“I can’t believe we have to do this…”

Cadence smiled tremulously over at her annoyed husband, stretching out a wing to brush along his tense back. As always, it relaxed him quickly, the big, powerfully built unicorn letting out a snort.

“Sorry Cadence, it all just seems pretty.. Barbaric?”

He waved a hoof in front of the pair; Cadence knew what he meant. The throne room was packed with ponies, not much different than most Court days in that respect. What was different, however, was that most present were not Crystal Ponies at all- half a dozen noble families from Canterlot and Cloudsdale, and a burgher from Manehatten. The Crystal Pony nobles had not sent any of their own as a form of protest for the need of all this. The panalopy settled high on the walls; great banners boasting of the deeds of old ponies through heraldic sigils. They were all quite gaudy, even to Cadence’s tastes.

The ponies were not much better. As an accomplished and natural empath, Cadence could feel the self-assured pride and smugness rolling off all of them- that in and of itself was not entirely a deal-breaker, as it spoke to their noble upbringing and could mean a self-confidant pony. But what was underneath the surface, varying between them admittedly, did not help Cadence’s reservations. They were here for her, after all.

This abortive process had started a month prior, when word had leaked to the nobility that Cadence and Shining Armor were looking to begin a herd. As expected, it had caused an uproar. The kingdom was still in the middle of a political row over herd marriages, though in the Empire it had long since been made legal. Cadence had expected to hear the outrage from Equestria. What she had not expected as how fast the nobles would adapt.

Using old Imperial and Equestrian laws and tradition, they had demanded that the couple declare a tournament for the honor of joining their herd, open only to the nobility. Definitely not what Cadence had had in mind, or Shining, but they had little choice in the matter. Calling it off would would bad, and the Empire could not afford to cause a rift with the Equestrian nobility by ignoring them entirely.

‘And so here we are,’ Cadence thought with a suppressed growl, studying the nine contestants again.

There were four Canterlot unicorns, all of them classically trained and well built, but easily the top of the four was Duke White Knight. The same coat color as Shining Armor, but with a coal-black mane, Knight put out an air of regal confidence and charm, which had swooned several of the Crystal Pony servants, who eyed him eagerly from afar. And it did not fool Cadence for a moment. Entitlement and greed had spiked during his introduction to the couple as he looked them and the castle over, as easy to spot for Cadence as a sore. Those golden eyes turned now to Cadence, but she ignore them, moving on.

Behind him stood the four Cloudsale pegasi in attendance, though only two really stood out: the Commanders Sunstreak and Lightning Snap. All were dressed in Equestrian officer uniforms, a well-known weakness of Cadence’s, as was the predator-at-rest air a properly trained and disciplined solder gave off. But even a quick study of their emotions made their intentions plain.

Sunstreak had little affection for Cadence and Shining Armor, beyond the usual lust for somepony based on attractiveness. Duty had his heart locked tight; he had only spoken coldly and automatically, saying what needed to be said to be entered into the tournament. Cadence knew that House Solar Wind had much to gain from their scion winning, and gaining an in to royalty. Not mention an unhealthy, codependent attachment between Sunstreak and the House matriarch off to one side of the Court.

What disturbed Cadence more, however, was the dark-coated, silver-maned stallion behind Sunstreak. Lightning Snap’s eyes had not left Cadence since he entered the throne room, and adoration and love radiated off him in waves. But not in the calm, peaceful pink of her husband, or even the soft spikes of red of those deeply and lustfully attracted to Cadence. But the red-black, roiling tide of obsession, and the need to control. Whether a brewing mental illness, or a truly damaged soul, it was hard to say, but he certainly did not belong at a tournament, or by her side.

“I don’t much like the look of that earth pony, Caddy,” Shining Armor whispered to her, his stoic facade cracking just a sliver.

And neither did Cadence. Unlike the others, no strong emotions stood out in the bulky, fit stallion. He was dressed in a simple dark suit that clashed with his carrot-red mane and brown coat, and stood entirely at ease, gaze sliding over his competition. Cadence could not put a hoof on where her bad feeling was coming from, other than wondering why exactly he as there to begin with…

“I wish we could just call this off,” Cadence muttered, rubbing her eyes, “I’m sorry I brought you into this, Shiny.”

Shining Armor shot her a smirk, tail snapping against her side, ignoring the murmur of the Court.

“Wouldn’t have it-”

The doors to the court opened with a rumble, cutting off conversation in the throne room in sheer surprise. Cadence sat up straight as the herald took his announcing pose. A latecomer?

“Announcing, Baronet Golden Dream and her retinue, hailing from the skies of northern Equestria!” the Crystal Earth Pony called out, unable to keep some surprise out of his deep baritone voice.

The newcomer had the Court in a chattering rumble within moments, the same word or phrase passing from pony to pony.

“Mare.”

A smile slowly grew on Cadence’s muzzle as she studied the mare. Outwardly, the pegasus was not particularly beautiful. Her face was graceful and well-built, framed by wide, amber eyes, but marred by several thin white scars across her cheeks, and one that ran perilously close to her right eye.

‘A duelist,’ she mused inwardly, recognizing the scars that Shining shared in places on his face and neck.

Golden Dream’s coloration was interesting, though. Her coat was a soft golden hue, speaking to her name, while her mane was colt-cut short, and two-tone: an oddly glittering silver and sapphire, showing a recent and close Crystal Pony ancestry. Her wings were sleek and slim- a speedster, much like Twilight’s marefriend, Rainbow Dash. The pegasus was dressed in a simple Equestrian-style blue uniform, with a triple lightning bolt design on her shoulders and on a shield emblem on her chest. It was a familiar design…

“Bolt scum! Traitor!”

Steel rang as dress wing-blades were drawn from their scabbards, echoing in the hall. Sunstreak was stalking towards the mare, wings stretched into a battle-ready position, blades glimmering in the soft pink lighting of the Court. His face was set in offended rage, which boiled off him in waves to Cadence’s sight, while Golden Dream merely glared back, not drawing her own weapons.

“You dare show your face here?!” the commander spat, tail swishing angrily, “You treach-”

“ENOUGH!”

Shining Armor’s roar had been developed and perfected on the training yard and battlefield of the Royal Guard, snapping across the distance from the throne to the angered pegasus like a catapult crack. Violet magic formed into a wall between them, crackling with power.

“You will not break peace in our castle!” Shining snapped angrily, stomping a hoof to the crystal floor, “Sheath your blades, now!”

To his credit, Sunstreak obeyed in an instant, turning to bow to the royals as he slid his blades back into their fine-tooled leather sheaths.

“My apologies, Prince-Consort, Princess Cadenza. But surely you know what this pegasus is?”

“I do, Commander Sunstreak,” Cadence replied loudly, wings lifting- perhaps a little reminder to them that she had once been a pegasus herself, “House Bolt. The old royals of the northern pegasus kingdoms, and later the cities.”

“And banished for being traitors,” Lightning Snap added, bowing almost embarrassingly low, “For supporting Nightmare Moon herself. She cannot be here, my princess.”

Cadence closed her eyes, letting out a slow breath. By law, both pegasi were wrong, the baronet had every right to be here. Celestia and Luna had pardoned all the banished families that had supported Nightmare Moon during the Rebellion, some time ago. Hence why the Bolts could be living in any part of Equestria at all. But seeing one here of all places… Interesting. She turned her soul sight back onto the Bolt.

Golden Dream was nervous; not a crippling fear, but nerves connected more to the two squire-colts behind her, holding her equipment and bags, and dressed in the same livery. Brothers, maybe. Towards the nobles, there was wariness, but not outright hate. Surprising, that. Towards her and Shining Armor, there was nothing but respect. Cadence caught her eye- and smiled at the slight blush that creeped up the mare’s neck. Very interesting.

“You wish to compete for a hoof in my and Shining Armor’s herd, Baronet Dream?”

“I do, Your Grace,” the pegasus replied instantly- her voice was young and had a slight Trottingham accent, maybe in her twenties, “If you and the Prince will allow it.”

Cadence shut out the grumbling of the Court as she peered back at her husband. Shining Armor was studying the mare as well, looking curious. Knowing how he thought, Shining would be looking at her stance, her expression and how she carried herself. After a moment’s thought, he gave an approving nod to his wife, and Cadence smiled warmly. Finally, someone to root for…

“Very well, Golden Dream. Welcome to the Crystal Tournament. Enjoy what we have to offer in the castle, and prepare yourself. Your first match is tomorrow morning.”

Golden Dream let out a shaky breath of relief as she nudged the door open, guiding her brothers Silver Switch and Thunder Clap inside. The Crystal Palace had excellent guest rooms at least; the twins would have to share a bed, but. She was just glad that they had been allowed her. When that pegasus had called her out…

“Woooah!”

“Awesome!”

Golden smiled over at her brothers as they set down her gear and moved to jump onto the bed, while she moved to stare out the room’s window. They had a good view of the Crystal Empire city-state; well planned streets and beautiful buildings, gleaming and shimmering in the eternal spring sun. The recently built tournament grounds were in few as well, empty as of now. Her weapons and armor were under lock and key there, being scrubbed and searched for any spells. Golden was glad for that- this tournament ought to be fair, no magic or hidden enchantments to tilt it in anypony’s favor. She scuffed a hoof sharply.

“What did you think of the Royals, Goldie?” Silver asked softly, sounding… a little worried.

Golden Dream could not blame him. She had forced her parents to wait till they knew if they’d been thrown out or not before coming to the Empire, after all. No one in the family had been sure that their pardon would be held to, especially in the Empire. But…

“Everything I had hoped, so far,” she replied quietly, trying to will her blush away.

Those gorgeous pink eyes…

Ahem. She smoothed back her mane a few times before turning to her brothers, ignoring their grins.

“So far I… I like them,” she managed, flexing her wings, “They seem fair, at least for now. We’ll see more as the tournament goes. When I win, well… w-we’ll see what happens.”

And Golden Dream was going to win. She was certain of that. The pegasus rolled her shoulders, feeling the well-defined muscles of her shoulders and back rippling. Commander Sunstreak and the Duke looked like they’d be some tough opponents- unicorns always were- but the Earth Pony was an unknown variable. He looked strong, though could just be a thug. Mm.

“Did the gifts make it?” she asked Thunder suddenly, but relaxed at his sure grin and nod as he set out the pack.

Golden Dream had been trained in two things since she was old enough to hold the tools- smithing, and fighting. Smithing had been partly the reason why the exiled House Bolt still had any money at all: they had always been a household of industry, and their smithy back home churned out a mix of iron, copper, and silver goods for the local market. Golden had been trained in the working of all those metals- indeed, she and her father had created all of her gear themselves. She could firmly trust in their work.

But she alone had made the gifts for the Royals. They were her masterworks; taken quite alot of time, indeed. But she was certain that the Prince and Princess would love them. She gently patted the pack with a hoof before setting it back to the ground, closing her eyes as she centered herself.

‘Goddess of Love, guide my hoof… this is going to be a long week.’

Let me all know what you think!

Despite the misgivings of the Empire’s citizens, the Crystal Ponies turned out in the thousands to the Tournament, packing the stands build around the tournament grounds. Cadence and Shining Armor had their booth settled among them, their presence open to their adoring citizens; indeed, Flurry Heart was happily playing with a pair of Crystal Unicorn colts, while their excited parents eagerly watched the opening ceremony from inside the booth. It made their guards nervous, but none doubted that the royals could take care of themselves, and they had long made a promise to always be available to those they ruled.

Cadence was trying to be excited, but it was… a tad difficult. Her eyes kept drifting over to the box, situated high, by nearly unanimous request, away from the commoners. The family and retainers of the nobles. Ranging from finely dressed Canterlot nobles to snappy Pegasus officers in their parade best, to a small group of Earth Ponies in suits and ties, they differed greatly in attitude to the crowd below them. Especially the pegasi. Their emotions -anger, resentment, and suspicion- were directed almost solely down at a group of pegasi settled among the common folk.

