Chapter 56
Chapter 56
Official Declaration of War, Crystal Empire, 1113 AF
Last month, in the midst of a peaceful legal hearing, representatives of the rogue government known as the ‘Holy Equestrian Diarchy’ knowingly and openly attacked several of our citizens unprovoked. They were armed with weapons of war, as well as poisons, and they attempted to assassinate several of our leaders.
Though their attempts to take the lives of our leaders failed, they caused injury and death among our citizenry. The perpetrator of this attack was none other than the ambassadorial party, invited into our city and our palace under the guise of diplomatic peace.
Our evidence suggests that the attack was ordered by one Steadfast Word and the Knights Mystic.
This shameful and honorless act forces us to respond. Know that we undertake military action against our southern neighbors only with the most careful of considerations regarding the consequences on both sides.
If the Diarchy wishes to avoid open conflict, we require the following:
The Diarchy must surrender to us Steadfast Word, as well as any others who have conspired with him to attempt to murder our beloved Empress.
The Diarchy must abandon their series of forts and military installations set alongside our southern border.
The Diarchy must immediately cease all naval patrols in the Northern Equestrian Sea.
The Diarchy must disband the Knights Mystic immediately.
If these actions are not met, the Empire will take military action to achieve them.
Signed,
Empress Mi Amore Cadenza
Princess Flurry Heart
Queen Chrysalis V and King Pharynx III
Chief Yasmina
Alpha Fidelius the Flocculent
President Pro Tempore Jurist Prudence
Crystal Empire, 1113 AF
There was a difference between knowing one was a hero, and experiencing the consequences. Emberglow kept wanting to duck behind Rarity as she walked through the halls of the Crystal Palace, her tail swishing with agitation at each new soldier or maid who passed them by, staring in awe or even whispering behind their hooves. A few were even brave enough to stammer a few words of adoration or gratitude.
Rarity, of course, took it all in stride, even preening a little at the attention. Emberglow just wanted to hide, some part of her insisting she wasn’t worthy.
“Don’t worry, darling, there won’t be any of that at the dinner.”
“I hope not.”
“They’re sure to be rather happy to see you though, dear. So be ready for that.”
They were. As soon as the door burst open, a cheer went up from the assembled ponies. Terminus and Heartwing waved one hoof each in the air, their other hooves entwined around each other. True bounced up and down on Lofty’s back while Topaz beamed. Princess Flurry and Empress Cadance were both exemplars of serene celebration, and even Lighting Bug was giving a bit of a smile.
Emberglow was glad, though, that they didn’t stand up from the table and crowd her. She was still feeling a little claustrophobic after the revelation in the clinic, and the extra space was nice.
She didn’t step away from Rarity, though.
“Thanks, guys,” she told them, even blushing as Rarity’s blue aura pulled a chair out from the table for her. “I’m glad to be awake.”
“We’re glad you’re feeling better,” Topaz said.
“So what’s happened while I’ve been comatose?”
Heartwing gave a chuckle. “Can’t tell you. The Princess extracted a solemn oath from all of us that we’re not gonna talk business at this dinner. This is all about celebrating your recovery.”
Emberglow sat, and Rarity helped her slip the chair into the table. It felt a little odd, being catered to that way, but she tried to graciously let it happen. She still felt a little weak, and thinking about her currently impotent wings made her breathing quicken.
Maybe it was okay to be attended to every once in a while.
“Um,” Emberglow said, looking out at the spread before her. Rarity had played the dinner up as something light and casual, but the table was piled high with a feast. It was a little overwhelming. “Would it be okay if we talked a little business? I’m tired of not quite knowing what’s going on.”
Heartwing actually looked to Princess Flurry for permission, before continuing. “War, Emberglow. Steadfast Word tried to have Empress Cadance and Princess Flurry assassinated. By a diplomat, no less. The Empire has declared war against the Diarchy. Meanwhile, the embassy has been raided, and messages sent to our—” he smirked, and Princess Flurry flinched. “What? I’m your loyal soldier now, Princess. It is fair to say ‘our’, right?” He gave an uncomfortable chuckle and continued. “Messages sent to our embassy in NCC have hopefully arrived ahead of the Mystic black bag squad, so Ambassador Ruby Blade and his staff can evacuate safely.”
“I hope so,” Topaz said worriedly. “Ambassador Blade was so kind and helpful. He’s the reason we were able to get in touch with the Intelligence Service, rescue True, and escape the city.”
“The twins assure me their changelings will do all they can to get our embassy staff to safety,” Princess Flurry said. “But I’d prefer to move on to more pleasant topics. Such as whether or not our brand-new Marchionesses have chosen House names for themselves.”
“Belle,” Rarity said immediately, and Heartwing’s face split in a massive grin as he clapped his hooves together in approval. “House Belle. I… I thought it appropriate.”
“Very much so, Marchionesses Belle,” Cadance whispered into the reverent silence that followed. “She was a good pony, and you do her honor.”
“Well, I just thought, if we are choosing a family name, that it would make sense.” She cleared her throat. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to cast a shadow on the mood. We are meant to be celebrating Emberglow’s recovery, after all.”
“H-hey, if this is my party, then I get to pick how we celebrate, right?” Emberglow said. “And it’s okay with me if we celebrate family.” She raised her glass. “So maybe we should have a toast or something. Um, to our families? To Sweetie Belle?”
“Yes,” Rarity said. “And to your parents, who I very much hope to meet someday.”
“To a pair of grandmothers, who have been eternally patient with their fool of a descendant,” Topaz said, with a sheepish sort of grin at the Princess and Empress.
“To my son,” Lofty added quietly.
“To the families we choose,” Terminus said, his eyes misty, and Heartwing leaned over to kiss him.
The assembled ponies raised their glasses in tribute.
* * * * *
Needle Point Textiles was a smoking ruin. Broken glass and shattered ponnekins spilled out onto the cobbled street. The flickering of flames from inside illuminated the smoke-filled night. There was a new sign in the broken window. It was only four words, written in flowing calligraphy: ‘Betrayal, betrayal, and betrayal.’
Mom! Dad!
Emberglow’s mouth moved, but no sound came out. It was like she was swimming, flailing, drowning. Her limbs moved slowly, like she was trying to drag them through honey. Her throat felt full. She tasted bile.
Mom! Dad! Are you in there?
Her voice sounded like it was coming from miles away, as did the bell that was already sounding in the distance.
Emberglow ran, dragging her hooves through the molasses that was the air about her. Every step was a marathon of effort, but still she pushed forward.
Mom! Dad! Are you safe?
“DID YOU CARE ABOUT THEM WHEN YOU KISSED HER?”
The voice shook the ground, and drove Emberglow to her stomach.
“DID YOU CARE ABOUT THEM WHEN YOU TOUCHED HER?
Each word sent a sharp spasm of pain deep into her brain, straight down her spine. She screamed in agony.
“DID YOU THINK ABOUT THEM WHEN YOU SLEPT WITH HER?”
I—
“SHAME AND DIS—”
The bell chimed again, and the broken street was bathed in moonlight. Emberglow blinked. Once. Twice.
A dream. No, a nightmare.
“Topaz?” Emberglow called out, looking up at the moonlight. “Topaz, are you here?”
Topaz stepped out from the ruins of the store, even as the horrific dreamscape began to fade from view. She ran over to Emberglow and pulled her into a quick hug.
“You’re getting better at recognizing bad dreams, even if you’re still having them,” Topaz said. “C’mon, let’s get out of your own head, hm? Lofty says he wants to talk to us in his dream, and I said I’d collect everypony for him.” She waved a hoof, and a door appeared in the middle of the street. “Shall we?”
“Sure.” Emberglow opened the door, stepping through to the now-familiar metaphysical road full of doors.
“You know, I hope you don’t mind me saying, Emberglow. But as Elements, have you noticed that we’re each a bit of a mess?”
It wasn’t exactly a revelation. “Your point?”
“We should start doing dream meetings regularly. Group therapy sessions, if you agree.”
“Is that what you have planned for tonight?” Emberglow asked.
Topaz shook her head as she searched for a particular door. “No.” She pursed her lips. “Lofty is planning something. And he won’t tell me what.”
“Oh.” Emberglow had some thoughts, but she knew she shouldn’t say them out loud. Topaz narrowed her eyes and leaned in.
“You know something.”
“No, I don’t!” Emberglow squeaked, and Topaz laughed.
