Equestria, Trottingham, 03-14-05, 5:34 P.M. A.N.M. (After Nightmare Moon)
Hours later, Marigold paced in front of the barracks where she was waiting for both Twilight and Rainbow Dash. She was still chewing over what she had said to Twilight with a great deal of chagrin.
No matter that Twilight was far more informal than even Cadance was, the fact of the matter was that she was still a princess. One who had been trained in her duties since she was a foal. And one who had a great deal more experience with Celestia than most, having spent a considerable amount of time in the presence of the Solar Diarch.
Still, what Marigold said was true; she was finding it increasingly difficult to discount the fact that Twilight was essentially saying the exact same things that so many other ponies- herself included -had been saying about Celestia. That she was unsuitable for the throne; that she didn’t do the job of protecting Equestria as she should.
What the common pony was unaware of was the simple fact that there was little Celestia could actually do. Outside of a major crisis, she didn’t have direct control of the PPP; the military was charged with her protection first and foremost, so a part of it was outside her chain of command.
Celestia also lacked direct control in the creation of laws, and had since Luna was banished. Oh, certainly, she retained veto power; however, it was up to both the High Council and the Equestrian Grand Assembly to determine what kinds of legal laws needed to be made. And most of those were only interpretations of the Founder’s Law. That document was simply the best government document ever written, as was the Proclamation of Guaranteed Rights later written.
Any further musing was brought short by the report of a nearby teleport. Marigold looked behind her to see that Rainbow Dash was there. “Rainbow Dash, did you just teleport?” she asked in both shock and disbelief.
“Yep,” Rainbow said smugly. “I’m surprised more unicorns don’t teleport other than Twilight; it’s not that hard at all.”
“It’s not; the theory behind it is relatively simple. It just requires more power than most ponies can generate. Most don’t realize that it doesn’t have to come from them.” She frowned. “I suggest you be careful; it’s not something that a pegasus is normally able to do, and is traceable.”
“Oh, nopony can see me unless they wanna; outside of you and Twilight that is,” Rainbow responded. Marigold noticed a glow that had been around the pegasus suddenly fade. “I’m not sure what the technical term is, but Twi calls it a Notice-Me-Not charm.”
Marigold was shocked and impressed. “That’s a reasonably simple charm; to make it pony-specific isn’t though. How in Tartarus did you manage that?”
Rainbow scratched the back of her head sheepishly. “Twi says a lot of what I do is instinctive, like most pegasi. If I actually sit down and try and plan something like that, I can’t do it at all. If I just do without trying, it’s simple. I guess it has something to do with what’s happening to me.”
Marigold glanced at the ponies passing by on the street below as she phrased her response. “I suppose it would; I know that you’re undergoing a metaphysical shift, but I don’t know all of the details. Then again, I have known a few pegasi in my time, and many of them have trouble articulating the theory and math behind their abilities.” She blushed a little at the salute a passing corporal gave her. She then sighed.
Rainbow smirked a little at the sigh. “Still worried about what Twilight is gonna say?” she asked. Marigold nodded. “All you gotta do is say you’re sorry; don’t try to explain your reasons, or try to justify it at all. She responds bad to that; besides, she’s smart enough to have already figured out what you meant.”
Marigold tapped the cobblestones with her hoof nervously. “It’s just, she’s one of the first friends I can count having made in a long time. And it doesn’t help that she’s basically echoing what a lot are already saying about Celestia. Yet, she does her best to defend the Princess’ honor when in public.” Rainbow Dash nodded at that. “Why though, Miss Dash?” Rainbow Dash smirked at the question.
“May, Twilight has one hell of a sense of political savvy about her. And that wasn’t something that Celestia gave her. Oh, not how politics work; any reasonably smart pony can learn that dance.” Rainbow pulled out a bag of peanuts from her saddlebags as she continued. “No, what she has isn’t something that really can be taught, only learned. And she learned by watching both Celestia and Luna. She learned that how the public sees you and how you really are are two different things.”
