Symbiotic Relations
"Ah. My old enemy. You shall be beaten."
While one team was off and busy in outer space, that didn't mean nothing was going on back at home. Half of the Gems were going about their own business, yet their other half were keeping themselves busy with other things amongst Beach City. For the moment, while some of the Gems were either off on missions or busy studying other things, Amethyst and Ruby, Fulgurite, and Diopside were taking their time off of all that, and were actually busy with another very important task.
Getting the high score off Meat Beat Mania at Funland Arcade.
"Come on, come on, come on!" Ruby told herself, trying her absolute best to keep up with the crazy beat of the game. She and Sapphire had played this game way back in the day, and the rhythmic gameplay was just as catchy and addictive as she remembered, but without Sapphire's future vision to predict where to hit the next pig. She was in competition with Amethyst, who being more experienced with video games was actually doing a better job than Ruby was.
"What's wrong Ruby, keep up with me," said Amethyst, who made it look easy. Ruby tried her absolute, maximum effort in this game of hers, but eventually, Ruby just couldn't keep up with her, and ended up just goofing up one too many times. The screen eventually showed a happy, giddy chicken as the pig slumped off in the corner.
"That's how you do it!" Amethyst said in triumph.
"AUGH, I had that! It's so much harder without knowing what'll come up," Ruby griped in anger. Cheating, yes, but it helps. The red Gem just decided to go and do something else, seeing Diopside nearby handling her own high score on one of those sharp-shooter games of hers. Her Gem eye made accuracy super easy, and she was shooting the enemies even before they could come out, much to the shock of some gamers nearby. Diopside only stopped when she decided that a high score of 777777 was good enough for her, letting the alien jump her, and her getting her prize. Did anyone even need to say how well she did, and deserving that high score?
"Hey, Ruby!" called Diopside. Though seeing Ruby looking a bit pouty, arms crossed and having those "anime pouty faces", puffed up cheeks and all. Cute, but Diopside knew when she would be all ticked off.
"Amethyst beat you again?" Diopside asked.
"HOW is she so good at a game she never played before?! It's not fare," Ruby shouted. There had to be some sort of hacking involved here, but really it was just good timing on Amethyst's part.
"Come on Ruby, no one's ever lucky the first try," said Diopside.
"Hey, you still want all these tickets?!" called one of the gamers nearby. Diopside blushed a bit, knowing those tickets came from her own hardcore gaming prowess, especially since there was a pretty good pile of tickets now along the ground.
"Uh, I'll clean it up in a minute," called back Diopside. Not exactly the best example to follow. As they were standing there, Fulgurite had just finished her own gaming moment, and actually got a prize from the counter with her tickets. In this case, it was just a reporter's hat, which she wore like a crown.
"Hey guys. What do you think of my new crown?" Fulgurite asked, flicking the rim of her hat to show off a little bit. Diopside made one of those slashing motions across her throat, but Ruby heard her loud and clear. Fulgurite, with her quick wit, already got two and two together.
"Still no luck, huh?"
"No," Ruby grumbled, though she didn't like admitting it. If she knew it would be this bad, she'd probably ditch the idea altogether. The yellow speedster Gem took one simple look over towards Amethyst, who was being a good sport about this. Namely because she won. The idea quickly came to her on what to do. Amethyst only noticed Fulgurite when she gave a poke with her electrified hair.
"Hey, Ame! One round, you and me," Fulgurite said, going up to her. Amethyst was feeling a bit smug about it herself.
"You think you gonna beat this beat meat mania, Fulgurite?" Amethyst asked, arming herself up with the "weapons of choice". Fulgurite did the same, not even using her hands to hold them she was that cocky.
"I don't think, I know."
"Avenge me, Fulgurite!" Ruby said. If she can't beat amethyst, perhaps one of her pals could. Amethyst and Fulgurite had been killing it on many of these arcade machines lately, so now Meat Beat Mania was the tie-breaker to see who truly was the top dog in this gaming castle.
"And … go!" Fulgurite and Amethyst armed up, and pretty soon the game started right up again. Amethyst was doing well with her arms going every which way, but Fulgurite simply rested her arms in a confident cross as her hair did all the work for her. With no bones in her hair, she was just chilling out as Amethyst tried to keep up. The other people in the arcade began to take notice of their hardcore gameplay, but as they were busy with that, Diopside took a bit to take her tickets over to the front counter and get whatever prize that can give her. As she was just about to handle that though, her Gem eye glanced off outside. At first glance, there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary, but with Diopside's keen Gem eye, the even so slight shine of magic was seen just by the front of the Funland arcade. The flash wasn't much like a camera, but more like a teleportation spell instead. The message instinctively went over to the nearest Crystal Gem (which was Diopside), and while Mr. smiley was contemplating reality in how many tickets Diopside got, the Gem got a rolled up message with a signature Luna symbol on it.
"Princess Luna? Wonder what this is about?"
…….
Over in Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle had been trying so much to make things right with Moon Dancer, but unfortunately the only progress she had made so far since actually talking to her was, well, keeping an eye on her. And even then, that was thwarted time and time again thanks to the work of the schedules given to her by the royal guard.
For that morning, the scenario wasn't all too different: Moon Dancer was going off on her way from her home and towards the Canterlot Library. The ponies nearby her really didn't say all that much to her, if anything at all, as she went right into the library. Though this was the norm for the mare, there was still a shadow with her, in the form of Twilight Sparkle (who at this point was incognito), joined by Starlight and Spike … who also were incognito, insisted by Twilight. The disguise wasn't more than glasses, but it was the best Twilight could think up on short notice. Twilight may be dead set on this plan of hers, but Starlight and Spike weren't all too thrilled.
"Come on, Twilight, it's been three days now: Library, house, library, house, that's it!" said Spike.
"Not a single pony ever talks to her, or says hello, or even smiles to her. It's like she doesn't even exist," sighed Twilight. Seeing Moon Dancer in such a state that, according to Twilight was from her just leaving without a single word.
"She does look pretty invested in her studies. Maybe she's just that kind of pony," Starlight suggested, "You know, like you and me."
"Oh, that fine if she actually was studying for something," Twilight insisted. "She's not putting that effort into anything, or actually putting a goal for herself. The least I can do is try to -"
"Make it up to her, I know. But do you really though? I mean, you didn't decide to make her like this," Starlight butted in, pointing a hoof to the library and by extension, to Moon Dancer.
"But it's still my fault she's like this. Here, maybe if I try again," Twilight concluded.
"Morning princess."
Unfortunately, fate kept pulling her away. The second she took a step out of the safe zone, the guards of Canterlot Castle found where she was. It was a bother at first, but the guards grew used to it after a day or two of this scenario, so they knew at least where she went. Twilight groaned, but put on a smile anyway.
