Part Ninety-Five
Flurry Heart did not fall asleep, mostly by reminding herself of stumbling back up Mount Canterhorn with critical Magical Exhaustion. Somehow, listening to Coin Purse was worse. Or when others interrupted to ask questions and get even longer answers. She wasn’t the only one bored; Jacques did fall asleep, but taped googly eyes over his closed eyelids.
No one called him out on it.
Finally, with the afternoon sun filtering in around the map, Coin stopped. “We can prepare a further report at a later date, Princess.”
“Thank you,” Flurry coughed. She drained the last drops from the canteen stowed under her chair. The coffee, not that she liked it, had long run dry. The benefit of the economic summary was that most of the lower command staff had been dismissed from the room. Only the guards, the governors, their aides, and what constituted Flurry’s war council remained.
“I’ll get with you later, Coin,” Spike promised. He scratched out a last set of notes with the nub of a pencil Flurry swore was a full pencil six hours ago. He stuffed the page in a folder. It took the alicorn a moment, but she realized Spike had taken the ELF’s manifesto and torn out the pages to reuse the folder. “We’ll discuss it after the coronation.”
“I have not prepared a report on coronation costs,” Coin seemingly remembered.
Flurry resisted weeping.
“We’re borrowing the Reich’s film equipment and broadcasting it,” Thorax answered. He couldn’t stop a smile at the burst of sheer love from his niece beside him. “It will be in the same location as Twilight’s: west wing.”
“We’ve stripped most of the castle,” Sunset nickered.
“So be it,” Spike shrugged. “Equestria is poor, its Princess is poor. The Reich can make fun of us all they want, but the average Reichsarmee soldier fights for table scraps compared to what their officers make.”
Jacques snorted awake and removed his googly eyes. “His birthday party is a massive affair while his soldiers eat rations,” the yellow griffon added as if he had not been passed out for several hours.
“That reminds me,” Flurry interrupted. “Rainbow?”
Rainbow sluggishly turned her head to Flurry. Over the talk, she had cleaned her metal wing to a pristine shine that was nearly blinding when it caught the light. “Yeah, Princess?” she yawned.
“You’re invited to the party. Element of Loyalty. Gilda’s there.”
“Cool,” she yawned again.
“Rarity?” Flurry asked, even though she knew the answer.
“I’d like to make a few adjustments to your uniform,” Rarity said as an excuse.
Flurry accepted it with a nod. “Alright. Jacques?”
Jacques laughed. “Really?”
“Yeah, why not?”
“Because he’ll cause several international incidents,” Gabriel huffed.
“I will be on my best behavior,” Jacques promised with a raised claw. His other claw snaked under his wing.
“Did you cross two talons?” Flurry asked wryly.
Jacques paused. “No.”
“Fine,” Flurry smiled slightly. “Grover hates the thing anyway.”
“Is that what you talked about?” Thorax said casually. He raised a ridged brow and tapped the checklist with a holed hoof.
Flurry’s smile fell. Right. “Thank you for coming, everypony. I’ll have individual meetings with governors this evening. Lastly, we need to talk about the upcoming battle plans.”
There was a long period of chat as the crowd was herded out by the guards, several of which spoke discreetly with Thorax before they left as well. The changeling made quick notes in a private black book.
“Anything I need to be concerned about?” Flurry asked tiredly.
Thorax shook his head.
Flurry bit her lip, then regarded the round table. She had asked for Katherine, Cerie, Amoxtli, Jadis, and Nightshade to remain, even though they held no rank beyond being her guards and friends. It was all her old council with the Equestrian additions: Sunset, Tempest, Zecora, Limestone, Rarity, Light Narrative, and Yona. Her horn shimmered as she warded the room, then cut the sound off to the outside.
“Did the Kaiser share war plans?” Tempest asked after glancing at the glowing windows.
“They want a push through the south and knock the Appleoosan Protectorate out of the war,” Flurry explained. “I’ll need the Tzinacatl.”
“Of course,” Light Narrative said empathetically. “We’ve been gathering our war bands.”
“That’s not why you’re here,” Flurry dismissed. “I’ve allied with the Griffonian Reich, specifically Grover VI.”
There was a chorus of slow nods.
“I’m marrying him at the end of the war.” Flurry was too tired to be discreet or evasive.
Half the table expected the announcement and did not react. The other half froze. Tempest opened her mouth and shut it with a clack. Sunset blinked rapidly for several heartbeats.
Rarity frowned. “I’m sorry?”
“You always wanted to make a Princess a wedding dress, Rares,” Rainbow nudged her with a hock. “Here’s your chance if you want it.”
“I…” Rarity stopped. She did not restart.
Limestone finally burst out laughing. “What the fuck!?”
“There’s no fucking,” Flurry answered. “It’s a political marriage.”
The earth pony laughed harder.
“You…” Sunset breathed in. “He…what?”
“It was my idea,” Flurry offered.
Tempest looked very lost. “Why?”
“For Nova Griffonia,” Edvald answered. “To end the hostilities and secure the alliance.”
“For us,” Katherine said quietly. Cerie rubbed her beak beside the red griffon.
“It wasn’t just for you,” Flurry said mollifyingly. “Grover made an offer to help when I was fourteen, and I…refused…after refugees started pouring in-”
“So for us,” Cerie sighed.
“You sold out,” Sunset whispered. Her horn glowed.
Spike stood up in warning. His wings flared out. “Don’t, Colonel.”
“You sold out,” Sunset repeated, though she was staring at the ceiling instead of the alicorn. “Grover built an empire across from Celestia purely out of spite. His spawn gets to parade you in front of the Archons at Griffenheim in a sham marriage. Equestria will be a joke.”
“Equestria nearly lost to a foal,” Flurry snapped, “it was already a joke.”
“Of course we’re going to be a puppet,” the unicorn continued, “they’re patriarchal. You call yourself the Princess of Ponies and you’re marrying the Kaiser of Griffonkind his way.” Sunset stood up from her chair and finally turned furious eyes to Flurry. “You sold out everything to save a few birds?”
