Party Guests
“Boring,” said Overkill loudly. Without thinking about it, Twilight jerked her head to look at her new bodyguard. Said pony was still in her uniform, minus her mask to reveal her grey furred face and that her mane had been dyed red with streaks of black in it. She was not standing next to Twilight in attention like many of the Guards Twilight had seen doing for Princess Celestia back in Equestria. Instead she was on her back as she laid on the floor of Twilight’s castle suite, her eyes locked on the ceiling. On the ground next to her was the large axe.
“Princess,” snapped a voice next to her right before her head was forcefully turned forwards so that she now faced the same mirror she had been since she returned from Fort Chrostorm. The owner of the voice, one of the castle maids, didn’t bother to hide her annoyance at this while taking a brush back into her mouth. Without another word, the maid continued what she had been doing of meticulously applying makeup to her. As Twilight sat there, doing nothing, she had to agree with Overkill that this was completely boring. She had had other mares doing her makeup before, but that was back when she was surrounded by her friends who would talk and giggle with her during the long process. Not so much now.
In a way, Twilight was a bit disappointed. Given all that she had seen of thestral technology, she had wondered if they had a contraption that would help her get ready for the party. This being Twilight, she had given the matter much thought and had come up with several different ideas on how they might do it. One of them was similar to a cart wash back in Manehatten. The purple alicorn had imagined herself stepping onto a conveyor belt somewhere else in the castle before being moved on to have her coat washed by sprayers, dried by giant vacuums, and makeup shot onto her face before she could step off. Of course, that was just her first idea and Twilight had felt very silly for assuming they would do something like that. Another, more practical, idea was based off of the mechanical legs she had seen Wild Theory using when they first met. Like back then, Twilight could see through her mind’s eye a mare sitting behind her wearing a pack with the same metal spider-like limbs. It was somewhat unsettling to imagine these limbs moving around Twilight’s body, applying makeup as well as cleaning her coat. Yet Twilight knew she had could not show any signs of fear. As Princess, she had to make every effort to adapt to this new land. To show disgust or fear instead of trust in these machines would not help matters.
Also they might not let her study whatever machines they had if she offended them!
The reality of what awaited her back in her suite was far more tame than her thoughts. Upon leaving the lift, she saw that many of the dress racks had been unceremoniously moved over to the side. Within this newly freed space were a couple of carts that held dozens of small drawers, a set with oddly large wheels in the back that were at least twice the size of the cart. A mirror had been placed in the middle of these carts with a changing screen off to the side. As Twilight took this all in, a single maid quickly ushered her in front of the mirror and began to work silently. Several times Twilight tried to start a conversation with the mare or try to talk to Overkill, however the maid would have none of that. These were the only times the maid ever spoke, telling Twilight to keep her jaw shut and her head straight. Twilight wondered if she had long ago been ordered to act this way by the former princess or if she wanted absolute concentration as she worked.
In either case the results spoke for themselves. The mare had brushed Twilight’s fur with an old fashioned brush that looked similar to the ones she had seen in museums. Yet this brush, along with the mare’s meticulous skills, had managed to give her coat a shine that she had failed to gain from the deluxe spa treatment Rarity had procured them for the gala. Once that had been finished, the mare moved to her wings. She didn’t do much, due to having no experience with feathered wings, only ensuring that nothing hid between the feathers. After working on Twilight’s hooves until they shined, the maid moved to Twilight’s mane, which was quickly styled into a bun. With that complete, the maid did the first truly unpleasant thing during this entire ordeal: clean Twilight’s teeth. To do this, the maid opened the alicorn’s mouth before smearing a horribly smelling gel over her teeth with a leathery wing tip. While it smelled bad, the taste was far worse. So much so that Twilight could feel tears running down her face. After several minutes the maid removed the gel and showed that Twilight’s teeth were now sparkling white.
Now, in the present, the maid was applying blush and other items to Twilight’s face. This was taking a bit longer since thestrals only have so many coat colorations, meaning the maid had to do a lot of guesswork. Whenever something didn’t look just right, it was quickly removed before trying a different combination.
Carefully, Twilight raised her lips just a tiny bit and managed to say “You could go next if you want,” through gritted teeth. The maid paused to raise an eyebrow at Twilight before continuing.
“I’d rather work in the drudges,” replied Overkill. As she said this, Twilight was able to see her sour expression clearly in the mirror. “Sitting still that long, doing nothing? When most of the time ponies can’t even see most of your face? Seems like something my ma would do but not me. Rather be doing something more productive with my time like cleaning my weapons.”
“Really?” asked Spike as he came down the stairs, one of his comics in his claws. “You enjoy polishing your weapons? Doesn’t really seem all that important.”
