal? Was this just to humiliate m—” “No!” he said, suddenly. “No, it was never that.” “But you’re married, aren’t you?” He nodded his head. “Then why?” “You want the truth?” He sighed. “Fine. For starters, don’t blame Noteworthy. He didn’t know, and I don’t want him mixed up in this, but he and I did grow up together.” “Thank you,” she said. “Applejack already confirmed that, and I appreciate that you’re telling us. But you didn’t answer my question. Why?” “Because as much as I love Revanche – or Tiger Lily, to use her old name – I know she loves that stallion,” Candlewick said softly. “Even still, I love her and I would do anything for her. Maybe that means she’s using me just like I….” He looked at her as though realization dawned on him. “Twilight, for what it’s worth? I’m sorry. I know what you wanted from me, but I’m not that stallion.” A second later he added, “That, and I really recommend you drop the berry lipstick.” Despite the situation, she blushed. “Really?” “Well, you wanted me to be truthful, so…I always thought you looked cuter when you skipped the makeup.” And then Twilight did something impulsive and unexpected. Despite the fact that he’d used her, despite the fact that she knew he belonged to somepony else, despite the fact that he was the enemy…she leaned forward and kissed him. Tears streaming down her cheeks as she knew that her love would be lost forever, she gave her all in that kiss – and for a second, she felt almost as though he’d reacted as well. And yet she could never be totally sure, and it was now a moot point. As she broke the kiss, she said what came to mind. “I love you, Parry. Despite everything…I wanted you to know that.” She turned to leave the cell. “Twilight?” Rarity said, concerned for her friend. “We’ll find Silver,” the vicemagus promised. “One way or another, Rarity – at least you deserve to have somepony to love you.” She’d reached the gate and prepared to use the same spell she used to enter when a voice behind her shouted, “Twilight, wait!” She stopped, turning around to look at the stallion she loved; in turn, he gave her that smile that made her heart flutter and made her go weak in the knees, and she felt for a second that it would take a superequine amount of concentration to not give in to her feelings. He sighed and said, “They’re at the Granite Spires, north of Lake Vanner. And regardless of how Rev feels about that stallion, you’ll have to hurry fast, Twilight. I have no idea what she has in mind and if she decides that hurting your friend is a bigger priority than keeping him alive, I ca—” “SHUT THE BUCK UP, YOU TRAITOR!” Blackwing screamed in anger, only to be sent flying in the opposite direction where he collided against the wall with a vicious crunch. “Did I do that?” Rarity said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I must be having an off day – silly me.” The venom in her voice wasn’t being disguised any longer. “Time for us to go, Rarity,” Twilight said, and with a flicker of her horn… …the trio found themselves just inside the southern gate of Canterlot. The roads were empty, though the town was still on somewhat of a high alert given the attack that had occurred just the day before. A group of guardsponies stood by the gate, and, recognizing him immediately, blocked it, but Twilight looked at them and they backed off. “Go,” Twilight told Candlewick. “You’re free. Go.” Now it was his turn. “Why?” She looked at him helplessly, then turned her head to bury it in Rarity’s side. “Just go….” she moaned. It was the other unicorn that answered instead. “I asked her to, for two reasons: the first is because she loves you more than you deserve, and that’s going to be a scar on her heart that will never heal, something that will haunt her for the rest of her days. And I hope those words damn you for the rest of yours.” “I’m beginning to think they will,” he admitted, seeing Twilight in the state she was in. A couple of days ago? He relished it; possibly even as late as just before the wedding. But now…something was making him feel guilty about the mare he’d spent the last few months with. “And the other reason?” Rarity smiled, but there was something awful about that rictus. “The second is simple: you are a warning to your wife. When you see her, tell her I’m coming – and there’s nowhere in the world that she can hide from me. I am a mare scorned, a mare desperate…and if you think Nightmare Moon was a problem, well….” She shrugged, leaving it at that. Candlewick looked at Rarity warily, but he approached Twilight one last time, pausing only to whisper in her ear: “Maybe I should have been the stallion you wanted me to be, Twilight. If nothing else, that’s my regret.” Then he reached out with his hoof, took her face in his, caressing it, leaning in for a kiss – this time, with no ulterior motives and of his own volition. “Just go, Paraffin,” she sobbed, turning away. He nodded, and with that, he walked through the gatepass, where the guards scowled at him as he departed yet made no move to stop him. As he left, Rarity held her sister as Twilight cried for what she’d lost – and maybe what she never had. “You will find a stallion worthy of you, Twilight, I promise,” Rarity said, her own eyes misting up in sympathy. “And I promise he will love you the way you deserve to be loved.” As he exited the gate, he immediately felt a chill in his bones at the elemental level. The sky seemed to darken all of a sudden. Unbidden, he turned and found himself staring at an alicorn and a unicorn, both mares staring at him with utter malice. The alicorn was unmistakable – and knowing that, he knew who the unicorn was…and that made it worse. “I have had many protégés before,” Celestia said calmly, “but only one have I ever loved as though she were my own foal. She has decided to spare you...and that is the only reason you still exist at this moment – the solitary reason you have not been reduced to component atoms.” “Your majesty,” he began, feeling like a fly standing before a dragon. “No – you don’t get to get away with begging now,” Twilight Velvet said, her voice full of restrained fury. “You