The griffons at the table spread their wings, but did not stand up. The unicorn’s horn burned at the tip, blackening from the power being poured into a spell. Limestone and Tempest leaned to the side rather than restrain Sunset Shimmer, the former student of Celestia. Flurry remained sitting, but her own horn glowed with golden light as she prepared a shield.
“Yes,” the alicorn answered instead of trying to rationalize it.
Sunset’s horn snuffed out abruptly and she collapsed onto the table with weepy, bitter laughter. The others at the table stayed tense as the unicorn slammed forehooves against the wood and scattered papers. Limestone and Zecora looked away while Tempest thumped her back with a hoof.
“You…damn…” Sunset struggled to breathe in and finally recovered from her fit after a few minutes. “Damn you,” she spat. “You truly are Twilight’s niece. She’s the only other pony stupid enough to make that deal and even think it would work.”
“At this point, we take that as a compliment,” Duskcrest said sardonically. Dusty nodded in solidarity. “Our Princess would make an excellent griffon: stubborn, impulsive, and prone to headbutting.”
“I don’t do that often,” Flurry protested.
“Your broke a centuries old table in my office with your skull,” Light Narrative countered. “And then continued to carve a symbol into your leg.”
Flurry glanced down at the swirling figure eight of white fur over the scar tissue. “I don’t regret it. Tlatoani, I’d like your thoughts.”
“I wish I was still a journalist because this is the story of the century,” Light replied with pinned ears. He removed his hat and flapped it down onto the table. “I take it this is a secret?”
“Did the wards give it away?” Nightshade asked the other bat pony with narrowed eyes.
“You’re either here because you already know, I trust you, or I need your opinion,” Flurry provided. “How will Thestrals take it?”
Light Narrative considered it, then spoke quietly in a tribal language with Amoxtli. The mare flicked her golden eyes to Flurry several times with shrugging wings. Light nodded along and his wings jittered.
“Better than marrying a pony,” Amoxtli finally said as she turned back.
“Shut up!” Limestone snorted.
“Griffons have not mistreated us for a thousand years,” Light Narrative concurred. He turned a wry eye to the ELF members. “Thestrals will not wail in the night.”
“Edvald? Katherine?” Flurry asked before another argument could erupt.
“Where else could we go?” Katherine asked in Herzlander. “We live or die entirely at your decision. We are your subjects and must trust your heart.”
“What happens if Grover pressures you later?” Edvald asked. “Or offers New Mareland?”
“I don’t want it,” Flurry returned. “No offense, Nightshade. I’m not trading land for subjects.” Nightshade waved a dismissive hoof.
“An easy promise,” Edvald rebuked, but without any anger. “You’ve kept your promises so far, but there will be fear.” He drummed a talon on the table. “Let Katherine swear fealty to you at the coronation, in front of the Kaiser. It will be a slight to him, but also confirmation to us.” Katherine’s feathers flushed, but she grinned at slighting Grover.
Flurry nodded, then turned to Cerie.
The Aquileian swallowed. “What can I say?”
“Are you comfortable swearing fealty to me at the coronation?” Flurry asked in Aquileian.
“It is not a question worth asking,” Cerie immediately replied. “We follow little Flurry.”
“I’d like to work on getting you home post-war,” Flurry said quietly.
“This is home.”
“What about an heir?” Tempest interrupted. She was frowning at the table. “Grover’s the last of his line.”
“I’ve agreed to support his legitimized bastard.”
“Does he have one?” Jacques raised a feathered brow.
“No.”
“That’s a war,” Sunset said with a low sigh. “The Grovers have already been challenged once; it’ll happen again. If you’re immortal, does that apply to all his descendants?”
Flurry quirked her muzzle. “We haven’t talked about it.”
“Please,” Jacques drawled, “relying on the strength of a pink horn makes the Grovers look weak. If Little Flurry lives a century crushing uprisings, how long until griffons crow that a pony keeps the Grovers on their throne?”
Tempest’s frown grew thoughtful. “If you fall and we form a regency council, Grover gets all the benefits of this without having an alicorn wife riding his tanks into battle.”
“Some would call that a negative,” Jacques quipped.
“He could kill you,” Tempest replied.
“Or you could kill him after the war,” Limestone suggested.
“We’re in debt for centuries,” Spike answered.
“Right,” Limestone said with utter confidence, “no debt.”
“That’s…” Spike paused, “that’s not how debt works.”
“Even I know that, Lime,” Rainbow snorted.
“Do Yaks get to smash at wedding?” Yona asked after a long slurp of her drink. She brushed her bangs out her eyes, conspicuously displaying the Imperial Snowflake on her foreleg.
“Probably not,” Flurry admitted.
Yona snorted. “Catbird wedding is weak.”
“So I’ll look weak to the Yaks?”
Yona rolled her brown eyes. “You punch changelings, yes? And headbutt like Yak. We don’t care. Birds should be proud to have smashing wife.”
“This might be an easy decision for you,” Sunset mumbled, “but this is subordinating Equestria to a foreign power on the world stage.”
Limestone considered Flurry for a long pause, then grinned at Sunset. “Hornhead, she’s an alicorn. There’s no ‘selling out.’ That nerd is out-winged by a filly; doesn’t matter how many priests they have crowing about griffons being predators.”
“Nopony accused my mother of marrying down to my father,” Flurry said.
Sunset winced from her slump on the table. “Blueblood did.”
Flurry frowned. “He is dead, right?”
“He is indeed, darling,” Rarity snapped back to the table with a quick blink. She licked her lips, but visibly thought about her words and said nothing.
“Zecora?” Flurry asked.
Zecora shrugged her forelegs. “I’m not mad and I have nothing to add.” She shook her head and the hoops earrings jingled. "This is no concern to me; with Chrysalis dead, Equestria is free...enough for me."
“Truly mercenary,” Duskcrest raised his empty flask to her in a salute. “I knew I liked you for a reason.”
“The average Equestrian won’t care,” Dusty added.
“Maybe,” Flurry acknowledged doubtfully. “Jadis?”
