5. Depths and Darkness
Spike yawned as the morning sunlight dragged him awake. As he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes the smell of something good reached his snout. Slightly sweet mixed with the low earthy smell of gems. It reminded him of that emerald cake that Princess Luna had conjured for him after the events at The Forge. Sitting up in his bed, he blinked to see Miss Cheerilee rolling a cart into the room. A cart that had a few glittering trays on its surface.
“Good morning! I have a bit of breakfast for you!”
“Are those gems I smell?”
“Yup! Ruby and sapphire pancakes! With some fresh maple syrup.”
The thought of fresh pancakes was already making Spike’s stomach rumble. Hopping out of bed, he lifted off one of the tray covers and took in the glittering little gems set into the soft, fluffy cakes. He dug in without hesitation, indulging in that lovely mixture of flavors. There was fresh orange juice as well, which made for a refreshing companion to the cakes.
“So,” Spike asked after a few minutes of eating. “What’s the plan for today?”
“Well, that kind of depends on what you want to do. We’re here for you after all. How have you been feeling about your talks with Schwartzkopf?”
Spike thought about his time with the dragon so far. “Well, he’s been pretty nice. And I think that he has a point about not being afraid to live with other creatures. I mean...before Zecora threw in with Corona, we had fun together.”
Cheerilee tilted her head slightly. “What was Zecora like before? We’ve only ever known her as one of Corona’s minions.”
Spike considered the question carefully before answering. “Hmm. She didn’t really act all that different. Zecora’s always been kind of…focused on other stuff. When we were traveling together, we never stayed in one place all that long. She was always looking for something...or someone I guess.”
“Corona. From what my friends told me, she had a vision about needing to be at Corona’s side.”
“Oh yeah, her visions. I saw one of those once. Her eyes went all white and she started muttering to herself.” He wiggled his claws and glanced around the room in a conspiratorial manner. “It was kinda spooky.”
Now that got Cheerilee curious. Even taking into account the weird turn her own life had taken since becoming a knight, actual prophecy remained a strange and wondrous thing. “I don’t suppose you remember what she said?”
Spike shook his head. “Not really. I think it was something about ‘chaos’? It was kind of a while ago, you know?”
It was a slightly disappointing revelation, but one that couldn’t be helped. So Cheerilee turned her attention back to the more immediate situation. “So...what would you like to do today?”
Spike poked the edge of his pancake plate. “I don’t know. I know that we’re up here because of what happened at The Forge. But Schwartz already made a good point to me and I’m not sure that talking about it more will help.”
“If all you want to do today is wander around the city and have fun, I’m sure we can manage that.”
Spike considered the prospect. The more he dwelled on the question, the more he wasn’t sure that he wanted to do that either. He wanted to do...something more substantive. He wanted to…
“Let’s take down Corona!” he blurted out.
Cheerilee stared at him for a few long minutes. “I’m sorry?”
“Well...not actually take down. She’s too tough for that. But she’s also obviously up to something here. We could stop her! Isn’t that your job?”
“It may be one of them, but when I face down Corona, it's usually with all my friends and not with…” She sighed and shook her head. “I’m sorry Spike, but you’re still a child. I’d be breaking everything I ever swore to as a teacher if I willingly dragged a kid into danger!”
Spike crossed his arms. “I’ve already been in danger plenty of times!”
“And I’m not going to put you into more of it!” Cheerilee snapped, stamping a hoof. “I’m not going to make another huge mistake based on the fear of what might happen!”
An awkward silence hung in the air, Spike wordlessly staring back at Cheerilee with a raised eyebrow.
“That last bit isn’t about me is it?”
Cheerilee sighed, casting her eyes towards the floor. “I’m sorry Spike. I did a bad thing while in Naqah and may have handed Corona a new ally because of it. I don’t…” she trailed off, squeezing her eyes shut. “I can’t make a mistake like that again.”
Spike hopped off the bed and walked to the teacher’s side. Placing a hand on her withers, he flashed a comforting smile. “And I tried to unite all of dragon kind with an evil magic artifact. No one’s perfect here. If I’m not supposed to beat myself up over my mistakes, why is it okay for you?”
Cheerilee smiled sadly back. “Because I’m supposed to know better. I’m the adult. I’m the teacher.”
“That doesn’t mean you’re perfect.”