hurt my daughter. You abused her for your own whims. And if I had my way right now, I would break you in half without thinking twice. But you still have a duty to perform, traitor.” Velvet briefly looked to Celestia, who nodded slightly before the unicorn continued. “Know that you will forever have three goddesses watching your every move for the rest of your days, and that should you ever step hoof in Equestria ever again, your life being forfeit will be the least of your concerns.” “Are you saying that I should fear the three avatars?” Looking at the imperious fires in Celestia’s eyes, Candlewick had to note that it was a distinct possibility. As if on cue, the sky grew darker – as if the sun was being extinguished – and as he shivered, it went from a mere possibility to a dreadful certainty. Seeing his reaction, Velvet’s eyes narrowed as she made it clear. “No,” the unicorn mare told him. “They’re there to keep you safe. From me.” She looked at him, eye to eye and within that glance Candlewick understood where Twilight got her power from. It was enough to make him turn tail and take to the skies as fast as he could go. As they watched him retreat, Celestia laughed. “He has no idea that you’re not a mage, does he, Velvet?” The alicorn nuzzled her friend. “Nice bluff.” “What he doesn’t know does me a world of good, Celestia,” Velvet said, smugly polishing a hoof against her chest in the exaggerated way action heroes tended to do in foals’ comic books. “And who said I was bluffing?” Not too long after that, a council of war of began at the palace. Seated in a dining room at a table were the Knights Elemental, the three princesses, Shining Armor, members of Silver’s family and Rarity’s father. And nearly as one, their opinion was one united: “Rarity, you cannot go alone,” Celestia said, firmly. “I will not permit it.” “I must! You heard what that madmare said!” Rarity insisted. “She’ll kill him!” “I understand how you feel, Rarity,” the Sun Princess responded. “But we will do everything within our power to save him. We have not been idle in the time you were recuperating from your shock. Shining Armor, would you be so kind as to explain what you’ve been up to?” “Gladly,” he answered. “I’ve ordered all available units to go after them, and for our reserves to be activated. We’re taking this as seriously as it should be – this is a direct threat to the throne, and to the life of one of ours. They’re not going to get away with this, Rarity, I promise,” Shining vowed. Turning to Hammer, he added, “I understand you’re retired at the moment, but I don’t suppose you’d mind temporarily taking command of Silver’s unit so we can get them out into the field as well, do you? The—” The look in Hammer’s eyes was fierce. “Try and stop me, Shining,” the elder stallion said, his nostrils twitching with a telltale hint of anger. “I think I’ll join you,” Dimes said. “My unit’s all the way out in Los Pegasas, so they’re too far to be of help, but I think I might be able to do more assisting with the 18th at the moment.” “I’ll get word to their second-in-command that you two are stepping in for the nonce. I’m sure she’d appreciate the help,” Shining said. “Rainbow, can you inform Spitfire that I want her to get every squadron within a day’s flight on this?” “Roger that,” she replied. “I’ll get the word out and then afterwards, Goldie and I are taking our squadron on a little recon run – I think a bit of payback is due, don’t you think, Goldie?” While the golden-hued pegasus said nothing, there was a flash of something unreadable in her eyes, a suggestion that she hadn’t quite recovered from the whole ordeal that was unfolding. Over the process of the next few minutes, a plan came into play: most of the Guard units closest to Canterlot would be mobilized to search in the available areas “Excuse me,” Rarity said, getting up from the table and leaving. She didn’t detail where she was going, though by the look in her eyes it was clear that she wanted little to do with a council of war that didn’t put her at the vanguard. “D’ya think it’s a good idea t’ let Rares jest walk away like that?” Applejack asked, concern hanging in her eyes. “Ah dunno ‘bout y’all, but y’think she just might do somthin’ dumb?” “She won’t, Applejack,” Celestia assured her. “She knows that it’s best to leave it up to the Guard right now. The Knights Elemental are compromised by what’s occurred, and even if that wasn’t the case, you six cannot be everywhere at once. We must trust that between Shining, Diamondplate, Silver Hammer and the others, we will soon save Silver and put an end to this matter.” Magnum rose from his seat to move to his daughter’s side, but a gentle wing placed on his shoulder by Fluttershy and a shake of her head suggested that he should just let her go. He ignored it. “That’s my daughter, Fluttershy,” he reminded the pegasus. “You cannot ask me not to just ignore her pain and leave her be. She’s in pain right now and I…I just can’t stand here and do nothing,” he commented. “Mr. Magnum, if I may,” Celestia said, looking at Rarity’s father. “While I know that you’re primarily a sports writer, sir, I would ask that you chronicle what has occurred today. I feel that the newspapers may find a way to…misjudge…what’s occurred and a fair, honest recollection of the events would serve to remind ponies that lives were affected today. Your family – and Silver’s – deserve better than the excoriation some of your colleagues in news would give.” “I will, your majesty,” he agreed, summoning a pad and pencil. There was a knock at the door. “Your majesty, the ambassador from Polara has arrived. He has requested an immediate audience with you,” the pagepony said. The Princess of the Sun sighed; the polar bears had sent one of their princes as part of the delegation; while he hadn’t been harmed in any way, one of the explosives had gone off at the hotel where some of his entourage had stayed at and injured a few of them. “Luna, would you mind taking this?” she asked. “Done and done,” the younger sister said. The three princesses had alternated meeting with the various delegations. The ones who