At that, Overkill quickly rolled over and stood up before thrusting a hoof in Spike’s direction. “Don’t you know anything tiny dragon? Making sure your weapons are properly clean is one of the most important things they teach you in basic training! Smoothing out your melee weapon helps reduce friction and allowing for you to cut deeper as well as easier! Blunderbusses need to be dismantled each and every day to can clean every part of them so that they can function at their peak condition. Failure to do so can cause the blunderbuss to jam up or blow up in your face! Not to mention by taking your blunderbuss apart you can check to see if any parts need to be replaced. Is the hose leading to your furnace pack starting to fray? Are any of the gauges off? There are hundreds of ways things can go wrong and the worse time for that to happen is when your life is in danger! Cleaning your weapons means staying alive and I happen to like living!”
“Geez,” said Spike as he sat down and opened up his comic. “Why is everything here so complicated?”
“It’s not complicated,” stated Overkill as she picked up her axe and began to twirl it around her foreleg like a baton stick. “You just happen to be ignorant. What are you reading anyway?”
“Power Ponies issue 357,” he said without looking up. “Pretty good one where Saddle Ranger has to defeat the Phony Pharaoh and his gang all by herself whiles the rest of the team are wrapped in power sapping bandages.”
Overkill gave him a deadpanned look as she stopped her twirling. “All I heard was words without any blasted meaning,” she said, head tilted to the side.
Watching all this through the mirror still, Twilight saw that Spike had opened his mouth to make some sort of retort when the sound of the lift door opening was heard. Twilight’s ears perked at this since access to said lift was very limited. Right now, as far as she knew, the only ones allowed to it were herself, Spike, Count Raven, and Overkill since she was going to be staying with Twilight in the suite in order to better protect her. As for everypony else, there was another entrance at the other end of Twilight’s home. She had been told that there were guards stationed at various points, making note of everypony who was coming to see her as well as searching all of their belongings.
Still looking through the mirror, Twilight saw Overkill tense up slightly. The princess guessed what was going through her bodyguards head: that just because only a few ponies were allowed to use it doesn’t mean others couldn’t use it as well. Thestral assassins for example. Given the history of this land, it was no surprise to her that Overkill would think this way. Still, her eyes widened in shock and fear as Overkill pulled out a grenade from her bandolier before getting into the best throwing position. Twilight’s fear seemed to triple, fearful of the damage that thing could cause. It would most likely kill the intruder but there was no telling what the blast would do to the others in the room!
Thankfully, Overkill did not throw it. “Put that blasted thing away,” came the familiar voice of Count Raven as he exited the lift while looking at Overkill crossly. Overkill looked like a filly who had just opened up her Hearth’s Warming gifts to reveal moldy old socks. With a pained look she put her grenade away as the stallion entered the room.
As he approached Twilight, she noticed out of the corner of her eye the slight differences in the Count’s appearance. His black opera coat had been replaced with a black frock that was completely buttoned up all the way to his neckline by golden gear-shaped buttons. The sleeves of his jacket went all the way down to his hooves with three golden buckles on each. His white mane was mostly hidden by a top hat and under his right wing was a cane. Not that he needed one, perhaps more for show than anything. The rest of his featured looked like they had been cleaned. Perhaps not to the same degree as Twilight’s, but it was still noticeable. There was something else there as well. On his back was a long rectangular white box.
“Your Grace is looking most excellent this night,” said Count Raven with a bow, causing Twilight to blush. “I am sure Your Grace will make a most wonderful impression on thine guests.”
“Thanks,” replied Twilight as the maid began to finish up. “Just hope I don’t have to go through this every time we invite thestrals over.”
The Count chuckled at that. “Ah, Prince Obsidian used to say the same thing as did his father before him. Sometimes it seemed like that was the only thing they shared in common. But His Former Excellency used to have a saying, ‘Place two gifts before a crowd and most will assume that the better wrapped one is more worthy of attention.’ He…would often say that that to both himself and the former prince when they were getting ready.” At that moment, the Count seemed to sober a great deal as he lowered his head.
Seeing that the maid was putting away her things, Twilight felt like she could move about freely now. The princess turned to place a comforting hoof on the shoulder of the Count. “It sounds like you miss both of them.”
“That I do Your Grace,” replied Count Raven. “I served His Former Excellency for many, many years. I was there when our former Queen gave birth.”
Twilight smiled somewhat. “What was he like?” she asked, “King Cobalt. I’m a bit curious since you haven’t talked about him much. Unless you don’t want to of course. I can understand if it’s too difficult.”
Count Raven shook his head. “Not at all,” he said before placing a hoof to his chin in thought. “He was a very good king, I’d say. Took his work very seriously, for the most part. He had his faults, his blind spots if you will, but he ensured that nearly everything ran smoothly throughout the kingdom. No matter what issue came before him, he treated them all with the same level of dedication. Whether it was a civil uprising in one area of Thunder Valley or a slight decrease in the crops, they were all important to him. He used to say that the kingdom was like a complex machine, with many parts both large and small. Yet, no matter the size, they are all important. A single piece damaged or missing could result in the machine not performing at its best or, far worse, stop working altogether.”
