Love between two very different souls, and a nuclear scare. What could go wrong?
He was a thousand-year-old tyrant unicorn with a heart as black as night, she was a twenty-something confectionery worker, it could never have worked. Yet, with a bitter cold winter upon Equestria, two lonely souls come to discover that you shouldn't worry over what you once had, be it a solid relationship or a mighty empire with a ton of slaves, but rather that you should simply learn to appreciate the simple things that life can offer you.
Elsewhere, Princess Celestia attempts to stop a nuclear war with the newly reformed Crystal Empire.
Never leave a job half done. This was a lesson the resident forces of good in Equestria seemed to have trouble following. First, there was Nightmare Moon, the dark side of the Princess of the Moon, who would have had all the land covered in a permanent darkness if it meant getting her more time to shine. To her surprise however, the Elements of Harmony prevailed and put all her plans to a halt, and what cruel retribution awaited the corrupt Princess: all the dark in her swept away and the good mare known as Luna came back to the light, completely forgiven for her brief reign of terror. Next, there was Discord, an agent of all things trickery, a master of mayhem and a blight upon the bright. When he was freed from a stone prison, he spared not one second in swiftly dismantling the order of the world of Equestria, turning everything upside down and making chaos the supreme ruler over all. Yet, to his utter shock, the force of chaos did not save him from the force of friendship, and his ever so brief reign was brought to a sudden halt. And what a fitting punishment it was that he be returned to his prison of stone, the odds of being released a soundly minimal, and the world was free of his influence and knew a second peace.
Then came the clever and corruptive Queen Chrysalis, leader of the army of the changelings, a deceptively deceptive band of shape shifters. She went about her conquest a little differently, opting instead to assume the guise of the Cadance, the Princess of Love and infiltrate the very heart of the Equestrian royalty. It proved too late when her true form was finally deciphered, for by then, she had subdued Princess Celestia herself, and assured dominance over all through siphoning the power of love into a concentrated form of magic. But as all good villains go, she underestimated what kind of power love can turn out to be, and was thus defeated along with her entire army, forcefully expelled from the land of Equestria, never to trouble it again.
And finally, there came King Sombra, the dictator of the long and forgotten nation that was the Crystal Empire. When it came time for him and his empire built on the backs of slaves to return, complete and utter victory was only moments away, just out of his reach. His dominance over the resurgent empire would have been more than assured, had it not been for one last trick of fate that instead assured his defeat. And what fate awaited the decrepit king of a lost empire, perhaps the opportunity for a chance of redemption, or the swift exile to faraway lands, never to return again.
Alas, not. The King known as Sombra was not granted such a punishment, but rather his form was completely and utterly destroyed, blasted into a billion pieces by the collective power of the Empire. But, as the almost obsolete saying goes: Never leave a job half done. Due to some particular strange and unexpected play of fate, the king survived, not in the way he would have liked, but still alive nonetheless. His form had been crudely morphed into what he considered a shadow of his former glory, nothing but the simple dark stallion he was, minus the horn and practically everything magic about him.
That sure sucked, to put it lightly. The king found himself found himself being flung across the lands of Equestria, a thousand and one thoughts flying through his strange new head, none of them that made him feel like the tyrant of a unicorn he once was. In fact, now that he was in the state he was, King Sombra felt a very different feeling, some kind of mixture between regret and disappointment. He felt disappointment in the fact that victory had been snatched from him in the very last moment by a dragon and princess being used as a javelin. But where was all that regret coming from, maybe it from his rather poor performance in reclaiming his throne, no that wasn’t it. Maybe it was the fact that he had only his crystal slaves in his possession for only a brief while.
Wait a minute. Slaves. Slaves, that was it. Except, it wasn’t the thought of the crystal ponies becoming his slaves once again that was stirring the strange feeling of regret within the former unicorn’s dark heart. It was that he, King Sombra, had become a slave himself. A slave to power, the urging to control other ponies’ lives, the vigorous rush he got when they were just an inch away from his grasp. And it had brought him nothing but destruction and loss. It had turned him from his position as a once terrible unicorn of great power, into this wreck that was now being thrown across the land like a ragdoll. It was just then that the king felt the weight of the world descend, and he found himself crashing towards the ground. Landing with a thump, he got to his hooves, finding it hard to maintain control in this form that was a shadow of his former glory. He felt heavy, but it was in his heart that he felt the heaviest; he had not been destroyed but given a second chance, but not the chance to try and seek out his former glory, seeing how well that went down, but rather to do… something with his life.
The king felt lost, but definitely not like a king, but it was just then that he found himself to be quite the distance away from a town. What kind of town, he did not know, but something about the opportunity to interact with ponies again, and maybe in a different way considering his form made him excited for some strange reason. So, picking up the pace, the pony formally known as King Sombra trotted off in the direction of the town, hoping that whatever he would find there, it would be preferable to what he had left behind.
The cold hoof of winter had reared its head upon the small but bustling town of Ponyville, and in an instant it was felt by all. An ever present chill wind hung over the town, entrapping every inhabitant in its snare of bitter cold, accompanied by the sporadic bout of thunder that would signal a period of rain to fall upon the mares and stallions going to and fro. Yet even with such a seemingly bleak state of weather that the small town of Ponyville found itself in, this was to be expected, and was in fact welcomed by some for it signalled the beginning of what someponies considered to be the most wonderful time of the year.
Hey, nopony ever said that winter had to be full of a delightful windless months with a soft cuddly blanket of snow for all the little fillies to play about in. On the contrary, the arrival of snow was quite dreaded by some, for the snow was not the warm blanket that could be enjoyed by all, but a bitter hard coat of sharp ice that was the cause of more than a few injuries amongst some of Ponyville’s inhabitants with a lesser sense of balance.
It was one on this particular night that a certain mare was navigating her way home through the treacherous streets, taking good care to avoid the parts where the slippery was at its most slipperiest. For Bon Bon, she felt like she was in just the right mood despite her state of precaution, for she heartily agreed that this time of the year was the best, for a multitude of reasons.
On no other period or season did the same atmosphere be captured like it was here, nothing but love, excitement and happiness held emotional reign over the ponies in the days leading up to the festive holiday that was Hearth’s Warmth Day, more commonly referred to as Hearth’s Warming Eve, for it was the preceding day that everypony seemed to enjoy the most. That final stretch into the following celebration was enough to induce feelings of giddiness in even the most stoic of stallions and the mundane of mares.
The humble earth pony was soon to be arriving at her destination, something she had been looking forward to all day, for Bon Bon was an immensely tired mare at the moment, and the fellow mare that awaited her always knew what to do to ease her aching bones and make her forget about all the cold that hovered throughout the town. Right now, all Bon Bon wanted to do when she got home was to lie in front of the fireplace with the unicorn of her dreams and content herself to let the fire in the log and the fire in her heart warm her through the night.
Sad to say, things would be turning out a little differently than what she hoped for.
“Lyra honey, I’m home!” Bon Bon exclaimed with gratitude for finally being able to get out of the storm as she stepped through the door to their residence.
Her roommate did not answer her, but that was to be expected, she thought. It wasn’t like she was expecting a reply, Bon Bon was simply preforming the rudimentary announcement of her return. What she did not expect, however, was to see her unicorn partner sitting in the way she was in the living room, perched on the couch in a way that was unlike any other pony except for Lyra, who was fond of such eccentric ways to contort her body. However, it was the way she was sat that worried Bon Bon, a certain pose that suggested she wanted to discuss or confess something. Lyra was fiddling about with her hooves, and didn’t seem to register that Bon Bon was there until she spoke again, this time with the intent to get a reaction from her unicorn partner.
