The King Is Dead, Long Live The Emperor!

by Bucking Nonsense


PREPARE FOR UNFORESEEN CONSEQUENCES

"I admit, this takes me back."
Pan looked over at Pen Stroke, as the two of them sat side by side in the pews, the final preparations still being made for the wedding. While the new emperor had been offered a spot as the guest of honor, he had politely declined, stating that he was here more as an observer than anything else. He didn't want this to be about him, but rather about the first two ponies to be wed after the downfall of King Sombra. That was much more important to him. Following his example, Celestia and Luna had likewise declined.
The chapel was quite beautiful. While it may have been one normally intended for the weddings of commoners, Wheel Wright and Amber Waves (The groom and the bride, respectively), and their parents, had spared no expense in the preparations. Given that both bride and groom were the heirs of wealthy merchant families went a long ways towards explaining why this wedding could have outdone that of any other pairing, save perhaps a prince and a princess. The decorations, aided by large windows (normally shuttered, but on this day wide open to let in the sun and the warm spring air) on the second floor, made the entire affair... incredibly nostalgic for Pen Stroke.
Pen's son, Gold Coin, sat beside Shimmering Radiance, and the two were whispering to one another quietly. Given that the two would smother giggles every minute or two, it was clear that they were getting along well. On one hoof, Pen was glad for that, since it meant that his son had made a friend, when there were few, if any, ponies his age that he could talk to. On the other hoof, while the two were both of common birth, Shimmering Radiance was now of the peerage, and there would be talk if the two become too close... and remained so when they got older. But then again, the world was changing quickly now; so quickly, in fact, that Pen wondered if, by the time they came of age, a public relationship between a noble and a commoner might not be commonplace.
Pen Stroke reflected on the strangeness of it all: The chancellor understood that the emperor was from a time in the distant future (One thousand years... just the thought of it boggled the mind), so naturally, he would have a different view of the world, a different set of ideals, radically different from his subjects... and every day, it seemed that this new set of ideals was infecting his subjects. Just a moon ago, the chancellor would not have spared a thought, in regards to the suffering of orphans like 'Urchin' on the streets. Now, suddenly he could not believe that he had ever been so callous...
His expression curious, Pan asked, "Reminds you of your own wedding day?"
Nodding, Pen Stroke admitted, "Aye, milord. It was in a chapel, much like this one, that my wife and I were wed."
"You know," Pan began, "I have yet to meet your wife. Do you think that..."
"I fear that she has passed away," Pen Stroke said, unable to hide his sorrowful expression. "It was... two years after we were wed, a few days after the birth of my son. She worked as a hoofmaiden for the queen, and in all honesty, I'd like to think that she was the queen's favorite. Somepony poisoned a bottle of wine, from a famous vintage, that was intended as a gift for the royal family: Who had done so is anypony's guess, for an investigation turned up nothing, and this was well before anypony had heard the name Sombra. The old king, having already indulged deeply that day, had bestowed the bottle to my wife and I, in celebration of my son's birth. She had taken a sip, and I was about to do the same when..." The chancellor paused, having difficulty in saying more, then said, "What has happened, has happened, and it cannot be changed. I should not darken this day with such talk."
His expression dark, Pan asked, "You don't think that the same pony who tried to poison me...?" He left it hanging, but the chancellor could guess the rest of the question.
Pen Stroke almost dismissed the possibility out of hoof, seeming too unlikely, but hesitated. After a moment's thought, he said, "I could not say for certain, milord. The poisons used were radically different, and yet, similarities between the two acts are present, upon retrospect." Thinking back, Pen Stroke added, "There were only a few suspects in the case, and all of them were cleared of wrongdoing upon investigation. However, with the new laws you have made now in place, I cannot help but wonder what a few questions in the right circles might uncover..."
Pan, an expression angrier than any that the chancellor had ever seen on the new emperor, stated, "Look into it. Whether the two cases are related or not, you have my approval and my blessing." His expression turning sorrowful, he added, "I cannot say if having the one responsible brought to justice will give you peace, but I hope it will give you and your son some measure of closure..."