“You’re a terrible liar, Emberglow. Whatever it is, is it good?” Emberglow pursed her lips and nodded. “I can wait, then.” Topaz laughed again. “Here’s Lofty’s door. Keep him from getting into too much trouble until I can collect the others, okay?” She opened the door, a strong, thick apple wood door with iron bands, and Emberglow stepped through.
The dream inside was of an apple orchard. The details were stunningly good; Emberglow could smell the freshly turned earth and the apples. An autumn breeze brushed past the yellowing leaves, causing a pleasant shiver to ruffle her fur. In the distance, she could see a faint wisp of smoke. She moved towards it.
Lofty Tale was sitting quietly next to a small campfire. He looked up as she approached.
“I think Topaz believes you are up to something, Lofty,” Emberglow said.
Lofty grinned. “Probably because I am. It’s tonight, Emberglow.”
Emberglow looked around at the cloud-speckled sky, the orchard, even the rustic looking farmhouse and barn in the distance. She couldn’t help the smile that spread across her muzzle.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“I’ve been looking into my genealogy, recently. The Empire’s records are incredible. I was able to connect the dots with some of the Tale ancestors and trace things all the way back to Ponyville.” He waved a hoof wide. “This place doesn’t exist any longer. But it’s in my past. A part of me that I never knew about until I came here.”
He went silent, and Emberglow strained her ears for a moment; it was as if she could hear the sounds of living things all through the orchard, the creaking of trees and the chirping of songbirds. There was a reverence here, and Emberglow felt the sudden need to leave this holy place to the ghosts and memories of the past.
The moment passed, though, and Emberglow heard a smattering of voices from back within the trees. She turned to see Terminus and Heartwing approaching, side by side. Heartwing shared a knowing look and a smirk with Lofty, while Terminus let out an actual squeak of glee and flapped over to give Lofty a quick hug.
“So, we’re here to witness?”
“Yes, but don’t spill the beans to Topaz. I think she’s still in the dark.”
“We shall be on our best behavior,” Heartwing said, and shrank against three quelling gazes. “What?”
“You will be silent, Sir Heartwing, or we’ll have words when we get back to our own dreams.” Terminus had steel in his voice, and Heartwing shivered. Emberglow’s giggle broke through the stallion’s aura of menace, though.
“So Topaz is going to try to bring Rarity, too?” Heartwing guessed.
Lofty nodded. “She helped make this happen. Once I made the connection to this place, I had to ask for details.” He looked at Emberglow. “While we waited for you to wake up, I had several conversations with her about my ancestors.
There was another set of voices approaching, and Emberglow’s heart beat a little faster upon hearing the cadence of Rarity’s musical voice.
“Emberglow, darling!” Rarity rushed to her side. “Topaz said you were having another nightmare. I would have woken you myself, but you stopped thrashing about.”
“I’m fine, Rarity.”
“Well, you are now,” Rarity said, enfolding her in a hug. Emberglow giggled.
There was a shift in the dreamscape, and Emberglow gasped as the sun slid through the sky, before slowing down just enough to paint the sky in corals and oranges. Emberglow glanced at Lofty, who shrugged and smirked.
Each pony took up spots around the campfire, cuddling up next to their partners while they basked in the comforting heat of the flames. Lofty gently leaned down to kiss the now-present Topaz before standing to address them all.
“I know I probably interrupted some lovely dreams and some pleasant sleep, so thank you for coming tonight.” Lofty hadn’t sounded this nervous to Emberglow since their last night as pages. “Um. I know some of you might be wondering where we are. Well, Rarity’s not, at least.”
“It’s a very faithful recreation, darling,” she said proudly.
“Yes. And thank you for your help.” He cleared his throat nervously. “As some of you know, I’ve been doing a lot of research lately. Trying to understand my roots, where I came from. Rarity has been a great deal of help, as well as Heartwing and the Empress.” He waved a hoof at the trees around them. “The Tales weren’t always nobleponies. We didn’t leech off of society, we contributed. But back then, we were called the Apples. And this was our orchard.
“Earlier, we were all making our toasts about family. I’m here today because I chose family over everything else. I…” he glanced around, rubbing his hooves nervously together. “I want to keep making that choice. You are all my family, now. Honorary Tales, for what that’s worth. And I wanted you all here, in my family’s old home, to be a part of the next piece of my family’s history.”
He furrowed his brow in concentration. “I’m… I’m not saying this right. I’ve been thinking about this for weeks, but if this weren’t a dream I’d be sweating and stuttering. I… uh…”
But Emberglow wasn’t sure that too many words were needed. Topaz was weeping openly, even though her smile reached from ear to ear. She was practically trembling with joy.
“I guess I’m not the best at subtlety, so I should just get to the point, right?” He reached behind himself, retrieving a box that Emberglow was sure hadn’t been there before. “Topaz Glitter, I…”
“YES, I WILL!” Topaz squealed, bouncing up on her hooves. When everypony stared at her, she giggled, turning pink. “Um, I mean, yes, Lofty?” Everypony chuckled.
Lofty smirked and cleared his throat. “Topaz, will you marry me?”
* * * * *
After the proposal, everypony had made a discrete exit to their own dreams. Emberglow’s sleep had been peaceful, and when she awoke she was curled up in the best way possible, wrapped around her marefriend. Their bed smelled of Rarity and love, and Emberglow buried her nose in Rarity’s mane for a few moments.
Emberglow had noticed she had a tendency to wake up before Rarity, something borne over from her years of study at both med school and the Ivy Seminary. She had also noticed that Rarity was not exactly a morning pony.
She was finding it just a little bit of fun to tease her on that front.
Emberglow curled her wings and hooves around her marefriend, leaning forward to kiss and nibble along Rarity’s neck, just enough that Rarity started making sleepy grunts and protests.
“Darling, not before coffee,” Rarity complained, causing Emberglow to giggle and kiss her more. Finally Rarity groaned, rolling over to shove her away gently, though even in the pre-dawn light Emberglow could see the sparkle of amusement in her eyes. “Oh very well, you tyrant. I’m awake.”
“Good morning.” Emberglow felt a little giddy, and leaned in to kiss her yet again. Rarity let out a laugh despite herself.
“If you’d warned me you were a morning pony before we got together, I would have…” Rarity mock-scowled. “Well, I would have changed nothing, of course.” She yawned, and rubbed her eyes before snuggling back against Emberglow. “That was fun, wasn’t it? And so kind of Lofty to want to include all of us.”
“You helped him with the dream?”
“As much as I could, darling. I don’t have Topaz’ dreamwalking talents, so I couldn’t go in and help him form the dreamscape directly. I could only describe the orchard, and help him find some of the pictures that remain in the Crystal Library.”
“It wasn’t… too much for you?” Emberglow said carefully. Rarity was thoughtfully silent for a few moments, her face hidden in Emberglow’s chest.
“It was a little difficult, yes. But the sacrifice was well worth it, for romance.” Rarity sighed with contentment. “Did you see the look in her eyes? It was wonderful.”
“So…” Emberglow blushed thinking of it. “I wonder if Princess Flurry is going to be babysitting True all day today.”
Rarity took a moment to think about it, then shook with laughter. “How naughty, Emberglow. But I wouldn’t be surprised. The dears deserve some time to themselves.”
“So…” Emberglow wanted to stay in bed and cuddle forever. But she was already starting to feel guilty about not moving; there were things to be done. “What’s on our schedule for today?”
“Lightning has arranged a press conference for you just before lunch,” Rarity said, and began to stroke Emberglow’s back as soon as she stiffened. “Don’t worry, I will be there with you the whole time. The press simply wishes to acquaint themselves with the same dashing heroine that I’ve come to know and love.”
She must have made a sound of some sort, a whimper, because Rarity pulled her embrace tighter. “Remember the conversation we had back in Nyumba ya Joka? Just put on a costume of confidence. And if you start to panic, simply squeeze my hoof.”
“Is our schedule free before the press conference?” Emberglow asked.
“I think Lightning wanted to brief us about the subjects we’re avoiding for now. But that shouldn’t take too long. What did you have in mind?”
“I…” Emberglow took a hard breath. “I want to see Turquoise. Do you think that’s okay?”
Now it was Rarity’s turn to go very silent. Emberglow pulled back enough to look into her eyes, only to see the stricken expression there.
“I don’t have to if you don’t think it’s a good idea!” Emberglow felt a surge of panic. “It’s just—”
“N-no, it’s fine.” Rarity gave a tremulous smile. “It’s a good idea, even. We’ll talk to Lightning Bug, see if she can arrange something. It might have to be after the press conference, though.” Rarity nuzzled her. “I think it’s a good idea. Just… probably not if I’m there with you, okay? I’ll come if you need me, but something tells me your old friend won’t react well to my presence.”