Rainbow spent a few moments munching on some of her peanuts. “What she will seldom do is dress down any pony important in public, especially somepony close to her. And she won’t admit in public that she at least sympathizes with some of the arguments the separatists have given.” Rainbow shrugged. “Twi’s a strong critical thinker, as she would say; she’s used to analyzing situations and ponies. She’s just learned tact over the years.” She grinned. “You should have heard some of the things she first said when she first came to Ponyville; she outdid AJ more than a few times.”
Marigold looked thoughtful. She waved the bag of peanuts away when Rainbow made to offer her some. “I’m waiting for dinner; Rolly cooks a mean salmon dish.”
Rainbow looked at her peanuts before finishing them off. “Oh well, these barely broke the edge off anyway; I’ve been really hungry lately.”
“Considering that you did quite a bit earlier, I’m not surprised Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said as she joined the two ponies. She didn’t so much as look at Marigold. The unicorn got the hint.
“Princess Twilight, I am sorry for what I said earlier. I was making statements about things that are really none of my concern, and you at least have far more experience in these matters.” She placed herself in front of the alicorn so that Twilight could see that she was truly sincere. “I shouldn’t have said anything like that, especially since I myself have entertained the same doubts.”
Twilight sat down without saying a word. For a few minutes, all three of them sat there. Twilight finally broke the silence with a sad sigh. “I’m sorry too May; you were only trying to remind me that I was sounding just like Celestia’s political opponents in my statements.” She sighed again. “And you’re right, which is why I limit my statements to where few other ponies would overhear them.”
Twilight looked down. “I left like that without giving you an explanation. You didn’t need to suffer the edge of my anger towards my mentor.” She sighed again. “I just don’t know what’s wrong with me; it’s taking everything I have to keep from snapping ponies’ heads off at the least provocation.”
Marigold sighed. “It’s stress; we’ve all been under a great deal over the last couple of days.” She smirked a bit. “To use your own words, we’re not on any set time table; the next part of the journey won’t take place until I take you both to where I was originally contacted. That’s a two-day journey away. We all need more time to decompress; if Celestia says anything about it, I’ll just sic her sister on her.” The other two mares laughed as Marigold growled.
They all brightened as they saw the taxi they were waiting for arrive. They got inside, intending to have a night of fun.
Off in the distance, in another world, a spirit smiled as the connection between the friends grew stronger. The spirit smiled as she felt the Dark One rage impotently as his most recent effort failed; everything that was happening to them was proving that they were stronger. Only time would tell how strong.
A few minutes later, the taxi pulled up to an understated yet elegant manor off to the side of the Merchant’s Quarter. A Nocturne pony was waiting outside for the three mares as they disembarked. “Your Highness, the master is currently indisposed; however, the missus is waiting for you, Dame Rainbow Dash, and Centurion Marigold in the drawing room. Please follow me.”
Marigold took a closer look at the stallion, smiling when she realized who it was. “Night Wing, it isyou,” she said happily. She embarrassed the stallion by giving him a big hug. “When did you take over for your father?”
Night Wing sighed. “I have yet to ma’am,” he replied. “Father handed his door duties over to me, and I tend to Missus Beatrice's needs.” He sighed again as the foursome made their way to one of the main rooms off the foyer.
Once they were all present, the stallion knocked politely on the open door. A heavily-pregnant azure-coated mare looked up as he did so. Squealing, the mare toddled over to hug both Twilight and Rainbow Dash. “I wasn’t sure if you were going to come,” she said happily.
Rainbow Dash held Trixie at hoofs-length in order to get a better look at her. “Well, it looks like somepony has been busy,” she teased.
“Not every pony has time to be a layabout Rainbow Dash,” Trixie shot back. The two grinned; what few times they had been able to meet since the last time Trixie was in Ponyville was marked by such teasing.
A throat clearing brought Trixie’s attention to the other unicorn present. “You must be Clever Marigold,” she said hesitatingly. “Rolly told me you were coming.” Trixie squawked as the unicorn hugged her. After a few stiff moments, the azure mare relaxed into the hug.
“I can see that you’re happy, and I saw the glow in Rolly’s eyes when he mentioned your name,” Marigold said. “Thank you for giving him what I couldn’t.” Trixie blushed prettily at that.