"I... thank you, milord," Pen Stroke said with feeling. While he had gotten over the passing of his wife, mostly, the thought of finally getting some real answers... it meant more than words could say.
A half-smile on his face, the emperor said, "We're friends now, Pen Stroke. You can call me Pan, I don't mind."
Pen was about to refuse, saying that such a thing was not proper... when suddenly, he was cut short by an ice arrow that struck him in the face.
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There are some who question the effectiveness of arrows and crossbow bolts made of magical ice. Some might ask, why not fire instead? Others, why not just mundane metal arrowheads? Still others, why not enchanted metal arrowheads? The answers to those questions are easily answered.
Arrows of fire are capable of significant collateral damage: A single missed shot, and you could end up with an uncontrollable blaze or an explosion. If a fire needs to be started, there are much more reliable, and much less hazardous, means of ignition than shooting an arrow. Besides, setting somepony on fire is considered incredibly, intolerably cruel, even in an era like the one Pan now inhabited.
The reason why regular metal arrowheads are not used is simple, as well: Forcefields are commonly used in combat, and even a low-grade force field will repel most mundane arrows and crossbow bolts. More importantly, it takes considerable resources to make arrows and crossbow bolts (Wood, forged steel, and feathers may be easily obtained on Earth, but in Equestria, it is significantly more challenging to get them in the quantity needed to outfit an army), not to mention how hard it can be to craft such an object when your species lacks opposable thumbs. While magic can certainly help in that, such effort is wasted if the projectile is unlikely to have an effect.
Meanwhile, enchanting steel-headed arrows and crossbow bolts to be more damaging than normal is simply not cost-effective: The number of pony-hours necessary to outfit an entire army with arrows possessing such a potent enchantment is prohibitively expensive, on top of the difficulty of crafting the arrows themselves. In other regions, where the residents have hands, or the equivalent of them, the cost is lowered, but in Equestria, there are far more effective means of doing things.
Crafting arrows out of enchanted ice is significantly less difficult: The spell that can convert a one gallon bucket of water into a half-dozen deadly projectiles is very simple to learn and to cast, and barring desert regions, water is free and easy to come by. More importantly, when an ice arrow hits a force field or enchanted armor, it forms a solid block of ice... and each successive arrow will expand that block significantly. A volley of ice arrows can encase a target in a heartbeat, and if the target is merely armored, he will be rendered immobile until hypothermia ends him. With a forcefield, the target will be blinded, and can only escape by dropping the field, and even then, only if the ice enclosing him is not so thick that it can crush him if the force field gives. Worse, the weight of the ice creates a continuous strain on the caster, eating away at the endurance of the unicorn who maintains the spell. These facts, and others, make ice arrows far superior to most other weapons that can be crafted during this time period.
...To say nothing of how effective the arrows are on bare flesh.
Twenty archers, none of them older than their fifteenth year, were convinced by Nopony that a revolution was needed, to free the Crystal Empire from the grip of foreign powers (Like King Sombra, but also the princesses who had done nothing while the Crystal Ponies had been ruled by a merciless tyrant). The crystal unicorn had told each of them that the first step was to remove the chancellor: He was a traitor to his fellow commoners, who spent his days toadying to the princesses and the new emperor for the sake of his own ambition. While a few might have questioned this internally, none had spoken their doubts aloud, placing their trust in Nopony, assuming he knew what he was talking about.
Fortunately, nearly all of them were pathetically bad with a bow and arrow. Of the nineteen who had no experience, ten of them ended up launching their bows instead of their arrows, five of them ended up getting hit in the face with their own bows by accident, and four ended up either launching their arrows a pathetically short distance, or landing far from their target and completely missing the gathered ponies (Sadly, the punch bowl was not so fortunate, nor was the wedding cake. On the other hoof, this last arrow would end up inspiring the invention of ice cream cake centuries before it would have been created in the 'Prime' timeline).