“Oh! Oh, yeah, you’re probably right.” There was a part of Emberglow, the part that still believed in fairy tales and perfect happy endings, that wished there could be a way for all of her loved ones to accept Rarity, to accept who Emberglow was now. It was a pipe dream, though.
Rarity sighed. “As much as I would love to lounge about in your hooves all day long, we should get up. Will you help me select your ensemble for the day, darling? I promise we’ll find something that will really help you feel the part of the strong and daring ingenue.”
They showered, and Emberglow allowed Rarity to assemble her outfit for the day. Flurry had provided them both with wardrobes more fitting of their newly noble statuses, and Rarity was able to assemble something suitable: a lavender and blue jacket and slacks that looked inspired by the Crystal Empire’s own guard uniform.
“You’re technically a part of their military now, even though they haven’t changed the Discordant uniform design at all,” Rarity reasoned. “Still, you look wonderful in uniform, or even uniform-inspired clothing.”
For her part, Rarity picked a dress done up in sky blue to match Emberglow’s own outfit. Emberglow loved the look of it, but she also realized she would probably love any sort of outfit, so long as Rarity was wearing it.
“Lightning did request that you wear your Element, too, darling,” Rarity said, as she buckled the torc around Emberglow’s neck. “You don’t need to hide what you are anymore.” It was true in more ways than one, and Emberglow actually smiled as she looked down at the gem on her chest.
They decided to take breakfast in Rarity’s suite; according to the kitchen staff who brought them food, Topaz and Lofty were indeed still celebrating their engagement, with True left in the care of the Princess. Terminus and Heartwing were sleeping in, so that left Emberglow and Rarity to eat a quiet meal as a couple, before Lightning Bug arrived to brief them on the upcoming press conference. The three mares sat in Rarity’s sitting room, idly finishing up their morning coffee while they spoke.
“There’s not much that’s off topic right now,” Lightning Bug said. “Neither one of you have been briefed on any war plans yet, so don’t worry about saying something you shouldn’t. We want the whole world to know the Elements are being found, that the united Bearers are going to set things right.”
“But what about the poison meant for Princess Flurry? Surely we want to be discreet about that,” Rarity asked.
Lightning shook her head. “I suggested as much to Princess Flurry. But she wants to project strength and resilience, and pretending the attack didn’t happen will be counterproductive. If you’re asked about the poison, though, I’d refer reporters to the official medical report that Heartthrob put out.”
“There was one other thing, darling,” Rarity said. “Emberglow would like to see Turquoise. Perhaps after the press conference?”
Lightning stiffened. “Um. Yes, I guess. Do you have to?”
“She was my friend. I have to understand why.”
“Of course you do.” Lightning sighed. “It can’t hurt anything, really. But maybe you shouldn’t bring up your connection to the assassin at the press conference, hm? I’d rather not complicate things too much. I’ll see what I can arrange.” She paused. “Princess Flurry did want to meet with you all after lunch, so we may have to push it further into the evening, if that’s okay.”
“We’re not getting in the way of your afternoon schedule, are we?” Rarity asked, and Lightning shook her head.
“Your schedule’s pretty clear because Emberglow’s still recovering. You’re fine, I’ll set it up. Oh, that reminds me. Doctor Heartthrob asked me to give you this.”
It was an envelope with instructions for physical therapy, as well as a new eyepatch that Emberglow was supposed to wear over her good eye, for at least two hours a day if possible. There were also wing exercises she was supposed to do, to stimulate the regeneration of her thaumic nerves. She skimmed the instructions briefly, before looking at the eyepatch and noticing Rarity’s lips purse with distaste.
“Something wrong?”
“It’s just so… bland and practical,” Rarity replied, eyeing the black eyepatch. “I suppose it will do for now, but I’ll see what I can do to spice it up a bit.”
“Some of the pirates I ran with used to paint scary eyes on their eyepatches,” Lightning said, her eyes distant. Rarity snorted, staring at her in horror. “What? It was just for fun.”
“Right. I can assure you we will not be painting on any scary eyes,” Rarity said firmly.
“If you insist,” Lightning laughed. Her cheer felt a little strained, but Emberglow still felt heartened that Lightning was doing her best to be friendly. “C’mon, I’ll show you to the venue.”
There were two uniformed guards outside Rarity’s room, both wearing the blue-and-purple armor of the Empire guard and carrying spears, though they looked like they’d never seen combat. However, each one bore an additional decoration: the frill on their helmets seemed brand new, dark violet on one side and red on the other.
“Lady Rarity! Lady Emberglow!” The guards saluted. “Good morning!”
“Emberglow, this is Iron Shod and Crossguard, two of the ponies who have volunteered to be a part of our guard. In lieu of either of our personal livery, though, which we haven’t exactly designed yet, I thought you’d appreciate the minor cosmetic adjustment we made.”
Personal guards. Wearing her colors. Emberglow wasn’t sure about that, but there was something nice about having her mane color joined with Rarity’s on her own guards.
“Nice to meet you both.” She cursed herself for how awkward it sounded. “Um, sorry, I’m not used to having guards.”
“Nothing to worry about, Lady Emberglow,” The crystal pony guard with steel-grey fur and a white mane said. Emberglow assumed this one was Iron Shod. “We’ll do our best to be as unobtrusive as possible. But Lady Rarity and Princess Flurry both take your safety very seriously.”
“You should know, we volunteered because of you,” the other said. She was a crystal pony as well, and her white coat had the sort of metallic shimmer that only the crystal ponies could seem to manage. “I’m sure it’s overwhelming, having other ponies see you as a hero like this. But it doesn’t change what you did. All us who volunteered are grateful.”
“Let us know if there’s anything we can do to make this easier for you, though,” Iron Shod chimed in. “I know you’re new up north, so along with Miss Lightning Bug, any of your guards are happy to fill you in on anything you need to know about the Empire.”
“That…” Emberglow was starting to feel anxious. “That would be helpful, yes.”
“Of course, Lady Emberglow. We’re here to serve, so let us know if there’s anything else we can do to make all this easier on you.”
“She will be going to see the assassin, later,” Lightning abruptly said. Both guards very suddenly adopted a professional stoniness. “I’d feel better if she were accompanied by some guards.”
“As would I,” Rarity chimed in. Both guards nodded.
“We’ll make sure you have an escort, Lady Emberglow,” Crossguard said.
“Meanwhile,” Lightning interjected. “We should get going. It’s nearly time.”
Emberglow decided to wear the eyepatch on the way to the conference, which meant leaning on Rarity the entire trip to the conference room. This was done for purely therapeutic reasons, the two mares reassured each other while giggling. It was certainly effective at distracting Emberglow from her anxiety about being surrounded by guards. Emberglow could barely see more than colorful blurs, but Rarity’s constant presence at her side took away any of the nervousness of essentially walking around blind.
It all came back, though, when Emberglow heard the sheer volume of the crowd awaiting them. Suddenly she was no longer content to merely accept the dizzying, colorful blur in front of her; she reached up and pulled off the blindfold to take in the entire crowd. Iron Shod and Crossguard formed a gentle sort of wall in front of them, though the crowd seemed content with just making noise rather than pressing against them.
The stage and microphones were being set up at the head of a wide conference hall, complete with several chairs set up for the various reporters. While it wasn’t as full as in her darkest imaginings, there were still several dozen creatures out there waiting for her arrival.
There was a table with three small microphones at the front, as well as cups of water. The guards took up position on either side of the table, while Emberglow, Rarity, and Lightning Bug found their seats. Rarity took the center spot.
Lightning waited a few moments before leaning forward to the microphone. “Hello? Hello, every creature. For those of you who don’t know, my name is Lightning Bug, personal student of Princess Flurry Heart. She has asked me to hold this press conference. Marchionesses Rarity and Emberglow have graciously agreed to answer your questions about the regrettable attempt on the lives of our Princess and Empress.
“Now, all of you should have been provided with our press packet. As much as possible, please refrain from asking these ladies questions covered in your packets. Lady Emberglow is still recovering from her injuries and still requires medical care, so our time is limited today to allow her a chance to rest. Also, they’re both new to our country, so please introduce yourself and tell us where you’re from when you’re asking questions, okay?”
