Silver Armor And Crystal Hearts – Part II
Certain that his eyes were betraying him, Flash Sentry gave the dining hall a second glance. Everypony, pegasus and unicorn alike, wore silver armor.
To Flash’s knowledge, silver armor had never been used by any faction of the Guard, past or present.
Flash looked over at Shining again, almost pleadingly, stricken silent by disbelief. Lighting his horn, Shining pulled a chair out for him.
“Have a seat, Flash.”
Flash swallowed. “Y-yes, Your Highness.”
With the intense heat of all eyes upon him, Flash obeyed. The seat that had been chosen for him was near the heaping platters of delectable foods—a wasted privilege.
First Lieutenant Shooting Star pushed a heaping plate of food towards Flash, along with a full glass of wine. “Indulge, soldier. You’re gonna need it.”
Oh, Celestia. “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”
All eyes shifted back to Shining Armor, who gestured for the rest of the group to sit down.
As they silently complied, Flash took a sip of his wine, but didn’t touch any of the food.
After a moment, Second Lieutenant Argon asked, “Where is Princess Cadence, sir?”
Shining Armor stood at the head of the table, towering over his seated guests. “She is with my sister. Everything will be revealed to her tonight.”
Flash nearly choked on his wine. Twilight’s in on this too?
“Good,” Shooting Star said, his voice thick and heavy, “it is about time, sir.”
Shining replied, his tone equally weighty, “Yes… It is.”
“How is Princess Cadence holding up, sir?” one of the other guards asked.
Flash noted that the new speaker was a white unicorn who wore a blue star on the chestplate of his golden—silver—armor: the mark of a Corporal, who had been awarded the emblem due to his potential leadership skills and was in equal standing as a Knight.
I know I’ve seen him before… Wait. Isn’t he one of the prison guards?
“She has fared better, Strong Command. However, she insists on waking early now that Twilight is here.” On Shining’s stern muzzle, the slightest smile appeared. “I suspect that tonight’s play should help her, along with more rest.”
Shooting Star raised his wineglass. “Glad to hear, Captain.”
Flash’s eyes widened. Captain?
“Thank you. Are there any more questions before we begin?”
Only everything!
The temptation to disobey by asking a myriad of questions was strong, but so was Shining Armor’s gaze. Flash Sentry, along with the others, did not respond.
Shining Armor cast what Flash recognized as a soundproofing spell, his purple aura engulfing the room. Once the spell dissipated, he cleared his throat and addressed the table.
“Gentlecolts, thank you all for coming. While most of you have already been to one of these meetings—whether here or in Canterlot—we do have a new face here tonight. For that reason, I shall start at the beginning.”
Those eyes drew to him again, leaving Flash to only offer them a forced smile.
Shining continued, “Each one of you has been identified and selected by either First Lieutenant Shooting Star, Second Lieutenant Argon, or myself as a stallion who may be interested in joining our cause.”
Shining paused, his eyes darting around the table. His gaze seemed to linger on Flash just a few seconds longer than the others.
The wine on Flash’s tongue did little to soothe his nerves, which all but screamed at him to break his silence. He didn’t.
“Those of you who are new are undoubtedly wondering, among other things, what our purpose is. Well, gentlecolts, the answer is simple, though complex. Our cause is opportunity. Our cause is freedom. Our cause is equality.”
Flash slowly set his wineglass down, his forehoof beginning to tremble. Could it… Could it be—
“Our cause is that, while we all pretend that everything is fine and dandy, there is something very fundamentally wrong with the way things are. I’m speaking, of course, about the natural order of our lives—of society itself.”
Flash Sentry knew by now that his eyes were wide, his ears were pricked, and his maw was hung slightly agape. A strange mix of elation and disbelief swirled through him as his own thoughts ran wild, not a single one of them comprehensible.
Several murmurs of agreement followed Shining’s statement, along with some nods. A few of the guards glanced Flash’s direction. Others were silent, the tension as heavy and foreboding as the blanket of white beyond their door.
Shining exhaled a slow breath through his nostrils before he spoke again. “All of you have reasons to oppose the current state of Equestrian society; I will not go into detail about each specific situation, but I want you to think about things as they are right now.
