"And this is the throne room," Cadence said, gesturing around the grand room with a hoof. "I usually use it only for ceremonial purposes," she explained. "I'm a pony too, not just a princess. I'd much rather speak on the same level with my subjects as a friend."
Quote nodded, only half paying attention to the princess' words. He walked alongside her, receiving a full tour of the Crystal Palace. Mistletoe, the green crystal pony from earlier, followed closely behind them. Quote wasn't sure why she was following them; she seemed particularly timid, and she shifted uneasily whenever he glanced at her. She almost seemed afraid that he'd hurt her if she looked at him the wrong way. Of course, her concerns were completely off-base, but he had to admit that it was understandable. He certainly didn't fit in with the crowd.
What distracted Quote from the princess' tour, however, was not the company he was with. It was actually the shadows of those nearby, watching, but staying out of sight. Out of the corners of his eyes, Quote could see the flashes of movement from the room's entrance. As quickly as they came, they would disappear. They had been following him this whole time. Princess Cadence was either extremely good at faking her casual, inviting tone, or she herself was unaware of the pursuers.
In all likelihood, they were the castle guards. Quote had thought it was odd that there were four guards posted outside his bedroom door when the three of them had exited. A guard or two at an entrance was understandable, but having four at once seemed like overkill.
"Is something wrong, Quote? You seem distracted."
Quote looked up at the face of Princess Cadence, her eyes showing concern. "Well," Quote began. "I was just wondering about something. Are you afraid of me?"
The silence that followed was deafening. It was like the room itself was holding its breath, waiting for the sudden tension in the room to release.
"I'm sorry, but what brought this on?" Cadence asked slowly.
"I don't mean to be rude, but I'm bothered by the guards watching me from the shadows," Quote answered bluntly.
A look of shock crossed the mare's face. It slowly turned to one of anger as she peered at the room's exit. Suddenly, Cadence took a deep breath and shouted in a voice that seemed to come from the depths of her very being. It was powerful enough to shake the very air in the room.
"Guards! Come out this instant!"
Quote was caught completely off guard by the sudden volume and tried desperately to cover his audio receptors. Standing next to the princess with such a powerful voice had left his head ringing.
Almost immediately, a large group of crystal ponies wearing crystal armor appeared in the entrance to the throne room. Quote noticed that many of them had horns on their head like Cadence did, but lacked any wings, while others had wings, but no horn. There were only a handful that looked like Mistletoe, having no horn or wings at all. There were about fifteen of them in total, and they all held spears in their hooves. Strangely, they started putting them away and were beginning to turn white with fear. One look at Cadence's face, and Quote could see why.
"What is the meaning of this?" Cadence shouted. Her voice may not have been shaking the fabric of existence anymore, but her harsh tone indicated that she was still seething. "What are you doing, tailing our guest like he's an intruder? You are all supposed to be at your stations. In fact," Cadence's voice rose a little in both volume and pitch. "Half of you aren't even on duty today! Tell me what is going on now!"
An earth pony guard stepped forward and removed his helmet. His hooves were trembling, and so was his voice. "Y-your- your highness," he stuttered. "We were merely doing what we felt was in your best interest. It is our duty to protect-"
"You are by no means to fulfill your duty in this despicable manner," Cadence spat. "You will all be-"
"Your highness," a pegasus guard interjected. "What my colleague means to say is that we are under orders by Prince Shining Armor to covertly watch the creature and immediately restrain him if we determine that he is hostile."
Quote felt a slight pang of hurt run through his body at the guard's words. Princess Cadence's expression softened to one of irritation, rather than anger. "Your orders are hereby redacted," Cadence commanded. "All of you are dismissed for the day."
There was a murmuring that arose as the guards shuffled out of the room with mixed emotions. Some felt guilty about carrying out an underhanded order and consequently being chewed out by their princess. Others were just relieved that she didn't blast them to smithereens, though they knew she would never do anything of the sort.
When they had all cleared out, Cadence's head drooped as she let out a sigh. "I'm terribly sorry about that, Quote," Cadence apologized. "I knew nothing of what they were doing. And I'm sorry you had to see me go off like that. That almost never happens."
Quote waved his hands in understanding. "It's okay, I get it. It was Shining Armor who ordered them. I'm not upset with you. Though I would appreciate some warning next time before you use that booming voice of yours," he joked.
"Oh, I'm sorry about that. The Royal Canterlot Voice is mostly outdated. It's useful for giving out orders and commands, but even that's not necessary these days," Cadence explained. "I don't expect that I'll be needing it again anytime soon."
"Still," Quote muttered. "As much as I hate to admit it, it was probably smart of him to send some guards to watch me. I'm not exactly... the safest to be around."
"Enough of that," Cadence said. "I can see for myself that you are a sweet, gentle soul. The fact that you're a robot is completely irrelevant to me. I truly believe you wish no harm on us. You are a guest here, so I intend to treat you like one and for you to feel like one. What my husband did was inexcusable, and I'm going to have a talk with him very soon."
"Well, thanks," Quote said. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to cause any trouble for you."
"It's no trouble at all Quote. It's a pleasure to have such a polite robot as yourself here. Mistletoe?"
"Yes, your highness?" Mistletoe asked. Quote nearly jumped out of his robe, having completely forgotten she was there.
"I'm going to be busy for a little bit. In the meantime, would you please keep our guest busy until I return?"
Mistletoe looked uncomfortable with the idea, but muttered, "Y-yes your majesty."
Cadence smiled. "Thank you. Why don't you take him to your living quarters? I'm sure he'll be more comfortable there."
Mistletoe looked to be on the verge of a panic attack. "Y-yes, your majesty. R-right-right away, y-your majesty."