"Morning. What is it this time? Another schedule?" Twilight asked.
"A good guess, but actually no. Your schedule is clear for the day," said one of the guards.
"YES!" Twilight thought. …
"Because you have a day long convocation to attend to."
"NO!" Twilight thought again. If it wasn't one thing, it's another thing. Starlight glanced over to the library, and she even saw Moon Dancer peek out the door, just before stepping inside. Starlight had the idea of what happened, but seeing that was telling the unicorn something else. Twilight was still bummed out, but when she was expecting a scroll given to her, the unicorn guard actually gave her what looked like a envelope. Well, something small for once. Curious, Twilight opened it up.
"Dear princess of Equestria: you are royally invited to attend the Convocation of Creatures this upcoming weekend at Mount Metazoa. We've got word of your state of affairs in Equestria, and imagine it must be extremely difficult, so we thought it would be good for you to take a break from it to come by. Looking forward to seeing you. Signed; Princess Silverstream. … PS: we got lots of games for you to play too."
And the message ended with one of those wink faces. Twilight hadn't heard of this Convocation of Creatures before, though since she wasn't the ruler of Equestria until this point, it was something that probably was more fitted for Princess Celestia.
"... Uh, what's the Convocation of Creatures?" Twilight asked, thinking this to be just some other big meeting or something.
"Actually, the Convocation of Creatures is more of a event held in Equus, where multiple species get together to basically catch up with eachother: see on current events, get reacquainted, that sort of thing," explained one of the guards.
"Wait, really? ALL species are gonna be there?!" Twilight gasped.
"Well, all leaders are gonna be there, with whomever they wish to come along of course."
"Think of it like going to one of Ponyville's celebrations, but with more species. We gave this same invite to the Crystal Gems of Earth, and got your advisor to help you as well, if it makes you feel any better," added the second guard. Well, while she won't be going in alone, and it sure felt exciting to her, there still was the matter of Moon Dancer off in the library. This convocation did sound like a fun thing to do, and a change of pace from all the work she had been doing the past months. But what was she supposed to do here? …
But then a smile came to her face.
"Do any of my guests have to have a royal decree?" Twilight asked. The guards looked to one another.
"Um. Well, no, I don't think so. As long as they have a royalty's approval, anypony can come."
"That's all I wanna know. You get the airship ready, and set up some security while we're gone, I'll be right back," Twilight said, as she trotted away from the group, and over towards the library. The guards understood and galloped off to handle just that, Starlight Glimmer already thinking on what was actually gonna go and happen. If this all works, it could help everybody. They just needed an okay from Twilight's guest, and they were good as gold. With some confidence in this plan this time, Twilight went right on into the library, where as before the last few days, Moon Dancer was still steadily working her learning magic in her own books.
"Moon Dancer?" Twilight asked quietly.
*SSHH* said the crowd. Again.
"Come on, I wasn't even yelling," Twilight whispered in annoyance. Moon Dancer just glanced to Twilight, though unlike before, Moon Dancer wasn't even gonna bother with her this time and kept a good stack between her and Twilight.
"You again? Look, I'm trying to study here, don't you have anything better to -" Moon Dancer was suddenly quiet when Twilight levitated the same invitation to Moon Dancer, telling her of the convocation of creatures just from that alone. Moon Dancer readjusted her glasses, reading it over.
"Listen. I've been given this invitation to the Convocation of Creatures, and the guards told me that I'm allowed to bring some friends with me."
"Great, so why don't you go invite those crystal -"
"I want you to come," Twilight stated. Moon Dancer stopped altogether.
"... Excuse me?" Moon Dancer asked, feeling legitimately surprised at this. Who would invite her to something so important anyway?
"The Convocation of Creatures, I want you -"
"I know what you said, but … why? And don't say because we're friends, because of course you'd say that," Moon Dancer made clear, given Twilight was the princess of friendship and all that jazz. Well, so much for that answer.
"Well, I'd be lying if I said that wasn't the case. But just as well, you love to learn about new things. What better chance to learn about the other races from around the world, and even beyond that, than this? So … you want to come?" Twilight was crossing her hooves for a good answer as Moon Dancer pondered about that for a bit. On one hoof, Twilight was giving her the ultimate chance to learn who knows how much, and without any dangers from meeting any of these races. On the other hoof, this would be a strong hit on her reading time. Eventually, Moon Dancer closed her book.
"Okay, fine, I'll go. But only because I got nothing else to do."
"YES!" Twilight beamed, jumping into the air and almost taking off.
*SSHHH!* the crowd said. Geesh, one-track mind these ponies.
"Don't they have anything better to do?" Twilight quietly asked.
"Honestly, I have no idea," replied Moon Dancer.
Well the plan was finally set, and Moon Dancer and Twilight went on out of the library to get themselves ready to go. Twilight sure felt pretty good about this whole thing, FINALLY able to make up to Moon Dancer for her past flop. Moon Dancer … well, she was more in it for the learning bit. Regardless of the case, the two at least were getting somewhere. As the two left though, their actions were all in watch by another set of peering eyes, watching just enough from the upper balcony of the library. Soon as the two were out of sight, she went on and slipped back a bit. In her pocket, she pulled out what seemed to be a miniature Gem communicator.
"This is Budgerite contacting Grogar, come in Grogar, over," Budgerite said, quiet just enough so the ponies won't give another wave of shushing.
"What is it, Budgerite?"
"The cat's gonna go away in the next hour or so, repeat: the cat's gonna go away. Should we commence "the mice will play"? Over."
"First off: stop that walkie-talkie talk. Second: where're they even going?" Grogar questioned. Budgerite blushed a little bit before she answered.
"W-Well. Yes, uh. Twilight said something about a "Convocation of Creatures". Sounds like a really royal thing to me, so I think the princesses MIGHT join her? Maybe? … I dunno, but the guards are gonna be on lockdown while she's gone."
"That leaves us a good forty eight hours - plenty of time to get that throne practically hoofed over to us. You keep an eye on them and tell me within the hour they leave, I got a meeting to check into."
…….
"Way da go Stubs."
Well this was a fine kettle of fish. White sure had him tricked there: thinking AT LEAST he'll be good to go once they were done with their nightly get-together, just to get tossed into jail with the other aliens amongst Homeworld. All Stubby could really do was pace back and forth and contemplate with what just happened.
"You had just one task, ONE job, and you go ahead and screw that all up! What am I supposed to do now that I'm locked up in here? Warp the walls? I bet White's got Blue and Yellow all friendly now," Stubby thought, banging his head on the wall. It sure didn't suit too well for the canine, as he really had little to really handle for himself. He could see other types of creatures across from him, which didn't suit well for him either. Stubby looked across the cage.