were offered sympathy and assistance, mainly Equestria’s allies, were shunted Cadance’s way; the ones with mere grievances were handled with Celestia – but the ones most likely to cause serious problems were being handled for the moment by Luna. Enough of those nations still had concerns about Luna’s return from the Nightmare’s control, and the dusky alicorn was more than willing to solve those issues diplomatically while underscoring what her time with the Nightmare had meant and what the after-effects had been. The end result was that no other nation had so far given Canterlot any concern about the current situation, but considering that it was a de facto international incident, chances were it wasn’t going to last that way much longer. “While you attend to that,” Celestia said, “I believe I have some other business to attend to in the castle. Please keep me informed as to what is occurring.” With that, the day alicorn excused herself from the meeting and headed off in the direction of the residential wing. She knew where Rarity went and felt it was time to have a discussion with the Knight Elemental of Generosity. “Sandy…they’ll find him, I know they will, dear.” Pearl looked at her friend, worriedly. If Rarity’s condition after Silver’s absconding had been bad, Sandalwood was going through the kind of hell a mother losing her foal could only know…even if said foal was in his early thirties. The two mares were in a guest room in the castle, where Sandalwood had collapsed after her son’s disappearance. “Shiny won’t let you down, Sandy,” Velvet, also present, said. “They’ll get him back and when this is all over, you can start focusing on the important things, like grandfoals.” “Thank you both,” Sandalwood said softly, grateful for her friends. “I…it’s just…he’s my boy, my baby boy. Call me a foolish old mare, but I want him back, to hold him and protect him.” She looked at Pearl and added, “So he can marry your girl and live their life of love.” She then turned to Velvet and said, “So he can continue his friendship with your son and maybe tie our families together at the grandfoals.” The tears began in her red-rimmed violet eyes. “I can only imagine how Rarity must feel right now.” Standing outside the door, Rarity was tempted to knock and let herself in to speak to her mother-in-law to be. But Sandalwood, she noted, was in worse shape than she was. And while Rarity had lost the love of her life, Sandalwood had lost her son – and a surrogate daughter as well, if the stories about Tiger Lily’s background were true. And none of it made any sense at all. But one thing did ring crystal clear: Rarity’s family – all three sides of it: birth, marital and royal – were wounded by this event and it was only getting worse as each moment passed. I need to go, and soon, she realized. Each minute that ticked by was another one creeping closer to the death sentence for the stallion she loved and while everypony meant well, they were also mobilizing for military operations. From what little she knew about that sort of thing, that took time – time Silver didn’t have. Rarity lowered her hoof, determination etching itself into her eyes. Celestia and the others might be disappointed for her taking action without them, but she had to move fast to save her love before it was too late. Turning away from the door, she headed down the hall, and somehow wasn’t surprised to see Celestia standing there, looking right at her. “I’m going,” Rarity said, matter-of-factly. “I’m sorry, Celestia, dear, but you’ll have to stop me by force. Silver…he’s my life. I can’t live without him – I won’t live without him. I feel every moment that my heart is breaking without him, and every minute that goes by in her clutches means that I won’t ever see him again. I’m sorry to disappoint you so, but this is something I have to do – and have to do alone. No family, no friends, no Guard, no Elements. Just myself.” Celestia looked at her intently. “You know, Rarity, all it would take is the merest thought and application of magic and I could stop you instantly.” “It will only stop my body, darling,” the unicorn said with a measure of sad defiance. “It won’t stop me.” The regent of Equestria stood there with a stern look on her countenance. And then, a soft smile split the muzzle of the princess. “Then you’d best get going soon. I can only delay the troops for so long, and there’s only one train a day to the Lake Vanner region.” That was not the response that the fashionista had been expecting. “Pardon?” The look in the alicorn’s lilac eyes was one of deep sorrow. “I once had somepony that I loved more than anything, that I wanted so much to be with that I’d seriously contemplated abdicating and returning the throne to the old dynasty. It was roughly halfway through Luna’s exile, and I’d grown so lonely and desperate that life meant nothing to me. All I had back then was my jovial nephew Blueblood – he was a far better stallion than his descendant, the one you know – and his sister Bluebell Knoll. And that’s the way it was…until Argent Lance came into my life. “Captain of the guard, he’d never be – he didn’t have the demeanor, not in the least. Likewise, he had no true talent for magic; he’d mostly inherited the traits of his pegasus mother and was fairly quick and agile for a unicorn. But what he had,” she said, as a nostalgic smile crept into her face and her eyes, “was a sense of humor, a love of music and poetry, and a way to always make me smile. At first, I’d assigned him to be my personal guard because I couldn’t stand all the others who fawned over their ‘goddess’ and feared me more than knew me. But he never feared me; he befriended me. And in time, somehow we became lovers, and I was...overjoyed – I was proud – to be his mare.” “What happened?” Rarity asked, knowing it wouldn’t be good. “The nobility spoke up about our relationship – he was one of my guards, and of commoner blood; you know that while that’s not as much of a problem in modern times, back then it was blasphemy – and demanded that I let him go. In turn, I made an announcement that I’d intended to give up the throne