“I'm so sick of this shit,” I grumble as I walk with Rainbow on our way to one of the camps. My mood has dropped like a rock since hearing Gale's report. I'm pissed off. I knew that there was a chance that I would be going into battle, but I was just starting to feel like everything was okay, and now that fucking necromancer can't mind his own goddamn business.
“Sick of what?” Rainbow questions, moving to press herself up against me. I can't help but smile a little when feel her brushing against my side. She always does this. I don't even think she realizes she does it, but I appreciate it nonetheless.
“This. Battle. I'm a goddamn college student, or I was,” I reply, once again finding myself missing the college experience. I bet if Rainbow were back at college with me, she and Amaryllis would butt heads constantly because of how similar they are. You know, after Amaryllis finished having an aneurysm because there was a technicolor talking pony in front of her. “I never intended to be a soldier back then, and it's certainly not fun now. I'm not built for this!”
“What are you talking about? You have muscles!” Rainbow points out, jabbing my abs with her hoof. She then proceeds to add with a blush. “Pretty nice ones too.”
“Not by choice. But that isn't the point. Why can't this necromancer shove his undead army up his ass and leave us alone?” I rage, hardly noticing the compliment Rainbow paid me. “Ugh.”
“Aw, it isn't that bad. We can save the Crystal Empire and beat up a few bad guys before heading home,” Rainbow disagrees, shadow boxing the air with her two front hooves. “It doesn't get much better than that. Plus, the princesses are here.”
“I'll give you that last one. Hopefully Celestia will wreck whoever it is, and then we can go home,” I mutter. “We never even told Vinyl or Octavia that we were leaving.”
“Oh shoot, that's right. I completely forgot about them,” Rainbow admits sheepishly. “We'll get Twilight to send a letter. But before that...food! I'm starving!”
“So you've said,” I remark. With that, Rainbow and I fall into a comfortable silence.
As we near one of the camps, I notice that she keeps moving her head to look up at me. Every time I try to catch her eye, she noticeably blushes and looks down at the street, confusing me. Uh...the hell?
“You know, in case you hadn't noticed, we're together now,” I say with a raised eyebrow. Rainbow looks back at me in surprise, not expecting the random statement. “Why do you keep doing that?”
“Doing what?” Rainbow asks, looking rather shifty.
“Blushing,” I answer bluntly. Rainbow's blush returns as if on cue. She growls at me in response.
“I..I'm not blushing. What are you talking about?” Rainbow demands, even though she totally is. Okay, I'm confused further now, and it's getting annoying. Rainbow squeaks in surprise when I suddenly stop and turn to her. I reach forward and start pinching her faintly blushing cheeks.
“What do you call this then!? I can fucking see it plain as day!” I demand, even as Rainbow starts to batter my chest and face with her front hooves. “Ow, stop hitting me!”
“'Emme go!” Rainbow protests, until finally I just get sick of her shit and pull her towards me so that she's pressed against my chest with her head over my shoulder. She struggles, but I hold her there with both arms. “Uh....what are you doing?”
“Honestly? No clue. But you're not hitting me now, right?” I retort, resting with my back against the wall of one of the houses. Rainbow rears her head back to look at me, such that I can see that she's still blushing a little. “Aw, you're still blushing.”
“No I'm not,” Rainbow once again denies, even though I can see it getting worse. “Quit teasing me!”
“But it's so much fun, though. Why would I...mmf!” I start to tease her further, but then Rainbow scowls and brings her face to mine and starts to furiously kiss me, shutting me up rather quickly. Taken by surprise, blood flows into my face, heating up my cheeks until I'm sure that I'm the one blushing now.
Hardly able to keep my balance, my back slides down the crystal wall until I'm sitting on the grass, with Rainbow on top of me, her lips silencing any complaint that I might have had. That's fine though. Like this, the only thing I can think of is that I should tease her more often, if it gets her to kiss me as intensely as this.
When the both of us run out of breath, Rainbow pulls head her head back ever so slightly, a triumphant smirk on her face. “Just...be...quiet,” Rainbow orders me softly. I nod breathlessly; I don't mind letting her win in this situation. I can't fucking think, because my mind just got blown.
