Chapter 4
"Step Four: After applying tape to the ribbon under the present, take the two equal ends and bring them up to the top as shown and tie the initial knot. Consult Diagram 2.13.4 for additional information." The Alicorn Princess studied the diagram in Pinkie's Perfect Party Productions and Presents and frowned at her own poor attempts to replicate it. "Spike? Could I borrow you for a moment?"
A massive sigh, like a gust of wind, blew through her ethereal mane as a giant purple claw reached through the window and gently placed a razor-sharp talon on the present. Her magic took hold of the two ends of the green ribbon and tied a fairly decent knot. "Thanks, Spike."
A loud yawn greeted her. "Twi, I thought you knew how to do this," rumbled the giant.
"Heh... I, umm. Actually, I don’t buy gifts all that often. And when I do I usually have a clerk wrap it at the store."
"So why not do that this time?"
"This is Rarity's two hundred and fiftieth birthday, Spike. It’s not everyday you celebrate a quarter of a millennia. I wanted it to be special. I wanted to give her something nice."
"So... you got her a book?"
Twilight ignored the dragon as she put the finishing touches on the present. "There, what do you think?"
Spike smiled back at her, and in a flash, the huge dragon beyond her window disappeared and standing before her in her bed chambers at the top of the Moon Tower was the little dragon she had always cared for. She helped him master the transformative magics that dwelled inside of him as a result of his unique hatching. Even though he was well on his way in the dragon world, as mature and respected as he was, he was still her little baby dragon.
Seeing him in his smaller form brought a rush of memories to mind.
"Oh, that looks— umm, what are you looking at Twi?" he asked the absentmindedly staring Alicorn.
"Sorry, I was just thinking," she replied with a sad smile. "Back to when you were always this size and we all lived in Ponyville together... and the Princesses were still here."
Silence fell upon them as they both lost themselves in the sweet vices of nostalgia and memory, a luxury rarely afforded to the long lived in these busy times. It was a time of innocence and joy, not unlike the current era just... different.
"I... I know, Twilight," said Spike, finally breaking the silence. "They’re still out there. I'm sure of it."
“I hope so,” she said as she walked over to the window he had just entered. "I miss them, Spike.”
"Still no luck in finding them?" Spike asked as he made some deft adjustments to the present.
Twilight shook her head. Years ago, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna vanished without a trace, sparking unrest and shear panic in ponies throughout Equestria. For decades, search parties roamed the wild and forgotten places of the world, in a desperate bid to find the Sun and Moon Goddesses, but it appeared to be all for naught.
Civil war threatened, but Twilight, along with the help of Cadence and the founding of the Senate, managed to keep the nation together. That move left Rarity with the Crystal Empire, a choice that she hoped she would not live to regret.
"Not a word. What about you?"
"I haven't heard anything either," he said as he retied the bow and continued futzing with the wrapping. "None of the dragons have. Although I don't think they'd know the difference between a pigeon and an alicorn. Do you think Rarity has heard anything?"
"If she did, I’m sure she would have told me," said Twilight as she levitated the richly decorated invitation over to her and inspected it for a fourth time that day. The invite was to Rarity's birthday party this evening, and it was made out of the finest Saddle Arabian parchment she'd seen in a long time. The bubbly script of the invitation was elegantly done in a rich purple ink. Somepony was definitely pulling out all the stops this year. Maybe there was still hope.
"Even with relations breaking down between the Crystal Empire and the rest of Equestria, I still believe her to be my friend."
Spike winced. "That bad, huh?"
A sharp knock at the door interrupted their conversation, and the Alicorn Princess opened the door with her magic, allowing an armored unicorn mare into the room. She had a snowy blue, almost white coat, and a sky blue mane. The armor, purple with gold trimming, belonged to a newer generation of Royal Guards, Princess Twilight Sparkle's Arcane Guard.
"Princess, forgive the intrusion," said the mare as she gave a bow. Her voice was warm, belying a softness that her armor concealed. "But we must be leaving for the Empire soon."
"Thank you, Captain Shining Star," said Twilight as she began to walk out of the room. Her magic enveloped both Spike and the remarkably salvaged present as she passed by. "Come on Spike, let's go get you ready for the party.”
* * *
Lady Sapphire dashed around a corner and continued galloping at full speed until she hit the stairs. There, she leaped over the rail and slid down the banister, and crashed right into somepony.
"I am so, so sorr— Party Hats!?!" said Sapphire as she recognized the mare she had crashed into. "Oh my gosh, Party! Are you okay?"
The white Pegasus gave a giggle in response as she laid tangled up with Sapphire. "Wow, Merry! That was so totally awesome!" She finally wiggled her way out of the mess and reached down to help Sapphire up. Her mane was some of the brightest pink Sapphire had ever seen and so poofy that it seemed impossible to get it all straight. Sapphire caught a quick glimpse of her cutie mark; three pointy hats.
"What's the rush?" asked the party pony.
"I am way behind schedule, Party," said Sapphire as she adjusted her saddlebags. She checked inside to make sure her pet was still okay. He looked back up at her with shell shocked eyes and an expression that read ‘please don't do that again’. Sapphire gave him an apologetic smile before turning back to Party Hats. "Actually, I need to talk to you; it’s about the party."
"Which is going to be AWESOME!" shouted the pegasus as the two trotted towards the ballroom that would be hosting the evening event in question. "I even invited my cousin Maddie Peg to come and help with the music."
"Oh, that's gre— wait, Maddie Peg?"
