//------------------------------// // 13. Spats and Stats // Story: The Halfling // by Scarheart //------------------------------// That same day was anything but good within the private quarters of a certain royal couple. The morning sun shone through the tall windows, warm shafts bathing a couple beneath the sheets of their large bed. The bedroom, along with the rest of their living quarters, was surprisingly cozy, despite the shimmering crystalline walls. Almost every furnishing during the course of Sombra’s reign had been removed and replaced with furniture more suitable for a family instead of a crazed tyrant with questionable (and at times disturbing) tastes. Several rooms had been redesigned to have the feel of a house and under the watchful eyes of Cadence, who was determined to make sure there was a home to retire to at the end of each day. Shining Armor loved how she tried her best to ensure their marriage felt as normal as possible. The redesigned and refurbished living quarters offered a cozy place to decompress after a long day of dealing with the rigors of running a country. Reign Cloud’s room was just across the hall. Though the castle itself would always have a ancient grandeur of its own, Cadence had done what she could to make the privacy for her family as normal and unassuming as possible. Why, she even had a small kitchen for times when she felt she wanted to cook for her husband and her son. She loved it when there was time away from the busy schedule all rulers are burdened with she could cook modest meals for her small family. Reign even learned how to cook under her watchful eyes. It was one of the few activities his father entrusted him to do without supervision. A particular husband was about to be informed of a decision he had not yet been made privy to. Yet. As a matter in fact, a particular wife poured out all of her charms upon the poor sot, buttering him up with love, affection and some very special attention she had not given him in a certain way in a very long time. She fully intended to fill him in with the details and ride the deluge sure to follow. He thought his day was going to start with a bang, up until the moment his wife whispered into his ear in the middle of their lovemaking of the decision she had come to last night. The good feeling fell away like an avalanche of betrayal. Shining Armor was suddenly not a happy stallion. He was, for the first time in a very long time —if ever his memory could recall, actually— upset with his beloved wife. The silence between the pair was thick and very uncomfortable. The stallion blinked several times, confused and hurt. “Cady,” he began, trying to gather his thoughts through the growing frustration borne from the sense his wishes had not been taken into account. Patiently she waited, giving him time to collect himself. If anything, her expression was expectant. “Why?” he finally asked. The princess was prepared to respond, having had the benefit of time to think this through. “He deserves to know the other half of his heritage. I trust Wilda. She has a good heart and is a very loving mother.” Her placating voice did little to soothe her irate mate. “You did not even come to me first!” he accused, pushing her off of him. Shining was on his hooves, snorting angrily. “Why would you do this to me?” Cadence sighed, sliding off the bed and before her husband. Her mane was a frumpled mess, but she refused to let his outburst get to her. “Shiny,” she began, lowering her head and flattening her ears, “we can’t keep Reign inside a bubble his whole life. He needs to experience life beyond this castle.” He shot back with, “Why not Equestria? What’s wrong with Canterlot? There are two princesses there and Twily is in Ponyville. We could send him there. What’s wrong with sending them there? He’d be better protected.” “Honey, I love you, but I disagree.” Cadence tried to smile. “He won’t be but a half a mile from home. Reign will have a communication crystal with him. You can assign guards to watch Wilda’s home. Speaking of Wilda, she’s a broodmother, Shiny. Any colt or filly left in her care would be as safe as though they were surrounded by a regiment of Royal Guard.” He argued, “No, she lacks the magic training—” Cadence interrupted, “She’s the third most powerful magic user in the Empire. Her magic is raw, fed by the love she gets from her brood and the Crystal Heart.” The stallion whirled on her, looking hapless. He sputtered, “Cadence, why didn’t you come to me first?” Shining exploded. The princess straightened up, her ears perking forward. “Don’t raise your voice to me, Shining Armor. When was the last time you sat down with your son,” —she poked her husband in the chest with a hoof— “and asked him what he wants to do? Of all the things I can speak to you about freely, your son is the one thing that seems to be a stigma.” Shining roared, “My son is not a stigma!” “Then why, honey, do we confine him within these walls as though it’s