Chapter 14
(Now edited by Neko Majn C)
“Why not her?” Diamond whispered, gesturing to a petite Pegasus across the ballroom. “She’s a little thin for my taste, but I’m sure she’d be a right fit for you.”
“First of all,” Silver whispered back. “She’s the Duchess of Prance, second, her spouse is right beside her, and third, thin or not, you’re old enough to be her grandfather.”
“Oh, nonsense,” Diamond retorted with a cocky smile. “Give me two minutes and I’ll have her eating out of my hooves. Diamonds are a mare’s best friend, after all.”
“Please...please stop,” Silver said, struggling to maintain his composure, as he hid a smile under his hoof.
It had been five weeks since Diamond had been pried out from his lab and back into the sunlight. During which, there was an almost instantaneous change in the stallion. He had indeed held true to his word and was far more involved with the young king’s life. Attending diplomatic meetings, joining him for every meal, he was even seen going on walks about the kingdom every now and then.
Now at the Grand Galloping Gala, the two stallions tried desperately to make the best out of an otherwise boring night.
“Good evening, King Silver,” a feminine voice called.
Turning around, the two stallions were faced with none other than the younger of the two sisters: Princess Luna.
“Ah, your majesty,” Silver said as he bowed his head.
“A good evening indeed,” Diamond said. “I must say, you’ve outdone yourself this time. Not once can I say I’ve seen the stars in the sky, as to rival the sun itself in their utter beauty.”
Silver turned to the stallion, his eyes the size of plates and his mouth hung slightly agape.
“Why th-thank you,” Luna said, as a small blush crawled over her muzzle. “We‘re glad we could impress. We do try to make the night sky particularly lovely for the Gala. Our apologies, but have we met? You seem oddly familiar.”
“No, not formally at least. I’m Diamond Chisel, assistant to Lord Silver Shroud, at your service.”
“Ah, well, it’s a pleasure to make, or perhaps, remake your acquaintance.” Her attention turned back to Silver, whose eyes were still fixated on Diamond. “And what of you, Silver, are you enjoying yourself?”
Silver’s eyes immediately snapped to the princess.
“Uh, yes, yes I am… Thank you for asking, Princess.”
“Well then,” Luna said looking off to the side. “If that’s all, we think we’d best be off.”
“Actually, your majesty,” Diamond said. “My lord wanted to ask you for a dance, if that would be alright.”
Silver’s jaw practically dropped to the ground as his face turned bright red.
“Well,” Luna said, looking off to the side. “We really should get back to helping our sister greet the guests—”
“Oh nonsense,” Diamond said waving a dismissive hoof. “I’m sure she’ll be fine for just one dance.”
“I suppose…very well then. Shall we make our way to the dance floor then, Silver?”
“Just wait one moment!” Silver said as he snapped back into reality. “I…” Silver paused, instantly entranced by Luna’s memorizing gaze.
“Do you…not wish to dance?” Luna asked, bearing a hint of pain.
“N-no, it’s not that, it’s just I’m not exactly well educated in the practice is all.”
“‘Tis no problem,” Luna said, a smile now adorning her muzzle. “Come, we shall teach you along the way.”
“Very well then.” Silver nodded as the two made their way to the center of the room.
“Have fun, you two,” Diamond said while waving the two off, causing Silver to turn his head and give a mock glare to the elderly stallion.
It was about five dances later and the two were still on the ball room floor. Diamond sat against the window, a smile on his face as he watched the two converse.
“I was beginning to wonder where she got off too.”
Diamond sighed at the voice, dropping his smile instantly.
“Figured it’d only be a matter of time ‘til I ran into the likes of you,” Diamond said, turning to Celestia.
The princess smiled. “I can’t say the same for you. Word was that you all but disappeared,” Celestia said as she took a seat next to the stallion.
“Your so called ‘spies’ tell you that? Little advice, next time you hire somepony to keep an eye on somepony, make sure the idiot remembers to not wear a Celestial Guard symbol for everypony with a working set of eyes to see.”
“Noted,” Celestia said.