...However, one of the ponies that Nopony had scouted was skilled with the use of bows and arrows, having in fact earned his cutie mark for it. Worse, as a true believer in what Nopony was preaching (due to having suffered greatly under Sombra's reign), there was no hesitation in his draw. He hit exactly what he aimed for... which was Pen Stroke's head.
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Things would have turned very ugly, had the princesses not been there.
In spite of the problems that they might have had in the prime timeline, or may yet have in the alternate timeline, the two alicorns were exceptionally skilled when it came to coordinating their efforts. The sisters had, quite some time ago, established who should do what in a sudden emergency. Luna's immediate reaction to the sudden downpour of arrows was to place a force field over every pony present at the wedding. The archers, all on the second floor, standing in the open windows, would not be able to hit anypony else while Luna was protecting them.
Celestia, on the other hoof, commanded all of the ponies present to take cover under the pews (In case something happened to Luna's forcefield), then immediately saw to Pen Stroke. Time is critical when dealing with an injury caused by an ice arrow... especially when one strikes the head.
Having one's head encased in ice is not immediately fatal, but it can become so very quickly: With the mouth and nostrils covered in ice, it is impossible to breath, and unless one takes a deep breath before the arrow strikes, the injured pony can suffocate much sooner than normal. Given that Pen Stroke was desperately grasping at the ice covering his head, the chancellor was discovering that for himself...
Celestia immediately grabbed the crystal pony, held him with his face towards the ground, the used a spell to melt a hole in the vicinity of the mouth. Immediately after the water cleared out of the new airway with a splash, the princess was gratified to hear a gasp for air from the chancellor. Now that the most immediate peril was past, she began removing the block of ice that still encapsulated the pony's head...
Luna, on the other hoof, had steeled herself for a second volley, and was not disappointed: The attackers had almost immediately launched another attack, and while many of them missed where a pony would be standing, their aim was improving, and the force field was a very big target. More worryingly, a couple of the archers, a little more knowledgeable than the rest, had decided to simply throw their quivers at the force field, the end result being several hundred pounds of ice putting a constant strain on the barrier that Luna was working to maintain.
And the fact that Pan was screaming aloud while clutching his head did nothing to help her focus.
While he did not seem to be injured in any physical means, the expression upon his face made it very clear that he was in terrible agony. The scream, more like the despairing wail that one might make if they fell off of a cliff, and had no means of arresting their fall, was heartbreaking. Whether it was simply the compassion in her heart, or the love poison's influence, it was all she could do to keep from dropping the force field so that she could try to comfort him. However, her self-discipline was sufficient to stave off that impulse. After all, if she were to drop the field, both Pan and everypony present would be in terrible danger. As it was, she had only a couple of minutes left before the stress upon the shield became more than she could bear. Thankfully, she could rely upon her sister to pick up the slack shortly...
Celestia managed to remove the block of ice from Pen Stroke's head in what would probably be considered record time, if anypony had ever bothered to keep records of such things. While only time would tell what manner of permanent damage that the arrow may have done, his life was no longer in immediate danger. Turning her attention to the attack still in progress, Celestia took her role. When under attack, the two sisters had agreed long ago that, when the two are together, Luna would be the shield, and Celestia...
...Celestia would be the sword.
The princess of the sun released a wave of incredibly intense heat, straight upwards, causing the ice to instantly sublimate into steam. With the ice melted, Luna breathed a sigh of relief, and opened a hole in the field long enough to allow Celestia to exit and face the attackers... only for her to find that the archers were already fleeing. Having seen the expression on Celestia's face, and felt the furnace-like heat of her initial spell, the archers knew that they wanted nothing to do with her. Celestia tried to capture one, but there simply was not enough time: The attackers had thrown down their bows and arrows, and fled, the princess' capture spell passing harmlessly over the head of one of the fleeing ponies as he or she vanished out of sight. While the attackers were cloaked, the better to hide their identities, it would be the work of a moment to discard those garments once outside, and once that was done... it would be impossible to tell them from ordinary ponies.
