//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 // Story: Empress Rarity's 250th Birthday // by Lord-Commander //------------------------------// Commander Onyx sat at the head of the table of his own emergency meeting. They were assembled in an empty meeting room just off from the main hall. Rarity was getting the complete physical exam from the medical team in the Throne Room. Lady Sapphire was, hopefully, doing what he asked of her for once, and off adjusting that all-important schedule of hers. He glanced toward Silver Dash as she and the others at his table worked to cook up the official report on the events that transpired in the throne room. It would be necessary to get any potential damage under control before any perceived weakness could be established. As necessary as it was, now that the immediate danger to Rarity had passed, he found himself barely able to focus on the current task. And who could blame me? he thought to himself with a snort. Today’s been terrible! “Commander?” said the Guard Liaison from Equestria. Worse than terrible, today’s been downright no good. Awful even. I guess when it rains, it storms… or whatever the pegasi say. “Commander Onyx, what are your orders sir?” Angry nobles, core feedback, a soon to be ex-wife… Now we’re late for Rarity’s parade and it’s barely noon. I haven’t even had a bite to eat yet today. Maybe Rarity was right about her birthday being jinxe— “COMMANDER!” shouted Silver Dash with a slam of her right hoof onto the table. Onyx looked wide-eyed across the table to the silver pegasus. “Sorry, Lieutenant,” he said, readjusting the chin strap on his helmet. “I was lost in thought.” “It’s fine, sir,” she replied with an eye twitch, “but what are your orders?” Onyx looked from Silver Dash, to the ponies around him, over to the white board with ideas and bullet points scribbled across its surface, then back over to Dash before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He held it for a moment, letting the day’s confusion fall away from his consciousness and focusing on the most immediate issues. When he opened his eyes once more, he was looking down at the papers scattered about the table. A copy of the Empress’ entirely useless medial reports, collected inquiries from some nosy nobles, a map of the kingdom, and a smattering of reports of crystal ponies within the capital who had sensed the dark magic that Rarity had unwittingly unleashed pulse when she fell. All of it was important, but nothing told him what to do. Only his gut and years of experience could do that. He looked up and pointed a hoof at one of the guards at the table. “Remove the Palace lockdown.” His hoof moved to the next pony in line now that the first was up and rushing out of the meeting room’s mahogany door. “Clear a path through the halls to the parade float for the Empress.” A swift salute and a scuff of chair legs on marble floors, and the second guard was gone too. Now pointing at the third guard in line, Silver Dash, Onyx continued in his authoritative tone. “I want all guard operations to resume their normal activities for the Empress’ Birthday. Get out there and ensure that every checkpoint, every stakeout, and every guard station is ready for the parade to start. Report any issues to me within ten minutes.” Dash saluted as she pushed off of the table, flapping her wings into a silver blur as she burst out of the open window and out into the city below. “You two,” he said, gesturing to the last two guards left with him in the room. “Yes sir?” asked the grizzled old veteran with a scratchy voice and a very robust five o-clock shadow for noon. “I have a very important mission for you two.” The grizzled veteran’s rookie partner let out a subdued squeal of glee. His eyes twinkled at the thought of this, his first real assignment— and from the Commander of the Imperial Guard no less. “I need you two to pick up my suit for tonight’s party from the dry cleaner on 3rd and Friesian.” The veteran pushed himself away from the table while nodding somberly. “Back into the fray,” he said more to himself than anypony else, and the two left Onyx to his own musings. Eventually, he pushed himself out of his chair and walked around the table, scooping up papers and sorting them into folders for later storage. He also took longer than he really needed to wipe down the white board. But, as he told Silver Dash earlier, he was lost in his thoughts. That is, until there was a sudden gust of wind from the open window at his side, and a quick flash of