Frosty Jadis gave her Princess an insulted look. “Our loyalty is unshakeable.”
“Do you want to marry him?” Rarity finally asked softly.
Flurry pursed her lips. “I wouldn’t have offered it if I wasn’t willing to do it.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“That’s the answer you get,” Flurry returned.
Thorax continued jotting notes down in a black notebook; his eyes scanned the table the entire discussion. “It goes without saying that this is privileged information that does not leave this room.”
“What if it does?” Tempest asked. She folded her forelegs. “I’m not making a threat,” she said smoothly, “just an observation. The Princess and the Kaiser are both young and unmarried.”
“You spent too much time in Zebrica,” Limestone waved a hoof. “Nopony’s going to think that looking at them.”
“Yes,” Edvald agreed in Equestrian. “Be like Kaiser marrying one Bronzehill’s dogs.”
“Are you calling the Princess a dog?” Dusty nickered.
“Some things are not done,” Edvald shrugged a claw. “Though they could be. Why did only Princess Cadance marry?”
“My mother loved my father,” Flurry said softly.
“But in a thousand years, Celestia never loved?” Edvald tapped a talon on the table.
“A marriage weakens the realm,” Sunset tried.
“I disagree,” Jacques cut in, “griffons grift, yes? We will be in debt to our eyeballs.” He widened his eyes. “They will attempt to take everything they can. Grifting a pony out of some hard-earned bits is nothing, but grifting the Kaiserin of the Griffonian Reich is an insult to the Gods and to the throne.”
He clacked his beak at the alicorn. “When they try to cheat you, you can headbutt them. What will they crow to the Kaiser about? That they tried to grift his ordained wife?”
“You think the marriage will offset the debt?” Spike questioned with a frown.
“Not unless we switch to paper currency post-war,” Jacques drawled. “Ration tickets and guaranteed housing only get us so far.”
“You were sleeping for most of that talk,” Flurry accused.
“I never sleep.”
Thorax flipped his notebook shut and tucked the black pen back into a hole in his right leg. “Last business,” he announced. “Army reform. Do you accept?”
“Accept what?” Limestone snorted. “Putting on some shitty snowflake instead of the Elements of Harmony? Cloth don’t stop bullets.”
“I don’t care what ponies wear,” Flurry sighed. “We need an actual army.”
“What about a navy?” Rainbow asked. “Josette’s still up in Nova- I mean, the Imperial Coast or whatever.”
“We support the Reichsarmee,” Flurry decided. “We have to face facts. Equestria’s going to take a century to pull itself out of this. Rainbow, I can’t worry about scraping together an air force or a navy with half of Equestria still occupied.”
“And you want me as your commander?” Tempest asked.
“Yes.”
She breathed in through her nose. “You want your second-in-command to be the Storm King’s Right Hoof?” Her eyes drifted to the table. “You know what that looks like, right?”
“I’m sure Zebrica will be thrilled,” Flurry deadpanned. “Good thing we relied on a magic map to go down there in the first place.” Her voice softened. “You can refuse, Fizzlepop.”
The unicorn’s broken horn sparked with a tiny blue light. It popped and sizzled while she thought, eyes roaming the wooden table. Zecora cleared her throat. “The road to one’s destiny can be long and winding, but perhaps Twilight’s mercy led to this finding?”
“I could never place your accent,” Tempest remarked to her. “Always wondered when you’d poison my coffee.”
Zecora smirked. “I fake it to make it.” Her smile fell. “It is up to you to decide what to do.”
The unicorn closed her eyes and the motion pinched the scar over her eyelid. “I, Tempest Shadow, accept the position. Princess Flurry Heart, the Imperial Army of the Empire and Equestria will be at your command.”
Flurry inhaled. “Sunset Shimmer, I would elevate you to Archmage. If you accept.”
“Neighsay had that position during the war,” Sunset whickered from the table. She had not lifted her head from her hooves. “You know that puts me in charge of magical education as well, right?”
“You were Celestia’s student.”
“I ran away before I finished,” Sunset admitted. “I’m not qualified.”
“Then pick ponies that are to help you,” Flurry offered. “Or refuse.”
Sunset laid her head on the table, not looking at anything or anyone in particular.
Limestone coughed. "Sunny, I never got why you had a grudge against Cadenza, but shove that shit to the side and mare up. We got work to do."
Sunset turned her eyes from scattered papers to the alicorn across from her. Her muzzle twisted. “I accept. Why don’t you declare yourself Crystal Empress?”
Flurry snorted. “I’m not doing it.”
“It will put you on equal ground to Grover.”
The alicorn’s wings fluttered against the back of the chair. “Cool. Still not doing it.”
“She has a point,” Dusty pointed out. “Princess is just a title over in Griffonia; it carries far less weight and meaning.” She twisted back to the map backlit by the afternoon sun. “Yeah, you have two crowns on paper, but-”
“No.”
Limestone waved a hoof. “That’s a mouthful for a pony to swallow. Better this way.”
“For now,” Katherine agreed, “but she can’t claim the title post-war in the lead-up to the marriage. It will look like posturing.”
“It’s posturing now,” Cerie disagreed with her neighbor.
“Chrysalis declared herself Empress of the Crystal Empire, then of all of Equus,” Thorax said neutrally. “Perhaps such comparisons should be avoided?”
Rarity shook her head. “It is still abundantly clear that this is just pretense.”
“It would separate her from the other Princesses,” Light Narrative added while he tugged on a strap on his prosthetic leg. “That’s not a bad thing for the Thestrals.”
“I am not taking away Twilight’s crown.”
The chandeliers swung and the glowing walls crackled with energy as they reacted to the power of the Royal Voice. The papers loosely organized in front of Flurry blew across the table. Her hat fluttered back to the center of the round oak table, spinning on its high bill.
Flurry ground her teeth. “Discussion over.”
“Yes, Princess,” Spike said formally.
Thorax floated the cap back over to Flurry and set it down by her forelegs. She did not put it back on. “I think we’re done here for today,” the changeling said. “We can pick up some stuff tomorrow while the Reichsarmee is having the feast.”