With that, Cadence exited the room, but not before Quote and Mistletoe caught a glimpse of the Princess' face turning into a scowl.
Quote and Mistletoe looked at each other, the silence becoming increasingly uncomfortable, until Quote finally spoke up. "Um, so. Would you mind leading the way?"
Mistletoe hurriedly nodded her head. "Y-yes. Of course, Mister Quote. Right this way, please." Quote followed the green crystal pony out of the throne room and into the hallway. They were alone, as the guards from before were now long gone. As Mistletoe turned a corner, leading the way, Quote hoped he could use this time to talk to her and maybe even dispel any fears she had about him.
"So," Quote began. "The living quarters? You live here in the palace?"
Mistletoe nodded. "I used to live at my house in the empire like most ponies," she explained. "Then I got the job of serving pony to her majesty Princess Cadence two months ago, and I've been living here ever since."
"Well, congratulations," Quote remarked. "That must be a great honor to serve the princess."
Mistletoe nodded, but said nothing. She still looked uneasy. Quote sighed. He wasn't sure that this was a good idea, but he didn't know what else to do.
"Say, Mistletoe? May I ask you something?"
Mistletoe turned to look at him. "O-of course, Mister Quote."
Quote scratched the back of his head. "I apologize for my directness, but... why are you afraid of me?"
Mistletoe let out an eep! sound and became flustered. She couldn't bring herself to look directly at him, as she was clearly terrified of how he'd react.
Quote realized he may have made a mistake. "It-it's all right," he reassured her. "I won't be offended, and I promise I won't do anything to hurt you. I just... wanted to know is all. I don't want you to be afraid of me."
"It... it's your stature, Mister Quote," Mistletoe confessed. "And your build. The way you move. You're pretty intimidating, even with that bathrobe on."
Quote chuckled nervously. "Well, I'm sorry there's nothing I can do about that. I hope you can look past it, though. I really don't want to hurt anyone. I'd actually like to be friends, if you'll let me."
"R-really?" Mistletoe asked, a slight blush forming on her cheeks.
"Of course. You know, I actually met someone like you once," Quote mused. "She was afraid of me at first, but once we cleared up a misunderstanding, she was one of the first to welcome me." Quote's face suddenly fell. "I miss her," he whispered.
"Well, we're here," said Mistletoe. She pushed open the door and stepped inside, and Quote followed her. The room was fairly large, with a queen size bed in one corner and a small personal kitchen in the other. A doorway on one wall indicated that there was another room attached, and a single window was placed opposite the doorway.
Quote didn't have time to take in the scenery any longer, as he was cut off by the shrieks and giggles of children. Looking down, he saw two little crystal pony foals gathered around Mistletoe. One was a silver unicorn with an evergreen color mane. Quote could tell that it was a filly, as she had many of the same features as Mistletoe. The other was a blue earth pony colt with a pearl-white mane.
"Mommy! Who's that?" the silver filly asked. Her eyes were full of wonder, and there was no fear in her voice.
"He looks funny!" the blue colt laughed.
"Cobalt!" Mistletoe cried, panicking. "Apologize to Mister Quote right now!"
Cobalt's head hung with a guilty look on his face. "I-I'm sorry, Mister Quote."
Quote laughed kindheartedly. "Don't worry, it's okay. I do look pretty strange among you, don't I?" Quote kneeled down so that he was almost eye level with the colt. "So you're Cobalt?"
The colt puffed himself up proudly. "Yep! Cobalt Skies, future Captain of the Crystal Guard!"
"Yeah, right! Only unicorns are good enough to be Captains," the silver filly retorted. "You'd be lucky to make it in the Guard at all!"
"Shut up, Tinsel!" Cobalt whined. "I'm gonna be the best guard ever!"
"Enough, both of you!" Mistletoe commanded. Both of the foals clammed up immediately. "Tinsel, you know it's wrong to say that about your brother's dream. And Cobalt, you know better than to use that language. Now, both of you, apologize to each other right now."
As the foals recited their apologies, Quote found himself chuckling.
"W-what's so funny, Mister Quote?" Mistletoe asked. She had returned to the timid, soft-spoken mare he had first met.
Quote smiled. "Oh, you just reminded me of another good friend of mine. She took care of some troublesome kids herself."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah. That was when I first met her. She'd assumed I'd come to hurt them, but after a bit of a scuffle, I made it clear that I wasn't. We became fast friends and have been watching each other's back since."
Mistletoe had relaxed a bit and now had a curious look on her face. "Where are they now?"
Quote's face fell as he let out a sigh. "I don't know. I really hope they're okay."
"Mommy!" Cobalt said. "Can we play with Quote?"
Mistletoe's expression became serious. "Absolutely..."
"...fine by me," Quote finished, grinning.
"Yay!" Tinsel and Cobalt cheered. They then jumped on their visitor, trying to tackle him to the ground.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Thank you, Express," Rivet said. "I'll take it from here."
The dark gray pegasus colt with a dirty blonde mane saluted and walked away. Ten minutes ago, Rivet had received the message that the creature in captivity had awoken. He now stood before the heavy door leading to the castle's dungeon. Rivet steeled his nerves and, wishing he was back in his office and tinkering with the new disassembled gadget, opened the door with a creak. After stepping through and wandering through the corridors for a minute or two, he found Sergeant Dex and the other guard standing at attention in front of a cell.
"Sir, Lieutenant, sir!" they recited.
"At ease, stallions. What's she done so far?"
"Nothing much, sir," Dex stated. "She awoke and asked us a question, but we followed orders and did not engage in conversation with her. She fell back asleep when we didn't respond."