"... What're you in for?" Stubby asked. The alien only squawked his way, which Stubby didn't really suit too well for, him slumping and sliding down the wall until he was laying on the floor. Stubby just didn't feel too good with himself.
"Lord, my boss is gonna murder me in my sleep! Think, think, how do I get out of here?" Stubby wondered, stammering as he went back and forth on what his boss was going to do to him here. White Diamond was the least of his problems, but as he kept going back and forth in his cell, his sensitive ears started to pick up on something, twitching ever so slightly to the front of his cage.
A cut, seemingly in mid air. Random for most, including some of the aliens in there, it did show some resemblance in the eyes of Stubby, who now was simply freaking out. Curled up in a ball on the ground, eyes locked onto the cut, as another creature stepped from that cut, and over into the Homeworld prison hold: the Ram king Grogar himself. What were the odds? Grogar took a minute to see the area he was in, his red eyes scanning the area until he found Stubby sitting in the cage, cowering in his presence as he did with practically everyone else.
"... Got caught? Stubby?"
"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" Stubby kept repeating. Grogar though didn't really want to hear that from a failed problem like this. But then again, Grogar didn't want to use him inside a cage either, so the ram aimed his curved horns right over to the ends of the cell he was in, giving it a good ol' ram. The hit made the entire prison hold shriek as the other aliens started to freak out, but Grogar didn't pay them much mind. At first.
"QUIET!"
And just like that, all the aliens were silenced. Anymore racket, and all of Homeworld would hear them. good thing they did get quiet though, as Grogar rammed the cage one more time, finally disabling the bars and Stubby able to get out. Stubby wasted little time in throwing himself at Grogar's hooves, even kissing them to show who's side he was on.
"You miserable thing. How'd it happen?" Grogar groaned.
"I-It's was that White Diamond - I tried to manipulate her, but she threw it all right back at me!" Stubby said, making it out like it was all White's fault, which in a way it was. Grogar rolled his eyes, stepping back to look at all the aliens the Diamonds had in their custody.
"... Good job."
"Good job? For what?" Stubby asked, not getting it. But then his eyes followed Grogar's eyes, seeing the aliens all locked up. Grogar stepped back, this time his horns actually glowing a little bit in a strong hue of yellow, before he rammed the wall. THIS time, the walls became electrified, and while most of the creatures became shocked a little bit, the cages were all left disabled, meaning all of the aliens were no longer caged.
"Well, my lad, you may have been caught, but in doing so you found a good addition to our group. I'll let it slide this time."
Stubby gave a big sigh of relief, but only to have Grogar get right in his face and add "Don't get caught again."
"Y-Yes, king Grogar."
~~~~~~
After some more time in getting themselves ready, the group was now off and on their way from Canterlot to Mount Metazora. The skies were plenty clear for the royal airship to go through, something some of the Pegesi made sure of as they flew along. Twilight Sparkle was glad to be in some good company for the ride up: Amethyst, Ruby, Diopside, and Fulgurite specifically. Not exactly the leaders of the group, nor the "Diamond" in Steven Universe, but given their track record it was good enough. Besides, the others were too busy to bother much with them on it anyway (at least that was what Jasper said when they asked).
Amongst much of the group though, Moon Dancer kept kinda to herself for most of the flight. Sure, she wanted to check on this convocation and all, like she mentioned, but interacting with the others wasn't exactly something she was as willing to do either.
"So the others won't come?" asked Twilight.
"Nope. Looks like it's just us on this trip," answered Diopside, "... So, what's this convocation about, you think?"
"Oh, I'm not sure, I've never been to it before. I do know that the rulers of Equestria are gonna come together for this event," Twilight replied, mostly going off of what the guards told her.
"Oh boy, so is this gonna be an actual party, or is it just speeches and paperwork?" asked Amethyst. She and Fulgurite weren't up to go to another version of the Grand Galloping Gala. Luckily, Luna got the word out for them on this.
"The Convocation of the Creatures is an event that helps outside races understand eachother, to bring us closer together," Luna explained.
"... So is it just speeches and paperwork?" Amethyst asked again.
"Don't worry, there's more to that than just "speeches and paperwork". My sister told me all about the last one, and it sounds like a lot of fun. Oh, how long has it been since the last one?"
"753 years, your highness," said a voice. With that voice, out came another accomplice on this flight towards Mount Metazora. She had a white coat, a dark brown mane, lighter brown eyes, and a cutie mark of an ink pen and inkwell. Both her mane and tail were up in a bun, and her outfit consisted of a pair of reading glasses, and a collar one would find on a suit.
"Well, doesn't sound THAT long ago," shrugged Fulgurite.
"Thank you, Ms. Inkwell," said Luna. The pony, Raven Inkwell, went on towards them with some papers and forums floating alongside her.
"Hmm … Inkwell. Inkwell - oh! You're Twilight's royal advisor, aren't you?" Diopside asked, scratching her head. The white unicorn nodded.
"That's correct mam. Princess Twilight, Princess Luna, I need some more signatures on these forms," Inkwell said, showing the forms to her. Oi, more forms. Fantastic. As Luna was going over her own signatures, Twilight looked over to Moon Dancer, who was passing the time by just staring off into the clouds.
"So, you excited to get there?" asked Twilight, trotting over to her.
"Sort of," Moon Dancer replied, continuing to look off into the clouds for a bit, as if there was something actually interesting about them. Twilight just sat there and looked off to the clouds. Moon Dancer had tangoed with Twilight for the last couple of days, so, Moon Dancer got the memo on what she wanted. Unlike before though, she couldn't just walk back to her house or the library.
"... So how's princess work?" Moon Dancer asked. The first time she actually decided to talk to her casually. Twilight felt very glad for that.
"Oh, it's been going well, but I've been far busier than I've ever been before: all those meetings and what not. But I always have time for -"
"Princess? The forms?" cut in Inkwell. Moon Dancer was not impressed.
"You were saying?" sighed Moon Dancer. Twilight wanted to slap Inkwell for cutting in like that, but this was just a short little write up, so begrudgingly she went and got her name down on the forms. Course, this chat didn't go unnoticed.
"Uh, Twilight? Why'd you invite her again?" Fulgurite quietly asked. Far as they knew, Moon Dancer was just a pretty boring pony to be around.
"Because I'm trying to make amends with her," replied Twilight. "I just hope this works."
The group took a glance over towards Moon Dancer, the mare feeling mostly bored more than most. There was only so much enjoyment one could have when just staring off into the sky and the clouds. Moon Dancer took a breath and simply ignored everyone else nearby.