“Um...excuse me...are you all...” I freeze when I hear another voice, which reminds me that we're practically in the middle of the street. Sure enough, Fluttershy emerges from the path that leads to the camp, likely sent to see what's taking us so long. She comes to a complete stop when she sees Rainbow on top of me. A blush suffuses her soft yellow face in less than a second, and she backpedals away so fast it would be almost funny if I wasn't feeling so embarrassed. “O...Oh...my...I'll just...um...eep!”
“Fluttershy...oh shoot,” Rainbow emits, watching the mare disappear around the corner. “Now look what you made me do.”
“I didn't make you do anything. You're the one that decided to kiss me in the middle of the street,” I point out, laughing despite the situation. The look on Fluttershy' face when she noped out of here...snrk. And Rainbow is still on top of me, looking like a school filly frightened of getting told on. “Seriously though, what had you all flustered?”
“Um...nothing really. It was just Rarity being stupid,” Rainbow admits, hopping off of my chest and letting me return to my feet. “She kept saying these things...they were a bit embarrassing.”
“Embarrassing to you? They must have been pretty bad then,” I remark, earning a shove from her. Honestly, I don't think I want to know what Rarity said. To make Rainbow blush like that...well, let's just say that the proper ones are usually the most repressed, if you catch my drift.
Whatever. Can we just go eat now before Fluttershy tells them everything?” Rainbow urges me, flying ahead. I have to break into a jog just to keep up with her. Sheesh, this mare cares too much about appearances. Besides, I don't think Fluttershy is one to spread rumors.
The two of us enter the camp and pass through an aisle between tents until we reach the center clearing, where it looks like a meal is already being made. Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack, and a still blushing Fluttershy are seated around a campfire with plates set out before them. In addition to them, Captain Blades and Commander Rose are there as well. Rose is seated next to Fluttershy, while Blades looks like he's giving Applejack a hard time.
Upon our arrival, they all look up. In particular, a smirk crosses Rarity's face, causing dread to seep through me. Oh no... “Oh, you didn't need to hurry on our account, darling,” Rarity remarks, noticing that we arrived in a rush. “I'm sure there's more important things on your mind, after all.”
“Yup! Ah'm sure there's plenty o' rooms available, if you're hurtin' fer privacy,” Applejack teases, releasing a guffaw at her own joke a few seconds later.
“Goddammit, Fluttershy!” I curse, giving the shy pegasus an accusing stare. Fluttershy eeps and hides behind her mane, covering her face with her wings.
“I'm sorry...” she emits softly, leaning into a reticent Rose. Yeah, I doubt she's really sorry.
“Were you two doing the naughty?” Pinkie accuses us with a bright grin on her face. Oh god, the way she said that makes me want to crawl in a hole somewhere and die. “In the middle of the street? You're so brave!”
“N-No! Not even close! Be quiet, Pinkie!” Rainbow snaps, her face as red as a strawberry. Of course, this only causes Pinkie to giggle and snort. Throughout all of this, Blades is roaring with laughter, clutching his chest with a hoof.
“How's that fer a welcome? Who knew you had a sweetheart of yer own, Seth?” Blades emits, much to my annoyance. He wipes a tear from his eye and composes himself, taking another portion of stew from the pot over the fire. “Ah, to be young again.”
“Yeah, all of you shut the fuck up,” I retort, sitting next to Fluttershy. Rainbow sits next to me, thoroughly embarrassed. While seeing her like this is funny as hell, I'm caught in the crossfire as well, thanks to a certain pegasus over here. In fact... “Fluttershy...”
“Y...Yes? How can I...eep!” Fluttershy suddenly squeaks when I poke her in the side, pushing her on her side.
“Rainbow! Revenge time, are you in?” I call as Fluttershy struggles to rise. Rainbow notices my hands shaped like claws hovering just above Fluttershy's belly, and she understands what I'm going to do immediately. Rainbow adopts an evil grin and joins me in tickling the absolute shit out of Fluttershy. “Maybe this'll teach you to keep your nose out of our business!”
“Eep! Oh...oh my...aah, I'm sorry! Help me!” Fluttershy giggles helplessly beneath our combined assault. All the while, the other ponies seated around the fire chuckle as well.
A few minutes later, the lot of us are seated around the fire, chatting amongst ourselves and eating the stew that apparently Rose made for us. Rose is mostly quiet this whole time, oddly enough, because she usually has a lot to say.
However, I unfortunately have to put this calm time to an end. “Blades,” I say, getting the captain's attention. “Did you get the message from the Stealth Corps yet?”