An uneasy hush brushed over the two. Both reluctant to break it as they watched the young king and princess of the moon.
“They make quite the cute couple,” Celestia said, breaking the silence.
“My thoughts exactly,” Diamond responded. “It’s such a shame that she has to be associated with somepony like you.”
“I suggest you watch how you speak to me. Need I remind you you’re not in the safety of your crystal tomb? Which begs the question, why are you here in the first place?”
“I don’t believe it’s any of your business as to what I choose to do with my limited time.”
“Quite the contrary. Everything you do is my business.”
Diamond’s eyes narrowed. “If there’s something you want to say, just say it.”
“Very well,” Celestia said as she stood up. “But I’d rather discuss our business in a more…private setting.”
“Oh?” Diamond smirked. “Don’t want to risk your precious subjects seeing how you really are?”
“No,” she said turning her head to the stallion. “I was just thinking how much of a shame it would be to interrupt the happy couple.”
Diamond’s eyes widened, looking back up to Silver and Luna, his gaze softened, giving a sigh. Turning back to Celestia, Diamond gritted his teeth and glowered at her. “Very well.”
“Good,” she said turning her gaze back to her set path. “Now, if you’d be so kind as to follow me, we can get on with our night.”
Seven hours until the deadline.
The sun had started its slow descent downward, yet the forest was busting with life as the makeshift army prepared itself for battle.
Gnomes covered the area, with some stripping trees of any sturdy branches and turning them into arrows, others were attaching harnesses and mounts to several deer.
The Manotaurs trained vigorously, preparing themselves for the battle with an extreme workout regimen. Bench pressing massive boulders, and others squatting entire trees.
In the center of all this stood six figures gathered around an enormous stump.
“Alright,” Twilight said. “So, after I make the signal, the Manotaurs will strike from the north and the west—”
“Being led by me and the Multi-Bear,” Chutzpar interrupted.
“Right, and while that’s going on—”
“While sticking to the trees, myself and the trickster will lead two teams of gnomes from the east and south.” Jeff added.
“Riiight… so while Sombra is dealing with the main attack—”
“You swoop in and dive bomb him like some kind of insane falcon!” Mabel said.
“Ok, am I even needed here?!” Twilight huffed. “It seems that everyone knows what they’re doing.”
“Well in all honesty, your majesty,” the Trickster said leaning down. “We’ve been in agreement with the plan for quite some time; it’s been you who has been keeping us here.”
“Oh…” Twilight gave an awkward smile as her face began to redden. “Trickster, Jeff, Chutzpar, you’re dismissed. But be ready in—”
“Five hours,” the three creatures said before dispersing into the training ground.
Twilight sighed as she turned back to the stump, muttering inaudible gibberish.
“Uh, Twilight?” Dipper said placing a hand on her shoulder.
“Huh?”
“So, Mabel and I were wondering where we come into the plan?”
“You two aren’t coming.”
“What?! Come on, Twilight, not this again.”
“Dipper, I’m not arguing this with you,” Twilight stated as she turned to face the twins.
“They have our friends, Twilight. This is just as much our fight as it is yours.”
“Yeah!” Mable added. “How can you possibly expect us not to help?!”
“I know,” Twilight sighed. “Guys, look, this isn’t up for debate. This isn’t going to be a repeat of earlier—”
“‘Cause we’re going to help.”
“NO!” Twilight yelled. “Since we know what we’re getting into, I can be sure to keep you two out of harm’s way.”
“Twilight, you don’t have to do this alone. We can—”
“I said no!” Twilight shouted, causing the twins to jump. “Now, if you two wouldn’t mind, I need to go over a few more scenarios in my head.”
“Fine,” Dipper said, glaring at the princess before turning away. “Come on, Mabel.”
“What?” Mabel asked, looking back and forth between the two. “But Dipper—”
“I said let’s go!” Dipper turned back around. “Twilight obviously knows what she’s doing and it seems we’d just be in the way. So let’s just get out of here before we cause more of a nuisance.”
