"Wow. Just... wow."
The Crystal Empire was an incredible sight. Everything was so... sparkly, and twinkly. The houses seemed as if they might have been made of gigantic gemstones, the street looked almost like polished crystal, and the ponies... the ponies looked like crystal statues come to life. If that had been all there was to the city, it would have been an amazing sight to behold. But for Aphid, there was one other major aspect to the city that took her breath away.
Love was in the air, everywhere she looked around...
Aphid, with her unique ability to see and absorb ambient love energy, had a unique perspective of the Crystal Empire. Love energy flowed through the city, coloring everything Aphid saw in dazzling pinks and reds, blues and golds. She could see the light, fluffy pinks of fleeting crushes and brief infatuations; the deep, passionate reds of romantic affection; the sad, dark blues of unrequited love; the brilliant golds of true, unending love... and a thousand other shades that she'd never seen, or even imagined, before. And the feeling of it...
It was like... like...
Chuckling, Howe asked, "It's almost like coming home, isn't it?"
Was it? Aphid had never had a 'home' that she'd have wanted to come back to, or one that she'd feel this good upon returning to it...
Azure Blue, grasping her hoof, began pulling and gesturing towards the exit to the Crystal Empire's train station. "We need to get going," Azure said, enthusiastically, "There's so much more to see! You've gotta see the manor! I swear, you'll flip when you see the manor!"
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Aphid almost did flip when she saw that manor: It was... well, in terms of sheer size, she estimated it to be larger than Canterlot Castle. Not quite as tall, or as... ornate. This wasn't a palace constructed out of reverence for beloved leaders, this was... this was...
This was somepony's way of proclaiming how big his coin purse was to the world at large.
No wonder they were needing the extra help in getting this place cleaned: It would take a week just to see every room, never mind cleaning everything. From what she could see, just from the front, this building should have been used to station an army, not a wealthy family...
Howe asked, deadpan, "A magnificent display of excess, isn't it?" With a small chuckle, he continued, "The current patriarch's great grandfather decided to celebrate his sudden rise in status and power by building the largest, most ostentatious estate in the city." With a half-smile, he added, "I'd make a comment about compensating for something, but the fact that said pony sired thirty-seven legitimate heirs, and untold legions of illegitimate offspring, implies that he was every bit as 'grand' as his lodgings."
With a little laugh, Azure said, "Great great grandpa Duke Blue Streak was the biggest stallion in Equestria back in his day. They say that anypony who saw him could not help but be awed. They even say that Princess Celestia's jaw dropped when they first met."
At Aphid's shocked expression, Howe said, with a perfectly straight face, "He was, in truth, incredibly tall and muscular, to the point where even Celestia seemed like a filly before him." Gesturing towards a gigantic statue, easily three stories tall, the butler added, "Actual size, and built perfectly to scale, I'm told, although, in good taste, they left off the 'anatomical correctness'."
Azure Blue, a lop-sided smile on his face, said, "Not so much left it off, as there wasn't a goldsmith in the city willing to make a solid gold duplicate of his 'Wonder Cannon' that shot shurikens and lightning."
After a moment's shocked silence, Aphid started laughing. Howe and Azure joined in, and for a few minutes, all three of them had a good laugh about it. When they finally stopped, Howe said, "Miss Aphid, the Blue family is filled with eccentric individuals, and has been for generations. The staff is no different. I hope that you'll come to enjoy everyone's uniqueness as much as I have."
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The first individual to greet them upon their arrival was an earth pony colt, trailed by half a dozen young fillies. Similar to Azure Blue, this pony's color scheme was blue on blue, save that his mane was darker, and his coat lighter, while Azure's coat was dark, and his mane lighter. Perhaps more telling, this young fellow was a true earth pony, not a crystal earth pony. Given what she'd been told by Azure and Howe, this was likely Cobalt Blue, Azure's foster brother.
Saluting, Cobalt proclaimed, "Hero-In-Training Cobalt Blue, reporting in, Mister Howe! Are you ready to hear about the condition of the estate?"