Blades's smile drops, and he nods seriously. “I did. That necromancer has dropped off the intel grid, as well as the rest of his undead,” he reveals. The other ponies, hearing that, immediately drop their conversations and pay close attention. “It looks like we may be seein' some action after all.”
“Let's hope not. There are far too many civilians to protect if we're attacked now,” Rose responds, speaking up for the first time since I've been here. “There's no way to evacuate them, either. There's nothing for miles except for snowy wasteland. They won't last out there.”
“Ah don't mind knockin' a few undead heads if they get too close,” Applejack promises, scuffing the ground and flexing her impressive leg muscles. “Though ah ain't seen an undead before.”
“They're very difficult to fight,” Blades reveals, closing his eyes. “They're terrifying, and won't stay down after ya knock 'em good. Ya gotta practically tear 'em apart to keep 'em outta the fight.”
“I...I d-don't think I want to see an un-undead,” Fluttershy squeaks, her teeth chattering. Of course, Fluttershy would probably wet her legs if she ever saw an Oppressed up close. And I recall that the necromancer has a lot of those at its command.
“Come now, there's still a chance that we aren't their target,” Rarity attempts to reassure us, even though I know that's not fucking likely. That necromancer wants me dead. I don't know why that is, but I could feel that killing intent when I saw it in the ruins. Judging from the look Blades gives me, I think he and I are in agreement as far as that goes. The only thing left to be determined now is where and when it'll attack.
“Perhaps. But it is best to be prepared, nevertheless,” Rose reminds Rarity. “To us, you are still civilians. If we are attacked, it would be best if you all withdraw.”
“What? And let the undead run all over the Crystal Empire?” Applejack retorts, offended that Rose would even suggest that. “Ah don't think so. Ah was there at the changeling invasion. Ah kin handle mahself!”
“Me too! What am I gonna do with my streamer cannon if I have to run away?” Pinkie adds, whipping out said cannon from fucking nowhere. My eyes bug out upon spotting this. The surprised question forms on my tongue, but I decide not to ask. It's not like I ever got an answer the past few times I questioned Pinkie on her bullshit. Blades quirks an eyebrow, but he doesn't say anything either. Considering I saw him floating in midair tied to a bunch of balloons back in the changeling invasion, I think he knows how she is.
Rarity and Fluttershy look at one another, both of them probably realizing that they're not exactly cut out for combat. They wisely remain silent, waiting to see how Rose would respond to Pinkie and Applejack.
“Heh, I didn't ferget,” Blades remarks, giving Rose a meaningful look. “It's their choice. If they want to fight with us, that's their prerogative.”
“But...!” Rose starts to protest, but Blades doesn't let her continue.
“Of course, I'm not gonna let 'em go into battle like they did in Canterlot,” Blades assures Rose, and then he fixes both Applejack and Pinkie with a stern stare. “If y'all really want to fight, I'll take ya to the armory tent after yer done eatin' and get y'all set up with some armor.”
“Oh, you mean I get to look like one of you!?” Pinkie exclaims with glee. Blades nods, causing Pinkie to let out a squeal. “Yippee! Pinkie Pie is best soldier!”
“Aw yeah, I should get kitted up in some awesome armor too! I'll be like commander Hurricane again!” Rainbow declares, shadow-boxing the air next to me. Yeah, armor is a good idea for those who can't use magic to protect themselves like me.
“That's probably a good idea. Ah can't dodge all the time,” Applejack admits. “Dunno how I feel puttin' on somethin' that maht slow me down, though.”
“You'll get used to it,” Blades assures her. With that, the group falls silent as we all contemplate the hard times that may lie ahead. However, Rarity soon causes another discussion to spring up, only this time it's about something more trivial...such as her intended dress line and how she intends to make one for all of the mares here. Including Rose, who looks none too thrilled about the idea.
Finally, we all start to finish up our meals. Fluttershy and Rarity excuse themselves first, deigning to return to the Crystal Tower and find someplace to stay. That just leaves the four of us. However, I don't really feel like sitting around watching them get dressed in armor.
“I'm headed back to the tower as well,” I say as Rainbow, Applejack, and Pinkie start to follow Blades. When Rainbow looks back at me, I give her a slight smile. “I'll pick us out a room and I'll find you when you come back, okay?”