A nearby Grandfather clock chimed the hour. Trixie glanced at it, frowning as she did so. “Rolly told me that dinner is going to be later than usual since he has to deal with some of the fallout that unmentionable pony did. So we have a few minutes before it begins. Why don’t you all tell me what’s been happening in Ponyville? There’s never enough detail in your letters.”
The three travelling companions spent the next half an hour regaling Trixie with all of the nonsense that had happened in Ponyville recently; most of it had the azure mare in stitches. “I do wish I had the time to come visit; I still have to give the town my full apologies for that regrettable Alicorn Amulet incident.”
Rainbow Dash scowled a bit at Trixie’s mention of the Alicorn Amulet. “I’m kinda glad you haven’t yet Trix; last time I checked, there was a warrant out for your arrest,” she said. “And I’m still kinda mad about that whole thing. Not at you,” she said hastily when she saw the dejected look Trixie was wearing, “but at a couple of my friends. Even after Twi explained that you weren’t in your right mind, they still say you should serve time for your actions.”
Twilight snorted at that. “You mean to say that there was a warrant out for her arrest; Big Mac and the City Council have since dropped the charges, as they were pressured into leveling them by Filthy Rich in the first place.” She snorted again, this time in anger. “And Rarity and I got into quite an argument a few weeks back when she mentioned some of the damage that had been done both times. She didn’t like the fact that I pointed out that the CMC routinely does almost three times as much damage in a week as both events did in their entirety.”
Rainbow Dash snorted. “Rarity has no room to talk about bragging; she throws in ponies snouts about how fabulous her Boutique is all the time, and yet she got mad at Trix for doing the same thing.” She looked sheepish. “Granted, I wasn’t any better; it took having my wings disappear, and a stern talking to from Twi for me to realize my own fault in all of that.” The other mares nodded.
The foursome talked for a few more minutes over tea. After a while, both Marigold and Twilight excused themselves. Marigold wanted a chance to compare notes with Night Wing’s father, and the alicorn needed to use the little filly's room.
Once they were alone, Trixie gave Rainbow Dash a concerned look. The metaphysical shift that the pegasus was undergoing was all too apparent to her, and she needed to know if her friend was alright. “Rainbow Dash,” she started softly, “are you alright?”
Rainbow looked at Trixie questionly. “Oh, I’m fine Trix; never better,” she said brashly.
Trixie smiled a bit to see that; it was a short-lived smile however. “I really need to know something though; how are you handling the changes?” At Rainbow’s shocked look, Trixie sighed.
“I can see what’s happening Rainbow Dash; not only do I have a pegacorn in my immediate family, but I’ve been inordinately sensitive to auras ever since I acquired Clover’s Crystal,” Trixie said. Her ears drooped a bit in sympathy as she saw the sad look on Rainbow’s muzzle; moving forward, she hugged her friend.
Rainbow hugged Trixie back, shuddering with unspent tears. For a few minutes, Trixie simply held her. She only broke off the hug when she felt Rainbow wiggle.
Rainbow sniffed a bit as Trixie toddled back to her seat. “Thanks for that Trix; my emotions have been all over the place.” She frowned as something Trixie had said registered. “Clover’s Crystal? What’s that, some mystical family artifact or something?” Trixie just stared at her.
“You mean to tell me that you’ve never heard of Clover’s Crystal? It’s only one of the most powerful arcane objects that have ever existed.” Trixie shook her head. “I mean, you’re the Bearer of Loyalty; I would think that you would at least have been told that it was active.”
Rainbow frowned. “Trixie, what we’ve been told about the elements are a big fat zero. Not a bucking bit of what’s been going on has been shared with us.” She yipped in shock as a vibrating ping came from an ornate crystal sitting on the nearby mantel. “What was that!?”
Trixie levitated the crystal over. “Huh, she wants to show you something; that’s odd, she’s usually silent when I have company.” Trixie sat the crystal on the coffee table. She then waited expectantly. Rainbow looked on in spite of herself, wondering just what was going on.