They were fairly easy to spot in their blue and insignia-laden uniforms, and were a riot of colors- with even a few Crystal Pegasi among them. The ponies of House Bolt did not have the stiff-backed rigidity that Cadence had expected, but mingled freely with the commoners around them. The patriarch and matriarch of the family, a golden pegasus, much like his daughter, and a sapphire-colored Crystal Pegasus, seemed jovial, but Cadence could read their nervousness plain as day.

“Well would you look at that…” Shining muttered beside her, thoughtful and faintly amused.

Cadence glanced at him, then followed his gaze down onto the field. Three rings had been formed on the firm tournament ground, each ringed by fencing to separate the three different bouts they would have going at one time, and several armor and weapon racks and benches set out for the fighters and their teams. All were currently taken up, but Cadence spotted what her husband was focused on.

Golden Dream. The young pegasus was already in armor, but it was the kind of armor that was interesting. It was leather and chain, with pieces of plate on her legs, and odd protrusions at several points on each piece of barding. What in the…

“Modular pieces,” Shining murmured, grinning in amusement, “Clever. Would do jack shit in a campaign, but perfect for tournament work. See? She’s watching Lightning Snap.”

The other pegasus was not watching his opponent at all, and was focused on his own full plate- shining silver and tooled expertly to show the insignia of House Storm, and his petryal had his commander stars. Long sabre wingblades glittered on along the edges of his broad, marathon-style wings. Much like the purple wings that suddenly wrapped around Cadence’s face!

“Surprise!” A cheery, familiar female voice called out, thankfully keeping Cadence from leaping out of her hooves as she spun around.

“Twilight!”

Cadence hugged onto the grinning purple alicorn tightly, suppressing the urge to do their babysitting greetings. Rainbow Dash had come with her, standing just behind Twilight and grinning confidently. Both were dressed for a state visit- Twilight in her royal regalia, golden horseshoes and breastplate with her starburst cutie mark emblazoned on the chest, and Rainbow Dash in cyan-colored plate-and-chain, Twilight’s mark on her own chestplate and her flank-guards. So cute.

“Glad to see you, Twi, Dash,” Shining spoke up, grinning softly over at the mares, “Just in time for the first bouts.”

Twilight grimaced slightly, though Rainbow Dash bounded to the edge of the box eagerly.

“Sweet!” she called out, peering around, “But why not that big Coliseum? You already have that set up.”

Shining shook his head, staring back out himself, “Nah, that’d remind the Crystal Ponies too much of Sombra and his fights. They’re already pretty… eh, about this. It’s why none of the Crystal nobles joined in.”

“I’m really sick of the nobles,” Twilight growled angrily, voice low as not to frighten Flurry Heart and her friends, “Meddling busy-bodies.”

Cadence winced, ears folding back, “Still no luck?”

Rainbow Dash’s tail snapped back and forth sharply, as much as her voice, “Nope. Knight isn’t good enough. Have to wait another year before Celestia can make me a ‘real noble.’ Assholes.”

Twilight moved to nuzzle against Rainbow Dash, tucking her head up under the pegasus’ muzzle, their wings and tail intertwining. Being around them always made Cadence a little warm; despite being so young, their love was powerful, despite negative emotions tinging it. She knew they were both Harmonians, and Herders as well- very liberal for the notoriously hyper-conservative, Celestial-predominant Grand Nobles. If they wanted to expand their herd, they would very likely have to do something like this as well. Mrrf.

“What do you think of those two, Rainbow?” Shining was asking, and Cadence blinked a few times, hurrying back to the edge- Rainbow blinked thoughtfully down at Lightning Snap and Golden Dream.

“Sabre-blades?” Rainbow Dash muttered, staring at the stallion as he moved to speak with a hard-faced Dream, then back at his gear, “Nothing else?”

“Not that I’ve seen,” Shining Armor replied, grinning slightly- Cadence knew he had been exchanging letters with Rainbow Dash, tutoring her on weaponry and dueling, “The mare has two squires, they’re holding her gear.”

The squires were young stallions in their late teens, standing admirably despite the two pole-weapons they were holding each. On the left, he held a short-hafted pole with a broad axe-head, a top spike, and a small hook on the back- a halberd, she believed. In the other hoof, he was holding onto a simple pole with a two-foot sword blade, and a pair of jutting triangular metal pieces- that she knew as a ranseur. The stallion on the right was straining to hold up a pole-axe, a little taller than the halberd, with a thinner axe blade and a longer hook, while also holding a short-handled, thin-spiked awlpike.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes traveled slowly over the weapons, and she shook her head slowly, “Yeah, if that stallion wants to win, he needs to swap those blades. Any of those pole-arms will shut sabre-styles down.”

Shining Armor grinned and flank-checked the smaller mare, “Ha, I knew you could pick that up. Keep an eye on her.”

“She has your body style, Rainbow,” Twilight muttered thoughtfully, “Who is she?”

“Golden Dream, a baronet from House Bolt,” Cadence replied, watching Rainbow Dash thoughtfully for her reaction.

Maroon eyes widened sharply at the name, and she stared back down at the pair of combatants.

“Huh…”

“This is your last chance to back out with some dignity, Bolt.”

Lightning Snap’s voice was grating. The posh Canterlot accent was entirely affected, and it was obvious when he was upset. Golden matched his furious gaze cooly- and getting a good look at his armor.

“My name is Golden Dream, though you may call me Baronet Dream, Commander,” she replied softly, “My House has nothing to do with this. I am here for the Prince and Princess.”

“She deserves better than your kind,” he snapped back, eying her main, “Your House couldn’t even stay pure, I see.”

Rage flared- for a short moment. Hardly the first time that someone had called attention to her mixed heritage. Not that that would not have consequences. She knew exactly which weapon she’d be using.

“Not sure that the Prince would like your attitude, Commander,” Golden replied smoothly, smirking as the stallion’s eyes flashed, “Ah. Thought so.”

“Mi Amore Cadenza was born a pegasus,” he replied, voice swelling with emotion, “The best of our kind, ascendant. We will show her who truly loves her. Not some…”

A tribalist? Interesting, that. Father would like that bit of info on House Storm. Golden filed that away for later use as she abruptly turned her back to the surprised noble, heading for her brothers.

“You little-!”

“It’s nearly time, Commander. Prepare for our fight, or yield already, makes no difference to me.”

Silver Switch was grinning from ear to ear, while Thunder was chuckling under his breath, shaking his head. Golden rolled her neck a few times, loosening it up as she extended her wings.

“Stand to, guys. Wing-shields and pole-axe. And the helmet with open ears.”

They were good squires, trained by father himself- Silver had her open faced helmet buckled on within moments, her ears peeking out, free to twist and turn, while Thunder carefully buckled the broad articulated steel plates over her wings. It kept a pegasus from flying, but the rules of the tournament disallowed that anyway. With a soft grunt, she stood back on her hind legs, taking the pole-axe and grounding the butt-spike. Training allowed her to stand as long as she needed, but damn, Golden was going to need a masseuse after all this.

‘Love, give me strength. See my conviction and know it true.’

“Ponies of the Crystal Empire! Stand, and give respects to these noble knights!”

The cheers of the ponies in the stands was certainly different, but Golden had to admit… she liked it. Duels tended to occur in out of the way, open spaces, with only a few legal witnesses. This was much, much different. Lightning Snap had his eyes focused on Cadence, adoration gushing from them, before he turned to grin at his opponent.

“She won’t be yours, Lightning,” the mare muttered to herself, rolling her shoulders and shielded wings, “No way in Tartarus.”

Selfish prick.

“Fighters, are you ready?”

Lightning lifted his wings, and sliced the long, curved blades forward several times, letting the metal screech over each other. A waste of precious energy. Golden merely lifted her pole-axe into the air, then settled back into her balanced stance. With every lean back, her weighted wings shifted to keep her upright. Perfect.

“Begin!”

The stallion leaped forward immediately, a sharp jerk of his head snapping his visor down. He should have done that before. The sharp butt-spike lashed out to catch the outside of his left wing, protected by the guard of the saber, but still launched the blade skyward. A few steps forward and a duck had Golden under Lightning’s guard, the hook of her pole-axe catching his rear leg and pulling sharply, sending the larger pegasus sprawling. Lightning pushed off to continue the roll, dodging a follow up chop from the thin axe-blade that would have crushed his armor.

‘Not an idiot, then.’

Pulling free of the dirt, Golden rushed forward, wings flaring as she stabbed forward quickly, keeping Lightning moving back towards the fence. The stallion pushed back off the stout fence-boards, twisting to slash forward with the right blade. The pike-end of the pole-axe punched through his right shoulder-plate, the momentum of the charge redirected to send him sprawling to the dirt with a yell.

Above them, purple magic swirled as Shining Armor’s voice roared out, “First blood, point, Baronet Dream!”

Golden Dream stepped back, grounding her pole-axe and panting softly; blood dribbled down the pike-point of her weapon. Lightning Snap was fast, but clumsy. He didn’t have the skill to overcome- She twisted aside as Snap leaped again, bringing the butt-spike up. Favoring his injured leg, Snap turned to get inside her guard- only for the reinforced wood of the haft to slam down once… twice… three times. She kicked back and away, twirling the pole-axe to clutch beneath a wing as she settled back to all fours, pike-point aimed at the prone pegasus.

“Yield.”

A bloodshot eye glared out from under a heavily dented helmet, the other clenched tight. There was hate in that eye, raw and tended to by obsession and adrenaline. Golden set her teeth, scuffing a hoof back and lowering her body to the ground as the Commander shakily rose to his hooves. His wings twitched as he attempted to get back into a fighting stance, then stepped forward, slashing with each blade with all the strength he could muster.

Blood had marred with depth perception. Metal screeched as pike-point skidded along steel plate, and crunched as an armored wing-shield was twisted into an uppercut. The belly of a pony was weakly armored, even with plate, and especially for a crushing blow. The stallion’s breath whooshed out in a bloody spray as the impact lifted him up, then sent him sprawling to the dirt. A violet wall of magic settled between them as loud horns sounded.

“Winner by unconscious yield, Baronet Dream! Healers to the circle!”

Golden Dream stared up at the stands, stretching out her wings, holding the halberd in her primaries as she bowed low to the royals. To her prizes.

‘One down.’

“That guy is an idiot,” Rainbow Dash muttered, shaking her head as she stared down at the circle, “She had him dead to rights. Literally. She could’ve killed him!”

Twilight was looking disturbed, staring back at her wings and slowly flexing them. Cadence knew what she was thinking. That last strike had to hurt. She had been watching both competitors’ emotions during the fight, and it had been… heh, enlightening. There was quite a bit of anger and hatred buried in that obsessive personality, and it was in clear opposition from the cool, controlled heart of his opponent. She was curious where a brief spring of real anger had come from, though…

“Think she’ll be a contender, Rainbow Dash?” Cadence asked thoughtfully, peering over at the trained athlete.

Rainbow Dash blinked over at her in surprise at the question, but tilted her head, eyes losing focus as she seemed to think hard. Finally, after a few moments, she gave a slow nod.

“Yeah. Yeah, I think so. Hard to tell after just one fight, but… heh. She does look a lot like me, now that I think about it…”

What do you all think of the fight scene?

Shining Armor hummed softly to himself as he trotted through the tournament grounds, dressed fully in his Princely armor- the set of light purple crystal-plate, with the symbol of House Sparkle emblazoned next to that of the Royal House of Crystal. He had gone for his open faced helm- it was most comfortable, allowing his horn to remain free to the air. Two Crystal Lancers trotted a few paces behind him; as they were among half a dozen armed and well-trained fighters, they had to be prepared for anything.