Emberglow couldn’t help but be a little impressed. Lightning Bug was younger than her; still a child, practically. But she was speaking with confidence, and the members of the press that sat in front of them were listening intently and nodding at her words. Perhaps part of it was because of whose student she was, but Emberglow thought it had more to do with the way Lightning carried herself. She was reminded of what Rarity had said before they’d left their room. She took a breath, sat up in her seat, and tried her best to emulate the younger pony as the first reporter stood up to ask a question.
“Igor is Igor, Yakyakistan Register. Igor would like to know how Lady Emberglow’s recovery is progressing. Perhaps Lady Emberglow would elaborate on the patch she was wearing when she came into the room?”
“U-uh, sure,” Emberglow stammered, glancing at Rarity, who smiled encouragingly. “I’m feeling well, thank you for asking. I was in a coma for several days, and I only woke up recently. The poison in the blade was designed to overload the thaumic nerve clusters of a pony…” Emberglow trailed off, unsure whether or not anypony would be interested in the medical science behind what had happened.
“The specifics of the poison, and how it works, is in your press packets,” Lightning said helpfully.
“Oh. Um. Well, since it wasn’t designed to hurt me, specifically, there were some unintended side effects. I was still nearly killed, but the poison had some odd effects on an old injury.” She pointed to the scarring around her eye. “I lost the use of my eye several months ago during a battle with Diarchy Knights. The poison has, surprisingly enough, caused my eye to heal itself somewhat. Doctor Heartthrob doesn’t think I’ll regain full vision, but I’m doing some physical therapy to get back as much as I can.”
Another reporter stood up. “Headline Ink, Capital Central Press. We’ve all heard the story about how the marchionesses saved our Empress and our Princess. But we know very little about Lady Rarity besides the old legends, and even less about Lady Emberglow. Would either of you mind filling us in on how you came to our empire?”
“That’s…” Emberglow paused. “Um, that’s a long story. The short version is, I was a loyal Diarchy Knight until fairly recently. Heartwing, the grand master of the Discordant, helped me see that I’d been lied to, and along the way we discovered Rarity trapped behind a stasis spell that had kept her in a state of suspended animation. Since then, we have been looking for the Elements of Harmony and their bearers.”
The next was a female changeling, with a colorful pink and sky-blue carapace. “Tarsomere, Empire Public Radio. Lady Emberglow, Lady Rarity. Can you fill us in on what role the Elements of Harmony will be playing in the upcoming conflict?”
Emberglow and Rarity exchanged a look, and finally Rarity answered. “The fact of the matter is, they don’t know yet. When we were in the cave where I’d been sleeping in stasis, we made contact with the spirit of the Tree of Harmony, who asked us to restore harmony to all of Equestria. The Elements are a key part of that quest, but we don’t know how it ends yet.”
The next several questions were along the same vein, and Emberglow was impressed at how gracefully Rarity was able to say ‘I don’t know’. Between her social acumen, and Lightning’s timely interruptions when things got awkward, the press conference went much better than she’d feared. Some of the questions were even a pleasure to answer, such as the gossip columnist who wanted to know all about the rumors that Emberglow and Rarity had been seen kissing and cuddling in public. It all went smoothly, at least until the end.
“Moss Agate, Crystal Communicator. Miss Emberglow, please forgive me if this is a painful subject. But you’ve told us you used to serve the Diarchy. Did you know the ambassador before she tried to assassinate the princess?”
A spasm of panic seized her chest, and she darted a glance at Lightning. Lightning had said they weren’t going to bring it up, but they hadn’t mentioned what to say if somepony asked it on their own. Lightning smiled gently, and Rarity reached over to pat her with one hoof. She steadied herself and tried to keep her voice even. There was no chance of downplaying things now, after her reaction.
Who do you care about? Maybe you’re just embarrassed to have your own dirty laundry aired in front of all of these strangers.
“I did know her, actually,” Emberglow said. There was a sort of charged-lightning tension that zapped over the crowd of reporters; the buzz of activity silenced until she was very uncomfortably aware, once again, of dozens of eyes on her. She pushed forward. “She… we were actually very close. She was my mentor, when I was a squire. We hated each other at first. She thought I was a burden, and I thought she was a tyrant.” This wasn’t exactly what the reporter had asked, but once Emberglow started talking she found it hard to stop. “It didn’t take long for us to realize we had a great deal to learn from each other. I even helped her in her life’s work: opening diplomatic relations with your own Empire.
“She was there on my very first mission — chasing pirates in the ocean between the Diarchy and Zebrica.” Emberglow very deliberately didn’t look at Lightning; in fact, she kept her eyes down, locked on the table and the microphone in front of her. “We were teacher and student, and then we were comrades-in-arms. We fought side by side, and grew even closer. When our assignments took us in different directions, we tried to keep in touch by letter.
“I lost track of her when I switched sides, of course.” Emberglow didn’t know when she’d started crying. “She had no idea I had… that I was…” She gave a shuddering breath. “She didn’t know. I think… I think the grief might have…”
“I’m sorry, I think we might need to stop here,” Lightning cut in. “Emberglow is still recovering, of course. If there are any other questions, feel free to get in touch with me via letter. I’d be happy to pass them on to the marchionesses.”
So fragile. So broken. So useless.
The relief of Lightning ending the conference early was almost washed away entirely by the wave of guilt.
* * * * *
“Do you know much about how the prisoner has been treated?” Emberglow asked carefully. Both Rarity and Lightning had reacted with concern when Emberglow had asked to go see Turquoise, but neither seemed to want to talk about it.
“I know she’s been treated fairly, Lady Emberglow.” Crossguard walked just ahead of her, guiding her through the crystal hallways. “The Empire doesn’t torture prisoners.” There was a hint of pride in the crystal pony’s voice as she said so.
“I wouldn’t wish that on anypony,” Emberglow whispered, and Crossguard paused long enough to look at her. Emberglow saw the pity in her eyes, and it stung.
Broken. Useless. The scars heal, but the fear stays forever.
“I-if you don’t mind, I would like to hear more about the criminal justice system here,” Emberglow said. It was true she was interested in learning more about the differences, but she’d asked mostly to fill the silence, to distract herself. “What are your prisons like?”
“Our justice system focuses more on rehabilitation than retribution,” Crossguard began. “Prison terms are usually temporary until the criminal can go before a judge. There are sentences for violent offenders, but it’s rare. Your… the former ambassador is being held in the palace cells. I don’t know how long she’ll be there.” She sounded grim.
“I’m sorry,” Emberglow whispered, and Crossguard stopped again, a look of confusion on her face. “Um. She was my friend. I probably shouldn’t be worried about her, she almost killed your princess.”
Crossguard gave a little laugh. “Sorry, Lady Emberglow? Why? It’s not your fault she did what she did. And you were the one who stopped her.”
“So nopony…” Emberglow began, then trailed off.
“Blames you?” Crossguard guessed. Emberglow flinched, and the guard reached out for a moment with one hoof, before pulling it back. “Um, Lady Emberglow? Permission to speak candidly?”
“Sure.”
“My lady, you can’t be blaming yourself for this, can you?” Crossguard scoffed. “It’s silly, if you ask me. She made her choices, you made yours.”
“One thing you should know, if you end up working with me for a while,” Emberglow said sardonically. “Guilt isn’t always rational. Sometimes it makes no sense. That doesn’t change how it feels.”
“Oh.” Crossguard seemed to struggle to process this for a few moments. “Um. Permission to hug, then?”
“Sure,” Emberglow said with a laugh, and the guard leaned over to give her a quick hug.
“We haven’t known you for long, ma’am, but we all already care about you and Lady Rarity. I can’t imagine what sorts of things you had to go through to get here, but anything we can do to make it easier, just let us know.”
“I will.” Emberglow paused. “Um. Thanks for coming with me. It can’t be comfortable for any of you. Seeing her.”
“It’s not,” Crossguard admitted. “But we’re here for you. I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me.”
The cells were in the guard barracks, a wing of the palace Emberglow hadn’t been to yet. The walls were the same purple crystals that made up the rest of the palace, but the decorations were more martial. Several other guards moved through the hallways, either on their way to or from shifts. While most were ponies, all the races of the Empire were represented. Each of the guards nodded or bowed to Emberglow as she passed.
Emberglow tried not to notice the attention by focusing on the decorations. There were several paintings of the same unicorn: a white stallion with a mane in three different shades of blue.
“Who was he?” Emberglow asked, pointing to a particular painting of the stallion wearing armor very similar to the guards’. He was posing heroically, his horn ablaze, firing off some sort of beam at an unseen foe.