“I want you to think about an Equestria where one is obligated to follow their father’s profession, whether one wants to or not. I want you to think about an Equestria where the sky is not the limit—old traditions are instead. I want you to think about an Equestria where some types of ponies are viewed as superior to others—a sentiment that cuts deeply, regardless if it results in outward animosity or not.
“I want you to think about an Equestria where any gesture of affection or love towards somepony outside of one’s own tribe—“
Flash’s heart seized in his chest as Shining Armor’s eyes met his—
“—is forbidden. An Equestria where such sentiments are worthy of shame at best and ostracization at worst.”
Flash thought back to that day—to that moment that had been so forbidden and shameful that he was lucky to be here today, wearing Royal armor and bearing no bruises.
He thought back to that moment and many moments similar to it—moments where he had been all too painfully aware of the futility of his dissent. Moments when it was brazenly obvious that he would never even have a chance at what he so sinfully desired.
Along with the quickening of his heart, he felt something new:
Anger.
The atmosphere became stifling. The others at the table had ceased their merry drinking of wine and noshing of morsels. All were silent, their nostrils flaring, as if something was seething below their surfaces. Even Shooting Star had shed his usual mask, his recruit-eating grin replaced with a snarling scowl.
Shining Armor raised a forehoof. “That is not an Equestria I wish to live in any longer. I was raised to believe in love, justice, and truth; the world I see is none of these things. The world I see is happy and harmonious on the surface, but its underbelly is brimming with anger and despair.”
“Hear, hear!” one of the guards barked from the rear of the table. He then balked at his own outburst, his muzzle paling. “Y-Your Highness, I’m—“
“You are forgiven,” Shining said with a slight smile, “for your anger is understandable. As is mine. The stress of this situation… What it has been doing to me… To my wife…”
While Shining paused, taking yet another slow breath, Flash remembered the Princess’s disheveled appearance—the dark circles under her eyes, the outlines of her ribs. Another wave of righteous anger began to pulse through him, making him grit his teeth. So that’s it… Of course this would harm the Princess of Love!
Shining raised his head, his eyes sweeping around the table. “Gentlecolts, I have had enough. Cadence has had enough. The ponies of Equestria have had enough. We have all had enough. Something must be done.”
All around him, Flash heard light cheering and shouts of agreement.
“Now, I must caution that, while some minds may immediately jump to war, violence is the absolute last thing we want. The last thing anypony wants,” Shining continued, “is for more to be harmed in the name of righteousness. That has already happened a hundred times over. While we are raising a Guard here in the Empire, we are doing so only in defense. A war against the greater portion of Equestria would be foolhardy indeed.
“No, we must get to the roots of the order here—and those roots, gentlecolts, are Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, the two ponies with the power to change things. And to do that, we must change their minds. By we, I mean my wife and sister.
“If they are successful, then a new day shall reign in Equestria. If they are not…”
His eyes gleaming with steely determination, Shining finished, “Then, Cadence and I shall make a new order here, in the Crystal Empire. Canterlot be damned.”
As Shining stepped away, letting his words sink and anchor, Flash allowed his speech to rampage through his mind, casting away all he had ever known.
Prominent in that haze of skepticism, shock, disbelief, anger, fear, and joy was the realization, both beautiful and terrible, that he was not alone.
Not anymore.
“Flash Sentry.”
As if he were in a dream, Flash Sentry looked up to see Prince Shining Armor staring straight into him, his treacherous armor glistening beneath the light of the crystal chandeliers.
Flash, his voice heavy with rage and joy, replied, “Yes, sir?”
“You are the new face at the table,” Shining said, trotting up to him. “You are the only one here not to attend a meeting of the Order of the Silver Guard prior to tonight. As such, the meeting cannot proceed further until we know of your thoughts.”
“Y-yes, sir… I...”
Parched, Flash fumbled for his wineglass. Shooting Star refilled it, then pushed it back towards him, the telepathic command to drink evident in his eyes.
The others waited while Flash drank, the wine slick as it slid down his throat and made fiery courage in his belly. When he finished, he looked up at his Captain.
“S-sir, I… I agree.”
Shining tilted his head. “You agree with… What, soldier?”
“I agree that… That this is unjust.”
Seven words. He erased everything with seven words, and began anew.
“What is unjust?” Shining asked.