Rivet nodded. "So she can talk. Very good. I have much I wish to discuss with her." He turned to look at the figure of the creature in the cell, leaned up against the wall. Her eyes were closed and she was not moving. "You two are dismissed. Please return to the city until the nighttime shift, then you're done for the day."
"Sir?" Dex asked. "Are you suggesting that you intend to speak with her alone?"
"That is correct, Dex. I did what I felt was necessary to ensure everypony's safety, but it couldn't have given her a good impression of us. It's bad enough she's in a cell right now; I don't want to intimidate her any further. She might even be more receptive to a gentler approach."
Dex shifted uncomfortably, an action that did not escape Rivet's attention. "If it bothers you that much, then why don't you lend me your spear, just in case I need it? I suspect it will never come to that, though."
Dex paused a moment, contemplating. He finally placed his spear on the ground before his commanding officer.
"I hope you know what you're doing," Dex cautioned. "Be careful, Lieutenant."
"Thank you, Dex," Rivet replied. "I will be. Now get going."
Dex saluted Rivet and walked away. Rivet turned to the white unicorn guard who was still standing in the same spot.
"And you too," Rivet added. "Go."
The unicorn saluted and left. Rivet was now alone with the sleeping creature with only a cell door separating the two. Rivet placed his spear against the wall to the side, out of sight of the prisoner. He then picked up a few loose pebbles from the ground.
"Hey, wake up," he said to the creature. When she did not stir, he tossed a pebble through the bars and nicked her arm. Oddly enough, it made a clinking noise as though the pebble had impacted a plate of armor rather than flesh. The creature stirred slightly, but remained asleep. Rivet tossed another pebble, this time hitting her in the cheek. This caused her to shake her head and open her eyes.
They were a deep blue.
"Excuse me?" Rivet said. "You can understand me, right? I'd like to talk to you."
The creature slowly stood on its two hind legs and began to walk gingerly toward Rivet. Her expression was blank and unreadable. When she reached the door, she just stood there, staring back at Rivet. The prevailing silence between them was rather unsettling.
Rivet forced a slight smile. "Hello. Do you have a name? What should I call you?"
The creature looked at the ground, lost in thought. There seemed to be a deep sadness in her eyes. "Curly Brace," she finally said. "My name is Curly Brace."
Rivet nodded. "A pleasure to meet you, Curly Brace. A lovely name, if I may add. Unusual, yet, strangely fitting." Rivet adjusted his posture. "My name is Rivet."
Curly's head tilted to the side. "Are you the Lieutenant?"
Rivet's smile and posture noticeably faltered. "W-where did you hear that?"
Curly shrugged. "I heard the guards from before tell Express to get the Lieutenant," she answered simply.
Rivet sighed, chuckling slightly. "Well, yes, that is correct. Lieutenant Rivet, my dear. Why don't you have a seat?" he suggested. "We have much to discuss."
Curly did so, sitting cross-legged, while Rivet tucked his legs underneath himself and sat on the floor. He glanced at the paltry dishes of food laid out for her in her cell.
"You haven't touched your food," Rivet remarked. "Aren't you hungry?"
Curly shook her head. "I don't eat food."
Rivet raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "You don't... what do you mean?"
"I don't eat food," she repeated. "I'm a robot."
Rivet did a double-take. "Wh-what?! A robot?"
Curly nodded.
Rivet's mind spun. It was impossible. Robots were just made-up fantasy creatures from fillies' fairy tales. Stories of stone statues or heaps of junk coming to life in the shape of ponies weren't real. There was no possible way for something nonliving to animate itself and have a mind of its own, at least without magic. Even with magic, only the best of unicorn or alicorn wizards, such as the legendary Starswirl the Bearded or the new Princess Twilight Sparkle, were capable of performing such feats. Even then, it still didn't give them a mind of their own, and the spell wears off over time. There was no way in Equestria that the creature before him could be a robot.
But then Rivet thought a little more. If his suspicions were correct, this creature was not from Equestria. Something Rivet thought was strange was the fact that he only saw the unicorn guards carry the girl by levitating her. He'd wondered why Dex hadn't carried her on his back since he was very strong, even by earth pony standards. And those pebbles he had thrown a minute ago? The noise they made sounded like rock on metal. If she were made of metal like a robot, then she would be extraordinarily heavy. It would take either several ponies to move her, or a simple levitation spell.
If Curly Brace was speaking the truth, then Rivet was staring at a miracle of either science or magic.
Rivet struggled to suppress his childlike excitement at finding something new and fascinating. He needed to keep his cool. Friendly or not, she was a prisoner, so he had to tread lightly. Rivet calmed himself after taking a breath.
"Okay. So, if you're a robot, I suppose that would explain how you survived that crash-landing," Rivet said. "But I've still been meaning to ask you something about that."
Curly looked at him, confused. "Crash-landing?"
Rivet nodded. "Yes. To begin with, it's a very strange way to arrive. But what's stranger is that you were unconscious when my guards found you." Rivet tilted his head. "Why would you enter in a way that ends up rendering you unconscious? That seems like a flawed plan."
Curly shook her head, staring at him with a confused look on her face. "I don't understand. I crashed into something? When?"
Rivet was dumbfounded. "Y-you don't remember? You appeared out of thin air and fell through the roof of a clothing store."
Curly shook her head. "No. The last thing I remember was seeing the entire sky obscured by black clouds. Then the Doctor appeared. I think he attacked me. And then... nothing else."
Rivet's jaw went slack as he stared daggers at Curly. He stood up and slammed his front hooves against the bars of the cell door, causing it to rattle. The sudden movement made Curly jolt back in surprise.
"What was that just now? What did you say?"
Curly looked away for a moment, then looked back to the pony. "W-what do you mean? Which part?"
"Something about black clouds," Rivet insisted. "What did you say?"