Before Cheerilee could argue the point further a heavy knock sounded against the door. She blinked before getting up to see who would be visiting them this early in the morning. The pony waiting on the other side of the door was a bookish looking type with his short straw colored mane neatly trimmed and a rolled up scroll cutie-mark standing out from his light brown coat. He was wearing a neat tweed vest and saddlebags that were crammed full of scrolls and other papers.
“Dame Cheerilee?”
“Yes?”
“I’m Quill Pusher, assistant to ambassador Springberry Meadow.”
“....And?”
“Well...he’d like to speak with you ma’am. About Corona. He’d like to discuss the possibilities of plans against her actions in the city.”
“But I’m here. Alone.”
“He has already telegraphed Canterlot, asking for your friends to join you here as soon as possible.”
“But I’m not here for that. I’m here for-”
“Go ahead,” Spike interrupted.
Both Cheerilee and Pencil Pusher looked at the dragon. Spike smiled back, idly waving a claw in a dismissive gesture. “Seriously. This is important. I’ll just wait here and order room service.” A smirk crossed his lips. “Room service that I’m sure the ambassador’s office will be happy to pick up, since your borrowing my guardian for the time being.”
For a moment Pencil Pusher was caught off guard, blinking in surprise. But then he nodded. “The embassy does have a discretionary fund for situations such as this. We’ll be more than happy to see that your companion is well taken care of.”
Cheerilee glowered. She didn’t want to leave Spike, but Corona was one of her responsibilities at the same time. Spike waved another claw towards the door.
“Go and talk to him. I’ll be fine for a few hours, really.”
Mentally conceding the point, Cheerilee was halfway through stepping towards the door when the memory of the conversation they had just had bubbled back to the surface. She turned back towards Spike, fixing him with an appraising glare. Spike grinned sheepishly back.
“What?”
“I can’t help but feel like you’re up to something.”
“Me? Up to something? Why would I be up to something?”
“Because you keep glancing at the window.”
“It’s a nice day out!”
“Uh huh,” Cheerilee deadpanned, before turning her attention towards Quill Pusher. “I’m adding another little caveat. Keep an eye on Spike while I talk to the ambassador.”
Now it was Pusher’s turn to be perplexed. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. If I’m going to speak with Ambassador Meadow, somepony has to watch Spike while I’m gone.”
“But...I’m not a foal sitter.”
“Hey!” Spike exclaimed, crossing his arms. “I’m not that helpless! I lived in the wilderness for a while, and found my way to The Forge myself!”
“And I’m not a foal sitter!”
Cheerilee grinned. “Tough luck! This is happening.” She leaned in close, whispering right into his ear. “Don’t let him out of your sight.”
She shoved Quill Pusher into the room, taking a moment to appreciate the stunned look on his face before kicking the door closed behind her. Quill Pusher could only stare at the closed door for a minute before turning to look at Spike.
“Sooo….game of cards?”
“...Okay.”
- - - -
Five rounds of cards later and Spike was both bored and quite ready to ditch his guard.
“Do you have any twos?”
...Guard might have been pushing it.
Spike tossed his hand onto the nightstand. “I’m going to the bathroom.”
Pencil Pusher frowned. “Cheerilee said I’m not supposed to let you out of my sight.”
“Dude...it’s the bathroom. It’s not like I’m asking to leave the hotel or anything.”
“...Fine. Don’t take too long though! I got you right where I want you!”
“Hey, that’s what I expect from the master of Go Fish!”
Spike grinned, pointing both his claws at Quill Pusher before vanishing into the bathroom. Taking a moment to make sure the door was thoroughly closed and locked behind him, he quickly looked around. If there wasn’t a window in here, he’d be going nowhere fast. Thankfully, there was one positioned just above the toilet itself. It was small, too small for a pony to fit through and more designed to allow some light to filter through. Still, he was small enough that he might be able to squeeze through.
Hopping up onto the toilet, he turned his body sideways and squeezed himself through the the narrow little gap. Or at least, he tried to. About halfway through, he found himself stuck. It felt like his tail had managed to get wedged between his body and the window frame.
“Oh, for crying out loud,” he grumbled to himself.
Sucking in his gut, he strained against the frame with all his might. Nothing. Spike frowned. He couldn’t take too long, Quill Pusher wouldn’t wait forever. But as he kept struggling against the frame an idea did pop into his head. They were made of gems.