An image shimmered in the air above the crystal. A familiar book appeared, followed by a badge next to a crystal rod. Three sets of both a sun and moon passed in succession, followed by the images that appeared before.
“Hmm, I’m not sure what the other images mean, but the three suns and two moons in between obviously means that whatever is supposed to happen should wait for at least three days.” Rainbow just stared.
“Um, Trixie, what is that thing?” the confused pegasus asked. The unicorn hummed a bit before answering.
“This is Clover’s Crystal. It’s really old, and has been in Rolly’s family for a very long time.” Trixie looked thoughtful. “In fact, I’d say that it predates the Alicorn Amulet, as some of the literature for that artifact referenced the crystal in that necklace as having been based off of this one.” Trixie smirked at the surprised look on Rainbow’s muzzle.
A surprised gasp came from the doorway. Trixie and Rainbow both turned to see a stunned Twilight standing there. The purple alicorn was staring at the crystal still sitting on the table, an almost reverent gaze on her muzzle.
Another ping rippled in the air; this time, the tone was brighter. It harmonized up and down several frequencies. In an almost complete daze, she walked over to where the crystal sat, gazing at it intently.
Another image formed above it. This time, it showed a pair of cutie marks moving in tandem with each other. One was Twilight’s; the other was Rainbow Dash’s. Bands of light seemed to move between each one as they made their way to a shadowed mark. A book appeared next to it. The crystal vibrated as it did so, and the book dissolved before returning with several chains binding it tightly. At the same time, the bands of light between Rainbow and Twilight’s cutie marks thickened.
After a bit, the image faded. Trixie stared at the crystal; she seemed to be trying to tell it something. The crystal vibrated yet again, blinking in several different colors. Trixie snorted.
“Well, I guess she had something that she wanted to tell the both of you. I can’t make heads or tails of the second message other than the fact that you two should pay more attention to the bond between you than whatever guide you’ve been given.” Trixie lifted the crystal to her hooves, giving it a stroke before returning it to the mantle.
Twilight looked at Rainbow, who only shrugged. “Um, Trixie, how long have you had that crystal?” she asked the unicorn.
“Since I married Rolly; why do you ask? It’s been in his family for a long time now,” Trixie said. She frowned. “He’s not sure how long; all that’s ever been known was that it was given to one of his ancestors by their Sovereign for safeguarding.” Twilight facehoofed at that.
“A priceless Pre-Equestrian artifact was given to a bloodline of Nocturne ponies for safeguarding,” she said, the sarcasm in her voice as thick as butter. “‘Safeguarding’ my right hind hoof; Luna was probably asked by Clover herself to hide the bucking thing after the Unicornian Council used it as the basis for the Alicorn Amulet.”
Trixie blinked. “Twilight, if you know what she is, then why didn’t you say anything before she started talking?” the azure unicorn asked.
Twilight sighed. “That’s Clover the Clever for you; she was skilled at making crystal-based AI’s responsive to their environments. I didn’t notice ‘her’ because ‘she’ didn’t want me too.” Twilight started grumbling. “Probably has an alicorn mana neutralization spell in its center matrix; likely the same number of spells that were coded into the base of the Alicorn Amulet…” she trailed off.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, Clover lived up to her name. What I wanna know, is what does it mean for us?” At Twilight’s confused gaze, Rainbow groaned. “Twi, you know that we can’t just ignore everything in that book on the say-so of a crystal; it’s the only lead we have going forward.”
“That’s not what she told you Rainbow Dash,” Trixie scolded. “All she’s telling you is that the existing bond between the pair of you is far more important to anything else you might discover.” Trixie smirked to herself as she saw the blush that appeared on the muzzles of both ponies, faint though it was. So Rolly is right yet again; those two have feelings for each other. Well, good for them; they’d be a hoof-ful for anypony else to handle.
Further musing was cut short by both the arrival of Marigold and Rolling Roulette. The stallion trotted over to his wife, giving her both a hug and a nuzzle. He noticed that the ornate crystal on the mantel was glowing slightly; he snorted at that. “I see that Grandmother’s crystal is been at it again; anything useful this time?”