"Th-there were black clouds," Curly spoke slowly. "They seemed to cover the entire sky."
Rivet's hooves returned to the floor and he looked away in thought. Whoever this girl was, she had to know something about the Island. What he'd discovered about her so far was certainly interesting, but not particularly helpful. Rivet had only one idea left, and he hoped it wasn't a dead end.
"All right, look," Rivet began. "I'm sorry we're not off to the best of first impressions. I'm sorry for startling you just now, and I'm sorry that you have to be locked up like this. We're in a bit of a... situation right now, and we're a little bit wary. Curly Brace, was it? You don't seem like you want to hurt us, and you do seem friendly enough, but hopefully you can understand our caution."
To Rivet's surprise, Curly let out a small chuckle. "What's funny?" he asked.
"Oh, I was just reminded of the time I met Quote," Curly sighed. "I'd assumed he'd come to kill the children I was protecting, so the first thing I did was try to kill him." Curly grinned sheepishly. "He turned out to be my best friend."
Rivet chuckled. "So you're no stranger to bad first impressions?"
Curly laughed. "Oh, compared to what I did to him back then, you're welcoming me with open arms! Or, hooves, in your case," she corrected.
Rivet grinned, but then got back to business. "All right then. So, I was wondering. Do you think you could start from the beginning? Tell me everything that you went through, leading up to how you got here right now."
Curly shook her head. "I don't think you'd believe me if I told you."
"After what I've seen today, I don't think anything will surprise me."
Curly paused for a moment before answering. "If I do, will you let me out?"
Rivet sighed. "I'm afraid that's going to depend on your answer. If I feel that I can trust you, then yes, I will let you out."
Curly nodded. "Okay. But you might want to sit down. It's a bit of a long story." She pushed the dishes of food through the bars of the door, offering them to Rivet. He accepted the food and sat back down on the floor.
Curly looked off to the side, her eyes staring off into the distance. "It all began ten years ago, when the countries of the world came together for the purpose of obtaining the Demon Crown..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Eight hundred years ago, that very same floating island appeared over Equestria," Princess Celestia began. "As I imagine you might have guessed, it is not from this world."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a second," Rainbow Dash interjected. "Not from this world? If that's the case, then where is it from?"
"Unfortunately, what I know about the other world is rather limited," Princess Celestia replied. "It's usually referred to as the Surface. It's very different from our world; the ones who live there look nothing like us, and they live differently too. Actually," Celestia began to trail off. "his descriptions of the beings that lived there were strikingly similar to the ones you said lived in the Mirror world, Twilight."
"Really?" Twilight asked.
"Albeit with far less variety of skin color, yes, they were practically the same. But the Surface world is far more primitive."
"But wasn't that eight hundred years ago?" Twilight asked. "Couldn't they have made advancements as a society since then?"
"Hmm... yes, I suppose you might be right," Celestia admitted. "But before I get more into that, let me explain what happened back then.
"Just like today, black clouds blanketed the sky, casting the land in shadow. Then, a bolt of red lightning struck, dissipating the clouds and leaving behind a floating island. I suspected that the island hadn't appeared of its own accord, that there were ponies who had brought it here. So, after reassuring everypony not to be afraid, I flew to the floating island to confront whoever had brought it here. That is where I met Halda and Misery."
"So who are they?" asked Twilight.
"Yeah! And what do they look like?" Pinkie interjected. "Ooh, I'll bet Halda's really tall. Halda's kind of a tall-sounding name, don't you think? And poor Misery. Who would name their child such a sad-sounding name? I know! I should throw a party for her! Maybe that'll cheer-"
"Sugarcube," Applejack cut in. "Princess Celestia's in the middle of tellin' us somethin' important. Now ain't the time fer yer yammerin'."
Celestia gave an appreciative nod to Applejack while Pinkie's mane drooped and she began baking an apology cake for interrupting. Then Celestia continued.
"Halda was actually quite different from the people of his world. Pinkie was right when she said he was tall. Halda stood on two legs and matched my height. He actually resembled a dragon in a few ways, as he had a tail and claws. He also had piercing golden eyes, pointed ears, and a breastplate like armor. And atop his head was a blue crown.
"As for Misery, she more closely resembled the beings from their world. Her hair was blue, and she looked very pale. Interestingly, she only ever referred to Halda as 'Master.'
"Halda, it turned out, was the one who brought the island here to Equestria. Like us, he wielded powerful magic, which he used to open a gateway to our world."
"So there is magic in other worlds," Twilight marveled.
Celestia shook her head. "Though that would appear to be the case, it's not as plentiful as it is here. There are actually very few magic-users in the Surface world."
"But how could you possibly know all of this?" Rarity asked. "Unless you went back to his world after you fought him, how would you know anything about his world?"
Celestia's eyes became deeply saddened. "I... didn't fight him. Not at first."
"You didn't fight him?" Rainbow Dash cried. "Why not? What happened?"
"Halda claimed to have come in peace," Celestia continued. "He said that he wanted to build a bridge, so to speak, between our worlds. He was fascinated by our world and wanted to learn more about us. He said that he felt we could learn from each other and thrive through co-existence. He then offered his friendship to me as a token gesture." Celestia's eyes grew dim as she glanced down. "I never should have trusted him."
"What happened?" Luna asked, her tone more akin to that of a command.
Celestia shied away, almost perfectly mimicking Fluttershy's mannerisms. "I accepted his offer. The next few days were spent discussing things from politics to typical cultural practices. I gave him a map of Equestria and explained everything he asked about. His fascination with our species seemed genuine. I didn't realize he was taking notes on us for a far more sinister purpose.