“Sounds like he had a lot of sayings,” commented Twilight as her horn lit up.
“It was a hobby of sorts,” said Count Raven. “Liked to think about things and write them down in a notebook. My personal favorite was what he used to say about the moon, that it represents hope.” Twilight looked at the Count with some confusion. Growing up in Equestria, she had always associated the sun with hope and life. Without it, nothing could survive. The moon, as well as the night, had always brought the cold and darkness. She had nothing against the night of course for she loved to study the stars and the planets. It’s just how she viewed them on a symbolic level. The Count must have noticed this as he continued to talk. “His Former Excellency would say that the day is the normal where everything is fine. Everything just seems to be going right and you don’t have a care in the world. But then that warmth, that comfort is taken away leaving you in the dark. That’s when you can see it, a light shining brightly along with many other smaller dots in the sky, to break up the darkness. It’s only then, in those dark times that true hope shines its brightest and can be seen.”
Twilight stared at the stallion with her jaw open a tiny bit. She had never heard anypony describe the moon in such a way. But now that it had been explained to her like this, she couldn’t help but see where the former king was coming from. It was actually very beautiful now that she thought about it. Sadly, not everypony in the room felt the same way.
“Sounds sappy,” commented Overkill. Twilight turned to see that Overkill was laying back down, eyes closed, while Spike nodded.
“Well I think it’s wonderfully insightful,” said Twilight before turning to look at Count Raven. “I don’t suppose you know if that notebook is still around? I’d love to read more.”
“I shall strive to accomplish this goal Your Grace. If my memory serves correctly, the notebook should be in the archives with several other items that belonged to His Former Excellency. His Former Excellency had left it there until… until it could be presented to both his children, to help them rule when he passed.” Count Raven continued to speak, but his voice was mournful. “But that sadly never happened. Your Grace, while King Cobalt was a great ruler for many years His Former Excellency was not the best father. His Former Excellency loved them both dearly, but he felt he needed to be firm with them if they were ever to bare the weight of the crown. Perhaps he went harder on the Prince who was just as stubborn as his father. The fights between King Cobalt and Prince Obsidian would echo through these great halls on a nightly basis. It was only after one particularly venomous argument that the Prince decided to leave in the middle of the day without a word to anypony. Neither were ever able to reconcile.”
“That’s horrible,” said Twilight as she placed a hoof to her mouth as a bag from her room descended towards her. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to live like that, to have your last encounter with somepony you loved being filled with such anger. Having to go through that for the rest of your days.
Twilight briefly wondered if it was because of that fight that Prince Obsidian came back to the castle. Did he blame himself for not being there when his father needed him, or did he think that their fight might have had an impact on his father’s health? Was his trying to keep the kingdom afloat part of some sort of penance? Or did he just feel obligated to do the work? There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but now wasn’t the time.
“More like pathetic on the guards’ account,” stated Overkill, causing Twilight to turn and look at her. “Heard about that while I was back in training. Not a single guard saw him leaving the castle or leaving the city. It was a clubber in a nearby village that spotted him. The General was not too pleased about that.”
“Well of course nopony would see him leaving the castle,” snorted Count Raven. “Within the castle are several emergency escape routes should anything befall the Royal Family. Then there are-” Whatever Count Raven was going to say next was cut short as a whistle similar to the kind made by a kettle sounded several times. Twilight had heard this noise several times before, assuming it to be a clock of some kind that she had yet to find due to all this mess. “Oh dear, is it that time already? The party will be starting soon.”
“Well, I’m almost ready,” said Twilight as she opened the bag she had brought down. “All I have to do is put on this dress.” Now in her magical hold was the dress Rarity had given her as a goodbye gift. After looking at it, Twilight saw that Rarity had pulled out all of the stops for this one gown. It reminded her of the starry gala dress she had worn that one time, but with some impressive improvements. The star pattern the original had once held had been replaced by diamonds that shined in the light of the room. They spiraled around the light blue gown in a way that reminded Twilight of the Milky Way. There was no better time to wear such a gift than when she was about to make her first appearance before the upper crust of Automahollow. Wearing this dress would be like having her friend beside her.
Looking over at the Count, Twilight expected him to be equally impressed. But he was not. Instead he seemed put off by the dress or something. “Oh,” he managed to say as his eyes shifted about. “Were you planning on wearing that?”
“…Yes?” replied Twilight slowly, not understanding. “It probably wouldn’t be right to wear one of Princess Alabaster’s dresses to this, would it?”
“No, no,” said the Count quickly. “You are right, that wouldn’t send the right message. That’s why I went to the trouble of finding you this.” As he spoke, Count Raven reached for the box on his back before handing it to Twilight. Touched by this gesture, as well as a bit curious as to what he had gotten her, Twilight opened the box. Instantly her eyes widened before closing it.