Gaining confidence, an old, ancient anger stirring with his wine, Flash said, “All of this. Our unequal society, the division between ponies... everything! I have always… questioned it, but it wasn’t until I became a Royal Guard, and saw how others were treated, that I realized how wrong things were. Especially when some were abused by certain others…”
An image of a certain Guard Captain flashed through his mind, as well as a certain butler. “It wasn’t until the past year or so that it really became apparent to me—the effects of this on our society. And this situation recently…”
Both of these situations…
“It has led me to realize what I know now, that...” Flash said, his tongue clean of any deceit or hesitation as he stared straight into his Prince, “In my heart, that the way things are is wrong. The order is wrong, Your Highness. I’ve felt that way, but… I have no power to change it.”
While he finished, Flash noticed Shooting Star rising from his seat. The Lieutenant stood beside him and laid a forehoof on his shoulder.
“Sir Flash Sentry,” Shooting Star began, his gruff voice echoing through the room, “each and every one of us here has felt that way for one reason or another. But we have the power now, Flash, when we stand as many, rather than one. The question is if you are willing to stand with us.
“If you do, you risk everything. If you don’t, you risk nothing. You can ignore your feelings and submit to something you don’t believe in, or you can fight for what is right. It is your choice, but only one choice will lead to freedom, if only in your soul.”
As Shooting Star left Flash’s side and returned to his seat, a confidence that had been erased by so many restless nights, so many harsh truths, and so much self-loathing for finding in himself a rebellion and a resistance, returned to him.
Flash had spent so many nights trying to ignore both his dissension and his heart. And now, with both of them rising and beating within him, he was tired of denying them, hiding from them, running from the truth.
Shining turned to Flash. “Here are your choices. You can leave right now, and no ill will shall be held against you. In exchange for your silence, should any trouble occur as a result of this new Order in the future, you will be protected.
“Or, you can stay and join the Order of the Silver Guard. By doing so, you are not only sworn to secrecy, but you must obey all the rules of the current order in both public and private, unless you are absolutely certain you will not be heard or seen. You must also swear to follow my orders if the time comes.
“What do you choose, Sir Flash Sentry?” Prince Shining Armor asked.
Sir Flash Sentry rose from his seat and saluted his Captain.
“I shall join you, sir.”
With a smile, Shining lit his horn again, and made the knight before him wear silver armor.
Shooting Star, grinning widely, raised his wineglass. “A toast, to Sir Flash Sentry, of the Order of the Silver Guard!”
The others picked up their glasses, raising them high. “To Sir Flash Sentry!”
Unable to hide his grin, Flash clinked his wineglass with the rest of them, then drank again.
It was the sweetest wine he had ever tasted.
~
Twilight Sparkle loved daffodil and daisy sandwiches, especially with a side of hayfries. If given the choice of eating only one dish for the rest of her life, she would choose that over all of Canterlot Castle’s imported delicacies and exotic dishes.
In this moment, Twilight pushed her favorite dish away, as if it were rotten.
Cadence, too, appeared to have lost her appetite. Twilight was tempted to encourage her to eat both of their lunches, not only for Cadence’s health, but to delay the inevitable conversation that was only moments away.
In the silence, Cadence looked at her forehooves in her lap, her brow furrowed.
A clock on the wall counted down those momentous seconds. Tick, tick, tick.
Twilight had to admit that the Crystal Empire seemed a bit more odd than it had been on her last visit. Flash Sentry taking meals with them did not sound the alarms—after all, when her friends and Spike visited Shining and Cadence, they were treated with the same hospitality. They were welcomed similarly at Canterlot Castle. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna loved them all, treated them with utmost respect.
No, it was Clover that worried her. Why was Clover here? Surely, other ponies visited the Crystal Empire as tourists. A few even set up shop here. Yet, the timid mare’s explanation for her sudden immigration didn’t seem quite honest…
I wish Applejack was here, Twilight thought with an inward sigh. Because I’m not sure if I’ll believe what I fear isn’t true…
“Twilight.”
Twilight shook herself from her thoughts. “Yes, Cadence?”
“Twilight… Do you know how I became an alicorn?”
