For the Good of Equestria

by brokenimage321

Chapter 11: Rubicon

Five days later, they were on the road.

Luna had flown back on her own, as fast as she could, ahead of the rest of the attendants who were making their way back on hoof. The first thing she did when she landed was to give Celestia the treaty from the Desert Confederacy, all ready to go except for her signature; the second thing was to take a hot bath to clean off the dirt and sweat she’d picked up on her flight; the third was to walk into the banquet hall with a bright smile spread across her face. “Andradite, is it? So good to meet you! Celestia has told me so much!”

Andradite harrumphed into his plate. “Your Highness,” he said in response. “Pleased to finally make your acquaintance.” No one in the room missed the acid in his voice. “I trust we shall not delay our journey any further?”

Luna’s smile faltered.

“We have a few more preparations to make,” Celestia cut in, “but I expect that we shall have the carriages loaded by early tomorrow.”

He snorted. “Carriages.” He picked up his fork and stabbed angrily at the roasted vegetables on his plate. “Such will not make it through the mountain passes.”

Celestia bowed. “As you say. What would you suggest?”

“Pack it yourselves,” he snapped. “Like good, honest ponies.”

“Bright little ray of sunshine, isn’t he?” Luna asked, once they had left the room.

Celestia groaned. “You have no idea.”

And so, the next morning, they found themselves on the road leading North from Canterlot. Celestia and Luna both carried saddlebags with their bedding and their official regalia; behind them, two earth ponies pulled a cart of food and supplies; and, behind them, a half-dozen guards in their royal armor, short spears in sheathes by their sides.

Luna limped a little as she walked—even a full ten hours sleep hadn’t been enough to let her recover from her mad flight across the plains. Celestia considered taking her bag, but Andradite, who seemed to take offense at any little thing, would have grumbled at such coddling.

And so, they walked.

For the first few days, still while in Equestrian territory, every stop was a cause for celebration. The ponies they passed, no matter what they were doing, stopped and waved. Some called out after them, and Celestia, at least, always flashed them a smile. But even this seemed only to irritate Andradite further. For every pony that said greeted them, his frown deepened a little, and he walked just a little faster.

One night, while the fire burned down to embers and Andradite snored on his bedroll, Celestia tried massaging Luna’s muscles.

“Next time,” Celestia smirked, working on a knot in Luna’s shoulder, “don’t let me take you on a walking tour the day after a marathon flight.”

Luna rolled her eyes. “We do what—ahh—we must,” she winced. “So—unh—what do you think we’ll find? When we get there?”

Celestia hesitated.

“I didn’t say stop,” Luna added, almost indignant.

Celestia smiled, and went back to massaging. “I don’t know,” she said. “But, if this… Empire is as powerful as it claims…” She shrugged. “Hopefully, they can help us out. And, if not, perhaps we can help them.” She chuckled. “At the very least, I want to see it for myself.”

Luna groaned again, then smiled. “I know what you mean.” She paused. “And… thanks. For this, I mean.”

Celestia nodded, patting her gently as she did. “I just hope it helps.”

“It will,” came the reply.

The next morning, Luna’s stride was a little easier—but not easy enough. That day, they passed beyond the borders of Alliance territory. Ponies still stopped what they were doing as they passed, but there were fewer waves and a great deal more staring. They knew of the Princesses—who didn’t?—but to see them was something different entirely.

On the third day since leaving the Alliance, the little party reached the top of a low hill. Andradite started down the other side, but Celestia paused, frowning. Luna limped up beside her and stared.

Below them lay a flat plain, several hundred yards across, bordered on either side by low, rolling hills. Through the center of the plain ran a river, dark blue, flowing deep and fast, crossed by a small, wooden footbridge.

And, on the other side of that bridge waited a small entourage of crystal ponies—porters, cart-drivers, and soldiers.

Celestia glanced down; Andradite hadn’t noticed their hesitation, and still walked the path towards the river. “Andradite?” she called after him. “What’s going on?”

He turned back and smiled at them—a smile that didn’t quite fit his face. “We’ve reached the Azure River—the edge of our borders.” He turned back and kept walking. “It’s time you enjoyed some proper servants.”

Celestia growled to herself, then spread her wings and took off. She flew over to Andradite, landing lightly in front of him. “Andradite,” she repeated, “Why are there soldiers waiting for us?”

He raised his eyebrows, then looked her up and down. “Because,” he said, as if he was talking to a child, “Now that we are entering Empire territory, you will be escorted by Empire servants. It’s only fitting, after all.” He side-stepped around Celestia and kept walking. “You may send your servants home—after we have unloaded your luggage, of course.”