“Lyra…honey.” Bon Bon began. “What is it?”
Lyra brought her light green unicorn head to meet her earth pony’s beige one. Her eyes meet Bon Bon’s, but in just a second she darted them away, as if there was something about them that caused her pain.
“Lyra.” Bon Bon started again. “What is this? You’re never like this. Have you done something?”
“Yeah I done something.” Lyra finally said meekly. “Something bad.”
“O…Kay.” Bon Bon said. “What have you done?”
“I…I…” Lyra was struggling to get out. “I done gone and, err, cheated on you.”
Bon Bon needed a couple of seconds to register that particular phrase. Its meaning was crystal clear, but that didn’t make it any less painful to hear. Her head became a vacuum as her mind went deaf, but soon, a dozen odd questions began to fill the void, darting all around her empty space, and making it difficult for the mare to form a coherent response.
“Sorry, I guess.” Lyra said, bringing her back to reality. She felt suddenly offended, but in a very different way to what Lyra had confessed.
“Sorry, I guess?” She parroted back, finding how casual Lyra had said that particular set of words to be just as offensive as her confessing her affair.
“Well.” Lyra began, in a very different manner to the one of fearfulness that had dominated her. “I’m sorry… I am. But… in a way, I’m kinda glad too.”
Bon Bon tilted her head to observe her unicorn partner in an inquisitive manner.
“How long?” She asked.
“Wha…?” Lyra said, not having properly registered the query.
“Just… tell me. How long?” Bon Bon reaffirmed herself, eager for the answer, but yet, fearful too.
Lyra drew her gaze away from her partner again. “About a year.”
Whoa, now Bon Bon was threatening to enter another phase of stunned silence, but she managed to press on.
“Ur, excuse me.” She pleaded in disbelief. “About a… about a year?!”
“Well.” Lyra said quietly. “About a year… and a half.”
Now Bon Bon entered into another bout of numbness within her head. Part of her wanted to press Lyra for more, find out everything there was to know, how something like this had come to happen, who the mare or stallion that she was having this thing with was, and most of all, why?
But then there was another part inside her that did not want to pursue such an endeavour. The part that felt that, if she did, no sense of satisfaction or pleasure would she find, but rather, only more pain. As it turned out, it was that part that proved the strongest.
“You know where the door is.” She simply stated to her… unicorn.
“That’s what I thought.” Lyra bitterly remarked, before her horn was enveloped in a bright green aura, a set of bags levitating in front of her, before she made her way to the front door.
Bon Bon didn’t register her movements, her gaze now drawn to the fireplace, burning a deceitful orange.
“One more thing.” Lyra called back to her, causing Bon Bon to rear her head to at least grant her the courtesy of a final glance. “It’s been emotional.”
And with that, she waltzed through the door, out into the bitter cold of the streets, before the door swung shut in one swift thud.
As for Bon Bon standing stoically, gazing to where her once unicorn partner had been just a few moments ago, she did not know what to think. As if drawn by her subconscious instinct, she trotted over to the couch and sat herself down, looking into the fire as if there was something meaningful to be had in doing so.
For Princess Celestia, supreme ruler over all of Equestria, she was facing a very different kind of crisis herself. Nothing too extreme, but it certainly had the potential to become just that, for what face the alicorn was nothing to do with the end of something, but rather the possible beginning of something. It all had something with the recently resurgent Crystal Empire, and just the mere thought of anything to do with that name was making Celestia worry endlessly, for she had not done something like what she was about to do with this brand new old nation.
She had worked herself up into such a state that is was hard to tell if it was the real refined and elegant Princess behind all these walls she had erected around herself. Celestia found herself pacing at an extreme pace around her throne room, finding that when she stood still, the butterflies in her stomach simply flew in some crazy kind of whirlwind. Attending to the Princess was her sister and fellow alicorn, Princess Luna, who was attempting to try and talk some sense into her or at least say something that would make her stand still, for her eyes were growing tired simply trying to keep up with the alicorn in motion.
“Maybe I should attend to the negotiations if you’re not feeling too well, sister?” Luna suggested, constantly rotating her head to keep Celestia within her line of sight.
Something in that notion must have resonated within the Princess, for she actually paused on the spot, before turning to meet her sister, face to face.
“Luna.” She began. “You know I can’t let you do that. If the crystal ponies do not meet with me face to face, then there’s no way they’re going to agree to our terms.”
“Well.” Luna began to counteract. “They’re not very likely going to anyway if you keep on acting like that.”
That was true enough, Celestia wanted to make a good impression for when the crystal ponies would be arriving, but as was obvious, she couldn’t seem to keep her emotions in check.
“Luna.” She said again. “It’s been a thousand years. You of all mares should be aware of the kind of change that can happen in a time like that.”
Luna didn’t need any prompting. She was all the more aware of how spending such a long time away isolated from society can do to just about any soul, and she shuddered to imagine if the crystal ponies were to exhibit the kind of changes that she had upon her return to civilisation.
“Is that what’s making you so worried?” She asked. “You think something like that gonna happen again, is that it?”
“Of course not.” Celestia exclaimed in resound astonishment. “Well… I hope something like that will not happen again.”
“Come on.” Luna replied quite optimistically. “There crystal ponies, not crystal unicorns or pegasi, what’s the worse they can do.”
Celestia simply gazed at her sister through her single pupil, the other covered by her flowing mane. It seemed all too obvious that the ruler of Equestria did not share her sister’s dismissal of what the Crystal Empire was capable of, what dark things its tyrant had taught it back in the day. What dark things it may still remember.
“Have you forgotten?” She said. “Back, in the reign of King Sombra, the Crystal Empire was capable of amazing feats of technology, what they lacked for in magic or weather, they more than made up for in… weaponry.”
Celestia walked over to the window, gazing out with the memories of a millennium back etched into her mind. Luna walked over to her sister, but found herself lacking in any words she could have said that would have comforted the Princess.
Their brief reminiscence was brought to a swift close as the doors to the throne room swung open and a royal guard trotted in at a regal pace.
“The delegates from the Crystal Empire have arrived, Princess.” He announced.
The two alicorns both observed him, Luna eager to see where this would take them, while Celestia grew even more nervous in the face of what would come.
“Have them be brought to the War Room, we’ll join them shortly.” She replied to the guard, who gave a salute before going to perform his duty.
“We have a War Room?” Luna asked her sister curiously.
“That’s the name for it.” Celestia stated, beginning to trot, followed by her sister. “I hope this does not start a war.”
“Me too.” Luna said, cheerily, but at the same time gravely.
Imagine, for a spell, that you have awoken for the first time in a thousand years. Everything about you feels different, your entire body has been noticed into something completely alien to you, almost as if it's not really your own being. In addition, the one place you craved for so much, looked upon with greed and envy, no longer suits you, having cast you out by force. Yet, you feel fine about that, you no longer want it but rather you look to a different place, a complete alien place, hoping to find something of value there, something that will suit your new found longing. A longing that you have no idea what it is you exactly want, only that it does not involve the words crystal or slaves.
The King formally known as Sombra had no idea what to think to himself as he trotted to and fro amongst this strange new town he found himself in. Having known nothing other then a lust for power and the frozen empire to the north, everything that he gazed upon was like it came from another world. The only thing he felt that he could really relate to was the cold; something he knew all too well of having been encased in some kind of ice stasis for a thousand years, yet when he felt it, and saw how the ponies did their best to stay away from it, he couldn't help but feel that there was something different about it.