Twilight blinked, confused. “Well… You told me that you were born a unicorn, but you were abandoned as a young foal in the woods beyond Hollow Shades.” If it hadn’t been for the Earth ponies who found and raised you, you would have…
Twilight frowned, pushing that thought away. “You said that when you grew up, there was an evil mage who attacked your village and stole everypony’s love using an enchanted amulet. Like the Alicorn Amulet, but with… Changeling-like effects.” Hmm. Could that have been Chrysalis in disguise?
“When you confronted the sorceress, the amulet backfired, amplifying the power of your love, rather than the power of her hate. After you defeated her, your magic surged and transported you to Canterlot Castle, where you became an alicorn as a result of beating the sorceress. Then, Princess Celestia adopted you as her niece.” A slight, uncertain smile replaced her frown. But what does this have to do with anything?
“That’s right,” Cadence replied after a pause, “except for one thing.”
Perplexed, Twilight asked, “What… What thing?”
Cadence ruffled her wings. “Twilight, I was not born a unicorn. I was born a pegasus.”
Her eyes widening, Twilight retorted, “But… But, how? You—you told me that story, just as I said! Are you… are you saying that you lied to me?”
“The only ponies who know that I was a pegasus who ascended, and not a unicorn, are Celestia, Luna, and Shining. And now, you,” Cadence explained, laying both her forehooves on the table. “I didn’t tell you when you were young because… well…”
“Well what?” Twilight asked, crossing her forehooves over her chest. She’s been lying to me this whole time? Oh, this better be a good reason…
“Well… For the longest time, I didn’t want anypony to know,” Cadence said, meeting her eyes, “except for Auntie. I felt like other ponies would judge me, look down upon me like I was a lesser, even though I became an alicorn. I was pretty sheltered from… politics, living in Hollow Shades. Nopony seemed to mind that I was a pegasus surrounded by Earth ponies, but… Not all ponies think that way.”
Twilight uncrossed her forehooves and laid them on the table, her shoulders slumping. “Cadence… I… I wouldn’t have thought of less of you.”
“I know, Twilight. I know.” Cadence offered her a smile, but Twilight could see that it was forced. “I was lucky to find somepony special who didn’t think less of me for it.”
Twilight gave her a forced smile back. “Yeah… I’m glad you and Shining have each other. But, Cadence, what does this have to do wi—”
Cadence raised a forehoof. “Twilight, let me finish.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s alright. But, I’m glad you brought Shining up, because there’s something you should know about him, too.”
Twilight tilted her head. “Oh…?”
“Do you ever wonder why Shining Armor became a Royal Guard Captain? Especially when Night Light hadn’t been one?” Cadence asked.
Twilight looked at her inquisitively, her confusion growing with each passing second. My father? Well, if she’s suggesting he pushed Shining to become Captain, then no, that’s not the case. Both Mom and Dad were supportive of us, no matter what. “Um… I always thought Shining earned that position. That he was the strongest among unicorn guards.”
“He was, but there was another reason for it, too.”
Thinking back, Twilight realized that her brother and Cadence had always been close friends, even when she was a young filly herself. However, to her knowledge, the two had been just that—friends—up until Shining had joined the Guard. After that, Twilight had barely seen her brother, except for the occasional holiday. Their engagement was one of the few instances where she had actually heard something about Shining since he became Captain of the Royal Guard.
Wait… Their engagement… Could it be that my brother became Captain specifically so he could marry Cadence?
Twilight bit her lip. “Maybe he… Maybe he did it for… you? So he could marry you?”
“Precisely.” Though she smiled, Twilight saw the sadness in Cadence’s eyes. “So… If I had not ascended, I would not only have not met Shining, I would not have been able to be with him in the first place. And because I ascended, Shining worked… Well, he worked his flank off to become Captain, so that he and I could finally be together.
“Publicly together.”
Twilight felt her jaw go slack at Cadence’s last words. “You… you mean—”
“Yes, Shining and I were together for years before our engagement,” Cadence said, her words becoming louder, bolder, “and it was only because of luck on both our parts that we were able to be married. It is only because of that that I am your sister-in-law, Twilight. Luck.”
Baffled, Twilight shook her head. “L-luck? You call that luck, Cadence? That was destiny! You and Shining were destined to be together!” In spite of herself, Twilight felt her irritation returning with a vengeance. “You… You can’t make it sound so… trivial like that!”