Now that the attack was over, Luna lowered the force field, allowing Celestia to return to the ground. Once reunited, the princesses took stock of the damages. While nopony other than the chancellor was injured physically, the entire affair was clearly wrecked, and would need time to salvage: No wedding today, it seemed.
Pen Stroke had lost consciousness, and was shivering violently: The ice arrow was clearly having terrible aftereffects. Pan, on the other hoof, had finally stopped screaming, but now he simply lay upon the ground, his face slack and expressionless, his eyes empty and the bright glow that normally radiated from his body dim. Were it not for the fact that he were breathing, both Celestia and Luna would fear him dead...
Members of the royal guard burst in, their expressions stern. The emperor's decision to have them wait outside, not wanting their presence to spoil the occasion, and sincerely believing that nopony would dare openly attack the emperor in such a place, had prevented his guards from being present to respond immediately to such an assault. Still, even if they had been here, the attack had been too swift, and too devastating, for the guards to have done anything.
Picking up Pen Stroke gently, Celestia stated to the captain in charge of the guard squadron, "Take him immediately to the palace, and summon the royal physicians. He took an ice arrow to the head, and while he still lives, hypothermia, influenza, or even pneumonia may still be a threat. Have the royal baths prepared with heated water, and put him in up to his neck: He needs to be warmed, and warmed swiftly, or he may yet expire. I will check on him after the emperor is seen to."
The captain nodded, then, his expression gravely concerned, asked, "And the emperor?"
Celestia turned towards her sister, and saw Luna, shaking Pan gently and trying to get him to respond. After a moment, she said, "He's physically unharmed, but something has clearly happened to him." Her expression of concern mirroring the captain's own, she stated, "I cannot tell if he was subject to some manner of a magical attack, but he is clearly in some sort of stupor. We'll need to examine him, once we reach the palace, and find a way to snap him out of it."
Celestia, her expression worried, nodded in agreement.
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Shimmering Radiance felt so useless right now.
The Crystal Palace was a flurry of activity for the remainder of the day. Guards were coming by every few minutes, with updates on the status of the hunt for the attackers. Sadly, the news was not good: No luck, thus far, on discerning their identities, nor in tracking down where they had fled to. The search would continue, all day and all night if necessary, but there were no real leads to follow...
The news concerning Pen Stroke was better, but still not great: Thanks to Celestia's intervention, the chancellor had survived the initial results of the arrow, and he was no longer suffering from hypothermia. However, he now had a severe illness, either influenza or pneumonia, either one of which might turn yet be fatal. Only time would tell if he pulled through. In addition, one of Pen Stroke's eyes had been severely damaged by the cold, and it was likely to never recover. There was a strong possibility that he would be wearing an eye-patch for the rest of his life.
And for Pan, things did not look good, either: Whatever sort of stupor now affected him, the new emperor was dead to the world. The princesses remained optimistic in their outlook, but both of them were worried. It did not seem to be the result of a magical attack, but some manner of mental trauma. 'Shimmy' heard the princesses discussing the issue when they thought nopony was listening. From what she could make out, the emperor's younger brother had been murdered, right before his eyes. While Luna could not confirm it, something the emperor had said (And how he had said it) in a previous conversation hinted strongly that the murderer might have been a windigo. The two alicorns believed that the sight of Pen Stroke having been struck by the ice arrow, right before the emperor's eyes, had acted as a trigger for this sudden change in his state, due to it reminding him of that terrible day. It was difficult to say how long he might remain in this state...
...And, barring some manner of direct intervention through magic, there was a possibility that the emperor might never come to his senses.
The sun was setting, and Shimmering Radiance felt totally out of her depth as she sat upon her bed and looked out her window at the Crystal Empire. If she were still Urchin, an orphan on the streets, forced to use her wits to survive, she would have had some idea as to how to act. There were ponies she might have asked for assistance, for some sort of guidance, in exchange for a bit or a favor to be repaid later on. While she might have been alone on the streets, and didn't have any real friends, she did know a few ponies, ponies who were very good at getting answers. But now...