Shining Armor’s azure eyes brightened as he spotted Golden Dream and her retinue, speaking quietly to each other and looking her armor over. He wasn’t afraid to admit that he had a favorite here- from what Cadence told him, this pegasus was the only one who seemed decent in any respect. But he wanted a closer look himself.

“Baronet Golden Dream.”

To her credit, Golden Dream did not jump or spin around, though both of her young squires did. She turned to face him, surprise in those amber eyes, before quickly bowing, stretching out her wings in an old-fashioned pegasus etiquette.

“Prince Shining Armor, this is an honor,” she said quickly, looking up at him curiously and standing when he nodded, “May I present my brothers and squires, Thunder Clap and Silver Switch, of House Bolt?”

Shining grinned as he watched the two stallions bow, nodding at them to rise as well, “Of course, it’s a pleasure to meet you all in pony. Are you ready for your bout?”

He glanced over at the other seat, and the hulking Earth Pony there. He was watching them blandly, not making any attempt to get Shining Armor’s attention, and was simply strapping on his plate. His entirely full plate, as far as Shining could tell. A heavy club rested by his bench, along with a weapon-holder barding and a few spears. Hrm.

“I believe so, Prince Armor. We have a plan for him.”

There was a tinge of amusement there, enough to give Shining a grin himself, though he blinked when she bowed again.

“Would… would it be alright if I present a gift to yourself and Princess Cadence, Your Grace?” she asked, seeming almost nervous now, “I could wait till after the tourney, of course…”

A gift? Now that was new. Shining Armor nodded to her, his guards moving to flank him as both squires rushed forward with two bags. Opening them with each wing, Golden carefully scooped out two formed sets of golden filigree- the thin, spun metal wire was shaped in a thin spiral, with two sets of wire made to wrap back. Shining’s eyes widened.

“I found the design in old history books, Your Grace,” Golden was saying, voice tight with nerves, “Gold wire made to wrap around the grooves of an alicorn or unicorn’s horn, and curl around the ears. I added a little orichalcum to make sure your mana still flows as normal.”

Shining’s unicorn guard scanned both sets quickly, nodding to Shining Armor after a moment. He gently lifted them in his telekinetic field, slowly looking them over.

“You’re a jeweler?” he asked- incredulously, he had to admit, blinking when she shook her head.

“I am a smith, Your Grace, along with being a duelist. My entire family has skills with metal- my specialty is with gold and steel.”

Shining Armor’s eyes flickered appreciatively over her muscled form, only partially hidden by her leather armor. That explained a lot, actually. He bowed his head slightly- he was intensely grateful, but the nobles were watching, and he had to guard his actions.

“Thank you, Golden Dream,” he told her quietly, letting his gratefulness out through his voice, “Cadence and I will treasure these. ...good luck. And keep moving, with this one.”

Golden’s eyes, shining with pride at her gift being accepted, hardened as she peered over at the now fully armored Earth Pony, nodding slowly after a moment.

“Yes, Your Grace… I will.”

“You sure about this, Goldie?” Silver Switch was asking nervously, settling the open helm on his sister’s head again, helping her ears poke through.

Both stallions were not so sure about Golden’s armor choice, that was plain to see. The steel scales shined in the sun as she tested their movement with a shimy of her flanks and shoulders. Perfect.

“I am. That club could dent my armor and keep me from moving, if he hits me. We can’t take that risk. Wing-shields, too.”

Slashing weapons would be a waste of time against full cap-a-pie plate armor. Golden Dream carefully took the awlpike from her brother, nodding. It was her height when she stood on her hind legs, making her rely on her armored wings and tail to keep balance. The tip of the awlpike was built much like its tool namesake, relying on the very sharp triangular tip to punch through armor or cut flesh, and with a round butt-plate to use as a fairly deadly bludgeon. She eyed her opponent- who she had found out from the herald was named Lager Lout- and he was staring right back. His brown eyes were… disconcerting. Unreadable.

“Fight well, Lager,” she called out to him, leaning lightly on her awlpike, “The Royals are watching.”

That got something. A tightening of the eyes and mouth, followed by an obviously put on smile. No words, but that wasn’t needed. There hadn’t been a hint of what she expected from a competitor, and it shot a bolt of adrenaline through her heart. The hell…

Lager tore his gaze away from her and popped a metal, articulated mouth guard into his muzzle, then roughly tied on his spear-laden barding. The weapon was simple, with a leaf-shaped spear blade, and two boar spear protrusions; as was his club, an iron-banded oaken haft. Golden Dream rolled her shoulders and shielded wings, letting out a slow breath as she stepped to her place in the ring.

“Are the fighters ready?”

A loud, angry snort blew out in a mist from Lager’s armored muzzle as he stepped forward, gripping the club tightly in his teeth, then slammed it once into the ground. Golden pretended to have not felt the ground vibrate as she lifted her awlpike to signal her own readiness. All around them, the crowd began to cheer and chant, their crystal bodies gleaming and refracting the sun into a dazzling rainbow of color. Off to her right, a familiar sapphire gleam caught her eye, and she quickly saluted towards her gathered family.

‘I won’t let you down.’

“For the honor of the Crystal Prince and Princess… begin!”

Lager Lout was faster than Golden had imagined; before the last word had ended, his club had been swinging down, impacting a shard of clay that had risen from his slam, and sending it slapping into Golden’s cheek. She twisted to her right, cursing internally as that club slammed a wing-shield and sent her spinning away.

‘Cheap shot!’

The momentum of the swing had rushed the Earth Pony passed her, the heaviness of his weapon and suit having an undeniable inertia to it. Kicking off the ground into a jump, Golden stabbed forward, the steel tip of her awlpike punching into the weaker armor behind his left hind leg, then quickly being withdrawn to miss a reflexive bucking. Earth Ponies, Crystal or not, had incredible strong hind leg muscles, and were never to be underestimated.

Lager knew his weapon of choice; he turned back towards his opponent with another snort, twisting to stab a blunt iron-shod tip at the smaller mare, keeping her moving, before suddenly twisting into a diagonal crushing sweep.

‘There!’

A reflexive stab punched the weapon into his shoulder near the neck, blood welling from the wound, and the club thudded from his mouth to the ground. Ice suddenly gripped Golden’s heart; he was fast. Two powerful forelegs wrapped around her, squeezing tight, and a metal-shod mouth clamped onto the sheet steel protecting her nape- and bit down. Pain lanced through the mare’s body, a scream building as he began to shake her, much like a cat shakes a mouse.

Something began to crunch in her shoulder and neck, Golden Dream’s vision starting to red out. Someone was screaming. A familiar pain arched through her left wing as she began to twist and slam it into the plate helm the Earth Pony was wearing. Twice, three times… Steel crumpled and the stallion roared as he was forced to let go. The pegasus landed on all fours; blood was pooling inside her helmet and down into her chest guard- and she launched forward and up.

The double uppercut crumpled the articulated plates of the stallion’s throat guard, sending him reeling back with a choked grunt. Boxing had not been apart of her training, but Golden knew the basics. Rising up onto her hind hooves and spreading her wings to keep balance, Golden could barely see, vision blurry- the nape was a dangerous weakness among ponies, tripping up their nervous system something awful when hit or pulled in a fight. She raised her hooves, left slightly in front of the other, and began to strike. She was not wearing horseshoes, but strength born of a lifetime of smithing meant that each jab or strike was denting or getting through the flesh underneath.

A violet field of magic grabbed both ponies by the eighth strike, yanking them firmly apart- and planting Lager’s face in the dirt when he lunged violently forward.

“Hold! Hold, godsdamnit!!” Shining Armor was roaring, voice magically amplified, as the Earth Pony struggled against the magical grip, “Hold or you will forfeit!”

The violet grip vanished with a pop as Lager strained mightily forward, grabbing his spear and taking a throwing stance- only for three separate stunning spells to strike him with an electric crackling, arcing along his steel armor and sending him sprawling to the floor. The grip around Golden Dream disappeared as she fell back to all fours- and she stared in awe as a purple alicorn teleported in between the combatants, mana rolling off her in waves. Pegasi could feel unicorn magic more keenly than Earth Ponies, typically through their feathers. It was like being next to a furnace.

‘Princess Twilight Sparkle!’

Purple chains formed around the prone Earth Pony, and she firmly tore off the helmet and mouth-weapon, revealing a badly bloodied face, one eye-socket crushed and a dark blue bruise underneath his chin and along his throat. He spat at Twilight’s hooves, and grunted as his face was forced back into the dirt.

“You forfeit this match,” Twilight growled out, sounding angrier than Golden Dream had ever heard on the magical news broadcasts, “The win goes to Golden Dream. And you will face charges for breaking safety restraints, Lager Lout.”

And with a flash, the titanic Earth Pony was teleported away… and it was quiet. The crowd was stunned into silence, until Golden Dream began to bow to the Princess, spreading her wings. The roar of their cheers washed over the duelist, clearing her head of the remaining pained fog, though her ears still felt somewhat stopped up, a faint rushing noise distorting the sound around her.

“T-thank you, Princess Sparkle,” she managed after a moment, “I hope you were p-pleased with this bout, Your Grace.”

Twilight Sparkle was staring at her with wide eyes, shaking her head slowly. Definitely a Sparkle; she was a gorgeous mare, up close. Warm magic slowly unlocked her helmet restraints, lifting it free, blood running down her neck and chest scales now.

“Winner: Golden Dream! Healers to the circle!”

“How is she?” Cadence asked the moment Twilight teleported back to their booth, trying to keep the worry out of her voice.

Twilight was uncharacteristically quiet, lifting a wing; Rainbow moved to settle under it immediately, worry present on her own expression.

“Two cracked vertebrae that we healed on the spot,” Twilight replied quietly, “And a couple deep cuts from her armor and… whatever he was wearing when he bit her. Isn’t that kind of move illegal?”

Shining Armor snorted angrily; he was radiating outrage and adrenaline, body still somewhat shaking. Cadence stretched a wing over his back gently.

“It’s very illegal in an honor duel,” Shining growled out, “He was using jaw-crushers, military issue. You can be jailed just for having those on the streets as a civilian. For the reason we just saw.”

“Then he’ll be charged with that too,” Twilight muttered, leaning into Rainbow’s side and looking… troubled, “Golden Dream said she was alright after we healed her, but…”

The nape of the neck was a… touchy area, in more ways than one. Gentle nipping and pressure was typically apart of pony love-making. It was also well known as a spot to control mares or smaller stallions during sexual assaults. To go for that kind of attack during an honorable duel was the worst kind of disrespect, or a total lack thereof. It was anathema to everything Cadence and Shining preached about mare and stallion relations.

Cadence sighed softly, shaking her head. At least this all ended tomorrow. With Golden Dream the winner, she would be facing down Duke White Knight. He had annihilated his own competition with little effort; from what the servants said, his braggratry was epic to behold in the noble guest quarters. It left a bad taste in the Princess’s mouth, and she leaned against Shining Armor for support.

“Let’s go see your parents, Twi, and get something to eat,” Rainbow was saying, giving them all a confident grin, “Your fave is gonna win, I just know it. And tomorrow? Tomorrow is going to be amazing, just you wait.”

Tell me all what you think! Time to go to work!

“You’re sure about doing this, little dream?”

Golden Dream smiled softly at her father’s pet name for her, even as she was annoyed at the continued questioning from her family. She wasn’t surprised, really- she’d been shaken by the nape in front of her House, and a sizeable crowd. Despite the healing she had received, Golden’s neck still ached.

