Keeping It In The Family
Stepping inside the glistening castle, Twilight looked around in wonder. She couldn't help it; she might not have Rarity's adoration (approaching on obsession) for gemstones, but she could still appreciate the fine craftponyship of the walls. Hundreds of crystal ponies must have worked on such a fine structure. The Crystal Ponies must have made it with some sort of magic. But to what kind of magic remained a mystery to Twilight.
As she stepped through the halls, two guards escorted her towards the throne room, flanking her on each side. She knew they were there for her protection, but sometimes she wished she could have a moment to herself in the castle.
The two guards stepped aside as a large door opened, revealing the throne room. Trotting inside, Twilight ran up the long entryway to meet Shining Armor, throwing her hooves around her older brother in a tight hug.
"BBBFF! It's been so long! Gosh, it seems like the only times we ever meet up or visit one another is due to some wacky adventure or the fate of Equestria is at stake; what's that about?" Twilight smiled, unintentionally letting her nerves get to her as she rambled.
Turning to Cadance, Twilight immediately dropped down and began their customary greeting, to the chagrin of the guards watching, who had to stop themselves from cracking a smile.
"Sunshine sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" Twilight giggled, looking up at her sister-in-law before taking a deep breath. She tried to slow her racing thoughts.
"Sorry, it's just a little nerve-racking. I've had to put somepony in... well, I've made arrangements for Ponyville to be guarded, but I'm not expecting great results while we're gone. And the map calling us on this trip... it's a little much. But I'm glad to see you guys; it's great to see my favorite sister. How is everything doing in the Empire?"
Cadance went along with the old ritual before sharing a laugh with her sister-in-law, “We’ve been okay, I know it can be stressful to leave your domain under the watchful eye of somepony else. But I’m sure you made the right call and picked someone right for the position.”
Twilight chuckled awkwardly, knowing exactly who she put in charge, and she was completely sure that she didn't choose the right po-- creature for the job.
Shining trotted up to his younger sister and hugged her tightly,
"First, there are rumors of a Changeling infiltrator, and now my sister has her house destroyed. We have our guards on high alert, which is why we had an escort ready for you. It's great to see you, Twily, but what exactly are you doing here? What's with all the equipment? Some of it looks on par with some of our supply shipments the Royal Guard receives across the Empire." prodded Shining.
"It's a long story…." the mare chuckled.
"I bet it is," approached Cadance, a friendly smile on her lips. "You mentioned your Cutie Map called you for some sort of expedition; we had to help the volunteers from Ponyville with your luggage at the train station. I must say, judging from the amount of gear and munitions, I'd say this is no vacation," she chuckled.
Cadance paused before her warm expression quickly turned to worry, "Twilight, we heard about your castle getting destroyed by somecreature; why didn't you tell us? Shining and I have been very worried. Do you know the creature responsible for such destruction? Should The Empire be on guard?"
Sighing, the purple alicorn seemed to lose all of the air in her body, nearly deflating as she was reminded of her home. How many times was she going to lose it? First the library, now the castle. It made her a bit hesitant to accept staying over at another pony's home. She didn't want that one getting blown up too.
"Unless I'm cursed, which I highly doubt, I don't think there's any need to worry about your castle." Twilight chuckled softly. "I'm sorry I didn't mention it; I guess it just slipped my mind. I've been a little... exhausted, to be honest."
Cadance gave her a concerned look and beckoned the two over as they began leaving the throne room and entering a large room with a crystal table. As they all sat down, a servant pony quickly trotted up and placed a steaming hot tea kettle.
"I do know who did it, however, a unicorn named Starlight Glimmer. She even attempted to leave me in the Everfree Forest to get torn apart by Timberwolves!" the memory still sent a chill down her spine. "I was lucky Zecora was there... but I doubt she would come to such a well-guarded place to attack me." Twilight wasn't stupid; it had occurred to her that she was possibly being stalked. So long as she was in a densely populated area, she should be safe.
Shining and Cadance looked to one another, looking somewhat confused at the fact the creature causing all this trouble was a pony and horrified that this pony was capable of such barbarity.
"A…unicorn?" Cadance fumbled, "Are you sure it isn't a Changeling or perhaps Queen Chrysalis seeking revenge? Changeling or not, we must send our warmest regards to Zecora for saving your life." Shining armor nodded firmly to that sentiment.