Flurry remained sitting while her command staff stood and bowed to her. Some took longer to do so than others, but everyone at the table bowed and remained down. “Rise,” she called out. “Dismissed except for Jacques, Rainbow, Spike, and Thorax.”
Sunset and Tempest left with the other ELF members, probably for the last time it would be officially the Equestrian Liberation Front. Tempest collected the paper emblazoned with Cadance’s mark from the royal seal, tucking into a folder with her hooves. Her eyes were distant again.
I wonder if the Storm King had meetings like this. Flurry rested her head on an upturned hoof. Or Chrysalis. Does she attend meetings? Do her changelings yell at her?
“No,” Thorax answered.
Flurry blinked.
“You were speaking out loud,” Spike explained. “And your stomach is growling. Did you eat breakfast?”
“A bagel.”
Spike stared at the lean, long-legged alicorn with hooded eyes. “Just one?”
Flurry heard her stomach growl before she responded. “Yeah.”
Spike turned and shouted, “Jadis! Amoxtli! Stay! Escort the Princess to the kitchens after this!” The two ponies broke from the crowd and waited by the doors.
Rainbow shuffled down the chairs to be closer to Flurry. Jacques remained where he was. The pegasus had to lean mostly on the table to see around Spike. “About the party, right? I still got my Wonderbolts dress blues. I’ll wear that.”
“You can sit with Gilda,” Flurry said.
“What? Leave you with the Kaiser and Jacques?” Rainbow snorted. “I’ll behave.”
“I’ll be fine,” Flurry dismissed.
“Really?” Jacques inspected his talons. “The two of you seemed quite ready to throw hooves. What's changed after you two flew off a few days ago? If I was a lesser griffon, I might make a joke.”
“Nothing happened,” Flurry said smoothly.
Thorax, Spike, Jacques, and Rainbow stared at her. The fur on the back of her neck prickled as she sensed Jadis and Amoxtli’s stares as well. Flurry jittered her wings. “Some stuff happened,” she amended. “We’re fine. I think.”
Thorax started, “Don’t eat-”
“I’ll keep to all the rules,” Flurry promised. “And Jacques can be a distraction.”
The yellow griffon placed a claw on his purple uniform and looked hurt. “Is that all I am?”
“Yes,” Flurry deadpanned.
“I’ll have you know I dined with Vivienne Discret once,” Jacques protested. “Well, I was in the room. As a server. Very undercover, only spilled one glass.”
Flurry huffed to hide her smile.
“You did well, Little Flurry,” Jacques assured her. He raised his head to stare at the doors, then dropped his voice. “Quite the monarch. Snipped the ELF’s support across the political spectrum, assessed the loyalty of your high command, and set the groundwork for a centralized state run by the point of your horn.”
Thorax bared his fangs at him.
“Please,” Jacques waved a claw. “Only Sunset came close to figuring it out, probably Celestia’s old lessons roiling around in her burning skull. The only thing that would make her happy is if the ‘Great White Hope’ came roaring back in sunfire.”
“That’s not why I did anything,” Flurry denied. She swallowed. “Twilight will rule beside me in a restored Diarchy. I need ponies that can do it.”
“You play the game well.”
Flurry laughed slightly. “Blackpeak said I play it poorly.”
“Proved him wrong,” Jacques shrugged a claw. “You play with different rules, Little Flurry. Some of us can make the rules up as we go.”
“If that’s all,” Thorax glared at him. “We’re done.”
He stood up and motioned a wing to Rainbow. “I must read up on all the little forks and spoons. Would you like to assist me, Air Marshal?”
“No,” Rainbow nickered. “Lower tables eat with their claws and a big knife.”
“Somehow I doubt that, but we shall see.” They left together. Aside from Jadis and Amoxtli, Flurry was alone in the room with her family. Thorax looked at his little black book. He had it angled away from Flurry Heart. She shifted her head, and he scooched the chair slightly to keep her from seeing it.
“Is something wrong?” Flurry asked.
“No,” Thorax answered confidently.
“You don’t need to worry about it,” Spike said from the other side of Flurry. “Changelings lie. If it’s really important, he’ll keep it from you until it’s too late to do anything about it.”
The room was quiet for a minute. Spike looked into his coat at an inner pocket. “Sometimes I wish I never met you in that cave,” the dragon said aloud. He did not look at the changeling.
“I know,” Thorax replied.
“Like that would have stopped anything that came afterwards.” The dragon’s voice was smoky and bitter. “Must really suck when you can tell if your friend hates you.”
“You get used to it,” Thorax said without looking up. “It comes in waves.”
“Are you sorry?”
“No,” Thorax chittered, “because my friends would have charged up this mountain and died for nothing.” He stuffed the notepad back into a pocket and held one hoof over it. “Starlight Glimmer was not stupid. She knew Twilight and Chrysalis, and knew she would be suffering. She couldn’t decide what was more important: saving her, or saving Equestria. She believed they were the same so she didn’t have to choose.”
“I don’t understand,” Flurry said between them.
“Doesn’t matter,” Spike growled. His eyes unfocused for a moment, then he shook his head. “I’ll be regent for Twilight. I...I can’t go to the front. I'm just going to kill them all.”
“You’ll do a far better job here than I could,” Flurry assured him. She hesitated to put a hoof over his claw, leaving her foreleg hanging in the air. Spike noticed. His eyes drifted down to her neck.
“Bruises heal?” he asked with a raspy voice.
“Obsidian’s got my crown and repairing the gorget.”
Spike swallowed. “I’m sorry.”
“So am I.” Flurry paused. She set her hoof down atop his claw. “I’ll stay. I need to learn how to be a Princess.”
“No,” Thorax said from the other side. “You need to fight.”
“Yes,” Spike agreed.
Flurry stared between them, then threw her forelegs out. “Fight, not fight, actually fight!” she whinnied in exasperation. “Stop changing your minds!”
“Ponies have heard enough from a voice on the radio,” Thorax explained with a patient look. “They need to see.”