“Well that’s,” began Twilight as she forced a smile. As tiny beads of sweat threatened to form on her forehead, she began to think of the most polite way to say no. A really, really big no! “It’s certainly an…interesting design. But I don’t think it’s me.”
Count Raven frowned at this. “Your Grace, please understand,” he said in a calm tone, his eyes shifting towards the dress Rarity had made for a brief moment. “I do not wish to sound cruel, but that dress Your Grace has selected is far too…Equestrian, for lack of a better term.” Twilight opened her mouth, only to have the Count raise a hoof. “Your Grace was correct in thinking that wearing a dress that belonged to the former princess would send the wrong message. Your Grace standing there in such a lavish dress while the rest of Thunder Valley is struggling to get by just simply won’t do. But this dress,” he gestured to Rarity’s gown, “will also send them the wrong message. It says that Your Grace is still clinging to Your Grace’s homeland, unwilling to adapt. They need to see Your Grace as their future ruler, not as a guest or a member of a foreign power.”
“AAHHH,” wailed Overkill as she placed her two front hooves on either side of her head. “This is why I hate politics. A dress is a dress!”
Twilight didn’t reply to Overkill’s outburst, only rotating her gaze between the beautiful dress her friend had made and the closed box before her. With all her heart, Twilight wanted to wear Rarity’s dress for she knew how hard she had worked to make it and that it would look great on her. Yet, at the same time, she understood what the Count was telling her. If she wanted these ponies to listen to her, to see her as their potential queen, then she had to act like it. She needed to show them that she was becoming one of them. Plus, the Count had gone through the trouble of getting her a dress just for this occasion. Wouldn’t it be thoughtless and rude of her to refuse such kindness? Count Raven was one of the few thestrals she knew was truly on her side so she didn’t want to upset him.
“Are you sure?” asked Twilight in a soft voice. “I mean, me wearing a brand new dress might also send the wrong impression.”
“That’s right,” said Spike as he ran over to them and placed a claw on Rarity’s dress. “I’m sure nopony will mind Twilight trotting around wearing a dress Rarity made. Better than finding out that she’s already spending bits, er, I mean grits on a new dress for herself.”
“That’s why this dress is slightly out of fashion,” replied the Count. “It’s a keepsake from our former queen before she too passed into the Storm. It should show that Your Grace is assimilating well into our culture as well as showing that Your Grace is not wasting any grits.”
Twilight said nothing, only staring at the box with half-lidded eyes. She knew that Spike was watching her, hoping that she would make some sort of argument against this. Or perhaps put her hoof down. But Twilight knew she had to wear this tonight. The Count was right; she needed to make the best impression she possibly could. Even if it meant wearing something she didn’t feel comfortable in. So, with a heavy sigh, Twilight gently let Rarity’s gown fall into Spike’s arms while he looked at her in shock. Then, very slowly, she lifted the box containing the other dress.
-x-
Later that evening, a few hours before the night sky would give way to the rising sun, Twilight stood within the ballroom feeling like she was wearing a Nightmare Night costume. The dress was almost blood red, with black trimming in a spider web-like pattern. On her flank was another layer of cloth, looking as if the dress was a bit too big so the extra length had been placed there, while below it the frills seemed to zig and zag about. Around her barrel was a corset that matched the spider theme of the frills, depicting several arachnids with a large gear where its abdomen should have been. Long sleeves went down both her forelegs, both of which held buttons looking like the same mecha spider on her corset. Right now, Twilight didn’t feel like a princess at a ball. Instead she felt more like a vampony straight from one of the better haunted houses in Canterlot.
At the very least, the gown was comfortable. The dress didn’t feel too baggy nor did it make her look like she had put on any weight since arriving. The fabric of the dress felt soft and smooth against her fur. Even the corset wasn’t put on too tightly, allowing her more breathing room than she would have thought possible.
The music playing in the background, however, was something she could do without. Off in the corner, far from everypony else, was another one of the thestrals’ machines. Its back portion looked like several pill shaped boilers squished together, with the usual tubes and gauges sticking out in various places. In front of it was something that disturbed Twilight so much that she did everything she could not to look at it. Several bumps of the same bronze metal as the machine rose up three feet from the ground before morphing into the bodies on auto-ponies. Each one of them held in their hooves musical instruments, which they played the same depressing song that made the music at a funeral sound like a celebration over and over again. But that wasn’t what made them hard to look at. For reasons Twilight didn’t know, some mad pony had placed fake fur over their bodies. That, along with the numerous wires and tubes sticking out from their backs, created a nightmarish image for the purple princess.
Beside her was Count Raven, sticking as close to her as if he had suddenly become her shadow. Together they stood at the end of a long, red velvet carpet that started at the door. Unlike the time when she had been with Princess Celestia to greet ponies at the door, her guests for this evening had to walk to the opposite end of the ballroom to be greeted. At most two ponies would slowly approach her while the rest waited behind the door. It was an almost unbearably slow process for Twilight.