...Wait. What really had changed? Just because they had given her a name and a fancy title, didn't mean that she was no longer 'Urchin'. The knowledge gained from living on the streets had not suddenly vanished into thin air. It just meant that she was Urchin, plus a large number of resources she never had before. She knew ponies, and those ponies knew other ponies. It was just that, up until now, she'd have been lucky to have a bit or two to buy assistance or advice from them. She'd been told that owning the Upper Golden Groves meant she had access to wealth that most ponies, even other nobles, would have difficulty in imagining. That kind of wealth can buy a lot of answers.
Jumping down from the bed and quickly running to Pen Stroke's room, she found Gold Coin, exactly where he could be expected: Sitting beside his father, his expression one of terrible concern.
After she had gotten the colt's attention, Shimmering Radiance asked, "Want to help me find out who hurt your father?"
His expression one of disbelief, Gold Coin asked, "How could you possibly do that, when the entire city guard cannot?"
A half-smile on her face, 'Urchin' stated, "Simple: We go and see the Lame Horse. If he can't tell us who did this, he can find out who can."
The colt, now clearly confused, asked, "Who's the Lame Horse?"
Rolling her eyes, 'Urchin' said, "Right, I forgot, you've spent your entire life in the palace, so you wouldn't know." Her tone gentle, she continued, "The Emprah, the kins and kweens, and the princessesseses, they rule over the topside of the city: The nobs, the folks who have money, and the like. The folk that laws actually help. The Lame Horse is the one who rules over everypony that the folks with the gold and silver hats can't help, or don't bother helping. The folks who cling to the underbelly of the city, desperately trying not to fall off. Beggars, mares of the night, even urchins like me, everypony who isn't anypony bows their head to him... and in exchange, they're protected. If the Lame Horse wasn't around, the 'underworld' of the Crystal Empire would be a whole lot more 'under', if you get my meaning."
Still somewhat confused, he said, "I... I don't think I understand. But, you're saying that he could help us?"
"For the right price, yeah," Urchin said, nodding. "But I don't know how to get at the money I'm supposed to have so I could pay him. Can you help me get it?"
Nodding, the colt said, "Yes, definitely. It'll take some time to get it, though: The banks have already closed for the night, and it would take days to make any sort of a serious withdrawal, even if they weren't." After a moment, he turned thoughtful and added, "However..."
An eyebrow raised, the filly asked, "However?"
Gold Coin walked over to a nearby dresser, and pulled a drawer completely out. Setting it to one side, the colt reached in, and after a moment, there was a click, and a squeak, like a small door opening. After a moment, he pulled out a bag, and after opening it, spilled a collection of beautiful gemstones and coins on the ground.
"My father told me where to find this yesterday, so I would have it if anything ever happened to him. There's supposed to be a quarter-million bits here. Will that be enough?"
Nodding, the filly answered, "Definitely." After Gold Coin had put everything back in the bag, she said, "I'll pay you back as soon as I can."
His expression determined, Gold Coin said, "I'm going with you."
Shaking her head, Urchin declared, "No way. You wouldn't last an hour out on the streets, Gold."
Undeterred, the colt stated, "My father made it clear that my duty was to make certain that no harm came to you, and that I see to anything you might need. I would not be able to face him if you came to harm out there."
The filly was about to argue, but then thought better of it: It might be best if she was not alone tonight. This kind of money could make a single pony a pretty big target. Besides, right now, all Gold Coin could do at the palace was watch and see if his father lived or died. Better he have something else on his mind, even if it might be dangerous out there. "Alright, but you do what I tell you, alright? We won't be in the palace anymore, but there are rules to follow. If I say to keep quiet, you keep quiet. If I say hide, you hide. And if I say run, don't look back. Got it?"
Nodding, Gold Coin said, "Understood. Let me leave my father a note, and I'll be ready."