"The day finally came when I showed him the Elements of Harmony. I explained their purpose and significance in our society. And finally, I explained their individual traits. When I explained that the Element of Magic was the strongest and the source of all the others' powers... he saw his chance. Halda stole the Element of Magic while I slept.
"Twilight," Celestia said, turning to her pupil. "Would you please recount what happened in your report of Sunset Shimmer's actions in the Mirror world when she obtained the Sixth Element?"
Twilight nodded and her eyes darkened. "When Sunset Shimmer wore the Element, it reacted to her magic, turning her into a demon of some kind and increasing her power tenfold."
Celestia nodded gravely. "Something like that happened with Halda. It seems that the Element of Magic resonates strongly with magic on both ends of the spectrum. It can be a powerful beacon of hope when used in conjunction with the Elements. However, it also resonates strongly with malevolence, corrupting the wearer and gifting them with dark magic. Though, I admit, I was surprised when you informed me that Sunset Shimmer's entire form changed, because this did not happen with Halda.
"Either way, when Halda wore the Element, it gave him strength as it corrupted him and his dark magic. His strength didn't grow exponentially the way it apparently did with Sunset Shimmer, mind you, but he still became much more powerful. He began to use his newfound power to rampage across the land. When I received word of what he was doing, I cast aside all thoughts of his betrayal of our friendship and went to confront him only as an enemy. It was a fierce battle, but my five Elements of Harmony were strengthened in the Sixth Element's presence. Because of that, they weakened him enough for me to defeat him in battle.
"When I reacquired the Sixth Element, I used its power to turn him to stone, and he became a statue on that same island he arrived on. I then forced Misery, who was also a magic-user, to return the island and everything on it to their world. Misery complied, and the island was no more.
"That was eight hundred years ago. Now, it seems that Halda has broken out of his stone prison, and has come back for revenge. Princess Twilight Sparkle," Celestia suddenly said with a regal presence. "With the Elements of Harmony, will you and your friends assist me in defeating him once again?"
Luna stepped forward, facing her sister directly. "Now, wait, sister. How can you be sure that-"
"We will," Twilight declared. "Of course we'll help. It's our task to defend Equestria from evil and chaos. Right girls?"
"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash cheered. "We can handle anything that's thrown at us!"
"It would be an honor to defend Equestria, especially at your request, Princess Celestia," Rarity said. "You needn't even ask."
"Darn tootin'," said Applejack. "No way we're lettin' some varmint get away like that."
"He sounds like a real meanie-pants!" Pinkie pouted, finishing the word 'sorry' on the cake with a bag of icing.
"O-of course," Fluttershy agreed. "We can't have him hurting any pony or little critter ever again."
Celestia smiled warmly. "Thank you, my little ponies. You don't know how grateful I am." Celestia then turned to face her sister. "Luna. Will you be joining us as well?"
Princess Luna stood still for an uncomfortably long time. Finally, she gave a small, slight nod, then turned and left the throne room without a word.
Princess Celestia glanced in the direction of her sister's wake. "Hmm... I will have to ask what's troubling her," she muttered. Her attention returned to the six ponies before her. "Now then, I will be setting the sun soon. All of you can retire to your rooms for the night. We leave at the crack of dawn, tomorrow."
"Yes, Princess Celestia," the six ponies said in unison, then broke off to find the rooms in the castle reserved for them for special occasions. Only Twilight remained, now alone with the princess.
"What is it, Twilight?" Celestia asked.
"I was just concerned about something," Twilight answered. "If the Sixth Element can give Halda power, then wouldn't it be risky to take it with us into battle? What if he manages to take it from me?"
Celestia smiled, proud of her finest student. "You have a brilliant mind, Twilight Sparkle. This is why I took you under my wing. I suspected you would have that concern. There is nothing to worry about, because I have already practiced a spell to lock the Element in place. Removing it will prove to be impossible unless I disable the spell."
"Oh," Twilight muttered. "That makes sense."
"I have something else to tell you, Twilight."
Twilight looked up at her mentor. "Yes?"
"Before you and your friends arrived, I sent a message to the Crystal Empire. Cadence will be coming with us."
"Cadence?!" Twilight cried. "But why? Isn't she busy with the Empire?"
"I called for her because I don't want to take any chances," Celestia explained. "Halda needs to be stopped, and I would like all of the help I can get. You of all ponies should know just how powerful an alicorn can truly be. Do not underestimate your foal-sitter."
Twilight nodded in understanding. "Okay, then. What about my brother?"
"I have tasked Shining Armor with guarding the Mirror. As we discussed earlier, there seems to be something special about the Mirror world that makes the Element react more strongly. If, despite our precautions, Halda were to somehow acquire the Element of Magic, I don't want him to find his way to the Mirror world and fully transform into a demon like Sunset Shimmer."
"But the Mirror still won't open for another twenty-five moons," Twilight argued.
"Even so, I don't wish to leave any possibility to chance. I don't expect anything like that to happen, but I'm not taking any risks."
"Then why aren't we attacking now?"
"We're all tired," Celestia answered calmly. "Do you really feel ready to fight for your life right now?"
Twilight realized that the princess was right. The day was nearly over, and she was about ready to collapse. All of the worrying she did in the past hour wore her out worse than she thought.
"You're right, princess," Twilight said as her eyelids began to droop. "I promise I'll be ready in the morning."
Celestia smiled warmly. "Would you like to stay with me as I set the sun?" she asked.
Twilight smiled weakly and gave a lazy nod in response. Celestia smiled as she pulled the young princess next to her under her wing. Her long horn glowed a familiar golden color, and in the distance, the sky transformed from the fiery colors of purple and orange and gold into the deep colors of blue and indigo as the sun dipped below the horizon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I don't care if he is friendly," Shining Armor snapped. "It was extremely irresponsible of you to leave him alone with Mistletoe and her children. What if he hurts them?"