silvery light. “All posts accounted for and ready, sir.” Silence was her answer. “Commander?” He didn't hear her, or at least, he pretended not to hear her. He felt somepony tap his shoulder, and saw the concerned look of Silver Dash upon turning around. “Onyx, are you okay?” she asked with concern. “You aren't normally like this.” “No, Dash, I’m not.” Onyx took a step over to the table and plopped down into an empty chair. “It’s… Violet Rose came by to see me this morning.” “Oh!” said Silver Dash hopefully. “And it wen—” “We're getting a divorce.” “Oh… Wow. That, uh. That sucks, sir.” Silver Dash sighed as she pulled her helmet off her head. “That really sucks, sir. Is there anything I can do?” "No. Nothing for now, Lieutenant." "Well, I mean, if you ever need somepony to talk to." "Thank you, Dash. I appreciate the thought." Onyx slid back out of his seat and walked to the door with Dash trailing behind him in the air. "But enough about that,” he said as they passed the threshold of the meeting room and out into the main hall full of ponies chipping away at the ice which had formed around the Throne Room door. “Are you still leaving tomorrow for Cloudsdale?" “I was thinking about it, but with all the stuff going on...” Silver Dash sighed. “I think I might put it off for another week.” “Don't,” Onyx said. “You’ve really been busting your wings around here. Take your squadron home for the week. Relax.” “I would, sir. It’s just that I would feel bad if I... missed anything important next week,” said Dash, grinning sheepishly at the excuse. “Lots of important stuff… you know... going on, right?” He arched an eyebrow at her. “True, but very little of it has to do with the Guard,” said Onyx as they continued on, passing ponies readying themselves for the upcoming parade. “Look, if anything does come up when you’re gone, I’ll be sure to include it in your report for when you get back.” “I’ll leave on Saturday, okay? I jus—” “Dash, don’t make me pull rank on this one.” He looked at her and saw a bit of himself in those determined eyes. A bit of his past that, if he could, he’d go back and fix. “Time off is important. Family is important. Trust me on this one.” “Yeah, no, you’re right. You’re totally right, Commander,” said Dash as she lowered herself to the ground next to Onyx in front of the doors to the Throne Room. “I, umm, I guess today has rocked the airship a bit. Everything can wait.” “Thank you again, Lieutenant,” said Onyx. “I’m going to bring the Empress to the floats, you go get your squadron ready for the parade.” The armored pegasus snapped a quick salute before taking a quick glance at the meeting room door they’d just exited. “Oh, do you want me to grab those files and put them in your office?” Onyx smiled and gave Dash a pat on the shoulder. “Good thinking, Lieutenant. There’s some sensitive information in there. Can’t have that falling into the wrong hooves now, can we?” She laughed uneasily. “Yeah, that’d just be the worst,” she replied before zipping off. Poor gal’s working too hard, Onyx thought to himself with a shake of his head. He took in a deep breath and gathered himself before slipping past the twin doors into the Throne Room. A few guards had been left in the room, but otherwise it was just the medical team and the Empress. And in the middle of it all was the most miserable looking pony Onyx had ever laid eyes on. And that was counting boot camp. Rarity was still on the floor, but she was sitting up; a marked improvement over the last hour or so where she was splayed out on the floor, kicking her hooves like a dog having a bad dream. She was resting on her haunches, leaning against the seat of her throne as the medical team ran tests, took blood samples, and tried their best to collect as much information as quickly as they could from their equal parts groggy and irritable Empress. Doctor Groans, the cantankerous unicorn who Onyx swore was half goat, stood awkwardly on his hind legs with a fan of clipboards enveloped in his orange aura. Five floating quills scribbled across them all in his awful hornship while he rubbed his stubbly chin dismissively with a free hoof. Doctor Mendelin, ever the spoonful of sugar that accompanied Groans’ bitter pill, did her best to address the emotional aspects of Rarity’s care. Currently she was braiding away at the Crystal Empress’ mane while asking a seemingly unending string of questions. “On a scale of one to ten, with ten being terrible, and one being lovely, how do you feel?” “Mmmmrf,” came the half-hearted