Mabel was about to give Dipper a piece of her mind once more, but right as she opened her mouth, she was stopped by Dipper giving a wink of his eye. A smile crawled across Mabel’s face, and after clearing her throat; Mable replaced the smile with a heavy frown and went to her brother’s side.
“You’re right, Dipper, she obviously does not need our help. So we shall take our leave and not help in any way because we shall be gone…and not helping!”
Dipper rolled his eyes.
“Well, good luck, Twilight,” Dipper said looking over his shoulder. “I don’t think you’ll need it, but, well, you can never be too sure.”
With that said, the two made their way into the training grounds, leaving the alicorn princess to her planning.
Twilight swallowed hard before taking a fleeting glance at the twins from the corner of her eye.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered before returning to her thoughts.
The door to Celestia’s room swung open, wrapped in a heavenly glow. Through them walked the princess of the sun herself, followed shortly by Diamond Chisel.
“Please,” Celestia said, “make yourself comfortable.” The door slammed shut with a slam, causing the stallion to jump. “We have much to discuss.”
Diamond gave a soft ‘hmph’ as he glanced at the door then back to Celestia.
“I see your chamber hasn’t changed since last I saw it,” Silver said, taking a seat on the marble floor.
“You’ll find that with quite a few things,” she said while lying down on her enormous pillow bed.
“Believe it or not, Celestia, I’d rather get on with my night. So if we could dispense with the small talk, that would be fantastic.”
Celestia smirked. “You haven’t changed a bit, have you, Skivier Topmon?”
Diamond glared back at her, raising his upper lip into a sneer.
“Very well,” Celestia said. “You have something that rightfully belongs to me and I want it.”
“Belongs to you?” He scoffed. “It belongs to you as much as the sun you claim to have complete control of.”
“Oh come now, Skivier,” Celestia said putting on a fake pout. “There must be something I can do to convince you. Name your price, wealth, power, I can give you back your youth if you so wish it, even cure you of your ailments.” She stood and made her way over to where the stallion was sitting. Leaning her neck over, she gently craned her neck around the back of his. “Just wish it and it shall be yours. Besides, you couldn’t begin to understand the capabilities of such a powerful artifact. So why not just return it to somepony who knows how to use it?”
“Somepony like who? You?” Diamond sneered as he pulled away from her. “Oh, dear Tia.” He shook his head back and forth. “There’s not a thing in this world or the next that could convince me to cooperate with the likes of you. I’d think you’d know me better than that.” Diamond stood up and turned to the door. “If this is all you wanted to say, I think we’re done here.”
“No, I don’t think we are.”
A halo of yellow aura wrapped around Diamond’s neck, choking the stallion as it lifted him into the air.
Celestia rose from her spot and walked to where the struggling stallion hung. A blast of golden light struck the door and rippled throughout the entirety of the room.
“There, that should ensure our conversation stays private.” Her eyes narrowed to a glare as she stared at him. “This game has been going on long enough and we both know it’s only a matter of time until I receive my prize. So why not just tell me where it is. It’ll make this far easier for me and far less painful for you.”
Diamond gave a winded chuckle and smirked at the Princess.
“You think you can scare me? Bah, I can see past this petty display of power. Something has gotten you scared.”
Celestia’s eye twitched.
“I’m right, aren’t I? What’s the matter, afraid of the changing times, growing population, or perhaps you’re finally realizing how big of a disappointment to your mother you are.”
“Don’t you dare speak of her, you insolent swine!” Celestia boomed in her royal Canterlot voice, throwing Diamond across the room and into a table, destroying it upon impact.
Diamond groaned, momentarily stunned by the impact, he quickly attempted to regain composure and stand to his feet. Only to be abruptly stopped by a hoof slamming down on his side, pinning him to the ground and breaking a few ribs in the process.
Celestia stared down at the stallion, golden aura streaming from the corners of rage filled eyes.
“You know nothing of my mother, you, or your accursed order. And now, like them, you shall perish at my hooves. But first you will tell me what I want to know!”
The stallion chuckled.