"I keep telling you that will never happen!" Cadence retorted. "You know I'm an excellent judge of character. I got to see Quote for who he was, and I promise you he's a gentle soul!"
Shining Armor and Princess Cadence were trotting through the palace, on their way to Mistletoe's lodging. Wrapped in the cerulean glow of the princess' magic was some freshly folded laundry levitating alongside the pair.
"He had a sword, Cadence," Shining Armor argued. "And who knows what those other things with him were. We don't know what he's capable of doing! I made the right call putting those guards on him, and you know it!"
"You're wrong, Shiny. You'll see for yourself that Quote is nothing to be afraid of. Besides, isn't Celestia's letter a more pressing issue right now?"
"No, it's not! Mistletoe's and her children's safety is my main concern right now! We'll discuss your summons later." The two reached the door to Mistletoe's room. "Mistletoe!" Shining Armor yelled, banging his hoof on the door. "Are you all right?" He swung the door open and was taken completely back by what he saw.
Near the bed were two laughing, giggling foals. Mistletoe's daughter, Tinsel, was perched on the shoulders of a tall, white-skinned bipedal creature in a blue bathrobe and clung onto his dark black hair. Her son, Cobalt, was wrapped around one of the creature's spindly legs. The creature paid him no mind as he ran and jumped around the room, eliciting shrieks of delight from both of the foals.
Strangest of all, however, was Mistletoe herself. She stood off to the side, nearly doubled over on the ground in a fit of laughter.
"Oh! Prince Shining and Princess Cadence," Mistletoe remarked when she saw the two standing in the doorway. "Hey, settle down you two," she yelled to the two who at this point were still attacking their visitor. Mistletoe returned her attention to the royal pair before her and bowed respectfully. "Your highness. You were right about Mister Quote. He's been nothing but a delight this whole time, and he's so great with the foals."
Cadence smirked at her husband, who stood speechless. Then she redirected her attention. "Oh, Quote?" she said.
Quote stopped his playful roughhousing and placed Tinsel on the floor, who let out a whine. Cobalt did the same as he let go of Quote's leg. After they tapped their hooves against his fist when he held it out, Quote stood and faced the princess.
"Yes, Princess Cadence?"
Cadence levitated the folded clothes to Quote, who caught the laundry in his arms. "Your clothes have been washed and sewn back together."
Quote's face lit up. "Oh, great! Thank you." He turned to Mistletoe. "Um, may I change in there?" He pointed to the door of the side room.
Mistletoe nodded, and Quote scurried into the room, shutting the door behind him.
Cadence turned to her husband. "You see? Isn't he sweet?"
Shining Armor shook his head, snapping himself out of the trance he was in. "Whatever. I still don't think it's safe to just let him be."
"Now, I expect you to treat him with respect while I'm away," Cadence said.
"What if he's the one I have to protect the Mirror from?" Shining Armor muttered under his breath.
Cadence shook her head. "I'm certain he isn't," she muttered back.
"Your highness?" Mistletoe asked. "You'll be going somewhere?"
Cadence relaxed and turned to face the mare. "That's right, Mistletoe. Auntie Celestia summoned me to Canterlot, requesting my presence before sunrise tomorrow."
"Why, your highness?"
"Apparently, Canterlot's in a bit of an uproar right now. It's been reported that a floating island has appeared just outside of the city. Save for Celestia, nopony knows what it is. While I'm away, Shining Armor will be-"
The sound of a slamming door stopped Cadence mid-sentence. The five ponies in the room all looked at Quote, who was standing in the doorway with one hand on the door. He was only wearing his red pants and belt. His eyes were wide, and on his face was a look of sheer horror.
"What did you just say?"
Cadence stuttered for a moment as her mind caught up. "I-I... um... I-I'll be leaving tonight."
Quote shook his head and stepped toward her. "No, no. I got that. After that. What was it that appeared?"
"A... a floating island."
Quote paused, looking at the faces of each pony. Except for the white unicorn, the one Quote understood to be Shining Armor, they all looked back at him with concern. Quote let out a breath, then turned back into the room where he had been changing. Nobody said anything, even when he came back out again, this time wearing his black tank top, green scarf, and red hat.
"All right," he said with an air of finality. "I'm going with you."
The room became lively again with that comment.
"You're going-?"
"Can't you stay-?"
"You're not going near her-"
"Why are you insisting that-?"
"Everyone, please!" Quote shouted. The room fell silent again. Quote tugged at the visor of his cap. "Princess, please. I have to go. Please let me go with you."
Cadence paused before replying. "Why do you need to go?" she asked.
Quote looked her right in the eye. "Because I know what that floating island is. I came here on it." Quote removed his cap and ran his fingers through his hair as he started pacing around the room. "Look," he explained. "I don't remember how I got here. But the last thing I remember was being knocked out, I think by a bolt of lightning. I was on the island at the time. Then I woke up here. I didn't know how I'd gotten here, but now I'm sure that I came through with the island. And if I came through with it, I'm certain that everyone else did as well." Quote stopped his pacing and stared directly at the princess. "Celestia, was it? Your aunt? You said that she summoned you to Canterlot, where the island is?"
Cadence slowly nodded. "Yes, that's correct."
"Does that happen much?"
Cadence scrunched her face, deep in thought. "Actually, this only happens if there's a formal celebration, or if the kingdom is in danger." Cadence looked up and met Quote's blue eyes. "Wait. Are you saying-"
Quote nodded gravely. "She's right. There's a man on that island who is unimaginably powerful and evil. If nobody stops him, then the whole world is in danger."
Cadence looked contemplative for a moment. Finally, she looked up and met his gaze. "Can you help us?"