a prison?” she asked pointedly, maintaining her calm. “I know you love him. Reign thinks the world of you. Shining, I’m begging you, let him have this. It’s only for a month. Give him a chance to make friends. Give him a chance to play like other colts and fillies.” She did not have to add before it’s too late. The stallion blinked, snorting through this nostrils loudly and showing his displeasure. Shaking his head, he stormed past his wife and out of the bedroom, his tail flicking angrily. “This is a terrible idea, Cadence!” The princess sighed. If there was a sore point in their marriage, it was the constant tugging on how much freedom could be given or taken away from Reign Cloud. It was not fair to the Halfling his life had been reduced to keeping an eye on his condition as though it was a plague threatening to break from its confinement. She followed Shining, not willing to give up quite yet. “It’s about her, isn’t it?” she queried when she caught up to him. “She’s on her way,” he snarled. “Her little war is over and she’s coming to our home and she intends to take my son away from me.” Shining glared at his wife, coming to a dead stop. She stopped with him. “I will not let that happen. She gave up on Reign the moment she abandoned him. I don’t care if she brings an army with her. She is not going to take my boy!” If there had been servants in the quarters of the princess and her family, they would have cringed at the ringing tone in his voice as it echoed seemingly throughout the castle. It was not the Royal Voice, but it was still an impressive display of lung capacity. It was not directed at the mare in question, but clearly demonstrated frustration. The Prince Consort calmed, his anger replaced with fear. “I won’t let her replace you.” Shining Armor gave his wife a look of old guilt. “Not again.” Her resolve melted. “None of that is going to happen. We have changelings who won’t let that happen. Things are different now. We have peace and we have stability. Our subjects would rise up to protect that. They also love their prince. This will be an opportunity for them to meet and get to know the prince they only read about. No queen is going to get close to him. Eyes will always be on our son, Shining.” The stallion regarded his wife with a flat stare. “You want to use him as bait, don’t you?” His voice cracked with disbelief. “Elements of the Third Crystal Legion can watch him,” she replied evenly, even insisting. “The best we have. I want you to assemble a team of twenty ponies to watch our son day and night without impeding him nor those within the house he will be staying in.” She sighed, nuzzling her husband pleadingly. “I love Reign as though he were my own. He is my own! You know that. But this is an opportunity to bring a criminal to justice. She’s not interested in you nor me. She wants Reign.” If it was ever possible to be both infuriated and turned on at the same moment with the very same mare, Shining Armor was experiencing that particular euphoria. A range of emotions played through his eyes, the muscles in his cheeks twitching as his upper lip quivered in rhythm with his flaring nostrils. “How could you?” he hissed, both upset and impressed. She looked away, feeling some guilt. At the same time, she was sure of herself and her decision. “I plan to let Wilda know of the possibility of Chrysalis coming for Reign. He will be watched carefully, Shiny. The idea came to me when I was in Reign’s room last night and trying to come up with a punishment for him. You were too busy at the time entertaining the party’s guests. I want you to supervise the guards.” Cadence stepped closer to the love of her life. “He’s not leaving until tonight and I wanted your approval. Honey, we need to do this as one.” Shining Armor was silent, looking away from his wife. “You need to let your son spread his wings, if even just a little bit,” she pressed gently. “He’s a smart colt, just like his father.” Cadence added a quick lean in and a kiss, stepping closer as she thought she had her husband swayed. “I need you with me on this. We need to bring that changeling queen to justice.” He was having none of it, even going so far as to step broadly away from Cadence. “I am not risking my son,” he said stiffly, his eyes darting about as he sought his words, “for your revenge.” Cadence stiffened, her head coming up as she bore round, disbelieving eyes. “Re-revenge?” she sputtered. “Shining Armor, this has nothing to do with revenge. Besides, I told Reign after dinner what I thought was going to happen. He thinks it’s a great idea.” “You what?! Cadence, it’s a very bad idea! Of course he’s going to think of it as some grand adventure.” The stallion waved both his forehooves over his head for emphasis, sitting on his haunches as he did so. Cadence smiled at him patiently. She had indeed given Reign Cloud her thoughts his birth mother might make a play for him, but she gave him a vastly sterilized version. The princess