“They have made it past the guards and inside the first floor,” Princess Celestia narrates, her horn aglow. She is the only creature on the balcony of the Crystal Castle without hoof or claw vainly attempting to rub the sunspots from Pinkie Pie’s second sun from blinded eyes. She finds the light mildly pleasant, a tender caress to an ear or along the side, nowhere near the pure joy she gets from channeling Sol - or finding she was truly pregnant, and would remain so.

“Inconceivable,” Raikou spits out from next to her. The conceit is obvious to Celestia, scorn at being bested, but there is more than contempt tingeing the word; he seems flustered, similar to the time in front of the Council of Creatures he allied with Equestria rather than lead the charge. The Storm King leans over the railing to squint at the guards milling about far below, his sharpest scowl reserved for the Storm Minions who failed to corral the two unicorns. “They train for this! How could they miss?!”

“The mighty are no match for the observant,” Emperor Spike comments from behind steepled claws. He remains perched on the gilded balcony, contemplating his words. He seems… mournful, though Celestia has an unpropitious chance at correctly reading between the stark lines of dragons. And he has become less equine and more draconic the longer he has reigned. Does he lament the failures of his guards, as does the Storm King, but is less liable to show his displeasure? “And a clever diversion can create the most interesting opportunity.”

“Diversion shmi-version,” Raikou shoots back. “They had plenty of time to engage before the lights went on. And if you don’t know what your opponent will do, don’t give them the chance.”

“Perhaps their hesitation is because their opposition did not immediately roll over,” Princess Luna remarks from next to Celestia. Her Sister is the first to fully recover, but that does not excuse the snide remark, regardless of its factuality. There is a hint of pride in her namesake’s skillful evasion of the Crystal Guards, and more so of the Storm Minions. “Excepting their dodges, of course.”

The Storm King grumbles, three-fingered hand twitching toward the mirrored staff on his back. His gray brow furrows, nearly concealing his sharp teal eyes behind bushy white eyebrows. Then, to Celestia’s surprise, his fingers straighten, and he idly brushes a speck of dirt off the steel and teal crest on his otherwise unadorned ebony plate. “I can respect that kind of skill,” he grudgingly admits, his focus on the soldiers below. “Our soldiers could stand to learn a thing or two.” He flashes Luna, Cadance, and Celestia - lingering on Celestia - a grin. “Something they could learn… together?” He roars with laughter, slapping hand against muscled thigh. “They could teach each other!”

By Heaven’s Light she is torn! On one hoof, she must give him credit for attempting to live in Harmony, regardless of his past transgressions. After all, if she - or her Sister - can be forgiven for her crimes, and she dearly believes that is the case, then she must extend that same forgiveness to even the most abhorrent of foes. On the other hoof, any missteps give her an escape, should he pursue a relationship with her yet-born filly. But how can she hope that any should falter in Harmony?!

“Joint training exercises?” Captain Shining Armor frowns, glancing at Celestia for confirmation.

She knows the worry on his mind: that by opening themselves in such a manner they become more vulnerable, hoofing the opportunity to precisely the forces with the means and motivation to take advantage. Yet what a show of trust that would be! “As though they were our own recruits,” Celestia confirms. Doubt remains in Armor’s mind, and a modicum of surprise in Raikou’s. She hopes they prove worthy of that trust, and she does not merely mean the Storm Minions.

Deciding to show that trust herself, Celestia steps through the horrid nullstone doorway and into the throne room. Her connection to the sun again severs, leaving her adrift and bereft of her most powerful weapon and easiest escape. So too can she no longer detect the scrying spell back in her Canterlot office, nor the paused minor wind charm that deftly blows one page of a report at a time. The minute drain keeping them active remains, thankfully; the pair are a finicky combination to get right, and she doesn’t want to fall behind. At the same time she regains her link to the six Zooming Eyes she covertly cast earlier. She doubts any but Raikou had noticed the invisible scouts, though it appears their patrol patterns were disrupted when she lost the link. She reestablishes the routes as the others step inside.