“Go ahead, make my day,” Diamond struggled to say as he fought under the increasing pressure. “I’m not long for this world anyway; you’d just be doing me a favor. Because when I die, so die the last possible hope you’d ever have of seeing that crown ever again.”
“Oh… I wouldn’t say that.” Celestias lips rolled into a smile. Turning her head, she blasted a ray of golden aura onto the mirror behind her. In it appeared Silver Shroud and Princess Luna conversing on the balcony under the moonlight.
“They look like they’re getting rather close.”
“You monster, he has nothing to do with this, so stay the bloody heck away from him!”
The image dissipated and her focus turned back to Diamond. “I thought I made myself clear,” she said while applying a sudden burst of pressure on Diamond, sending a shockwave of pain through the stallion’s body. “That I would do anything to get my just reward.”
Diamond gritted his teeth as pain radiated through every bone in his body.
“Either you tell me and you die, or you die and I invade the Crystal Empire until I find what is mine.” Craning her neck down, Celestia hissed into Diamond’s ear, “The choice is—”
“Sister.” A voice from the outside called out. “Sister, are you there?”
The rage in Celestia dimmed as she turned her head to the door. From her horn came a second blast of magic that this time hit a stationary area of the door.
“Yes, Luna, I’m in here, but I’m a little busy at the moment. Can it wait?”
“Well, actually, dear sister, Silver is about ready to take his leave and I was wondering if you might help us look for his friend Diamond.”
“Please, your majesty, there’s really no need,” a second voice spoke. “I’m sure he’s around somewhere. No need to bother your sister for it.”
“Oh don’t be silly. I’m sure she’d be happy to help, and I thought I asked thee to call us Luna.”
“No need strain yourselves, you two,” Diamond struggled to say. “I’m in here.”
Celestia's gaze shot to the crystal pony, a heavy glare plastered on her face.
“Diamond? What in the world are you doing in there?” Silver asked from the other side of the door.
“Me and the Princess were just catching up on old times. Isn’t that right, your majesty?”
“Yes…yes we were,” she said as her left ear franticly twitched.
“I do apologize for interrupting,” Silver said.” But your sister—er—Luna was right. We do have some business to attend to, and it’s best we take our leave now to have any chance of getting there early.”
“Very well then. He’ll meet you at the front entrance, we’ll be done shortly,” Celestia said returning her gaze to Diamond.
“Thank you, your Majesty,” Silver said. “I do hope you enjoy the rest of the evening.”
“See,” the hushed voice of Luna uttered. “We told you she’d help.”
Celestia rolled her eyes and stared at the stallion, his muzzle now bearing the tiniest of smirks.
“I don’t know what you’re so happy about,” she barked. “All you’ve done is buy yourself a little more time. My promise is still very much in effect.” With her horn surrounded once again by a golden aura, Celestia leaned down and firmly jabbed the tip of it into the pony’s side, getting a small grunt from him in response. Within moments, the bruises and cuts that littered his body were slowly beginning to vanish.
Celestia removed herself from his body allowing Diamond to shakily make his way back on his hooves.
“The clock is ticking, Skivier,” Celestia said. “How much time do you really think you can squeeze out of that feeble body of yours?”
“It’s not the time that matters,” Diamond said, his eyes still fixed on the door. “It’s what you do with it that counts.” Grabbing the handle, Diamond calmly opened to door to the halls of the palace. Stepping through the door and disappearing down the hall, leaving the Princess alone with her thoughts.
Hobbling down the steps, Diamond made sure to keep his head held high as he spotted Silver and Princess Luna waiting by a prepped carriage.
“I promise I’ll write as soon as I’m back home, your majesty,” Silver said sporting a glowing smile.
“Oh, very well,” Luna said, looking off to the side with a mock pout. “Art thou sure you must leave? The night is still so very young, and I could always have one of our elite guards fly you and Diamond back to the Crystal Empire.”
“Yes, I’m sure,” Silver said, giving a small chuckle. “I need to be on my way and I’ve kept you away from your other guests long enough.”
“Oh, fine, but one last thing before you go.”