“Blood Diamond and his newlywed wife Black Widow,” whispered Count Raven into Twilight’s ear as the latest pair approached them. “Blood Diamond owns one of the finest jewelry shops in Automahollow. Has ties to Duke Fallen Star who, in turn, has ties to the mining companies in his area. The best gems and ore always arrive to his shop. Very influential with the upper crust.” Twilight fought hard not to nod as she processed this information very quickly. Perhaps the best part of this long carpet system was that Count Raven was able to dispense enough information to her before they arrive.
When the two got closer, both Twilight and Count Raven bowed which was echoed in turn. After they had all risen, Twilight saw that Blood Diamond was giving her an appraising look. Like many of the other guests, he was taken slightly aback by her feathered wings as well as her horn. As he did this, Twilight felt a chill running down her spine thanks to the look Black Widow was giving her. It was a hungry type of look that felt like it belonged more on a wild manticore than a pony. Not helped in the slightest when she licked her lips slightly. For a moment her gaze flicked to her husband, looking maybe a bit bored by what she saw before returning to look at Twilight.
“It is an honor to be here this night Princess Twilight,” said Blood Diamond at last, his tone very formal. “I do hope that your being here will mean that things will begin to stabilize. The leadership of the Great Houses was not kind to my business. No, not at all.”
“I am very sorry to hear that,” replied Twilight in a sincere tone. “Right now, my top priority is to ensure the wellbeing of all Thunder Valley’s thestrals. I hope to count on your support on this matter.”
“Well,” began Blood Diamond slowly. “Grits are tight right now for most ponies. I have already had to let go of several employees.” He then leaned a little closer. “But perhaps I could make a small…donation if you are willing to help me out in a small matter. I’m not sure if you are aware of this or not but Duke Rolling Thunder has been petitioning to use government grants to help support a new power source. An untested one, and the company developing it is in his pocket. If such a thing were to happen, who knows how it might affect the mining industry?”
Twilight gave a nod. “Workers might have to be laid off,” she replied. “Possibly fewer sources of income if those areas are so heavily dependent on mining. It could ruin entire towns.”
“And the prices of certain gems might go up,” added Blood Diamond with a nod. “Sure, for a stallion like myself, it might make some good grits in the short term. But after a while, who knows? I might have to go into a bidding war with so many others in order to supply my customers.”
“That sounds awful,” replied Twilight in a deadpanned voice. It was hard not to talk like this after so many others had made similar requests. Scattered around the ballroom were the others that had come in before, each one of them refusing to donate any grits unless Twilight helped them with their personal matters. Several of the thestrals here owned the many factories that made up the capital who clamored for her to lower the minimum wage or cut their taxes in half. Others had asked for more government grants to head their way and some requested that certain investigations be halted against them. Twilight had already made a mental note to find out what was going on with that last group.
Seeming to not notice the tone of her voice, Blood Diamond excused himself so that he and his wife could enjoy the party. Not that there was much going on. Most of the thestrals that had shown up seemed to be standing by themselves around the room, not talking much or anything else. A few of them were by the small food table which was scarce even before the first guest arrived. The most activity Twilight had seen was the auto-pony that Wild Theory had managed to repair, zooming along the track line with a tray filled with drinks. Occasionally it would stop so the guests could either take a drink or deposit their empty glass before the machine could return to the kitchen. As they walked away, Black Widow turned to look at Twilight and gave her a saucy wink.
“I’ll keep an eye on her,” whispered Count Raven, his voice tense. Twilight nodded, glad to hear that he felt the same way as she did.
At that moment, one of the guards approached the two. He gave a short bow to the both of them before moving to whisper in the Count’s ear. Twilight watched as the Count’s face shifted from slight annoyance to disappointment before looking annoyed.
“It seems our star guest, Arms Maker, was unable to make it,” said Count Raven after the guard walked away, sighing as he spoke. “Hopefully it doesn’t have anything to do with that son of his, storm blast him. I was hoping to introduce the two of you, but I fear it must happen on a later night.”
Twilight looked at him with some confusion. She wanted to know who this Arms Maker was as well as the deal with his son. However, before she could get the words out, Lady Crystal Chime was announced. At the sound of her name, Count Raven frowned deeply as he gazed at the mare heading towards them. Twilight followed his example to see something that was truly surprising: a mare who looked absolutely delighted to be here. The mare was dressed in a black ball gown that had a bump over her flank. Her young eyes sparkled with glee, an almost uncontrollable joy emanating from her very being.
“Be careful with this one,” whispered Count Raven darkly. “She’s Duke Ticking Clock’s grandfilly. I don’t know how she found out about this.”
“Princess Twilight!” exclaimed Crystal Chime loudly as she stopped in front of the pair. “Oh, how good it is to hear that the parties have resumed! You have no idea how much I have missed these since poor Princess Alabaster was dethroned. Such a tragedy!” As she said this, Crystal spun around with her wings extended while the other guests either glared at her statement or looked away. Yet the young mare didn’t seem to notice or pay any mind to them. Instead she stopped to look at the purple alicorn as if she were a savior of some kind.