Backing out of the window, he tore into the frame with his teeth, his dragon nature making short work of the crystalline structure. Even with a mouth full of crystal, Spike beamed to himself at his own enginuity.
“Are you okay in there?” Quill called.
Spike swallowed. “Yeah, I’m fine! Just give me a minute!”
Scrambling through the now enlarged window, he was free! Unfortunately, the roof was at a sharp angle and his feet shot out from underneath him the moment he set foot on it. Desperately his claws scrabbled against the slabs of gemstone before the managed to find purchase and stop his descent before he pitched over the edge. For a few moments, he hung on the edge, catching his breath from the sudden rush.
“That was close,” Spike muttered to himself.
Then he looked down.
There were four more stories to go.
Spike sighed and got to climbing.
- - - -
“You’d think that more ponies would be worried about the kid dragon wandering around,” Spike mused as he moved through the streets of Beren. Then again, maybe the presence of Corona in the city had everypony on edge to the point where it was easy to overlook him. There certainly seemed to be a great deal of chatter as he wandered the packed streets.
Not that he was entirely sure that he was going. Corona had to be somewhere in this city. Though...what exactly was his plan once he found her? He couldn’t fight her. Corona could probably fight multiple full sized dragons on her own. As much as he hated to admit it, he could really...
”Hast du das neueste gehört Corona?”
Spike spun towards the pony that had just spoken the solar tyrant’s name.
He was talking to another pony, both holding pads of paper. They seemed to be exchanging notes. All at once realization swept over him. They were press ponies. As the pair began to trot off Spike chuckled deviously, rubbing his hands together.
“Trying to improve your public image are we? Well, we’ll see just how well that goes when I give them an insider scoop.”
Following after the reporters, Spike cackled to himself.
- - - -
Yangin couldn’t help but smile as she watched Celestia work, sprawled out on the four poster bed. A pair of the longue couches in the room had been moved to face each other. Celestia sat in one, while a reporter sat in the other. It was the second round with the press and now she was moving to one on one interviews with a few of the larger Crystal Empire papers. Those waiting for their turn remained outside their guest chambers, alongside dozens of hangers on from the lesser papers and gossip rags.
“How would you react to those who would accuse that this whole trip is a show?” the boring looking reporter pony asked.
“I would understand where they’re coming from,” Celestia answered. “The amount of time that has passed since the incident is great. It’s a moment of history for the ponies of this land. But for me, it’s been a question of years. It is a wound that needs to be addressed.”
The reporter hummed and jotted down a few notes. “There is the question of the Element Bearers. It is well known that they’ve opposed you in the past. Are you prepared to deal with them as aggressively as you did Sombra?”
Celestia snorted. “Please. Don’t ask foolish questions like that. They are children, that do not understand the politics of their situation. You do not respond to that with overwhelming force.”
“But reports of your encounters with them in the past?”
“Those are lies and have been blown out of proportion.”
“And the recent incident in Naqah?”
“An unfortunate one. Emir Grev was not up front with his intentions, or his motivations for his own nation. I made a very unfortunate mistake, stemming from a lack of understanding of the geopolitical situation outside Equestria. It will not happen again.”
She seemed ready to make a follow up statement when an uptake in murmuring outside their door caught her attention. Getting up, Celestia quickly pushed past the reporter she had just been talking to and threw it open.
The street in front of the building, already mostly filled with reporters waiting for interviews, had become an impromptu forum. All the reporters were now clustered around a small purple dragon, who was eagerly speaking and gesturing the the lot around him.
“-and then she used magic to make me all big and angry! Forced me to attack the Element Bearers, which I didn’t want to do. I mean, how crazy do you have to be to use a kid as a weapon?”
Celestia froze, her wings half flared in surprise.
And in that moment, Yangin watched her world collapse. Her plan, gutted by a child. A child! Her use to Celesia as an ally? Gone. Now the only role she could have as part of Celestia’s little group was as a tool. A tool, again. A thing, again! USED, AGAIN!
A horrible shriek tore through the crowd and ponies scattered like gnats. Yangin surged forward, all ash, smoke and rage. Smokey, shadowy tendrils lashed forward, ripping out of her body and grasping for that arrogant little dragon that had RUINED EVERYTHING!