had a very strong suspicion harming Reign was the last thing on the queen’s mind. Mare’s intuition told her it was a mother coming for her lost foal, even if she was an evil, soul-sucking monstrous succubus. “Shiny, think about it. You’ve read the same reports I have. She’s a mother, despite all the other things we have on her. She is first and foremost that. She has been fighting for him. If she was anything other than the monster we know her to be…” She looked away, biting her lower lip as fear dance through her eyes in a flash. The stallion sighed, frustrated as he understood what his wife was trying to do. Part of him even applauded the audacity of her plan even as he seethed at the mere suggestion of his son being used as bait to lure the same creature which still gave him nightmares. Shining Armor had accepted the changelings under his care and living in his city, though never to the extent of his beloved wife. The Princess of Love embraced her chitin-covered subjects, having progressed past her experience and the fears that had grown from it. But this… “No,” he said flatly, noting how her encouraging smile had grown a bit more as he had pondered. “No,” Shining repeated, shaking his head sadly and with conviction. “Please, Shiny, won’t you trust me?” Cadence poured out the full force of her love and unleashed it upon her husband, complete with pouting lips and large, glistening eyes shaped by her disheveled mane and splayed ears. “It will break his heart if you say no.” The conversation had carried over to their living room. It was comfortably furnished from local businesses a visitor might find in any upper middle class home. There were two large, mismatching overstuffed chairs facing a cold hearth. Shining climbed up into his favorite reading chair. It was a plush and ugly thing that had once belonged to his father Night Light. His sire had upgraded to something newer and Shining was quick to ask if he could have the old chair. Sitting in it now made him feel every bit the father he had hoped to be, though now a decision hung over his head, having been suddenly sprung upon him like a bucket of ice water. Right now, he was in need of ice water for a completely different reason. The Prince Consort was also upset and his mind was whirling. Cadence remained where she had been, making nary a movement as her eyes and ears were locked on him. She held her breath as she waited for her husband to do something other than stare at the empty fireplace. Once she realized no answer was forthcoming anytime soon, the princess adjusted her wings, mentally noting she must look a mess. She announced her intentions of a shower and begged her husband one more time to agree with her before disappearing from the room. Unlike the living quarters she shared quietly and in private with family, the large and very ornate bath had four mares already waiting for her. The attendants were all young and pretty and well trained to serve their mistress with sufficient care and ready smiles. Though Cadence had grown up in an environment far from the opulence of the nobility and shied away for the most part from flaunting her wealth and power, she did like being pampered. It gave her a chance to think while she chatted with the girls. She knew them perhaps as well as Twilight knew her five closest friends. On top of that, she was beginning to think she should have let him finish before telling him her idea. Perhaps that was the one thing that made her plan backfire. Her maids agreed with her, trying very hard to conceal their tittering smiles. With a quick question, she sent off one of her ponies to send for breakfast. The mood to make it herself had fallen away thanks to Shining Armor’s reaction. She didn’t care what it was, so long as it was simple and something to soothe her troubled husband’s mind. Cadence supposed as she soaked in the tub he was more shocked at her suggestion for the simple reason he did not think of it himself. She sighed as it occurred to her her idea might come across as cold and calculating. It bothered her mightily even thinking about it, but she honestly did want Reign to experience the world beyond castle for an extended amount of time. She allowed herself to be distracted as the mares ministering to her went over her daily schedule. Cadence had yet to tab a personal secretary, preferring to rotate ponies through the position in an effort to get to know them a little more on a personal level. It also helped her to show no preference, even though some ponies were far better at the job than others. Given those facts, it made things interesting at times. Aunt Celestia had her own royal secretary and still clung some of the more hereditary positions most ascribed to Equestria’s casted past. Aunt Luna had one, too, but she found the best way to put her own past behind her was to embrace the modern methods of acquiring employees to her personal staff. None were of noble birth. Cadence was determined to find