“And what might that be—OW!” Silver started before receiving a firm punch to his shoulder.
“That’s for not calling us Luna once again!” she said with a light hearted glare. She quickly dropped it though as she looked around.
Silver only looked at her with a tilted brow. He opened his mouth to question the princess, only to be answered by a small kiss on the cheek.
“And that’s for a wonderful evening,” Luna said with a small blush dashed across her smiling muzzle.
Silver was still quite speechless, his mouth hung agape with his own face turning a bright red.
Luna giggled and gently closed his mouth with her forehoof.
“I expect to hear from you soon, Silver Shroud.”
“Y-yeah.”
Luna giggled before she turned around and walked back up the stairs.
“Have a wonderful night, your majesty,” Diamond said passing the princess.
“Eeep!” she squealed with a small jump. “I-I mean, to you as well, Sir Chisel… you didn’t see anything, did you?” Luna asked looking off to the side, her ears slightly folded down.
Diamond chuckled and gave the young princess a pat on the head. “Fear not, your majesty, I saw not a thing.” Diamond said giving a small wink.
Luna smiled. “Thank you,” she said as she resumed her trek up the stairs. “You have a wonderful night as well, and a safe trip back.”
“Thank you as well, your majesty.” Diamond said before turning away from the princess. He looked back for a moment, his eyes filled with a great sense of pity for the princess of the night. With a shake of his head, Diamond dismissed any feelings of sorrow and made his way down the steps.
Reaching the carriage, Diamond was amused to find Silver still stuck in his dumbstruck state.
“Did we have fun tonight, Master Silver?” Diamond blurted, sporting a devilish smile.
Silver quickly shook himself back into consciousness and turned his gaze to the elderly pony. “Y-yes, yes we—er—I did.”
“And I see you got a little mare friend out of the night, a princess no less,” Diamond continued, his grin only growing more devious by the second.
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh really?” Diamond halted and placed a hoof on Silver’s cheek. “Because last I checked, it wasn’t custom for friends to bestow upon a fellow friend such an adorable little kiss.”
“You…you saw that?”
Diamond chuckled and removed his hoof from the stunned lord’s shoulder. Stepping past the king and entering the carriage. “No need to fret my dear boy, dear old Diamond will remind you all about the birds and the bees.”
“Please, for the love of all that is holy, not again!” Silver pleaded while following Diamond onto the carriage and closing the door behind him, thus signaling the driver and its several pegasi pullers to take flight.
“Oh, but why not?” Diamond continued. “I haven’t seen your face that red since you caught one of the maids and the cook kissing in the wash room.”
The old stallion could barely hold himself upright, tears streamed from his eyes as his laugh only grew louder.
“You-you-you couldn’t look either of them in the eyes for a week,” he managed to say before falling back into a laughing fit.
Silver’s eye gave an irritated twitch.
“I was young and they were performing that unorthodox…‘activity’, in the middle of the day!” Silver spat out.
“Young?! You were dang near 18!” he said before resuming his mad laughter.
Silver gave a frustrated sigh of defeat and turned his head to the side, grumbling something inaudible to anypony but himself.
Diamond regained his composure and sat back up in his seat shortly after. “All joking aside, Silver, if you do have any questions you do know you can—”
“—Always come to you. I know,” Silver said while glancing to Diamond with a single eye as his lips curled into a small smile.
“Good,” Diamond said, cracking a small smile of his own.
“Actually,” Silver said, sitting back up in his seat. “There is one thing I’d like to ask?”
“Oh, already? Very well then, shoot.”
“What were you and the princess talking about?”
Diamond’s smile morphed into a small frown, his eyes shifted out the window to the clouds passing by and sighed. “Just catching up on old times.”
“Old times?” Silver asked tilting his head. “I didn’t even know you two had a past. Why didn’t you—”
“Silver,” Diamond interrupted. “You need to remember every word I’m about to say. Promise me you’ll do that.” He turned his head away from the window.
Silver slowly nodded with a stunned yet worried look in his eye.