Rainbow nods and I think that's the end of it...but then I notice the grins on Applejack's and Pinkie's faces. Oh no. “Ah sure hope them crystal beds are big enough fer the both o' ya,” Applejack comments, nudging Rainbow playfully. Rainbow's responds is to blush, hilariously enough.
“I hope the crystal walls are soundproof! Otherwise we're gonna have a bad time tonight!” Pinkie teases as well, causing Rainbow to turn beet red at the implications her friends are making.
“That's it! Smacking you both!” Rainbow yells, and then she flies around and bonks Pinkie's and Applejack's heads together, while Blades roars with laughter in front of them. I shake my head, feeling a slight blush myself as I watch them go. Why do I hang with these fucking ponies again?”
Oh yeah, because I'd be dead if it weren't for all of them.
I finally reach the outpost at the base of the Crystal Tower. The guards let me through readily enough, as they know well who I am by this point.
Luna appears to be in command down here, as she is standing in the center along with Commander Iron and a few other guards, giving them orders. Upon spotting me, she gives me a terse nod, then returns to her business. There's no sign of Celestia down here, so I guess she's inside the tower.
I pass through the same door Twilight and Cadance took earlier, entering the Crystal Tower for the first time. The first thing I come across is a spiral staircase made from glimmering slabs of crystal. I have to climb it to reach the main area of the tower, so I sigh and run up them at a jog until I reach a doorway that opens out into a much larger room made with several different styles and colors of crystals. Guards are moving to and from the different hallways, busy with their appointed tasks.
“Christ, whoever invented this place must have had a serious fetish for crystals,” I remark to myself, standing in the doorway and looking around. However, doing such attracted the attention of one of the ponies that was nearby.
“That's certainly an odd way of putting it, but you wouldn't be wrong.” I turn to see Princess Cadance approaching me. Thankfully, she's by herself, with Shining Armor nowhere to be seen. “I haven't seen you in a while, Seth.”
“You as well. I haven't had much cause to go to Canterlot recently,” I admit, nodding to her. That's the most respect for her rank that she'll get out of me. “What are you doing here? I understand why Shining Armor would be, but you?”
“Oh, I have a distant relation to the royal family of the Crystal Empire, before King Sombra took over,” Cadance reveals, much to my surprise. Huh, really distant relation, considering that was a thousand years ago. Her fucked up family tree aside, I guess that explains why she's here.
“I see, so if Celestia does take this place as a protectorate, you'll be in charge then?” I ask, putting two and two together.
“Aunt Celestia already told you about that?” Cadance emitted, surprised. I give a nod of confirmation. Say what you will about royalty, but Celestia is very forthcoming to me and the other ponies. You know, at some point I should ask where I stand in regards to this country. I know Twilight is Celestia's personal student, and the others are her friends and thus the Elements of Harmony. Honestly I'm just some guy that popped up in the middle of nowhere who happened to know about a national secret.
“Yeah. I thought it was a pretty reasonable solution to all of this. It's not like these ponies can govern themselves,” I answer. I see Cadance nod in understanding. “By the way, did you hear about the undead?”
“I did...however, unlike my wedding day, we will not be taken off guard,” Cadance responds seriously. Her eyes narrow, and to my surprise, I feel some magical pressure emanating from her body, the likes of which I've only ever felt from Luna and Celestia. “I am not incapacitated, as I was then. If this necromancer attacks, it will be facing three alicorns more than capable of dealing with it.”
“Shit, I didn't peg you for a fighter,” I gasp. Cadance seems to realize what she's doing, so she calms down, smiling sheepishly. Her pressure fades away, such that I can breathe easily again. With that kind of power, I'd put her at around Luna's level, if not a bit higher. As to where she is in comparison to my own power, I can't be certain without seeing for myself. Not that I want to, if I have a choice.
“Sorry. I'm generally not, because I'd much rather spread love to the ponies we govern, but I can be if I need to be,” Cadance reveals. Huh, I suppose I shouldn't be that surprised. I just remember her being completely useless during the changeling invasion, but...I guess that was because she was kept in the caves practically starved for who knows how long. Suddenly, in the middle of my thoughts, Cadance's expression suddenly changes, a bright smile with a hint of smugness in it crossing her face. “Speaking of spreading love, I heard you and Rainbow Dash are an item now!”