"Yeah, silly. My DJ-ing cousin, remember? Though she goes by DJ_MPEG when she performs!"
"Umm, Party," said Sapphire she pushed the door open. "I don't think the Empress is… into that kind of music."
"Oh don't be silly! Everypony likes to have a good time!"
Lady Sapphire stared at her party pony friend for a moment. "Are... are we having the same conversation?"
The white pegasus nodded with a giggle. "Blue is a great color for the hats, good idea!"
Sapphire just stood there, eye twitching, and watched as the pegasus took to the air and began zooming around the giant room, laughing as she went. Sapphire noticed that the room was well decorated and matched her earlier specifications exactly.
Chairs and tables were set up on one side of the room, and some crystal ponies were just beyond the glass doors getting the patio that lead out into the gardens ready. Lights, ribbons, a large Happy Birthday banner, everything was going well. She looked down into her saddlebags and frowned. Maybe she didn't need her whip anymore.
On the other end of the room, a purple haired, white unicorn with blue glasses gave Sapphire a wave, which she returned as the other pony continued to set up her DJ equipment.
"Party Hats?, I think tha— " Sapphire hit the floor just in time to avoid being hit by a white blur. She glanced up and saw the Pegasus giggling as she went around the columns in the massive room, trailing streamers behind her.
"I LOVE DECORATING! THIS IS SOOO MUCH FUN!" shouted Party Hats as she soared around in the room. The pegasus did one last aerial flip before landing next to the twitching pony.
"You’ve gotta try that!" she exclaimed, bouncing around Sapphire. "Well, you know, if you had any wings, but it was so much f— "
She was cut off by Sapphire's hoof in her mouth, but the pegasus kept talking anyways with muffled sounds. Sapphire frowned at the mare's insistence but held her hoof in place until she was done.
"Party Hats," said Sapphire carefully. "I need you to pay attention. We have a problem. Do you understand?"
The other pony nodded and Sapphire removed her hoof and shook the excessive saliva off.
"What's the matter, Merry?"
Sapphire responded by upending her saddlebags onto the floor. Severus scurried away from the rain of books, party supplies, scrolls, and a faux leather whip. "The Empress hates her own birthday," she said flatly. "We need to make some changes to the party if I'm going to salvage this shindig. Because, well... I've already screwed some of this up."
"Wait, what?" asked Party Hats in disbelief. "I don't believe it, how could anypony hate their own birthday? I mean its full of presents, cake, friends, cake, piñatas, cake, cake, and cake!"
She eyed the crystal pony suspiciously. "Did I mention the piñata?"
"Look, we don't have time for this," said Lady Sapphire as she unrolled a large scroll from the pile at her hooves. "According to the schedule, I have to get back to the Empress soon. The party’s tonight, and that doesn’t give us much time to make these changes. But I've been reading a Journal that belonged to the Emp— "
Party Hats gasped. "You were reading another pony’s diary!" she said with a shocked look on her face. "Merry Sapphire, I can't believe you wou— "
"Calm down!" said Sapphire. "It was okay to look at because it was in a library. Anyway, I got several ideas for the party. Here, take a look at this and tell me what you think."
The pegasus sat next to her friend and read over the plans, the serious expression of a party veteran surveying the battlefield washed over her features. "I think we can make this work, but you’re forgetting something.”
Sapphire looked over at her friend with worry on her brow. “And that is?”
The playful pegasus poked her in the chest and giggled. “You need a piñata," she said with a smile.
"For the love of—"
This time Sapphire was stopped with a hoof in her mouth. "Who's the Party Pony?" asked the pegasus.
"Wo ar," replied Sapphire.
"That's right!" said Party Hats. "And who called me here?"
"Rye hid."
"And who’s gonna trust me?"
"Rye am?"
"Exactly!" said the party pegasus as she pulled her hoof out of Sapphire’s mouth. "I'm the Party Pony, and you are the scheduling, managing, fancy-me-fancy pony. I'm going to do what I do best, and you are going to go do what it is that you do best."
"But the party—"
"Will be super-duper awesome, that's what it will be. I even brought my family's Party Cannon! My grandma said it belonged to Pinkie Pie herself!" she said as she shoved the crystal pony out of the room with the top of her head. "Now go take care of presents… or whatever it is you’ve got to do."
Sapphire flinched as the door slammed shut, barely missing her tail. She was about to go back into the room and give the hyperactive Pegasus a piece of her mind, when she felt a familiar tug on her leg. She looked down and saw her pet fox pointing at a clock on the wall as he squeaked in frantic gibberish.
"Horseapples," she muttered to nopony in particular as she galloped back down the hall.
* * *
Peace, came the voice from within her mind.
The Empress took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, just like how Princess Cadence had taught her when dealing with stress. Back when Rarity was just the Chancellor of State and not its ruler. The idea was to let the action clear the mind and focus a pony’s thoughts on the problem at hoof from a standpoint of impartial authority, instead of acting with imprudence or out of emotion.
Something she was not very good at, truth be told.
Yes, there we go. Relax, said the voice again. Rarity knew it as the Crystal Heart, the real Crystal Heart that she had merged with over 200 years ago when the Windigos returned and assaulted all of Equestria. It had been damaged during the struggle, and Rarity had entered into a pact with it that saved itself, the lives of her friends, and perhaps the world at large.
Every so often it would speak in her mind, giving counsel when it could, and annoying her when it couldn’t. But it wasn't the only voice in her head. There was "the other" that haunted her dreams and sometimes her waking moments.