and to give it to Blueblood. I didn’t care anymore. My sister was gone, and now they were trying to take the stallion I loved away from me. “But Blu – bless his heart, how I loved that nephew of mine! – marshalled his allies and the guard to march into the Grand Galloping Gala that year, in full armor. And even to this day, I remember his words: ‘Mine aunt hath the right to love, just as you or I, and for all you to spurn that feeling of hers makes you all unworthy of the sobriquet of “pony”! I swear to you on mine ancestors’ graves, that should you dare to deny mine beloved aunt – thy divine sovereign! – her one chance at happiness, I will spill the blood of every noblepony here and then mine, and Canterlot can fly to pieces for all I care!’” Rarity’s eyes went wide, disbelieving that anypony with the name of “Blueblood” could be so bold. “He actually said that? He meant to do that?” Celestia chuckled. “Not in the least. Blu was no warrior…but he was quite the skilled statespony – though some would say gambler – and he knew the nobles valued their lives more than their principles. And to a one, they gave up their arguments and vowed to see me happy, even if it meant that my foals would have ‘commoner blood’.” “So what happened? You don’t mention him, and you have no marital picture, so I—” A tear shed from the alicorn’s eye. “Argent was so horrified that the nation almost came apart due to he and I – and this was at a time when our neighboring nations weren’t the allies they are now – that shortly after we sat down for our marital painting to be done, he ended our engagement. Said he loved me more than words could ever say, but that, as every guardspony swore, their allegiance was to their sovereign and nation first before their family, and I was his sovereign first…and because we were not wed, we were not yet truly family. “The next day, he resigned his post, and left Equestria. For decades, I didn’t know where he went, but as time went on I discovered he’d found happiness: on the recommendation of Blu, he joined the court of the King of Zebrababwe as an advisor, and eventually married a zebra mare; together, they founded one of the Great Zebra Houses, House Malindi.” “Zecora’s House,” Rarity answered. Celestia nodded. “The only zebras with cutie marks, though theirs tend not to look like normal cutie marks. No other House has them, not even ones that have family members that have intermarried with ponies. But that’s not important. The reason I’m telling you all this is because I don’t want you to lose what I lost. I don’t want you to suffer the years of desperation I felt when I lost Argent, then Blu and Bell when they passed to the Great Pasture. I had no joy in my life again until Cadance and Twilight came into my life. And now that I have somewhat of a normal life again…I can’t bear to see one of my family go through the Tartarus I did. “So go, Rarity, and persevere.” Celestia touched her horn to her younger sister royal’s for a second, then enfolded her in a loving embrace, her swan-like wings forming a cocoon around them. “Show that mare that you mean business and that….” Celestia suddenly giggled. “Hmmm?” The smile on the sun princess was impish. “That you’re there to kick plot and chew bubblegum…and Pinkie ate all your bubblegum.” “Now arriving, Rockton Station, Rockton Station. Next stop will be Lake Vanner Town.” As the slate-blue and gunmetal-gray train stopped at the dusty station, the main feature in Rockton, the stationmaster rubbed his mutton chops and adjusted his glasses; if the daily train was like anything normal, they would be dropping off the mail and any ordered cargo; the former would be picked up by the post office while Dry Goods, the proprietor of the general store, would be by shortly with his cart to carry off any sundries that had been delivered. That was the typical routine, day in and day out and there was no reason to think that it would change much. So it was to his surprise when a lone mare stepped off the train, carrying no luggage. The conductor looked oddly at that; usually only ponies visiting family and the occasional businesspony came to this small town – emphasis on small, even if it was notable for being the birthplace of the Knight Elemental of Laughter. She was a white unicorn mare, and looked familiar for some reason, though he couldn’t put his hoof on why. She had a very fancy hairstyle and wore a black, epauletted sweater, the kind guardponies wore as part of their duty uniforms. She also had a butter-yellow scarf around her neck, an extremely long one that seemed more akin to the length of a coil of rope rather than simple neckwear. Lastly, though her eyes were unreadable due to the sunglasses she wore, he knew enough of body language to know what she was up to. Femme fatale, he thought to himself. He’d seen their type before: some merc trying to make a name for herself like she was that fictional character Daring Whatsername or something. They’d go off hunting some monster or trying to free some treasure from the Spires and use that to parlay their fortune. Occasionally, one got lucky. The majority of the time, however, they were never heard from again – there was a reason why nopony in their right minds went off to the Spires, after all. “Good sir, where may I find the Spires?” she asked, and he was disappointed at being right once again. “Look, miss, it’s none of my business, I know, but I’m tired of seeing your kind get stupid and try to prove themselves against the Spires. The Spires always win. Now, I don’t usually say this, but you’re too beautiful of a mare to lose your life in that mess. You need bits that bad? I hear the Pie Rock Farm down the road is looking for hired hooves, since their kids all moved out an—” “NO.” His eyes opened as he felt the simple word spoken in pure authority; he’d heard tales of the Royal Canterlot Voice, but he’d never heard it up close before. As he collapsed to the ground in shock, a smile came upon the mare as she said, “Don’t worry, I have everything in hoof. I believe the Spires are that way?” She pointed down a footpath heading up the lightly-forested