But the clouds began to reveal something else a bit more of interest. Something that actually began to perk up Moon Dancer's actual attention, her eyes widening and head lifted up off the rim of the ship.
The clouds, which for the longest time seemed like the only means of interest started to move away, and the land started to become more visible to the group amongst the airship. Just then, out in the distance, a steep mountain began to present itself out in the landscape. The sides of this mountain stood out from the other mountainous land, with angled cliffsides that made it resemble armor. They noted several areas for landing strips, either for airships, hot air balloons, or for some of the flying creatures a place to just fly right into. They saw numerous other types of flying machines as well coming in, each one having their own leaders and representatives from who knows where. And at the very top of the peak, stood a gigantic temple, styled like the Kirin homes, and waterfalls pouring from underneath its foundations.
"The Hall of Unity. Take us in," Luna instructed. The airship's pilot saluted Luna, and began to work the airship from the great skies, and down towards one of the docking stations. Not exactly the ones it could be found over by Homeworld, but still a pretty close second. The ship was tied down with some Pegesi and Bat ponies working the ropes to make sure it wouldn't fly away. With the bridge brought down, the group began to set off towards the main hall.
"So every creature is gonna be attending this Convocation? Dang, I hope the place is big enough to fit everyone," Diopside said.
"Whatever leaders and representatives that could make it," Luna replied, "It wouldn't be THAT crowded, but with how many changes had happened, this occasion's going to be essential to the future diplomatic decisions of Equus."
"Diplomatic - so this IS paperwork and speeches. Well, if any of you need me, I'd be by the food table the whole stay," Amethyst said.
"... You know, why didn't Flint come? This is right up his alley!" Ruby pointed out, only for Diopside to shrug. such mysteries can never be figured out. Though, there was some facts that was probably going to have to be brought up during this talk, and these facts about Equestria was gonna have to be known about during the meetings.
"Your highnesses?" inquired Inkwell, "The event is about to start soon, so we should head inside."
"Of course, Raven, thank you. Come along, everyone," Luna said, taking the lead into the great building. They all began to follow the moon princess, though Moon Dancer had a suspicion that she wasn't gonna have a good time coming in. Twilight was already ignoring her for the moment, but what did she expect really from her?
"Let's get this over with," she thought. If only she brought at least ONE book from her collection to keep herself distracted from this event.
And then they opened the front doors.
"WHOA! We hit the motherload!" Ruby beamed.
And boy did they. Not even a minute inside the main halls of the tower, and already they got the taste of just how much there was inside, both in terms of the building and the guests within. The tower itself was such a gigantic size, the steps themselves large enough to possibly be made by Giant ponies, or by dragons if that imaginative. The main hall was two-stories, with the bottom floor being the main holding point for the second level, which was also just as big. If compared to anywhere, the main hall had the size of the Diamond Authority palace walls, with the dexterity of the Midnight Palace off with the Centaurs and Gargoyles. The convocation was set up in matters of a true convention (which this seemed to be), which included a registration nearby the front door, a buffet table, and some directories to a few other spots amongst the area.
And then came the guests. And there was just SO MANY DIFFERENT SPECIES! There were basic pony races, but they also got a good mix of dragons, griffons, kirins, draconians, Gargoyles, and who knows what else of their respected species and races all under one roof. There was so much activity going on within these halls, with so many creatures from Breezies to Dragons. Excitement and shock was the main reaction shared by the newcomers of the group, even Moon Dancer pausing to take in what she was seeing, wiping her glasses clean to make sure it was the real deal. They could already spy some familiar faces amongst the many crowds of creatures, specifically the royals.
"DAAAANG, look at all this! We got Dragons, Zebras, Yaks, some Deer over -" Amethyst stopped talking once one particular figure started to present himself, the Changeling discussing a few things with the current Dragon Lord. Surprising to find her here, but heck it was a nice surprise.
"No way! K, catch you all later. Yo Ember, what's up?!" Amethyst went right off on her way to check out the crowds around, as the others were basically doing the same. There was A LOT to be had in this place, though Twilight did stop herself when she turned back and saw Moon Dancer still standing off nearby. Twilight flew back over to her.
"Let's have some fun, Moon Dancer," Twilight simply said.
This was gonna be a LONG stay, Moon Dancer could tell. But all the same, she couldn't be too upset at such a sight that befell her eyes. It was almost like this was some sort of dream, seeing so many together all at once. Not too long during their discussion, Thorax and Ember stopped their chit-chat briefly when they saw the others coming their way.
"Oh, Twilight hi!" said Thorax, "Glad you could make it."
"Yeah, us too. Thorax, this is my friend Moon Dancer. Don't worry Moon Dancer, he's a nice Changeling," Twilight introduced.
"Since when?" Moon Dancer had to ask, keeping at least one hoof back from Thorax. Thorax was a bit withdrawn by the question, but kept calm anyway. He expected much.
"It's a long story," Thorax said.
"Yeah, good time for you to show up. It's been getting a bit boring around here," Ember said, a playful punch to Amethyst's shoulder. Amethyst was glad to see the dragon lord too.
"Good to see ya too, your majesty dragon lord Ember," Amethyst said, acting VERY formal, just for the two to laugh. Formal? Yeah, right.
"Good to see you again, Thorax. Not being mean, but, I didn't expect you to be here," said Ruby. Thorax felt a little bit humble, rubbing the back of his head.
"Yeah, me neither. Since Chrysalis fell from power, I've been trying to bring the horde back together with some of my new ideas with friendship. It's not much," Thorax explained. Ruby had her memories of the Changelings still with her, and this news was very great to hear.
"Thorax, that's great! Having the Changelings share love instead of fight for it. How many did you rally up for that?" Ruby asked, excitedly.
"Well as many as I could find after the Pony of Shadows' defeat, so not too many. But I guess that's enough to get a invitation to this convention."
"Convocation," corrected Luna, "But yes, what you're doing is very noble of you. To help your kind even after they turned on you. That is worthy enough of this visit."
Thorax was actually blushing a little bit on that compliment. Not often do Changelings ever really get compliments so freely like that, but at least this time it didn't result in Thorax going ballistic.
"Well it's all good, but I'm NOT used to any of this," said Ember, "Dragons don't do diplomacy, or whatever this is. This is not my element."
"Don't worry, Ember, you're the coolest Dragon I know," reassured Amethyst, "You're gonna make a great show for Dragonkind!"
"Th-Thanks Amethyst," Ember replied. Well Ember and Amethyst were doing pretty good.
"I hope I can make a good show for the Changelings too. We got such a bad reputation already," Thorax said, his holed hoof scrapping the ground. Ruby went to his side.
