Author's Notes:

We seem to have heated individuals, hinted spiteful bickering and possible implications and tensions.

Number of Edits: 4
Number of OCs by Others: 1

Stressed Lunch and Heated Words
Crystal Empire – FE (Founded Equestria) 0035 – Dining Hall, Sombra Perspective

Calmly looking around the Dining Hall, having worn the noble attire that Princess Pandora’s personal maid Shining Coat had laid out gave a feeling of being pampered. The sensation felt alien yet natural at the same time, though random memories rolled through our head from the Amulet. As if it was carefully imparting knowledge though for now focusing on another’s memories of those near, both good and bad appeared as ghosts in separate groups.

The first group focused on enemies and those related to them and suspicion of working with, the second group were known possible ‘neutrals’ towards us at least and behind that group were several shadowed outlines whom for lacking of cohesion were NOT and WERE ponies and those from here, finally there was the carefully groomed ‘Allies’ and their associates.

Though some of them had stuck out from the strange figures behind the neutral pile that has a name stating ‘Displaced’ in a fluctuating glow but next to that group was a purple glowing mirror showing a cyborg bipedal anthro Earth Pony female who looked bewildered and on the side showed her alternate forms as a Pegasus and a Unicorn with slight differences of body build to represent each and oddly her forelimbs change to a desired weapon or appendage.

Being snapped back to reality by the shattering of a crystal goblet as Crystal Emperor Shatter Hoof bellowed out. “This cider, I love it! ANOTHER!” [Smash] making our ears fold back from apparently his breakable goblet onto the ground in a festive mood perhaps, we only hope so as his yeti like strength from welcoming us back to the land of the living was well received by his wife Empress Pristine Jewel.

We’ve thought it was strange how she welcomed us like the son she never had even though with Shatter Hoof we felt he would pike us onto the battlements if it wasn’t for Pandora’s soulful eyes. We still have no idea what she saw in us that day so long ago but the feeling of repaying her makes us nervous as to how, let alone why these new feelings urge. Though it is odd how the 1st Princess Crystal Heart is often loving but distant, as if afraid to open up around others even if you can see it in her eyes the passionate gaze she washes over others.
The most absurd part is she has worshipers! Their temple is having her name as being their worship all because she can create the purest crystals any had ever seen, let alone how the mare looks and is drooled after.

‘Not that we won’t admit to having it sometimes when she sings.. NO! Stop going in that direction, it won’t help us also we aren’t worthy to be courting royalty… At best we can help keep those whom would abuse them away for their own gains…’ A silent sigh leaves our lips before starting on consuming an emerald the size of our finger as it seems our change also affected our eating habits beyond giving us access to magic.

Truly brought out of our thoughts as we soon noticed that five sets of eyes were upon us now causing us to blush mildly before speaking up. “We are sorry for our ‘new’ eating habits for being an inconvenience.” A wave of Shatter Hoof’s hand dissuades that sentence as he now speaks up.

“Think nothing of it boy, though we have been discussing of what else has changed about thee besides thy new appendage.” He said pointing at our amethyst horn from our forehead which we rub softly in thought before a tickle at our back for two round jeweled protrusions tingle softly causing us to speak cautiously of our thought.

“We humbly state there were two other ‘changes’ we’ve noticed upon dressing this day, though it would be an assumption based on Pegasus anatomy where wings would grow from-“ before our spoken thought could be finished Pandora rushed over to look at our back with a growing grin saying her own proclamation. “They are Amethysts just like his horn! Oooh I want to get this too! I wonder what gem mine would look like?!” she says with childish glee.

Blanching a bit under her physical touching as a blush flashed across our face like a blizzard striking the tundra, causing Shatter Hoof to bellow out laughing his flank off with his fist hitting the table while his wife gave an amused raised eyebrow at our plight, most confusing was the momentary flash of Jealousy from the eldest sister Crystal Heart. We were simply too dumbfounded to even react besides a slack jaw and wide eyes before Pandora stepped back with glee jumping in place.

May we ever live this down? Mayhap not as gossip from the staff will make sure of it as we knew the guards mostly felt sympathy due to how wild or energetic she can be as for trouble or simplicity of US being involved. The worse of it was that moment she had decided to plop a gem in our mouth and close it saying just loud enough this. “If thy mouth remains unhinged flies may enter it or thy kiss be stolen.”

The second after those words were said the laughing stopped and a deathly silence reigned in the dining hall, with three beings for that cause as both royal sisters began with near deathly glares with rumors saying they came close to blows and closer to official combat by joust over an unknown topic that hinted at affections.