“See what? I can’t be everywhere.”
“See that you aren’t Celestia,” Spike puffed a plume of smoke. “Sunset was right. Celestia was Equestria. It broke apart once she left. Look at Baltimare, or the Thestrals. Everyone here is here because of you, whether they want to admit it or not.”
“That sounds like an argument to stay,” Flurry retorted.
“And if you do stay, you’re a foreign filly with a weird accent surrounded by the army of Equestria’s rival,” the changeling said without judgement. “If you marry Grover after sitting out the war, you’re a puppet-pony placed upon a throne.”
Flurry glared at the notepad hidden in his jacket pocket. “Is something wrong?”
“No,” Thorax said. “Not yet.”
Flurry looked around the room. “Did anyone at this meeting try to kill me?”
“They’re still alive, so no,” Thorax deadpanned. “You think I’d let them live?”
“Dunno,” Flurry slapped the back of his chair with a wing. “How’s Cozy?”
“She’s a good liar,” Thorax chittered. “As good as you. I can get use out of her.”
“If you have to kill her, tell me.”
Thorax raised a ridged eyebrow. “Before?”
“After,” Flurry nickered. “Don’t tip her off.”
Spike sighed again. He reached into his pocket and placed a large claw down on the table, holding something in his palm. He closed his eyes.
Flurry peered up at him with a wince. “I’m sorry you weren’t involved.”
“I’d have done more than knocked out a tooth,” Spike rumbled. “Better that I wasn’t. Twilight didn’t know what to do with her. She loved that school so much.” His eyes wandered to the map.
“We cleared out Twilight’s old tower before Grover moved in,” Spike said. “Not much left. Changelings took everything she was working on during the war.”
“Chrysalis took everything of value to Vesalipolis,” Thorax said. “To the tower.”
“We’ll get it back,” Flurry stated. Her eyes were fixated on the map, tracing the northwestern peninsula that made up the Changeling Lands.
“Sunset came by with a box of stuff a few days ago,” Spike’s voice wandered. “Looked through it for…for stuff to decorate Twilight’s room. For when she wakes up.”
Flurry nodded. The dragon’s lips trembled around the chipped fang. His claw reflexively clenched, then he lifted his arm up and splayed out his talons.
An amulet dangled on a small chain.
“This is all that’s left.” Spike set the amulet down. “Twilight was working on it, I guess, or maybe one of the others.” He spun the circular device with a lazy claw.
Flurry looked down at it. It looked like a purple timepiece within a metal frame; exposed gears that rotated around a crescent moon within a sun and partial star. It was too big to have been a watch, and the gem in the middle matched Twilight’s color.
“What was it?” Flurry asked quietly. Her horn glowed, but she sensed no enchantment. Whatever it was meant to be, the visible gears and crystal spokes suggested it was unfinished.
“I don’t know,” Spike answered.
Flurry picked it up in her magic and rotated the central gear. The timepiece ticked quietly, rotating the star around the sun and moon. She set it down and watched it with Spike and Thorax.
Nothing happened.
“It’s yours,” Spike whispered, “if you want it.”
Flurry looked down at the amulet. “Thorax, do you…”
The changeling frowned. “No. Changelings must have thought it was junk, some unfinished thing.”
“I’m not putting more machines in her room,” Spike said lowly. “She has enough around her as is. Doctors keep adding more.” He nudged it over towards Flurry with a gentle talon. Flurry looked up at him.
“If she never told me about it, then it’s either one of the last things she ever worked on or a secret.” Spike tried to smile. “Maybe you could figure it out?”
The ticking stopped. Flurry levitated it over her head and let the amulet hang around her neck. Spike pressed her cap on over her mane stubble when she rewound it. She scowled up at him when a talon scrubbed her short mane.
Spike crinkled his eyes and looked away. “So, if you die…” he swallowed. “Lord Regent, huh? You just going to leave me in charge of everyone?”
“I’m sorry,” Flurry apologized.
“It won’t hold together, not if Twilight’s still asleep,” Thorax said from the other side of the alicorn. “Sunset was right. Celestia was Equestria.”
"If I die you can invite her back."
"I don't want-" Spike cut himself off. "I’m not letting it die. Not to these assholes.” He closed his eyes and snorted a plume of smoke. The dragon finally turned and looked over Flurry’s horn to Thorax.
The small changeling sat quietly in his uniform. “I’m sorry, Spike.”
Spike took a deep breath. “I need a contingency plan, Royal Advisor.”
Flurry looked between them.
“Of course, Lord Regent,” Thorax said without a smile. He caught Flurry’s eye. “I’ll talk with Spike. Go get something to eat.”
Flurry hesitated.
“Get out of here,” Spike gently pushed her chair back with a claw. She stood with wilting wings. The amulet ticked quietly around her neck.
“I’m sorry for putting this on you,” Flurry said quietly.
“You didn’t put anything on me,” Spike assured her. “I can do this. For Twilight and for you. I can wait a long time.”
Flurry pressed the ticking amulet looped around her neck with a wing, feeling the gears wind like a heartbeat. She walked to the doors; Jadis and Amoxtli nodded.
The alicorn looked over a wing and asked, “Are you sure?” for a final time. Her stomach growled under her; Flurry’s ears pinned in embarrassment.
“I’m sure,” Thorax smiled. “We’ll be here awhile.”
“There’s much to be done,” Spike agreed. He flexed the sleeves of his purple long coat, then removed his cap and set it down between him and Thorax.
Flurry twisted back and stared down at the amulet around her neck. It rested against her sash, looking like a clockwork mess of gears with a sun, moon, and star. Not quite a Crystal Heart.
She stepped forward out of the room. As Jadis and Amoxtli shut the double doors, Flurry noticed a burn mark in the wood from an errant spell. It blended into the carvings on the double doors. Flurry inspected the amulet a final time, holding it up with a white boot. Her horn glowed, but she sensed nothing. Not a weapon.
“Princess,” Amoxtli requested, “I can hear your stomach.” Her tufted ears flicked above her blue mane. “Some of our fine cooking can alleviate that,” she said with a mild smirk.