reply. “Does it hurt when I press here?” “Nnnngmmf!” “I’ll take that as a yes. Are you on any new medication? Onyx could barely hear Rarity’s response over the construction equipment behind him that flared into life to chip away at the ice on the Throne Room’s doors. Not that anypony would have understood her responses anyway. Not with the brown burlap feed bag strapped to her face. The Empress had her head lowered into the thing, munching away and nodding or shaking her head as best she could to the barrage of questions. “—completely necessary, your Majesty,” Onyx heard Groans say as he got closer to the three ponies trying to communicate over the ruckus on the other side of the room. “I know it’s not quite the five star daisy sandwi— SANDWICH THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE HAD IN MIND, BUT IT’S IMPORTANT THAT… THAT YOU EAT YOUR OATS!” he shouted as the grinding and pounding was accompanied by the intense ‘Froosh’ of magical flame being ignited. He saw Rarity, silhouetted by shadow and dancing flame, pause and lift her head up at the doctor, begging him with her eyes. “NO, I…” He trailed off as all the cacophony behind him died so suddenly that the silence left their ears pounding. “No, I’m afraid not, Empress,” continued Dr. Groans as the quills started back up again. “These are magical oats. They’re specially designed to help a unicorn regain their strength and recover depleted magic stores.” “Mmmhru hmd vm?” asked Rarity. “Have I tried them? Oh heavens no,” he said with a scoff. “I bet they taste terrible. Now you just sit there like a good little filly and eat your oats.” Rarity gave a pathetic moan of defeat and resigned herself to her oaty fate. Onyx fought hard not to grin at this display as he pushed his way through a wall of floating clipboards to make his presence known. “How’s the patient? Are we done here?” Groans looked at his notes and nodded. “Sadly, yes... Not you, keep eating,” he said as Rarity let out another whiny. “This has been a fascinating adventure. Hay, if we can process at least half of the data we got, we’re looking at a significant leap in our understanding of core dynamics.” “And that’s… good, yes?” Dr. Mendelin reached over and gave the good commander a pat on his shoulder. “Yes, that’s good,” she said before turning to look at Rarity once more. “Be that as it may, it doesn’t help us help her. We still can’t interpret what’s normal or abnormal for her. She has two heartbeats, she runs extremely different internal and external temperatures… It may be decades or another century before her doctors are able to address her medical needs.” “But… she’s okay for now, yes?” “For now?” asked Dr. Groans, looking up from his paperwork and eyeing Rarity with concern before shrugging his shoulders with a non-committal “Yes.” There was an uneasy silence in the room until Dr. Mendelin stood up and addressed the Crystal Empress directly. “But to be sure, we’re going to need the medical records that Princess Twilight wrote up for you.” “I’ll make sure you get them,” replied Onyx, stepping in before Rarity could reply. “Now, if you’d be ever so kind as to have the last of your medical team leave the Throne Room, I can debrief the Empress and escort her to the parade staging point.” Groans moved to open his mouth, but his partner quietly kicked him in the leg. “Thank you, Commander,” she said before bowing to the bleary-eyed Empress. “By your leave, Your Highness.” “Make sure you get her to eat all of those oats!” shouted Groans as he was dragged out of the Throne Room. With the last of the medical team gone, and ice removal on the doors complete, Onyx and Rarity were once again alone in the Throne Room, as they were before all this madness started. A lot happened in the last two hours. To his left, he spotted a lone cloak, no doubt left by one of the dozens of ponies who’d set about repairs to both the room and Rarity. It was a gaudy silver thing with a deep red satin lining. He grabbed it and draped it over Rarity’s back before taking a seat next to her while she tried pawing the feedbag off of her face with her hooves as her horn ineffectually fizzled and blooped wobbly bubbles of blue magic. “How are you feeling?” he asked while popping the strap behind her head. “I— argh, damnable piece of— thank you, darling,” said Rarity with a relieved sigh as Onyx helped her out of the feed bag. “I hope an eternity in Tartarus awaits the fool who made this contraption. I’m fine, Commander, but I don’t suppose you brought a lady something