hillside, towards where stormclouds had gathered in the past few days. He nodded slightly in surprise and she gave him a smile, the kind a manticore gave to prey it opted not to devour. “Thank you for your time, good sir.” As she walked off, something about her told him that he’d somehow been in the presence of something incredibly powerful. Was this one of the Knights Elemental? He’d met Pinkamena Pie ages ago, long before she’d come into her station but not since, so he had no basis for comparison. But he’d been in an audience once when Princess Cadenza had been there. Her magic had been overwhelming. This was nearly the same. “Who are you?” he called out to her. She stopped, looked over her shoulder, and briefly lowered her sunglasses, fixing him with two blue eyes – two cold, blue eyes more icy than Lake Vanner in mid-winter. “I’m the mare who’s going to burn it all down, darling,” she said simply, then turned back and continued up the hill. He was drugged; he knew that. There was no valid reason why he couldn’t escape otherwise. But right now, he felt weaker than a baby and barely able to lift his head. That right there told him the full extent of his incapacitation, though it didn’t say what was coursing through his veins at the moment. Besides, he was a bit more concerned about the friend he hadn’t seen in two years, the one that looked like she’d completely gone mad in that time. When he looked at her…it wasn’t the same foalhood friend he’d had. The eyes that looked at him now were pools of madness, signs of a mare whose mind had gone wandering off in the Everfree and never made it back. She giggled with glee. “Oh, don’t you worry, Silver, sweetie! I’m going to kill that monster, and you and I and Candle can go somewhere, where the three of us can live happy forever! You’ll like Spin – she’s a girl more your style and she’ll absolutely love you the way you deserve to be loved,” she whispered in Silver’s ear. “Or, well…I might have a loving stallion of my own, but…I’ll always be available if you want something on the side. I don’t think Spin will mind.” What’s happened to you? he wanted to shout. This was not the filly he’d grown up with, and he wanted to ask her what was wrong. But while his mind was sharp, his body was anything but and his word came out as a slurred mass of sounds. “Whzppnu” he said, looking at her blearily-eyed. “Oh, it looks like that dose Cloister suggested was a bit too much,” she thought. Reaching for a handy bladder of water, she tried to pour it down his muzzle, but while he tried to lap it up, he couldn’t. “Wow, that really was a heavy dose. Here, let me help you with that!” she giggled, pouring some of the water into her mouth, and then forcing hers against his, kissing him, probing with her tongue. Silver would’ve vomited right there if he had the muscle control. This was wrong on so many levels, just as bad as if Goldie was doing it. Whatever they did to her, it hit her hard, and Silver hoped that he could break her free of— “TIGER LILY! I AM HERE FOR YOUR CHALLENGE!” The roar of Rarity’s Royal Canterlot Voice echoed throughout the Granite Spires, enhancing the sound and making it all the more deafening. Thankfully, it caused Tiger to stop what she was doing and immediately rocket off in the direction of where Rarity was. As the relief of Tiger’s labial invasion ceased, Silver suddenly worried about the power she’d displayed at the wedding…and all of it was bearing down on Rarity. And there was nothing he could do about it. Leaving a trail of thunder in her wake, Tiger Lily rocketed towards her goal, and her goal was simple: kill Rarity. The simpering little thing was going to be easy to take down in any case, thanks to the powers she’d honed over the past couple of years. Unfortunately for her, Rarity wasn’t going to go down as easy. Closing her eyes as the pegasus approached, her scarf undid itself, enveloped in blue energy, coiling around her like a snake ready to strike. And as she opened her eyes, she moved a foreleg in a slashing motion, and the scarf lashed out. Though it seemed to be mere fabric, enhanced by unicorn magic and given speed, the air pressure it moved along in its wake was enough to hit Tiger and knock her off-balance, causing her point-blank sonic boom blast to go awry, hitting a newly growing spire and shattering it into fragments. The spire crumbled, and as pieces hit the ground the accursed magic within the shards grew, turning into new, needle-like growths, starting their stalagmitesque climb into the sky. Curling into a ball and rolling in-air to adjust her profile, she immediately decided to strike again, this time playing for keeps. In the time it took to fabricate the thought, Tiger summoned thunderheads and lashed out with a directed lightning strike, sure to electrocute the damnable unicorn. As the energy blast moved right at her, Rarity moved swiftly. Getting to her hind legs, with practiced movements of her forelegs, the scarf reacted immediately, slashing in front of her in a diagonal pattern, taking and absorbing the blast. Glowing white with plasma, Rarity then gracefully spun like a ballerina, and pointed. The scarf followed her path and at the end, releasing a ball of electrical power as if launched from a slingshot, heading right towards Tiger. Tiger, in turn, spun quickly, forming a small tornado to counteract the attack. “Good, you’re able to duel,” Tiger snarled. “This makes killing you all the better.” “I wouldn’t say that if I were you, darling,” Rarity replied, grinning wolfishly. “You’re going to have to hit me to get me, and I think that might be beyond your skill.” Raising her forelegs up, Tiger summoned a huge cloud, and as she quickly lowered her forelegs, the cloud rumbled. Then it erupted, sending a shower of hoofball-sized hailstones raining to the ground. Immediately Rarity moved to counter them all, but while the scarf could handle the energy discharges with ease, the physical blows were too much, sending her staggering back. Tiger immediately seized the opportunity and rocketed forward, getting into position and hitting Rarity with her point-blank