Spike tried to scramble away, but her grip was too tight as she hauled him into the air. Vaguely she could hear some shouting echoing in the backs of her ears. But she pushed it aside and rose into the air like a firework, soaring for the wilds far beyond the city.
- - - -
Celestia watched Yangin and Spike vanish into the distance with an uncharacteristic for her sense of horror. Right before her eyes, Yangin had gone berserk. Worse, she had sprouted shadowy tentacles and clouds of darkness just like one of Sombra’s creations.
That accursed moth! It must have infected her during the battle!
Cursed creation of a half mad warlock! I never should have let Yangin take the lead on that fight! Celestia mentally swore.
She was just about ready to spread her wings and give chase when she was swarmed by the reporters who had managed to find their courage again.
“Princess Celestia! Was she working on your orders?”
“Princess Celestia! What was she?”
“Has she been exposed to King Sombra’s magic?”
“What’s your plan of action?”
“Can you comment on Spike’s accusations?”
Damage control first then. Celestia opened her mouth to respond only for another voice to cut across her.
“What is going on here?”
The crowd parted, revealing a very confused looking Dame Cheerilee. She must have been somewhere nearby and came to investigate the noise. Celestia was about to explain the situation, when one of the reporters decided to shoot his mouth off.
“Corona’s fire camel kidnapped a baby dragon!”
Cheerilee froze, her expression growing slack. “I see.”
Celestia slowly approached the stunned mare. “My apologies Dame Cheerilee, but I fear that Yangin has become tainted by some of Sombra’s shadow magics.”
“I see,” Cheerilee intoned.
“She is not in her right mind.”
“I see.”
Celestia cocked her head. This behavior was...confusing. Of all the Element Bearers, Cheerilee had always seemed the most irreverent, no matter the situation. Now she was just standing slack and stunned. It was like she had broken by the news. Frowning, she leaned down to see if it would provoke any kind of reaction from the earth pony.
Cheerilee took a deep breath and swung.
- - - -
“We have half a mind to banish thee into the sun thou insolent little whelp!” Celestia shouted.
“You let Yangin just take Spike! He’s a child! Oh, wait, you did that yourself when you first woke up!”
“Hold thy tongue!”
Cheerilee and Corona’s eyes bored into each other as they faced each other down. After slugging Corona in the right eye, Cheerilee had found herself grabbed by the alicorn and teleported back to her quarters. There, things had devolved into a shouting match.
“I will not ‘hold thy tongue’!” Cheerilee raged. Normally, she didn’t rant and rave and scream, but now it was flowing naturally. “I came here to help Spike! He was hurt and vulnerable and he trusted me! I was responsible for him! And because I had to run off and talk to the ambassador because of your presence, I wasn’t there to help him!”
Corona’s mane and tail roared back into their crackling, flaming state. “Thy presence wouldn’t have done much! Yangin is in the grips of madness right now and would have brushed you aside!”
“I could have at least tried! I have to do something! I have to...I have to…”
The blind fury that had settled over her ebbed away, a wave of exhaustion rising up to take its place. She slumped to the floor, head hanging, ears falling flat as the wetness of tears welled up in her eyes. It was just all too much. How was she supposed to be a knight, a “hero” of Equestria when she couldn’t even watch a child that was counting on her? How was she supposed to live up to her Element when she enslaved somepony? Was she any better than Corona?
Minutes passed with her sobbing in the middle of the floor. Cheerilee hiccuped when a pale white hoof clad in gold gently lifted her chin. She found herself looking into magenta eyes that were a mixture of soft and determined.
“We will get him back.”
Cheerilee blinked away her lessening tears. “We?”
“As was said, Yangin is not in her right mind now. I do not wish to see her go wild, in the throws of Sombra’s magic...and I do not wish to see Spike hurt. The way I treated him before was...wrong. I see that now. So, we will get him back.”
“How? I mean, I don’t want to hurt Yangin either.”
Corona ruffled her wings. “Neither do I. Thankfully, I have had some experience with Sombra’s creations. Negative emotions are what power them. But those same emotions also provide avenues of attack, if you know how to handle them.”
Wiping the last remains of misery from her eyes, Cheerilee set her jaw and nodded determinedly. “What’s the plan?”
Corona frowned for a moment. “Considering some of the feelings she’s expressed… We are going to kill you.”
- - - -
“Let me go!”
“Shut up! I’m trying to think!”