“Trivial?” Cadence flattened her ears. “No, Twilight, it is not I who is trivializing this!”
“But you called it l—”
“Our love could only be legally sanctified because I happened to change from what I was born, and he happened to rise to a position that not even his father could obtain!”
“Yeah, that’s destiny!” Twilight shot back, her hackles beginning to rise.
Staring straight into her, Cadence said in a stern tone, “Don’t you think that’s a bit unfair? That one pony had to grow a horn, and another had to wear his hooves into the ground, so they would be allowed to love each other?”
Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but shut it quickly. Well… When she puts it that way… That does seem a bit much… After a moment, she replied, “But everything worked out, so what does it matter? You and Shining are together, married, everything!”
“What if it hadn’t worked out, Twilight? What if Shining had never become Captain? What if I were still a pegasus?” Cadence’s words seemed to drip with an anger Twilight hadn’t seen from her since the invasion of Canterlot. “What would you have had us do then?”
Though she raised a forehoof to speak, Twilight was cut off yet again.
“Should we have snuck around, only loved each other behind closed doors? Should we have been shamed and forced to deny our feelings to everypony else? Should I have been hit by one of Shining’s friends, or maybe Night Light, because I didn’t have a horn and I was ‘ruining his life’?”
“Cadence! You’re… You’re being irrational!” Twilight smacked her raised forehoof on the table, nearly sending their dishes skyward. “That’s not how it worked out! You two were meant to be together and you are!”
Cadence scoffed. “I’m being irrational? Listen to yourself! You’re not even addressing the issue!”
“That’s not true!” Twilight nearly shouted.
Cadence sighed, then asked in a calmer tone, “Twilight, if I were a pegasus, or Shining wasn’t the Captain of the Royal Guard, would you have let us marry?”
Twilight froze. Her bottom lip trembled as she fought two opposing forces within her—the voice of reason, and the whisper of her heart.
The natural order of things had been taught to her from an early age, as it had to all foals. It made perfect sense: unicorns needed other unicorns to further their understanding of magic and teach youngsters the same; pegasi needed other pegasi to fly together and raise young fliers; Earth ponies needed other Earth ponies to tame the land and its bounty, and pass on this knowledge to their foals.
Same needed same. Stallions needed mares, mares needed stallions. Love needed similar hearts to flourish.
And when it came to alicorns, Princesses needed a strong and powerful Prince, one with mighty magic, to protect them. That was what Equestria had needed from the beginning and had kept constant throughout its entire existence.
Now, with Cadence looking into her after revealing not one, but two circumstances that would have prevented her from becoming one of the most wonderful members of her family, Twilight felt something she had never felt before in relation to this:
Doubt.
Would you really want Cadence and Shining not to be together, all for the lack of a horn or a color of armor? Twilight’s treacherous heart whispered. Would you really not want their love to be sanctified, just because of that?
Finally, Twilight answered with a sigh, “I… I don’t know.”
Silence raged between them.
Twilight felt Cadence lay a forehoof on top of hers. She looked up to see her smiling, a tear in one of her eyes.
“Twilight, Shining and I aren’t the only ones like this. There are so many couples out there who are lucky to have been born as they are, otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to be together. There are many ponies who aren’t as lucky… who fall for somepony they aren’t allowed to love…”
Twilight thought back to Clover, her words echoing through her conscious turmoil: ”... Because I’d already r-ruined his life… And… I… I guess I have...”
“And many of those ponies,” Cadence continued, almost in a whisper, “are coming to me about this. Shortly after I became the Crystal Princess, ponies, both Crystal and not, came to me, asking for advice. After all, who better to come to about romance than the Princess of Love, right?”
Avoiding her eyes, Twilight mumbled, “Y-yeah… Heh…”
“They wanted my permission, my blessing, to love others. To love others they are not supposed to love. And… At first… In spite of my own situation, my own past, I didn’t give them an answer. I couldn’t, Twilight. I mean… I’m supposed to enforce all the laws of the land, aren’t I?”
Twilight nodded weakly. “Ye… Yes…”
“But then… A few months ago, right around the same time that awful Discord sent those plants after Celestia and Luna—” she scowled for a moment—”I started feeling sick. Weak. Some days, my magic would need a little coaxing, even to perform a simple task. I… I thought it was the stress of everything just getting to me, but… After it wouldn’t go away, I knew it couldn’t have been just that.”