boom. The sonic vacuum did its job, the blast of white noise sending the unicorn skidding over the edge of the cliff into the mammoth maw that had once been the largest rock farm in Equestria before the wild magic of the Moonfall War turned it into the ever-growing Granite Spires. Rarity screamed as she fell over the edge of the cliff, down into what was most certainly a fatal plunge. Silence reigned as the last of the hailstones crumpled the earth. Certain of her victory, Tiger went to go peek over the edge of the cliff, hoping that she’d see the mangled remains of her tormentor once and fo— A bolt of silvery-blue magic slammed into Tiger’s head, knocking her back as it stunned her. As the pegasus crumpled to the ground, across the maw a yellow scarf snaked upwards, wrapping around one of the larger spires in the canyon as its owner pulled herself up. “This…isn’t over yet, Tiger!” Rarity growled, spitting a bit of blood from her mouth. “We’re not even remotely done yet!” And with a superequine leap that must have been enhanced by adrenaline, magic and pure determination, Rarity leapt from her precarious perch on the side of the spire, rocketing forward and tackling the errant pegasus. “Are you stupid, you dumb nag?” Tiger said with glee as she effortlessly turned and bucked the unicorn hard. “My cutie mark is for martial arts. You’d be better off trying to fight a hydra than to fight me!” To her surprise, however, Rarity rolled with the blow, and when Tiger tried to retract her legs, Rarity immediately coiled her battlescarf around a foreleg and swung. The scarf spun and jagged forward like a drill bit, slamming hard into the space between Tiger’s wings, hitting her back and causing the pegasus to scream in pain. As she juked to get out of Rarity’s way, she was almost hit by a blast of unicorn magic once more. “You’re not going to beat me, that damn Element of yours or no!” Tiger roared. Rarity wrinkled her nose in contempt. “Oh, I’m not going to beat you with my Element. It’s all me. What, darling, didn’t think that a Knight Elemental wouldn’t know how to fight?” “You’re just a weak nothing without your Element!” the pegasus screamed as she torpedoed forward, ready to strike. “I grew up in Ponyville – that should be a warning enough to you!” Rarity countered, charging up her horn for a magic strike. As Tiger put on the speed, she called the wind around her, using it to give her both a velocity boost and to let its jetstreams tear at her target. From her point, Rarity poured even more magic into her horn, planning her own attack. And as the distance between the two dwindled, both let loose. Tiger’s blow hit first: Rarity was buffeted by hurricane-force winds that tore at her, forcing her to wrap her battlescarf around her arm for safety lest it get torn apart in the buffeting winds. Even still, the damage was being done; the windshear was ripping out parts of her mane and tail, then finally creating pressure cuts against her skin, drawing blood. She screamed in pain as the attack continued, but continued to hold the charge on her spell for all she was worth. Finally, forcing herself to look at her foe, Rarity launched her attack. Tiger grinned, watching as her winds tore apart the damn unicorn…at least until the first blow hit, feeling like she’d been hit by a meteor. Before she could recover, the second one hit her from behind, then the third, then the fourth. Screaming in agony, she called up thunderheads to protect her and cut lightning loose in every direction, the outward blasts cutting apart whatever hit her, but sapping her strength. Finally, as the impromptu thundershield dissipated, Tiger turned to look at Rarity…only to see one of her massive hailstones, encased in Rarity’s magical grip, smash her right in the face. Slumping to the ground, Rarity cooed, “Terribly kind of you to leave me with a whole bunch of weapons to play with, dear – after all, what is the most natural spell a unicorn can perform but telekinesis?” The battle from that point dissipated into nothing short of a catfight as both combatants knew they couldn’t tear each other apart via ranged attacks. Tiger slashed at Rarity with her wings. Rarity attempted to gore Tiger with her horn. Both bucked, kicked, bit and punched at one another, not caring about the pain, and in fact using it to further their aggression. While pegasi were slightly stronger than unicorns due to necessity, Rarity at this point was well beyond motivated to brutalize her opponent. One way or the other, the two were dead-set on accomplishing their goal…even if it meant one or both were dead by the time this was all through. “What? Are you crazy?” Twilight shouted at Celestia, angry. “What were you thinking?” “Don’t you take that tone with me, young lady!” the Sun Princess scolded her protégé. “And why not? You always did with me when I did something stupid – what about when the apprentice sees the mistress doing something idiotic…like you just did? Isn’t that the point of that part of our relationship?” Celestia had to concede that Twilight had a point; strangely enough, she was also proud that Twilight would stand up for herself like she was doing; it was something she wouldn’t have done in the past no matter how wrong the sun alicorn was, and it was just another sign that her little girl was grown up now. Celestia hid the smile that threatened to break onto her face and instead, looked at her family. Putting her best disappointed look on her face, she said, “It’s Rarity’s decision and that’s final. Let her handle this. I certainly trust our sister royal, shouldn’t you do the same?” At the moment, she’d called the members of the Royal Family together to explain what she’d done. So far, that turned out to be just as good an idea as the private audiences she’d held for Silver’s and Rarity’s respective parents and siblings. Well, if nothing else, I’m glad not everypony here’s learned how to use the RCV, she mused to herself. I think I’d probably lose it at that point. “Don’t try to paper over your mistakes this time, sister!” Luna seethed. “Do you think us unworried about Rarity’s sake? You just sent