Her eyes raced about the room, trying to keep one step ahead of the dark thoughts that she knew were lingering just below the surface. Even thinking of what she called "the other" seemed to summon it straight to her. She smiled at her throne room, the center of the Palace. Rarity had taken great pains in its design.
The heavy crystal doors were laden with both filigree and frieze of rare metals and precious stones. The work spoke of the skill and grace of the craftsponies found within the Crystal Empire. Flanking the doors on each side, the towering south-facing windows filled the throne room with light and opened the space, adding to its majesty.
She absentmindedly patted a hoof on the soft fabric that lined her seat as her eyes traced the red outline of the carpet leading up to her throne. It was larger than the last throne that Cadence enjoyed during her rule, being more like a couch than a chair. Rarity made it herself from the purest crystal she could generate, and spent months hewing it until she was satisfied with her work.
Imposing crystals jutted and fanned out from behind the soft cushions she rested on. They, along with the sides and much of the actual throne, still held the crystalline look. She had forgone the option to gild it or conceal its rugged beauty with gems. She thought her throne spoke of lasting power and strength, a symbol of endurance and prosperity to any who looked upon it.
Rarity recalled how Sweetie Belle once remarked that it looked more like an overgrown cat bed than a throne. The Empress frowned at the memory, but a small cough brought her attention back to the spectacle in front of her. Rarity looked over at the pony who had done so, a blue crystal stallion wearing a grey vest.
She knew him as Beryl Knight, a loyal Lord in her Crystal Council and a member of the Expansion Committee. Councilor Knight was one of the dozen or so ponies that had been invited to this meeting, including Lieutenant Silver Dash, who looked as bored as the Empress felt. Beryl Knight gave Rarity a small smile and nodded his head towards Ambassador Blueblood’s seat.
The Equestrian Representative was in the middle of his presentation on the latest ambitious project from Equestria— some sort of long distance communication system he called ‘the telegraph’. Rarity had to give Blueblood credit. He spoke well, his words clear and precise, and his small jokes weren't a distraction but eased many of her ponies in attendance.
She watched as several of her crystal ponies nodded eagerly in agreement with honeyed words. He made it sound like this was a good chance to take, a system like this would allow for near-instant communication throughout all of Equestria, the Crystal Empire, and parts beyond.
Rarity wasn't fooled though. The project would be time consuming and cost a substantial amount of money for maintenance and operation alone, not to mention the various challenges they would have to overcome in building it through rough terrain. Rarity glanced back at the opened presentation folder Blueblood had passed out, and ran the numbers through her head again.
"Pardon the interruption, Ambassador," said Rarity, stopping his tale on how test trials had saved an orphanage from burning down, or something like that. "While I believe you have done a rather magnificent job on selling this to my ponies, I would rather take a closer look at the costs and applications."
"Of course, your Majesty," replied Blueblood with a bow. "I would be delighted to answer any questions you may have on what will surely be the greatest technological improvement of the century."
"As I was saying then," continued the Empress. "Examining your figures here and doing a bit of quick math on my own, you’re asking for the Crystal Empire to pay sixty percent of the estimated cost. Yet we will receive only a third of the proposed telegraph system. Why is that?"
"Well, your Majesty," said Blueblood as he rose to his hooves and trotted over to a map that showed the proposed system. "As you can see, the terrain in Equestria is going to be much easier to work with. We already have plans for the system to follow our railroads, but a similar transportation system doesn't exist in the Empire, the express line from Canterlot to your magnificent capital notwithstanding. We would have to build those or plot them as close as we can to the projected paths of the future railroad. In addition, the terrain gets more difficult to work with the further North we get."
"No," came Rarity’s reply. Her remark gave pause to nearly everypony in the room.
"I-I'm sorry, your Majesty, but wha—"
"The answer is 'no', Ambassador," repeated the Empress as she stood up and walked down from her throne to the map. "The Empire has enough projects on its plate at the moment. Sapping resources into such a... one-sided endeavor would be a waste. Not to mention that our taxes would have to double in order to acquiesce with your proposal, something our economy could not handle in the present state."
"Your Majesty, if I may speak frankly," said one of the nobles, looking at the Empress as she passed by. "Are you out of your unicorn mind!? This is something that the Crystal Council needs to consider and debate on, not som—"
"I said no!" The Empress snapped back, her voice ringing from the walls, and her patience finally breaking. Her horn burst into blue light and most of Blueblood's folders exploded into a rain of shredded paper.
The stallion slid down in his seat and flattened his ears in acknowledgment that he had crossed a line no pony was meant to cross.
"No?" asked an incredulous Blueblood. "No?! You have some nerve, Empress. To turn your back on the country that sired you? To say ‘no’ to the nation that you claimed to love... that you protected for over a century as if you were turning down a second slice of cake? Were you not an Element of Harmony? Where is this so-called Generosity that you are so well-known for? Is it locked away in that frozen husk of yours, or did you trade that away to the griffons for Shimmering Bay?"
Rarity stared daggers through the Ambassador. The room became deathly silent as the two had a stare off. This was the stallion she knew. He was ambitious, vengeful, and above all else, careful, which made him extremely dangerous. Blueblood knew the value of waiting, and the importance of never acting in haste.
And clearly, he was also very well informed.
"Leave us," said the Empress, her tone as cold as her icy shell. The other ponies quickly and quietly gathered their things and made their way out. She ignored the look of worry and concern shot her way by Silver Dash, and instead focused on the unicorn in front of her.