Celestia opened her mouth to respond—but didn’t know what to say. She turned after him with a pained look, but did not move. Luna landed beside her and stumbled, but quickly righted herself.

“Did you hear that?” Celestia asked.

Luna shook her head.

“He wants us to send our servants back. Let the crystal escorts take us the rest of the way.” She swallowed, then shot a glance at the soldiers—each wearing a bow, a quiver, and a short blade. “I’m not a fan of the idea,” she murmured.

Luna shot her a crooked grin. “Come on, Cece,” she said, nudging her. “Quit being paranoid.” She paused, then gave a half-nod. “True, Andradite’s been… difficult… but if he cares about his king as much as he claims, then he wouldn’t let anything happen to us. Besides,” she added, flashing a smile as she set off after Andradite, “we can take care of ourselves. We’re big girls.”

Celestia glared after her, then followed. “I’m not being paranoid,” she muttered.

Celestia glowered as the crystal servants offloaded their luggage into the waiting two-wheeled crystal carts—small and light enough, presumably, to make it over the mountains she could already see in the distance. She eyed the crystal soldiers again—rather heavily armed for a mere peaceful trot through the countryside. Part of her knew that she was, perhaps, being unreasonable—after all, this was a diplomatic visit, and a show of force might be part of King Sombra’s strategy—but a bigger part of her remained unconvinced. In an unfamiliar country, with an unfamiliar ruler, surrounded by armed soldiers, and with no allies save each other…

...well. Like Luna said. They were big girls. And hopefully they would be able to last long enough for at least one of them get away...

Celestia suddenly realized Luna was speaking. She glanced up, ready to answer—but saw her talking to Andradite.

“...So, what’s it like?” she was asking. “The Empire, I mean.”

“The Empire,” Andradite said, puffing out his chest, “is the greatest nation known to ponykind. We work together, in unity and solidarity, for the good of the all.”

Celestia perked up her ears.

“Really?” Luna asked. “That’s quite impressive.”

Andradite nodded proudly. “Indeed. But the Empire is no stranger to impressive feats. Have you heard of the Spire, Your Highness?”

“I can’t say I have,” she replied.

“The Spire,” Andradite said, somehow puffing out his chest even more, “has been the palace of the Crystal Kings and Queens for the past two millennia—and, more importantly, it is the largest single project that we have ever accomplished. Grown from a single seed-crystal, then worked, in less than a year, into its current shape, it is a marvel of what we can accomplish.”

Luna nodded, impressed. “Seed-crystals,” she repeated. “I would assume…?”

“Indeed,” he replied, cutting her off. “Crystals grow naturally from the ground, wherever crystal ponies dwell—which is good, as they are quite useful, not to mention beautiful. But,” he added, “when we need to, we can grow them ourselves—from seed-crystals.” He smiled. “In fact, it is said that the seed that grew the palace was the largest ever carved—wide as three ponies abreast. And further…”

Celestia narrowed her gaze. She had spent enough time around enough stuffed shirts that she liked to think she had gotten pretty good at separating bluster from substance. And Andradite was starting to sound less like an earnest advocate and more like a travel brochure.

Her gut began to squirm.

“Highness?”

Celestia glanced down. An orange pegasus wearing crystal armor looked back up at her. He made a little bow, then spoke. “Highness,” he repeated, with the slightest hint of an aristocratic drawl. “We’re fixin' to set out, if you're ready.”

Celestia stared at him a moment. “...yes,” she said, finally. “Yes, I’ll be along in a moment.”

He bowed again and turned away.

Celestia hesitated. “Guard?” she called.

The pegasus turned back around. “Highness?” he asked uncertainly.

Celestia opened her mouth. There were so many questions she wanted to ask… Can I trust Andradite? Can I trust you? What is your Empire really like? Are we in danger here? Will I have any warning before you stab us all in the back?

Instead, she cleared her throat. “What’s your name?” She asked.

His eyes widened, and he bowed a little. “Flash Sentry, Highness.”

“Flash Sentry,” she repeated. She took a deep breath. “My sister, Princess Luna,” she said. “She’s fatigued from the journey. Would it be possible to find a carriage or something like that, so she won’t have to walk so far?”

He shook his head firmly. “No can do. The pass over the mountain’s steep and rocky, and we don’t got nothin' that would be able to go all the way—and even those little carts are gonna have a hard time.” He hesitated, then bowed his head. “I’m sorry,” he added.

Celestia stared at him for a moment, then, slowly smiled. Luna needed something, badly—but, though she was still disappointed, there was something that she liked about this little guard. “Thank you,” she said, returning his bow. “I appreciate it.”

He saluted, then turned to re-join the caravan. A moment later, Celestia followed.