“What? Oh! I guess you wouldn’t hear much about Shining Armor down south, huh?” Crossguard paused. “We learn about him in elementary school. He’s the princess’ father. The Empress’ husband. You guys do know about Twilight Sparkle, right? Shining Armor was her brother.”
“What… what was he like?”
“History says he was a hero, but there’s more to it than that,” Crossguard said. “The stories say he was a patron of the arts. Enjoyed fairy tales and foal’s stories. Liked to play games with the younger ponies and other creatures.” She walked up to the painting, resting a hoof on the wall underneath. “He’s a symbol of balance for us soldiers, you know? Between our duties and our normal lives. If that makes sense.”
“I…” It wasn’t what Emberglow was used to, at least. Knights were taught to be apart from normal life. Only the Discordant had been different.
“C’mon, lemme show you,” Crossguard said, trotting further down the hallway until they found another painting. “Here.”
The next picture was a photograph, blown up and framed on the wall like the various portraits. It was the same stallion, though not in armor. This time he sat at a table, alongside a large red earth pony and the same small dragon whose statue sat outside the palace. Saint Rainbow and Saint Pinkamina were there as well, and all five were sitting around a table, playing some sort of board game with dice and miniature figurines.
“We’re supposed to remember that we’re normal ponies, and not just obedient drones,” Crossguard said, as Emberglow looked at the photograph. “Even heroes are normal ponies, and they need all the same things normal ponies need. Like support, friendship, love, fun.” Crossguard wasn’t being subtle; she was eyeing Emberglow as she spoke.
“Thanks,” Emberglow said. “I think I get it.” Crossguard nodded solemnly.
At the end of the barracks they came to a hallway blocked by an iron gate. Two guards, a diamond dog and a pastel blue and yellow changeling, sat at a table near the gate. They perked up as Crossguard and Emberglow approached.
“Marchioness Emberglow wishes to speak with the prisoner,” Crossguard said formally.
“We received a note, yes,” the dog said, standing up. “Have you been briefed on the security procedures?”
Emberglow shook her head.
“Okay. So I’m going to have to search you before you can go in. You can take your guard, but neither of you can have any weapons or anything like that. I’m going to lock the door behind you, and you won’t gain access directly to the prisoner. She’s behind another locked gate inside. You’ll be able to talk to her and touch her through the bars, but I don’t recommend it. Do not give anything to the prisoner unless it has been approved by us. Anything you take from the prisoner, such as written letters, will also have to pass through us. Any questions?”
“How is she?” Emberglow asked.
The dog blinked with confusion. “Healing from her injuries during the attack.” His voice was cold and stiff. “In comfort. Selflessly provided by the very goddess she tried to murder.” The changeling guard cleared her throat, and the dog growled. “Whatever. Anyways, we’ll be just on the other side of this door. We won’t listen in, but we’ll be in view, and we will be able to hear if you shout for help.”
“Thank you both,” Emberglow said. “I’ll call if I need anything.”
“I’m going to search you both now, okay?” the changeling said. “Lieutenant Crossguard, I’ll ask you to surrender any weapons here.”
“Of course,” Crossguard said, placing her spear down on the table before reaching into the boot of her armor, pulling out a long knife from a hidden sheath there. The changeling smiled, before moving in to pat both of them down with her hooves.
“They’ve got nothing else,” she said, with a nod to Emberglow. “And, uh, Lady Emberglow? Thanks.”
Emberglow didn’t need to ask why the changeling was thanking her. She could see it written all over the guard’s bright and eager eyes.
The diamond dog huffed and walked over to the gate, extracting a set of keys from his uniform and jingling them into the lock. For some reason, Emberglow expected a rusty whine as the gate swung open, but it was silent, well oiled.
“The cells are empty except for the assassin’s,” he said.
“What about the other prisoners?” Crossguard asked.
“The former ambassador is the only one currently incarcerated here,” the changeling said. “The other traitorous members of the embassy are being held at another location.” She fell silent after that, casting a significant glance down the hallway.
“Makes sense,” Emberglow said. Of course the conspirators would be separated.
“It’s not like she could do anything even if she were in touch with her flunkies,” the dog said. When Emberglow looked at him quizzically, he shrugged. “Well, have fun, I suppose. Just let us know when you want out. I’ll be locking the gate behind you.”
“Thank you,” Emberglow said. She and Crossguard stepped through the gate to the long hallway, and the diamond dog closed it securely behind them. Emberglow turned to look down the hallway, towards the rows of cells.
It didn’t look much different than the rest of the palace. Emberglow shouldn’t have been surprised; it made sense to her that the crystal ponies dealt with their prisoners differently. After all, she hadn’t expected some dark dungeon with crumbling stone and torture devices and such. However, it was still a little shocking to see the same purple carpeting, the same bright lighting, and the same crystalline décor.
The cells only had walls on three sides; the fourth was a series of vertical and horizontal bars, complete with a solid metal door. Every single cell was well furnished, with a comfortable looking bed, a writing desk, and even a table for meals.
It was certainly a far cry from a set of shackles in a dark tent. Emberglow shuddered at the sudden surge of bitterness.
As expected, only one of the cells was occupied. Emberglow’s heart ached to see the familiar figure of her friend, her mentor, her once-sister in Knighthood. She’d expected bandages or glaring wounds, but she could only see a few stitches here or there. What she didn’t expect, however, was the wheelchair attached to Turquoise’s hind hooves.
Turquoise had her back to them, though her ears perked at their hoofsteps.
“I’ve told you before. You’re wasting your time. I won’t answer any questions.”
“I’m not here to ask questions, Turquoise,” Emberglow said softly.
With a gasp, Turquoise’s head jerked around. Her face was a roil of emotions, fury and heartbreak, longing and despair. Clumsily, she reached out with one hoof to spin the wheel on her chair, rotating the entire contraption so she could face Emberglow and Crossguard. She stared for a few moments, her expression spinning between a dozen emotions before finally landing on bitter anger.
“It’s you. Come to see your slut’s handiwork first hoof?”
Emberglow stared and waited. Waited for the guilt to overwhelm her, for the memories to drown her.
For the voices to come, to accuse, to damn, to condemn.
But there was nothing.
“I didn’t know you were injured,” Emberglow said. It felt limp and numb.
“Oh? Did you blink when your marefriend tossed me into a wall?” Turquoise shrieked. It was a far cry from the simmering cold fury of a temper that Emberglow was used to during her squiring.
“I don’t know, Turquoise. That part’s a bit of a blur.” Emberglow finally felt something. “Perhaps it was the confusion of the fight. Or maybe it was from the poison my friend stabbed me with!”
Turquoise shrank back, her gaze drifting to the floor. “That… that wasn’t meant for you.”
Both mares felt silent. Turquoise wouldn’t meet Emberglow’s eyes, and Emberglow wouldn’t drop hers. For an eternity, the only sound was the mares’ breathing.
“Why did you come, Emberglow?” Turquoise finally began. She turned her chair so that her body was in profile, her head turned away towards the back wall. She sounded defeated. “Why did you come, really?”
“Is it so hard to believe I wanted to check on you? See how you were doing?” Emberglow gulped. “I wanted to make sure they were treating you well.”
“Imprisoned. Confined to a wheelchair. For the rest of my life, if the doctor who looked me over is right.”
“Maybe you should thank Saint Pinkamina that they’ve treated you so well,” Emberglow said, her resentment simmering. “If the tables were turned, you wouldn’t have all this luxury.”
“Luxury?” Turquoise spat. “And how dare you invoke her name, heretic. What makes you think…”
“I was tortured, Turquoise,” Emberglow interrupted. “By Steadfast. For asking questions. The wrong questions. And he had no answers to give me. Only pain.”
“Tortured?” The horror in her voice was genuine, and a small part of Emberglow was glad to see that even a small piece of Turquoise’s affection for her remained. At least enough to feel bad that she’d been hurt.
“You never met Steadfast’s pet attack dog. A Mystic named Brightblade.” Emberglow could see the twisted mix of curiosity and disgust on Turquoise’s face. “He was quite good with a club. He liked knives sometimes, too. And I have some scars to show for it.” She pointed to her damaged eye. “I got this one escaping his hooves. Rarity helped me escape. I’d be dead if not for her. Either beaten to death by Brightblade, or twisting on a rope.”
“Because you betrayed the faith!” Turquoise snarled, but Emberglow was already violently shaking her head.
“No! I had decided nothing, betrayed nothing yet. It wasn’t until after Brightblade that the Discordant took me in. They showed me love, and kindness, and acceptance. They accept all of me, Turquoise. Not like the Diarchy, or the other Orders.”