Rarity waited for the doors to click shut behind the last of her little ponies, before making her move. "I don't know how you came across this information," said Rarity as she circled in on him. "But dealings between the Griffon Republic and Crystal Empire are not for your ears."
"Oh, I think they are, Your Majesty. Or have you forgotten that the Crystal Empire belongs to Equestria?" he said finitely. "You may have dreams of sovereignty, but they are just that. Dreams."
"We're an independent nation, Blueblood."
The white stallion shook his blonde mane. "Still dreaming I see. But this isn't a matter I care to discuss right now. Perhaps you would like to look at this instead," he said as he slid one of his unexploded folders across the table. The Empress noted the Equestrian Seal, but also a very familiar six-pointed star.
"What is this?" she asked, levitating the folder over and opening to read its contents.
"This project will get its funding, with or without your approval. What you see there is what we like to call a poison pill. It contains new tariffs, embargoes, and other economic acts to... discourage tourists from visiting the Empire. Such as relocating the Equestrian Games to somewhere else until we know we can trust that our little Crystal Empress will do the right thing."
Rarity frantically scanned the documents and ran calculations through her head. Her grimace grew with each page she turned, as the alternative was looking bleaker and bleaker. Finally having enough, she slammed the folder back onto the table. "This... this will destroy the Empire!"
Blueblood rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't be so melodramatic," he said with a wave of his hoof. "It'll just severely cripple it for a few decades, that’s all."
"This is outrageous, Blueblood, and I will not stand for this," hissed the Empress. "And I know that Princess Twilight will not stand for this either."
"Oh yes," he said as he rubbed his chin in contemplation. "I’d forgotten about that. Would you turn to the last page, please?"
Rarity eyed the unicorn, but did as was suggested. On the last page she found a series of signatures of Equestria’s Senators and committee members, individuals who would have had a hoof in either writing, examining, or supporting it. The name she found on the very end of it caused her heart to break.
Princess Twilight Sparkle
Blueblood tsked softly as a look of false regret fell across his features. "Oh my, how sad. It looks like the good Secretary General has already weighed in on the matter. Now, about these plans..."
Rarity couldn't hear anything but her own breathing and the pounding blood in her ears. Whatever fail-safes she thought she had in place to control her anger instantly shattered. She felt the emotion roll through the room like a summer storm, and she barely registered the cries of alarm that spilled in from the outside hall as the wave rushed over her crystal ponies. Then it happened. The. Worst. Possible. Thing.
The other voice was back.
"We warned you," it growled in the depths of her mind. "Did we not say that this would come to pass? Betrayal is but the beginning, and it will only get worse, unless you act. Destroy him, and make an example out of those that would defy our… your will."
A enormous black crystal broke through the ground and shattered the table. The room rocked back and forth as dozens of smaller black crystals came crashing through cracks in the floor. The Ambassador took a step back, then brought his own magic to bear in order to create a protective shell around him.
The temperature of the room dropped rapidly, letting him see his own breath. He looked up at the Empress to say something, anything to take control of the situation, but he found his words stuck in his throat. She relished the fear in his eyes.
"What's the matter, Blueblood?" she asked, her voice warped with power. Rarity leaned forward just enough for Blueblood to catch the crimson gleam of anger in her eyes as spiky crystalline armor formed along her coat. "Found yourself on thin ice?”
* * *
Onyx sat in his office and flipped through the folder without much interest. Not that the expansion plans, maps, and contingencies within weren't exciting, he'd just already memorized them. After all, he wrote most of it.
He turned to the timeline that showed the ten year expansion plans of the Empire. Flagged here and there with potential conflict points and crucial events. The map of the continent on the adjacent page had corresponding flags of its own, highlighting where such conflicts were likely to happen. The Commander frowned at the two red flags, one pinned to the Crystal Palace Ballroom, and its mate pinned to the tick on the timeline beneath it. It read:
PRINCESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE'S APPEARANCE AT EMPRESS RARITY'S PARTY
Onyx had a number of situational simulations carefully planned just for this evening, and had drilled the Guard on them for weeks. Everything from a suspected assassination attempt to one of the Empress' mood swings. He had taken into consideration several evacuation routes, predicted blast radiuses, their fallout zones, and damage containment plans. But he still felt like he was missing something or needed something more.
He sighed and wished, again, that he could have something other than crystal ponies at his command. The unique coats of the crystal ponies gave them a higher resistance to magic, and numerous training sessions with Rarity gave him an idea of how much they could handle before being overwhelmed. But other than that, they had next to nothing. No air support, no magic support, and worst of all none of the enviable strength of his earth pony cousins. Which meant that he had to get… creative.
He had ordered near two hundred pounds of slightly stale candy corn to deal with Princess Twilight, which would make...
"Wait, Princess Twilight has wings." Onyx leaned back with a sigh and rubbed his eyes in frustration. His job just got a lot harder with the sudden revelation.
“How do you stop an Alicorn?” he asked the cluttered walls of his office. He had no idea how to take one down, let alone defend against one if anything should happen. Worst of all, any engagement against one of Equestria's beloved Princesses would most likely be seen as an act of open aggression.
War would probably be the outcome.
He believed that it wasn't in the Crystal Empire’s best interest to invite the Princess to Rarity's party and he had spoke openly against it. It seemed like an even worse idea today, considering the crumbling state of relations.
Lady Sapphire though, believed it to be the right thing to do. She countered that they are good friends, and the two being seen together would ease the public mind that there was any serious hostility between the two nations. He hoped that she was right.
Onyx pushed himself away from the desk and looked around the room in an attempt to tear his mind away from the security concerns of his fledgling nation.