“I will be fine, father,” Golden replied softly, smiling back at him, “It’s almost over, anyway. Just the Duke, now.”

Aurem Wind did not look particularly eased with that, but have a slow nod. This close to each other, the patriarch of House Bolt was definitely the one who gave Golden Dream her looks, sans his bright blue eyes or large, Pegasopalan frame. Hesitating a moment, Aurem waved for his daughter to pause- they had been walking to the stadium, the rest of the family respectfully quiet and following along behind them.

“Let me be your squire in this fight, Golden.”

The duelist stared at him in surprise, wings fluffing up slightly, “Y-you, father?”

His somewhat silvered muzzle crinkled with a sardonic smile, eyes twinkling.

“I am not so old that I cannot handle your weapons and armor, little dream,” he teased, raising a hoof to keep her from spluttering out an apology, “It is up to you.”

Emotion tightened Golden’s throat as she bowed her head to him, “Of course you can, father. It’d be an honor.”

The stands were packed to capacity that day, the cacophony of pony voices roaring over the fighters and their teams below. Interestingly, there were many banners and signs lifted up by those in the audience, showing various icons such as unicorn horns, or pegasi feathers, or even their names spelled outright. Golden was not quite sure what to make of it all.

“So, you made it to the end!”

Golden Dream looked up at the amused, smooth baritone voice. White Knight was an intimidating figure: a tall, broad Canterlotian unicorn in full plate, shining in the noon-time sun. His head was already helmeted, but he had his visor raised to allow White to give a friendly grin. Golden nodded in acknowledgement, giving a smile in return. Civility should always be greeted in kind.

“Indeed I have, Duke Knight. Are you prepared?”

The stallion chuckled quietly, “I am. For our fight, and my future nuptials. I’m thinking honeymoon in Prance. Try to spare the face, hrm?”

Good natured banter instead of wild eyed yelling? Yes, please. He got a more genuine grin out of the mare than she had shown in the entire tournament; though perhaps a bit too toothy, judging from the way his eyes widened. Likely the first time he had seen a pegasus' sharp, somewhat serrated teeth up close.

“The Princess married a Captain of the Royal Guard, Duke, and Princess Cadence faced King Sombra in combat, by herself. I think they rather like scars.”

The pair chuckled again before saluting, the Duke turning to hurry back to his waiting female squires. Golden Dream turned back to her side- only to find Aurem Wind standing close, holding a weapon that had not been on her rack before. It was the same medium height as her halberd, but instead boasted a broad hammer head on one side, and a powerful spike on the other, balancing out the top pike point. The triple lightning bolt of their House was acid-etched onto the hammer, on both the striking side, and each side of the hammer itself. Memory struck Golden Dream like a sack of ingots.

“F-father, your hammer…”

Technically, the family’s hammer. The princes of the old Pegasus city-states to the north traditionally used hammers as their symbol of power, and every princely House had a family hammer. It was one of the few heirlooms the Bolts had been able to keep during their exile, albeit hidden from the Royal Guard. Golden Dream looked up at her father incredulously.

“I had it inspected last night, for the bout,” he said before she could speak, eyes firm, “Use this, and your arming sword-blades. I know his type, these Canterlotian unicorns. He’ll go with a longsword and some form of dagger. ...please, Golden.”

The younger pegasus sucked in a slow, deep breath before nodding, taking the hammer in her slightly trembling hooves. The craftsmanship was exquisite, the height of Pegasi smith-culture, made of orichalcum and steel, giving the metal a near red tint. The hammer head and the spike were all one piece, riveted to top-spike, which was in turn bolted into an oaken haft, enchanted to never rot. The balance was perfect…

“Plate-and-chain then?” she managed thickly, stretching out her wings so that they could be armored and bladed.

“That’s my girl. And the pike-helm.”

As good as her brothers were, Golden’s father was their trainer, and had his daughter kitted out in record time. The roar of the crowd redoubled as she stepped into place, rising onto her hind hooves and gripping the pole-hammer tightly. The matched weight of the unicorn-like head spire of her open helm and her armor kept the mare nicely balanced. Perfect.

Like father had predicted, the Duke was levitating two blades, the allowed maximum, as he took his place. Unicorns could not levitate past foreleg reach as well, to keep things fair. One was indeed a dagger, a triangular piercer designed to puncture armor and nearly a foot long, while its companion was a double-edged longsword; like most unicorn designed weapons, there was no handle, just a large, circular metal pommel. The Duke had lowered his Germane-style sallet helm, and grinned over at his opponent.

“Ponies of the Crystal Empire!” boomed Princess Cadence’s voice, the crowd’s cheering rising up with her, “This is the final bout of the Crystal Tournament! The winner today will be next presented as a royal of the Crystal Empire!”

The Princess paused, her words ringing out in the crisp, spring air.

“Fighters, are you ready?”

White Knight and Golden Dream raised their weapons at the same time, to the eager cries of their respective families and supporters in the stands.

“Then by the power of Eros, of Love Eternal…”

Golden felt her chest and limbs warm and tingle.

“Begin!”

Sunlight streamed harshly into Golden’s eyes, and he was upon her. The longsword flicked out to draw a block from the pegasus while the dagger streaked for her face. It was an excellent move, working on the natural tendency to flinch from something going for a pony’s face. Instead, she twisted into it, wing-blade singing up to bat the weapon away, then continue to slice over the steel of his armor.

A sonorous chant was rumbling out from his helmet- Celestian prayers in old High Unicorn. The sun was so intensely bright… She paled.

‘A cleric.’

“He’s a damn Celestian priest,” Cadence hissed, eyes widening as she stared down at the rapid twisting and striking of the fight.

Twilight’s head snapped up at that, horn glowing through a scanning spell, “Are you sure?”

Cadence replied with just a nod, mind whirling. Every alicorn had a spark of the divine, tapping into one of the divine essences that permeated the Equusian world. Other ponies could tap into it during prayers, meditations, and acts of devotion; to alicorns, it all came naturally.

Celestialism was an unfortunate name- Celestia herself was not a fan of the path the main church had taken the faith. A focus on kindness and generosity had morphed over the centuries into a religion of false charity and intensely rich church leaders; from small church-homes to immense grand cathedrals. Everything she had built since the Golden Age of Equestria had shifted since the banishment of her sister, and it was hardly the religion of old. But regardless, the prayers and rituals, if done properly and with belief, still had power.

“Should I stop the duel?” Shining asked quickly, eyes locked on the battle below.

Cadence closed her eyes, teeth grinding for a moment, “No. We can’t. It isn’t technically against the rules. We can’t do anything…”

The slap of the longsword blade left an intense ringing in Golden’s ears, and she quickly rolled away, trying to stifle her pants. She was leaving a small red trail with every step, blood seeping down into her plated horseshoes from half a dozen punctures throughout her armor. One was settled over the base of her left wing, and the limb was responding only sluggishly, and with little strength.

‘Damnit.’

Duke White Knight’s shoulders rose and fell with rapid breaths- he was older than her by two decades, and was still praying. But he could get his breath back, and wasn’t losing nearly as much blood. This was a proper duelist.

As he began to twist forward, Golden Dream launched forward an her hind legs, swinging the pole-hammer horizontally and with her head lowered. The longsword flicked forward to block, the dagger stabbing forward at full speed. Both foes hit at the same time. Armor crumpled as the hammer head slammed into his left flank, something snapping with a resounding crack; the stallion snorted loudly in pain. The dagger felt white-hot as it buried into Golden’s clavicle between plates, the rings of the chainmail splintering under the point of the blade, and she screamed into her clenched teeth. The momentum of her charge and swing sent her spiked head into his armored shoulder, but the steel turned the point, and the two ponies strained at each other.

The rock hard pommel slammed into her muzzle, sending Golden reeling back to the dirt, blood flying in a mist from a crushed nose. Blearily, she stared up at the unicorn- he had ripped back his visor that had become dented during the fight, his once handsome visage twisted in rage and pain.

“You-”

Crunch.

“Fucking-”

Punch.

“Cunt!”

The fourth strike sent her tumbling over her shoulders, hitting the firm ground with a spray of dust and spittle. The sun did not glint as his sword was raised for a powerful downward stab. The chant had stopped. Spitting and snorting out a mouthful of blood and teeth, Golden Dream kicked her back hooves and spun on her good wing and shoulder, swinging the hammer with everything she had.

The longsword shattered at the impact, steel shards flinging back to the stunned Duke’s face and shoulders, drawing blood and a curse. The hammer had left Golden’s grip and spun through the dirt, the reinforced haft taking out the unicorn’s legs and sending him to the dirt with a crash of metal.

‘Now!’

The dagger zipped in as she scrambled forward, slicing into the base of her remaining working wing; her blade clattered to the ground, but she clenched the limb to her side as hard as she could manage. It tugged and twisted, pain lancing through her body- but Golden had it tight. Dust obscured the pain as she leaped for the prone, grimacing unicorn, mouth opening wide…

Silence. It thundered in Golden’s ears as she pressed against the larger stallion. His carotid artery throbbed beneath her serrated teeth; she tightened her jaw just so as he squirmed and flexed beneath her. The moment seemed to last for an eternity…

“I… I yield.”

Violet magic pried her jaw opened just enough to slide them apart, and the two combatants were yanked several feet apart, as the crowd roared. The ground seemed to shake beneath the rapidly greying mare, almost as much as she was.

“Winner by yield: Baronet Golden Dream! Healers to the circle, NOW!”

‘I did it… my Prince, Princess, heh… I…’

And the ground raced up to meet her.

Woof. And the tourney is done! But the story is only just beginning!

The sheets beneath Golden Dream felt like heaven. Soft and cool, sliding soothingly over her uncovered hooves as she shifted in the bed. She hummed softly despite herself. One of the boys must have gotten her back to the room, though she didn’t remember the sheets feeling this good…

“I think she’s waking up, Shiny.”

The young pegasus’ eyes snapped open in a panic at the familiar female voice, scrambling to sit up- only to be quite unable to move, a glimmering pink field around her. Princess Cadence was settled beside the bed, completely bereft of her royal regalia and her mane hanging loose, wet from a recent bathing. With the pink of the magic and the light from above, it was like staring at a goddess herself.

“P-princess…” Golden managed, trying to speak past a suddenly dry mouth, “Where… what’s going…”

Cadence smiled at her, negating her magic and leaning over to nuzzle a flattened ear. Golden shivered softly, closing her eyes as she leaned into the intimate act. Strawberries filled her strangely sensitive nose. This had to be a dream.

“Welcome back, Golden Dream,” Cadence whispered, leaning back on her haunches and still wearing that gentle smile, “You had us worried.”

“Knight tore you up pretty good.”

Golden peeked sheepishly to the side as Shining Armor trotted over to the bed, wearing an amused smile of his own, eyes kind and warm.

“How’re you feeling?” he asked quietly, settling down beside Cadence and leaning into her side, “The healers said everything was fixed up, or healing correctly.”

Instinctively, Golden flexed her wings, finding them bound to her sides; aside from the expected soreness, there was nothing that struck Golden as immediately wrong.

‘Thank Eros.’

“N-no sir, I feel okay,” she replied, only to blush at both pony’s scrunched muzzles.

Cadence shook her head quickly, reaching up to gently take Golden’s firm forehoof.

“No titles, no honorifics here,” she told her quietly, giving a smile to ease the sting of the admonishment, “You won the tournament, after all. You’ve earned this.”

‘Now. Do it now.’

Golden Dream shook her head quickly, ears perking up as she stared intensely at the two royals.

“N-no, Pri… no, Cadence,” she managed shakily, “I-I don’t… I don’t want your love because I won the tournament. That’s not… real.”

Golden’s free hoof pawed nervously over the silken sheets, hoping her expression would portray what she meant to the two, as she took a moment to steady herself. Shining was nodding, the smile having not left his handsome jaw for a moment.