Something... festive, like this weather was just the right mood, like it was leading up to something special, something that would make all this chill and hardships pay off. But what was that he wondered, and how would he fit into any of it.
The former unicorn paused in his tracks, coming to some kind of dead end within his head. He had not the faintest idea of where to go, where once there was the single determination to see all of the crystal ponies under his domain, now there was a sudden blankness, the only idea that occupied his head was that there was something to do, something that this town had to offer him. But what?
Sombra was suddenly drawn from his trail of blank thoughts by a peculiar noise, a very distinct kind of sound that winded it's way through the wind to meet his ears. Looking around, he got the strange impression that none of the other ponies in the thicket were aware of it. Deciding to follow up on this strange new development, since there was nothing else he could invest in, Sombra made his way through the icy streets, guided by the sound that was growing more distinct as he neared it's source.
Eventually, he came upon a building, the strange sound now at it's clearest. Surveying the scene through the stain glass windows, Sombra made out a scene of merriment; ponies were gathered around tables, dressed in refinery, doing all the activities he had only passing memories of engaging in, centuries back. There was laughing, feasting, dancing led by a single singing voice, and somehow, the mere image was enough to resonate some powerful feeling within the former unicorns former black heart. So, acting upon his instinct, Sombra trotted right through the door to investigate more.
Not one of the ponies in the many clusters seemed to register that he had entered, but as he observed the scene, a strange new feeling upon him now that it surrounded him, his eyes were drawn to the bar directly in front of him. Standing at attention was another stallion, dressed in a waiter's attire who, as Sombra observed him further, seemed to be looking right back at him. Drawn by some compulsion, Sombra trotted up to the figure, who addressed him as soon as he was within range.
"Good evening sir." He said formally. "It's about time you arrived."
Sombra didn't really know how to react to that. It was one thing to hear a pony actually speak, but it was something else entirely to be told that his presence had been expected. It wasn't long before Sombra realised that he had no idea how to react properly, he wasn't even sure if he had a voice, barely remembering the last conversation he had. So with some effort, he struggled to form words within his head, eventually managing to utter something.
"Crystal... Slave." The former king groaned.
No, that wasn't what he wanted to say, yet it seemed that it was all he was capable of at the moment.
"Excellent choice sir." The stallion replied, and before Sombra knew it, he ducked behind the bar, busying himself with the various bottles at hand, before returning with two and a glass, pouring them to create some strange liquor concoction before presenting it to the baffled king.
Sombra had no idea how to react for the second time. Yet, there was some strange urging within him that suggested that an act like this deserved some kind of transaction of a sorts, but he had no kind of currency about him, let alone whatever the appropriate money for this town was.
"No charge for you, sir." The stallion addressed him, as if reading his mind. "You're the guest of honour tonight."
For a third time, Sombra was taken by surprise. Was this how things worked in this town, he was not sure, yet he got the impression they were not.
"Drink up sir." The stallion informed him, pushing the glass towards the stunned king.
Sombra observed the substance swirling about inside the little glass, the thought suddenly dawning on him that he had gone a thousand years without a scrap to eat or drink. He wondered if he still knew how to properly digest, what with this strange new form he found himself in. Taking the glass in a hoof, he downed the substance in one, and for the first drink in a millennium, all he could say... was not bad. Now with a thirst for knowledge inside him, Sombra was about to try his hoof at speaking again, but the pony beat him to it.
“If sir.” He began. “You are requesting information about your… condition. Might I offer some advice, if I may?”
He spoke as if he expected Sombra to suddenly reply in the same formal tone he was addressing him with, telling him it was okay for him to proceed. Of course, that was what Sombra was thinking in his head, but he couldn’t find the willpower to turn it into words.
“Thank you sir.” The pony continued, as if reading his mind again. “There is a certain mare in this town, a worker at the local confectionary, but a speech therapist on the side. If you are looking for a way to… properly project yourself, she might be capable of assisting yourself.”
Wow, Sombra was taking all this in fairly well considering that he had precisely zero idea of who anypony here was, let alone what a confectionary or a speech therapist was. Yet somehow, he could understand that there was some wisdom in this strange stallion’s words.
“If you are looking for the location of this particular mare.” The pony continued. “Allow me to assist you sir.”
He ducked back down behind the bar again, drawing a map this time, before marking the necessary information on for Sombra to see, before handing it to him.
“I would recommend arriving at this particular mare’s workplace around seven tomorrow evening.” He explained. “That is, if there are no other engagements tying you down sir?”
Sombra took all this in, remembering every word crystal clear. He had no idea what to make of any of it, but if it led to some kind of purpose for his being here, then what other options did he have?
“Now if you will excuse me sir.” The stranger finished. “The bar is closing soon. Please enjoy the rest of your evening.”
And with that, he turned to leave, heading out of the bar to address one of the other strange ponies who worked there. The former and baffled king, meanwhile, decided to make his exit, trotting out of the door with not one pony paying him any head.
Now on the icy streets yet again, Sombra found himself with little to do yet again. This appointment he had was etched into his blank mind, but whatever could he do in the meantime while he waited. He thought of maybe going back into the bar to indulge a little more, but to his shock, the moment he looked back at what he had known to be the entrance, he found himself staring at a bordered up building, the windows and doors bolted shut.
“Oh and one more thing sir.” The voice of the stranger suddenly uttered from an unknown place into his mind. “It would be within our best interests if you were to… keep quiet about our interactions to any mares and stallions you meet. They would not understand as your former subjects did…”
The familiar sensations of dread and anxiety started to swell over Celestia as she and Luna made their way to the War Room. It was the same kind of feeling a little filly may get over having to go to school again after a long holiday. Except this was no mere matter of school, but rather a very important meeting that the national security of all of Equestria rested on. Luna was taking the whole thing pretty well, a strange kind of excitement about her, for she had never once in her millennia long life participated in something quite like this, but unlike her older sister, she did not fully understand the gravity of just how important this meeting was.
Celestia, on the other hoof, fully knew just how important this meeting could be, and simply could not shake her mind free from the thoughts of just how much trouble her land could be in if it were to go wrong. It was so rare for the ruler of Equestria to have to deal with delegates from other territories, but the scares few time she had done things like this before, it had caused more than the one sleepless night.
Eventually the alicorn duo came to the two doors that would lead into the War Room. Luna paused and turned to her sister, who had stopped in her tracks a little further back, fighting with herself to go over the threshold into the room.
“Come on sister.” She said. “Let’s just get this over and done with.”
“Right, right, right.” Celestia stuttered, trying to reassure herself, but remain firmly in the same spot, unmoving.
Luna hopped over to the reluctant ruler, now growing slightly impatient with the lack of confidence she was showing.
“Come on.” She repeated, and pushed Celestia up to the door, which must have triggered something in her, for she suddenly brushed Luna off, straightened up, and waltzed through the doors, at a decent attempt at appearing regal.
The War Room was a big, dimly light room, the only light source hung over the centre of the room, illuminating a huge circular table while the rest of the spacious chamber. In the front hall of the table stood several ponies, all members of Celestia’s inner cabinet, and thus her advisors on diplomatic events such as this. As she scanned the vaguely familiar faces, she noticed a distinct lack of one particular mare she was hoping to see, causing her some further worry but it could not be helped at the moment.
And on the far side of the table stood the delegation from the Crystal Empire. Their sparkling coats certainly stood out from the rather drab assortment of Canterlot ponies, but while they were all wearing faces of nervous anticipation, the Crystal ponies all seemed to bear the same emotion of monotony boredom across their faces, likely as a result of having to wait a little longer than expected for Celestia to get her act together.