Spike could only glare at Yangin as she paced the width of the cavern for what felt like the twentieth time. He didn’t exactly know where they were...some series of caves and caverns tucked away in the mountains of the Crystal Empire. At least he was pretty sure it was the Crystal Empire still. All the gems in the cave walls were kind of a give away.
Yangin was getting worse from when she had grabbed him. The darkness clinging to her body was spreading and growing more pronounced. More tendrils, wispy and thrashing, were growing from her body. Half her face was a mask of blackness, with one solid red eye burning in the shadow. Spike had to admit, she was growing more and more scary with each passing minute. It was like she was being consumed by something that was tearing her apart from the inside. Part of him wanted to run, but he couldn’t. Yangin had opted to hang him upside down from the ceiling, stone locking his feet and tail in place.
“Gotta prove my worth. Can’t have Celestia treat me like a thing. Need to do something…” Then she whirled around, the flames on her body shooting into the air. “That’s it!”
In the next moment she flowed across the chamber, stopping just short of Spike with a manic grin. “I’m going to use you as bait!”
Spike frowned. “Bait? I’m not that important.”
“Cheerilee. She cares about you. And if she’s dead, the Elements of Harmony can’t be used against Celestia! Nothing will be able to stop her! And then that will prove to her that I’m an equal and not just something to be used!”
“You leave her alone! If you try something, I’ll-”
“You’ll do what?” Yangin snarled.
Quivering with anger and unable to move, Spike did the only thing he could. He spat a mass of fire right into Yangin’s face. She recoiled back, more out of shock than any actual danger from the flames. But to Spike’s surprise, the darkness that had been coiling around her face seemed like it had been partially burnt away. Yangin seemed slightly out of it though, as she floated in place, swaying back and forth slightly while just staring into the distance. But then the darkness and the shadow began to advance back over her in a black march and the gleam of madness returned.
Spike sucked in another breath to burn away what he could. But before he could let the flame fly, a circlet of stone snapped around his muzzle.
“Ah ah ah. You just sit here and wait. I’ll deal with your teacher friend soon enough. I just need to wait for Celestia. I’m sure she’ll catch up with me.”
Spike fumed. What he wouldn’t give for that magical amulet now. He’d show both Yangin and Corona what for!
Time stretched on and on in mixture of boredom and frustration, with Yangin growing more and more agitated waiting for Celestia to arrive. The room grew darker as well as the shadows kept encroaching over Yangin’s natural flames. She looked ready to maybe leave and go do something, when a voice echoed through the halls.
“Spike? Spike? Are you in here?”
That was Cheerilee! Yangin cackled in glee and snaked back into one of the dark corners of the cavern, crouching behind a stalactite.
No! Spike thought. Yangin’s going to kill her!
Cheerilee stepped into the entrance to their chamber, trotting towards him with an oblivious expression. She stopped about halfway in, fixing her eyes firmly on Spike. Spike blinked back. Just what was she doing? Something felt...off here.
In her crazed state, Yangin clearly did not pick up on the same oddness that he did. She came screaming out of her hiding spot, fresh tendrils of flame and shadow reaching out for her. They wrapped around Cheerilee, eliciting a strangled cry from her before the jinn began to shake her like a ragdoll.
“Bind me will you? Drag me into your war will you? Use me as a toy will you?” Yangin shouted.
There was a loud snapping sound followed by Cheerilee being dropped to the ground. In theory, she had just been killed...but Spike would have burst into laughter if he could have. Cheerilee’s expression was beyond ridiculous. Wide eyed and somehow smiling while her tongue was also sticking out. Spike was pretty sure he had seen dolls with more realistic expressions! All she needed were X’s in place of the eyes to complete the look.
But Yangin kept ranting at the “body”.
“Haha! You’ll never control me again you witch! You’re gone! Gone forever! And you’ll never bother me again!”
As she ranted and raved, the shadows actually began to lift from her body. For a moment, it seemed like whatever had infected her was going away, but the cloud kept on growing and swelling in size. Doubling and then doubling again until it filled the whole roof of the massive chamber. It was once it reached its full size, a massive churning storm of umbral energy that Yangin finally stopped her ranting.
The jinn rolled her eyes upwards, uttering only a single word when she saw what was looming above her.
“Damn.”
And then the shadows dove for her.