a pony to fit the role eventually, but she continually put it off as there always seemed to be something more important to deal with. Cadence had always thought it odd Luna would be more readily adapt to the present than her elder sister, considering the dark alicorn had a gap of a thousand years to get caught up on. She exited the water and was dried off, lost in her own thoughts. Her maids read her mood and remained silent, doing their duties and offering encouraging smiles to their gentle princess. No, Shining wasn’t wrong, she had to admit. Making a decision as impactful as this one without her husband’s input had been an impulse. Reign Cloud had tugged at her heart, though not in the way he had hoped. The result was the half baked proposition Cadence had spent most of the waking hours before sleep mulling through. Try as she might, she simply could not figure out how exactly to lay out the trap for the changeling queen without Shining. He was the strategist of the family, after all. Cadence did everything else. The princess intended to follow through with her plan, even if Shining was against it. She would rather he be in on the plan. Like it or not, she had to put her subjects before her family. It was a simple fact and it left a horrible taste in her mouth. But it could be done with little danger to the half breed colt she held near and dear to her heart. Reign took after her, emulated her. He even had her temper, but not her temperament. Part of being the Alicorn of Love made Cadence to be a creature of emotions. In some ways, it could be claimed a changeling like Chrysalis could be considered the polar opposite of the princess. “A late start,” she told a mauve Crystal pony by the name of Snow Song. “Delay court an hour and inform the captain of the guard, if you please.” Cadence needed time to compose herself and see Reign before one last look upon her husband. “Yes, milady,” chirped the pony, bowing slightly. Cadence hated being bowed at in private. It still made her uncomfortable. Celestia had once told her some ponies would never feel that relaxed the the presence of a princess. Unless the princess lived in Ponyville. Twilight was lucky, Cadence mused. Though the current ruler of the Crystal Empire would be coronated as Empress within five years, the day after the empire would withdraw as protectorate of Equestria and give the tiny nation a chance to stand on its own. The rebuilding of the infrastructure had progressed smoothly and the crystal ponies had come to embrace their new princess as though she were their own. They insisted she become their empress as they needed that comfort after the tyranny of their last king. Unfortunately, Cadence realized she had made a mess of things between herself and her husband. Even worse, if he were to put his hoof down and say no to her idea, Reign Cloud would be upset with his father and paint the Prince Consort out to be the villain. Cadence did not want that at all. She bit her lip time and time again, lost in thought as she was primped and prepared for the day. The one thing she did not want to do was alienate her husband. She did not want to break the trust she had with him. Shining was the most wonderful stallion in her life and trusted her as much as she trusted him. Things would work out. They had to work out. Even if Reign had to be disappointed. Still, there was the clear and present danger a changeling like Chrysalis presented to all nations. Now that her war was over, Cadence carried a tremendous fear the queen would rest long enough to recover her armies before trying to do to some other poor nation what she attempted with Equestria. The remaining maids finished dressing Cadence and arranging her mane in free flowing style she preferred. The princess sat patiently while her crown and torc were placed upon her. With a spritz or two of perfume, she thanked and dismissed the girls and went back to her private quarters. “Shining?” she asked, wondering if he had even moved from the chair she had last seen him occupying. She was surprised to find he had already bathed and was dressed in his typical uniform bearing the crest of the Crystal Empire instead of his old Equestrian one. He did not look at her nor did he offer any form of greeting, instead concentrating on an official-looking paper in one hoof while sipping on a cup of coffee. He had re-occupied his seat as she had left him an hour before. There was time yet to speak to him. “Please talk to me,” her voice called out. “I have a meeting with Emerald Spire today,” he said offhandedly, not looking up. An ear did swivel to the sound of her voice. “She might be the backer this city needs to get that hoofball team at long last.” The stallion sounded as though he was speaking more to himself than to his wife. "I'm not sure about the others. Gotta figure out who's trying to position themselves. Business and politics. I hate them both. It was easier just being a soldier." “Shining…” Slowly, her