The Princess placed herself at the head of the table, flanked by two of her advisors, while Luna placed herself at the edge, her alicorn shape standing out in-between the Canterlot and Crystal figures to either side of her. Celestia took a deep, noticeable breath, closed her eyes in some inner contemplation, before finally beginning her address.
“Ladies and Gentlecolts of the Crystal Empire.” She started. “May I start by saying it’s good to have you back after all this time. I hope we were not too forthcoming in our invitation, but we realised that it was better to send our offer before Hearth’s Warmth Day, and we hope the brief window of time we’ve given you is enough for you all to get your affairs in order.”
She was trying to be as amicable as possible without letting her anxiety get through. While Luna thought her sister was doing well considering her state not a few moments ago, she could not help but sense that the Crystal ponies were growing weary of the courteous manner the Princess was addressing them with.
“Now.” Celestia continued, her tone becoming serious. “To the matter at hand. The reason we extended the invitation to come here tonight was that, well, a lots happened these past thousand years. No longer are the territories divided as they used to, and while certain regions and their people may have lost one or two of their customs, all are guaranteed complete and utter health, commerce, education, and most importantly, security under the banner of the Equestrian Union & Monarchy.”
The Crystal ponies all suddenly darted eyes between themselves, something that looked to Luna as a sign of agreement but to Celestia looked like trepidation.
“It is that offer that we extend today.” She continued regardless. “Join us, become part of our union, and enjoy the benefits that come with such a position. We will work to ensure what has happened to your nation in the past shall not come to pass again.”
Celestia finished her address, and patiently waited along with her cabinet for the reaction from the Crystal ponies. After some much hushed whispering amongst themselves, the foremost of the ensemble spoke to the Princess.
“All that time we were away.” He started. “Did you ever look for us?”
Celestia was taken aback, but managed to formulate a reply nonetheless. “Well no. There were many obstacles in the way, we all assumed that you along with your king had been completely sealed away.”
Another round of the Crystal ponies murmuring amongst themselves, causing all others in the room to simply stand around in an immense uncomfortable silence.
“If we were to join you.” The Crystal pony spoke again. “Would we have to submit to a disarmament act?”
“Yes I believe so.” Celestia replied formally. “We can’t have territories walking about with unchecked weaponry, now can we?”
She tried to pass it off as a humorous gesture, but something about it must have triggered quite the reaction in the delegation, who reverted back to their murmuring, alone it was noticeably more volatile and loud. Eventually they calmed down, and the speaker managed to give his consensus to the anxious Princess.
“Thank you for the invitation, Princess.” He addressed her. “But in the interests of preserving the Empire, we cannot agree to this offer. Your hospitality has been more than welcome, but as far as we are concerned, the Crystal Empire will maintain its independency.”
And with that, the delegation of ponies all made their courteous farewells with the Canterlot ponies, before making their way out the doors on the long trek home. Celestia stood in silence, while Luna had the good impression that the whole thing had gone fairly well, all things considered. Before she could address her sister, Celestia had started trotting back towards the throne room, her advisors all making efforts to address her with their concerns.
“Manehattans still awaiting your appearance at one of their election rallies.” One went.
“Filydelphias asking for permission to buy land in Hoofville.” Another went.
“Those are going to have to wait.” Celestia barked back, a far more pressing matter on her mind. “Where’s the Colonel?”
“She’s in Ponyville.” An advisor went. “She wanted to attend but she had this appointment at the dentist, Princess.”
Celestia groaned. “Okay everypony, nothing more tonight, I’m darn tired. Call a meeting tomorrow, get the Colonel up here and everypony else we can find. This business takes priority over everything else, are we clear?”
Her advisors all nodded in agreement, though they all had equally other affairs that demanded the Princess’s attention. Bidding them all goodnight, Celestia retreated to her quarters, denying Luna a chance to ask what was bothering her. That would have to wait until the following morning.
“And I thought it would be a peaceful Hearth’s Warmth Day.” The Princess uttered, laying her head onto the pillows and hoping whatever dream she would be having was preferable to the chaos she now found herself in…
Bon Bon was in quite the state, as she attended the counter of the confectionary the next day. It was not particularly perceptible state, for it was all an internal struggle that prevented the earth pony from properly enjoying the day, as she really should be. Bon Bon was never really the type of mare that made such a big deal over being rejected, regardless of what the issue was. Yet something about her little ordeal the previous night had taken quite the toll upon her usually bubbly disposition, like her former unicorn friend had represented some kind of key piece of the paradigm of Bon Bon, and the fact that she had swiftly ended their prosperous relationship had wrecked the very identity of the earth pony entirely.
What she did not feel, therefore, was not like Bon Bon. It was a whole new type of pony, one that had tasted the bitterness of betrayal, and had thus been warped into something that no longer resemble the name she had been calling herself all this time. It was as she was having that particular epiphany that a certain unicorn entered the building, looking around only for a second or so before approaching the counter. Bon Bon recognised the familiar blue coat with an ice coloured mane and a blue streak, giving off the appearance of toothpaste. How fitting it was then that Bon Bon remembered this particular pony was a dentist, which made her briefly question why she would seek business within a confectionary, but swiftly dismissed the thought, happy for the company.
"Minuette!" She exclaimed. "Nice to see you, what brings you here?"
The unicorn known as Minuette eyed Bon Bon with an obvious suspicious glare, looking quite baffled by the manner in which the earth pony had addressed her.
"Minuette?" She parroted. "I'm gonna assume you have no idea who the hay you are talking to civvie?"
"Err." Bon Bon replied awkwardly. "I… assume I'm talking to Minuette, local dentist of Ponyville, right?"
"No you are not!" Minuette barked backed. "You are talking to Colonel Minuette Gate, part time dentist and current advisor and confidant to Princess Celestia herself!"
Bon Bon observed the unicorn through wide eyes. "…Oh! Well in that case… hiya… Colonel. What brings you here?"
Her renewed attempts at appearing amicable seemed to have no effect on the Colonel, who simply maintained her eye of suspicion. Nevertheless, she surveyed the counter intently, her eyes scanning the various sugary and savoy delicacies available. Eventually she settled on an item and pointed her hoof at one of the packets of chewing gum on display.
"That one there." She requested.
Bon Bon acknowledged her gaze, but upon the sight of chewing gum, she simply could not resist attempting to dissuade the Colonel.
"Chewing gum? Are you sure?" She asked sincerely.
"Of course I'm sure!" The Colonel snapped back.
"Err, Colonel. There's one or two things I'd like to say, if I may?" Bon Bon requested politely.
"Go on." The unicorn accepted wearily.
"Now, judging from your stance." Bon Bon began. "I'd say you're in a particular hurry. If I may make a wild guess here, I'd say it probably involves something pretty darn important."
"Go on." The Colonel repeated.
"I imagine something tense and quite hectic." Bon Bon continued. "Now I know chewing gum can be good exercise in something like that, but if you go ahead and chew a load of gum, it's only gonna make you all the more hungry for something more fulfilling and will probably interfere in whatever business you got going."
Minuette observed her with a stoic stare. "Your point being?"
"My point being." Bon Bon stated. "If you're going into something pretty darn important, you can't afford to let your stomach start acting up. So what I would suggest, is that you take something a lot more satisfying, that way you can keep your mind set on doing the task at hand well, and not get constantly distracted by a growing stomach."
Colonel Minuette raised an eye at Bon Bon, still with suspicion, but a look that said she was taking in the earth ponies' advice nonetheless.