The “dead” Cheerilee sprang to her hooves and dove for Yangin, tackling her out of the way. In that exact same moment, Corona appeared where Yangin had been standing a moment before.
“Face me, spawn of Sombra!” Corona roared.
And night became day. The whole of the alicorn’s body erupted into light and fire, filling every inch of the room with a sparkling radiance. The bubbling and churning cloud of shadows was banished in an instant revealing a moth shaped form at its heart. It wailed morosely, attempting to flee from the cavern.
But Corona was having none of it. “Oh, what was that phrase that Yangin cooked up when you fought? Ah yes,” her eyes flashed all the brighter. “Fulminating Flame Cage!”
Roaring flames engulfed the moth, the blaze growing hotter and hotter as Corona just poured more magic into the enchantment. The moth wailed and thrashed against its bonds, but against the sun itself, it stood no chance.
“Go join your master in the void,” Corona calmly declared, before throwing a fireball into the mass to finish the job.
With a final screech, this new moth- or perhaps a continuation of the old one- was snuffed out.
Yangin blinked. “What...happened?”
Cheerilee poked her in the side. “We’ll tell you once you release Spike, please.”
Yangin looked over at Spike and yelped. A clap of her hooves banished the stone in a moment, allowing Spike to stretch and get the feeling back into his limbs.
“That was quite a show,” he declared, running over to Cheerilee’s side. “Though I gotta agree with her,” he said, pointing to Yangin. “What did happen there?”
“Sombra constructed his shadow creatures out of raw lumps of magic,” Corona said with a nod towards the jinn. “It, not being intelligent enough to know what Yangin actually was, tried to replicate itself using her. Of course, it’s very presence and nature stoked her worst emotions.”
Yangin shuddered. “Well...that’s a charming mental image. But why have me think-”
“According to Corona, Sombra’s emotional monsters finished their...replications when exposed to large amounts of negative emotions,” Cheerilee answered. “So, by feeding your feelings for me.”
“We’d draw it out of your body, allowing me to destroy it,” Corona finished.
“Lovely,” Yangin sighed. She eyed Cheerilee for a moment as she returned to hovering a few inches off the floor. “...I suppose I do owe you some thanks for assisting me.”
“I owed you,” Cheerilee answered simply.
“I’ll consider us even then.”
“Come Yangin,” Corona said. “Our time here is done.”
“But-”
“We are done here.”
Yangin sighed and slumped. She wordlessly floated over to Corona’s side. Corona looked Cheerilee and Spike over before sighing herself.
“As you did assist us in banishing the moth from Yangin, we will assist both of you with transport back to Beren. Then, we will part ways. Until the next time we come into conflict.”
“Fair enough,” Cheerilee answered.
- - - -
True to her word, Corona had born them back to Beren. She had unceremoniously dumped them off at the city’s outskirts before making a quick exit with Yangin. Cheerilee suspected it had something to do with the roaming crowd of reporters she saw wandering the streets. A crowd that she had resolutely dodged as they walked back to their hotel. The events after that were something of a whirlwind.
Equestria’s ambassador had tracked them down, demanding to know what had happened. Then Schwartzkopf had tracked them down, likewise wanting to know what had happened. Then things had managed to settle for a bit, giving Cheerilee and Spike some time to relax from the madness.
But after a while, it was time to leave.
Cheerilee found herself packing while Spike was saying goodbye to Schwartzkopf. As she worked, she found herself thinking about the situation with Spike. If she was being honest with herself...she didn’t know how well this trip had actually gone. She was tempted to call it a disaster based on Spike’s kidnapping alone. Yet…
He had been brave enough to try and foil one of Corona’s plans himself. Was that a sign that he was moving on from what happened at The Forge or wallowing in it, trying to get involved in things that were too dangerous for him? She honestly didn’t know. Still, the conversations that they had with Schwartzkopf had made her consider something.
Maybe Spike needed a chance to spend some time with other races too.
In fact, maybe some time in Ponyville could do him some good? He could stay with her in fact. She had the space. He trusted her. He was also closer in age to many of her students (at least she thought so), so spending time with younger ponies could be good for him. As those thoughts kicked and swirled around her head she glanced around for those books Twilight had asked her to get signed. Where had she put them?
The door to the room swung open and Spike came walking in with both books and a scroll in his hands.
“I got those books signed for you, and his address so that I can stay in touch with him.”