“Only that it gave a rather weird suggestion to Rainbow Dash,” Trixie said in response. Seeing the knowing look on Rolling’s muzzle, Trixie rolled her eyes. “Okay, she said more than that, but I feel that the second message wasn’t meant for everypony present.” The crystal in question flashed brightly in response, a sharp ping ringing as it did so. Roulette just snorted.
“A crystal with a sense of humor,” he said. He shook his head. “Well, whatever it was can wait until later; dinner awaits.” The mares all followed the stallion to the dining room, leaving behind their troubles for at least a little while.
Dinner was absolutely fabulous. Rolling Roulette had a deft hoof with fish dishes, and it showed. The main course was fried salmon with lemon, jasmine, and rosemary, done to perfection. There was also three salads; one with watercress, one with spinach, and one with tuna. There was also a baked potato casserole dish.
Marigold was in heaven; it had been a long time since she had had food this good. “Mmph,” she said, a look of bliss on her muzzle. “I’ve missed all of this; you really can’t get food like this anywhere else.”
Rainbow Dash looked up from her third helping. “Yeah, you can’t find very many good places to have a real fish dish in Ponyville, that’s for sure.” She waved her fork for emphasis. “I mean, we’ve got some of the best bakers, but a pony needs a little variety, ya know?”
Twilight swallowed her own bite of fried salmon. “Rainbow Dash, you know how an expensive export fish is; outside of pegasi and some unicorns, hardly any pony really eats meat.” She frowned a bit. “And I’m glad that Fluttershy isn’t here; she’d be in bits that we were eating fish of all things.” Rainbow Dash snorted at that.
“Twi, Flutters cooks a wonderful flounder casserole; kinda like the potato one here,” the pegasus said, smirking at the shocked look on Twilight’s muzzle. “What, you thought she didn’t know any fish dishes? C’mon Twilight; you’d be hard pressed to find a pegasi that hadn’t tried fish at least once in their life.”
“Rainbow Dash is right Twi; actually, that potato casserole is basically Fluttershy’s recipe, only without the flounder.” Trixie finished off her own huge portion of salmon. “I would have made it traditionally, only there wasn’t any flounder to be had when Wing went out to the market yesterday.”
Twilight blushed in embarrassment. “I guess that even Fluttershy has depths to her that I wasn’t aware of.” She busied herself by buttering another roll while she waited for her cheeks to cool.
Rainbow smirked. “Yeah, especially when somepony gets on her bad side. Then she snaps, and it’s not pretty.” Rainbow shuddered, remembering the Grand Galloping Gala that they had all attended.
Roulette chewed his last bit of potato casserole with a thoughtful look on his muzzle. “I’d heard some rather unkind things from some of the more well-off ponies around here after that event. I didn’t realize until after a full debriefing that the massive damage caused by a herd of stampeding animals was caused by Dame Fluttershy.”
“What I don’t get is why they all ignored her like that; speaking to animals is Fluttershy’s talent,” Rainbow grumbled. “I mean, I get that they’re not the same as the ones around Ponyville, but you would think that they would have responded to her on some level.”
Both Twilight and Trixie snorted. “Oh, that’s because they’re all hoof-trained to only respond to the unicorn grounds-ponies,” Trixie said. “That was actually one of the jobs my dear mum wanted me to accept, as it comes with a royal stipend.” She sniffed disdainfully. “I told her exactly what I thought of her choices of jobs for me to earn my seat. I never wanted it anyway; all I ever wanted to do is entertain ponies.”
Rainbow blinked. “You mean to tell me that the Canterlot Royal Gardens is run by unicorns?” she said in disbelief. The Canterlot natives nodded.
“Well, it was until fairly recently; Celestia has made some recent changes,” Roulette said. “I’d heard that Celestia had fired her housekeeper after he insulted an Officer of the High Court.”
Twilight sighed. “Yes, some of that was in the last briefing we received before leaving Hoofington.” She took a sip of wine before continuing. “I hadn’t heard about any staff changes, but I’m not surprised really. There’s always a few bigoted unicorns that just don’t seem to get that Celestia doesn’t tolerate any form of discrimination.”