He waved a hoof, “Take your time. Tell us what you need to.”

“Heh, it… will sound pretty cheesy.”

That got a smirk out of Cadence, who ran her feathers up Shining Armor’s back and neck.

“If I didn’t like cheese, I wouldn’t have married him,” she explained with a wink, “Tell us. Please.”

Golden Dream nodded, sheepishly draping her hoof over Cadence’s, while she stared down at the sheets.

“My family is focused on history, ever since our banishment. Keeping it, holding it, reading it. I’ve read every book there is on knighthood and its history, and its myths. That… that includes many of the old romances, and the tales of marriage-alliances.”

Amber eyes flicked up- but neither pony had cracked a sardonic grin- their expressions were merely curious.

‘Huh.’

“When I heard about the Changeling attack, I… I heard about you two. Your love alone threw the Changelings out of the city! You defeated a Queen, without every lifting a hoof. You… I…”

“You’re Erosian, right?” Cadence asked softly, tilting her head, “We saw the tattoos.”

Golden’s cheeks lit up intensely with a blush. Her toned barrel was entirely covered in fur and skin tattoos, the sweeping patterns colored a soft pink and running from the top of her chest, down to her stomach, and along each leg.

“Y-yes,” she whispered sheepishly, “M-most of my father’s side is Lunarian, but all of my mother’s side is Erosian. The uh, tattoos are-”

“Poems.”

Golden stared up at Cadence wide-eyed, her blush slowly rising, “Y-you can read…”

“Old Imperial script?” Cadence was grinning cheekily, and blushing somewhat herself, “I can. The tattoos are all poems from ‘The Tale of Crystal Heart’ epic, with mine and Shining’s names added in place of Lady Snowswirl and Sir Guardian close to the climax of the poem. Hrm...”

Shining Armor was blinking, a slow grin rising on his muzzle and Golden ducked her head.

‘Bed, please be enchanted and swallow me whole, okay? Thanks.’

Golden let out a slow breath, tail swishing slowly over the bed. Despite herself, the pegasus found herself relaxing in their presence, their grins and very nature soothing.

“I took an interest in you both, as did my House. We studied your philosophies and actions, and watched you rebuild the Empire into what it is today. You’re amazing monarchs.”

That got a sheepish look between the two ponies, and the competitive part of Golden gave a little victory dance. Ahem.

“Father wanted to come and beg an audience, see about becoming your sworn vassals, but…”

“The news broke,” Cadence finished softly, ears laying back as Golden nodded in reply.

“I knew exactly what was going to happen,” Golden whispered, frowning at the bed, “Every noble would come out of the woodwork to try to join your herd, no matter what they felt about you two as ponies. I couldn’t let that happen. We’re better than our past, because we can learn from it!”

The last part came close to a shout, Golden’s eyes closing for a moment, regaining her calm.

“But… to the point, of all this.”

Golden Dream pressed her lips together and sat up straight, ignoring the twinge of pain in her back.

“Your reputation and your family has been made safe. You deserved, at the very least, that. It was my duty, as a right and proper knight of Equestria.”

She locked eyes with the monarchs, “I will act in whatever manner befits a consort, and my family will serve you as loyal vassals, always. D-do not feel a need to add me into your family proper, just let me know what I can do to make your lives easier.”

Formality soothed her nerves, and she bowed low, wings twitching in their bonds as she instinctively attempted to stretch them out.

“Is this agreeable?”

There were several heart-stopping seconds of pause, and Golden was severely tempted to break protocol and look up at them. Their twin chuckles, light and almost mischievous, was… not what she expected, though.

“Deal. However.”

Cadence lifted Golden’s chin, and it was all the knight pony could do to not lose herself in their depths.

“You join our lives,” she went on, smiling warmly, “See how we live, meet our family, let us court you. We don’t have to be quick about it; we can take our time. You’ve earned that, at the very least.”

Shining nodded, ears perked forward, “We like you, Golden Dream, and want to learn more about you, and let you learn about us. Does that sound okay?”

Damn right it did. A little spark of hope lit in her chest- only for Golden to smash it down. Deep breaths. These were royals. This… was her duty. She managed a smile up at her princess, tail giving a little twitch.

“Yes, Cadence, Shining. Heh, I can do that.”

“Ha, there she is!”

Golden Dream looked away from Cadence and blinked as the trio walked out of the bedroom, an embarrassed blush racing up her neck and cheeks. Princess Sparkle herself was waiting for them, smiling warmly- and out of her own regalia. Admittedly, it was a good look for her, much better than her expression while on the ring. Behind her stood another Element of Harmony, Ser Rainbow Dash. She was standing quite close to the princess; Golden’s eyes widened just slightly as she took in their feathers, curled around each other.

‘Wow…’

The baronet began to bow, but the princess quickly shook a hoof, chuckling.

“None of that; we’re both royals now,” she began, then blinked as Cadence twitched an ear to interrupt.

“Not quite, Twi,” Shining spoke up, grinning, “We aren’t doing the wedding for a little bit yet. Right now, Golden Dream is going to be staying with us, in the attached guest room, and coming with us as we live. She wanted to see how our family works, what our lives are like.”

Golden was surprised at the sudden smile that had overtaken both the mares at that explanation, Twilight giving a little happy bounce on all four hooves. Rainbow grinned as she met Golden’s eyes.

“Yeah? Well awesome; when you’re healed up then, why don’t you and me get in the ring?” she asked cheerfully, ignoring the incredulous look from Twilight, “No weapons, no armor. Just two ponies, fighting hoof to hoof. Friendly bout, no honor on the line.”

“Rainbow, are you nuts?! She’s hurt! Can you not compete for five-”

“Of course, Ser Dash.”

Twilight gaped over at the grinning pegasus; Golden like the cut of this mare’s jib, and was grinning genuinely as she nodded to her.

“Give me a few days, and I think I can honor that request. I’ve heard of your battles against the Changelings. It’ll be fun.”

Twilight sighed, and glared over at Shining, “If it isn’t you, it’s her, and now her! I have a medical magic certification because of you all!”

“Aww, you’re welcome, Twily. Where’s mom and dad?”

The princess rolled her eyes but tilted her head back towards the door to the far left, “Having tea with the Bolts.”

Golden Dream tensed immediately, eyes widening slightly. Oh. Well buck. She blushed furiously as Cadence’s warm wing draped over her back, sky magic gently sparkling between the feathers, and Shining gently flicked his tail against her flank. Rainbow smiled softly at Golden’s expression, shaking her head.

“Nah, don’t worry about them. Night Light and Twilight Velvet are cool. They approve of me, and I’m some no-name mare from Cloudsdale.”

“And an Element of Harmony.”

That got a little, annoyed snort out of her, “Yeah, well, that doesn’t mean as much as you’d think… come on.”

Rainbow Dash turned to lead them all through, Cadence and Shining gently urging Golden along towards their entertaining room; Twilight’s magic gently opened the twin oaken doors. It was built like an enlarged study, with several bookshelves lining the walls and surrounding three large couches, around a coffee table. Aurem Wind and Aurora Gleam were settled side by side, sipping at tea cups held in their primaries, while Silver Switch and Thunder Clap settled calmly on the other side of the couch. All of them turned and beamed as the royals walked inside, getting to their hooves.

“At ease, please,” Cadence spoke up quickly, grinning, “I hope you all are having a good time?”

“A delightful time, your highnesses,” Aurem replied softly, bowing his head slightly before settling back down, the family following his lead, “How is my daughter?”

Shining nodded over to Twilight, who smiled at Aurem warmly, “She will be fine, Baron Wind. Just needs a few days rest.”

Aurora sighed in relief, smiling at Golden gently before starting to twitch her ears and move her hooves in complicated gestures. A puckered scar could just be made out around the center of her neck, and a small jewel on her ears lit up as a recorded female voice began to speak. Aurora had been mute since before Golden was born, though she had never gotten the story of how or why from anypony in the family. It tended to throw most ponies off, but thankfully none of the royals seemed the least bit phased.

“I am glad you are alright, Golden. We were worried. The Duke sent congratulations.”

Golden flicked an ear in surprise but smiled slightly at that, nodding, “I will be sure to write him a thank you then; thanks, mother. Father, the hammer-”

“Is with your cousins now,” he interrupted with an indulgent smile, “An excellent fight. I am proud of you.”

Emotion welled up in Golden’s chest, and she let Cadence help her onto the free couch; the royals settled warmly on either side of her as Aurem went on.

“But we’ve talked enough. You have new family to speak with, I believe.”

Duke Night Light laughed softly and shook his head; his voice was an ear-pleasing tenor, matching a kind face wrinkled by laugh lines.

“No, no, don’t let us interrupt your congratulations,” he replied quickly, nodding to Golden Dream, “That was an intense final bout, though…”

“The Earth Pony had me worried more, admittedly,” Duchess Velvet added quickly, frowning over at the duelist, “How is your neck?”

It did ache still, especially when Golden shook her head, “It’s fine, Duchess, but thank you for the concern. I apologize that you had to see that.”

Twilight Velvet gave a low snort, and her face was nearly identical to Twilight Sparkle’s with its scowl. Her teal eyes locked with her daughter’s, and she relaxed at a terse nod that Golden barely caught. Cadence cleared her throat softly, wing gently squeezing Golden Dream- her blush and a liiiittle bit of brain splutter banished the dark thoughts.

“Everyone. Golden Dream will be marrying into the family. But before we hold the ceremony, we want Golden Dream and her family to live here, and see what our family has to offer, beyond titles.”

Aurem looked a little surprised, but Aurora was smiling happy, crystal blue eyes sparkling even more than usual. Night Light grinned over at Velvet for a moment before turning back to Golden’s parents.

“Then I think we should show you around the city, while your daughter recovers and is with Cadence and Shining. Trust me, waiting for them to get out of Court can be tedious, and we’ve found a few very nice places around town.”

Shining gave a slight grunt, “Oh yeah, we have Court tomorrow. Lovely.”

Golden Dream had to frown at that, looking between them. Admittedly, she had never gone to a Royal Court before, but with those sounds and looks… hrm.

“May I go with you both?” she asked quietly, and blinked at their twin grins.

Oh dear.

So not quite like the other chapters, and this starts a fun little arc I've been looking forward to. Yay character development!

‘Eros, kill me now.’

Golden Dream thought she knew annoyance and boredom. She had, after all, sat through etiquette lessons and had made herself soak it all in. She had listened to ages and ages of boring pegasus and unicorn house histories, interspersed with interesting battles and duels. But none of that had prepared her for the struggle that was the Crystal Court.

Dozens of courtiers had come and gone, and that was only in the first few hours. Everything from requests for additional allotted funds for various projects around the Empire, which Cadence handled quickly and expertly, seemingly knowing each project by heart, to nobles wishing to express their grievances about the recent stadium. Those made Golden wince ever so slightly, and be grateful for the calming presence of Shining Armor at her side.

What truly astonished her, however, was Cadence’s reactions and tone, her entire attitude. She did not lose her cheerful smile for even a moment, and answered each request calmly and succinctly. Golden eyed one noble, face scrunching slightly at the way the Equestrian visitor fawned and snipped- daggers hidden behind a smile indeed.

“I understand the reason behind your building codes, Princess Cadenza,” he was saying, smiling up at her, “But our factories have a sterling record for safety and productivity in Equestria, and the process is taking far longer here. If you could simply sign my company a waiver to let this by, we could provide your Crystal Ponies with more job opportunities, and open your land up to our products much faster.”