Three scout the lowest levels, one working its way down the leg connecting to the ground. Two she sends upward, as a precaution if any fliers or unicorns attempted some sort of orbital insertion. One she leaves on the throne room floor, a last precaution if somepony slipped through the lines.

She quickly finds the intrepid Prince Blueblood and Rarity, locked in a standstill against a pair of net-wielding Storm Minions and a half dozen Crystal Guards, soon to be flanked as the other guards recover and come up the stairs. Applejack and Big MacIntosh are likewise located, breaking down the door of what is unfortunately a storeroom with only the one exit while a number of Crystal Guards bear down on them. Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich have the most luck, bounding back and forth while their pursuers slip on banana peels and marbles. A sneaking Fluttershy, with Zephyr Breeze slinking behind, has made the most progress. How the two manage to evade all the Crystal Guard patrols becomes apparent once she spots a crimson Crystal Chickadee whisper a high-pitched string of chirps into the caretaker’s perked ear, then dive away to continue scouting.

“You’ve missed one,” Cadance comments from her side. “A pair of pegasi, coming up the western side, third floor. Fluttershy, if I am not mistaken, and a stallion.”

Celestia spares a glance, wondering if her Niece co-opted her scrying spells, as she had when Chrysalis originally proposed her ‘deal’ some years ago. To her delight, it appears not. “Heartbeat?” she asks, excited that others are taking the initiative to expand their skills.

Cadance nods, still concentrating. Celestia finds it impressive she can recognize them on so little information. “I set up relays. Otherwise I could barely reach across the throne room.”

Spike snaps his claws and points at the closest door. One of the two Crystal Guards that brought in the nullstone cage currently surrounding the Helm of the Sibling Supreme hustles off. Celestia hears the faintest whisper of a command from across the room, stifled against eavesdropping with the expertise that comes with regular practice. Interesting.

The sounds of combat gradually increase as the battle draws closer, muffled shouts and the clang of steel on steel as the guards give ground against Lunaris’ aggressive assault. Then the battle sounds abruptly cut off, the clatter of a rapier hitting the tile and Rarity’s hurried, “I surrender!”

“Unhoof me, you brute!” The main doors bang open. Prince Blueblood and Rarity stride inside, flanked by three guards on each side and the two Storm Guards at the back, all with spears leveled as best they can while nursing bruised limbs and dented helms. Blue goop covers Lunaris’ horn, the impairing sealant doing little to suppress his affronted look, and lines of the sticky concoction splatter on his black silk quartersuit. He snatches his golden rapier from the closest guard and roughly shoves it into the long bag at his side, then does the same with the cobalt. “This suit is worth more than you will make in a year!”

Celestia knows it to be no idle boast; that particular piece of formalwear (along with the name) has been passed down from stallion to stallion for fifty two generations. His sister Solaris likewise has artifacts that have traveled down the matrilineal line, though the family tree of the Bluebloods looks more like a braided rope.

His eyes flick to her, on his right, but never to Cadance, on his left; otherwise, his gaze remains firmly locked on Luna. Even so, she can hear the sharp catch of breath from her niece, and she has a hard time blaming her. His solitary attempt with Cadance was a break from the Blueblood tradition of siring or bearing foals late in life (how else would they have two thirds as many generations as other ponies?), yet it ended in disaster and an insurmountable rift. Celestia wishes they could reconcile, but it must be on their terms, and even the lightest prompting from her could be seen by either of them as a command. At least things seem to be improving since Cadance married Shining Armor.

“My apologies, Princess,” Lunaris states as he offers Luna a deep bow. “I was unable to obtain the Helm for you.”

“For you?” Shining Armor and Celestia ask at the same time. Celestia scowls at her Sister’s conniving play while Shining Armor continues, “You were supposed to get me the Helm!”

“Err,” Lunaris stammers, tugging at his collar, while Celestia tries to put the unharmonic thoughts out of her mind, all the unkind words she could say about disloyal alicorns.