There was another silence. This one dragged. Emberglow spared a glance at her bodyguard; Crossguard was nearly invisible in her stoic silence, her eyes forward. For a single second, she met Emberglow’s eye, and her professional mien softened with compassion before she once again returned to her ‘guard look’.
“How…” Turquoise began, then shook her head. “Nevermind. You have what you need, Emberglow. You’ve stared at the cripple. You can scurry back to your unicorn sl…”
“No. You’re better than that, Turquoise. I’m not going to listen to you slander Rarity.”
“How can you believe that?” Turquoise gaped at her. “It’s clearly a lie. A trick. Something the Discordant cooked up to entrap you. Lady Rarity was an earth pony, Emberglow. And she’s been dead for a thousand years.”
“I investigated her myself, Turquoise. I am convinced that the Rarity you have met is truly the same pony that walked with Saint Twilight. You should hear her stories about the others, as well. Did you know that Pinkamina preferred her nickname, Pinkie?”
Turquoise stared, openmouthed, and Emberglow had to hold back a small laugh.
“It turns out the real stories are even richer and more interesting than the ones we were told as children,” Emberglow continued. Turquoise jerked her jaw closed and turned away.
“How… how did it happen?” she whispered finally.
It was on the tip of Emberglow’s tongue to tell her the whole story. To talk about Manehatten, the cave. The tense month hiding in Lofty’s manor. The desperate hope that sparked in her chest when she found Steadfast, the naive surety that he would somehow have answers to make this all make sense.
But instead, there was only one thing she could say.
“Would you believe me if I told you?” Emberglow asked. Turquoise huffed. Emberglow decided to push, and the next words felt natural. “If it was all a lie, if it was all made up, would you even want to believe me? Would you want to know?”
It was the same thing Heartwing had asked her in the cave. Emberglow had said yes. It was the only answer an honest pony could make. The truth should stand up to scrutiny.
Turquoise merely shook her head, her lips twisted with disgust, her eyes closed. Everything about her was closed. She sat back in her wheelchair and folded her forehooves in front of her, and a part of Emberglow broke.
“Okay. Okay, Turquoise.” She wiped at her eye with one hoof. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to hear it.”
“Your parents don’t know, do they?” Turquoise shot out bitterly. “Do you want to talk about that?”
“You said as much,” Emberglow felt a dull hurt in her chest. It wasn’t as bad as she’d expected. “You said you wrote them. Thank you for that.”
“Why do you even care?” Turquoise snorted. “You abandoned them just like you abandoned all of your friends when you betrayed us all.”
It was just like before, when she’d run into Turquoise in the hallway. But it didn’t sting like it did the last time. There was the dull ache, of course. But it felt distant. Like it was locked in a cell, behind bars, sealed away. “I don’t know if you’d understand.” The hurt may be distant, but Emberglow felt so tired. Like a part of her didn’t even want to try to explain it to Turquoise.
She’d tried not to think about her parents, though all of this. But now she wondered what that conversation would be like. Perhaps this was like a small preview, a hint of how things would go when she finally stood before them and tried to explain why she had done the things she had.
Fortunately, Turquoise broke the silence, interrupting Emberglow’s dark introspection.
“Why did you come, Emberglow?” It was the same thing Turquoise had asked earlier. “If you think you’re going to catch me up in whatever sick game the Discordant have trapped you in, you’re an idiot.” She gave a cruel laugh. “You’re here to recruit for him, is that it?”
“No,” Emberglow said. “You’ve burned that bridge, Turquoise.” Turquoise’s face scrunched up tightly, tears leaking out her clenched eyes. “I don’t think the crystal ponies will be letting you out any time soon.”
“You might be surprised,” Crossguard cut in, and Turquoise jerked her tearstained eyes open in surprise. “We’re not interested in punishing crime, or vengeance. It’s not our way. We seek only reformation, balance, and healing. I don’t know what it would take for an oath breaker and assassin to be reformed, but there is always a path.”
“Oath breaker?” Turquoise hissed.
“You were supposed to be an ambassador, Turquoise,” Emberglow said. “An agent of peace. You came here under the promise that you would be bringing diplomacy, and the teachings of the Saints.” Turquoise stared at her, eyes wide with horror. “You should have been the best example of what the Diarchy represents to these ponies. That’s what you wanted. That’s what we worked for, together. It was your dream. Your destiny, right? And you tossed it away. For what?”
“I didn’t want to,” Turquoise whispered. Tears were flowing from her eyes. “I never wanted to.”
“But you did anyway,” Emberglow pressed. “You gave up your destiny. For what?”
“Because you…” Turquoise made a strangled sort of noise. “Because I didn’t have a choice! Because Steadfast…” Her eyes shot wide, and she snapped her jaws shut.
It wasn’t a big surprise, but it still stung. Of course Steadfast was behind all of this. It was his influence that had helped Turquoise get the traction she needed in order to open her embassy in the first place.
“You let Steadfast crush your dream, Turquoise. When did his agenda become more important than your own? Than the will of the Saints?”
But it was over. Turquoise spun her wheelchair, turning her back on them, and buried her head in her forehooves. She was sobbing, Emberglow saw.
She waited several minutes while her old friend shook and cried, but there was no more to the conversation forthcoming.
“I’ll visit again, if you don’t mind. You are my friend, Turquoise, no matter what else happened. I care about you.” She sighed. “I’m going to try to get permission to come back with a gauntlet. I’d like to give a second opinion on your injury. Maybe there’s something more that can be done.”
“What’s the point?” Turquoise muttered.
Emberglow partially agreed with her, but she still wanted to try. With one last glance towards Turquoise, she turned to leave. Crossguard followed behind in her wake.
The two of them approached the gate and Crossguard knocked. The diamond dog looked through, carefully checking to make sure the prisoner was still safe in her cell before opening it.
“I hope you got what you needed,” he said. It was oddly less hostile than he had been before, and Emberglow gave him a small shrug.
“I don’t know. She used to be my friend. I hope she still could be.”
“A little weird for a hero like you to be friends with an assassin like that.”
“She wasn’t always that way,” Emberglow said. “I think she picked up some bad influences since the last time we spoke.”
“Huh,” the diamond dog shrugged. “So you’ll be back?”
“I hope so,” Emberglow said. “I don’t know, though.”
Crossguard and Emberglow were silent as they once again walked down the hall, through the barracks and away from the cells. Around the corner from the guard station, though, a rather pleasant sight was waiting for them: Rarity and Iron Shod.
Iron Shod was, of course, the picture of military professionalism. Rarity, on the other hoof, was in the middle of nervously pacing, her back to Emberglow as they came around the corner. When Rarity turned, though, her eyes lit up and she moved over to give her a hug.
Emberglow hadn’t even realized she was shaking until Rarity held her tight.
“I know you had to talk to her by yourself, darling, but I simply couldn’t let things be without being as close as possible to support you.” Rarity held her out at hoof’s length. “Um. How did it go?”
“Did you know she was paralyzed?” Emberglow asked, and Rarity flinched.
“I… I did. I am sorry. I know she was your friend, and I was the one who—”
“Don’t,” Emberglow breathed, leaning forward to kiss her. “Don’t you feel guilty about this. You were defending me. You were defending the Princess, and the Empress. She made her choices. Her injuries are her fault, and Steadfast’s. Not yours.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but that doesn’t change how it feels,” Rarity said, and Emberglow squeezed her tight. It was a feeling she knew well.
“Topaz said something about this,” Emberglow said, with a small laugh. “How every single one of us is a bit of a mess, guilt-wise. She suggested we start some group therapy sessions.”
“I should be proud to attend with such company,” Rarity said. “But darling, I can feel the tension in your muscles. This was hard on you, wasn’t it?”
To be honest, Emberglow didn’t know how she felt. She’d expected it to be harder. But at the same time, she felt a hole of incompleteness. The entire situation felt unresolved, and it bothered her.
“Iron Shod, Crossguard. What’s the most relaxing place in the palace? Someplace really quiet,” Rarity said. Crossguard hummed, tapping her lips with one hoof thoughtfully.
“The Princess’ Garden,” Iron Shod said, and Crossguard nodded eagerly. “It’s named for Princess Flurry, but it’s open to the public. It’s indoors, and heated by unicorn magic, so plants can grow there. The Princess imports plants from all over, from Zebrica, even from the kirin lands over the mountains. She’s even got some from down south, from what I understand. We’ll show you the way, if you like.”
“There’s even a hot spring, though it’s artificial, created by magic, not geothermal stuff,” Crossguard added.