husband turned his head to look at her, his blue eyes coolly regarding her though they flickered with raw hurt. “I’ll go along with your idea,” he said after a painful moment of silence between the two. “But we do this my way. If there is so much as a sniff of a threat against my son, I am calling the whole thing off and scrubbing the mission.” The proclamation hurt Cadence. Shining had used ‘my’ instead of ‘our’. She would have preferred to have been called into a battle of honor against a certain changeling queen with now weapons and no magic. A shiver, cold and unforgiving ran down her spine as she also registered the disappointment in every word uttered by her beloved husband. She might have been the ruler of a nation, but she was still a wife to the only stallion she could ever love. “I met Miss Spire yesterday, just as Reign retired from the party. She seems like a nice mare,” he went on as though his previous statement had been given in an alternate reality. “Noon is when the appointment with her and the others are. I’ll be taking Reign with me. He’s been interested in seeing how business works. You can come and listen to her proposal or not. I know you don’t think of hoofball as an important asset to this nation as I do, but it would help with international exposure. The local businesses could benefit from a professional team.” “I’m sorry, Shiny,” Cadence whispered. He returned to reading the document. “I’m over it,” came the obvious lie. Cadence decided to give her husband space. She was not at all happy with the outcome. A sigh escaped her lips as she turned and nibbled absently on the light breakfast laid out on the kitchen table by the discreet staff. Solace was taken in noticing some of the food had been picked at, so at least Shining did force himself to have something. The princess herself ate half a slice of toast and drank some orange juice before stepping out of her quarters to face the world of royal politics. The hotel conference room on the second floor of the Crystal Comfort awaited the potential backers of Prince Consort Shining Armor’s prospective hoofball team. They numbered a mere dozen. But these were some of the wealthiest sapient beings, each one a mogul in his or her own right. Some came from old money, others had worked their hooves to the bone to earn every bit they possessed. They dressed semi formally, as Shining Armor insisted on a relaxed atmosphere to help promote a common goal. It had been a long and mostly tedious journey for the Prince Consort. Projects like inspecting the massive colosseum had led to the city hosting the Equestria Games, which in turn led to several other pressing needs to ensure the massive stadium could be considered safe. It had barely passed the first barrage of inspections. After the Games, funds and material were allocated for safety and modernization. Everything that could be squeezed out of the population had been done within reason. Shining Armor noted his wife had drawn a line in the sand, firmly telling him she would not tax her subjects over a silly sports team. Hence the idea of getting financial backers to chip in the sorely needed bits. Reign Cloud had come with his father, as he too had a love of hoofball. His father had instilled within the young colt the need to know how the little things are required to make the big picture come into focus. No mention of the conversation in regards to Wilda or Chrysalis had been made, nor had Reign made an attempt to bring the subject up. Cadence had warned him to not speak of it until his father was good and ready. The colt wanted to bombard his father with questions, wanting the answer yesterday, as of the same moment when his mother had proposed the idea to him. As it was, he behaved himself, his excitement and nerves combining to stave off his usual grumpy nature. Though most colts his age would find the business of owning a sports team a boring prospect, he found the devil in the details fascinating, even if he could not quite grasp anything past the fundamentals. There were numbers to crunch, markets to research, estimates to be made, remade, and scrapped only to start all over again when new information became available. The whole project changed with the demographics of not only the Crystal Empire, but the growing popularity of hoofball itself as a professional sport. Introductions were made, as it was decided all parties interested in a possible investment should sit to lunch before discussing business. It would give a chance for prospective backers to get to know others who shared interest in the current issue to be discussed. There had been other meetings in the past, other investors having come and gone since Shining Armor began stumbling into the world of large scale business decisions. So long as Reign Cloud remained quiet and observant, he would be allowed to stay, despite the bemused looks from those who had gathered and took note of the smallest participant. His father was worried