Meeting her eyes, Twilight felt a stone of dread settled into her stomach. No… No, please…
Cadence squeezed her forehoof. “I was scared, Twilight… I went to our doctors here, but they didn’t know what was wrong. Shining was getting worried, was about to send for some Canterlot physicians, but then… something happened.”
“What?” Twilight asked, squeezing her forehoof back.
“One day, two of my subjects came into my court. One of my own servants, a mare, and a pegasus stallion I hadn’t seen before. They… They asked me if it was alright that they felt love for each other… romantic love. If that was okay to feel, to have.
“And… I decided to be honest. I was tired of denying it, of all the stress of lying to them. I said that love comes in all forms, and I wouldn’t stop them… And when those two looked upon each other with love and joy… I… I started to feel better.”
Twilight’s head began to spin. You… you got better from seeing love? Like… Like a Changeling? No! No, that’s ridiculous! Maybe it’s like a magical connection, like how I turned grey when my friends and I were fighting because of Discord… But… that means…
Cadence said more firmly, “And, slowly, my health started to return. My subjects became happier as I kept giving them the answers they so desperately wanted to hear. Even if I can’t officially endorse such unions, perform any marriages beyond the… normal ones… I decided that I would let love be under my rule. All kinds of love, as long as it was genuine. I would look the other way, not only for my sake… but theirs. For everypony’s sake.
“And how you see me now, Twilight,” she explained, sitting up straight, “is mostly stress… Though, recently, what happened to Clover and Orion has hurt me, regardless of the latter’s foalishness.
“Yet, here I am, ruler of the Crystal Empire… and its love refugees.”
As Cadence finished, Twilight realized that the mare before her—the mare she loved as the sister she never had—had entrusted her with a secret. A very dangerous secret.
And she wasn’t sure how to feel.
“I… I…” Twilight fidgeted in her seat. “I… I don’t know what to say, Cadence… I…I don’t even know what to think!”
“Well, what immediately comes to mind?” Cadence asked with a sheepish smile, rubbing at her shoulder. “Because I told you this all for a reason, Twilight.”
“And… that is?”
Cadence took a deep breath. “Right now, my subjects and I have an unspoken agreement: I will look the other way, and they will keep these things a secret. That is all I can do without risking tension between myself and my aunts. But I know it cannot be kept secret forever.
“I have tried to speak to Celestia about this before, years ago… While I know it bothers her, too, on some level, she is not ready to change it. She is adamant that this is the right thing in the end.
“The reason I’m telling you this, Twilight, is that I would like you to help me change Celestia’s mind about this. I need your help in telling her why she should let go of this order.”
Twilight nearly fell out of her chair. “But—wha—change?! Change what our ancestors wanted, what has been here for so lon—”
“What has hurt so many, Twilight. What has kept so many in denial, in despair, lost and alone. Do you want ponies to keep suffering in silence?” Cadence asked, bitterness tangible in her words.
“No! Of course not!” Twilight braced her forehooves on the table to steady herself. “Of course I don’t want anypony to suffer! I… I don’t…” She trailed off, staring down at the floorboards. “I… I don’t want to hurt Celestia and Luna, either. Especially Celestia… she’s like a second mother to me.”
Cadence sighed. “I know… She is to me too. She raised both of us, and I love her as much as you do. But this is wrong, and I want her to understand that. I couldn’t convince her in the past, so maybe, together, we can now.”
Twilight shook her head. “I… I just don’t know how to feel about this. I don’t want ponies to suffer for… for just loving somepony,” she admitted, guilt rising in her voice, “but it goes against everything I’ve been taught. Not just by Celestia. By my own parents, my other teachers…” Sighing, she added, “And… I… I don’t want this to cause anything… Like a war...”
Cadence lifted her chin with a forehoof, forcing Twilight to look her in the eyes. “War is the last thing Shining and I want. He is in full support of everything I’ve done; we’ve made these decisions together. Still, one can never be too careful,” she added, sighing.
“So that’s what those recruits are for,” Twilight said. It did seem like more than enough for just a castle Guard… But I guess I didn’t want to think that.
