Trixie giggled excitedly as she sat upon the Crystal Throne. She had no idea it was so beautiful—so sparkly! Then again, she was nearly dumbstruck by the empire's beauty as a whole when she first saw it. It was more beautiful than the cascading rainbows of Winsome Falls, Tall Tale's vast gem mines, and even Canterlot's Royal Castle. It was a shame she had to take it by force.
Nopony was complaining (within earshot), thankfully. The throne room was busy with her subjects as they worked on making the palace more Trixie-friendly. Silk banners embroidered with her image were hung from the walls, and freshly-woven rugs of a similar design were placed on the floors. For somepony working under the threat of having her entire body permanently dyed green, Rarity did a wonderful job.
The thought of the dressmaker reminded her of something then. “Oh, Fluttershy!” the amulet-wielder called. “Come here, please!”
The crystal pegasus slowly emerged from the eastern corridor—careful as not to walk into any of the decorators. “Yes, Q-Queen Trixie?” she replied as she approached the throne. Unfortunately, even under the effect of Trixie's mind-control, she remained rather timid.
Oh, well, thought the unicorn. At least she follows orders as well as the others. Then, she asked, “Do you know where Pinkie Pie is? Queen Trixie demands to know this information.”
As if on cue, a pink blur rolled into the room like a mobile pinwheel. Its progress stopped beside Fluttershy, revealing the party pony they sought. “You called, Queen Trixie?” she asked.
Blinking, Trixie stared at the pair for a few seconds. She then shook her head free of the bewilderment and cleared her throat. “The reason your beloved Queen Trixie called you here is that she wishes to know the progress of her coronation dress,” she declared. “She also wishes to discuss the details of said coronation. If she is to be the Crystal Empire's new ruler, then Trixie wants her coronation to be the best coronation ever coronated!”
Fluttershy's head tilted. “Well, I'm no good with parties, but I do know that Rarity is already in the process of designing your dress.”
“Excellent! You shall keep an eye on her for Queen Trixie.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
“Then, you are dismissed. Queen Trixie has no further use for you.”
A single silent bow was given before the pegasus mare departed, which left Pinkie Pie alone before the throne's usurper. Unlike her friend, however, she wasn't intimidated in the least. Despite the lack of bounce in her mane, a small smile remained on her face. That was what Trixie liked to see. She liked to see ponies smiling at her, not booing and throwing cheap cousine in an attempt to terrorize her off her own stage. That was partially why she restored some of Pinkie's energetic personality and, so far, she didn't regret it. “So, Pinkie Pie,” she said sternly, “as the Royal Party Planner your mighty matriarch expects a lot from you. Do you understand?”
Eyes narrowing, the “Royal Party Planner” saluted. “I understand completely!”
“Alright. Now, what did you have in mind for Queen Trixie's coronation?” She leaned her back against the throne, grinning. She was eager to hear what Pinkie had in store for the momentous ceremony.
The party pony took a deep breath. She then looked contemplatively around the room before shrugging. “Eh,” she uttered. “I got nothin'.”
“What!?” gasped the ex-magician. “How can you come up with nothing!? You're a 'party' pony, for crying out loud!”
“Oh, I'm great with parties, Queen Trixie, but I don't know anything about coronations.” She frowned. “Coronations are all serious and official and boring.”
Completely baffled and wide-eyed, Trixie pressed a hoof against her temple. She always thought that coronations were parties—special parties that were held to celebrate one's ascension to royalty! It was something to celebrate, right? Was she wrong? She despised being wrong! “Does anypony here know anything about coronations?” she semi-yelled. She came close to focusing her anger on Pinkie, until she caught sight of another pink-coated pony walking up beside her throne.
It was her designated Palacekeeper, Cadance. “Pardon me, Your Highness,” she said, bowing her head. “But, I know quite a bit about the subject.”
Trixie raised an eyebrow and waved her hoof. “Right, right,” she grumbled. Of course, a fully-fledged princess would know something like that. Well, former princess, given that she had kept the alicorn's horn from her as a precautionary measure. Cadence was nothing more than a pegasus maid now—dress and all. The regal magician didn't know if a real alicorn was more powerful than the Alicorn Amulet, but that wasn't something she wanted to risk. She definitely didn't want to risk it now, when she finally had everything she ever wanted. “Elaborate, Palacekeeper,” she added.
Smiling, Cadance positioned herself before the throne. “It's a simple ceremony, really,” she said. “All you need is your own set of regalia, your loyal subjects, and a member of the Equestrian Royal Family. Once you have a date set for the coronation, you can choose to invite all your subjects to the palace so that they can witness your claim to the throne. That involves said Royal Family member placing the crown atop your head and naming you the Crystal Empire's new queen. Once it's official, then you can throw the grand party you so desire!”