Rainbow nodded at that. “I know that there are a few gryphons that work at the palace; even a zebra or two from what Grandpa told me.” She took a sip of juice before continuing. “He did his best to raise my mom right, and took over as best he could when dad left us.”
Twilight looked at Trixie as she finished her salad. “So, Trixie, I’ve been meaning to ask you something. How did your parents take it when you told them that you were getting married?”
Trixie looked as though she had bitten something sour at the question. “I know how mum took it, even though we haven’t spoken to each other since my first tour.” Her muzzle twisted even more. “She tried to blacklist me when I ‘besmirched our great heritage by not only marrying beneath my station, but but by marrying a filthy bat-winged pegasus’. She refused to give me her blessing, not that I needed it anyway.”
Trixie’s expression not only brightened, but turned malicious. “She really bit off more than she could chew however; the rest of the family got together and named one of my cousins to take over the house seat. And that is a stick-in-the-eye, as she’s not a unicorn.” The others laughed at that.
Roulette shook his head. “You would think that her daughter’s happiness would be the first thing on her mind, but apparently, her social standing was the only thing that mattered.” He smirked. “It was quite a shock when she found out that my House is actually higher than that of the Lulamoon House. She was even more shocked to find that she couldn’t excommunicate Beatrice from her house, as it’s connected to both the Solar and Lunar thrones.”
Twilight grinned savagely at that. “Yes, I imagine that came as a shock. Lady Lemyre has tried more than a few times to have me and my brother removed from the roster. She hasn’t since just after I was coronated though; Celestia basically told her that if she tried again, House Lemyre would cease as a noble House.”
Trixie looked at Twilight with a question in her eyes. “Was there a reason besides family gossip that you asked me that question Twilight?” she asked. Twilight smiled sadly.
“Awhile back, I mentioned some of the things that had been happening in Ponyville to my parents, and the Lulamoon name came up.” The smile on her muzzle brightened. “The mentioned that some of the most skilled illusionists were from that family, only there hadn’t been any of note except the eldest and youngest of the head in recent memory. When I mentioned that I knew you, Mom expressed satisfaction that you had told your mother where exactly she could stuff her ambitions for you.” Twilight’s smile grew wicked. “It was the same thing that Bluey’s youngest sister said to her mother when she left Canterlot for Saddle Arabia.”
Trixie looked confused “Bluey? Who’s Bluey?” she asked. Rainbow Dash and Twilight just looked at each other.
“Trix, think about it; Twi’s mom told her that she was happy that Lady Lemyre’s youngest told her to stuff it. So who else does Twi know that’s in that family?”
Trixie thought for a minute, still looking confused. Her expression cleared abruptly when she realized who they were speaking of. “You mean that you’re friends with Blueblood of all ponies!?” she said in shock. Twilight sighed.
“Yes Trixie; we grew up together,” the purple alicorn said. “He was one of my first friends; we started to drift apart after I got my first doctorate.”
Marigold had a thoughtful look on her muzzle. “I’ve always wondered why he calls himself Prince Blueblood; I’d heard recently that his connection to that House is tenuous at best.” Roulette smirked at that.
“Oh, that’s actually his name, or at least part of it. His full name is Prince Blueblood the Twenty-Ninth of House Lemyre.” The mares all groaned at that.
A chime from the water clock on the wall struck the hour. Trixie looked up at that. “Wow, it’s later than I thought; I think it best if you ladies were to stay here for the night.” The other mares nodded at that.
Further conversation ended as Trixie rang for the maids to clean the table. Roulette motioned for Night Wing to come over. “Please show our guests to their quarters,” he said. The stallion nodded, and motioned for the princess and her companions to follow him.
Though the hour was still early, the three decided to make it an early night. Once more, Rainbow Dash had pleasant dreams; it was almost as if there was some guiding spirit that was sheltering her from her night terrors.
Off to the north of Trottingham, a twisting shadow writhed in both pain and anger as the last tenuous links to the criminal element within the city were severed. The shadow made to move in the city proper, only to have a scintillating bolt of rainbow mana blast it into nothingness. A cry of anger came from the far north, as yet another plan fell through.