Cadence nodded. “We don’t want things to go that way, but… If Celestia and Luna do not change their minds, and choose to keep things as they are, well… I will continue to bless my subjects and enforce love, rather than blood, as the law of my land. If that means that the Crystal Empire must be separate from the rest of Equestria… Then what needs to be done, will be done.”
Looking into Cadence’s eyes, Twilight saw the same determination that she had seen when she had cast the continual forcefield around the Empire. This time, Twilight doubted that Sombra could break through the same defense, so forceful was Cadence’s will.
Her mind reeling in a thousand different directions, Twilight simply sat there, speechless, incredulous. Cadence wants me to help her convince Celestia to overturn the order… And if she doesn’t… They will secede… They’re not enforcing it here… They’re preparing for war…
So much for a relaxing research trip…
“You don’t have to make a decision yet,” Cadence offered.
Twilight gave her a weak nod. “Th-thanks. I… I have a lot to think about.”
“I’m glad you’re not immediately dismissing it, at least.”
“Well… I know you wouldn’t do something like this without a compelling reason,” Twilight deflected. I just have to decide if that reason is compelling enough.
Cadence smiled. “I just ask that you keep this between us, and let me know when you decide. I will still love you the same no matter what.”
Twilight gave her a slight smile back. “Thanks, Cadence… I’ll…I’ll think about it.”
Rising from her seat, Cadence opened her forehooves to Twilight.
Without hesitation, Twilight accepted the hug, embracing her tightly.
For a moment, Cadence was her buoy in the ocean of uncertainty and questions, both of which Twilight knew weren’t soon to pass like other ships in the night.
~
After a round of celebratory cheers for their group’s expansion this night, Shining Armor began the meeting proper.
“Shooting Star, give us a status report.”
Shooting Star saluted. “Thank you, Captain.” He cleared his throat. “The evening before I caught the train up here, I attended a meeting with… Captain—“ he nearly spat the word—“Ironhoof regarding the Orion situation. Apparently, the Canterlot press flayed that noble alive. Argon, the paper?”
Flash watched as Argon pulled a newspaper from beneath his armor, passing it over with his teeth. Shooting Star unfurled it, then held it up for everypony to see. Written in bold ink below a picture of Orion behind bars were the headlines:
Disgraced Noble Attacks Princess Twilight! Interracial Scandal! House Of Orion Shamed!
Slamming the newspaper on the table, Shooting Star scowled and shook his head. “Of course the press put their spin on it! But as far as Orion goes…” He sighed. “That fool is trying to make himself a martyr with this.”
“He’s starting to refuse his meals,” Argon added, gritting his teeth. “Short of force-feeding the bastard, there’s nothing we can do. By the time his trial rolls around, his ribs’ll be showing. Not that it wins him any sympathy from me!”
“Order or no order, he did attack Princess Twilight!” Strong Command exclaimed, his horn lighting up in his anger. “Somepony in a high position finally manages to take a stand, and what does he do? He goes after the wrong Princess!”
An uproar followed Strong Command’s statement. Flash nodded vigorously, his ears flattening at the mere memory.
Shining Armor stomped a forehoof on the table, silencing the commotion. “We’ve discussed this before, gentlecolts! Our enemy is not a who, but a what. Now, our own opinions of our rulers aside—“ he glared at Strong Command—“it is not Princess Celestia, nor Princess Luna that we oppose. It is the order of things themselves. Let’s not get too engrossed in insults, shall we?”
Strong Command hung his head. “I’m sorry, Captain. Forgive me.”
Shining waved a forehoof. “It’s fine. Now…” He turned back to Shooting Star. “What of our dear Captain Ironhoof himself? How is he behaving?” he asked, a mocking tone in his voice.
While the others cursed under their breath, Flash just snorted. Ironhoof? Probably bored out of his mind now that I’m not there to push around… for now...
“If there is one thing Ironhoof is a master of, Captain,” Shooting Star began, “it is appearing flawless in the eyes of the ponies whose approval is required. Place him before any of the Princesses, yourself, Prince Blueblood, or a high-ranking noble? Oh, he’ll make poetry of his manners, never speak ill of a soul. You could have him in the same room as Princess Celestia and two rock farmers, and he’ll be as polite as if those two were nobles. But behind closed doors, out of earshot of—how did he once put it to me—the lessers?”