Cadance nudges me gently, that grin on her face causing me to let out a sigh that eventually turns into a groan. “Eehh? Am I right? Come on, don't be shy now...” Cadance presses, while giggling at my expense.
“Fucking hell...yes, you were right, and I was in love with Rainbow. Are you happy!?” I snap, burying my face in my hands and wishing I could hide in a closet somewhere away from Cadance's resulting squee of absolute joy.
“Oooh!! This is just perfect! I knew it!” Cadance exults gleefully, practically dancing around me in circles in a fashion not unlike that of Pinkie. “I should have trusted my instincts. I'm never wrong when it comes to love!”
“Yes, yes, can we get past this already?” I groan, starting to get a headache from Cadance's squealing.
“No this is great! I'm so happy for you two. I hope before long we'll be holding another Canterlot wedding!” Cadance exclaims. Her words cause me to freeze, because I hadn't even considered that far into my future. “I'll get Pinkie to plan to reception, but this time I'm setting up the...”
“Fuck, how about we focus on getting through the present first?” I interrupt her, getting tired and rather uncomfortable from dealing with her shit. Cadance somehow manages to calm herself down, though that massive smile doesn't leave her face.
“Yes, of course, you're right,” Cadance admits sheepishly. “In that regard, I was actually on my way to see my aunt. She's meeting with Twilight right now concerning her findings on the Crystal Heart. Would you like to accompany me?”
“Sure. I'm a bit interested into how that's going as well,” I say, and then the two of us start walking through the crystalline room, our feet and hooves clicking on the floor. As we walk, I suddenly notice Cadance's cutie mark, which is coincidentally of a Crystal Heart. The exact same one I saw in the hologram. How did I not notice that before? “I guess you really are a descendant of the royal family. You have the goddamn Crystal Heart on your ass.”
“That's right. I thought it was meant to indicate my skill at spreading love, but it seems it was a dual purpose cutie mark all along,” Cadance relates, eyeing her flank. “It's funny. It's as if fate knew that I would be drawn to this place.”
“Fucking magic,” I grunt, gradually getting used to the fact that nothing in this fucking world makes sense.
Finally, as Cadance and I turn a corner into a hallway, we spot Shining Armor, Twilight, Spike and Celestia standing together at the end of the hall, where a set of double doors were opened inwards. As we draw closer, I can see shelves upon shelves of crystalline books filling the room beyond. This must be the library that Shining Armor mentioned.
Celestia greets the both of us with a nod. She shifts aside to give us some room, but she doesn't say anything as of yet, as she's listening intently to Twilight's words.
“There was nothing in the normal library area. Everything related to the history of the Crystal Empire was locked in a private area in the back of the library. But here, it's all in this book!” Twilight is saying. A book titled “History of the Crystal Empire, vol 4” hangs in midair just in front of her, glowing with the telltale aura of Twilight's magic. “Not only does the Crystal Heart enrich the land, but it protects the entire city with a powerful invisible barrier!”
“That's convenient as hell,” I remark. No wonder the thing is missing. Sombra likely had to execute some sneaky plan in order to take over the city in the first place, so he probably found some way to get rid of it for good.
“If we can find that, we would be safe from the necromancer's assault,” Shining Armor deduces, looking to Celestia for confirmation. Yeah, if we can find it. Who knows where Sombra hid it? “Did you find out where it is?”
“No, but King Sombra would have hid it, right?” Twilight suggests, echoing my thoughts exactly. “It has to be in the tower somewhere. He would have wanted to keep it close.”
“Excellent thinking, dear Twilight,” Celestia compliments her, causing Twilight to beam proudly. “Shining Armor, your orders have not changed. I want you down here preparing for combat and readying the escape route.”
“Yes, your Highness!” Shining Armor responds with a brisk salute. Celestia then returns her gaze to Twilight as the captain departs.
“Twilight, I would like you to act upon your assumptions. You have full reign of the tower, and any resources contained within. If you can find the Crystal Heart, any possible battle will be prevented,” Celestia orders her student. Twilight puffs herself up, looking extremely proud to be given such an important task by her mentor.
Twilight, after acknowledging Celestia's orders, rushes past me. “Hi Seth, I can't talk, important task, gotta go!” Twilight emits frantically, galloping across the crystal floors along with Spike to begin her mission. My head moves to watch her streak by, blinking in bemusement. Damn, that mare can move fast when she needs to. I hope she finds the Crystal Heart. That way the necromancer will get fucking nuked if it tries attacking us.