“You really should have been there Princess,” Crystal continued happily. “Those were truly amazing times when this entire room would be full of thestrals dancing the day away. The music flowed elegantly through our ears, brought to us by the most gifted intellects who had put their talents to good use! The food was simply divine. Night after night, week and week. It was truly a celebration that should never have ended!” She then paused to look around, taking in the meager food and the abomination that was the machine playing the music. For the first time, a frown appeared on her face. “Alas, it seems like it will be a while before the taxes can be collected again in order to bring us such fair times again.”
“Actually,” said Twilight, her voice raised so that all could hear her. “That won’t be happening. Right now, my top priority is to repair this nation from the poor handling and selfish behavior of the former princess. Holding extravagant parties right now would just be a waste of grits. Nor will I be upping the taxes on those who are struggling to get by. Perhaps someday, in a few years, there will be more proper get togethers and parties. But they will be held on official holidays or whenever a situation calls for them. Not just because I feel like showing off!” Twilight was sure that her voice had carried through the room. While she kept her gaze locked on Crystal Chime, she could see out of the corner of her eyes several couples looking relieved. Or at least going back to what they were doing.
As for the mare in front of her, Twilight watched an almost shocking change in her. The mare who had been giddy for so long had looked at her wide eyed when Twilight had started speaking. Now was a much different story. Crystal’s eyes were half lidded with a slight sneer on her muzzle. She was now regarding Twilight as if she were something beneath her, holding her in contempt. It was like the grown mare before her was nothing more than a spoiled filly who had just been denied a trip to Whinnyland.
Twilight had expected the mare to say something to her, but it seemed that Twilight was now too far beneath the mare for such a courtesy. Crystal spun around, her nose high in the air, and began to walk the way she came. Nopony said another word, not even the guards who stepped out of the way to allow her to pass.
“Well, that could have gone better,” said Count Raven in a whisper as the door closed. He then looked over at Twilight with a frown. “I do wish Your Grace could have handled this more carefully. Your Grace has now made a most annoying enemy this night.”
Now Twilight frowned. “You said that we needed to make things clear that I wasn’t going to be following in the hoofsteps of Princess Alabaster. Everypony in this room could hear her! I had to ensure that they all know where I stand on this topic.”
“I suppose Your Grace has a point,” admitted Count Raven with a sigh. “Despite being the grandfilly to a well respected Duke, Lady Crystal Chime was a firm supporter of Princess Alabaster along with many other young foolish foals. Far too caught up in the limelight and the ‘fun’ she provided. It was only after their Princess fell from grace that many had a change of heart. Perhaps it was because they witnessed the consequences of their actions, either to the entirety of Thunder Valley or their own lifestyle change. Or perhaps they are simply putting up a front of remorse, unwilling to admit even to themselves the folly of their actions. She is the only one to still freely and openly support the former regime. She needs to understand that those nights are done with. Still, Your Grace has now made a full on enemy of her. She will no doubt do whatever she can to undermine Your Grace.”
Twilight shook her head. “Something tells me she would have done that no matter what I said to her or how I said it.”
Count Raven managed a small smile at this. “Another good point to Your Grace.” At that moment the doors opened announcing a stallion named Golden Spike. The stallion was decked in a fine coat much like the Count’s, with the addition of a top hat. His brown coat was line and his mutton chops had grayed nicely. There was a smile on his face as he looked over to his much younger companion, a mare who had a black coat as well as a mane that was black with streaks of white in it. Her dress looked more than a little on the worn side, probably second or third hooved.
“Golden Spike owns a company that produces railroads as well as trains,” whispered Count Raven. “He has been doing business with the crown for decades. He also has the second highest number of ponies working for him in Automahollow. As for the mare, I have no idea who she is. Hopefully she is not a tail raiser. It would be improper to bring one of their lot here.”
“Princess Twilight, how good of you to invite me,” said Golden Spike as he bowed, probably the most respectful one of the night. The mare beside him followed suit and Twilight bowed back. “It is such a pleasure to see somepony has finally taken up the crown after all this time.”
“It’s only on a trial basis,” admitted Twilight. “I only get to keep it if I do a good job.” As she spoke, Golden Spike seemed to allow his gaze to drift towards the mare next to him. This close, she could see her cheeks blushing brightly against her coat while raising a hoof to keep it from view. It was sort of cute in Twilight’s opinion. However, the Count felt differently as he loudly cleared his throat.
“Oh my, where are my manners,” said Golden Spike after jumping slightly. “Allow me to introduce my lovely guest for this lovely affair: Nightingale.”
“I-It’s a pleasure,” said the embarrassed mare, looking away slightly with a slight smile on her lips.