It was definitely the room of a planner. A series of large filing cabinets with unsorted papers stacked on top of them dominated the wall to his left. The wall to his right had a massive map of Imperial Territory and corkboards covered with diagrams, pictures, and notes on the Empire’s expansion plans.
Red strings covered the wall, leading from one idea to another in a complex web of plans within plans. Still the office was large enough to contain his desk, some chairs, and afford the luxury of a few items of comfort like his couch and mini fridge. The rest of the office space was filled with awards and photos.
One such photo caught his attention. In it was a younger version of himself, kneeling before the Empress and being promoted to Commander of Her Majesty's Royal Guard. The distant memory brought a smile to his face. Everything seemed so simple then, no plans of expansion, no tour, no stress.
Her Majesty's Royal Guard was far and away from the 'stand and look pretty' brigade that he joined in his youth. He thought back on all the changes he'd seen in the last few decades. He mused thin-lipped over the fact that many of those changes were once his ideas.
A sudden knock at the door broke him out of his stupor of thought. "Come in, General!" he called as he rubbed his eyes with his hooves. "I see the Empress didn't take so kindly to—"
"Expecting somepony else?" answered an unexpectedly familiar voice.
Onyx spun around to see a purple coated crystal mare walk into the room. She glistened beautifully. She always glistened beautifully. And Onyx knew that when the sun would hit her just right… wow, was she something else. Violet Rose was such a unique mare; kind, naturally gifted with teaching others, and as free spirited as they came.
"Violet," he said, a bit stunned as she slowly walked into the room. He got out of his chair and walked to the front of his desk. "What are you doing here?"
"Hello to you too," she said with a smile as she inspected the cluttered office. "I see you've... umm, been sleeping well?"
"Uhh, yeah. The couch is a Hide-a-Bed," he said with a nervous chuckle. "Please, sit down and stay for a moment. Would you like something to eat or drink?"
"No, thank you," she said politely as she sat down and pulled her saddlebag closer.
Awkward silence passed between the two as Onyx fiddled with his hooves and Violet took a deep interest in one of his pictures. Things didn't go well between the two at their parting. There had been lots of shouting, a fair bit of arguing, and eventually Onyx found himself taking up residence in his office. It wasn’t long before he returned to an empty home with a note on the door saying that his family had left for Bedrock. That had been over a month ago.
"So, are the kids here too?" he asked, breaking the silence.
"The boys are with Dad on a tour of the castle," she replied. "We've been doing well. Mom and Dad are happy to see us, and... well, Lord Stone has actually been visiting us quite a bit lately, and playing with the colts. They really like him and they’re having a lot of fun."
"Oh... I see," was the only thing he could manage to say. Onyx was familiar with the name of Lord Stone. He was a minor lord that oversaw some of the mining operations outside of Bedrock.
What Onyx had heard of him was that he was a kind and gentle pony who had lost his wife several years ago in a carriage accident. Why did that make him so nervous? "Well, I guess we could go get the boys and get some lun—"
"No!" she blurted out. Onyx was taken back by the sudden outburst. An awkward silence came between the two for a while until the mare finally continued. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I actually came to talk to you and give you something."
"Talk?" Onyx cocked his head inquisitively at her. "Vi, I think we've talked quite a bit about this. We knew that being in the Guard would require a lot of my attention, but we can work everything out.”
“No, it’s not… Look, I know, and I've been doing a lot of thinking over the last few weeks about… us," she said carefully, and pulled out a envelope from her bag. "I know we didn't have a lot of kind words to say to each other last time. But we can't keep going like this, and a decision needs to be made. So I made one.”
Onyx said nothing, but shook his head over and over as Violet continued. “Here, it just needs your signature."
Violet held out the envelope for Onyx to take. He eased it open as Violet slid off the couch and placed her bag back on.
"Vi, I don't und—" His eyes went wide as he read what was in the letter. He dropped it like it was a venomous snake and looked back up at his soon-to-be ex-wife. "Violet... No, please, it doesn't have to be this way."
"I'm sorry," she said. "But I've made my decision."
"Buck that! Look, we can work this ou— I can work this out," he pleaded. "We can leave for a while, take a trip and spend some family time together. My cousin still has that little place over at Sweet Apple Acres, the one with the lake! We can go there, or it can just be you and me t—"
"Onyx," she said quietly. "Don't do this, you know th—"
"I promise you, Violet," he said, not listening to her as he frantically paced the room. "We can work this out, I swear. Just give me another chance!"
"COMMANDER!" The door suddenly burst open and a guard rushed into the room. "Sir, we have a problem, and we ne— Is this a bad time?"
"This is. The. Worst. Possible. Time," replied Onyx as his hoof covered his face in a mix of frustration and embarrassment. "What is it?"
"Sir, you told me to come get you if there was a disturbance in the throne room."
"Yes?"
"Well there's a disturbance in the... didn't we already do this once today?"
"Twice already, yes."
"That kind of day, eh?" asked Violet, chuckling humorlessly while drying an eye.
Onyx nodded, and the guard continued hesitantly. "Huh. Anyway, there's a disturbance in the throne room."
"Please," Onyx begged Violet Rose as he snatched up his helmet and put it on. "Please wait for just one second, and I'll be right back and we can talk about this, okay? Just please, please wait for me. Just one last time."
She gave him another smile as he galloped out of the room with the other guard, but this one bore the pain of being proven right.
"Good-bye, Snowflake," she whispered as she placed the letter on his desk and walked out of his life.