“Hayburgers,” Flurry ordered.
“With crickets,” Amoxtli compromised.
“Perhaps a fine crystal carrot dog?” Jadis countered.
“Can your kind eat crystals?” Amoxtli asked in curiosity.
“No, but I would rather attempt crystals than crickets.”
Flurry let the amulet hang from her neck as she trotted away. She did not hear when the ticking stopped, nor did anything happen when it did. That night, she left the amulet in her room beside Whammy and had a late dinner with Spike and Thorax. They did not tell her what they discussed, only that Equestria and the Empire would endure if something happened to her, and the agreements with the Griffonian Reich would be kept.
Flurry Heart was not stupid.
She did not ask who they planned to kill.
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More muted reaction to the news than I expected, but I suppose after everything it would be a bit underwhelming to those particular people. Can't imagine that one was right about the public not caring, I feel like their reaction will be a bit more... energetic.
I'm really hoping we see more of what's happening with Celestia and Luna, though I am pleased to see this updating again, you were really the only story I kept up on with regards to fimfiction.
Another excellent chapter, I'm really enjoying the political intrigue in this
I get such a visceral feeling of exhaustion here and it's amazing. One more bombshell? Well, that's Tuesday.
11654541
They don't really know her. Her friends, those who watched her grow up, were upset at what she decided for herself in Nova Griffonia. But the ELF doesn't really know Flurry. To the public, it depends: She's a foreign, weird filly with an off accent. A newspaper article about "The First Born Alicorn!" from 17 years ago immediately eclipsed by another weird news story. She was an oddity, one of several dozen in the span of a few years. Now, there's a massive shield over the north, and a large-winged alicorn riding tanks into battle and stringing up collaborators on lampposts.
How are they supposed to feel about her? In terms of Princesses, Cadance really got the short end of the stick in the show (mostly because she was initially designed as just a unicorn) and that translates to her and her daughter in the story. There wasn't a wellspring of "Princess Flurry!" supporters in the ELF or the resistance movements; the crystal ponies love her, of course, but Flurry is a big deal because she's the last one left. If Celestia and Luna had come back for Starlight, or if the ELF had made it in time to Twilight...
Flurry tells so many people because she's trying to figure out how well it's going to go over before it happens, and she keeps getting conflicting takes.
11654569
The amulet.
Between Dark and Dawn, Season 9, Episode 13.
This is the amulet Twilight used to help her move the sun and moon, riight? I wonder how Flurry will feel about her aunts when she realizes that they aren't needed anymore.
Edit: holy F***, I really need to stop typing on my phone I don't know how anyone could read that.
Please Mr. Author I love moon and sun butt too much to hate them. Don't make them out to be just silly cowards (Iam not asking you to change your plans for the story, I'm just airing out my thoughts while reading the chapter).
This story will give me a heart attack still, I am probably not the only one. Also thanks for the rapid release of chapters, it's quite nice and anxiety-inducing (in the good way).
11654629
If Sunset sees the amulet, she's going to think that Flurry wants to replace Celestia for good.
I was hoping that this meeting would expose Discord.
¡Happy birthday Grover VI!, maybe a scaly guest will show up at the last minute.
I love the political chapters.
It would be funny if Elias's wife was at the party, and they brought up the subject of the hotel room, haha.
11654667
Sunset gave it to Spike, so safe to say she doesn't know anything about it. No one knows anything about it, and whatever it is, it was obviously unfinished.
Elias hasn't seen his wife in awhile, and it's a bit much to ask the family to travel to a war-torn continent. No, because Grover is on Equus, the birthday party is his command staff, partially noble lords of the Reich and upper officers with honored guests. If he was back in Griffenheim, it would be people like Gabriela and Erion, so it's probably an improvement. Grover just has to clench his beak and ignore that his war is being derailed by his birthday.
Now my user name might make me a bit biased here but there is a lot of hate towards the Kaiser, I get it, he made mistakes but the characters seem to be ignoring that he and Flurry are quite similar but with different outcomes. Sorry if it sounded like criticism, it's not, it's just my observation.
Jacques isn’t even trying to hide his Discordness and I absolutely love it.
Flurry won’t think about who would die but I will!
There are probably a few names from the Empire and Imperial Coast. Sir Spike the Brave and Glorious has public favor but Artic Lily might take another shot at a communist utopia if Flurry bites the dust. They would just stay under their new shield and abandon the ponies that abandoned them in the war.
We just had a very dumb bat pony explain the problem with a democratic county getting taken over by a monarch, many don’t like it. I don’t think Josette is on the list but the Aquileian revolution happened so… Regardless the Imperial Coast would probably split in three overnight.
The poor Thestrals would lose another Princess and I think Light Narrative would have to add more names to list of dead Moon Speakers. Baltimare would also get burned to the ground, but I think that’s going to happen anyway lol.
From the ELF I think Sunset might be a problem but at the same time I bet she would only suggest trying to get Celestia to come back.
Poor Grover wouldn’t make it off Equus. After successfully completing his Crusade, a Changeling sneaks in and kills him, dying to keep the promise he made to his alicorn friend. Would make a great story, but Griffonia would eat itself with his death; Equestria would get to rebuild in peace.
Except there will never be peace without Flurry and Grover. They both need to live for a better future.
Looking forward to more! Absolutely love this story!
11654711
You know, Flurry might be in the same position as Celestia and Luna a long, long time ago. Everyone in that room has a problem with everyone else, and they're only all together because of her. Flurry doesn't have a thousand years of passive authority and approval. Really working "The Princess of Ponies" and "The Miracle of the North" here. If she's out of the picture, Twilight as she is makes a very easy figurehead.
No one in that room has tried to kill Flurry, but Thorax is keeping notes and passing them along to Spike. If Flurry Heart dies...well, measures will have to be taken to keep Equestria from exploding into a civil war. Celestia was Equestria. Starlight thought Equestria needs an alicorn. Maybe she wasn't wrong. Equestria implodes if Luna loses it in the mod, and the show is, well, the show. A thousand years of stability and disasters being handled in a day or two; I suppose Equestria became so stable it looped back around to incredibly unstable.