Twilight cocked a brow, looking up at Cadance's question curiously. "Yes, a unicorn. Did you really say that there's a changeling intruder about? Do you two need help with that? The trip can wait a few days if you need it." she offered without hesitation.
"It's just rumored, but there have been sightings of Changeling magic in the lower parts of the city. Flashes and hues of green magic flaring up at night in the alleys and sewers. But don't worry about us, Twilight; we can handle our own. As for your safety and peace of mind, I can detach a small squadron of guards and inform the public of this menace. Have you informed Celestia of this pony?" Shining asked curiously.
Taking a sip of her tea, the lavender alicorn nodded. "I don't think that Guards will be necessary; I have sent her a letter detailing everything I knew about this pony. I've had one other run-in with her at a town that's actually quite near the Crystal Empire. It's called-- actually, now that I think about it, they never said what the name was. They just called it 'Our Town.' Very strange..."
Twilight hummed to herself in thought, "Perhaps it wasn't a changeling, but a unicorn who possesses a green aura? My friend's sister Sweetie Belle has been practicing, and she has it herself. But maybe I'm just being optimistic... so many things are going wrong, I just don't want it happening to you two or the ponies of your Empire."
"Let's hope it's just somepony practicing their magic in the strangest of places. But we are very concerned about this genuine threat posed to you, Twilight; we don't want you to get hurt by some….deranged pony." Shining said awkwardly; it was so strange to put such a negative connotation on a pony of all creatures.
The lavender unicorn smiled and approached her brother, giving him a side-hug. "It's going to be okay big brother; that Starlight Glimmer might have gotten the jump on me that time, but I promise you, it won't happen again." she said this to him confidently, but mostly just to put him and Cadance at ease. She didn't want to worry them while she and her friends were on their trip.
The older stallion graciously accepted Twilight's hug as he let out a begrudging sigh, "If you say so, but also, please let us put up posters across the Empire to inform the good ponies of our Empire of this menace."
"We'll even place a bounty on her so that all of the Crystal Empire may know of this evil placed against you, Twilight." Assured Cadance. "The last thing I need is another powerful unicorn to oppress the Crystal Ponies again."
"That's actually a great idea. Just in case." Twilight turned to her sister-in-law, "Thank you, Cadance, really."
"We don't mean to pry or interrogate you, Twilight; it's just very strange that you bring all these munitions and gear so suddenly," Cadance said as she poured the table a cup of tea. "And with this attack, we're just concerned for your safety and the safety of our ponies."
Another servant quickly trotted up to Twilight and put down a set of menus full of desserts and meals before handing Cadance and Shining a set of menus as well. He humbly bowed to the royals before leaving the room.
"I completely understand, Cadance… To explain, the map seemed to call us beyond Equestria to solve friendship problems. Most of the supplies are just for what we might encounter ahead. I.... might have overpacked a little..." Twilight chuckled nervously, glad to sit down and rest her hooves. A nice meal wouldn't hurt, either.
Thanking the friendly servant, she chose a light dandelion salad and a small, simple slice of chocolate cake for dessert. "I was honestly hoping that you two might have some idea what is past the mountains leading to Yakyakistan?"
The couple listened attentively, looking at one another before turning back to face Twilight, "Nopony dares venture into the Crystal Mountains; all of our maps and information dates back before the disappearance of the empire." explained Shining.
The purple princess sat up straighter as the pair began to speak of the mountains, pulling a notebook and a quill out from her saddlebags and taking down notes as they went along.
Cadance sighed, "And nopony in the Empire can be convinced to travel into the mountains. They believe them to be cursed or even haunted by King Sombra's dark magic. Some say that King Sombra was not destroyed by Spike The Brave And Glorious but banished back into the mountain."
"Which is ridiculous, as you know," Sighed Shining, "But because some ponies saw what appeared to be his horn fly off into the mountains, they believe at least a part of King Sombra's soul torments the mountains."
She couldn't help but chuckle at the rumors about the mountains and King Sombra; hearing that was a bit more soothing. There was no possible way that Sombra could be 'haunting' them. There had never even been *one* recorded instance by a trusted wizard of a spectral phenomenon. Letting out a small sigh, Twilight set her quill down and turned back to her family.
The servant pony quickly trotted back inside the meeting room as he collected the menus and examined each of them, quickly scribbling down each order before trotting off into the other room.
"What is the more realistic explanation," Continued Cadance, "is that there are most likely sweeping peaks and snowed-in trails that haven't been used in over a thousand years. Sombra or no Sombra, the journey will be most difficult."