But the largest one in the room was Emperor Shatter Hoof staring us down with the same look he gave the Yeti mountain tribes when they tried invading the Crystal Empire before, though now we feel to be on that receiving end as Empress Pristine Jewel placated him with hushed words. There is a heavy feeling of subtle understanding that we’re at fault for this current setting as our jaw slowly crunched the gem as it tasted of oranges. We know not WHY gems now take like fruits or vegetables we favored before our change.

‘Please may things go better than it is right now, I’d deeply enjoy it if there is a divine hearing us!’ he quietly prays while chewing slowly, hoping not to be drawn and quartered. "Boy, have we ever gave thee the tour of our dungeons?" THAT sounded more rhetorical then any other threat we have ever heard. "Why yes sir, though we hope NEVER to earn a stay as we enjoy staying away from it." We said this nervously, there was another long silence before Emperor Shatter Hoof begins laughing again almost as hard from before. "By the Brightest Gem boy! [wheeze] Seriously we will have to work on thy courage if thou cannot even stand up to us." he points out flatly as we had hung open our jaw again, when Pandora was about to move towards us again he pointedly snapped at her. "Don't thou think of breaking the stallion more with thy words daughter, We SHALL be speaking LATER!"

Unknown Void – Metal Heart’s Perspective

The memories come crawling back into my brain as some purple portal thing came out of thin AIR! "What the HAY?!” struggling against the inky black tentacles before dragging back through wherever they came from but the moment I touch that portal thing, it felt like my brain was being scrambled before being dumped into a freezer.

Something didn’t ‘feel’ right but I still felt like I was being held but supported differently now, eyes fluttering open into the blackness as only a purple mirror dimly glowed while I tried to get my baring while somepony chatted about talked about helping their agent, being rewarded, and changing my fate but the shocker was something about ‘another reality’. “What the hay are you and where in Equestria am I!?”

There was a creepy silence for a few short moments before whatever pony was doing all this started laughing, even these tentacle things wiggled, oh sweet celestia please let this be just magic and not some nightmare monster. “Well young Metal Heart, I am the Architect of Realities. You could say I am one who has ‘strange’ capabilities as closest for you to understand would be a Draconicus Discord, but that would be a disservice to compare either of us. I claim not to be a god yet my influence grows through those I ‘Appoint’ or through my own crafted Items. But regardless you are within 'MY' domain which happens to be in 'no reality' at least not any more, mistakes were made and I 'learned' from it.”

At the end there I felt a bit skittish but push forward with a brave face. “What would I have to do if I want to help?” my eyes still looking around just in case before the glowing mirror from before moves to be easily seen before me now.

“Why ‘my’ little pony, all you would have to do is keep my strange friend you see sleeping on that bed alive, though by this point he’s in the middle of eating with royalty in the Crystal Empire. Though you’ll have the rare opportunity to see how the post-unification warring period is like as let us say that the crystal ponies did not join in on that just like in your history says, only Earth Ponies, only Pegasus Ponies and finally Only Unicorn Ponies united. It did not include the nocturnes, Vamponies, Hippogriffs, Crystal Ponies or others.” He said a bit darkly with a hint of glee?

“So all you want is for me to help him?” I say as I finally notice something was different with my forelegs and everything else about me! “What the hay am I?!” Pausing only for a tentacle to clamp my muzzle shut as he answered my questions before uncovering my muzzle after I settle down.

“That would be your mission yes, also to ensure his continued exsistance but after that you will be rewarded, either staying in that reality or returning to yours with a better fate. Also you are still a pony but just the reality’s version I would drop you into, you can change into each of the three’s types as well though with a ‘added’ crystal variant that would help you against magic users as far as resistance goes.”

For the longest time I blink looking at the mirror than myself and finally what’s holding me in whatever inky tentacle things before asking this. “Do I get to bring some stuff with me?” Two bags appear and one looks to be a coin purse and the other a larger sack with both having fine crafted magical stitching with the initials M.H. with a smaller A.o.R. under it, seeing a purple glow under me now as he told me this.

“You’ll have a bit of a trek to make but we suggest to get thy barings and see if any gleaming spired castle catches your eyes.” He better not just drop me, if he knows what’s good for him- and he drops me in as I yell out this. “YOU DROPPED ME YOU FAT GOOY INK BLOB OF A TARTARUS FLANK!” continuing my cursing rant before landing muzzle first in snow with only more snow from a tartarus tree to drop MORE on me!

After digging myself out of the snow I shake my metal appendage up at the sky for only a digit to rise up on its own that I think matched my mood for whatever other things were watching me now, sighing I start to grumble attempting to get up a higher hill to get a view and notice a trade caravan of ponies the closest thing around before trudging my way along as I try out the Crystal Pony version of myself to blend in as I had found winter clothes in that would hide my looks more to blend in.