"Okay then." She said at last. "Would would you, the expert, suggest?"
"How about a cupcake?" Bon Bon suggested, gesturing to the selection she had available. "Great for your stomach, the red ones my favourite."
"No, no." The Colonel remarked with obvious disgust. "They do crazy stuff to the teeth and make me wish I simply had a proper cake."
"Okay then." Bon Bon said. "What about... these doughnuts?"
"Eggh." Minuette remarked. "If I take those I'm gonna be dead thirsty."
"Okay, how about some soda to wash it down." Bon Bon did her best to satisfy the Colonel's increasingly choosy culinary habits.
"Well fine whatever." The unicorn relented. "If I stay here all day I'm gonna be late. And Celestia help us all if I am..."
"You said it." Bon Bon agreed, not sure why the Colonel had ushered that last part so forebodingly, attending to picking out the treats for her.
Minuette paid for her sugary snack, but bought a few packets of chewing gum, just as a precaution.
"Much appreciated Miss, err, what was your name again... bomb bomb or something like that?" She added.
"Sweetie... Drops?" Minuette repeated back slowly. "Arighty then."
The Colonel bid her farewell, making her departure with a noticeable growl in her stomach. The confectionary worker, meanwhile, had to register what exactly she had just told her.
Sweetie... Drops. What mysterious wave of thought had possessed her brain to possess her mouth to utter christen such a name upon herself. It certainly puzzled her more then immensely, until she realised that somehow, it fitted her quite perfectly in a very peculiar way. Had she not felt like the pony she once was, she was no longer, having been dealt quite the emotional blow by her former partner. Maybe this new sporadic turn of events for her would usher in a new direction for her to go in. Just as she fondly rolled the new name off her tongued, she was suddenly reminded of her other job, that of a speech therapist, and that she had an appointment that very night. And for some reason, she felt a little more excited then usual at the formality.
But poor little Sweetie Drops was surely kidding herself. What could possibly happen that very night that would be different from all the other previous sessions she had had in the past...
Cold air and sharp snow is much preferable when enjoyed from the comfort of what the common folk call the comfy inside of a building. That's not to say it cannot be enjoyed when on the outside too, as the newly christened Sweetie Drops found herself appreciating as she made her way to her workplace that evening. For some odd reason, it felt like the events of the past morning and afternoon had passed by at an incredibly slow pace, yet it had not been threw hours since her little transaction with the Colonel. She must have been growing confused by the cold that was all.
At any rate, despite how she did appreciate the good cold atmosphere that only a true winter can afford, it was with immense relief that she stepped out of the freeze and into the furnace. Well that might have been a poor choice of words, but overwhelmed was what the earth pony certain felt upon feeling the heat as she closed the door behind her, denying the cold more freedom to enter with her. Soon she got properly acquainted with the heat and soon found herself overcome with a warm snugness, quickly disrobing the thick scarf and hat she was wearing and hanging them both on a coat hanger.
Now to business...
"Hiya Bon Bon." The receptionist greeted her with a warmth that matched the cost interior.
"Bon... oh right." Sweetie Drops replied, getting over her brief spell of confusion.
"Your patients all waiting." The mare went on.
"Appreciate it." Sweetie acknowledged. "What do you make of him?"
"Him?" The receptionist said. "He's a strange one alright. Looks pretty out of place, barely said two words to me."
"That was the impression I got too." Sweetie replied, retrieving her patient file from the reception's desk. "Well, see you."
Bidding the receptionist goodbye, the mare strolled down the hallway towards her ward. To her sides, she could make out the signs of ponies like her going about their vocal sessions through the doors. Despite such a select profession, there was quite the demand for speech therapists across the land of Equestria. It was not quite a full time medicinal matter, but nor was it something that could be easily dismissed through a simple spell. It was somewhere in the middle, fairly mundane but something she felt deeply about nonetheless. It took a great measure of skill to dabble in this profession, and Sweetie Drops considered herself nothing short of an expert in the matter.
So when she finally came to her door, she did not imagine that it would take too long before she could add yet another pony to the growing list of ponies she had successfully cured of whatever articulate affliction had befallen them. At least that's what she thought, as she entered...
Her file was right, there was something strange about this stallion. He was of earth stock, yet there was definitely something magical about him, and she had not even registered the fact that she was actually clothed. A rare commodity to be seen in Ponyville of all places, the mares and stallion around here wore the odd accessory when the need arose, but this one was properly clothed, the red cape very much distinct despite the fact that it looked like it had seen better days. And as for his mane, well, it was unlike any other manes she had seen before, acquainted with the bright and colorful blue, yellow and green, not dark black that suggested some shady depths. And she had not even seen his face yet.
"Hi there." She expressed quite amicable, even if his appearance was making her slightly nervous.
The stallion turned to face her, and Sweetie Drops found herself pleasantly surprised. If there was one word she had for his body, it would have been menacing. If there was a word she had for his face, it was lost. Those eyes, perhaps they had been intimidating in the past, but now they looked like those of a worried bird that must make the decision to remain in the nest or spread its wings. The mane was all the more apparent now, Sweetie thought her own was quite decorative with the dark blue and pink strip, but that black mess along with that cape of immense red created quite the oddity of a stallion before her.
"Please, make yourself comfortable." Sweetie addressed the strange stallion.
He only answered her with a curious of confusion. She beaconed to the sofa in the middle of the room. The stallion obliged, but took more than enough time trying to get into a good position, acting like he had never seen a sofa in his life before. But at long last, he managed to overcome that hurdle, and Sweetie Drops could consider the session had officially begun, settling into her own, much less impressive seat with his file at her side.
"Your file says you're completely incapable of uttering even the simplest sentence." She noted. "Well, we'll get to that, but before we do, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sweetie Drops, and I am a speech therapist. Do you know what that is, sir?"
The stallion in front of her looked at her for a good long second. She wanted to get a good impression of him first, for what information she had about him was incredibly bare. Not even his name did she know. Soon, he managed to move his head in something halfway between a nod and a shake.
"Well that's a start." Sweetie remarked, before continuing. "Now then, let's try your name. Can you tell me your name?"
Once again, the stallion could only reply with an inquisitive look. Soon however, he closed his eyes in what she imagined to be deep concentration. He started breathing quite heavily, but managed to utter a discernible croak.
"..King...” He muttered deeply.
"King?" She repeated. "Kinnng... King what?"
The stallion screwed up his eyes in concentrate again, but suddenly opened them in alarm. Almost panicking, he quickly diverted his gaze from the inquiring mare, before making a barely audible reply.
"King..." He groaned in fright
"Just King, hmm?" Sweetie mused. "Well now, err, King. I noticed your breathing all over the place. Why don't we try a few breathing exercises?"
"King" gave the same look split between confusion and contemplation. He soon replied with a careless nod.
"Alrighty then." Sweetie remarked. "Now, let's start off simple: can you repeat after me..."
She closed her eyes, comfortable enough with him watching, and breathed in a slow audible intake of air. A process she made as clear as she could, followed by emptying her lungs in an almost elegant manner. Opening her eyes, she noticed King observing her intently, obviously picking up her every notion.
"Now you try." She asked him.
The stallion closed his eyes, quite brutishly, and attempted to draw in the air as she had done. But it was all too obvious that he could not mimic her notions perfect, and ended up spluttering out in hoarse, sharp grunts.
"No no." She uttered politely, much like a tutor. "Listen to me. First, breathe in, do it slowly, but keep it smooth and steady..."