Quote nodded. "I can tell you anything you need to know." He let out a sigh. "And if I had my weapons, I could help you fight him, too."
Shining Armor stepped forward. "Not a chance," he said, glaring. "There's no way you're-"
Shining Armor was cut off by an icy stare from his wife that stopped him dead in his tracks. Cadence turned back to Quote and nodded. "We'll return everything we found when you crashed back to you."
Quote's face lit up. "You have my things? Oh, thank you, princess! You have no idea what some of them mean to me."
"In return, all I ask is for your help and cooperation on this task," Cadence stated. "Will you help us?"
Quote nodded. "You have my word."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"...And that city in the mountains over there is Canterlot," said Misery, pointing with her staff. "It's the capital of Equestria." Even from the distance, one could see the splendor of the capital city. Great buildings made of white stone and golden roofs sprawled across the area, making it almost shine, even in the dark. It was the very image of purity and cleanliness. Most majestic of all, however, was the tall spires of Canterlot Castle that towered over everything else. It was the image of majesty and leadership, yet without a sense of oppression. One could easily tell that the resident of such a place was loved and revered by her subjects, and that she was one who loved them back.
The Doctor nodded. "Excellent. It's even more magnificent that you told me." A small grin appeared on his face as his glasses glinted. "Which will make its fall all the more satisfying." A moment passed as they continued to take in the sight of the heavenly city. Suddenly, the Doctor spoke up again. "I trust that you've taken care of the rats?"
Misery nodded. "Yes, Doctor. All three of the scientists were frisked and are now locked up in separate cages, just as you requested."
The Doctor chuckled. "Trying to escape the island. And me. How naughty of them." The Doctor then turned to face Misery directly. "And the robots. You dismantled the boy. I take it you've done the same to the girl I took care of?"
"Y-yes, master," Misery said.
The Doctor grinned. "Excellent. Everything is going according to plan. All that stands in my way now are the ponies of this world."
Misery made no comment. "Great Doctor, if I may," she worded carefully, "what are we to do now? What is the next phase of your plan?"
The Doctor chuckled. "Misery. How long ago did the sun set?"
"Doctor?" Misery looked to the west. The sun was already below the horizon, the late evening sky a magnificent display of purple and indigo. "The sun set approximately... five minutes ago."
"And is there still no sign of Balrog?"
Misery shook her head. "None, sir. I still do not know of his whereabouts."
The red eye of the Doctor's Demon Crown glowed red briefly, then then dimmed. Moments later, Misery sensed something above her.
"HUZZAH!!!"
There was a crash just two meters next to Misery. Where there had been nothing but stone floor was now a cloud of dust, which was dissipating to reveal a crater. In the center was a box-like creature. He was two meters tall by three meters wide and a meter and a half thick. On the sides of his body were light brown flippers. He stood on boxy feet that appeared far too small to support his size. His whole body was a light gray.
His face, like his body, was unique. He had two massive eyes like dinner plates with black pupils. From the top of his face to the bottom, and passing over each eye, were two vertical light brown stripes. A large, expressive mouth rested at the bottom of his face, spanning the distance between his eyes.
He certainly was the odd one out of the three.
"You called for me, Doctor?" the behemoth asked.
"Yes, Balrog. I have an important task for the two of you," the Doctor replied.
"What do you require of us, master?" asked Misery.
The Doctor looked at both of his servants. "I'm leaving tonight. I will be asleep until an hour after sunset. In the meantime, I would like you, Misery, to select a mimiga for me to take along. I don't care who, just make sure it's someone expendable who won't contribute anything to my army. If your estimates are correct, then I should be back by five tomorrow morning. While I'm away, you two are tasked with guarding the island with your lives."
The two nodded. "Understood, Doctor," said Misery. "So, where is it you intend to travel? Will you be meeting with someone?"
The Doctor grinned, then turned his back to his servants. "That is correct. I have a very special meeting with a certain monarch. Now then, I will be resting. Balrog, wake me in fifty minutes. Misery, get to work. It's going to be a long night."
"Yes, master," Misery and Balrog said together.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"After escorting the three of them to the island's surface, I left them alone to work on the helicopter," said Curly. "Then, before I knew it, the whole skyline was covered in black clouds that seemed to radiate magic. There was a bright red flash, then the clouds were gone. When I looked out at the world below, I didn't recognize what I saw. It looked nothing like the Surface. Then, out of nowhere, the Doctor showed up and attacked me. I was caught off guard and couldn't defend myself." Curly paused and stared at the ground. "That's the last thing I remember before waking up in here."
Rivet stared at the robot girl, speechless. He had listened to the whole story, beginning with the robots of the surface slaughtering countless mimigas to obtain the Demon Crown. Quote and Curly had battled Miakid, who had gotten hold of the Crown, to a draw. He listened to her when she talked about raising the Colons, four orphaned mimiga children, and destroying the island's Core in the Labyrinth. He listened as she fondly recalled her friend Quote saving her life and restoring her memory, then accepting her Iron Bond as a promise that they would be together again.
Rivet had stopped her occasionally to ask her about things he did not understand. He took a particular interest in the fascinating technology that the Surface world possessed, like the guns and boosters and the helicopter.
But now, here he was, having heard the whole story and sitting opposite the otherworldly visitor with a cell door between them. The morsels of food he'd had with him were eaten long ago.
"How much of it do you believe?" Curly asked.
Rivet was silent for a moment. He'd had time to formulate his opinion while she'd talked, but now he had a final decision to make. Rivet thought about all of the details of the retelling, the situations, and the circumstances.
And Rivet made his decision.
"All of it," he said.
Curly Brace recoiled in shock. "You- really?"