to drink?” Onyx smiled down upon his liege and reached into the small saddlebag just on the inside of his etched armor, where the backplate met his left hind leg. “I did, in fact I… Huh?” he said, puzzled as he froze there for a moment, feeling at the object in his hoof. “Huh?” parroted Rarity. Curiosity written across his muzzle, Onyx pulled the unknown object out of his bag and held it up for them both to see. He distinctly remembered pocketing a small brandy bottle, but the item in his hoof— indeed, the only item that was in his bag— was not a brandy bottle at all. It was a mouth-wateringly plump ruby red apple. “I guess I… didn’t?” Rarity mumbled something unintelligible— something about earth ponies and their stubbornness and their nosiness— before dropping her head between her hooves with an unladylike grunt. “It’s fine, Commander. I was actually considering cutting back a bit. Promise to an old, cheeky friend, and all that.” Onyx nodded, pretending as best he could to understand, as he gave Rarity the apple, who bit into its crisp and juicy flesh with a frown. Silence reigned for a couple of minutes before either spoke again. “Do you want to talk about what happened?” “Not particularly, no,” replied Rarity, chewing delicately. Onyx stretched his shoulders and took a deep breath. “Well, in that case, I’ll start the debriefing. At approximately Oh One Hundred Hours, we—” “It was simply magical feedback,” interrupted Rarity, rolling the half eaten apple back and forth in her hooves. “That’s all it was. Just a little one too, mind you. A core overloaded here, affected the others there, and wouldn’t you know it, it knocked me out cold. Simple as that.” “And?” asked Onyx as she put her head back down. “Empress, I know there is more to… it.” “Well I’m done thinking about it for now,” she said in no uncertain terms. But Onyx wasn’t the kind of pony who got where he was today by backing down. “Please, Rarity. As the stallion in charge of your protection, I need to know so I can hel—” “I said NO!” Onyx didn’t remember getting up, but he found himself standing several feet away from Rarity, who’d managed to disappear underneath the cloak lent to her, hiding like a foal afraid of a thunderstorm. Only she was the thunder. He could just make out the muffled apology coming from within. Carefully, he approached the cloak and poked it gingerly with his hoof. “Empress?” “I’m a dreadful mess,” came the cowed reply through the cloak. “I’m sorry, darling. That was… I didn't need to do that.” Commander Onyx stopped fishing for her, instead opting to resume his watch seated beside Rarity. “You’re going to have to tell somepony, someday, about what’s going on in there,” he replied. “Me, Sapphire, Princess Twilight... I don’t really care who. But whoever it is I hope it’s somepony who will stand by you, and see you through to its end.” Rarity laughed dismissively. “Till the end? There’s nopony who would stand by me till the end.” “Horseapples,” said Onyx. Rarity let out an impatient huff. “Onyx, I don’t fully understand what happened yet,” she said, her voice softer than it was before. “That third core wasn’t Windigo at all. It’s worse. It was… It was him.” “Him? Him who? Discord? Tirek?” “No, don’t be ridiculous,” said Rarity. “The other him.” “Blueblo—” “Sombra. King Sombra. Or, if we’re going by his business card, it’s King Sombra, Ruler of the Crystal Empire, Great Oppressor and Tyrant, D.D.S.” Onyx fought against the sudden dryness in his mouth, along with the natural urge to flee, and croaked out a response “But... how?” Rarity shook her head. “How? I don’t know. But, if you’re willing to stay with me till the end, I’ll tell you a tale.” Onyx nodded and remained silent as he listened to Rarity’s story. Her falling out with the Element of Laughter. The years of difficulty it caused. The return of the windigoes. Her merging with the Crystal Heart. Some of her stories Onyx could recall from the school days of his youth. To hear them told first hoof was surreal. For the first time in his life, he felt a connection with his Empress that went beyond admiration or even desire. This was the connection of loss and longing. Commander Onyx, the mortal, received a brief glimpse of what it’s like to live for two hundred and fifty years. To know that there was no end in sight. He marvelled at Rarity’s conviction. Her story shifted into the now, as if it had always been. She spoke of her argument with Blueblood, touching on her first encounter with his great-ancestor. It had set the tone for