"You're a very nice Changeling, Thorax, I think you'll make a good word."
"R-Really? You think that, even after I-I replaced you?" Thorax asked. Ruby cleared her throat.
"Lava under the bridge," Ruby simply said. Not exactly the term of use, but the meaning was still there. Why should Ruby hold a grudge on him after he helped her friends out in the end? Twilight looked over to Moon Dancer, who was kinda beside herself with all this information.
"How much did you do while out of Canterlot?" Moon Dancer asked. Twilight blushed and smiled.
"We got a lot to catch up on, believe me," Twilight admitted though she was looking forward to it. Not exactly what Moon Dancer was looking forward to.
~~~~~~
Canterlot was still keeping itself up in arms as best it could possibly manage without Luna and Twilight within the city. The guards, up in arms around the palace. It was hard to find even one spot without any sort of guard somewhere (one of the rare times guards were actually on guard properly). But with all of their patrol, the threat of Grogar still was looming, as the ram took a look amongst the castle, Budgerite and Bray in attendance as always.
"Look at those unicorns," noted Grogar, "crawling all over my palace like insects. I'm gonna really enjoy sending all of them away."
"Oh boy, there's so many. How're we gonna get in there?" Bray asked.
"Don't worry, I got it all figured out," reassured Budgerite, "The guards all keep patrol in pairs, with the front doors being free every hour and a half. Now Bray, if you can just go in from the west side, I can come in from the eastern window while the guards are -"
"Will you shut up?" Grogar snarled, shutting Budgerite up. Budgerite clamped her chatty beak as the ram looked to the castle.
"I got a better idea," Grogar cut in … as he just marched straight up to the front door. OK then. Bray, and Budgerite actually stayed still by their hiding place. Grogar waited long enough, and with the alicorns now away it was his big chance to get himself in there. The front guards only began noticing Grogar after he stomped the ground near them in his next step.
"Can we help you?" the guard asked.
"You can. Help me by clearing out the entire castle before I decide to tear everypony to pieces," Grogar instructed. The guards armed themselves for Grogar just in case. They knew a threat when they hear it, but Grogar barely saw this as a threat. The ram went right up to the spears, and while he sliced one spear end with his hoof, he crunched the other one with his sharp teeth. The ram snarled like a savage wolf right at them.
"Stand back, goat! By orders of the princess we're not letting you pass!" the guard demanded, still standing in his way.
"First off, your princess isn't here. And second: I'm a RAM!" Grogar roared, before he charged right forward at the door! The guards, both unicorns, summoned up their magic shields to keep him back, but Grogar also had some magic of his own, with his horns glowing strong. The hit made the magic fizz out, and it was strong enough to ram the doors off! Both guards were thrown aside.
"WOO! GO GROGAR!" cheered Bray. With the front guards now good, Bray and Budgerite raced in and joined him. Of course, such a crazy entrance was gonna get some attention from the other guards, some even falling over their own hooves just to see what happened.
"Hey you! You're trespassing on royal property! Leave in peace, or we'll have to make you go!" one of the guards warned.
"Why don't you come try and make me!" Grogar roared. The guards aimed their weapons and tried to do just that, but the magic from Grogar's horns made short work of the guards, spears turning to charred chunks, and unicorn guards flying to the walls. As what probably should've been expected by now. Grogar went over towards one of the dazed guards, pressing his large hoof right down onto his armor.
"What's going on?!"
Another unicorn rushed in from the upper balconies. While Twilight was off on her way, Starlight Glimmer agreed to stay behind to keep guard as well, and the second she heard that crash she was rushing in like a madman. The sight of so many guards down left her shivering a bit.
"What're you doing?" Starlight demanded. Grogar huffed.
"Bray? You want to kill her, or shall I?" Grogar offered, freaking out the guard a bit as he desperately tried to get himself up.
"WHOA, ok, you're raising the bar WAY too quickly!" Starlight said, heading down to the same level as Grogar, "Let's start from the beginning: what do you want even?"
"What is rightfully mine, you pathetic horse. This kingdom belongs to me! And with the alicorns not here, who's going to save you now?" Grogar said, feeling like he already won the castle. He already took out a lot of the guards amongst the castle, one other unicorn wasn't gonna be any different. Starlight armed herself.
"Not if I can help it," Starlight warned, her horn starting to glow. Grogar glowed his own horns for what came next, and a large magical beam shot directly at him. His horns took the hit with little effort, and in fact he actually held that power in his horns before shooting directly back at her! Starlight found a fight in her own hooves, teleporting out of the line of fire, before reappearing and shooting again, keeping herself in the air thanks to levitation.
"WHAT THE - Unicorns can't fly! You don't even have wings, pony!" Bray said.
"I don't know who you are, but if you think you're gonna take over Equestria, you got another thing coming," Starlight warned. Grogar responded by another good shot of his horns right at her, Starlight teleporting again.
"You little - BRAY! BUDGERITE! Keep her still!"
"One, two, three!" shouted Budgerite, she and Bray leaping at her. Starlight Glimmer found herself grabbed by both associates; Bray biting onto her tail as Budgerite sat on her back and grabbing her ears. Grogar gave Starlight a sinister smile, as his horns began to glow once more. This will be his new kingdom right then and there … or it would've been, rather. Bray and Budgerite looked behind Grogar, and the two then saw something that made their hearts stop.
"N-N-n-n-n-no way. G-G-G-Grogar?"
"Don't talk while I'm killing, Bray," snapped Grogar.
"What's all the noise?"
Grogar spun around, expecting another royal or guard to come at him, but what he saw too made him suddenly stop cold. … Spike. He was probably more dumbfounded than anyone else there, but when Grogar saw him …
"A … baby d-dragon? … B-But that means ……."
…
"FALL BACK!"
What even happened there? One moment they were willing to kill everypony, but all of a sudden they all were running mad for the door! Bray and Budgerite bolted off first in panic, Bray tripping over one of the fallen guards as he ran for it. Grogar, while still shaken a bit, had one more thing to say.
"Just you wait until you're alone," Grogar warned, before he bit down hard into Starlight's neck, and throwing her at spike before he too bolted for it. Just like that, everything stopped altogether: nothing but a broken door, some charred spots on the walls and floor, and a good bunch of beaten up guards and scorched metal.
"... What just happened?" Spike asked. Starlight got herself back up.
"O … K … I'm just gonna work on a report. Spike, think you can clean up for me?" Starlight asked, but before Spike could finish Starlight was already going off on her way. Spike looked off to the damaged main hall, one flag falling down onto the ground.
"Oh, why me?" Spike wondered. Whelp, time to get to work.
…….
