All the King's Horses

by Vanity

A Land Above All

Golden Topaz sighed, inspecting herself closely in the mirror. Behind her, one of her assistants continued to drone on and on.

"...after the debate, there'll be a meet-and-greet at a party held by one of the directors of the Millworker's Union, then a radio appearance on Station Three. I've arranged a chariot to take you from the debate to the party, but it's not available later so I'll have to arrange something else between now and the radio interview. Have you given any thought as to what you're going to wear to the party? I only ask because I have three different outfits and one of them is going to need tailoring."

"It doesn't matter." Golden Topaz sighed and turned around to face the overwhelmed intern, who looked on the verge of tears. "Go and get some rest, kid. I'll handle it from here on out."

The assistant didn't need telling twice, giving her a short, stiff bow before vanishing out of the room with a clattering of hooves and a flurry of paperwork. A small smile formed on Golden Topaz's lips as she slowly pivoted around to examine herself in the mirror once again.

Clad from collar to hoof in her illustrious military dress uniform, she radiated an aura of power and dominance. Every patch of deep blue fabric, every silver button, every golden thread was perfect. She had worn an outfit just like it when she had fought to the bitter end in the last stand of the Crystal Empire, and had refused to have it torn from her even as she was thrown into that bleak, cold dungeon to rot.

Despite the freezing cold, foul food and daily beatings that had sapped the strength and claimed the lives of so many of her comrades, she had never once wavered in her loyalty to the righteous Flurry Heart. Even as her captors mocked her for her devotion to a mare they assured her was long dead, she did not falter. She had sacrificed everything for her princess.

And then, as the world had been cleaved in two by the mischievous hands of fate, she had been repaid for her loyalty. Her princess had returned - only to abandon her, and all of them, for her new Equestrian crown. Lulled from her homeland by the allure of power and wealth, she had abandoned them all.

The betrayal had torn her apart, shattered everything she had thought she once knew. A shroud of rage had descended upon her, and she had fallen into a dark pit of loss and confusion as she sought some solace in this new world. Eventually, that loss had become hate, hate which had become purpose. "Princess" Flurry Heart was an Equestrian by birth, and an Equestrian by birth was an Equestrian through and through.

There could be no future for the Crystal Ponies as long as their kind continued to pull the strings of their society. The Crystal Ponies had endured the enslavement of Sombra, a thousand years of nonexistence bought about by the meddling of the Royal Sisters, then freedom only to be placed once more upon the domination of the Equestrian Royal Family. The common denominator was clear to all.

A thunderous roaring of hooves striking the floor sounded behind her, and the deep, booming voice of the announcer signalled to her it was time for her to take the stage. Passing through the series of temporary doorways and unbearably hot stage lights, she took her first steps towards the podium to a roar of approval.

Her opponent, a disgustingly smug stallion in a suit, waved enthusiastically and flashed the crowd a wide, perfect smile. Golden Topaz, on the other hand, did not allow the corners of her mouth to budge even slightly, instead opting to cross a single hoof across her chest, the traditional salute of the Crystal Legion.

"Thank you, thank you - I said, thank you!" The moderator raised his voice in an attempt to cut through the cheering of the crowd. "Tonight has been many weeks in the making. As we are all aware, the election to select the first Consul of the Crystal Republic since time immemorial is but a few weeks away. For the first time, the two main candidates have agreed to share a stage to debate the issues weighing heavily on all of our minds. Please greet each of them now; the representative for the Popular Movement, Silver Gem!"

A roar of applause went up, mixed with obvious boos and hisses as Silver Gem continued to smile and wave.

"And for the Crystal Dawn, please welcome Centurion Golden Topaz!"

The roars of approval this time threatened to raise the roof as Golden Topaz continued to stare fixedly at the crowd, slowly lowering her salute. It was no act - to have to campaign like a lowly politician genuinely disgusted her.

"I will allow each of you five minutes to issue an opening statement. Silver Gem, you may begin."

"Thank you. I just want to say how wonderful it is to be here tonight, and how grateful I am to have the chance to vie to represent this wonderful country, from the hard-working ponies who make up its backbone, to the..."

Golden Topaz filtered him out, uninterested in whatever pre-rehearsed tripe he was dishing out. No doubt it would be more of the same, simpering pandering to truth, justice and peace. As she patiently waited for him to finish, she focused her attention on the crowd. Hundreds of desperate faces, some angry, some anxious, all of them hanging on to their every word. How many of them, she wondered, had waited for the return of their princess as she had, only to be crushed by her betrayal at the last second?

How could they listen to this fool spew his pro-Equestrian garbage with such passive, uncritical expressions on their faces after that? It unnerved her. Perhaps that was the true weakness of her people. They were too easily led.

"Thank you, Silver Gem. Centurion, you have the floor."

"Thank you." Her voice was cold and curt. "I'm sure we've all had enough of my opponent's spineless belching for now."

"Centurion, I have to ask that you - "

"And, as I'm sure we all know, he offers this nation precisely what it should have learned to expect from ponies like him." She crashed through the moderator's half-hearted protest. "More submission to Equestria. More subservience to their whim, as their favoured lapdog. Perhaps an occasional corn husk or dinner scrap tossed our way, should we perform our tricks on command."

"For thousands of years, our people languished in turmoil at the hooves of their kind. Once, we were slaves under the tyrant Sombra. And when we were freed by the late Princess Twilight and her dragon, nothing changed. We were immediately placed under the dominion of their royal family, to serve them as foreigners in our own land. Until, at last, we were abandoned by the once-beloved Flurry Heart for the jewel of the Equestrian crown without so much as a second thought."

"Under the... vision..." She spat the word. "...of my opponent, we are to submit ourselves to the whims of Equestria as their supposes allies. But I ask you, the audience; has Equestria ever desired such an equal relationship? Have they ever extended to us so much as an olive branch of diplomacy that did not come with the crushing hegemony of their own ambition!?"

Angry mutters and cries ran through the crowd. Swelling her chest with bravado, Golden Topaz continued her speech.

"I offer you a new vision of the Crystal Empire. Free of foreign influence, a nation built for our people, and our people alone. Now, and forever, let it be done, or let us perish!"

Cheers and applause ran through the crowd. The moderator adjusted his spectacles awkwardly as Golden Topaz raised her hoof once more in a salute.

"Thank you, Centurion, that was most... inspiring. Now, onto the next question. How do you intend to tackle the challenge of rebuilding after the conflict? Ten minutes. Silver Gem, you may begin."

Comments

[Cyana Flame]

[Clawfoot]

Flurry Heart betrayed them.. After all they suffered for her.. This new Equestria deserves her.

Still an interesting peek into a darker version of Equis. Thank you.