Rivet nodded. "Yes. This whole situation is too bizarre to simply make up, but not so much so that it's entirely impossible." Rivet cleared his throat. "But more importantly, your account of the black clouds and the island's apparent change in location matches up with what we witnessed. Basically," Rivet concluded, "I have reason to believe that at least a good part of your story is truthful. Now then, do you think you could answer a question for me?"
"Of course," Curly replied.
"This Doctor person. The one you've spoken of with much disgust. He is an evil man, yes?"
Curly nodded.
"Are you saying that he's now in our world?"
"It would seem that way, yes."
Rivet let out a sigh. He didn't want to speak his mind at the moment, but he knew he had no choice. Reluctantly, his mouth formed the words, "Do you believe we're in danger?"
Curly nodded. "The Doctor is the type of man who always has an agenda. I don't think it's possible that we arrived here by accident. I'm sure the Doctor wanted to come here, though I don't know why. If that's the case, there's one thing I can guarantee: he's not here with good intentions."
Rivet began pacing the floor, nearly frantic with pent-up energy. This was huge. This was critical to the security of the kingdom. Princess Celestia needed to know.
And yet, that was not an option. By her own decree, the guards were cut off from Princess Celestia. Rivet cursed his ruler's lapse in judgement. She probably didn't want any trivial reports about citizens' grievances while she tackled the bigger picture. Though Rivet couldn't fault her intentions, she was now cut off from potentially valuable information.
"Can you..." Rivet gulped, praying that he would not come to regret his words. "Can you help us?"
Curly glanced to the side. "Honestly, I don't know. The Doctor is powerful as he is. I don't know if I can stop him myself." Curly raised her head and met Rivet's gaze. "But here's what I do know: if you give me the chance, I will do everything in my power to do anything I can to help stop him."
Rivet stared back at the robot girl. There was fear in her eyes. But beyond the fear and pain was something more: courage, strength, dedication. And most of all, the fiery determination to keep a promise to a friend.
Curly brushed back a strand of hair. "Will you let me out now?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quote stood on the platform of the train station. Next to him stood Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, Mistletoe, and two Crystal Guards. The sun had already set some time ago, so the station was fairly dark. When the train arrived, Cadence made a gesture to her husband, and he stepped forward to face Quote.
"So, here are your things that we found," Shining Armor said, not looking Quote in the eye. "Everything in the bag is as we found it. And these things were in the holsters." He handed Quote his four guns: the Fireball, the Bubbler, the Rocket Launcher, and, to Quote's great relief, the Spur. "And," Shining Armor reluctantly continued with a sigh, "here's your sword."
Quote reached out and grabbed hold of the scabbard levitating in the magenta glow of Shining Armor's magic. Shining Armor did not let go. Shining leaned toward Quote and whispered, "you know what will happen if I find out you tried to hurt Cadence, don't you?"
Quote gave a slight nod in response. "I promise you that I will never hurt her," Quote whispered back. "And I won't allow any harm to come to her, either."
"Good," Shining Armor replied. "For whatever reason, my wife seems to trust you. If you keep your word, you might just earn mine, too."
Quote nodded. "Thank you," he replied, returning his voice to normal volume. Shining Armor released the sword, and Quote pushed it through the belt loop of his pants. He then turned to the princess.
"Are you all set, Quote?" Cadence asked.
"I am, Princess Cadence," he replied. "I think I'll go through my bag later on the train."
"In that case, we're off." She turned to her husband. "Shining, please don't worry about me. I'll be perfectly fine."
Shining Armor shook his head. "I can't help it," he admitted.
Cadence gave a sad smile. "I should be back within a week. I'll see you all then." Cadence then embraced her husband, which he gratefully returned.
Quote was about to board the train when he heard a voice.
"M-mister Quote?"
Quote turned back and saw Mistletoe standing before him with a look of concern on her face.
"Yes, Mistletoe?"
"I... I just... I just wanted to say," she stuttered. She then took a deep breath and continued. "Please be safe. I'd like you to come back. Cobalt and Tinsel, too. They want you to visit again."
Quote smiled and gave an appreciative nod. "I will," he promised. "Take care."
Mistletoe then surprised him. She ran up to him and gave him a hug. After taking a moment to process what was happening, Quote returned the hug.
"Mistletoe?"
"Yes, Mister Quote?"
"We're friends, right?"
"..."
"..."
"Yes. We're friends."
"Then could you do me a favor?"
"Yes?"
"Don't call me 'mister,' anymore. Just Quote."
"... All right, Quote. Be safe."
"I will be. Thank you, Mistletoe."
With that, Quote and Cadence both boarded the train, on which they were the only passengers. The conductor yelled "all aboard," the doors shut, and they were on their way. The two could see the small group they left behind wave to them as they departed.
"Well then, Quote, I think we should get some rest. It's been a busy day today, and tomorrow morning..." Cadence paused. "... is going to be even busier," she finished, her voice becoming grim.
"You're right," Quote agreed. "We need to make sure we're in peak condition for what's to come." Quote turned to find a booth to sleep in. "Good night, Princess Cadence."
"Good night, Quote," the princess replied. With that, the two made their ways to their respective booths to settle down for the night. Quote laid down and thought about what the morning held for him. He would surely have to fight the Doctor. Quote hadn't been in this strange new world for a very long time, but he already felt a desire to protect it and the ponies that lived here. The princess had taken a liking to him immediately and had welcomed him. Mistletoe took a little warming up, but now she was his friend. Even Shining Armor, despite being abrasive and untrusting, had his heart in the right place. Quote couldn't fault him for that. Now more determined than ever, Quote let his eyes close and shut down for the night.
"He used his magical powers to help and guide people,
and the people loved and trusted him in return.
Even more than they did their own king..."