Cadence giggled softly, lifting a hoof to hide her muzzle- though Golden Dream quickly noticed just how tight the muscles around said hoof looked, “Oh I know it’s a hassle, my dear count, but you simply have to indulge us! The council in that region of the Empire has been deeply worried since that awful incident in Baltimare, though I know you and your House have learned since then. I will definitely ask them to hurry though; my ponies certainly would love access to your canned vegetables. As soon as it’s safe to.”

The count’s smile never dimmed in the slightest as he bowed and turned to head back to his house group, though his tail did snap a few times. Cadence’s expression hadn’t changed an iota, the same indulgent smile stretching her muzzle. A soft pop of magic sounded in Golden’s ear, and Shining gently pulled the pegasus mare back- and she stared in surprise at the perfect magical replicas of herself and the unicorn standing in their place.

“I set up a silence bubble and some doubles,” Shining Armor explained as she glanced over at him, winking at the stunned pegasus, “I thought you should know a few things about Cadey when in court.”

Golden sheepishly peered back at the Princess; she hadn’t seemed to notice the change, or if she had, she wasn’t showing it. Golden slowly flicked her tail.

“She seemed so… nice, to that count.”

“That’s her tell,” Shining explained, smiling softly up at his wife, “If Cadence is snarking and chuckling- that lower laugh, not the high ditzy one- then she’s being genuine.”

The giggle echoed through the room again- now she was dealing with a puffed up Crystal Earth Pony noble, who was droning on about their own building contracts competing with a government-sponsored school.

“When you want to tell how she really feels, and she can’t be frank with you?” Shining motioned to his wife, “Look at her hooves and legs. She can’t help but tense up. Means we spend a fortune on masseurs, but…”

Golden Dream bit her lip and stared up at Cadence, ears flattening, “That has to be terrible. I knew politics were tough on rulers, but-”

“We all have our ways of handling it,” Shining interrupted gently, smiling at Golden softly and nudging her back into position, “Including having others around to save you when it gets too much.”

The spell faded with a soft crackle.

“Of course, Count Diamond Drill, I will be happy to delay the construction /another/ few weeks until a new inspection can be done,” Cadence gushed, seemingly enthralled and all but /giddy/ with the prospect, “Please, enjoy the refreshment hall before you go, and say hi to-”

“Princess?” Shining piped in suddenly, seemingly ignoring the glare of the count, “The meeting with the medical heads?”

“Of course,” Princess Cadence replied instantly, sitting up straight, “My apologies everypony, but we will have to cut Court short today. If your case was not heard, please leave a note, or return in two days time.”

Golden Dream was surprised at the speed that Shining Armor managed to extricate them both from the grumbling, mildly protesting mob of courtiers, a soft purple force gently moving aside any pony that got in their way. She glanced worriedly over at Cadence, who was outpacing the both of them with her longer legs, very quiet.

...up until the door to the Court closed with a resounding rumble.

“RAAAAAAH!”

The pegasus ducked back with a surprised yelp as a magical beam lanced out of the Princess’ horn, the pink magic shining off the crystalline walls of the palace, and she raised her wing to shield her eyes. The sheer power of the magic fluffed out Golden’s fur, mana dancing along her sensitive coat. She struggled towards the princess, eyes wide.

‘No, no, no!’

A firm magical force had ahold of her back legs however; Shining Armor smirked as he glanced at a shining pink orb to his left, scribbling on a clipboard as the magic faded with a sharp pop. He hummed softly.

“Very nice, honey, you powered the castle’s defenses for another year!”

Cadence snorted angrily, hoof pawing over the crystalline floor- leaving a small trail of pink mana, “I am SICK of that pompous, asinine excuse for a… a…”

The princess’ eyes glowed, mana sparking off her horn again- before she ducked
her head, huffing.

“I need to relax, Shining. Get the Guard, and the… tools.”

Golden Dream gulped at the eager, hungry expression on Cadence’s face, eyes a little wide. What had she stumbled into…

“MUAHAHAHAHA! Yes, yes! Enter into my web, you delicious little morsel! The Empress will have your soul yet!”

‘What.’

Within short order, Shining Armor had swept Golden Dream along to the royal antechambers again, and swept the large meeting table clean. Magically-sent orders zipped from his horn, while Cadence had stiffly marched into their bedchambers. Placed into a chair by the Prince, Golden had watched him set out a series of boards, notebooks, and colorful set pieces, while a trio of guards all but sprinted inside and took their own places. Golden Dream looked from guard to guard to guard to Prince- and then slowly behind her as Cadence strode out of her room in full evil sorceress regalia, a black dress trailing behind her.

And now she was watching, eyes wide and disbelieving as the Royals of the Crystal Empire played… Ogres and Oubliettes. And she was filling out a character sheet. It would not be the first time she had played the game- Golden’s brothers had been quite big fans of the game, and it was something they did together whenever she was recovering. She just… had not expected this!

Despite this, she couldn’t help but grin as she looked to Cadence. The princess was beaming, face gleefully faux-evil as she cackled and took her place as the evil lady of the haunted manor, a kind of over-arching villain from earlier games. The anger and stress from before seemingly had melted away; Shining Armor caught her gaze and winked.

“I-I’m ready!” Golden Dream squeaked out, passing Shining Armor the sheet, “I, Flare-Wing, will roll to burst through the glass as reinforcement for the party!”

Cadence’s hooves clopped together eagerly as she passed Golden the game dice, grinning widely, “Ha! Another pony that I will add to my harem, once I defeat you foolish heroes!”

...she liked this Cadence. A blush had shot up her neck and cheeks and she fumbled with the dice, meeping as it fell onto the game board. A one. Everypony froze, eyes wide as they darted from her, to the dice, and back to her. Shining gulped, slowly rubbing the back of his head before glancing at his sheet.

“W-well, uh… you slam into the stainless glass… and it doesn’t break, only cracks. You slide down slowly to the ground below, taking half-fall damage…”

Golden’s face was getting red, biting her lip hard and body shaking slightly. Cadence’s mask fell away and she slowly reached a wing out to her side.

“G-golden? It’s okay, w-we can redo, uh…”

“Pff… nnh... “

The dam broke. Hysterical giggles bubbled out as Golden doubled over, hugging onto her barrel.

“T-that is buckin’ perfect,” she managed breathlessly, breaking back into belly-shaking laughter, “T-tryin’ to break in and just ‘thwap!’ Ahaha!”

It was positively infectious- the guards broke first, amused chuckles morphing into guffaws as Cadence leaned back, face turning purple as she tried to subdue her own laughter. Shining Armor reached over to tug Golden into a hug that had them toppling over, cackling like hyenas. Golden Dream nuzzled into his chest, happy tears mingling into his fur. This was going to be a good night.

“Eros, spirit of Love, guide my hooves… lift up my heart… let me make the right decisions for all…”

The Crystal Empire was the holy city of the newly re-founded Erosian faith, centered as it was around the Crystal Heart and the Alicorn Princess of Love herself. While not as well funded as more established faiths like Celestialism, the Empire had a sizeable cathedral attached to the royal palace. Crystal, in blue and pink tones of various shades, had been shaped to form the domed structure, thin at the top to allow the eternal spring sunlight through, shining down on the vast altar. It was low to the ground, with steps leading up so that any pony could approach. Crystal statuery rested on the altar; shapes of the greatest heroes of the empire. Prince Sombra. Cadence. Shining Armor.

Golden Dream had eschewed clothing for the visit here, allowing her magical tattoos to soak up the naturally radiated divine magic; they glowed softly along her skin and fur, heating up the area around them. A week had passed since her arrival to the city, and she had not had a chance to bask in an Erosian shrine since. It was nice. Relaxing. Just letting her mind-

“Bah!”

Something butted lightly into her leg, and Golden choked back a squeak and flinch, peering down- at a big eyed, fluffy little alicorn foal. Flurry Heart was settled back on her haunches now, wings fluffed out and twitching- she hadn’t developed the instinct to fold them to her sides yet. Her big blue eyes stared up and into Golden’s very soul, and she could not help but grin.

“Well hello there, princess,” she cooed, reaching out to pat her mane, “Aren’t you cute… where’s your mama?”

“Right here,” purred that playful voice, giggling as Golden /did/ jump that time, short tail booping against Cadence’s chin before the pegasus could spin around.

Cadence was undressed as well, forgoing her regalia or any kind of mane-style; she looked relaxed and free here, the light of the cathedral shining off her body, much like a crystal pony as well. She leaned over to nuzzle Golden’s ear tenderly; a gust of wind mussed the pegasus’ mane, and Flurry Heart fluttered over to settle down between her mother’s wings. Golden did her best to will the blush away, and didn’t turn away from the Princess’ affection. She smiled up at her sheepishly.

“Spend much time here, princess?”

“Absolutely.” Cadence smiled fondly up at the altar, shifting to make Flurry a little more comfortable, “It’s usually pretty quiet here. Shining does his best to help me relax- and trust me, game night helps a good deal. But sometimes I do need a bit of quiet time.”

The princess peered back at her thoughtfully, “And yourself? What do you do to relax?”

Golden shrugged her wings and settled down into a thoughtful ponyloaf, tail flicking lightly back and forth, “I’m… not sure. Was always pretty busy back home.”

Her ears lowered slightly, “Father and I tried to bring in as much money as possible through the forges. And any settlement money from the dueling. We aren’t a rich house, but we’ll have enough bits to get by, princess. Father won’t let us be a burden on the royal house.”

A soft, finely manicured hoof lightly booped her nose; Golden flushed as she peeked up at the smirking alicorn.

“Apologies,” she managed weakly, “I just…”

Dream sighed and shook her head, a wing sweeping around to rub her nose, “I feel like I have to apologize to you and Shining, for the trouble I might bring. And I know I shouldn’t. But…”

“Because you’re a Bolt,” Cadence added gently, ears flattening back, “I looked into the amount of suits and duels your family has gone through… Golden…”

The pegasus shook her head slightly, “Heh. Thank you. ...for everything this week. Even when I’m with you both, I doubt the challenges will stop- it’s our lot in life. But I will not let them control me.”

Golden blushed as she was pulled into a close hug, slowly reaching up to return it; she grinned as she felt Flurry Heart nuzzle against her hooves.

‘So cute.’

“So… will you…?”

Golden Dream let out a breath and stepped back, nodding slowly; emotion was tightening her throat, ears laying back against her head. She opened her mouth a few times, frowning slightly at herself and stamping a hoof.

‘Come on, Golden. You can do this.’

“I am, Cadence. Will you… will you allow-”

Gack! Cadence was a strong pony; darn that Earth Pony strength! She giggled weakly as she held onto the squeeing alicorn princess, yelping as she was tossed around a few times in the hug before finally being set down on her hooves.

“Oh you won’t regret this!” Cadence squeed out, all but prancing in place, “We have to go tell Shining! Oh there’s so much to plan-”

The rumble of stone on stone cut her off, both ponies looking up as the double crystal doors of the cathedral opened hard, all but slamming open. Ice ran through Golden’s veins at the troop of Crystal Ponies that marched inside, following after a pair of Crystal Pegasi in full noble garb. An older mare marched just ahead of a stallion about Golden’s age. They shared many attributes- a yellow body and bright orange eyes, though the mare sported a longer styled brown mane, while her scion bore a darker, black-colored mane, cut down like many Crystal guardponies. And while the mare seemed grim, the stallion was… focused. His eyes were locked to Golden Dream like a spell.

Cadence shifted to face both ponies, her expression changing to her stately stare and slight frown, head tilted to one side.

“Grand Duchess Citrine? Is something the matter?”

Golden blinked in surprise- the Grand Duchess Citrine, of the Quartz noble family, was the leader of the largest military force outside the Crystal army, and their family controlled many of the commercial operations inside the city-state. And that ice crystallized as she recognized the stance. The poise.

‘Of course.’