his son’s aches and pains would inevitably take over his self restraint. Shining determined if he noticed so much as a twitch of attitude from Reign, the colt would be removed from the meeting. Reign was told quite plainly this as his father a bit more gruff and perhaps a tad overprotective (Cadence had once assured Reign his father had been the same way about his sister when she was Reign’s age). The conference table was set for lunch. It was large and round, easily able to seat up to twenty ponies. It was cut out in the middle with an opening for the wait staff to dart in and out with food and drink. Reign took the time to observe the eleven other members of the group, noting how they interacted with each other and reading body signals. Of course, he could not help but read their emotions, himself remaining as still and small as possible so he might attract less attention to himself. Sitting next to his father helped, as Shining Armor was almost as good at drawing attention through sheer presence as Cadence was. From his left to his right, Reign took note of a massive minotaur by the name of Bull-neck. It was not a very impressive name, considering it was a direct translation from one of the thirty-seven tribal dialects, all of which had to be distinct in the pronunciation with each specific tribe, only to have more or less the same meaning in Equestrian. Bull-neck was of late-middle age, had squinting eyes and covered in graying black fur. His ivory colored horns were short and polished, each tip bearing a gold cap adorned with jewels. A thin link of gold chain connected the two, dangling a large ruby between the bull’s eyes. He towered a head and a half over Shining and had an infectious and toothy grin. As was custom, he wore a white toga with a blue sash bearing his family’s ancestral name. The colt felt from the minotaur nothing malicious, nor anything remotely suggesting anything ulterior. Next was a pair of zebra, business partners who owned a shipping company. Zedan and Zekiel wore suits made by the finest clothiers and were rumored to never wear the same suit twice. They took turns speaking, yet were not brothers. Their interest in Shining Armor’s proposal was the prestige that came with owning a franchise. The trick was to make it a winning one. They wanted to back a winner and right away, making no secret of their desire the moment Reign had first laid eyes on them. They seemed nice, if a bit skittish. They whispered a lot to each other and Reign felt as though they were expecting to be tricked into...something. Was it doubt? Reign was unsure. Next was the only mare in the group: Emerald Spire. She was a retired fashion model who owned her own clothing line and invested abroad in several different markets. The black unicorn was often away on personal business and owned one of the largest buildings in Manehatten. Reign could swear she kept on looking at him, but whenever he dared to chance a quick look at her, she was either speaking with one of the others or his father. He was mesmerized not by her pearly false eye, but by her remaining functioning orb. She always seemed to catch him staring and seemed to wink at him. It was hard to tell if it was a wink or a blink, but Reign was sure she was aware of him staring. It made him blush furiously. She was completely unreadable, if not amused. The mare was cool and collected. Reign sensed she was holding something back. What it was completely eluded him. Confused, he went to the other guests seated at the table. The young colt’s mind swirled as he fumbled with his concentration, almost forgetting the names of the other nine. They were all nobles from Canterlot, the only one of note Fancy Pants. He was nice and felt trustworthy. The others were there in hopes of hobnobbing with Princess Cadence or getting some sort of arrangement with her for their own political gains. Their greed was as plain as day to Reign. He was mindful of his lessons in hiding his disdain for those. The taste he was getting from the greed in the air ruined his already small appetite. “Is something wrong?” his father asked him when he noticed Reign picking at his cucumber and swiss sandwich. Shining had bent over and spoke into his son’s ear, his voice carrying softly. Reign blinked, his eyes flickering towards the sources in a nervous sweep. “I don’t know, Poppa,” he replied honestly, still unsure as to what he was feeling. “I think there are some bad ponies in this room.” Shining pulled back, his gaze level as he went over his son’s words. “I know,” he said quietly before turning to engage one of the nobles Reign didn’t like in polite conversation. Bull-neck tried to engage the colt in small talk, asking the usual questions adults pose to children when they think they’re not all that intelligent. Well, for minotaurs, children were not worthy of intelligent conversation until they were blooded in battle. Reign could never wrap his mind around the logic of that belief. The