Diary of the Dead

by AppleTank

29: The Princesses Eclipse / The Cursed Magician

“Alright, Evens, Dimi, you're the infiltration team. Get set up to break into the towers. The combat team, Gladas, Wallace, Barnabee, Antibodies: get into position near the back side of the Empire. Blackbird, set up an overwatch. Keep an eye on anomalous movement.

"As for you, Cycle, you’re with me.

“We have visitors."

---

In moments, Quartave and I stood alone. I glanced at her. “So, who’s coming?”

“Sombra has disrupted local relations enough to alert Equestria,” she explained. “Enough to provoke them to investigate.” A wide grin split her face. “It will not end well.”

I leaned slightly away from her. "Right ... What am I here for then? I thought I was joining the combat team?"

"You will," Quartave said. "But for now, I need you by my side for a bit. Insurance, I would say."

"Against what?" I asked, adjusting my mask.

"I think the Equestrians would be a bit more receptive to my presence with a pony like them." The grin on her face almost turned into a leer before she managed to force it back down into a more neutral expression. "I don't exactly give off a comforting energy."

Mollified, I sat down, kneading the snow. Quartave stared off into the distance, one talon reaching over her shoulder to tap her weapon's grip with her fingers.

We first saw the tips of their banners over the snowdrifts. Then, the two sovereigns crested the hill, and locked eyes with us. There was a moment of shocked silence, then her horn ignited.

Before I knew what I was doing, I had already positioned myself in front of Quartave, my teeth bared. The blue alicorn slapped a hoof to the chest of the other princess, whispering words of warning. The white alicorn frowned, but let the magic in her horn dissipate.

They moved again, now with the many guarded eyes of the pony soldiers behind them, spear tips twitching. The delegation stopped a few steps before me, Quartave's expression half hidden by the shadow of her hood, still quietly tapping her weapon's hilt.

The blue alicorn broke the silence first. "We are Princess Luna of Equestria, and this is my sister."

"We are Princess Celestia of Equestria," the white alicorn spoke up. "Who are you? Why is there a colt with you?" Her glare and subtle frown were still in place.

"My, my," Quartave said with casual ease. "So tense today?" She pushed the tip of her hood slightly back, revealing her blank, placid grin. "I'm the leader of a little ... let's call it a cultivation club, Club Honeycomb. You can call me Quartave. This little one besides me is Cycle Springfield. He's been apprenticing under one of my members after we took him after a ... family tragedy. We're here due to business with the--"

"You would steal a child!?" Princess Celestia cut in.

"Celestia!" Princess Luna hissed.

Quartave's placid grin fell into a vague, confused frown. "A child? Cycle is an adult of decades."

Princess Celestia's eyes narrowed. "I don't believe you."

I straightened out of my stance, raising a hoof. "Discord's meddling made counting time rather difficult, but I'm nearing a hundred winters now, ma'am. I have a condition that has kept my height short."

"Celestia, please," Princess Luna said, placing a hoof to her sister's shoulder as she was locked into a cycle of dumbstruck bafflement. "Let me handle this." She stepped forwards, giving me a nod. "Miss Quartave was it? We heard about the new ruler for the Crystal Empire, and wanted to meet him ourselves."

Quartave nodded. "Understandable. And I guarantee it will be a resoundingly poor idea."

At Princess Luna's shocked look, the Seer continued, "My club trained him when he came to us, aimless, devoid of hope after Discord broke his home. We didn't monitor him as carefully as we should have, and so he left us twisted, lost in the thirst for power and control. You will meet him, and you will hate everything he stands for."

"...Then why are you here?"

Quartave's beak fell into a grim line. "To correct our mistake."

Luna frowned. "How?"

"Any means necessary." Quartave sighed, breath misting into the air. "How about this? Equestria moves to make diplomatic ventures. If against all odds, the King responds reasonably, I'll call my people to return to me. If not, we'll move in. How does that sound?"

The Diarchs held a silent conversation between them. The Solar Princess seemed to still be highly dubious, but acquiesced, for now.

Luna turned to the both of us and nodded. “We accept.”

Quartave sat back and clasped her talons. "Excellent! Now, let us agree on a signal, yes?”

---

Quartave stood alone, crouched upon a small hill, peering into the Empire ahead.

The Equestrian Delegation reached the Empire with only a minor delay to their arranged timetable. The King was in front, awaiting them. The meeting, almost predictably, went horribly.

Quartave tittered at the rhythmic adjustment of wings. “Oh, what a shame! What. A. Shame.” She drew Monster’s Bite out of her belt and flicked a switch. The end of the hilt split open, ejecting a spring-loaded sling. An indigo flare was fitted to the woven pad, spun, and released the flaming indigo orb into the sky. Acid yellow hate flickered beneath her irises. “All forces. Execute your orders.”