Citrine snorted faintly, standing stiffly in front of the Princess and looking into her eyes. She held up a wing; a scroll unrolled in front of them both, stamped several times near the bottom. Cadence’s eyes flicked expertly over the text- and she sucked in a sharp breath, teeth baring in a very pegasus expression.

“You-!”

“This farce has gone on long enough, Princess Mi Amore. On behalf of the Noble Council, my son, Tourmaline, challenges Golden Dream of House Bolt to an honor duel. A House Honor duel. What say you?”

Cadence had fully lifted her wings, nearly dislodging Flurry Heart from her position, and stepped protectively in front of her smaller betrothed. Every feather trembled in outrage, her muscles tight.

“You cannot do this, Citrine, this is-!”

“I accept the challenge.”

Cadence’s head snapped back in shock, ears laying back. Golden Dream did not, could not, look her in the eyes. Instead, she glared forward to the challenging gaze of the older mare; her fore-hooves gripped tightly at the crystal beneath her.

“Name the time and place, and I will be there. I assume all of you have agreed on this?”

“We have. Tomorrow afternoon; Palace grounds.”

Citrine’s eyes tightened, “The Royals may hate us for this, but we cannot allow an Equestrian to take two thrones without challenge. No matter your bloodline. Prepare yourself accordingly, Golden Dream of House Bolt.”

Woof, this took awhile to get out! But hurray, I'm back!

It was quiet on the palace grounds, even with the several dozen ponies in attendance. There was little mood for talking- the Royal faction, including both sets of families and their staff, stood tersely to the left. Two major alicorns were in attendance, and neither were particularly happy; Cadence was sticking close to the ice cold Shining Armor, while Twilight Sparkle helped Golden Dream with her gear. Several high-ranking military ponies stood in the centers around the dueling grounds, keeping an eye on both parties.

The opponents’ group was far larger. More than House Quartz had joined in this venture, it seemed. Representatives of House Sapphire, Ruby, and Crystalsong stood close together, cool and confident, not seeming to mind the baleful gazes of their monarchs, but not meeting them either. Mostly, their eyes rested on Golden and her own family.

Golden’s mother and father had not been particularly surprised to hear the news, though neither were excited, either. Especially now that they saw their daughter’s opponent, a strong, young stallion. They stood respectfully back from the circle, but in a tight, protective group. They were bound by custom to not interfere in any way, and to be ready to flee should Golden lose. It did not happen often, but being chased out of a city was nothing new to the family.

Both duelists were dressed nearly the same- honor duels were far different than tournament bouts. Golden’s armor had been eschewed for a long leather coat and buckled boots over her forelegs. Chainmail was strung over her neck and her flanks, while a metal visor protected her upper face and eyes. The object of an honor duel was points, not the grievous injury of one’s opponent. Typically.

Golden was not too sure with this one. The nobles were not particularly hostile, but that could simply be decorum. The stallion, Tourmaline, certainly did not give anything away in his dark, now hidden eyes. He rolled his shoulders as his squire stepped away, wing-sabers glittering in the sunlight. Golden Dream did the same, testing the strength of her wingblades’ buckles and straps. They would both have the same weapons- this was a test of skill.

“Apologize to Lady Dash on my behalf, ma’am,” she told Twilight softly, “Seems I won’t be able to spar with her yet.”

She smiled shakily up at the other princess, and was relieved to see a bit of a smirk there. The princess of Magic chuckled quietly.

“I will. But I think she’ll be fine, waiting a few more days. ...good luck. No matter what… you’re marrying Cadence and Shining. They can’t take that from you.”

But they could certainly overshadow the marriage with a loss of honor for them all. Even if they were not married yet, she was their betrothed. Gritting her teeth, she turned to walk to the center of the dueling circle, staring at her opponent as he matched her walk. They were a foot apart. Above, a pegasus noble from a non-affiliated house floated over them, his staff of office gripped in his hooves- he would be the judge in this fight, ready to call out strikes.

“Salute your opponent.”

Golden Dream stared into Tourmaline’s eyes as she stretched her wings out, tilting the saber-blades to glint in the sun while she bowed her head quickly. Tourmaline mirrored the bow, letting out a quick, sharp breath before stepping back into a ready position, wings settling back. Golden frowned as she stepped back into her own position; was his wing-

“Begin!”

Tourmaline lurched forward, right wing stabbing forward as he stepped and prepared for a jump; Golden twitched to the side to let the wing-blade pass and swept forward, left blades pinging off each other. Her boots skidded over the cobblestones as Dream ducked under the stallion’s jump, slashing against the chain-studded coat covering his back legs.

“Point,” the judge called, but did not drop the staff to signal a pause to the fight.

Tourmaline did not seem overly surprised- he snorted as he spun around, neck rolling down as he acrobatically spun, left blade slashing down Dream’s guard before the right powerfully cut across her helm.

“Poi-”

And the pegasi were at it. Dream’s hooves locked into Tourmaline’s jacket and flung him away; her hind legs launched her forward into a stab- the right wing-blade punched into his clavicle through the jacket and chain, and the mare firmly ripped it free, taking a step back. The stallion yelped and stumbled forward before standing back into position, blades raised to block, quivering only slightly.

“First blood!” The judge shouted, staff dropping between them as they zipped down; he glanced over at the wincing, quietly cursing stallion, “Concede, or continue?”

“Continue,” he gasped out, shaking his sweat-slicked mane out of his eyes, “I-”

“That’s enough, Tourmaline.”

Duchess Citrine had stepped forward- the amount allowed during an honor duel for those of the party. She nodded to her scion, a small smile on her face.

“We have done our duty, son. Concede.”

Golden Dream blinked over at her in surprise, head and ears tilting.

‘That… that was it?’

“You concede? Just like that?” Shining Armor barked in full General voice, his entire body bristled up as he stepped forward, “After all this?”

“Yes, Prince Armor,” Tourmaline replied quietly, bowing his head low, “I-I concede.”

“We have shown the Equestrians that we are not toothless,” Citrine added firmly, “And will not allow them to take pieces of our Empire without retaliation.”

She drooped slightly in her stance, lips pressed together, “Do not blame the others. I orchestrated this. And I stand by it.”

The Prince did not answer; indeed, glancing back at her betrothed, Golden could very well see that he was struggling to hold in a retort.

“...I accept the concession. Good fight, Tourmaline, scion of House Quartz. Please, accept the healing of my house.”

“G-good… good fight, Golden Dream, of House Bolt. I accept your aide.”

“This fight is over,” the judge intoned, seeming… fairly bewildered himself, flying to a respectful distance as the two parties converged.

Golden was happy to see the humility in the young stallion; offering aide was standard, but more than a few losers had refused it, and that was foolish, in her mind. A unicorn retainer of her family dashed over to give aide, alongside several other healers of the gathered noble houses. The air had cooled somewhat; Aurora had dashed over to Golden, gently unbuckling her helmet, while Aurem moved to undo the jacket and chain, and unbuckle her sabre-blades.

“You did well, Goldie,” Aurora signed, smiling at her softly, “Your father saw he was a novice at the beginning.”

“Quite. Flashy, but a little too sure of himself. Cost him that blood point.”

Golden Dream was only half-listening, eyes flicking worriedly to the Royals. Twilight and Cadence were speaking quietly with Shining Armor, his face hidden his mane- he had removed his diadem at some point. But Rainbow Dash was confidently striding over, a big smirk stretching her muzzle. She nodded firmly as their eyes met.

“I’ll remember those moves, from both of ya. Quick and brutal.”

Her eyes flicked over the duelist before playfully punching her shoulder, grinning as Dream repaid the hit and winked.

“I haven’t forgotten our spar promise, Dame Dash,” she told her softly, stepping away from the noble families, and towards the Royals, “Perhaps tomorrow. ...when my head stops ringing.”

Dash’s smirk however did not disappear, “I don’t think tomorrow’s gonna happen. Twily’s pissed, Shining’s pissed, and Cadence… well…”

Rainbow's eyes suddenly widened, and a warm body pressed a top Golden Dream, a familiar scent halting the duelist's instinctive tense.

“Cadence is going to snuggle you all night,” that familiar princess’ voice whispered in Dream’s ear; powerful legs lifted her into the air before the blush could even register.

The alicorn was stronger than Golden even imagined, not struggling to lift the nearly full-grown mare high into the sky. She peeked sheepishly up at the Princess of Love, noting the tenseness around her jaw, and remained quiet. ...it was understandable. Talk about taking the wind from her sails… the pain in the eyes of her betrothed at this challenge…

“I hate that I understand why they did that,” Cadence spoke after a few minutes of flight, voice loud to hear over the wind, “And that I shouldn’t be as angry as I am.”

The alicorn snorted, grip tightening around Golden’s barrel- she winced slightly, eyes widening as she realized the power behind those muscles.

“My aunts run Equestria well, but the Duchess’ fears aren’t unfounded. The nobles have been snipping at each other since the Empire re-appeared. The unicorns, the pegasi, now I’m worried about the damn…”

Cadence paused, taking a deep breath and gritting her teeth lightly.

‘Alright, Golden. Consort duty time.’

She reached to carefully take her hoof, squeezing lightly; she felt her shift to look back down at her.

“If it helps, Pr- C-cadence, I am not upset at them, myself.”

Dream closed her eyes, letting what she wanted to say coalesce properly, “They gave the challenge, and followed through. No underhoofed tactics, no major insults, and a polite explanation. ...take what the Duchess said to heart; the others were her vassals.”

The rest of the flight was quiet; Cadence’s wings shifted and they dived down along the city’s market district. The scent of cooking food and spices rose up to meet them; Golden flushed as her stomach rumbled loudly. Fighting always burned through her reserves, heh. Thankfully, Cadence either sensed the need, or felt something of the same, as they moved to carefully land- Cadence gently let Golden go, allowing her to slow at a prance, while she flew on to land a few feet on. Mana sparkled off Golden’s feathers for a moment before Shining Armor teleported onto the street opposite, giving both mares a nod.

Golden’s eyes flicked up thoughtfully; they’d settled down in front of a pub, if she had to hazard a guess. Dark-colored granite and limestone, a somewhat darker theme than other businesses in the area, which tended towards marble or crystal. Above the dark-tinted crystal-glass was a small, enchanted sign- (red and italics) Rosie’s. Huh… Shining caught her gaze and smiled, horn lighting up as he opened the door for them.

Fragrant smoke billowed out into the mild evening air; Golden sucked in a slightly surprised breath, blinking a few times. A few of her uncles had tried their hooves at tobacco cultivation; this was not the first time she’d smelled good cigars. Cadence gently nosed her side to guide her further in- they didn’t bother with much electric light here, most of the dark pub lit by a roaring fireplace and magical torches settled across the smooth stone walls. Cadence moved along towards the bar, manned by a curious Crystal Earth Pony; Golden shifted to follow- only for a familiar magic field to gently steer her off towards a side booth.

Shining Armor answered her questioning look with a small smile, nodding to a booth seat, “She’ll get us something good. Let her do it- Cadey prefers to do things herself when she’s in a mood.”

The pegasus sighed softly as she settled into the booth, tail swishing slowly over the faux-leather.

“...I am so-”

Shining’s hoof lightly clopped to the table; he was smiling a little sadly, shaking his head.

“Don’t be. You did great, and I understand why you said yes, Golden. ...though going forward, we need to talk about things before accepting duels like that.”

The veteran pressed his lips together, sighing after a moment, “It won’t be the last of them. And I refuse to put you in danger if it can be avoided. Can we agree on that?”

“Of course,” Dream replied softly, swallowing back a nervous apology when the stallion beamed at her, “I-I will, Shining. ...thank you, for everything. Let’s…”

She let out a slow breath before smiling up at him, willing her nerves and remaining energy down, “Let’s have a nice victory night.”