The Diamonds now gone on holiday, Stubby took this time to explore around the palace. He did leave them with their own minds busy, yet without knowing exactly where they were going he can't really follow them at all. Besides, he can put his mind at ease while looking around the place, knowing that the most dangerous beings on Homeworld weren't anywhere near the place. That, and it seemed guards weren't a worry either, as he didn't see any signs of any Gems to keep post. No Jaspers, Amethysts, Citrines, or whatever. Stubby himself did feel a bit small in this place, but that could go without saying. He always felt small in most situations after all.
"Funny, where is everybody? I thought this would be way more dangerous … oh well!" Stubby started to chillax some more, and next thing he knew he was actually prancing around in the halls and large rooms of the castle. Most of his work would end up putting him in the deep end of things, but this time it was more of a simple casual stroll through the halls, and this time without someone over his shoulders to actually make him worried.
"Hmm. Wasn't there a sauna around here somewhere? I could go for some of that hot water," Stubby told himself, following the faint scent of water from the sauna room. Whether it was still active or not, he'll just have to figure it out when he'll get there. Stubby eventually found the hall that lead towards Yellow's sauna (or least it should). As Stubby went on through the hall towards the next room, his big ears started to pick up on something …
Faint voices. Very faint voices. Stubby stopped briefly, and looked around a little bit, his ears twitching and moving to try and pinpoint the noise. However, there wasn't any sort of figure to be found anywhere around him. He got his paw into his ear, cleaning it out a tiny bit to be sure he wasn't just hearing things.
"Oh boy, am I on that level of paranoia now? I could've sworn I've heard someone," Stubby wondered. He went over to the front of the hall, checking once again to be sure no one was even there.
Then he started hearing the voices again, this time from behind him in that same hall. He turned around, but once again there was no one there. NOW things were getting a little bit questionable.
And then he turned around. The temperature suddenly dropped when he suddenly found that he was … not exactly alone. Far from it actually. He'd been seeing the specialized markings along the walls, plenty of them lined up in a row too. At first he thought nothing of it the first time he went through these halls to talk to Yellow, but now … let's just say he should've noticed them the first time.
The walls, or at least some markings on the walls, weren't just there for simple show. There were faces on those walls! And each face had a set of long, and flat arms, each with the same kind of gemstone on their foreheads. Each one of those faces did have a sort of voice to it, but none of them spoke louder than a whisper. Eventually though, one of these … Gems? Is that the right word? Well, one of them did see Stubby looking at them, and all at once they all stopped, arms back into position, and acted as if they didn't move at all.
When one of them looked to Stubby again, it probably had never seen a more perplexed, shocked, and scared face. Ever. His eyes were wide, ears dropping, and jaw opened so wide it could almost touch the floor. A rather faint noise was seeping from Stubby's open jaws, almost like the sound of a deflating balloon, before he himself clamped his jaws shut … and whacked himself in the head.
"Oh … o-o-oh … I. I. G-GROGAR!" And with that, Stubby turned and bolted out, leaving these wall things for the moment. He knew Gems were a different kind of race, but THIS was just something else. One of these things glanced to the one next to it with a confused look, the other which only shrugged on the name.
~~~~~~
It sure was a VERY LONG time during their stay over in the Convocation. Not saying they didn't have their own fun time going about doing who knows what. A full day in this place went by pretty quickly, and there was just so much to be had. The Gems themselves were keeping themselves busy throughout this whole thing too, mostly thanks to Thorax and Ember honestly. Amethyst and Ember were hitting it off and somehow Amethyst avoided a feeding frenzy with the dragons present there (her being a walking gemstone basically), and with Ruby and Diopside's help Thorax was making a pretty good word for much of the Changelings he gathered.
But despite all of this hubbub, Twilight had been trying to get things better arranged and better acquainted with Moon Dancer throughout much of the visit. Too bad the entire convocation was constantly pulling her away from doing much with Moon Dancer. Be it either talking to another royal, checking some stands and booths, or just seeing some forms by Inkwell or Luna, Moon Dancer wasn't really being reacquainted with Twilight too much. If anything, Moon Dancer was taking more time learning of the other races personally instead of dealing with the Alicorn.
Despite all of the fun, there still was the more diplomatic part of this entire visit, and eventually that had to come around to the actual politician discussion for Equestria's future. This year was probably a more important task, considering not only the "incident" months back, but with how many new leaders had showed themselves over the years.
"You don't wanna come, Inkwell? You like the convocation, don't you?" Twilight asked.
"I like the convocation, but more of the actual work, not the ceremony," explained Inkwell, "If I wanted to hear politicians talk for a few hours, I'd stay in Canterlot. I'll leave this to you."
"Hours? PLEASE tell me it's not gonna be that long," Fulgurite said.
"Well, you can't blame them if they got WAY more to talk about this time," Diopside said. "... Eh, by the way. You feeling okay with telling them, Luna?"
Luna took a quiet breath.
"It would be best to tell the world now before we could move forward. If they are gonna be aware of Equestria's situation, they need to know of Celestia's successor," Luna replied. This news of Celestia had gone about, sure, but not to everyone. For the good of Equestria, the truth needed to be known to Equus.
"Good thinking," said Amethyst, "Keeping anymore secrets is NOT gonna sit well. Alright, let's get this hour long talk-fest over with so we can get back to the fun stuff."
And she said this remembering their own experience with big secrets, and how much damage it could do if released at the wrong time, or kept for too long. But as Inkwell was going off, Twilight noticed that Moon Dancer was still just standing there. Moon Dancer strolled away, bored out of her mind, but with the meeting just about to start Twilight couldn't really meet with her now.
"See you after we're done then?" Twilight said. Moon Dancer rolled her eyes.
"Oh sure, can't wait," she said, sarcasm being her form of wit for the day as she walked away. Twilight knew the tone didn't mean Moon Dancer was having fun, but everyone else was already going off in there, and as the princess of Equestria she had to go and do the same.
"Okay Twilight, how long are you going to worry about her? You've been worried sick all day about this," Amethyst asked.
"Well, I've done so much, but … I don't think it's enough," Twilight replied.
"Then maybe you should leave it alone," Amethyst suggested. She could get trying to cheer up Moon Dancer, but seeing Twilight ruin her own fun to do so perhaps wasn't the best way to go around this. Twilight tried keeping this in mind as they began to go into the meeting room. … Or at least, Amethyst did.
"I'll be right back," Twilight said, before trotting off away from the meeting room. Amethyst groaned, but there wasn't gonna be much to stop Twilight here. So, Amethyst just went on to join the others. Moon Dancer soon noticed the Alicorn following her, getting more annoyed.