her up against a monster – a combat-trained mare, one ready to kill!” “Thankfully, Silver’s been working with her on some rudimentary combat techniques – after what happened to Derpy, he insisted upon it, and it just reminds me that I need to work with the rest of you to develop something as well,” Shining replied. Seeing Fluttershy’s nervous glance, he said, “Even you, Fluttershy.” “Still, my decision stands: nopony here is to interfere,” Celestia said with finality. “I have faith that Rarity will persevere, and you should as well.” The results of that went as well as they could: Luna, Applejack and Rainbow stormed off in a huff, while the look on Fluttershy’s and Pinkie’s faces were one of heartbreak – Pinkie’s mane even began deflating as it tended to do when she was down in the dumps. Shining, torn between duty and family, opted to finally just go back to his office; Spike, much in the same way, followed his brother more out of anxiousness than anything else. That left Celestia with her “daughters” – or so the Canterlot Times-Herald tended to refer to them – Cadance and Twilight. Cadance just looked somewhat angry with her aunt, while Twilight looked somewhere between apologetic and indignant. Finally, it was the younger that spoke: “Celestia, I—” “You have nothing to apologize for, Twilight. You were standing up for what you believe in, even when you thought I was wrong, and that makes me proud,” Celestia stated. “It shows that you’re growing into your own mare.” At that, Twilight relaxed somewhat, even though the look in her eyes was still one of hurt. “Are you sure you made the right call, Auntie?” Cadance asked. Celestia winced at that; Cadance never used the familial title towards her or Luna because she often felt it made them seem as if they were “old”. Thus, the youngest alicorn tended to use it, albeit unintentionally, when she was being rebellious or angry with her aunts. “You’re not only risking the life of one of the members of our family…but the life of one of the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony.” “As sure as anypony can ever be,” Celestia replied. “I cannot explain how or why, but I believe that Rarity will win, I am certain of it.” “How?” Twilight asked. “Because I believe in love,” Celestia said, embracing both mares with her wings, holding the daughters of her heart close to her and assuring them that no matter what, she rolled the dice in Rarity’s favor – and that all the fashionista would need to do was to prove herself. Win, Rarity, she silently pled. Win, for the price is much higher than you think. At the moment, the two were in a lull phase of their combat – lull being defined as they had both descended into the Spires proper in order to hide from one another and at the moment were mainly reduced to blasting each other from a distance. At the moment, Rarity was breathing heavily, resting against one of the Spires. She couldn’t feel the razor sharpness of its side cutting into her, as she was too exhausted to care. Her coat was a mess of carbon scoring, cuts, blood, dirt and bruises. Her mane and tail was so many tatters, she knew she was going to have to use an industrial-strength glamor spell once she and Silver got married. If anything, the only thing that was still in any decent shape was her battlescarf, and that was mainly because that had been heavily-enchanted by various spells Twilight had applied to it over the years. If Twilight knew I was using the scarf as a weapon, she’d probably be rather put out with me, Rarity thought. Well, that or impressed at my ingenuity. The explosion in the distance, followed by the rumble of stormclouds, meant that Tiger was getting closer. It was only a matter of time until they clashed again and this time it would be decided in finality. Rarity looked around on the quarry floor, seeing the skeletons of ponies and other beings that had been dead for quite some time; were she not so tired and desperate right now, it would’ve freaked her out completely and utterly. In particular, she looked at the skeleton of a dead pegasus, whose rusting barding indicated that he’d been one of Lun—no, Nightmare Moon’s followers during the Moonfall War. The spear that he’d held had long rotted away, leaving nothing but a pitted blade not too far from him. You aren’t forgotten, Rarity thought while looking at the remains. She grieves every day for every pony that died under her banner, even though it wasn’t by her hoof. Luna hasn’t forgotten you, even if I don’t know your name. A sudden chill breeze blew its way through the Spire bases, whipping at her. It was thankfully random and not a sign that Tiger had found her. But the wind seemed to adjust the skull of the dead pegasus slightly, as if to point it to look in a different direction. Rarity followed the direction of the eye sockets and saw something in the distance. And as she saw it, a plan started forming in her mind. She had to wonder if it was somehow out of gratitude by the specter of the dead pegasus, thanking her for remembering that he’d been a proud guardspony once. Running the plan through her head, she began to charge up a spell, racing for the largest of the spires, hoping that she’d be seen by Tiger. She didn’t have to wait long. “RAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIITTTTTTYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!” a voice roared on the rising wind, and Rarity sent a silent prayer to Celestia. This had to work perfectly, or else she would lose – and lose everything. Focusing, Rarity began to charge up a spell, then covered it with a second one so Tiger couldn’t se— WHAM Tiger hit Rarity with full speed, like a ton of bricks. The unicorn screamed in pain, but she held her focus, knowing it was her only option. As Tiger flew off to make another pass, Rarity lashed out with her battlescarf, wrapping it around the pegasus’ hindlegs. “You harridelle!” Tiger screamed, vaulting into the air. “You want to die that badly? Let me oblige you!” Roaring into the air, the pegasus called a derecho in the distance, aiming it straight at them. Tiger, as badly wounded as she was, was