“Oh, thanks Spike!”
“Hey, no problem. I figured I might as well get it done while I was saying goodbye. We’re going to stay in touch.”
“Glad to hear that.”
“And you know, I was thinking...maybe it would be a good idea for me to spend some time with some ponies too. And well...if I did want to do that...maybe I could spend some time with you?”
Cheerilee smiled back at him. “I’d be happy to have you Spike.”
“Not that I’m thinking about doing that right now! Sjach could still use a little bit of help getting his new lair all together of course.”
“Of course.”
“Cool.”
He passed the books over and Cheerilee stowed them safely away.
“Hey, can we grab something to eat on the way to the train station?”
Cheerilee snapped her saddlebags closed. “That sounds great to me.”
- - - -
A few days later, Yangin was brooding back in her room.
She knew that the axe was going to be falling sometime soon. Kindle had been furious at the backfiring of the Crystal Empire plan. He and the remaining Solarites had been waiting to take advantage of the spin she was going to throw out, but now that had all exploded in her face. Even worse, she had been partially saved by Cheerilee. It seemed that the teacher was serious about trying to make her previous mistake right.
She snorted. So be it. She had wandered the world alone since she and her sisters had split up. She could do it again. Let Celestia deal with taking her kingdom back herself!
Hoof falls. Here it came.
Celestia stepped through the magma door and took a seat opposite her. “We have things to discuss, Yangin.”
“When do you want me gone?”
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Gone?”
“I ruined my own plan. I imagine you want me gone.”
“And yet, despite Kindle and his failures, I haven’t gotten rid of him. Or Terrorwing. Or Zecora. This failure was not your fault.” Her horn glowed as she summoned a tray of tea. “Besides...you were right about something before we engaged in this little venture. Both of us know the sting of a sister’s betrayal.”
She slowly poured a cup. “You and your sisters are also like me and mine in another way. You are unique beings in this world, unlikely to ever see more of your kind made.” Passing the cup over to Yangin, the smallest of smiles played across her muzzle. “Of all those who serve me, you’re the one who I can relate to the most. I...do not want you to leave.”
Yangin blinked. Then she broke into a massive grin and swept into an imperious, over the top, bow. “Then I am your humble ally, my queen! What do we need to discuss?”
“Our plans for the attack on Canterlot,” Celestia said, extending her own full cup of tea.
Yangin tapped her own against it in a toast. “Then, let us scheme.”
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- Emeral Bookwise · 3.5k words · 40 4 · 1.4k views
- Void Knight · 27k words · 28 4 · 911 views
- Emeral Bookwise · 4.1k words · 40 3 · 1.5k views
- vazak · 13k words · 79 7 · 2.6k views
- GrassAndClouds2 · 25k words · 69 0 · 1.5k views
- Detectivefish · 149k words · 18 2 · 910 views
- GreyGuardPony · 28k words · 42 3 · 1.2k views
- Talon and Thorn · 1.3k words · 36 9 · 1.3k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.146 seconds
Total duration
1,081 users online
218,889 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Interesting......we're getting closer to Celestia's final confrontation with getting over herself. It seems to me that she kinda needs to have what happened to Yangin to happen to her......
Great ending, here. Ah... I'd pay money for Celestia to get the 'reason you suck' speech she so richly deserves. And hell, Lunaverse or Maneverse! I'm for either one!
Even as Corona, tea remains the solution to all problems for Celestia. Or rather, it has the ability to replace all problems with a more fundamental one, viz., why isn't there any more tea?
It's nice to see the Crystal Empire get some screen-time... page-time, and some development.
But the story is kinda short and just sort of ends very suddenly.
(I get that Corona and Yangin have sort of done what they came for, but all the same...)
Chaos, eh?
As before this doesn't really entirely seem to be about dragons.
Spike knows how to work the comp system.
Property damage!
That's not going to help the PR campaign.
Geeze, Yangin, now that was probably an overreaction. Really not a good idea to do it in front of the reporters, too. I wonder if she is being affected by the dark magic that came out of the crystal?
Well, you don't get too many opportunities to punch an alicorn in the eye.
Nice character development for Corona, I like it. Feels like another step down the road to becoming Celestia again.
Applying fire appears to be surprisingly effective.
Even more fire!
This has been good development for Spike, too.
Good story.