"This again? Stop bothering me, and go handle your princess stuff already," Moon Dancer said, ready to go off on her way. THAT again. She'd been tangoing with this all day long, and at this point, Twilight was getting desperate.
"Haven't you been having fun?"
"What's it to you? Look, you wanted me to come, and I did, what more do you want from me?"
"I've been trying to make up for my mistake!" Twilight finally said, "I wasn't there during your party, and you're hurt because of it! So please, let me make this up to you."
"And you thought this was gonna do it, huh?"
Twilight suddenly was caught off guard.
"Uh … yes?"
Moon Dancer had reached her emotional limit.
"Oh sure, why wouldn't it? It's not like that party was the first time I put myself out there, and you didn't bother to show up! And then you left town without saying goodbye, even though we were supposed to be friends! And THEN, when you actually decide to come back home, you didn't even recognize I was ever around at all!" Moon Dancer explained, more and more pain in her voice as she was continuing. Twilight almost stepped back on the sheer force of her words.
"I was humiliated! I didn't feel like I was important. I NEVER wanted to be hurt like that again! Those ponies back in Canterlot: Minuette, Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine, Lyra Heartstrings! THOSE FOUR finally convinced me that I had value! That other ponies would like me, and want to be my friend! AND YOU! DIDN'T! SHOW! UP!"
And in her fury, Moon Dancer actually forced Twilight out of the way, making the alicorn fall off her own hooves as the unicorn galloped off away. However, Moon Dancer's running didn't last for too long before she collapsed onto the floor, crying her eyes out. Now the truth was fully brought out to the alicorn: it wasn't just her absence at the party that upset Moon Dancer. But the value that was lost with it as well.
She had to make this right. Feeling tears come up from her own eyes, Twilight slowly moved over to Moon Dancer one more time, gently placing a hoof over onto her.
"... You're right. This trip can't mend what I did to you. But please. Don't let my mistake be the reason you can't be friends with anybody else," Twilight said. Moon Dancer, with her eyes still pouring with tears, looked up to the alicorn.
"Moon Dancer … I've faced magical creatures, extraterrestrials, the end of Equestria, all sorts of things. But seeing how my actions affected you … was one of the worst feelings I've ever had. As much as I want to be forgiven for my mistake, that isn't something I can make you do, so … well, I just want you to understand that I'm sorry. … You don't have to apologize if you don't want to."
There was nothing more that Twilight could do here. It was all up to Moon Dancer now, and Twilight Sparkle did all she could now. The choice was all up to Moon Dancer now. Twilight Sparkle turned around and slowly started to head on back towards the ceremony. Moon Dancer simply stood there for a bit, wiping away some of her tears. …
"...…. Twilight?" Moon Dancer asked. Twilight stopped briefly, turning back to her.
"... Uh ……. we can try again. … Being friends," Moon Dancer decided.
It was the best this was going to get.
…….
Back in Canterlot, Grogar, Bray, and Budgerite got themselves far enough from the situation, and managed to elude the now alert guards, which at the point was checking around town wherever they could to find the lot. They got to their hideout, surely, but while Bray and budgerite were shaken in their shoes, Grogar was ticked off more than ever, pacing back and forth.
"I can't believe this! Out of ALL the things that had to appear in Canterlot, It HAD TO BE THAT ONE!" Grogar yelled, his back hooves kicking one of the barrels in the room to the wall, shattering it right above Bray's head.
"IT CAME FROM NOWHERE! Last thing I expected: A dra - a dra - a dra -" Grogar couldn't even finish the very word itself, it was such a scare for him. Bray and Budgerite shared a similar sort of fear, Bray covering his head with his front hooves both from Grogar's anger, and the dragon "menace" that lurked around Canterlot.
"A-a-a-a-a-a … D-D-D-D-D-Dragon," Budgerite finally chirped, shaking so much she could hardly keep still. Who could blame her for being scared of a gemstone-gobbling, giant, flying lizard?
"Huh - WHAT? Where?!" Grogar snapped, frantically looking around as if this Dragon was right in the same room with him.
"It's alright," said Bray gravely, "It's not coming."
Grogar gave a breath of relief on that answer, but unfortunately for him, this also meant something a bit more bothersome for him. His mission to take over Equestria was facing something he just couldn't face.
"Well, that clenches it. No chance for us around here mates. Not with such a - A VICIOUS! Drag - Drag - Drag - … about," Grogar concluded, much to his own dismay. Did he want to take over Equestria? Of course he did. Was he willing to kill himself to do it? No way in Tartarus, ESPECIALLY by a Dragon. Bray tried to calm Grogar down, his mind scrambling to find the right thing to say to his master.
"M-My lord Grogar, it's not all impossible! D-Didn't you just get some aliens from Stubby earlier? Maybe they can get rid of it for us!"
"Against that monster?! We might as well throw ourselves into that thing's mouth, Bray!" Grogar growled, Bray cowering again as Grogar went right into the donkey's face. But the mention of these aliens though did get Grogar's mind thinking.
"... But now that you mention it, those aliens did come from a prisonhold. … Budgerite, didn't you mention before about some rocks controlling that thing?"
"The Diamond Authority, actually, yes. … W-Wait, you're not thinking -"
"I'll check the perimeter," Grogar said. YEP, he was thinking it. Grogar got his magic glowing again, but instead the glow added to his hoof, as it touched what seemed like nothing. The glow on his hoof cut open the very space itself, and sliced open the same portal he used before.
No way this could've been done at a better time.
"G-Grogar! Grogar!"
And just like that, something bolted right through the same portal, and right onto him. Next thing they knew, Stubby was gripping Grogar's throat, shaken and terrified still.
"Oh hi, Grogar. I-I have to show you something!"
...
"This had better be good," Grogar growled. Stubby was pretty persistent in getting the old ram from Equestria, and back to Homeworld with him to present his finding, which for many others would mean a good beating. Since it was Gem stuff too, he brought Budgerite with him just to be sure Stubby wasn't making anything up just to get him here.
"I swear, I'm not making anything up. They should be right over here," Stubby said, bringing Grogar and Budgerite right over to the same hall where he saw those things earlier. However, it wasn't too convincing at first. All of them didn't budge, staring up to the ceiling and staying completely still.
"You dragged me over here to look at some walls?" Grogar questioned. Budgerite felt uneasy seeing them herself, but she didn't chirp up a word about it just yet. Stubby swore he saw them move and talk.
"No, no, I swear! Here, I'll show ya," Stubby said, bolting over to one of the walls, pawing and clawing, trying to get a reaction out of them. But nothing really seemed to happen.
"Come on, Mrs. Wall Gem thing, show good Grogar you're actually alive and possibly save my life, please. Come on, you can do it!"