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Some might wonder at how a single pony would be able to handle thirty assassinations, in a single night, with each one being in a different location, each one miles apart. The fact that the contract requires that the target must be violently murdered would make things considerably more difficult, and for nearly any pony, it would be an impossible task. So, how could the Widowmaker hope to complete such a contract in one night? That answer to that question is simple.
Magic.
The Widowmaker was a master of three schools of the mystic arts: Teleportation, Scrying, and Illusion. Through the art of scrying, it was foal's play to determine the exact location of the target at any given time. Illusion would keep the assassin invisible, or even disguised as somepony the target knew, until it was time to strike, if such a thing was needed. And through the use of teleportation, it was very easy to blink in, end the target, and blink right out.
And there were so many ways to end a life through the use of a teleportation spell: Blink the head or heart a distant of three hoofsteps from the body, and you have a murder. Move the target to a place one hundred hoofsteps distance or more above the ground, or a shorter distance but over something that would certainly be fatal if a pony landed on it, and you have a suicide. There were other, equally devious means of using teleportation magic (Many a noble had spontaneously dropped dead after drinking poisoned wine that, surprisingly, had been poisoned in the moments between placing a hoof to the cup and raising it to their lips), but the result was the same: One corpse, with no need to get your hooves dirty.
Still, thirty murders takes a lot of energy, so the Widowmaker had a long night ahead of her. As the sun finally set over the horizon, she readied herself. It had always puzzled her how, while everypony was willing to accept the fact that two mares had the power to move the heavens at will, nopony ever seriously considered the possibility of a mare being the top assassin on the planet. And such a young mare at that. Still in her twenties, and she had enough blood on her hooves to drown a city...
...But the vast majority of that was noble blood.
A long time ago, she'd been an ordinary mare, a commoner with a new husband and stars in her eyes, but after a long, miserable chain of events, she'd wound up soaked in the blood of the noble who had murdered her husband, abducted her off of the streets, and tried to make her his. The previous Widowmaker, having been hired to kill the noble that very night, had looked at the seventeen year old mare with something akin to admiration, and had said, simply, "You'll do." That had been enough to start her on the path of the assassin... and it was one she enjoyed greatly. While it regrettably meant that on some nights, like this one, she had to kill a commoner or two, the vast majority of her time was spent killing nobles like the pig who had taken everything from her. If it had ever been about money, she could have retired by the end of her first year. She, and the previous holders of the title, had enough wealth by now that she could have bought any three cities that you could name. The Widowmaker did not kill for money, but instead because each one who bore the title needed an excuse to purge the world of as many nobles as possible...
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"I simply cannot fathom it, sister," Luna said, her expression one of pure consternation.
Mirroring her sister, Celestia stated, "I am having difficulty in understanding this myself, sister. It is beyond anything I have ever seen before..."
Emperor Pandinus Imperator The First, Ruler of the Crystal Empire And All Who Doth Dwell Within... was a vegetable, or close to it. He sat upon the bed, staring at nothing. He breathed, and if you put a cup to his lips, he would drink, but asides from that, he might as well be a corpse. There was clearly no sign of physical harm, and while a curse was present upon his body, it was unrelated to his current condition. Whatever was wrong with him was psychological, not physical or magical... and any possible cure would be locked within the head of a changeling that neither princess knew anything about.
"I am at a loss. This is beyond me," Celestia stated, admitting defeat.
Suddenly, there was a flash behind them. Both princesses turned around, and saw, standing before them, a pony in a hooded cloak.
Both princesses were startled by the sudden intrusion. Being the first to gather her wits, Luna asked, "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
Pulling back her hood, the intruder revealed herself to be an earth pony, a mare still in her teens with a pink coat, a purple mane, and clear blue eyes. Her expression serious, she stated, "My name is Morning Glory, bearer of the Element of Magic." She gestured to a purple gemstone which rested on a chain around her neck, then continued. "I was sent here from one thousand years in the future, for the purpose of giving you some vital information. We need to talk."