* * *
Onyx grumbled as he and the guard galloped down the hall at full speed. "It had to be important just then, didn't it? Couldn't have been five minutes later, couldn't have been half an hour later, couldn't have—"
"Sir, I can assure you, this is completely worth your time!"
The two ponies skidded to a halt in front of the unusually menacing doors that lead into the throne room, and Onyx cursed under his breath. The doors were iced over. Other guards were already in the area, sending ponies away who shouldn't be there.
Onyx looked at the panting guard standing next to him, the same guard who brought him news of three different disturbances this day.
"What's your name, son?"
"Garnet Tower, sir."
Onyx nodded. "Well met, Garnet Tower. Tell me, how long has this been going on?"
"A few minutes, Commander. The Ambassador from Equestria came galloping out like a madpony."
Onyx frowned at that. He should have known that Blueblood would have something to do with this. He grumbled at his own missed calculations. "Wait for me here," he said as he removed his helmet and took a heavy cloak, offered from another guard. "If you don't hear from me in half an hour, give the General Evacuation Order."
The Commander took a deep breath and pushed against the door before any arguments could be made. It cracked open slowly as the ice gave way. In a matter of seconds, he slipped through the crack, and was gone.
Onyx looked around the throne room and shuddered. It wasn't the temperature necessarily, but the sight of the throne room itself. Large black crystals jutted out of the ground, and the crystal floor that wasn't covered by ice and snow had cracks in it. The chaos was repeated in the columns, with one particular column not only having the dark crystals growing from it, but also leaking a sinister smoke.
He took a few steps forward, surveying the damage when his hoof kicked something. He looked down in surprise to find that he had bumped into the Empress’ crown. He picked it up and carefully pocketed the crown in his cloak and continued further into the room.
The crystals thinned out into a sort of clearing, and Onyx could make out a hint of the red carpet under the ice layer that lead to the Crystal Throne. There was also the snow-covered remains of a table and a few chairs where one of the biggest single crystals he'd ever seen broke through the ground.
Stomach clenched in worry, he side-stepped the new ornament, and immediately relaxed. There was Empress Rarity, right where he expected her to be, curled up on the throne like a recently disciplined puppy.
"I might have screwed up," she said as he hesitated at the foot of the throne.
"Oh… it’s nothing a little elbow grease and a can of paint can’t fix," he replied with a smirk as he made his way over to her. "Are you okay?"
"I... N-no, I'm not," she whispered with a shudder. Onyx undid his cloak and draped it over the Empress. He could see the frozen tear streaks as she looked up at him.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked as he gently placed her crown back on her head.
"I don't know what to say, Onyx," she trembled as she felt the stallion adjust the crown on her head. "It's nothing really, I just need to rest."
Onyx set his head down on a padded armrest, their muzzles less than a foot apart, and he looked into her violet eyes. There was pain and embarrassment there. Not to mention more than their fair share of fear and worry. "You're lying. I can tell when you lie. Your lips make this little twitch when you lie."
"Truly?” she asked with a frown. “Darling, you’re getting worked up over nothing."
"Nothing my hoof," he fired back at her. "What happened? The voices? Are the headaches coming back?"
"They... they never left," Rarity said, looking away from Onyx and digging deeper into the cloak.
Her Commander shook his head in disappointment, and reached up to stroke her mane out of her face, revealing a large crack that had formed in her crystal coat. "Rarity, you need to tell Twilight about these things. She can help."
"No Onyx, I'm fine," she replied, a little too harshly. "Twilight doesn't need to concern herself with this. Besides, the last time she tried to help me, I-I became… this," she held up a frost-covered hoof and pouted.
An uncomfortable silence passed between the two as Rarity fumed away in the cloak, before she spoke again. "No, this is something I can manage on my own, just like I have for the last two hundred years."
"But you don't need to be alone, Rarity," he said quietly.
"It's not that simple, Onyx. I've got three different forms of magic raging in my body," she replied, looking back up at the stallion's crimson eyes. "Unicorn, Crystal, and possibly Windigo. It’s... it’s tearing me apart."
"I bet that fight with Celestia didn’t help," he added dryly.
"Oh please, don't bring that up, too. I'm still recovering from that," Rarity said with a grimace.
She thought back to how a few months ago, she discovered by some fortuitous accident that a member of her palace staff had actually been the missing Sun Goddess, Princess Celestia, in disguise. Their encounter had gone... poorly. What started as an exchange of words became an exchange of force. She frowned at the recent memory of how it had taken her a good week to regenerate enough of her backside to even sit on her throne.
Onyx looked into his monarch’s face and studied its contours and subtle lines. There was more to this. "What else is eating at you?" he asked.
She let out a sigh, then used her magic to locate the file Ambassador Blueblood had given to her and brought it over. She propped it up so Onyx could read through it. She felt him cycle through the emotions of confusion, disbelief, anger, before finally settling on pity as he read the signature page at the end. "Rarity... I-I… there has to be an explanation here."
"I've been betrayed by my oldest friend," she said with bitterness. "I can’t believe she would even put her name on such a vile document. I just... I don't know what to do."
"Perhaps you could talk with her about it tonight at the party?" suggested Onyx. "Maybe they forced her hoof with something. Blackmail, perhaps. I hear those Senators from Equestria can get away with just about anything."
"Maybe." But by Rarity's tone, Onyx knew she wasn't fully convinced. She frowned back at him, sensing the troubles within him. "Now... I feel like you have something to get off your chest."
"My armor,” he replied, fighting to suppress a grin.