“Lead the way, then. Emberglow needs some unwinding time.” Rarity leaned in, speaking more softly. “You don’t have to talk about what happened, but I’m here if you choose to.”
The silence as Rarity and Emberglow followed their guards was long, but it wasn’t uncomfortable like those with Turquoise. Every few seconds Rarity’s tail floated over, tickling and brushing against her. Emberglow tried her best to reciprocate, so much so that Emberglow began to worry their nonverbal flirting might be annoying their guards. When she voiced as much, Iron Shod shook his head and Crossguard laughed.
“Nah. You two are adorable. Um. Sorry. If I can say so, my ladies.” Crossguard suddenly looked nervous about her possible breach of etiquette.
“You are certainly allowed to say so, dear,” Rarity said.
“You remind me of me and my wife,” Iron Shod said. “Maybe fifteen years ago. Makes a middle-aged pony feel a lot younger to watch you two.”
“Well, I’m certainly glad we can brighten your day with our antics,” Rarity said cheerfully.
While the indoor garden certainly sounded relaxing to Emberglow, it was the walk through the palace, next to her love, that truly began to leech the stress from her mind and her body. There was something about simply being in Rarity’s presence that calmed her.
They followed their guards through the palace, and Emberglow noticed that there was an urgency to the others she saw. There were more creatures about in guard uniform; an unpleasant reminder that war was on the horizon, and with it a return to her home.
To her parents.
For a single, strange second, she wondered what sort of sign her parents would put up in their shop for this. It was a nonsense sort of thought, and caused a pang of longing to roll through her.
The rest of the trip was quiet, as Emberglow became stuck in her own thoughts. Rarity seemed to have noticed, because she made sure to brush up against her side as they walked together. Finally, the guards announced their arrival.
The garden’s entrance was a huge double-door made out of transparent crystal. Inside, Emberglow could see the blurry outlines of a hundred different colors.
“There’s a foyer, with a small space to wash up when you enter or leave. It also keeps the warm air inside,” Crossguard explained. She reached for the handle and pulled the door open for them, and Emberglow was hit with a wash of warm, humid air from inside. They stepped through the door into a small chamber, with a second set of crystal doors ahead of them. “We close this door, then the inside one opens and we can go inside.”
Inside the foyer the air was humid. They closed the door behind them, and opened the inner door to a rush of warm air. Emberglow thought she could see the hints of steam in the air as she stepped inside, mouth agape. Everything was so green.
Thousands of plants and flowers surrounded a meandering path of stepping stones into a thick garden inside. Flowering bushes, drooping willow trees, reeds and grasses and mosses of all kinds filled the room with brightness. Emberglow breathed in the scent of a thousand flowers at once, and couldn’t help the smile that split her muzzle. There was a gentle breeze, and it brought with it a whisper of a hundred thousand rustling leaves.
Every color in the spectrum was represented, with a dizzying array of shapes and hues in the flowers that surrounded them. Emberglow found her hooves moving before she made a conscious decision, drawn deeper into the color and scent around her. Rarity followed.
“I can see why Flurry built this,” Rarity said, her voice soft. “I mean, I love a winter palette as much as the next fashionista, but one can truly get tired of nothing but whites all the time.”
“It takes up almost the entire floor,” Crossguard noted. “I’m surprised nopony else has shown you this yet.”
“We’ve been a little busy,” Rarity noted dryly.
“Of course. Follow me, I’ll show you to the actual hot spring. It is open for bathing, if you’re interested.”
“A public bath in the middle of a fantastic, impossible flower garden.” Rarity seemed rather charmed by the idea, but something in Emberglow seized up.
She still hadn’t managed to go outside her rooms without something on, after all.
Still, it was worth it just to follow her new guards through the garden. The steam in the air grew thicker, and the air grew warmer. Soon the greenery parted to reveal a large collection of pools, scattered with rocks, fed by several small burbling waterfalls. The rocks ranged from small boulders to larger than a pony, creating an uneven, natural looking pool area that twisted and flowed around the landscaping.
Iron Shod cleared his throat gently. “If you move around this large rock here—” he pointed, “—there is a small pool in a very quiet spot, hidden from view. If I needed a place to relax, that’s where I’d pick. Crossguard and I will stay within earshot.” Emberglow heard the subtext: within earshot, but out of sight.
“How many girlfriends did you bring back to this private pool of yours, Iron?” Crossguard teased. Iron Shod merely gave a small mysterious sort of smile in response.
“We should at least go look,” Rarity offered. Her eyes were concerned. Emberglow realized she had tensed up again. “At the very least, you can relax with me by the pool while I try the water, if you’re not comfortable.”
That was a decent middle ground. She trotted with Rarity to the large rock Iron Shod had indicated, and they found a narrow path, made of arranged stepping stones, leading up to a pool hidden behind one of the larger rock formations. It even had a tiny waterfall of its own, splashing down into the pool with a cheerful sound.
Iron Shod was right; it was private. A veritable wall of foliage blocked off the right of the pool, and the left was a rock face with the waterfall. The only way to see the pool was the small path they’d just climbed.
“I-I think I might j-join you,” Emberglow stammered.
Rarity’s eyes sparkled, but her voice was even and controlled. “I would very much like that.” It was a blatant understatement; Rarity was practically tapping her hooves in excitement. She looked down the path. “Iron Shod? Would you mind terribly flagging down a servant to bring us a pair of towels? I would be ever so grateful. We might need them in a while.”
“Yes, Lady Rarity,” he called back up the path.
Rarity was already focused on Emberglow, eyes bright and excited. “You need this, darling. You deserve this. You’ve been through so much, and today had to have been so hard for you.”
“I suppose so,” Emberglow said. It hadn’t seemed difficult. Just something she had to get done, for the sake of closure. Only there hadn’t been any resolution, any real finality to it.
If Emberglow was being honest with herself, she wasn’t sure how she felt about her conversation with Turquoise. It made her miss her parents, for sure. But it had felt somehow easier than it should have? Mostly she was just left feeling numb and confused.
“And you charged right into the difficult situation,” Rarity continued, seemingly oblivious to Emberglow’s confused inner monologue. “You have the heart of a lion, you know?” Her horn glowed, and she began to undo the buttons on her dress.
“And you don’t?” Emberglow whispered, embarrassed at the attention. “Rarity, you’re just as brave as I am.”
“We shall have to agree to disagree, darling.” Rarity finished undoing her dress, slipping it off carefully before floating it over to one of the nearby rocks so she could fold it with her magic. Emberglow noticed she was careful to never let it touch the dirt. “Would you like to talk about what happened?”
“M-maybe.” Emberglow began awkwardly undoing her own buttons. Her heart was pounding. She was in public. In public, and she was about to get naked. Sure, nopony was around. Nopony would see. But she’d know she was in public, naked and in public, not wearing any…
With a huff of frustration, Emberglow silenced her obsessive thoughts and pulled her clothing the rest of the way off, before she could second guess herself any longer.
“You don’t have to force yourself, darling,” Rarity whispered. It was the kind of voice that made Emberglow want to get closer, so she could hear it better. So she did, moving right next to Rarity as the two of them stepped into the hot spring together.
“I’m fine!” It came out as a gasp when Emberglow’s hoof touched the water; it was just shy of too hot, and the warmth made the air seem suddenly chilly. She wanted to sink in up to her neck.
“Oh, this is divine,” Rarity cooed, as the two of them slipped into the water. The pool was deep enough that they could immerse themselves, though stones had been arranged along the side to provide a shallow seating area. “I’m really quite upset that we didn’t find this place sooner.”
“You said it yourself. We’ve been too busy.” The thought came with an unexpected twinge of bitterness. “This… this is the eye of the hurricane, isn’t it?”
“You may be right,” Rarity said thoughtfully, as she eased herself deeper. “Things might get harder before they get better. But they will get better, darling.”
Emberglow thought about Turquoise, likely forever trapped in a wheelchair. Beyond that, possibly in a cell for the rest of her life. She thought about her parents, still ignorant about her fate. She thought about all the ponies she’d left behind. She thought about Heartwing and Terminus, Lofty and Topaz, and all they’d sacrificed. She thought about Escher the changeling, and Starlight Glimmer.
“How?” Emberglow expected tears, just like she’d expected the voices of her guilt earlier, when she was talking to Turquoise. But she still just felt hollow and dazed. “S-sometimes it feels like nothing ever changes. We just careen from one disaster to the next. Every t-time things start to look up for us, something else goes wrong.”