11654697
Don't confuse hate with the situation with hate on Grover himself. Ponies like Equestria and they don't want to see it be a puppet. It's compounded by the history between Equestria (Celestia) and the Griffonian Reich (the Grovers). Grover the Great forged his empire while Equestria was in a pretty peaceful time period, and Celestia didn't like the violence on the other continent. Grover II doubled-down. Their interactions have never been warm. There's a lot of posturing going on.
Why is it that after I get obliterated by Changelings in EaW I come to fimfiction and notice an EaW story updated?
media.tenor.com/l4sZJmaktZEAAAAC/rainbow-dash-mlp-are-you-a-spy.gif
I'm surprised nobody refuted Sunset on that.
Rarity strayed pretty close before Flurry herself shut her down.
I guess the ones closest to Flurry didn't want to revisit that whole mess?
11654697
I can't help but feel that some of the disparaging remarks about Grover were meant as a sort of show of support for Flurry, given their context and timing.
They don't understand the true nature of Flurry and Grover's relationship and - to be fair - neither do the pair, themselves.
Hoo, boy...
Anyone with more political acumen willing to spell out who the likely targets-
11654711
Ah, thank you.
So, am i right, that Spike and Thorax are going to make an assasination attempt on Flurry?
11654742
True, the Griffonian Empire and Equestria are polar opposites, and sorry, I suppose I was confusing the hate for the situation with hate for Grover like you said. It's good to know my favorite bird in the mod is not as hated as I thought.
You know what would be nice to see , some good old crystal empire games between guests at birthday party planned by grover.
A coulter move.
11654975
I would rather confidently claim that no, that is not something they would ever do. I can understand that if you look at this bit:
for too long and without considering context, you might, possibly, reach that conclusion.
But with context from the chapter, with context from the rest of the story, Considering the Fact that they are her adoptive uncles who love her like family, I do not think they want her dead.
11652495
I should mention that Jungle Trek belongs to Big Saij, who is currently occupied with doing the Lord's Work on Equestria in Equestria at War.
11655828
Oh i had no idea, I'll check his stuff out, thanks for letting me know.
11655828
Do you have an upload schedule for The Princess and the Kaiser or no? If so, what is it? I’m loving the book and would happily pay if it costed since you excel at making it feel lived in.
11655260
But in this case, who will be their victim?
11658746
Well for that I would refer you to another comment further down in the section by CurlySillyPony who does a good job theorizing. I would also recommend you read the author's reply to that comment, as it helps explain what is happening in the scene.
Jacques is amazing xD
Meeting on economics: he sleeps with googly eyes
is told he'll have to play nice with Griffonians, he crosses his fingers casually
answers an economics question, "i never sleep"
server for Vivienne Discret, undercover, spills a glass
this dude's story is worthy of a book itself xD
also, loved this chapter. its politics yes but interesting and...actually making progress.
still curious how big the reaction will be to the wedding. they are right Flurry needs to be seen as different to Celestia. Every day Flurry is seen fighting, and Celestia is absent, more ponies will turn from celestia to flurry.
what do the common griffons of griffonia view alicorns as....beneath them like a pony? or above them like a kaiser. gonna be interesting indeed.
and the biggest excitement, will be how the river republic, and specifically celestia, react when the wedding eventually leaks to them. I expect Celestia will be sending a letter to Flurry for once. and Flurry will get the chance to just, throw it away.
Needz moar Foightin!!!! Utter wise waz a gud Readin I'z guez!!!
Guys it's my bday today
11661348
Happy belated birthday, I guess?
11665245
Yo thanks....I guess
I love that response, it’s both a great expression of unconditional support for an admired loved one and probably Flurry’s most vocal endorsement of Harmony to date. Feck it, I feel like rambling about Twilight for a while, a word of warning: this one will probably be a long one.
So, Twilight.
Despite not appearing all that often in the story, for obvious reasons, Twilight’s character has nevertheless loomed quite large, particularly in more recent chapters. Twilight, the symbol, is generally portrayed as immensely wise, intelligent, virtuous, and an all around great and saintly figure, she also never stopped fighting for Equestria, nor ever gave up on the principle that Friendship is Magic. She is, essentially, Equestria and Harmony personified; the ultimate paragon of what a Princess is.
And Twilight lost.
Later, when the ELF rose up on revolt, she was there with them, in spirit if not form. In a personal way, through the ELF leadership, which was in a big part composed of ponies converted to Harmony by Twilight herself. And in a more general way, through the ELF’s philosophy, as the movement generally did everything in its power to remain true to the tenets’ of Equestria.
Despite everything the ELF was merely an imperfect copy of what Equestria was at its height. In particular, they couldn’t adhere to the maxim of Friendship and experienced constant infighting, even while struggling for their lives. It’s fitting, perhaps, that not only did they lost, but that they lost in part thanks to their obsession with recapturing Canterlot; with freeing Twilight. It could perhaps even be said that by imitating and pursuing Twilight to the bitter end, the ELF lost Equestria.
The ELF lost, and Chrysalis tortured Twilight until she was left comatose as a reprisal. And in that state she was left, condemned to slowly wither away.
And yet Twilight, despite everything, lived on. Her legacy resonating to the present strongly enough that with a speech she drove the ponies of Canterlot into open revolt.
In that speech Twilight looked at herself and recognized a failed Princess of Friendship, and yet in doing so she merely strengthened her embrace of Harmony, concluding that what doomed Equestria was their insufficient commitment to real harmonic values; their willing blindness to injustice anywhere outside Equestria. In her last moments of freedom, perhaps, she saw a different, stronger, brand of Harmony, one that was capable and willing of fighting for what was right, rather than one that cowered under the sheets in the hopes that the baddies would simply disappear. Perhaps such a style of Harmony would have been enough to save Equestria (perhaps it would drive the Equestria of the East to not repeat the same mistakes), we don’t know, for she was captured soon after.