Howe, with a half-smile, nodded, then said, "Certainly. I see the manse is still standing, so I imagine that things did not spiral too far out of control in my absence."
With a shrug, Cobalt said, "Well, Rhonny and Glace had a bit of an argument. Rhonny said some harsh words, and the begonias caught fire. New mommy never liked those flowers much anyways, so after the two of them apologized, she got out sticks, graham crackers, and marshmallows, and we all had a campfire roast with smores."
With a snort, Howe admitted, "I expected something like that. Did you learn any new words?"
Nodding, Cobalt said, "Oh yes, I never even knew that 'Nerferder' was a curse word until now." The young colt tapped his chin, then said, "Mommy told Lapis to scrub all the floors in the northern wing, but didn't tell her when to stop, so she kept doing it over and over again... for two days straight. The good news is, the floors in the north wing are really, really clean. The bad news is, if you go in there at the wrong time of day, the glare of the sun off the floors might blind you. Oh, and watch how you walk on them, cause they're really, really slippery."
Chuckling, Howe said, "Well, I imagine that you and your friends had fun skating on the floor?"
His eyes widening, Cobalt exclaimed, "I KNEW WE FORGOT TO DO SOMETHING!!!" The colt's hooves were sudden dance of indecision, as if torn between going to do just that, or staying to continue speaking with them. The fillies, amused by his behavior, chuckled at the show...
Howe, cleared his throat, then asked, "And Jacquelynn?"
Suddenly going still, the colt said, "She has been... worryingly quiet since you left. I tried talking to her yesterday, but her only response was to tell me to go fly a kite. But then she gave me a kite, and it was a bright, sunny day with lots of wind, so I did what she told me." Scratching the back of his head, embarrassed, he admitted, "I got a little distracted. Sorry."
Smiling, the butler said, "Quite alright. You did quite well, given that we were gone for three whole days." Laying a hoof atop the colt's head, Howe ruffled Cobalt's mane and said, "Keep up the good work." With a gesture toward Aphid, he added, "Ah, and have been remiss in my duties. Allow me to introduce Miss Aphid, the young lady we'd been searching for."
Looking over at Aphid for the first time, the young colt gulped, and then, looking a little sad, said, "I'm sorry..."
Confused, Aphid asked, "Whatever for?"
"A little over three moons ago," Cobalt said, unhappily, "Howe, Sombra, and I were on a train to the Crystal Empire. We looked out the window and saw you in a cage... and Howe was ready to jump out the window to go rescue you. I convinced him not to, because Sombra and I needed his help, and we were sure that we could find you quickly once we were done with our business there..." Sniffing, he said, "I was wrong. I'm really, really, really sorry." He honestly and truly was, as tears were welling up in his eyes...
Cupping his face with a hoof, Aphid asked, "Was what you needed to do in the Crystal Empire important?" Cobalt nodded. "Really, really important?" Cobalt nodded vigorously. "Save the entire city important?" Cobalt, and the fillies that had come in with him, nodded, as did Howe and Azure.
Smiling, Aphid said, "Well, my math isn't very good, but I think that an entire city full of ponies is a lot more important than one changeling, so I'll forgive you for having your priorities straight."
Smiling through his tears, Cobalt gave Aphid an enthusiastic hug, and said, "Thank you."
Returning the hug, Aphid said, "No, thank you for not forgetting to go back for me, even if it took a while to find me." Letting go of the little colt, she said, "Now, those floors aren't going to skate themselves, so you'd better get moving."
Saluting, Cobalt, beckoned to his foster brother, and said, "Come on, Azure! Last one there's a rotten egg!"
Azure hesitated, but Howe said, "Well, we certainly don't want you to be an egg, rotten or otherwise, so you should get moving. I'll introduce our young lady to your parents, and her new coworkers. Go have fun, young sir. You've earned it."
Saluting, Azure took off after his younger brother, the gaggle of young fillies in hot pursuit...