“By the time I leave this world there will still be many questions that have yet to be answered. With any luck, I will have taught you enough so that you can live a happy life and rule justly over your subjects. But know this,” Diamond said, leaning over to place his fore hoof on Silvers shoulder. “No matter what you end up doing with your life, I will always love you like the son I never had. I’m proud of you, Silver, of your choices in life, and of the stallion you’ve become. If your parents were still here, I think they’d say the same.”
Diamond finished by wrapping his forelegs around Silvers neck and hugging the young stallion tightly, to which Sliver responded by returning the gesture.
“Diamond… what aren’t you telling me?” Silver asked through shaky breaths.
“Things are going to change, Silver, events that will shake the very core of this land are about to take place. I’m telling you this to prepare you, because I don’t think I’ll be in this world long enough to help guide you through them.”
Diamond pulled back from the hug, his forehooves still resting firmly on Silver’s shoulders, locking his tear filled eyes with Silvers.
“It won’t be tomorrow, or the next, or the one after that, but soon and without warning.”
Silvers head began to shake back and forth as the tears in his eyes began flowing down his face.
“Diamond, I don’t understand,” he said, his voice growing increasingly shaky. “What’s wrong? Why are you telling this to me now?”
“It’s going to be terrifying and you’re going to want to run or hide,” Diamond continued, seemingly ignoring Silvers pleas. “But you can’t do either of them. You need to face this threat head on, or it will hunt down, devour you, and everything you hold dear in this world. I’m telling you this, to keep you from repeating my mistake so many, many years ago.”
“Diamond, answer me,” Silver practically screamed. “Why are you telling this to me now?!”
“Because I’m tired, Silver. So very, very tired, and I think when I close my eyes this time… I’m not going to be getting back up.” Without another word, Diamond suddenly sank to the carriage floor.
“Diamond!” Silver screamed, as he picked the stallion up and laid him down on his seat.
“Driver!” Silver yelled sticking his head out into the cold night air.
“Yes, milord?” The driver answered.
“There’s been a change in plans. Take us to the nearest hospital, now!”
“Yes, milord!”
Silver pulled his head back in and gently placed his ear to Silver’s chest. He pulled back breathing a small sigh of relief.
“A heartbeat. Faint, but still there,” Silver said to himself, his eyes growing deeper in concern. “Please Diamond, don’t go. Not yet, not yet.”
“Stan, get down!” Discord said with a dire sense of urgency, halting Stans stride in the process.
“Why, what’s wrong?” Stan asked, turning to the creature resting on his shoulder.
“Just do it!” Discord demanded.
Sensing the urgency in Discord’s voice, Stan compiled and lowered himself onto the forest floor. Without a second to lose, Discord snapped his claws and instantly a layer of forest debris covered the both of them.
“What the heck are you—”
“Shhh!”
Stan was about to make a retort when suddenly a group of timberwolves charged past the two, stepping only inches from where they hid.
The two waited until they were sure the beasts were out of hearing distance before releasing a shared sigh of relief.
“What the heck were those things?!” Stan asked, emerging from the forest floor.
“Timberwolves.” Discord answered.
“...You’re joking, right?”
“Unfortunately no. Look if we’re going to point out all the ridiculous puns of my world we’re going to be here for a while.”
“I mean seriously that’s such an awful pun—I-I-I-I don’t know what to say. You’re just taking two words that describe what they are and calling it good.That’d be like calling bees wingstingers , bunnies hoppingdiggers, or—”
“Stan!” Discord shouted. “Now’s not the time to be pointing out flaws in the naming system of another world!
“Look,” Discord said calming himself down. “Timberwolves, plus the sudden increase of dark magic, means we’re close… very close. So it’d be in our best interest to proceed with caution, capisce?”
“Yeah, capisce,.” Stan said proceeding in his path with a slow walk. “But those...things, he can’t expect to take over the world with nothing but angry kindling, right?”
“No, odds are those are just the pawns in this game of chess, keeping the big guns back for when the real game begins.”
“So then, what are the big guns?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. But if our plan works, he won’t get the chance to use them.”