“Hello there, Seth and Cadance. I apologize I could not greet you when you first arrived,” Celestia says graciously, turning to us next. Heh, I don't even know why I'm here now that Twilight's gone.
“It's no trouble. I know you're extremely busy helping defend the city,” Cadance replies with a respectful nod of her head. Celestia smiles at her understanding. “Do you think the Crystal Heart will really repulse the undead?”
“I will not rule it out, if Twilight believes it to be so,” Celestia answers, showing me just how much faith she has in her student. “However, I will not depend on it. I will stand by my original plan, is it is generally best to prepare for the worst case scenario.”
“Agreed. Though I hope she finds it, because I don't want to go into battle any time soon,” I remark. Celestia nods, understanding my sentiments. Suddenly a thought strikes me. For curiosity's sake, I have to ask. “Any sign of Chrysalis?”
“Fortunately not. According to our agents in Dodge Junction, there's no sign of offensive activity,” Celestia reveals, causing me to sigh in relief. “However, it seems she is biding her time, building up her forces for a future assault. We will be forced to contend with her before long.”
“Figures. This time I'm ready for her, though,” I state firmly. I should have known Chrysalis wouldn't stay peaceful for long. Still, at least we have some time before she attacks. “Anyway, I just came here to see what's up. I'm planning on resting in the meantime.”
“That is a good idea. You should be able to find some rooms on the upper level. Ask any of the guards, and they will be able to point you to an empty room,” Celestia responds. “I'll call for you if anything changes. Cadance, could you stay a little while longer?”
“Of course. I'll see you later then, Seth. Congratulations again on your relationship!” Cadance calls after me as I retreat from the hallway, heading for the nearest staircase.
“Yeah yeah,” I retort, and then I leave the both of them behind. All right, now that I'm on my own, I think I'm going to find a place to lay down, since I've been on my feet practically this whole day. The sun is starting to set, so I feel the need to get settled for today. Hopefully I'll at least have the time for a good night's rest for that necromancer decides to stir up some shit.
I find the closest staircase and ascend to the next level, where Celestia said the rooms would be. Sure enough, I see several hallways pockmarked with doors stretched out before me. Several of them are open, and guards are moving to and from the different rooms. I even think I spot a Wonderbolt or two moving around.
In fact, I quickly run into Soarin, who is only too happy to show me to the nearest empty room, all the while talking my ear off about how psyched he was to be working so closely with the rest of the military.
At long last, I find a room and slip into it, bidding Soarin goodbye and shutting the door behind me. I take a look around at the room, noting with a raised eyebrow that practically everything in the extravagant room is made of crystal. Sheesh, at least they're consistent.
Thankfully, only the bed frame is made from crystal, while the mattress is made out of what I think is silk, but only Rarity would really be able to tell what it actually is. Whatever. At least it's soft. I collapse onto it and let out a relaxed sigh, feeling my body sink into the mattress. I think this room was meant for a noble of some sort, due to its lavish nature and luxurious features. I even think I see a fucking crystal bathtub set into the floor in the other adjoined room.
Despite the fact that I know we could be attacked at any moment, I close my eyes, intending to take a short nap. I soon drift off for some much needed sleep...
...but it doesn't last very long. I don't think I'm even asleep for more than an hour or two before a bunch of ponies come clambering into my room, making as much noise as they fucking can.
“Heehee! Look at me! I'm shiny all the time!” Pinkie's high pitched voice is what I wake up to. I groan and rub my eyes, resolving to beat the shit out of that blasted pink pony as soon as I get up.
“Ah ain't used to this get-up. It's lighter than ah expected, but ah feel a little slower,” Applejack chimes in next. Suddenly I remember why they'd taken so long to get here. I shoot up in my bed and turn to look at them.
Holy shit, it's just like I expected. Rainbow, Applejack, and Pinkie are walking into my room, all three of them decked out in suits of armor.
Applejack has a simple golden plate covering her chest and spreading over her back, as well as golden shoes attached to each of her hooves. Just for stylistic effect, the twine tying her mane and tail at the ends have been replaced with golden clamps. As for the one in her mane, it's positioned a little further up to give her a wilder look. Of course, and she's still wearing her hat. She notices my stare and colors a bit, not used to being seen like this.