Much to his dismay, he got nothing out of it. No movement, nor any voice coming out of the things. They would if they could, but they weren't supposed to interact with anything besides eachother by the looks of things. They were walls after all. Grogar just stood there, unamused with one of his hooves tapping the ground impatiently. He was ticked enough thanks to that dragon, now this was just wasting his time. The angry ram, like a sinister tiger, slowly began to move closer to him with his sharp teeth barred.
"N-n-n-now wait a minute, sir, I-I-I know they are Gems er something, i-if you J-JUST LET ME - YOWCH!" Grogar grabbed the skittish animal by his tail, and slammed him against the same wall over and over again. Each hit was like getting slapped in the face, and Budgerite could only cringe on this beating until Grogar dropped him, Stubby in a daze. Grogar opened his mouth wide, and -
"S-Stop!"
FINALLY, one of them spoke. Grogar stopped immediately, bolting his gaze upward near the ceiling, just in time to see one of these things look down at him in worry, just to turn away and mimic the others. This one wasn't fooling the goat though, as he backed away from Stubby.
"... Budgerite, you're half Gem, talk to me," Grogar instructed. Budgerite went over to him, looking up to the Gems.
"Oh! Uh, these are Gems that became harvested, Grogar. It's basically a punishment if a Gem can't do their job, s-so instead of shattering them the Diamonds put them to another use … which is holding Homeworld together. Literally," Budgerite said. Stubby cowered behind her, as Grogar looked over each one of them. His anger slowly began to build up, taking in the idea. Gems may be nothing but rocks at the end of the day, but this kind of existence ...
"Sir?" Stubby muttered. Grogar didn't answer them though, steadily backing up until he felt the opposite wall. Stubby and Budgerite kept themselves away from his path, having a bit of an idea on what would happen next. The one that spoke up suddenly started to put two and two together, but unable to do anything was just able to close its eyes and take it. Grogar, scraping the ground with his hoof, suddenly made a mighty charge directly at the wall! Budgerite was just about to speak up on this idea, but Grogar already made contact with the part of the wall before it could be said otherwise.
"G-Grogar!" *BAM!* "Wait, don't do that -" *BAM!* Grogar's ramming shook up the whole hall, Budgerite rushing out of said hall as the ceiling started to break! Stubby was following her lead, and bolted to safety, Grogar still trying to ram the part of the wall off. Eventually, Grogar did stop to check the progress. Plenty of hits, but this wall wasn't budging. Grogar then saw Stubby and Budgerite off nearby.
"Quit dithering over there, and get these Gems out."
"But Grogar, they're holding the palace together!"
"And what did I just say?"
Budgerite and Stubby weren't being requested here. Budgerite and Stubby joined Grogar, trying to pry the part of the wall out of the palace. Grogar's ramming did make the part of the wall a bit less sturdy, and Grogar needed just a strong yank with his teeth to finally pull the part of the wall out, the Gem falling to the floor, and possibly moved for the first time in centuries. Budgerite looked up to the ceiling, but luckily one part wasn't gonna break the entire hallway down.
"Get this lot back with me, and whatever other harvested you can find. We're getting even more members."
Dang it White Diamond, you made the Diamond Authority miss this one! The amount of trouble that could've been avoided and so much understanding, and you threw it out of the window! I know Grogar being scared of Spike's a bit of a stretch, but did you see his track record lately (Crystal Empire savior from King Sombra)? Plus, I don't think anyone wants to mess with an adult Dragon's tiny kid, don't you think?
BTW, noticed a few more thumbs down with the last few chapters 
sorry if i'm messing up somewhere. It's gonna get better, I'll try my best. Anyway, hope you enjoy ^^
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9402718
Always a pleasure seeing your reviews on my story ^^
Ok, i like this chapter.
Wish you got more into the politics... weird thing to type down now that i think about it. Oh well.
Is Thorax in his new look or do he and his changelings have their original looks. Even now i prefer the original designs. In this situation it's a "it's what is on the inside that counts" theme. The show made them kind of conform in a way. Don't hate them, but still...
9404074
no, in this version they're still the holy-legged buggy changelings - they didn't make that big transformation they had in the show.
9404825
good , i hate that form rainbow form anyway
9405601
well I'm a little indifferent about it. Don't love it, but don't hate it either.
9409882
yeah, guess the flaws do explain the extra "thumbs down" don't it?
When is the next chapter
9416399
won't be for too long. The next chapter's just VERY long
So, there seems to be quite a few sociopolitical, personal and mythological notes to be taken. As well as some genuine horror written into this chapter.
In terms of sociopolitical implications, it seems all the legwork done by the Harmony gems last season are starting to reap dividends. Namely, finally uniting the dragons and the Changelings under more friendly banners. In some way, one could say that they were playing "kingmaker" to Ember and Thorax's ascensions. Although, as you pointed out in the notes, not with all the fancy color changes, and with less overall organization due to the changelings being scattered before the regime change. I also see that with those 2 meeting now, that Spike episode where he's trying to hide the 2 of them from each other....probably won't happen unless there's a lack of communication to him.
For the personal, Twilight really gets a gold star for trying to break the shell. Even Amethyst tried to give Twilight a heads up that it might be good to let this one go if she's not responding. It ties in a bit to the gems being less overtly willing to make overtures to friendship since they've stuck to their own for so long. It's also of note that Moondancer said she wants to try again. This seems to indicate to me that maybe Twilight will hire her on as an advisor, since she might have the general knowledge that could be useful for a princess at work.
On a more humorous note though, seems that the gems are using their light and special abilities to make Mr. Smiley's arcade pay for it. Diopside's laser eye, Fulgurite's laser speed, amethyst's laser flexibility. And ruby dealing with being slow again, but also building up her character again. Cause no anxiety attacks for now.
Meanwhile, on the mythological level, Grogar's first assault proved...difficult, but at least it seems that Twilight has a valuable court favorite to guard the lands. What with her magical shenanigans to keep Grogar off balance. But what's of biggest significance is him panicking on seeing a dragon. It didn't matter if it was a young dragon or not. The mere sight sent the crew into panic mode. Hmm...backstory? Maybe something on how Grogar got kicked out in the first place?
But with that, it's time we find out more about that most mysterious of processes that homeworld gems are terrified of. And it turns out its...absolutely horrifying. It seems that Harvesting as a term isn't the same as shattering or anything like that. Instead, it's turning the gems into glue for homeworld!!!!! Oh my....This is a serious I Must Scream situation for those guys. Guess that's why it always makes those things so skittish. But it also meant that Grogar had an idea of where to get an army for himself. Taking the downtrodden away...and probably putting Homeworld in jeopardy!