going to have a hard time surviving it. Rarity, without the friction magic of pegasi, had zero chance of surviving at all. She smiled. Perfect. Just as the shockwave of wind hit, Rarity shouted, “Well, this is going to become electrifying!” and pumped her spell into the battlescarf. Both ponies lit up like Roman candles as the wind wave blasted past both of them, slamming them against the top of the highest of the spires. The fall was guaranteed to kill whomever fell into the distance. With seconds to act, Rarity whipped her battlescarf around and caught the top of the spire…but the snags and damage to the scarf had been done and finally it was starting to tear. Meanwhile, she reached around and caught Tiger with her tail, the wounded, rat-thin exposed tail barely wrapping around one of the pegasus’ forelegs. “What are you doing, you idiot?” Tiger gasped. “I’m going to kill you!” “No,” Rarity gasped. “You’re done. It’s over. You lost. Now, I’m going to save your life, so we can all get back to normal!” Though her face was calm, inwardly she knew she was flagging. The weight on her body from Tiger’s form was dragging her down, she was barely able to hold onto the scarf, and even then it started to shudder, a sign that it was ripping. “Are you crazy? Who saves their enemies? You’re nuts!” Tiger gasped. “No. I’m Generosity,” Rarity said, “and I have to save the mare my fiancé loves like a sister. I don’t know what’s happened, but…he misses you. Goldie, too. Dimes, Sandalwood and even Hammer, though he won’t admit it. You are a part of their family, Tiger. Don’t give up everything just because it didn’t work the way you wanted it to.” Tiger looked up at Rarity and felt water splash onto her face. “Are you crying?” she asked, stunned. “Yes, dear. I’m crying…because it’s too sad not to. Because so many ponies were hurt for so many reasons, and even with all my strength – even with the very powers of my sisters at my side – I am only one pony, and I can’t fix every wrong, even though I’ll always try.” “You realize we’re both going to die, right?” “Not if you can help us, Tiger,” Rarity said, hearing the tear in her scarf became audible. The two shuddered, realizing the scarf didn’t have much strength left. “No.” Tiger fanned her wings out, showing the extensive damage. “Too much damage, no time to recover. This is the end.” “No! I’ll think of—AAAAAAAAAAAGH!” Rarity screamed in pain as Tiger bit her tail. Involuntarily, Rarity let the pegasus go, and as she did, Tiger shouted up, “Love him for me – always!” Then she fell into the distance, where there was zero chance of survival. The extra weight now gone due to Tiger’s sacrifice, Rarity had precious seconds to think of a way to save herself. Unfortunately, she was exhausted, spent, and at that point, the scarf ripped in two, sending her falling. As she fell, she heard a dull thump in the distance. Was that the sound of Tiger’s impact, ending her life? Would that be the same sound heralding her end in the next few seconds? I’m sorry, Silver, she thought to herself. I wanted a lifetime with y— Rarity felt something jarring, then a familiar and rusty voice calling out, “That was awesome! I have never done that before!” Rarity felt a weight under her, then looked up as she tore away from the ground, just seconds before being impaled on a spire. She looked around. I’m safe! “That was cool!” her rescuer cheered as she continued her faster-than-sound flight. “No wonder Rainbow likes flying like a maniac! It’s incredible!” Rarity looked at her savior with shock. “Derpy?” Derpy Hooves, wearing corrective lenses that helped with her vision issue, continued to pour on the speed. “That was too close, Rarity! Do you know how many ponies would’ve been distraught if you’d gotten hurt?” “How did…? How? I thought you couldn’t fly at supersonic speeds!” “I’m not – technically this is transonic, under Mach 2,” the gray pegasus, ever the scientist, replied. “As for how, Twilight and the princesses teleported me up as high as they could, and I divebombed to pick up speed. Had to do the calculations on the fly to catch you, though, so that was a little touch and go!” “But I thought Celestia said—” “She said ‘nopony present’ could help you, according to Shining,” Derpy said as she started to slow down and look for a landing. “Good thing I was at the hotel with the girls, huh?” As they came to a landing, Rarity noticed her sisters present. Luna was working a spell of some sort to remove whatever drugs were in Silver’s body, and as Derpy let Rarity go, it took all of her remaining strength to run over to Silver, shouting his name in joy as he collapsed in his arms, crying tears of joy. “It’s over,” she sobbed. “We won, love. We won.” “I know,” he said, choking up and feeling both proud at his fiancée’s victory and the first edges of sorrow as he realized he’d never know why Tiger had completely lost it. “I must look a complete mess,” she said, giving him her most earnest but weak smile. “You’ve never looked more beautiful to me,” he said, leaning in to give her a kiss. “And I now pronounce you husband and wife,” Celestia said the following week. “You may now kiss the bride.” Rarity and Silver kissed for the first time as husband and wife and all of Canterlot – as well as the dignitaries that remained and those who were able to make it back for the wedding – roared with rapturous joy. Though it wasn’t as big as the original plans were, it was still sizable enough that the cheers rocked the city in tumultuous celebration. “Here we are,” Rarity, dressed in a replacement gown and a ton of glamor spells – her wounds, coat and mane and tail had yet to completely recover – smiled at her husband. “And this is where we start,” Silversteel told his wife as they kissed once more. “A whole new world’s before us, my love.” As they descended towards their wedding carriage to take them to the reception location, she waved to the crowds, crying tears of joy once more. “And I finally got my ponytale wedding,” she said, wiping a tear from her eye. “Of course,” he said, nuzzling her. “Every ponytale needs a princess…and you’ve always been mine.”