Scoffing, Shooting Star took a toothy bite of a cracker, crunching it with a vengeance. “Ha! Then his true colors show! He’s a racist and a sexist, and a sly one at both. I wish he’d make one of his asinine little comments only to turn around and see the Princess of the Sun right behind him!”
Argon snickered. “Yes, that would be glorious! I would endure a thousand days of his ranting if I could get to see that.”
The room filled with more murmurs of agreement, including Flash’s.
Shining said with a smirk, “I appointed Ironhoof as Captain for two reasons: one because he was, quite honestly, the most powerful unicorn besides myself, and I had to select a unicorn as my successor. And, two, I knew his ego would eventually be his undoing. Time will tell.”
“I’ll drink to that, sir!” Shooting Star tipped back his glass.
Argon raised his own. “Hear, hear!”
After another chorus of chuckles and clinked glasses, Shining Armor quieted the room once more. “The last thing I want to say regarding this Orion situation is that it is best that we keep everything in perspective. There are many others, including my own subjects, who rebel against these archaic laws behind closed doors. While this incident is a catalyst, it is not isolated.”
Looking around the table, Flash saw the others’ merry expressions shift somber. A heavy silence shrouded the room before the Prince spoke again.
“Cadence has been conversing with Princess Celestia via letters about this situation,” Shining said, beginning to pace in front of the table. “As of yet, their exchange has merely been factual. I am sure that Princess Celestia knows of my wife’s feelings from their previous conversations regarding the topic, but it has been some time since then. Princess Luna has yet to be included in these discussions, though I believe she will be in agreement with her sister.”
Strong Command raised a forehoof. “If I may, Captain.”
Shining nodded, urging him to proceed.
Strong Command cleared his throat. “To be honest, sir, I believe that Princess Luna may even be more difficult to persuade than her sister. After all, with all due respect, she is a thousand years behind everypony else.”
“That is true,” Shining replied, “but there is more to it than that. I have a hunch that something happened, long before anypony in this room was even a twinkle in their father’s eye, that led Princess Celestia to continue to enforce these laws—“
“But what?” Shooting Star threw his forehooves up. “What, pray tell, would lead her to think that some law enacted before she and Luna even came to Equestria was worth keeping after all this damn time?!”
Fire in his eyes, Shooting Star began breathing heavily, his mighty chest shaking with each powerful breath. Argon laid a forehoof on Shooting Star’s shoulder and whispered something into his ear. His black muzzle abruptly paled, his flared wings reluctantly folding back to his sides.
“C-Captain, I—“
“It’s alright. I know this is difficult for you, Lieutenant,” Shining said, raising a forehoof, “but the answer is that I don’t know. I don’t know what the reason is. All those years I served under Princess Celestia, I never saw her rejoice in enforcing these laws. I never heard a single thing slip from her lips that would lead me to believe that she is even a racist. That leads me to believe that there has to be an explanation.
“Our first option is getting that explanation from Princess Celestia, and convincing her that the time has come. My wife, her niece, and my sister, her beloved student, should be more than enough in that regard.”
Shooting Star sighed. “Yes, sir… I hope they succeed, sir.”
Shining nodded gravely. “Me too, Shooting Star.”
Me three, Flash thought, visions of marching hooves and sharpened spears flowing through his mind.
~
Once official business concluded, the Order of the Silver Guard spent the last hour of their meeting eating, drinking, being merry. Jokes and stories were shared, and Flash Sentry found himself laughing and smiling so much that it was painful.
Within the heart of the crystal city itself, Princess Cadence and Princess Twilight Sparkle emerged from the diner, takeout containers in Twilight’s saddlebags. Neither of them had touched their food.
With the play only an hour or so away, the two made their way back towards the castle. On their way, they waved to many passerby, all of whom seemed especially cheerful to see Cadence.
Realizing she had not only her research project, but an important decision to make, Twilight did her best to smile and wave back, letting her worries temporarily drift with the snow.
Certain that the play would help put her mind at ease, giving her a respite from the swirling conflict within her, Twilight hurried on, Cadence at her side.
The older alicorn had a bit more spring in her step than before.