“It is a pleasure to meet you both,” said Twilight earnestly. Out of all the thestrals she had met so far, these seemed to be the most, for lack of a better term, Equestrian. “I hope I can count on your support.”
“Why of course you can,” beamed Golden Spike. He then drew a bit closer and when he spoke next, his tone was much softer as if to make sure nopony else could hear them. “It has come to my attention from a very reliable source that the first railroad will be built connecting Thunder Valley to Equestria.”
“How did you come by that information?” asked Count Raven. Golden Spike simply waved a hoof at him.
“It does not matter,” he said swiftly. “This information would have been discovered sooner or later. There is no point in hiding it or hunting down my source. Now then, an endeavor like this cannot come cheaply. So allow me to help! I am willing to help build the tracks on our side, connecting them with the Equestria’s, as well as helping to create a system that will allow trains to pass through our two countries free of charge.”
Twilight felt her jaw drop. “That…That is a very generous offer,” she said. Already her mind was going over all the grits she would be saving thanks to this gesture. More grits could go into the rebuilding of schools and other government funded buildings! Perhaps even putting some aside for the military base the General wanted! She looked over at Count Raven, expecting him to be just as happy. Except, he wasn’t. A deep frown was frozen on his face as he watched Golden Spike smiling pleasantly. It took a moment for Twilight to guess what the issue was: it was too good of an offer. There had to be some string attached to it.
“Oh it is nothing,” said Golden Spike gaining Twilight’s full attention once again. “But, while this is free of charge, I will have to ask for two small favors.”
Twilight’s ears flattened lifelessly against her head. There it was, the catch. There was no telling what it could be. He could ask for the biggest tax write off in the history of Thunder Valley. Perhaps to lower the minimum wage laws or to crush a rival in his business. The possibilities were-
“I would like for you Princess Twilight to ride the first train from Thunder Valley to Equestria,” said Golden Spike happily.
Twilight’s eyes widened at this. Quickly she turned to look at Count Raven who looked back at her in equal confusion. It was clear that he too had expected something far more demanding than a request for Twilight to ride a train. With a raised eyebrow, the purple princess turned to look at the smiling train pony. “Really?” she asked.
“Of course,” replied Golden Spike with a grin. “I am but a humble, simple business stallion who is seeing a huge opportunity before me. This is the first time in Thunder Valley’s history that we can now go to the outer world! And ponies out there use trains! An entire nation for me to expand my business to! A whole new world of trade opportunities that might need specially built carts for transport! If you were seen riding one of my trains, it would help promote my business just a tad.”
“Let me guess, you also want to put in a good word for you with Princess Celestia and the press?” asked Twilight, the idea not sitting well with her at all. While Twilight didn’t mind lending her support to help with another’s business, the truth was that she didn’t know if she could do that in this instance. From what she had seen, Thunder Valley technology was much more advanced than Equestria’s but also that much more dirty. Not the sort of thing that Equestrians would like. The only way they would even consider it was if a Princess gave it her blessing. Something she was not sure if she was willing to give.
“Princess, Princess,” laughed Golden Spike a bit louder than before and surprising Twilight once again. “There is a reason why my company is so large. Is it because I am friendly with royalty? No I say. It is because my products are the best. That is why the government contracts me over all the others: because they know they are working with the best.” Twilight turned to look at Count Raven who simply nodded. “Every train is inspected by the best and, after them, inspected by me! Right now we are working on a brand new train that, hopefully, will burn three times less coal. It is my greatest hope that you, Princess Twilight, will ride it from Automahollow to Equestria. If you find that it meets or succeeds your expectations, then you may recommend it to whomever your heart desires. If not, condemn it all you wish and I shall build a better one.”
“I…I couldn’t do that to you,” stated a shocked Twilight as she raised a hoof over her heart.
Golden continued to smile. “I have been making trains for fifty years. Of course with such a long history, not everything will be perfect. When I hear that one has fallen short of expectations then I see that as a challenge to do better. Isn’t it the motto of Thunder Valley to ‘Never Stop Advancing’? I need to know what is going wrong so that I can make the next train better than the last or if there is a flaw that can be undone with the next model.”
“That’s,” breathed Twilight as she tried to find her words only to fail. This stallion before her seemed to be on the up and up. He was correct that there was great business opportunities awaiting him in Equestria and beyond, able to see the bigger picture. Even if he were only doing this for his own business, Twilight felt that the benefits towards all of Thunder Valley were worth it in the end.
“You mentioned two favors,” said Count Raven when Twilight failed to finish her sentence. “What is the other?”
“Oh that,” said Golden Spike, now looking a bit sheepish. “Well, I was hoping that you would allow me to join you when you travel to Equestria. It’s…It’s been a dream of many young colts and fillies to see beyond our mountains to what is out there. A dream that, well, has never really left me. Up until this point, all I have ever had were some old pulp stories.” As Golden Spike paused, Nightingale placed a gentle hoof onto his shoulder.