every succeeding encounter in the past two centuries. Rarity got to the part where she had collapsed, asleep to the world, but moving and aware in the theater of her own mind. There was the false Sweetie Belle, Applejack’s timely rescue, the decaying island, her three cores, the visions of the future, and the battle against Sombra. The most surprising revelation, however, was the appearance of the long absent Diarch of Equestria, Princess Luna. Onyx remained quiet for a very long time after Rarity finished her story. It was the sort of thing that required a tremendous amount of focus and willpower to sit through. Had it come from any other pony, he would have called some nice ponies in white suits to come and collect them. “...I never knew you had a sister,” he finally said. Rarity smiled sadly at that. “I did.” “Do… Do you have any living family?” “Last I checked, I had a precocious new great great some-odd nephew in Manehatten.” Silence reigned again for a time as Onyx stared about the Throne Room, collecting his thoughts, when realization hit him. “So, this means that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are still alive!” “True.” “This is excellent news! We can tell Princess Twilight and—” “Oh no, no no no no,” said Rarity with a grim chuckle. She rested her hoof on Onyx’s chestplate. “Celestia made it very clear to me last time not to tell her. Besides, the last time Twilight got wind of the missing princesses she dragged me along for an absolutely dreadful search party, that turned into a pity party, that then became Twilight’s one hundred and twenty first birthday party in Los Pegasus.” “Where?” “Los Pegasus, darli— Oh... right,” she said with a nervous and completely non-incriminating laugh. “Nevermind, moving on.” “So, no mentions whatsoever to Princess Twilight about the Sun and the Moon?” "Not a one," said Rarity with a shake of her head. "Luna is the Keeper of Dreams; she can transverse the ley lines into the realm of dreams from anywhere, so it’s unlikely that her physical body is anywhere near here." “But she could be, right? Do you think there’s a chance that she’s here in the Empire?” asked Onyx. Rarity sighed in response, a note of concern stretched across her otherwise calm face. “If you had asked me before brunch, I would have said that it was impossible. I was sure that, if she was okay and unhurt, Luna wouldn’t risk coming here so soon after what transpired between her sister and I,” said Rarity. “But now… I'm in some doubt.” Onyx stood up and stepped away from her before asking his next question. “And what about Sombra?” Rarity craned her neck and responded with a raised eyebrow. “What about him?” “Well… Can he hear me now?” Rarity’s ears flattened against the top of her head. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, holding it for just long enough, before letting it out with open, reassuring eyes once more. “No,” she promised. “No, he’s neither listening nor speaking.” Onyx let his shoulders sag for a moment. “That’s a relief. But, those visions. The ones that he showed you... Are they real?” “Honestly?” asked Rarity, searching for the right words. “I want to say no, but… they say the best lies are crafted from truth. Some parts come to pass, others may not. A wise pony once told me that fate flows like a river, and although Sombra would see it twisted to his will, I won’t let that come to pass.” Onyx took a step forward and offered her his hoof. “We won’t let that come to pass.” Rarity took his hoof in her own and studied it. The way his unshorn fetlocks glistened like soft silky strands of the dark agate of his namesake. Onyx fought against the warring emotions within him as Rarity—beautiful, stunning Rarity—held his hoof, looking into it with a gem appraiser’s eye. He hoped that the steely resolve in his voice could be felt. “You’re the Crystal Empress— the Heart of the Empire— and it comes with duties and trials that are beyond mortal comprehension. I get that. But this whole ‘lone ranger’ gig you’ve got going on needs to stop. Or did you forget that your moods affect the moods of your crystal ponies? What do you think is going to happen to every crystal pony linked to you when those bottled feelings escape?” That must have done it. Onyx rewarded himself with a mental pat on the back as Rarity poked her head out of her makeshift tent and looked back up at him with a dawning expression. Of what, he wasn’t sure, so he kept going. “Its not just your Empire; it’s also mine. It’s my colt’s, my guards’, and my ex-wife