Sweetie breathed in deep, with elegant grace courtesy of her mastery over her lungs. King listened to her, hinging on everything she did, and tried once again. He started to breathe in deeply, much more smoothly than before, and actually sounded like he had some control, but could not manage to hold his breath for any more than a second, and once again coughed an immense cough. After recovering, he let out a viscous snarl, frightening Sweetie a little, but she could tell he was simply frustrated with his failed attempts.
"Hey, come on." She tried to comfort him.
In a seemingly careless minded gesture, she reached out a placed a hoof upon King's shoulder. The moment he felt her touch, his eyes met hers, and somehow she could tell the frustration he felt subsiding. King's breathing became quite steady, and to her surprise, he breathed in once again, slow and smoothly like she had asked. Sweetie herself breathed in, and the two of them held their breaths together, King following her with ease.
"Now... we breathe out." She uttered.
She emptied her lungs slowly and surely, enough for the stallion following her to follow her lead. King breathed out after her, replicating her example with unusual adeptness.
"See. You can't get the hang of it." She remarked cheerily.
King saw her face, full of perky optimism. To Sweetie's surprise, he actually found the courage within him to give speaking another try.
"Sweetie... Drops?" He asked wearily.
"That's right." She smiled back.
King looked deep into her eyes, and for a moment she forgot what exactly they were doing there.
"Oh... shall we continue?" She asked him, quickly pulling away.
King replied in the only way she knew. By nodding simply.
"Alrighty then." She began. "Well, breathing's all good and all, but how about speaking. Can you remember the very first word you ever said?"
King looked at her with an inquisitive glare, obviously bewildered by why she would ask such a thing.
"You know what mine was?" She said. "Candy. I know, pretty low, right? Can you say that: candy?"
"Candy?" King echoed.
"There you go!" Sweetie exclaimed. "But what about turning that into a sentence."
King darted his eyes to the floor, quite daunted by such a prospect.
"Don't be anxious, you can do it. You're just worried you can't." She explained. "Listen to me: I like candy, candy likes me. Together, we're..."
King scoffed at her recital. Not out of hoe complex it sounded to him, but rather, how ridiculous it sounded.
"Oh, I'd like to hear you come up with something different." Sweetie retorted.
He once again diverted his gaze from her, fixating on the floor in silent anxiety.
"Come on." Sweetie did her best to coax him into words. "How about: I am a slave to candy."
King sharply looked up at her with a very different look about him. Somehow, she reckoned there was something he could easily recite in that string of words.
"Slave... to candy." He repeated.
"That's an improvement." Sweetie remarked, a little anxiously but satisfied nonetheless. "Now, how about the whole thing?"
King screwed up his eyes in deep concentration. She edged in closer, eager to hear him master a simple sentence.
"Slave... slave." He repeated to himself. "...A slave to candy."
"I'm a slave to candy." She declared.
"A slave... to candy." Was all King seemed capable of saying?
"Come on." She said. "I... I."
"I?" King asked.
"That's right, I." She replied.
"...I." King said.
"I am a slave to candy." Sweetie persisted eagerly.
"I..." King began. "Am a slave to candy."
"Come on. All together." She pressed him.
"I... am... slave to candy." The stallion tried his very best to proclaim.
"I am a slave to candy." The mare said once again.
"I am a... sl... lave to c...candy." He went, struggling intensely.
"I am..." She began
"I am a slave to candy!" King exclaimed, causing her to jump in fright at the sudden increase in volume as he yelled the phrase.
"There you go!" She exclaimed animated. "Clear as crystal!"
King suddenly looked at her, and then diverted his gaze to the floor yet again.
"Can you say that?" Sweetie asked. "Clear as crystal."
He looked back at her, and closed his eyes yet again.
"... Crystal." He slowly croaked.
"Looks like we've got a ways to go yet." Sweetie remarked, quite disappointed.
At that instance, the clock chimed the hour.
"Wow, is that the time already." She said, noticing that it was now quite late. "Guess that's the end of our session."
She rose from her seat, stretching her limbs about. "I'll see you here, same time tomorrow, right?
King looked at her, but seemed quite reluctant to make any motions of leaving.
"Don't you have a home to go back to?" Sweetie asked.
King did not make any signs of replying. Curious, Sweetie flicked through his file, finding a very different display of records before her then what she was usually accustomed to.
"You are an odd one." She remarked.
Any other time, this would be something far out of her hooves to deal with. Yet somehow, there was something about this particular stallion that struck out to her. And then, her mind suddenly wandered over her empty residence, far too cold for just the one mare to properly enjoy, and after her little break up, there was now room for another...
"Hey." She said suddenly. "How would you to... well err... stay with me for tonight. A space has... recently opened up."
King looked up at her. His glance suggested that it was something he had definitely not counted on being asked that night, yet somehow, she got the impression he did not indulge the thought of braving the cold, dark streets alone, when she was offering an alternative. So he nodded.
"Oh that's good. I think." Sweetie remarked, extending a hoof to lead the stallion out of the room.
"King", though it made him privately grunt in disgust to think that he had been reduced to such a low position, seemed a serviceable enough alias to go under during his stay in this strange new realm. He much rather would have preferred to go by his actual name, despite understanding that it was not the best choice considering his surroundings. The defeat of Sombra, he imagined, was still fresh within several ponies minds, and despite his former urges, he really did not want to cause any needless panic until he was a little more familiar with this place.
But "King". That had a strange but alluring simplicity to it. It was not exactly a big departure from Sombra, but it still had authority to it. Maybe he would grow to like it in time. It was certainly a little more refined than "Sweetie Drops".
"Here we are." She announced upon the pair of them entering her residence. "Please, try and make yourself at home."
Sweetie Drops altered between dancing about King and her place, her eyes darting to and fro with her face varying between expressions of concern and slight panic. King barely paid her any attention, however, for he was immensely curious with this strange new place he found himself in.
"Please, sit." Sweetie requested politely, gesturing with a hoof to one of her many objects that looked like they were supposed to be settled on.
King did his best to try and please her, for the act of sitting seem quite alien to him, and he did not want to embarrass himself. Soon he managed to settle himself onto one of the bigger more comfortable looking cushiony contraptions.
"Can I... get your cape?" He heard the mare offer.
He looked up to find Sweetie Drops eyeing him with a doting look. Yet despite feeling a strange warmth when he found her gazing, he could not overcome the urge to part with his cape. King, being unable to properly express himself, shook quite bluntly.
"Oh, alrighty then." Sweetie replied, still attempting to sound perky, though he could tell she was put off just a bit. "Can I get you anything to drink?"
King grunted to himself, for there were many words associated with answering that question. Concentrating with all his might, he uttered a weak incoherent, but nevertheless understandable string of vocal display, courtesy of their prior session.
"Surprise me." He went.
At that, Sweetie Drops' eyes lit up with admiration. He supposed that if he was talking better, then she could feel accomplished in her work.
"Alrighty then." She answered, composed with glee and pride.
She left him there to busy herself in the kitchen. King took the opportunity to further examine this intriguing place. In comparison to his former residence he remembered residing in so long ago, it failed in size and splendour. But then again, there were no slaves to be found, which for one in his long life, felt like a good thing. In addition, he noticed the warmth in the air, courtesy of a nearby fire, where embers still struggled to burn bright. King did not remember any home before feeling so warm, he felt like he would have preferred the cold familiar crystal chill, but this had its benefits. He was unsure whether it was something to do with his little transformation a while back, or maybe as a result of being encased within ice for so long, but the chill of the cold was not as comforting as it had been.
"Here you go." He heard Sweetie Drops' voice returning from the kitchen.
