//------------------------------// // Act 1 chapter 17 // Story: Diamonds are a girl's worst enemy // by Rarity Belle //------------------------------// It was early in the evening when the group of ponies made their return into the castle of the royals. Rarity had made the decision to drop the book off in the hotel that she stayed for the time being. She had planned to stay a couple of days more after the whole events had taken place. Though the plans could be cancelled thanks to the book that she had come across. Only time would have been able to fully predict just what would happen to her.         First things first, as the saying always went. The group of ponies walked through the castle in silence. They made their way towards the throne room of the princesses themselves. The thoughts lingered all over the place for them all. From the hordes of changelings that they saw, to the first glance of the wonderful gem they caught in their eyes. Everything of the trip was something that was rather of both interest as well as horror. Something that caused a few to have a bit of a problem with actually being able to cope with all of the events.         In the end did they all stood before the closed set of doors. The ones that were leading to the very throne room Rarity gave a look and a smile to each of them. While it was more than true that the whole of team was having so their fair share of differences with one another, they still were able to work as a powerful team in order to actually stop the menace that could have taken over. Almost, had they stopped the changeling king. For he could still roam through the caverns below Canterlot itself. That was the only real problem that still lingered around.         “Her majesties’ the princesses had been expecting the five of you,” one of the guards spoke to them. Then he opened the door for them all, granting them access.         With the grand doors of the palace that finally opened, each of the ponies looked once more into the wonderful throne room before their eyes finally caught the royals themselves sitting almost oddly calm upon the throne. Rarity was the first pony to enter the room followed by the twins while Velvet Fashion and Rare Thinker became the rear guard.         They almost appeared to be like a set of proud warriors who returned from a battle of some kind. A little fact that was true in a way if thought about deeply enough. The unicorn in front began to charge up her horn calmly. The saddlebag at the side of her body was being opened and the ‘marker’-like gem was taken out of it. Even from their distance they could see that the royals themselves were actually very pleased with the result of the expedition.         Once the group stood before the throne, they all made a deep and respectful bow before the mares of the day and night. Both Luna and Celestia looked down upon the ponies with a content look in their eyes before the words were spoken to them. “So it seems that you have succeeded in the task that was given upon yourself. We almost thought that the caverns had become your tomb,” replied Celestia to them all. Only after that did her eyes focused themselves upon the gem. ---                       All of the ponies came back up and looked to both of the mares as Rarity took over the word. “There had been a couple rather close calls for certain your highness.”         “So it is true then, the changelings have awoken inside of the underground hive,” said Luna. There was a deep sigh that left through her nostrils. “Only a changeling is able to make such a terrible noise when it awakes.” A shudder travelled over her back, confirming any kind of fear that she had.         “Not just the changelings, your highness,” Velvet Fashion then dared to speak up. The eyes of both the mares then turned itself over to the other unicorn of the company and almost looked at her with a genuine confused or not understanding gaze.         “Miss Fashion, would you please tell us more?” Celestia replied to her. All of the sudden she was standing right in the spotlights of the entire throne room. There was a deep gulp that was released by her throat. The mare tried and gathered all of her guts. For as much as those still were there. Inside of her head she tried to formulate the right sentences of the words to speak.         “Well, o-outside of the changelings, there also have been… well, we have seen myth become true. C-Crystalline giants.” Upon the mere mentioning of the words became the faces of the princesses themselves nothing but sheer white. They had expected pretty much everything to come out of the mare her mouth except that word. Or better said, those words.          The horn of Celestia herself began to coat itself within the magical aura. She took the gem over from Rarity who then discharged her own horn. She gave the two of them a respectful nod before Luna signaled in some servants. “It will be matter out of your hooves to handle with, my sister and myself will be needing to look at these giants ourselves. You shall receive your share for the trip as well as the retrieval of the gem,” the princess of the moon replied to them.         “If I may ask, your highness,” Rarity said after she received her bag of bits from the servant. She thanked him with a nod before the attention was given back to Celestia and the question asked. “What will you be doing with the gem?”         The question was of course fairly asked to the royals. Though the answer was one not even they seemed to be truly knowing. “We shall lock it away in a place where nothing will be able to get its hooves on, for the magic it contains is far greater than any alicorn. You, milady Rarity, must have felt its power when you took it,” said Luna. She then stood up and walked off of the steps.         It was indeed more than true for Rarity that she felt how powerful the gem was. Perhaps it was just better to leave the matter to rest and return to her beloved little home in Ponyville. It was in fact a plan each of the ponies had, to return home and to their loved ones. Each of them gave one another a hug and said their goodbyes before the journey home would be undertaken. ---                       In the dead of night did the creaking door of the Carousel Boutique open. The unicorn herself stepped through the doorway with a smile upon her face. She was back home once more and the scents of her house were the first thing to have entered her nose.         Everything had come to a good end and she even was a book richer. A book which she would let Twilight examine after having read through it herself at least once. The candles inside of her home began to burn gently as she dropped her bags next to the table in the living room. The mare herself assumes her place in a chair where she makes herself rather comfortable and closed her eyes gently.         With the passage of mere minutes she had sunken into a deep sleep. A sleep deeper than anything she had ever been through before. While the dreams she would be having were almost everything but pleasant. For that very night she would be haunted by a nightmare whose very meaning should have been taken as a warning, instead of an average, run-of-the-mill dream.