Not quite the biggest fight, but there will be more!

‘Why is every damn mare I meet around the Royals so bucking hot?!’

Golden Dream did her best to keep Dame Dash’s eyes as she stepped into the sparring ring- could not show weakness by looking away, or show… other things by glancing at her lithe, muscled body, or her sleek, power-flying wings. Gulp. Those violet eyes narrowed slightly before flicking over Golden.

‘Hrm.’

They had gathered in the palace’s gymnasium, a sizable crystal structure deep in the palace’s understructure, set up for the palace attendants. Several servants were scattered about the gym’s equipment and pools; from what Golden could tell, the servants preferred to keep themselves in top shape. It was much larger than her family’s own practice yard, but the familiarity was comforting.

Rainbow Dash had come without Twilight Sparkle, it seemed, and without her armor or stately tabard. She had simply tossed a towel onto a nearby wall hook before getting into a stretch routine on the wrestling mat, which Golden had kept her eyes well away from while doing her own.

“Sure you’re up for this?” Rainbow asked with a playful edge to her voice, “Don’t wanna bring Sparkles in for another round of healing…”

“I believe your mare deserves a break, Dame. Are /you/ sure about this? I seem to be on a bit of a streak…”

Golden matched the knight’s cocky grin with one of her own, shaking out her mane before striding into position on the mat, giving her opponent a once over. Rainbow Dash was a lean mare; their body styles were close, though Rainbow’s muscles were built more for speed than outright power. ...not many scars at all, heh. Golden’s eyes flicked over her wing joints.

“I’ll have to show you a lotion I use- helps the first calluses from using wing-blades, quite a bit.”

Rainbow paused at that, maroon eyes widening slightly before she could grin.

“Yeah? Thanks. But niceness won’t help you win this. Ready?”

The pegasus knight settled back into a loose, predatory crouch, grinning toothily at her opponent.

‘...Princess Sparkle, you lucky mare. Damn.’

“Born ready, Dame.”

“Announcing- Junior Mage of good standing within the College of Imperial Magic, Gellar Field!”

Glazed disinterest mercifully bled away from Princess Cadence at the announcement from the herald, sitting up a little straighter in her throne. The mage was a stallion she had not met before, which was an oddity for the usually stuffy and matriarchal College; an amethyst colored, small bodied unicorn, his eyes wide and excited, and clutching a pack closely. One of her guards had followed after the mage, as per protocol, and was levitating along a small orb.

“My Princess, Gellar Field here surrendered this device to us. A view stone- no other enchantments that we can detect.”

Cadence gave her guardsmare a warm smile, nodding her thanks as she turned to look the unicorn stallion in the eyes. The princess prided herself in knowing the names and faces of each pony that they assigned to the various Imperial duties, so the lack of knowledge was a tick of annoyance- if only Archmage Galaxy had brought her full team in to meet the royals.

‘Mmrph.’

“Thank you, Captain Lance. Welcome, Magister Field, to my court. What news do you bring fr-”

“W-we did it, Your Majesty! W-we expanded the reach of the Crystal Heart!” The stallion blurted out, excitement coloring his aura- for the split second before horror darkened it.

Cadence’s ears flicked; the court was animated now, several nobles voicing their anger at the interruption. Captain Lance, not even fully at his post again, had stepped forward, eyes locked on Cadence for her order- and relaxing at her quiet chuckle and lifted wing.

“I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t-” the stallion began to babble, but stopped, to his credit, at a look from Cadence, merely bowing his head to the floor.

“It is quite alright, Gellar Field,” Cadence answered, keeping her own excitement down as she glanced to the view stone, “Clear the court, Captain, and send for my husband and fiance. I would have us all see what our magi have done.”

Shining Armor was apparently thinking ahead; when Captain Lance returned with her family, including a sweating and bruised Golden Dream, Sunburst was in close pursuit. The Court Wizard and Crystaller of Flurry Heart was beaming in excitement, magically adjusting his glasses before taking the view stone from the princess.

“Here, your majesty?”

“Please, Sunburst. If the reach of the Heart was expanded…”

Gellar Field beamed up at the royals, eyes practically shining, “It’s glorious, your highnesses.”

View stones were best used in larger rooms; as soon as the enchantment was activated, the stone began to play a three dimensional scene above itself. One of the Empire’s titanic menhirs rose out of a slurry of dirt and seemingly melting snow, violet magic rising out and into the rapidly clearing sky. To her left, Sunburst’s horn began to glow as he worked his magic into the recorded matrix inside the view stone. His eyes widened, nearly rivalling his glasses, and his bearded jaw dropped open.

“Incredible…”

“I’m a little out of my depth here, Sunburst.”

Shining Armor had stepped next to his fellow unicorn, head tilted thoughtfully and horn lit with his own scanning spells, “Just what am I looking at?”

Cadence didn’t bother to check the spell matrices yet; she knew Shining would get a recording of it for her, and she was more focused on the changes to the landscape shown in the viewing. Sun-starved grass was poking up as the snow melted around the stone, and even as she watched, gleaming flowers were unfurling. A hidden riverbed appeared with a crackle of breaking ice, and Cadence’s eyes went wide as more and more water was exposed. Within moments, easily half a mile of open water was visible, the current sluggishly moving dwindling ice blocks further along, but seeming to pick up the pace.A thrill of possibility tingled down her spine.

‘The Empire has always had to make do with magical power for its industry, with was intensive on its unicorns, or forcing them to buy crystals en masse from Equestria. A glance at Shining got a slowly growing smile from the unicorn, and she imagined he recognized something similar. The Princess turned back to the viewstone, pondering a moment longer before looking to a still-beaming mage.

“Precisely where is this, Field?” she asked gently during a lull in Sunburst’s excited (and mathematics filled) rant, and conjured a quick-and-dirty map of northern Equestria and the Empire with a flick of her horn.

Gellar Field nodded and stepped close, peering at the map for a second to get his bearings, then lit his own horn to trace a careful line across the map. Cadence’s eyes widened slightly as she watched it expand.

“From our estimates, your Majesties, close to one hundred miles of land has been cleared by the magic. That is not including that river.”

He drew in a slow breath, “Your Majesties? The largest river in Equestria has just been uncovered. It is at least half a mile wide as far as we have surveyed, and… well, we had a hippogriff contractor with us. She reports that, with her magic… well. The river leads straight to the sea.”

Cadence’s butt hit the crystal floor with a quiet thump; her pulse thundered in her ears. Two sets of hooves were around her back in a heartbeat, and she drew in a slow breath, relieved by the scents of her husband and fiance. Shining Armor’s broad hoof curled around her barrel and squeezed slightly, and she drooped in relief as she felt him stiffen and stand taller.

“This news is most welcome, Gellar Field. Please, accept the crown’s hospitality, and await further instructions. We have much to discuss with the Princess’ council, but know that what your team has done… it changes everything. For the Crown and… heh, for the Empire.”

“Your Majesty… Cadence, if I might be so bold as to offer a take on this?”

Shining Armor had gathered both his and Golden’s parents into their private quarters once again for this meeting, though for much less relaxed reasons. Golden Dream was still stunned by the scope of it all. The Empire had been, for all intents and purposes, a city-state since its re-emergence and liberation from King Sombra. An immense city, true enough, with a population that dwarfed Canterlot’s five hundred thousand by a factor of two, and rivaled Manehatten’s constantly fluctuating ponybase, but with no real outer lands to support it. Outposts and mines in the mountains surrounding the Imperial City supplied its industry, but they actually had to keep quotas down to not overfill its warehouses. Governance was not Golden’s strong suit, but the royals had allowed her to peruse their papers, and it had even left her wincing. But now…

Golden smiled shakily over at her father and mother, then to Cadence as the royal gave him a small chuckle.

“Aurem, you don’t have to ask us to speak. You’re family now. And Love knows… heh, we need all the help we can get with this.”

Aurem’s ears lowered slightly as his face tightened, and he gave a slow nod, “So you understand the potential problems this could bring. Good. …I would not call my family industrialists by any means, but we are on the fringes, and have our feathers dipped in many pots. That river, if the initial survey is right, is both deep enough for ships to navigate, and fast enough to power water wheel based industry.”

The older stallion gave an amused snort, “With even a few estuaries to control run-off, by Luna’s Name. That land is crown-controlled at present, correct? And under Imperial borders?”

Shining nodded this time, hair slicked back in a habitual manner when the Prince-Consort was deep in ponderings, “It is, yes, at least by all the old maps, even the other side of the river for close to ten miles, all the way to the sea. But the snow is only pulled back a couple hundred meters once you get past the menhir’s range, and the cold leaks through. But that’s still two hundred miles of newly usable, arable land, and no noble house has titles to it. Those were all nullified by Sombra. …heh, and the records burned.”

“Then you must capitalize on this opportunity, your Majesties,” Aurora spoke from her seat beside her husband, eyes fixed on Cadence, “You must choose your strongest supporters, and parcel the land accordingly. Whatever you have to spend to grow the infrastructure in the new territories, spend it, don’t let Equestrian companies get their hooves in it first.”

“A crown company then,” Cadence mused thoughtfully, and Golden puffed her chest proudly at the respect in her fiance’s eyes for her mother.

Aurora had always been the controller of the House’s money, with a knack for divining use, cost, and proper risk, and the pegasus had her eyes locked on the drawn map they had been provided, as did her father- and one smirking Prince-Consort.

“I would say there is enough room there for a Duchy in its own right,” Shining mused in faux deep thought, “Then split down into three counties, numerous baronies… we’ll be able to give land to every noble in the city, even if only single fiefdoms. …don’t you agree, my lord Duke?”

Golden’s breath caught in her throat, and every Bolt in the room froze. To Aurem’s credit, he took his time before looking up to his liege-lord, eyes clouded and troubled.

“...with all due respect, my lord Prince. You… you may not understand the depth of that folly. Bolts… we cannot rule. Not to that extent, at the very least.”

Cadence shifted on her lounging cushion, and glanced from Shining to Aurem, face calm and curious, “We are not afraid of the nobility’s bigotry, Aurem.”

“You very much should be.” Aurem’s voice had roughened perceptibly, and his wing snapped out as Golden rose to her hooves, “No, let me speak, girl. …your majesties, this could kill you. Kill Golden. Our position has already nearly killed Golden dozens of times, and you cannot understand just how often I have contemplated throwing my title into the dirt to keep her safe.I cannot…”

Golden stared at her father, eyes wide and her chest feeling hollow and brittle. Aurem Wind had been a firm, but collected stallion all her life, even during times she had nearly fallen on a field of honor. Or dishonor. Now… his masque had fallen away, and bitter lines creased his face as he focused down at the map at his hooves.

“I have no army to support you. A few retainers at most, and those families that still follow the Bolt name. No allies, no-”

“None? I say, I believe you are most incorrect in that assessment.”

Duke Night Light was smirking as he stepped down from his previously silent perch, shaking his head; Velvet remained seated, but had pressed her lips together as she gazed disapprovingly at the Bolts.

“And I agree,” she spoke up, voice a little hard, “Did my son not tell your heir that they were to be married? Not /only/ in name, but in heart.”

“Precisely,” Light added, eyes locked with Wind’s as he approached the somewhat older stallion, standing only a few snouts lengths apart, “The fate of House Bolt is no longer its own. It rests with the fate of House Mi Candenza… and with that of House Sparkle. And we’re a royal house in our own right, twice over.”

The formerly mild-mannered professor grinned a grin that would have made a griffon nervous, had they happened upon it in a darkened woods.

“A strike against you is a strike against us, and against us… well. Twily can be most unruly when she’s upset. As can I.”

ALRIGHT! Woof, hello again, everypony!