She lay a silver plate on the table in front of the lounge he was... lounging on. Two mugs lay carefully atop, an unknown concoction brewing within. Sweetie took one within both hooves and carefully offered it to King, who struggled to take in in one hoof without knocking it out of her grasp. Soon, when they both held the mugs in a steady grip, he observed the drink contained within, and cast a look of caution in Sweetie's direction.
"It's called hot chocolate." She guessed his look. "Not exactly healthy, but..."
Raising it to her lips, she took a gracious mouthful. Drawing back, she swallowed with a strong look of satisfaction upon her face. King, taking heart, did the same, and was rewarded with a very new, but delicious enough mixture of chocolate that was indeed hot.
They indulged one silently another in that activity for what seemed like a rather long time to King. It was a rather nice activity to keep himself busy, for he felt a great sense of comfort in occupying his mouth with the hot chocolate. It was better this way, at least he did not feel like he was wasting her time by simply sitting there with nothing to do, staring at her expectantly, and quite uncomfortably too. Occasionally he would glance in the mare's direction when he imagined she would not be looking, but he could only maintain his gaze for a brief second before she raised her head and he abruptly jolted his away.
The hot chocolate would often look like a shelter each time he did that; something to hide behind. Though judging from the sounds he could faintly hear, he imagined that Sweetie was going through something similar. Her hooves mirrored his, the way she held her mug right up close to her face, obscuring it from view, as though she was equally afraid of him catching her staring like that.
Eventually, as both soon dreaded, their hot chocolate soon ran out. King sipped the remainder of his with as much leisure as possible. He was not looking forward to what would come afterwards, and sincerely wished that she would finish first. Sweetie soon lifted her head from its hunched position over her mug, settling the little thing down on the table in front of them. She wavered for a bit, nervous he imagined of engaging him again, though she eventually found the words.
"So, how was that?" She asked sincerely.
Sometimes, King could swear to himself that she had forgotten that he was incapable of answering in a satisfactory way. Either that, or she was slowly prodding him at every opportunity in an attempt to get him to open up. The hot chocolate had rendered him somewhat sleepy and sluggish, finding words a difficult thing, so he simply presented his empty mug for her to see for herself.
"Oh, glad to see you enjoyed it." Sweetie responded with a little enthusiasm, though still quite nervously. "So umm... are you tired? I know I am, it's been a long day."
King responded the only way he could; by nodding his head in agreement.
"Oh, okay then." She said. "Well then, how about you just stay right here, and I'll go get you a bed ready."
Again, him nodding was her answer.
"Oh, okay then." She responded breathlessly, before getting up from the lounge, picking up the plate with their mugs on, casting him one last nervous smile, before making her way back to the kitchen.
The moment she had settled the mugs down and cleaned up, Sweetie frantically sped down the hallway towards her room. Upon entering, the first thing she did was to make sure towards the two beds and pull them apart. Why she had not thought to have done this sooner after her previous partner had made her intentions clear, she did not know. Maybe she simply did not have the time since it had only been a day, or maybe she was still in slight denial. At any rate, her attempts at performing that activity silently soon proved fruitless, and it was with much noise as the bed dragged along the floor before they were a respectable distance apart. The next thing she did was to make sure that there was no indication that her previous roommate had ever stayed in the same room. That did not take too long, as all she had to do was simply turn down a few nostalgia inducing photos before she could return to her guest.
She found King sitting pretty much where she had left him, imagining him quite fearful of breaking anything. For the first time, she was grateful that he was without coherent speech, so he would not be one to question why she appeared to be a single pony with two beds. In another round of her attempting to sound amicable and inviting (and thus failing), she had soon led King into her bedroom. And after another spell of further pleasantries, they were finally ready to settle down for the night.
"Well good night." Sweetie said, tucking herself under her covers and promptly lying quite still in a flash.
King observed her laying there for a good while. It suddenly occurred to him that he had forgotten that she had left in a bed out for him, glancing over to it standing there a respectable distance away from Sweetie’s. He trotted over to it and found himself strangely bewildered by this mundane object. How exactly did this process go down again, he thought to himself, deciding to take another look over at the mare, still lying under her covers with her back turned to him. Eventually, after the thought struck him that perhaps silently observing her sleep was a rather intrusive thing to do, King turned back to the bed in front of him. Taking a deep breath, he slowly unravelled the covers, then lowered his stallion form onto the sheet.
It was a little uncomfortable at first, likely due to the bed clearly not being made for somepony of his fit. Still, after some twisting and turning, King finally managed to get himself into a suitable position. And then… he simply lay there, waiting for the eventuality of sleep, hoping it would be brief.
And on the bed to the right of him, Sweetie lay with an ear open, having listened to him struggle to get over the obstacle that the bed represented and eventually the relative silence as he lay still. A flutter of worry was about her as she listened, and she knew exactly what it was that was making her feel that way. For clearly, there was more to this stallion than meets the eye; some part of Sweetie Drops felt a giddy sort of curiosity at just what awaited her should she actually managed to cure him of his vocal difficulties. But another was apprehensive at discovering more about him, for there was something awfully strange about him, awfully… somber…
But that was for another time, and right now all she felt like doing was putting a lid on her thoughts and simply drifting off for the peaceful sleep that awaited her, after what had felt like a very long day.
"Sister." Luna pleaded at an all too familiar sight. " Why are you so concerned about one little old empire?"
Celestia stopped in her frantic pacing, turning to look down at her sister.
"Why am I so concerned?" She replied. "Why aren't you so concerned, sister. Don't you understand the magnitude of the Crystal Empire declaring itself independent means?"
"Well..." Luna said. "No I don't."
Celestia's eyes pierced Luna's with an immense suspicious glare.
"Well ain't that just dandy." The Princess remarked in a very un-regal manner. "Next you'll be telling me you don't know the origins of Hearth's Warming Day."
"Don't be silly." Luna said dismissively, though with a slight tone of alarm.
Celestia simply gave a grunt of disapproval, and once again resumed her frantic pacing. It was evidently apparent to Luna that this little ordeal of theirs with the Crystal Empire was not going to go away any time soon. Most of Luna was quite dismissive of her sisters concerns, but then again, she herself knew very little about politics, for she had led a very isolated life. Celestia on the other hand, had led a marginally longer life that had been packed with all sorts of events, ranging from the minuscule to the magnificent. She of all mares, really should have been the reserved one, while everyponyelse was all in a flutter. For as the saying goes; with age comes wisdom, and Celestia was both very old and very wise.
"Oh." The Princess moaned again. "Maybe if... no, no, no, that will never work. Mmm, where the devil is..."
But at that moment, the attention of both alicorns was drawn to the grand chamber's entrance as the doors parted way. The sisters observed the scene occurring at the far end of the hall, too distant to make out the details; the royal guards appeared to be engaged with somepony, but soon the commotion subsided and they could be seen escorting a pony up the chamber towards the Princesses.
The moment Luna could make out the mare's shape, she was caught in strange bewilderment. This particular had a light blue coat with a dark blue mane, a single white strip cut down the middle. But perhaps what was most peculiar was the uniform that adorned her, a strange garb that suggested immense authority, but also tardiness, like the mare had struggled in a brief period of time to fit it around her form. The mare marched right up to the Princess, a stoic look on her face, stopping a short distance in front of Celestia and saluting lazily with her hoof before she decided to speak.
"Sorry I'm late, Madame Princess." She announced in a formal drawl.
"Late?" The Princess parroted back, still in her state of agitation. "That's putting it lightly."
