A Drink

by Chemtest

Not Forgotten

Teardrop Exalted was not having a good day.

She mutters under her breath as she unlocks the door to her apartment, “Not gonna let some stripe beat me… I’ll show him.”

As she trots in, her ears perk up from the sound of tinkering. She turns around, seeing her roommate working on some strange machine made of coils. Said roommate floats various tools around in her magic, speaking as she works, “Hey, Tear.”

Teardrop trots closer, floating her saddlebags and robes away, “How’s it going, Sunrise? I haven’t seen much of you since that visit to the Court. Did Celestia like your machine?”

Sunrise holds up a hoof, “Princess Celestia, Tear, normally you aren’t one to forget the titles.” She then places the hoof back down, sticking her head beneath the machine, “It went fine. She encouraged me to work on it some more, said it had some safety issues. So I’m making it into a- hey, can you pass me a five fifteenths wrench?”

Teardrop trots over to the nearby toolbox, quickly weaving together a unique scanning spell, closing her eyes and envisioning the magic needed. She lets the spell pass over the various tools, floating out the specific wrench once she finds it, then floating it over to Sunrise, “Here you go. I’ll never get you tools ponies and your need for so many different tools.”

Sunrise takes the wrench into her own magic, waving a hoof as she speaks, “And I’ll never understand why you poet ponies need so many words. At least I can say other wrenches won’t fit here, with you poets, everything fits everywhere. Scale fits scale which fits scale. You can put scales on a scale to scale their measurements, disgusting, I feel like I need to wash my mouth out after saying something that stupid sounding.”

Teardrop rolls her eyes, “At least it means something, and it sounds good. I come in here every day and I hear the squeaks of tinkering. I try to sleep every night, and I hear the squeaks of tinkering.” She then looks back at the toolbox, floating out a pair of pliers, “Marki? What or who is a Marki and why is it on your pliers?”

Sunrise floats more tools below the machine, “He’s a Griffon study-buddy, he must have left them here after some long night tinkering.”

Teardrop grins, “Oh, it’s a he?” She smirks, putting the pliers back, “I guess it wasn’t tinkering I was hearing all night.”

Sunrise brings her head out from the machine, turning to grin at Teardrop, “Screw you.”

Teardrop grins back, “Like Marki did?”

Sunrise snorts, and chuckles, “Okay, fine, I trotted into that one, but to be fair, this is literally your hobby. Twisting words to have different meanings. Now I have to wonder if I’m talking about a poet or a rumor mill. Actually, considering who I’m speaking to, both.” She steps back, “Mind making a spell for me? I need a bolt of electricity, exactly twenty volts, to hit that coil there.”

Teardrop grins, “Easy.” She closes her eyes, envisioning the magic needed, linking them together like words in a sentence. With the ‘sentence’ fully completed, she opens her eyes, sending a small bolt of lightning from her horn, right into the main coil of the machine. It lights up with electricity, spreading to the other coils with a humming sound, slowly getting louder. However, with a sudden spark, the coils all go dead, “What happened?”

Sunrise sighs, “I need to add more resistance near the bases of the coils or too much power is lost to the ground. Hopefully that will work.” She moves back to the machine, floating her tools all around the bases of the coils.

Teardrop nods, watching for a minute, before clearing her throat, “So, Sunrise, I actually need some advice.”

Sunrise nods as well, still focused on her machine, “Yeah, Tear? Something engineering related?”

Teardrop shakes her head, looking away, “It… it has to do with a cute mare I’m trying to woo. She’s super cute, and I love talking to her, and she actually listens to me, and actually speaks back with interesting ideas!”

Sunrise looks over, smiling, “Sounds like you have the perfect mare for you, then, Teardrop. I don’t see the problem.”

Teardrop looks back, “Well, you see… there were some Zebra ambassadors that came to Canterlot earlier today, and one of their higher-ups wants her as well. He’s more prestigious, probably more charming, and, well, he’s a zebra stallion.”

Sunrise raises an eyebrow, “A higher-up? Damn, that is an issue. Luckily I’m an engineer, so you came to the right mare.” She wipes her hooves off on her coat, moving closer and sitting down, “So, you like this mare, and she likes you back. You want to get her before this stallion gets her first, so I’m going to introduce you to Sunrise’s Simple Solution. Kill them stallion.”

Teardrop’s eyes widen, “What?!”

Sunrise snorts, and chuckles, “Teardrop, relax, relax, I’m kidding. And that was damn funny, I’m proud of myself for that one. Okay, no, here’s the actual Sunrise Simple Solution, alright? Take the mare out for a date tonight, take her to that special place down Seasons Avenue, give her some flowers, have a wonderful time, and then kiss her.”

Teardrop looks at Sunrise, “Just… kiss her? What if she doesn’t want to?”

Sunrise smiles, “Then apologize for being so quick. But I’m serious, do all of the above, and above all, Teardrop, just be confident, and be yourself. Give me a confident grin.”

Teardrop nods, grinning, “Alright, be confident, and be myself. Oh, there was another thing, too. I might have seen her in a private setting, and… well, I’m a tiny bit worried. She was talking to herself, and saying some concerning stuff…”

Sunrise stands up, putting a hoof on Teardrop’s shoulder, “Tear, you think you like this mare, right?” Teardrop nods, and Sunrise grins, “Then be there for her. If she’s going through it right now, help her.”

Teardrop smiles, “Yeah… yeah, you’re right. Thank you, Sunrise.”