“I, too, am sorry,” Rarity apologizes to Twilight, her nose high as she disdainfully regards the golden-maned stallion. Her horn lacks the blue goop, but one of the nearby Storm Minions has a fistful of it and looks ready to smear it on her at a moment’s notice. Celestia dismisses him with a quick wave, though he only takes two grudging steps back. “It appears we must rely on our compatriots to retrieve the Helm.”

“What Helm is that?” Rainbow Dash asks from above. She and Soarin hover just out of reach, warily watching the Storm Guards and the heavy, blue-coated nets in their hands. She frowns as another two contingents of guards lead Applejack, Big Mac, Fluttershy, Zephyr Breeze, Pinkie Pie, and Cheese Sandwich inside. None of the six look particularly put out, unlike Lunaris. “Did you guys find it?”

Emperor Spike lifts up, gleefully pointing a hoof at the empty nullstone cage. “It’s right-” He cuts off as he realizes that the metal bars contain nothing. He whirls around, only to find Twilight and Shining Armor with ear-to-ear grins. “What did you do!?”

“Oh?” Twilight demurely asks. She rolls her shoulders as she swishes her head from side to side. Celestia finds the conceit unbecoming of a Princess. “Is something missing?”

“How?!” Emperor Spike screeches, the flaps of his wings becoming harder as his claws furl and unfurl. Trails of smoke spew in small spurts out of the corner of his clenched maw, pointed teeth backlit by glowing embers. “We caught all of your Sparkle’s Seven! And Shining’s Seven!”

Twilight returns the smallest of smiles. “Oh? Did you?”

Spike seethes for a long while. “Lesson one,” he finally mutters, still enraged by Twilight’s quip, managing to keep his cool only with great effort. “How to control your temper.” He gulps, then glances to Cadance for confirmation. “Did they use their alicorn powers?”

Cadance shakes her head, equally perplexed. “Nothing outside of Sombra’s limits, that I saw.” She meets Celestia’s gaze, then Luna’s. “If they made an attempt.”

“T’would ruin thy efforts if mere might were all that were used to gain entrance,” Luna confirms, Celestia agreeing with a nod.

Cadance frowns, then begins trotting toward the center of the throne room and the empty cage.

“Your mistake,” Twilight continues, only the tiniest hair away from gloating, “is assuming that when I said seven, I included myself in that number.”

“Hey, that’s not fair,” Shining Armor complains. “You copied me!”

“What?” Spike roars over the stallion’s comment, enraged at being deceived. He takes to the air right as Cadance calls, “Intruder alert!”

A billowing gout of orange flame blazes forth from purple jaws, searing heat sending the air to shimmering. With a loud snarl Spike charges forward, at an area just behind the cage that isn’t flickering like the rest. Just before he gets there Trixie’s invisibility spell drops, revealing the azure mare clad in glinting crystal armor, just like the other Crystal Guards. Spike pounces on the cowering mare, wrenching the poorly-fitting crystal helm away and sending her pale blue mane spilling around her quivering body.

“Where is it?” Spike demands, the paper helm nowhere to be found on the mare. He roughly shakes her, claws making a horrible screech as they dig into the crystal plate. “What did you do with the Helm?”

“T-Twilight,” Trixie coughs out, the thick black smoke bothering her despite her familiarity with smoke bombs. She gulps, clearing her throat. “Twilight isn’t the only one who can enlist an extra pony. Or in this case?”

Emperor Spike follows Trixie’s pointing hoof to Twilight’s gleeful smile, Shining Armor’s confused grin, Cadance’s look of utter betrayal, and Luna’s and Celestia’s pointed frowns. And to Doug, a duffel bag at his side, with the silver tips of the Helm of the Sibling Supreme peeking out.

Next Chapter: Ch. 151 - Brittle Barrier, Part Five Estimated time remaining: 8 Hours, 8 Minutes