to be’s. It’s our Empire. You need to realize that. Maybe you knew that at some point, but… it looks like it’s a lesson worth re-learning.” “Commander Onyx, I…” Rarity said with liquid eyes, shimmering into his own. Onyx leaned forward until he was close enough to smell the antiseptic that lingered in her mane. “Yes?” he asked with a quivering voice, leaning in with his eyes closed. “You’re right!” shouted Rarity, who shot to her hooves, smashing the top of her head into Onyx’s plated chinstrap with a resounding ‘Tong’. The poor stallion never saw it coming. He once more found himself several feet away from Rarity, who was now bubbling over with excitement in a way that he had never before seen. Only this time he was on his back with little blue diamonds spinning in his eyes. “Why, I’ve neglected those in my charge! I’ve been asleep at the reigns, as it were! I’ve got to get out there, and live! LIVE, I say! If anything is going to fix this country of ours, Snowflake, it’s the power of generosity!” “Gmrosify?" asked Onyx, blushing from the use of his first name and trying desperately to loosen the grip of his helmet’s chin strap. Rarity nodded and tried to respond, but instead she stumbled and swooned to her right, collapsing on top of the cloak once more. “Oh dearie me. That... hoo, I feel downright faint.” Finally popping the chin strap loose on his helmet, Onyx rolled back to his hooves and hurried over to Rarity’s side, cooing and tut-tutting like a busybody nursemaid. “Careful there, Empress. Don’t overdo it, otherwise I’ll have to strap that feedbag back on.” “You do, and I’ll have you shipped off to an outpost in the Northern Wastes so fast that your bal—” “Joking, Rarity. I was only joking,” he half-pleaded, slipping the cloak over her shoulders before making their way to the closed double doors. “Quite,” she replied with her head held high. Both parties were thankful for the ensuing silence that echoed off their hoof-falls on the way. Upon reaching the door, the Commander gave two solid knocks, and it opened to reveal the reddish-brown face of a guard that Onyx was growing increasingly familiar with. “Commander?” “Garnet Tower,” he said, nodding in greeting to the pony coming to him. “Please head to the parade rally point and inform them that the Empress is on her way.” ‘Yes sir.” He snapped a quick salute and marched back over to a group of guards, relaying the information before the three of them set off down the hall. Rarity nudged Onyx with a hoof and offered a warm smile. “Is Sapphire going to be here soon?” “No,” replied Onyx. “She’s going to meet us at the rally point.” “Ah, well, I guess we’d better get going,” said Rarity as she stumbled forward slightly, only to be caught by her faithful commander. “Thank you, darling. I must be weaker than I thought.” “Are you sure?” asked Onyx with concern as he looked down at her. “Do you still feel up for the parade?” Rarity nodded her head as she leaned on him. “Yes; we need to do this part,” she said. “Besides, I do find this to be tolerable, if not enjoyable.” “That’s good to hear... I always hoped that you liked the parade,” said Onyx as he escorted her into the hall. “I remember watching it when I was a colt. You seemed so happy back then... so full of life.” “The feelings I get when I’m up there at the head of it all; the raw emotional support from everypony… Let’s just say that I can see how a changeling could get hooked on the stuff,” replied Rarity with a grim chuckle. “Let’s change the subject. Perhaps a look at the positive side of things?” implored Onyx. “Well, I know this wonderful stallion that recently entered the singles market.” “Still need to sign those papers, Rarity. Let’s think of something mutually positive. Did anything exciting come from your other meetings?” With that, Rarity tapped Onyx just below his shoulder pauldron with an icy cold hoof. “Ah! Well, the Empire now owns a sizable area of real estate, thanks to our good friends in the Griffon Republic.” “You got Shimmering Bay?” asked a thoroughly surprised Onyx. “Of course I did, darling. It wasn’t too difficult. It just took some persuasion, skill, tact, no small amount of charm, and a few extra bits.” “How much?” “Nearly half of the treasury.” Onyx stopped dead in his tracks, and considered his next words very carefully. “That… will throw the Council into quite a fit.” “That’s nothing; wait until they hear about the bat ponies.” “Ah yes, the bat ponies. Scared the socks right off one of our newbies when they landed at checkpoint