A contemplative look appeared on the amulet-wielder's face as she tapped her chin. So, she wasn't completely wrong; the celebration came after the actual coronation. She could work with that, no problem. “Well, the regalia and the overall gathering won't be an issue,” she thought aloud. She was always an admirer of the Royal Sisters' exquisite sets of gold and silver-plated regalia. It seemed only fitting that, as the soon-to-be Queen of the Crystal Empire, she would possess a set of her own.
Speaking of princesses... She looked her Palacekeeper up and down. “Queen Trixie has nothing to fear, then. She has you, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, to complete the list of all she needs for the ceremony."
“Me?”
“Though you are my maid, you are still part of the Equestrian Royal Family. Are you not?”
“Oh, yes, my crown is not affected by my loyalty to you, Queen Trixie.”
“Then, it is you who shall place the crown atop Queen Trixie's beautiful head! You should feel honored.”
Cadance bowed once more. “I am honored, Your Highness! You are most gracious for allowing me the chance to play such an important part in your coronation!”
Chuckling, Trixie gently touched the Alicorn Amulet. The contact caused it to dimly glow. Trixie is gracious, isn't she? “You are dismissed, Palacekeeper,” she said, waving her hoof dismissively. “You have been more than helpful to your future Queen. She will summon you again when she has set a date for her coronation.” She glared briefly at Pinkie Pie, who merely waved in reply. “The Royal Party Planner and I, however, still have a post-coronation party to put together...”
Said planner grinned at the crystal unicorn as Cadance took her leave. Then, without warning, she bounced towards Trixie until they were so close in proximity to each other that it was very much uncomfortable. “Oh, oh!” she uttered excitedly. “I have an idea now, Queen Trixie! Wanna hear it?”
Flinching away from the other pony, Trixie quickly replied, “Yes, yes, whatever! Just please remove yourself from Queen Trixie's personal space!”
Pinkie complied without protest—the inspired spark never leaving her eyes. “We should have a ball!” she exclaimed. She rose up onto her hind legs. “A huge, huge ball, right in the palace's ballroom!”
For the first time that day, Trixie was pleasantly surprised. “A ball? Queen Trixie is intrigued by this idea. Tell her more!” In spite of her countless travels, she attended only a few parties over the years; she had certainly never attended a ball.
“Well, I'll need to go over some of the details a little more, since a normal ball just won't do it!” Less than a second passed before she again made her way into the matriarch's comfort zone. “There needs to be balloons and banners and lots and lots of food, but not even all that will cut it!”
Unfortunately for the pink party pony, Trixie wasn't going to tolerate having her space invaded a second time. Her eyes flashed crimson and, growling, she forced Pinkie Pie to the floor with a blast of dark magic. Her surprised yelp of pain brought silence down upon the throne room. All activity ceased, and the crystal ponies regarded the scene with curiosity, confusion, and even a nuance of fear. Even Trixie found herself rendered speechless by her actions. Mouth agape, she attempted to process the situation. She didn't mean to do such a thing. Sure, Pinkie obviously had a habit of getting too close for comfort, but she didn't mean to hurt her!
“Oh, my gosh,” she breathed. She jumped from the throne and she began to help the earth mare up off the floor. “Are you all right?” she asked. “I'm sorry, I—” She clamped her mouth shut; the realization of her weakness had struck her with a force equivalent to that of the Friendship Express. Although that didn't stop her from offering Pinkie a helping hoof, she once again put on her rigid, regal front as she stepped away from the other pony. “Queen Trixie didn't mean to be so strict, but she hopes that you've learned your lesson,” she said scoldingly. “Didn't she already warn you once to remain out of her personal space?”
Pinkie didn't meet her gaze as she nodded solemnly, rubbing the soreness from her left foreleg. “I'm sorry, Queen Trixie,” she whispered sadly.
Trixie missed her smiling face already. Yet, despite the guilt, she remained stone-faced. “You are forgiven,” she replied, her voice as cold as ice. “You are also dismissed. Queen Trixie orders you to keep on planning her ball. Understood?”
A tiny smile made its way to Pinkie's countenance. “Yes, Queen Trixie. Thank you.”
The unicorn turned her back as the party pony left. Now that she was out of sight, Trixie felt a little better. A little, yet she couldn't help but notice the sluggish and downtrodden manner in which Pinkie dragged herself out of the chamber. No. It wasn't wise to dwell on something so insignificant. She was a queen, and soon she would be the rightful and official Queen of the Crystal Empire. She wasn't going to allow her weaknesses to get in the way.
She reclaimed her spot on the Crystal Throne, shooting a fierce glare at the motionless audience. “What are you looking at!?” she snapped—the amulet around her neck flashing red. “Get back to work!”