In fact, they're all wearing similar armor. Pinkie and Rainbow are both wearing armor colored golden, consisting of the chest and back plates, along with the shoes. I notice that in each of their cases, the chest plate is designed in such a fashion that there's even room for their respective Element of Harmony to be displayed. How the hell did they have the time to set that up?
“What do you think, Seth? I look totally awesome, don't I?” Rainbow proclaims, strutting in front of me in order to show off her armored body. “Come on, don't be shy, I know I look good.”
“Then why did you even ask?” I retort, reaching out and yanking on the breastplate to bring Rainbow over to me. Rainbow yelps and overbalances due to her being unused to the weight of armor. With a grunt, Rainbow falls onto my lap and causes me to fall backwards with a chuckle. “C'mere and quit strutting.”
“Do we need to leave?” Applejack asks with a smirk, eyeing how Rainbow is sprawled over me once more. Rainbow immediately starts scrabbling her hooves, attempting to get off of my lap. In the process she manages to squish a rather sensitive part of me.
“Yowch! Fucking take it easy, Rainbow,” I retort, holding her still, despite her struggling. Applejack chuckles at the reaction she caused.
“Yeah, that's not what you do in his lap!” Pinkie trills, causing all of us to give her incredulous stares, blushes forming on our faces. Pinkie notices the expressions and looks confused. “You're supposed to cuddle! What, did you think I was going to say something else?”
“I hate you so much at times, Pinkie,” I groan, unable to believe that I just got trolled by this fucking pony, whether she was doing it intentionally or not.
“That's good! That means there are times when you like me too! Progress!” Pinkie responds, completely unfazed by my comment. I groan. I don't even with this pony. I think I've said that before, too. Repeatedly.
Now that the four of us are here, we settle down together and enjoy one another's presence as the sun dips lower towards the horizon. I intend to enjoy this peace as much as I can, because there's no telling when it will be shattered.
When dusk arrives, I look out the window to see the lampposts in the street light up with a white glow, illuminating the streets. I'm assuming that's magic rather than electricity, because there's no way the Crystal Empire has electricity.
“I think I need some air,” I announce, opening the window. Surprising the others, I promptly jump out the window, flaring my magic as I do so.
“Where are you going? Everything cool?” Rainbow asks worriedly, surprised by my sudden departure. I peek back in through the window, crossing my arms on the sill.
“Nah, I'm fine. I just feel like taking a short flight. It gets pretty stuffy in this room. You can come if you want,” I offer. Rainbow's face lights up and she moves to come too, but then she looks back at Pinkie and Applejack with a conflicted expression.
“You two go an' have fun. Ah bet the Crystal Empire is lovely at night,” Applejack encourages us with a warm smile.
“It'll be super romantic! Quick, go, get out of here!” Pinkie adds next, practically shoving Rainbow out the window. Rainbow yelps and plummets several feet until she gets used to the weight of the armor on her body. She flaps up next to me, glaring at Pinkie. Pinkie proceeds to close the window and lock it, grinning innocently. She then proceeds to mouth, “Get going already!”
“You know,” I begin after a short pause, turning to Rainbow. “I don't know how I feel about the fact that your friends are shipping the fuck out of us.”
“Oh, don't worry. Once it's safe again, you and I are going to unleash the prank of all pranks on all four of them,” Rainbow states with the evillest of grins. I chuckle, finding that idea rather enticing. It'll be fun trying to think of different ways to prank all of them at once. “Anyway, let's go flying. We haven't done this in a while.”
“Probably because shit can't stop happening around us. I blame you,” I say with a chuckle, and then the two of us soar through the air, circling the Crystal Tower once before continuing deeper into the city.
We don't say much after that. It's nice, just coasting along through the air with my marefriend just beside me. It's still weird to call her that, but whatever. I'm past caring at this point.
Finally, we coast to a stop on the street just in front of the Crystal Tower, both of us panting lightly from the exertion. Halfway through the flight the two of us had decided to pick up the pace, circling the city several times before getting tired.
As Rainbow and I stare in silence up at the starry night sky, I feel like nothing could make this moment more perfect than it already is.
It's only when I hear Twilight let out a bloodcurdling scream from the top of the Crystal Tower that I realize that something has gone horribly, horribly, wrong.