“I see,” said Twilight with a nod. “Very well. It would be my honor to show you around Equestria in return for your serves. In fact, we could even go beyond to the Crystal Empire where my brother and sister-in-law rule.”
“An empire of crystals?” exclaimed Nightingale as she turned to look at Golden. He looked back at her, equally stunned by this news.
“Yes,” replied Twilight followed by Count Raven coughing into his hoof. Twilight knew what this meant; she had to wrap this up quickly. “I would be happy to tell you more, but I’m afraid it will have to wait a bit. Perhaps you could schedule a meeting within the next couple of days and we’ll go into more details. Or maybe when I’m done here we can talk some more.”
“I understand,” said Golden Spike. “Busy night, busy night. I am sure we will be in touch.” With that, the first kind hearted pony walked away and into the small crowd as another name was announced. Another pair of ponies came walking towards the princess, looking like so many of the selfish ones who had come before to lower Twilight’s spirits. As Count Raven began to swiftly whisper who they were and why they were important, all Twilight could think about was how much she wanted to end this whole ordeal.
-x-
“Seriously don’t envy her,” said Overkill. Twilight’s personal guard was standing by the snack table with Spike, watching over the crowd as well as the incoming guests. It was highly doubtful that anypony could sneak a weapon into something like this since all of them had been checked before entering. However, Overkill was not one to let her guard down. All it took was a single slip up and all Tartarus would break out. A guard could forget to check a chain for a concealed weapon. A needle in one of these uppity mares’ manes could be used to jab into the purple princess’s neck. A flask or two containing a very volatile chemical which could explode, killing everypony here! No, none of that fun stuff would be happening tonight. As much fun as it would be dealing with any of that, she had to make sure nothing happened to the princess.
“Yeah,” agreed the tiny dragon, wincing as the music began to play again. “Must be boring having to listen to all these ponies and that music. I don’t know how Princess Celestia does it everyday.”
“I’d pull the pin of my grenade while still strapped to my barrel before I do anything like that,” agreed Overkill. As she spoke, a couple walked past them deep in conversation. Overkill’s ears twitched as gibberish words were uttered about one of the guests. “Or maybe all the pins, just to be on the safe side.”
Spike shrugged. “But I guess boring is better than dangerous,” he said earning Overkill’s attention. “Sort of nice to be at a party where nothing happens for a change.”
Overkill smirked a bit, unnoticed by the tiny dragon. It was time for her to go to work on her other assignment.
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Interesting. I wonder if Spike will tell her about some of the things that are beyond Thunder Valley like giant star bears, hydras, and so on
This is great. I'm curious to see what overkill "other assignment" is?. Also what will twilight plan be for the pollution? I know that she's got to do something about that. Maybe atmospheric towers that scrub the ai using a combination of magic and technology... That seems like something see would do at least.
Very excited to read more. Keep it up!
OK, I'm liking this so far and I love the Steampunk atmosphere to the story.
9220198
Remember what happened in the last chapter?
Nice to see someone like Golden Spike. I think Twilight would go crazy if everyone was purely out for themselves.
Methinks Twi now knows how Celestia feels at the Gala.
Twilight really needs to stop buying into the whole "oh you have to adapt to their culture and not rock the boat" idea. They came begging Equestria for an Equestrian princess to rule them, so that's what she ought to be giving them.
9221396
No, they came to Equestria looking for their Savior, the Princess of the Night to rule over them. Luna could have probably gotten away with much, and been immediately made true Queen. Twilight is instead placed in a disadvantageous position on an uphill climb where her every action is weighed against her and to fail is to potentially doom Thunder Valley.
9219868
I’m honestly hoping for something like:
“Well, there’s my friend Pinkie Pie, who’s a little more crazy and a lot less violent than you, she has homemade artillery, is able to predict the future and her family breaks rocks with their hooves for a living.
My friend Fluttershy is the nicest Pegasus you’ll ever meet, oh and she’s a beast master who talked down a dragon, befriended Discord the Spirit of Chaos and wrestles bears in her spare time.
Twilights brother once shielded our capital from an army by himself and his wife, Twilight’s sister, once did the same thing for an entire City-State. Twilight herself has gone back in time and... you know, come to think of it any sufficiently powerful unicorn could be an excellent one-time assassin since they’re only present for a few moments before returning to where they were.
And so on, for all of them.
9221979
Well Spike could tell them about the times Trixie came to town, the first time resulting in Twilight subduing an Ursa Minor and the second stopping an overpower Trixie. Or the time the girls were chased by a hydra. Or when Twilight went future crazy and war met by a giant three headed dog
Pretty sure many of these stories would cause the thestrals to have a heart attack
I know to some extent the Count means well, but what is he going to ask next? Shave her wing feathers off because something something thestral politics?
As to the guests, I have mild hopes for the Train magnate, the jeweler's wife might be a friend or enemy too early to tell, and the spoiled brat will likely be a persistent thorn best dealt with sooner than later.