Rarity smiled coyly. "Take it off then." He flustered, and Rarity patted him on the shoulder. "I'm joking, Commander. But really, something was on your mind even before you found me. I felt it as you entered the room."
Onyx looked away, and said nothing at first. But he couldn't keep it in for long. What secrets could a loyal son of the Empire hope to keep from the owner of the Crystal Heart? He looked back at her and found her eyes to be full of determination, but also full of concern and curiosity.
He let out a sigh and began explaining the last few weeks to her about his life at home. He explained the stress, the arguments, and his wife's decision to go to Bedrock. "Violet Rose came by just a few minutes ago," he said, finishing up the tale. "And... well, I guess I'm going to be a bachelor again."
"Oh, Onyx," said Rarity as her face melted with compassion. "I am so sorry, I didn't know you two were having problems."
"It's been going on for a while," he said with a shrug. "I just didn't think it would ever come to this. We'd… we’d been a team for so long and now."
"Onyx, dear. If you need some time off to clear your head, take it. The Royal Guard can get along without you for a short while, I'm sure of it," said Rarity. "We can put Major Tom in for a spell, he'd likely appreciate it."
"I'll be okay," he lied.
Rarity nodded, and the two sat in a befuddling silence for a time before she spoke again with a rather wry laugh. "Well, I guess we're both 'okay' then, aren't we?"
Onyx chuckled gruffly along with her. "Yes, I guess we are." Onyx stood up with a stretch. "Whelp, I better go tell the guards outside that everything is alright or else we're going to have to talk them out of the fallout shelters again."
"Or you could wait a moment, and we'll have the Palace all to ourselves. Just you and me..." she said with a playful slap of his nose with the end of her tail.
Onyx paused and stared up and away into some unseen horizon at her suggestion. Rarity let out a soft laugh before continuing. "Oh, come now, Commander. From what you told me, you haven't even signed the divorce papers yet. Why, the media would have a field day."
Rarity hopped up spritely and walked alongside the black stallion. "Come along, Onyx, darling. Let's go assure my little ponies that everything is... perfectly... I-is it getting colder in here?"
Time slowed for the Commander of the Guard as the Empress paused, and then tumbled over into a pile. The crown fell from her head and bounced away with a dull series of metallic thuds.
"Rarity?!" he yelled as he galloped over to her side. She was still breathing, heavily as if she was in pain, but she was otherwise unconscious. He reached down to try and comfort her, but she flinched at his touch and let out a low moan.
Just then he heard the doors crash open and the sound of wings flapping. He caught a glimpse of Silver Dash floating in the air. "Dash!" he called out, waving at the pegasus. "Find a doctor, now!”
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Oh dear. Organic waste really hit the fan this time.
About the Celestia thing: Ummm, huh? My understanding is that this is supposed to be cannon with Twilight's 505st, yet in that it seems that Celestia hadn't been heard at all since she vanished. Did Rarity never inform Twilight of this meeting? The fight thing seems a little odd, but I can rationalize how it might have came to that, so its not to much of a issue.
Aside from the occasional spelling/grammar error, this chapter was simply FABULOUS!!!
MOAR!!!
If you don't mind that is . . . 
Ohhh shit...
Something went down just now...
And Rarity FOUGHT Celestia...?
Did I miss something? Or have you yet to explain that part?
~Skeeter the Lurker
3803671
OMG ITS YOU. I am humbled.
Grand as always. All minor grammar and spelling issues are my fault, as pre-reader. Apologies! I will do better next time.
There is excitement here! Drama! Romance? A fight between monarchs and (former?) friends?! I can't wait to see what comes next.
3803882
Thanks, Raz.
3803894
Yes, Rarity fought Celestia. Terrible battle, you know Ice vs the Sun. I haven't covered that part yet and this was the only introduction. It was meant to be an attention grabber and I think it worked. Details about it will come later and I might do a one-shot of the actual confrontation.
3803774
Yus. This is in line with PTS505. I have Autumnschild to really thank and help with that.
But you do bring up a few good points with this. In PTS505 the Royal Sisters really haven't been heard from, perhaps some rumors. Rarity, on the other hand and I would need to check the ending of PTS505 to see how close this was, knew roughly where Celestia and Luna were at and left it up to them to reveal themselves. I knew the two of us (Autumn) talked about that, but again, I'd have to double check to see how much of that got in there or if it did at all. I might have just leaked something out.
The fight itself is the interesting part which really ties all of your questions together. It started out as a peaceful discussion/confrontation, but escalated further until blood was drawn. Now what in the world could Rarity have said that would have provoked Celestia into a battle? It must have been pretty intense. Rarity also has yet to tell Twilight about this because it turned into a battle and Rarity nearly died. How do you explain to a friend that you found their lost teacher, and accidentally escalated it into a full blown battle and drove them away. In fact she still isn't over the effects of the battle and much of that part will be explained later in Chapter 5. Not the actual fight though, the effects of it.
Can't help but picture another guard seeing this and going "What does it mean"?
3804174
Ahhh, people freaking out when I comment...
Why does that never get old...?
3804242
You can certainly say THAT again...
Do make sure it's an epic one, yeah?
~Skeeter The Lurker
The plot thickens, and not in the way when Celestia eats too much cake.
So Twilight is getting thrown into the mix, party plans are party plans, and Rarity has some weird Windigo-Dark-Crystal magic. Since I've never read the "sequel" (and am too lazy to), I'm just assuming it's par for the course.