alpha.” Onyx chuckled as he was nudged into forward motion again by his freezing cold accompaniment. “How did it go? Did you promise them the moon?” “Their colony is in danger of collapse. They can find no empty caves to the South, and from what they had to say, work was nigh on impossible to find. So I may have offered them an elaborate cave system in the Hillsbrad mountains, citizenship, and employment opportunities.” “May have? Did you run this past the Council first?” “Darling,their only job is to advise me,” said Rarity as they took a left down a hallway lined with heart-covered wallpaper. “In the end, the ultimate decision lies with me.” “Just be careful with all that muscle flexing,” replied Onyx. “The Council is under the impression that they have power.” “They have as much as I allow them,” she replied curtly. “But yes, I do see your point. We’re in no position to have a civil war on our hooves, what with everything else going on.” Onyx nodded in agreement and the two fell silent to their thoughts as they continued down the hallway. “You know, I always wondered why this hallway is so… pink.” “It’s an homage, Onyx, to the Crystal Empire’s former rulers, Princess Cadence and her Prince, Shining Armor.” “Was the whole palace this pink when they ruled?” “Oh heavens, no. That would be awful,” she said, sticking her tongue out in disgust. “Whoever heard of a pink castle? No, I rather like this hallway. It reminds me of Princess Cadence. Always calm. Always unassuming. Never one for irrationality or sudden, unexpected movements. She’s always been patient with me. Kind. Whenever things got too rough with the business of Empire building, she was always the one to ‘encourage’ me in just the right way.” “Was it always this tough?” asked Onyx. “Oh very much so,” replied Rarity. “In fact, if we’re discounting the threat of war with Equestria, and the fact that Sombra’s locked away in my perfectly coiffed head, we’re living in a relatively tranquil time for the Crystal Empire.” “Wow.” “Indeed.” Rarity stifled a laugh as she leaned harder into Onyx’s side. “This one time— gosh this must have been over a century ago— I decided I needed to try my hoof at dressmaking again.” “While running the Empire?” “Mmm, hmm!” Rarity shook her head with a little laugh. “And it was right in the middle of a fitting for Twilight and…” Rarity trailed off, and Onyx could no longer feel her at his side. He glanced over and found her looking into the distance a few feet behind him. “Are you okay?” “Yes, I’m fine. Just... remembering better days long gone by.” “So relations haven’t always been this uneasy between the two of you?” “Of course not!” exclaimed Rarity. “Just the last few decades or so. Really, ever since that weasel Blueblood became Ambassador… Well, it’s taken a toll on both of us.” “Things will get better,” said Onyx. “I do hope so,” said Rarity, now trailing behind Onyx as the two walked alone down her palace halls. “So we go left, right?” “Right,” corrected Onyx. They walked and Onyx listened to the sounds of their hoof falls. How they resonated so well together. And, despite all the terrible goings on the day had thrown at them, now he was content with leading his Empress to the parade. Her parade. His favorite part of her birthday. Finally, when he could take it no more, he dared. He took a breath and opened his heart. “Empress… Rarity. I’ve been thinking. About everything that’s happened to us today. I think it would be a good idea if we, that is to say you and me, just… took some time off, you know?” Silence was his answer, so he pressed on. “Nothing too crazy! I was thinking something like a trip to go off somewhere. Sort of clear our heads of all this craziness. And then come back.” Onyx waited a moment for Rarity to object, but she didn’t. “Anyways, my second cousin is in line to be the Patriarch of the Apple Clan, and there’s this wonderful little cabin out by Saltlick Lake that I rented out. I had sort of a couple’s retreat idea, for Violet and I. But... that doesn’t matter so much now. Still, it’d be a shame to miss out. On the trip that is.” Again, silence greeted his ears. Excellent, it meant that she was at least thinking about it instead of a flat out rejection. “I mean, sure there’s just the one queen size bed,” he continued on. “But uh… what do you think?” Onyx waited for an answer, growing more and more worried that he rushed this too fast as the silence dragged itself out. “Rarity?” Onyx paused and looked around, finding himself alone in the hall. “Ah crap baskets.”