"Well I apologise for the Ponyville to Canterlot train being its usual slow self." The mare retorted, still formally but with subdued snide. "Maybe making it run on time should be on your agenda. That is, if you're not too busy worrying about the political state in the north, or whatever it is you felt the need to drag me up here for."
"Please, Gate this is serious." Celestia replied, clarifying what her tone had already made clear.
The mare would have replied, but Luna felt that she could no longer maintain this state of confusion.
"I'm sorry, we haven't been introduced." She expressed quite loudly, for the mares seemed to have forgotten her.
"What, oh course..." Celestia caught herself, before clearing her throat. "Minuette, I trust you're already familiar with who my sister is. Luna, this is Colonel Minuette Gate."
"Col. Gate if you're feeling informal." The Colonel added.
"What's a Colonel?" Luna replied, her confusion only subsided slightly.
"Never mind about that, sister." Celestia dismissed her concerns. "All you need to know is that Minuette here is one of my most trusted advisors in matters like this."
"Just how did that come about?" Luna continued, still not satisfied with the intake of information.
"Well it's quite an interesting story, actually..." Celestia was about to begin, had the Colonel not interrupted her.
"Now hold up there, Madame Princess." She exclaimed. "I am now speaking to you, not as Col Gate, but rather Dr. Gate, and what you are about to say is in strict violation of confidential doctor- patient files."
"Oh." Celestia said, taken aback. "Are you sure, I mean..."
"Hey, the wellbeing of alicorn teeth is a very serious matter to dentists." The mare continued, heedless. "Revealing such trade secrets to those not of alicorn stock or dentist profession could have profound consequences, not just for the wellbeing of our patients, but for our professions as dentists as a whole."
"But I'm an alicorn." Luna said perkily.
"Oh." The Colonel said, pausing. "Well, there's no time anyway to be discussing these things, I thought this business was a matter of great political significance, Madame Princess."
"Yes, quite right you are." The Princess responded, making the decision to cut right to the heart if the matter, lest they risk being distracted yet again. "Now Minuette, you are no doubt aware, the Crystal Empire is once again resurgent. And you're probably more than familiar with our policies of accepting foreign nations under our monarchy banner."
"Yeah yeah." The Colonel followed her. "Still not seeing the reason for dragging me up here though."
"But what you didn't know." Celestia continued forebodingly. "Is that they have recently declared their intentions to remain independent of the monarchy."
"Well that ain't nothing new." The Colonel replied, growing irritated. "We've got plenty of independent nations, it's their right. Not seeing your angle here, Madame Princess."
"Did I mention..." Celestia said, intentionally pausing for drama. "That the Crystal Empire, in it's prime, has vast reserves of magicka dust."
That caused a reaction in her sister and the Colonel. Luna reacted pretty much the same way she had to every new development regarding the Crystal Empire: with confusion. The Colonel, on the other hoof, let out an extremely subdued sigh, which likely would have turned into a curse, had she now reminding herself that she was in the presence of royalty.
"Well, that is... quite the development." She said. "Quite the development... and they are still in possession of this mineral?"
"I'm not sure." Celestia replied. "But since they've declared their independence, well..."
"I'm sorry again." Luna spoke up. "Just what exactly is this..."
"Madame Princess, if I may make an honest suggestion." The Colonel interrupted her. "The display of ignorance your sister is presenting here is quite frankly both detrimental to this conference, and embarrassing to herself. I think it would be within the best interests of us both if we were to continue this discussion in private."
"Just what are you playing at, Colonel?" Luna turned on her, attempting to put special emphasis on the last word, as well as trying to hide her embarrassment.
"Sister, please." Celestia heeled her, with surprising sincerity. "I for once, happen to agree with Minuette here."
"What are you on about?" Luna pleaded, turning round to face her older sister.
"You're proving a distraction right now, I'm afraid." The Princess continued. "I'm sorry, but could you perhaps let us continue this in private. We'll call a conference tomorrow in the War Room to discuss it in full."
"Yes, don't you have a moon to attend to, Princess." The Colonel added, faint traces of snide present.
"Now don't you tell me..." Luna began, her temper rising, as well as her voice.
"Please, sister." Celestia pleaded, her voice still with the same polite constraint to it, all the more obvious of how hard she was keeping back letting her real emotions shine through.
"...Okay, sister." Luna conceded. "I apologise for my attitude. I will leave you be."
She bowed her head to the elder alicorn, making it clear that she was only doing this because of her, and not the Colonel. Celestia nodded a firm nod in return, the look on her face inducing shame on Luna, who soon removed herself from the chamber, hanging her head low, both remorseful as well as deliberately avoid the mare in the suit.
"Now then, Madame Princess." The Colonel said, once the doors had shut soundly behind the Princess of the night. "Magicaka dust..."
King awoke the next morning feeling surprisingly refreshed for a change. At first, he could not determine just what was so good about this particular set of mind; for King could not recall the last time he felt such an enlightening, optimistic awareness upon awaking. Maybe it had something to do with the way in which he had arisen, which became more likely as he readjusted himself in the small bed that just barely fitted his form. It was a step up at least, from how he had gone to sleep the previous night, outside in the harsh cold, with just his cape to make a poor defence against the wind.
The bitter memories served to stoke the already warm feeling of gratitude that was all about him. Gratitude towards his host, who had been courteous enough to offer him shelter within her abode, even when there was no reason for her to do so. To King, this was a very alien feeling, and it made him puzzled immensely. Why had she done this for him? Did she expect something in return? That prospect worried King, for there was little he had to offer her, and in fact, now that he started to really think about it, there was really nothing he could do to repay her.
But then, there was another thought that flickered within him; a new perspective on the actions of this Sweetie Drops. Perhaps the reason she had offered him a place to spend the night, in addition to helping him try and gain his voice back, was because... she pitied him?
Now that was intriguing to say the least, for never in his long, long life had King ever thought that there was somepony who looked down upon him. As far back as he could remember, it had always been him, standing high, proud and menacing atop his Crystal Palace, looking down upon his Crystal slaves as they followed his ever bidding. Not by choice, but simply by the fact that there was no pony, nor unicorn that stood over and could do anything to actually stop the great and powerful King Sombra.
And here he was, lying in a bed that was clearly not meant for him, worrying about him being a burden on some cute little earth pony who had a funny name. By all rights, he should have been completely appalled at this obviously lowly, lowly position he occupied. He should have been envious, longing and above all else, scheming to regain his glorious position of being... above all else.
Yet, every time his mind wandered back to the days of old, of the mighty Crystal Empire with all the slaves he could ever ask for; the familiar woeful feelings began to creep in. Feelings of anger, wrath, betrayal and humiliation as he relived the old days. Sure, it had been glorious, but it had ended up with him being sealed away for a thousand years like some old, evil relic on a timer. And when the chance had come for him to return, when his old glory seemed within reach, the humiliation only increased as he felt painful defeat yet again, transforming the mighty Sombra: fearsome unicorn, into... King: ordinary stallion.
Had the King truly fallen? Or, had he instead, arisen; ascended to an entirely different realm of thinking where, instead of mares and stallions lording over each other where might decides who is right. But instead, a simple world where everypony is gracious and courteous towards one another, not because they're weaker than one another, but simply because... well, just because.
King analysed the strange rush of thought going through his brain in silent awe. It was all truly a fascinating experience, for it was alien to him, sure, but it was a very good kind of alien to him. A benevolent sort, and he had this mare, this Sweetie Drops to thank for this epiphany of sorts. And yet despite being in such a state of delight, there was no way King could think of to repay her for. Well actually, now that he thought about it, there was one thing she was doing to him.