Sunrise grins more, “Now go get her.”

---

The Northern Mountains go by many different names. Peaks of Darkness, Shining Pillars of Strength, the Eversnow, and to some religious creatures, due to the excellent natural acoustics of some of the mountains, the Hymnalayas. Many would also bicker about the location. North of Vanhoover, Northwest of Stalliongrad, Northeast of Fillydelphia, East of Yakyakistan, even some would say simply ‘the edge of the world’. There is one fact all will agree with about the Northern Mountains, though, they are a cold and dreary place.

It’s a slow change one would see normally from the tundra and taiga of Stalliongrad to the snowy plains leading to the mountains. Wind whips the landscape, carrying bitingly cold snow with it, even the warm sun unable to stop any unfortunate pony from freezing to death in a few short hours. And as one trots along the flat landscape, they would eventually come upon giant mountains, raised from the ground with no fanfare nor prelude, as if carelessly dropped there, heedless of any surroundings. However, if one were to risk crossing the frozen Hoof and Canter Rivers, which originate from the mountains, they would come upon a valley.

The valley is a great rift between the mountains, connecting the lands of Equestria to the unknown North, and once was home to an equally great empire. The Crystal Empire, a light of prosperity and harmony in the frozen tundra, a sight to behold for any travelers. It’s tall crystal spires would glisten in the light like a shining jewel, and it’s bright and welcoming colors would promise anyone warmth and safety. The last refuge in Equestria from Discord’s madness, the great city was the saving grace for thousands. Now, it is nothing more than a valley.

Celestia lands, having forgone any jacket due to her solar radiance, and she lights up her horn. A quick scanning spell for any magic concerning banishment. Her spell quickly returns a positive for banishment magic, but then returns something else, illusion magic.

She trots towards the source, raising an eyebrow as she sees the form of someone there, a glossy black wearing no clothes. She trots even closer, “Changeling. It is cold and you wear nothing.”

The changeling doesn’t look back, instead speaking in a smooth and clear voice, carrying perfectly despite the wind, revealing that she is a mare, “I was born here.”

Celestia trots even closer, now seeing that the changeling’s exoskeleton is glossy and slightly transparent, “Is that so?”

She nods, “This was my home. I was born here, I grew up here, perhaps I should have died here.”

Celestia blinks, and pauses, “Woe. Artist’s Woe. I’ve met you before.”

Woe looks back, bright blue eyes staring despondently, “You were a good investment, Celestia. The Nightmare was dreadful for business. Leave this place, leave it for me.”

Celestia trots closer, “You will freeze to death out here, you are a changeling.”

She frowns lightly, and turns away, “And I am Crystal, the cold is my home. This place is my home, I don’t want intruders.”

Celestia shakes her head, “You will still be worse off up here. Leave the ghosts to their rest.”

Woe shakes her head as well, “You do not control me, Celestia. I swore my oath to the Empire, not to your petty Kingdom. Leave.”

Celestia trots up right behind her, putting a hoof on her crystalline shoulder, “You may reach near a millennia in age, if born here as you claim, but you are still young. You don’t do anything by disturbing those who are gone, Artist’s Woe. I lost much in the disappearance of the Empire as well, young one, I know what you feel.”

Woe frowns, looking down, “No you don’t. You’re a Princess, you’ll never know how it feels to lose everything to one pony.”

Celestia looks away, “I’m afraid I know that feeling better than anyone. Come with me, let us speak in Canterlot, over tea. Let’s remember the lost.”

Woe scowls, standing up and pulling away from Celestia, “Remember them with their killer? I’d rather drink arsenic.”

Celestia blinks, drawing back a step, “Their killer? What is it y-“

Woe spins around, pointing an accusing hoof at Celestia, “My father left to fight your battles because you were so incompetent! My mother drank herself to death because you took so long to defeat Discord! It was your stupidity that made the Empire disappear! You’ve taken everything from me, Celestia, because you were stupid and weak!” She growls, “You’re a tyrant and a killer. I’d be doing the world a favor, killing you here.”

Celestia blinks again, her eyes looking around as she pauses. After a second, she sighs, bowing her head, “You are correct.”

Woe frowns, “What?”

Celestia looks back up, looking directly into her eyes, “I have done much harm because I was stupid. Because I was… I was weak, yes, I admit it. Discord was powerful, but I could have stopped him. Sombra was strong, but I could have saved the Empire. My sister was jealous, and I should have seen it. I was blinded by arrogance, righteousness, and family ties. I have become a tyrant, so concerned with safety that I saw good and evil as suggestions. Do you know about King Sombra, Woe?”

Woe straightens up, her frown lessening, “He was a good King, and a better friend. But he went mad.”

Celestia nods, “Once good, turned insane. That is, seemingly, the curse of my family, and I’m the last one standing, thinking that I am exempt. Discord spread chaos because he turned mad and cruel, Sombra enslaved his citizens simply because he was mad and cruel, the Nightmare wanted eternal night because she was mad and cruel. My father…” She sits down, taking a deep breath, “I had a third sister, once. But here I stood, and while I might make a few ponies disappear, and banish entire concepts from reality, it was all for the good of the nation. I had to act cruel to ensure there would be no other Discord, not another Sombra. Little could I see that the insanity was already within me, until I finally went too far, and realized I had gone mad. I am Celestia, the last of my line, my species, still standing, and I am the mad tyrant of the modern day. Judge me.”