"Well, that shouldn't be too difficult to manage, so long as my friends and I stick together. Have any pegasi managed to fly in that area?" Unfortunately for Dash, they would have to hoof it if the winds were too challenging to fly.
Shining shook his head, "I can't make any of the Guards do an expedition into those mountains," sighed Shining, "All of my Officers say there's no point venturing past the magical barrier created by the Crystal Heart, and to 'leave well enough alone.'" he scoffed.
Cadance sighed, "Believe us, we've tried….the pegasi believe Sombra will conjure up a storm that will sweep up anypony wh flies too close to the mountains."
"All because that horn," groaned Shining, "That one horn that's most likely lodged into some mountain's surface by now is causing our subjects to be terrified of traveling into the mountains."
Twilight shook her head and sighed, "Well, it was worth a try. I hope there's not actually something up there to be scared of..." For a moment, she let her anxiety get to her, imagining Sombra was up in those mountains, waiting for his opportunity to get his revenge. She shook her head, smiling nervously. "But I'm sure there's nothing to be worried about, probably just the wildlife scaring them off..."
"Let's hope it's the more reasonable answer of wild animals rather than the return of our most feared enemy." replied Shining.
Cadance chuckled, "Maybe you coming here to help show the ponies not to be so fearful of the mountain is part of your journey? Because from what I've read Yak's don't appear to be…the most friendliest creatures in Equus."
Looking up at Cadance's suggestion, her eyes widened. "That's... that's a great idea, Cadance; why didn't I think of it myself?! I should write a *guide* to Yakyakistan and their culture, and I'm practically made for it!" Twilight practically jumped up from her chair in glee, clapping her hooves. "Thank you so much for suggesting it!"
The couple smiled warmly at Twilight's bout of excitement. Cadance beamed brightly as she rose from her chair, "I think that's more than enough reason to celebrate!"
"Yes!" Agreed Shining, "Let's bring out something to drink, for my sister Twilight Sparkle, her expedition, and her up-and-coming book!"
A set of servant ponies with trays and dishes of each ponies preferred meal was quickly placed to all of them. As Another pony promptly brought in a fine bottle of wine with a set of fancy drinking glasses, generously pouring the three a drink as he passed along the beverages to each of them.
"To Twilight Sparkle." cheered Shining as he raised his glass.
"To The Crystal Empire." cheered Cadance as she raised her glass.
Twilight gave the pair a nod before lifting her drink, "And to family and friendship." she took a sip and looked down at her salad, her stomach growling with hunger. "Now let's eat; I'm starving."
Deeper in the castle, Fluttershy was wandering about, having lost her way while Twilight was being lead along by the guards. She had only been here a few times and was just trying to find her way back to the main hallway.
"Hello?" Her timid voice barely even echoed in these corridors. Sighing, Fluttershy simply chose a direction and followed it.
"Oh bother..."
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The conversation seems a little disjointed, but all in all a decent chapter.
Have to agree with the previous commenter. This chapter's dialogue is a little hard to follow, especially cause sometimes you start a character's speech in one paragraph and then finish it in another. And sometimes it seems that the characters are reacting to one another paragraph by paragraph if that makes any sense.
Still, I did like this chapter. I quite like it.
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It was a bit of a clusterfuck because me and my co-author roleplay and then edit the roleplay. This chapter went through two rewrites, and we're still not entirely happy with it. But we quickly fixed that issue in the following chapters.
I still think that's adorable and how much they really love each other so much as sisters
Gasp thorax he's here pretty early he must have really want to get out of that Kingdom so badly
Yeah seriously they still don't know the name of the town lol
I mean they're not wrong his horn is out there so he can still be alive sort of
So it looks like Twilight and Fluttershy made it to the castle but just only Twilight meeting with them and they were pretty happy to see her especially even despite that things are kind of crazy lately she even told him about the whole situation about her castle being destroyed and almost got herself killed by Starlight glimmer and hopefully the name will get out there and stop her and Shining Armor and Cadence were pretty worried about her especially with a unicorn with that kind of strength they should be on the lookout for her and they even talk about a rumor about a changeling which we already know who that is roaming around and apparently even King sombra's Horn is still in the mountains after being blasted away and making everybody so worried about it well at least they have a pretty good conversation and hopefully things will go very well and apparently Fluttershy got lost and I wonder who did she see