Perhaps the recording of that speech would have been enough to tip the scales in favor of the ELF, allowing them to capture Canterlot and free her. We don’t know, for the pony that had it hid under her desk, and, presumably, held her eyes closed while the battle raged on around her until the Hegemony won.
Then, eventually, Flurry arrived.
Flurry adopted a general predisposition directly contrary to that of Twilight. Whereas the latter stayed forever true to Harmony, the formed embraced a quite different, and almost opposite, philosophy. That desperate times call for desperate measures, that the ends justify the means, maybe even that there is only one virtue: Victory, and only one sin: Defeat.
And Flurry won.
In some ways, she has even done so by directly undoing Twilight’s work, like with how she converted Fizzlepop Berrytwist back into the Storm King’s marshal. A great concrete example of how she’s, in a way, saving what remains of Equestria’s body by killing what was left of its soul.
And yet Twilight lives on. She’s comatose, yes, but alive. And in this instance Flurry, as in many other occasions, explicitly refused to push her past the brink. She will not take away Twilight’s crown, she will not become an Empress, because at the end of the day Flurry still believes, deep down, in what Harmony was, what it could have been, what it could be. Even after all that has happened she retains that clear red line, one that she absolutely refuses to cross. Despite how easy it would be to do so, how easier everything would become, how happier she would be, if she simply dropped such heavy morals (it's probably a good thing, in this situation, that Flurry is always ready to sacrifice herself for others). And so she will fight on as a Princess, and maybe, someday, eventually, Twilight will wake up, and everything will be alright.
But that's in the future, for now there are still battles to be fought and a war to be won. So Flurry will have to keep staring at the abyss for a long while yet, and considering that she hasn’t faced Chrysalis or a desperate Hegemony yet we probably still have a long way to go until we reach rock bottom. We don’t know what will happen in the future, but for now Twilight is alive, and retains her crown, and there is something reassuring about that. And, either way, what’s the worst that could happen?
So don’t worry. Remain Calm. The Empress endures. Twilight lives. Equestria shall endure. There is much to be done.
11671569
Well, someone realized the back-up plan if Flurry dies is Taboritsky Spike. I enjoy the analysis. Yes, when it comes down to it Flurry's entire refusal to claim the Crystal Empress title is down to her family. It lessens her mother and her aunt, and she respects them too much to do it.
Sunset/Rarity did bring up the "placating/pretense" take, which isn't Flurry's intention but it is a good indicator that the blind trust in alicorns is basically gone for Equestrians. Flurry's ponies trust her to lead them, but they're also aware of what she's capable of in ways that they didn't see the others. Poor Slush Fund is very aware she's in neck-snapping range with an alicorn that can and will snap her neck. The days of screaming at her for her choices are over, except for the select few she calls family or ponies like Sunset and Rarity with memories of Equestria-That-Was deep in their hearts, burning bright. (As another indicator, Flurry is overall fine with ponies shouting at her, but nopony sane wants to shout at the alicorn with a known six-digit kill count.)
11671645
Most of her actions have quite banal explanations, in the end she's 'just' a powerful and well-intentioned teen doing the best she can with an impossibly difficult situation, not a philosopher. But at the same time her actions tend to have quite interesting ideological implications, intended or not, and her persistent rejection of the title of Empress is one that particularly fascinates me.
Is it? Sunset and Rarity are both part of Flurry's inner circle, their attitudes and thoughts probably have little if anything in common with the attitudes and thoughts of normal Equestrians.
That will probably be the only thing that keeps her from embracing Supremacy at some point (I feel like Grover would almost certainly support her if she ever chooses to reject Harmony completely, so long as she stays sane at least).
Again, is it? Ponies not shouting at Flurry could signal fear, but also respect, love, and/or admiration. Either way, as far as we know most (liberated) Equestrians see her as a rightful avenger and bringer of justice, which is to say that if you haven't been wicked you have no reason to fear her (and if they don't think that then Flurry's state apparatus should probably invest more in propaganda).
Naaa. It's pretty obvious she doesn't make herself Empress because it would weaken Grovers leverage and make her his superior and we can't have that can we. Everything MUST go Grovers way and Flurry MUST be his subordinate and puppet. It's just the rules of this fic apparently. Every evident fact and course of action that would weaken Grovers domination over Flurry and Equus can not be allowed.
Is apparently willing to kill children for her subjects, is willing to die for them, to kill for them, to torture and oppress and ruin them - but not willing to 'take away' Twilights 'crown', you know the one she didn't even want or need and that she would HAPPILY give up if it helped the people of Equus?
But nope Flurry conveniently wouldn't 'take it away' - she is willing to literally kill Twilight or let Twilight die, but 'take away' Twilights 'crown'? Nope, too far apparently.
Flurry:
Twilight being killed? That's Fine.
Twilight losing her 'crown'? That's Not Fine.
We'll just ignore how not doing so helps Grover dominate Equus, Total coincidence of course. Uhhuh. Totally accidental that Flurry was willing to let Twilight die (which would help Grover) but isn't willing take take Twilights crown (which would not help Grover).
11695759
Flurry Heart is sixteen for fucks sake. She clearly has some mental health issues, and hides them well enough. Her priorities are going to be completely out of order. Equestria is so broke that without the Reich’s aid it’ll collapse into feudalism within a century, at best! The Reich occupy significant chunks of important cities across Equestria! They have a proper army with mechanised forces and a proper air force! Not to mention Equestria doesn’t have anything resembling a functioning economy at the moment. At least, not the sort necessary for a higher/larger form of government
Tell me two things; one, how would Equestria and the Crystal Empire survive without any sort of debt or aid from any other power if Flurry Heart decided that the Reich had no power in Equestria, or even any reason to be there? Grover VII or even Grover VIII could/would crush the petty kingdoms that Equestria would collapse into at their leisure, taking the resources and doing as they please, without having to bend to the will or power of Flurry Heart.
The second question I’m going to ask is why the fuck are you still reading this story since you clearly hate it? Are you a masochist?