bipedal minotaur was weird enough as it was walking around on two legs and not four. How weird was that? After lunch, the table was cleared and papers were brought and and placed before each prospective investor. Shining Armor led the group through the essential information and invited them to peruse the latest and most updated rundown of what it was going to take to financially get the ball rolling on his dream. Seven years of work had been condensed to bound and individualized sets of papers sixty plus pages thick. Each sheet of paper bore the fruits of countless rewrites, statistics, analysis, population growth, median incomes, estimated costs, labor, etc.. It was mind boggling to say the least. The cost of gathering the information was in the millions, mostly from a certain pair of monarchs who had a lot of money to burn. The yearly updates and adhering to the requests from prospective investors (within reason) had cost more. But thankfully the last complete scrapping of the proposal had been three years ago when there had been a breakthrough of sorts and the Crystal Stadium’s availability avoided the vast money sink Shining Armor’s dream was threatening to become. Celestia and Luna were silent partners, of course. Their involvement was kept a secret, mostly due to the simple fact immortal alicorns did not own sports teams. While the adults discussed the papers, Reign dutifully began to doodle in his as the excitement he had carried with him had left with his half eaten sandwich. He was bored, slumped over the table at an angle while he tried to draw an eye as realistically as possible. The adults kept on talking about the same thing, but using different words and tones. Each speaker vented his or her concerns and points, which in turn would start an argument. Reign found some of the underlying hostility among some of the group unsettling, which made him withdraw further into himself. Then, he felt an odd tingle, almost like a breath of a caress against his mind. He tried to feel out who was doing it... She was staring at him again. His head jerked up, his pencil falling out of his mouth as he glared in the general direction of Emerald Spire, only to find she appeared deeply engrossed in hearing whatever topic Fancy Pants was discussing with the group. Reign nudged his father with a prodding hoof. “Poppa?” Shining had been speaking to some nameless, rich noble Reign never bothered to remember the name of. The stallion needed an urgent poke in his ribs before he begged a pardon from the noble born fop (Reign was getting into one of his moods by now) and noted the played ears and wide eyes of his son. “What is it?” he asked, his patience beginning to fray. “I brought you here because it’s what you wanted.” “Miss Spyre is kinda creepy, Poppa,” Reign managed quietly. Sighing, the father bent towards the son. He said, “Stop staring at her false eye, Reign. That’s very rude. You should know better. She lost her eye in an accident years ago. It forced her to retire from modeling.” Shining sorely missed having Cadence. She had wanted to be here, but the argument earlier this morning had nixed her presence. “It’s not that,” Reign began, ruffling his feathers nervously. “I keep feeling like she’s staring at me. It’s really creepy.” Eyes flicked about the table. A few heads had turned towards the slight commotion. “Son, keep your voice down,” Shining said. Then he became concerned. “Are you having an episode?” The little prince frowned, fidgeting with his holed hooves. “I...I don’t know, poppa. I’m not tired. I’m bored. I’m bored and she’s staring at me.” He kept his voice very quiet, almost dropping to a mumble. “She scares me.” Shining sighed and leaned in to give his son a nuzzle. “Do you want to be somewhere else?” he asked. Reign grew a smile. He knew what his father meant. “Is it that thing momma said I could do?” At least he hoped it was. Shining nodded, mentally reminding himself to admit his wife was right. “Your mother and I discussed it. How about you spend the rest of the day at Maggie’s house? Would you like that?” A conspiratorial grin slowly etched across the elder pony’s muzzle. “You mean, I can go? Honest?” “Yes. Your mother and I had a...talk and I’ve had time to think on it. I will allow it on some conditions.” Shining lifted his head and motioned one of the guards over to him. The Crystal pony approached and awaited orders. “Take the prince home. He is needed by the princess.” To Reign he smiled and said, “Your mother will help you with what you’ll need. I need to finish up here. Okay?” “Is the prince unwell?” called out one of the guests. It was Fancy Pants. “He will be fine,” assured Shining Armor. “My guests, Prince Reign Cloud will be leaving us,” he announced. “He has duties to see to.” He ruffled his suddenly embarrassed son’s mane with a hoof. Emerald Spire sighed. “D’aww! That is too bad,” commented the unicorn mare with a smile. Bull-neck spoke in a voice like a rumbling volcano. “He’s