One question, well actually several but this is the one that's most pressing:
Is Blueblood the same Blueblood from the series 250 years earlier, or is it a descendant who shares the name? Dear Sweet Faust I hope its the latter
Wait! Don't trust Dash!
3804993
I like questions! But I might be limited in answering them, such as this one.
Now with me being hesitant or reluctant now, that is telling you something weird is going on. I can tell you that its quite the interesting twist. I think Chapter 3 had a few ideas being thrown around in there.
Any other questions?
I actually think that Twilight didn't know what she was signing. It's an old trick, get the boss to sign and innocuous document, then attach the signature page to the real document. It's treasonous and, frankly, very, very malicious but it sounds like something the current Equestrian political class would do.
Now to stop Rarity becoming Nightmare Rarity.
I DEMAND MOAR!
Didn't read the first two looking for darkness/bitterness, wasn't expecting to see it here. Best of luck with the remainder, sir.
3809281
That's a disappointment and I'm sorry to hear that. ER250 is designed to be a darker/bitter story for plot creation and because I like my drama this way and my ponies a little more grown up. Though I do understand that not all share my thoughts and feelings on this matter. What darkness and bitterness has been detected in this chapter does have its purpose - to yield sweeter and happier events down the road. PTS505 used a similar technique as well as it also shared its series of dark moments.
I have though, modified the tags and added an explanation of my reasoning for the tags in the description of the story to provide more enlightenment on the subject.
I do thank you for taking your time to read this story and for your comment, and I find it unfortunate that you wish to part now. I wish you good luck at this time in all of your endeavors.
3810215 Hey, write what you feel. It's just that, if I want bitter struggle leading to a better place, I'll go read Cormac McCarthy, right? I'm after ponies doing pony things.
I have one question...
why the fuck is blueblood still alive? and who in their right mind would considering that Twilight would ever trust him for 'any' reason, or that Rarity wouldn't throw a royal bitch fit over the legendarily stupid idea of sending 'him' as the Equestrian ambassador with her? >:C!
In other news, I hope he pissed himself when he went too far XD
3949970
Well, for the first part, its tricky because I can't go off on it very well. Sorry, I really want to fully explain the situation of this Blueblood. A lot of people have been asking about it and are very curious about it. I will hit upon it, just don't know when. Maybe the opportunity will provide itself within this story, or he'll continue to serve as an antagonist.
The second part of your question will actually get answered in the next chapter. And the more I think about it, I think I can drop some hints about what is up with this Blueblood. But anyways, the next chapter gets to explain a bit of how Blueblood became the Ambassador to the Crystal Empire, and who was dumb enough to sign off on that idea - Twilight actually didn't have a say in the matter. So the next chapter will have some explanation of the Equestrian Government set up where Twilight and Cadence no longer directly rule Equestria but rely on a Senate instead.
He did piss himself. Might have him talk about his adventure later once Twilight arrives in the Empire.
Also, I really like your avatar. That's a great comic series.
3978925
Oh, i actually knew about the senate from the 'twilight 50X birthday' stories :D and I had a 'feeling' something had to have been done without her knowing about him >.> I mean, one hardly forgets their friend's mortal enemies so easily XD
And oh?
what comic series? I actually found this icon on it's own somewhere.
On another note, I like your's too :D 'lil miss rarity' was quite entertaining.
Of course, I fully expect Twilight to throw a fit as well once she hears about how Blueblood was acting and such...
Ahhh, such is the problem with any leadership... It can always be corrupted in some way, with a single greater authority there's always the chance of ending up with someone power hungry, cruel, or just damn greedy and lazy... I say they lucked out with Celestia and she likewise lead her fellow immortals to be 'good ponies'. with 'group rule' there's always the chance of one smooth tongued bastard swaying enough of the in a way to make bad shit happen.
3983803
It's called Sinfest, and your avatar is from the January 19th 2002 strip.
The next chapter update should be done soon... hopefully. I got over my block I had with the beginning of it and just trying to get it together now. I think you'll like it, and I think quite a few people will like it. Twilight will most likely have a little chat with Blueblood, but its... complicated.
So, how's it going?
4088375
It's going better. I've had a lot of mishaps happen these last few weeks, including loosing my thumb drive that contained not just ER 250, but all of my MLP stories. That has been found and the information transferred to a Google Drive. I am hoping to get the 5th chapter completed today or tomorrow and sent to Autumnschild.
4090795 Ah. Condolences on all the trouble. I'm glad things are going better now.
3991403
Sinfest is best fest. I haven't read that comic in years. Time to go through the archives!
Just wanted to give everyone a heads up, Chapter 5 is being read by Autumnschild right now. So an update will occur soon!
Okay.
1: Awesome Twi and spike moment.
2: I wanna hang with party hats now. Pony is all up on some dope ass shit.
3: Sucks for Onyx.
4: should this have the romance tag?
Ooo, Twilight. Glad to find out we're getting some POV from her, so far this had been a tad Empire specific. Not that I mind that detail, but if we're going to have a conflict on a national level then it's good to get perspectives from both sides.
Yikes.
Rarity has a third voice in her head? That seems bad.
Something else is going on, because there is no way that Twilight would stab Rarity in the back like that.
Yeah, bad.
Make that really bad.
I had this in my watchlist when I saw it update, and I'm loving it so far.
It's different in a good way. It's unexpected, funny, mysterious. Each chapter makes me want more.
I deleted my previous commitment because , now that this is labeled as a prequel, much of it is obsolete. The comment about the fight with Celestia still makes it seem like this takes place after Twilight's 505th Birthday, though
3806949
oh no.....