Behind the numbness was something huge, something overwhelming and uncontrollable. She couldn’t slip over the edge. If she did, maybe she wouldn’t be able to come back.
“Shh, darling. It’s not all bad, is it? You have me. And you’re making progress. Moving towards a new life, a new you.”
“How can you even say that?”
“You got in the hot springs with me, didn’t you?” Rarity pulled her close, so that their flanks were pressed close on the seat. “Even a week ago you never would have considered it. You’re leaving behind the old and embracing the new.”
“I don’t want to lose who I was.”
“You don’t have to, darling,” Rarity said. “Let me ask you this. Why did you go see Turquoise today? Was it for closure?”
Emberglow thought about it. It was for closure, she was sure. But there had been a part of her, the irrational, childish part that had hoped, maybe, just maybe…
“It wasn’t just for closure,” she whispered, and buried her face in Rarity’s chest. Rarity began to stroke her mane, gently. “I wanted… I wanted…”
She couldn’t say it out loud.
“She used to be your friend,” Rarity reasoned. Emberglow nodded, feeling Rarity’s soft fur brush against her closed eyelids.
“More than that. She was my friend, yes, but also my mentor. We spent every day together, for a year. We were comrades in battle, too. Besides Lofty and my parents, she was the pony I was closest with.”
And Steadfast, of course, but she didn’t want to say his name out loud.
“You wanted to see if you could hang on to a piece of what you’ve lost,” Rarity said. “I…” She sighed, and gently kissed the top of Emberglow’s head. “I’ve been talking to Topaz, here and there. About… how best to help you.” She spoke in a rush, as if she felt guilty about it. Emberglow didn’t see why.
“Thank you,” Emberglow said simply, squeezing Rarity tightly.
“It’s one of the things she talks about a lot,” Rarity said. “Helping you reinvent yourself, while also ensuring you keep hold of every good thing from your old life. This is like that, isn’t it? You’re trying to pick through your past, and keep whatever good bits you can. Turquoise was a good bit.”
“She was,” Emberglow said. “Or at least… she used to be.”
“Topaz tells me to let you talk about the good things. To help you find a way to hang on to them. Perhaps you could try now?” Rarity kept stroking her mane, and Emberglow found herself calming, surrounded by the heat of the water, the soothing sensation of Rarity’s embrace, the pleasant scent of the floral air.
“Okay.” But the words wouldn’t come. Talk about the good things? It had nearly all been good, until she suddenly realized how awful it had been in hindsight.
But…
There was something. A thorn in her mind, ever since talking to Turquoise the first time, weeks ago, in the halls of the palace.
“I miss my mother,” Emberglow whispered, hating herself for sounding like a foal. “I miss her so much, Rarity.”
“You’ve spoken of her a bit,” Rarity said. “I remember, back in my shop in Angel’s Rest. A creative spirit, like me. I remember the look of love on your face when you talked about the dress she made for you. Tell me more about her.”
“I remember lullabies. She stopped singing them to me, after we lost my little brother.” Emberglow swallowed past the sudden lump in her throat. “It was hardest on her. She nearly died starving herself. I helped her start eating again. It’s when I got my cutie mark.” She was stumbling over her words. She was sure she was being incoherent. But it almost felt like there was a point there somewhere, if only she could find it. “Um. She didn’t sing to me any more after that. At the time, I thought getting my cutie mark aged me out of lullabies. I was too grown up. It made sense; I’d gotten rid of most of my toys and foal’s books when I got my cutie mark. I traded them for medical texts. I think… I think I just realized how much I missed it.
“Is that…” Emberglow’s voice was tiny. “Is that something good I can hang on to? My mother’s lullabies?”
“Of course, darling,” Rarity said. “If you like, I’d love to hear one.”
Every muscle in Emberglow’s body froze, relaxing only when she heard the soothing sounds of Rarity shushing her.
“Relax. You don’t have to if you don’t want to. We’re here to unwind, after all. If you’d rather…”
“I’d love to,” Emberglow blurted. She pushed away from Rarity, looking into her eyes. “B-but my voice isn’t the best, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to remember all the words, and maybe…”
Rarity silenced her with a smile and a hoof to her lips. “Bridge the gap between old and new. Bring something good from your past into the good that is now.” Emberglow gulped and nodded. Just like with everything else she’d done today, she buried her doubts deep, opened her mouth, and began to sing softly.
Let us walk along the river
And through the forest green
As we look up through the leaves
The most stars we’ve ever seen
We can lay out in the clearing
Here beneath the gentle skies
Among the flowers and the ferns
Now relax and close your eyes
Hear the whispers of the wind
And the murmurs of the creek
Let them sing you off to sleep
‘Til the dawn and morning’s light
Oh, the world can fade away
But you should never fear
You are my treasure, dear
And I’ll always hold you tight
We can frolic in the pastures
And the meadows of your dreams
Just a moment, and we’ll be there
Take a breath and spread your wings
And we’ll fly above the hills
‘Neath the smiling silver moon
Just come and follow me
And we’ll be together soon
Hear the whispers of the wind
And the murmurs of the creek
Let them sing you off to sleep
‘Til the dawn and morning’s light
Oh, the world can fade away
But you should never fear
You are my treasure, dear
And I’ll always hold you tight
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What a wonderful way to end a chapter.
Really hope Turquoise will turn over a new leaf.
That song made me feels.
Another great chapter, though I must ask: When Turquoise said that Rarity was an Earth pony, Why didn't Emberglow talk about the Vision of Rarity that all Radiant got to see?
I think Turquoise's story isnt over but her place in the story will become a side story to the main plot. Because Turquoise will be in the Crystal Empire for quite some time while the rest of the cast have a war to fight.
You do have to wonder if Magic might not be the solution to her being crippled and surgery might be. Could her getting her legs back be up to a delicately held scalpel?
The ending of this chapter reminds me of this:
I hope that Turquoise and all the ponies under the Diarchy learn that the true will of the "Saints" is for all creatures to be friends, no matter what type or species they are or who they love.
Edit: I've now realized just how ironic it is that the Diarchy claims to believe in spreading the teachings of the Saints to others when in fact the Empire and the Knights Discordant do a better job of following the teachings of the "Saints" than the Diarchy.
11172936
My guess, it’s either a heat of the moment thing, and that ember glow forgot to mention it, or that she still honors the sanctity of the radiant’s vow of silence on the topic from outsiders, despite having abandoned the Diarchy as a whole.
Been slowly chipping away at this for about 2 months now in my free time and it's honestly among the best I've read in recent years.
I can't really articulate my feelings but I will say the slow burn at the start was brilliant and greatly benefited the worldbuilding.
Every character has relevance/significance to the story no matter how short their appearance and the pace of everything just feels very real.
Looking forward to the rest.
In chapter speculation it seems that With finding out she was being used as Steadfast's puppet, I wonder if cracks in Turquoise's faith will begin to show. I imagine she'll be very resistant and even if she does reject the Diarchy it'll be a very slow process. Much slower than Emberglow's change of faith.
Literally all of Rekindled Embers summarized in a single statement.
This has been one of my favourite chapters, I don't know why, but it was really nice to read. From Lofty's proposal to the nice guards, and from the press conference to the meeting with Turquoise as well as the end, it was all so well put together. Only a few fics on this site evoke as much emotion from me, it's a highlight of my day when it updates. Thank you so much, and keep putting out such wonderful fiction! (Keeping your mental health in mind of course.)
”Insisted warlocks were OP and banned in his campaigns to his dying day.”
In any case, physically and psychologically, Emberglow is healing more than she likely thought possible. It’s a tough road ahead, and she’ll still have plenty of scars on both fronts, but she’s making definite, undeniable progress.
Of course, we’ll have to see what the war does to her. And just what kind of backlash Steadfast will face for his failed decapitation strike.
11174991
Same here, you literally stole the thoughts right out of my head.
My only regret is not reading this story sooner, it was a casualty of me picking through a bunch of stories somewhat randomly and slapping them into my favorites to read later. This story is one that I'm going to remember for a long while.
I'm loving this fic so much, it was an absolute blast to binge and catch up.
I drew some fanart! It's not much but i hope you like it
(Mild Spoilers for chapter 47+)
derpicdn.net/img/view/2022/3/26/2832564.png
https://derpibooru.org/images/2832564
Also I am so excited for Sunset to wake up
11192581
Oh my god this is AMAZING. Thank you so much!
11192819
Thank you for this amazing adventure!!
I'd love to have someone do a dub of the song.
Sunny's been unconscious now for like what, a month? Didn't the construct say it should only be a few days?