a cute fellah,” he drawled, offering a toothy grin. “Ya got a good kid there, Armor. Kinda puny, but a good kid.” Reign shrank from being the focus of all eyes in the room. “Nice meeting all of you,” he managed courteously. Hopping down from his seat, he waved a hoof goodbye and followed the guard out of the room. Shining Armor decided he was going to have to get an “I’m sorry” bouquet on the way home for his wife. He hated being mad at her and he found she did have a good point. Maybe a box of chocolates, too. Cadence loved chocolates. As soon as the door was closed and his son was away, Shining went back to work, having decided half those gathered in the room were not really going to commit. Steeling himself, he began to lay out the questions and force the hooves of those gathered. “Well,” spoke the only female in the room. “You have worked very hard on this, Prince Armor.” Emerald tilted her head to one side as she indicated her personalized information. “Those under your employ did well. I am impressed, though a lot of the details escape me. Forgive me for not being a fan of the sport. However, I do believe this would be a sound investment. Ten percent ownership will recoup my financial contributions within five years, if my math is correct.” “Thank you. A lot of ponies worked very hard to give their best. The Crystal Empire wants to join the professional ranks and I intend to keep that promise I made. Ponies like you help get my nation closer to that goal. A bit of national pride goes a long way.” Shining grinned unabashedly. Now he just needed to weed out those who were just looking to gain his wife’s ear. An hour later, Wilda received an urgent message from a royal courier in her shop. As she sat behind her counter, she unfolded the letter, breaking the wax seal bearing Princess Cadence’s crystal heart. She read it, smiled and neatly refolded the letter. “Children!” she called out. There were a few customers in her shop and a few more browsing the green house in back. A donkey was perusing the petunias. The chaotic sound of her brood leaping at her command was music to her ears as changelings suddenly appeared seemingly out of the woodwork. Her smallest ones were already nearby, never straying far from the broodmother’s legs. A hatchling a few days old slept in her pouch beneath Wilda’s belly, its head poking out. Solid blue eyes looked upon her expectantly, awaiting their mother’s commands like a small army willing to take an entrenched enemy with no reservations. Wilda rewarded them with love from the tip of her horn to theirs. They were very prompt today and none had caused any trouble at school. Everyling before her had good grades and obeyed their mother. The big mare did not put up with nonsense. “When we close shop tonight, I want this place spic and span! Nary a speck of dust! Do you all hear me? Maggie? Where are you, child?” The changeling filly that seemed more mane than changeling popped up excitedly, her wings lifting her up like cork from the bottom of a bucket of water. “Is he coming, mama? Is he? Reign is coming?” her chittering little voice squeaked in her excitement. Her adopted brothers and sisters collectively rolled their eyes at her. Chuckling, Wilda nodded. “Indeed he is.” She grew a little more stern. “I want all of you to mind your manners. A prince will be staying with us. A changeling prince. Never mind him being a pony prince. This is the first born of a queen.” Wilda inflected a heavy dose of pride in her voice. She did not mention he was the prince of her former queen. “Clean this place up. I’ll make something special for all of us for supper tonight as a reward. Do I make myself clear?” “Yes, Momma,” came the reply in the form of stacked voices. Her eyes that missed nothing swept over them slowly. “You all will be on your best behavior, yes?” “Yes, Momma.” “All right, then,” she arched a brow and broke into a loving grin. “Come here and give your momma some love!” Wilda suddenly found herself in the middle of a swarming ball of changeling nymphs of varying ages smothering her with hugs and kisses. She did the best she could to return each and every affection before shooing them away in a rare display of playfulness. She had a shop to run. A donkey had watched the whole thing with a bemused expression. “How do you do it, lady?” he asked, munching on rose petals. A hoof went to the bulge in her pouch. At her touch, the sleeping nymph within snuggled into a tighter ball. “This is the best part of being a changeling, raising nymphs,” she retorted, noting with narrowing eyes he was munching on her inventory. A brief and awkward pause followed. Finally, she noted, “I do not approve of snacking on my product in my store that is unpaid for.” He realized what he had been doing. “Oops…” “Will that be bit, credit or check?” she asked professionally, a perforated hoof hovering over her cash register. A predatory smile formed across her lips, exposing her delightful fangs.