Mat snickers, "Oh... right. That type of character." Suddenly, Van seemingly appeared out of nowhere, standing next to Mat's seat, blanket wrapped around him. "... A lot of ponies claim to be related to the Princesses. Some would call it insanity."
"This filly..." Azrael sipped his spirits. "This little *squee!* wanted the whole bar to believe she was biological, and feel bad for her endless riches and power."
Van spoke again, "I am related to Trixie....." Mat just stared at him, before Van replied, "That is a joke."
***Canterlot Royal Palace*** Silver stood before Princesses Celestia and Luna in the throne room. The sword that had slain Arch rotated slowly in the air between them, held up by Celestia's magic, and five matching blades lay on the floor below it. "This," Celestia said "is easily the most foolish thing you have ever done. In over one thousand years, you have never willingly put myself or Luna at risk, but today? You walked into our castle with a bag full of Alicorn killers!" Luna looked at her sister curiously. Celestia was not a pony quick to anger. Silver nodded. "I am aware of the threat posed by these blades, and should you command it, they will be destroyed. However, I believe that the blades should remain in existence, as a last resort against dangerous Ocees." "Are you not an Ocee yourself?" Luna asked quietly. "I am, and I think that alone should be enough to convince you that my kind can be a threat. My loyalty is to the Sun and Moon. You know that. But... not all of us trust in your wisdom. Some believe themselves to be your equals... even your betters. Some even believe themselves to be your family." He sighed. "Not long ago, I met a young mare who claimed to be the daughter of Princess Celestia. Can you imagine the chaos such a claim would cause if she had been allowed to continue unchecked?" ********************************************************* Nightshade nodded. "Okay. Let's go back."
"It was dreadful," Azrael said bluntly. "Blasphemous, even." Dusty retracted his avatar and turned to Raven. "Release." Raven nodded and finally let Nightshade go. She hesitantly approached her. "...Nighty?"
(Now, since she wasn't my character, I obviously can't come right out and say that Silver killed her, but...) "Hello, sweetie." Nightshade's body slowly began shifting back to her pony form, and she climbed slowly to her hooves. "Thanks, Dusty. Hi... MOM?! What the..." She clutched her chest and collapsed.
(Not like she'll be back.) "You good, Mat?" Maya asked, concerned. "Yeah..." Raven went to help her up. "Yeah, your mom's here. Like a twisted reunion, huh?"
Nightshade struggled to her hooves, then quickly fell back over, possibly due to the fact that a particularly important internal organ was laying in the dirt about twenty feet away.
"Oh..." Raven looked at the heart. "BUCK ME!" "*squee!*." Dusty levitated the heart over. "Nightshade. I need you to use that brute strength and tear your ribcage open."
Nightshade made a valiant attempt, but quickly passed out. Winter silently pushed Raven aside, drew her dagger, and did as Dusty had commanded. "Fix her."
Mat continued to look up at the ceiling, "... I'm unsure about tomorrow." Van nodded, pulling out a bit, "I need three cups."
