"Are you sure this is safe Forge?"
"Of course its safe! Just because it was enchanted by some snobbish fop in the House of History doesn't mean that they would purposely try to kill you off, cause if they did kill you then they would get run out of the empire after getting tarred and feathered."
"But you tested this earlier right?"
"Just turn it on already I have more important things to do then see you standing there scared of pulling a lever."
"Fine, but if this kills me then it will all be on you."
"Whatever, just hurry up, this cannon of yours won't get built if you keep stalling me."
And with a quick prayer to the gods I grab the lever and pulled it back slowly, and once it reached its zenith I heard a loud CLICK and before I could realize what it was I watched as a curtain drops from the ceiling to reveal a long staff. Looking at Forge then to the staff I gave a shrug of ignorance before walking over to it, looking it over I found that this staff is as tall as I am, thick enough to be used as a weapon, and the head of it has the Wolves banner sigil made into it on all four sides almost like a diorama.
Grabbing the staff from its stand I look it over, turning it over in my hands as I saw that it was finely crafted out of metal, this will make a mighty fine staff for the throne room.
"Kell, if you look at the middle of the staff you will see a button, press it."
Without even thinking I looked around the staff and found the button, at first I was going to be cautious with it but then I threw caution to the breeze and pushed the button.
SCHWINK
A single blade shoot out from the top of the staff, the blade is two blades intersecting each other and they are serrated.
Giving the bladed staff a few twirls to get a feel for its weight I started to move it between arms, interchanging arms to see which it would go great with if I ever had to fight with it and Forge was watching me the entire time.
"I take it that you are enjoying yourself with your new toy." Forge said as she smirks to herself, watching me twirl around with an impromptu spear.
"Yes, I am enjoying myself, but you mentioned enchantments earlier, what are they?"
"The standard ones, increased sharpness, increased durability, lighter, and it has a special function."
"Special function? And let me guess, I must find out on my own?"
"No, just hold the staff with both hooves...whatever you have and squeeze it tightly."
Without even thinking or listening I squeezed the staff and like magic (bu-dum tist) the end of the staff gave off a faint glow before crackling with electricity and with a KA-BLAM a bolt of energy discharges at the staff's point but it disperses not two feet away from its point of origin.
"It could use a bit more range on that shot."
"It' not meant to kill things from afar, its meant to be stabbed into something and destroyed from the inside like a heavily armored opponent or dragons." dragons are notorious for being rogues and attacking anything that has value. They are like diamond dogs but worse seeing how they can fly and shoot molten fire from their mouths.
Ech, diamond dogs, raiders and miners, they are like dwarves and orcs of dungeons and dragons lore except they are dogs, they are clan-based and their alpha is the leader, they prefer stealing gemstones and ponies to be their slaves. That right there put them on my 'Capture or Kill' list if they are ever encountered within my kingdom, slavers will never be tolerated. And as for dragons, I can't really force them from my land but if they ever attack my city and any towns that might form up in the future then they are good as dead.
"Such a wonderful gift, thank you Forge." I said as I loomed towards the giantess of a mare and hugged her, the Skolas within me is raging against such a move while the me says to do it because she gave me an awesome weapon.
When I hugged her I felt her body tense up for a moment before slacking and returning the hug, for a giant pony that is rippling with muscles and is well...pretty much a roided out horse with a magical horn she can be very soft, that fur of hers is soft on what little comes into contact with my skin. But of course she is also sweaty as hell and just coated my armor with horse sweat, it could be worse, she could be in heat and covered me with both musky smell and sweat.
I am glad I can't smell anything with my rebreather on cause when ponies sweat it is bad, I mean imagine a gym full of sweaty dudes, now magnify that by five, or better yet just dunk your head in a gym bag full of dirty clothes that haven't been washed in a while. To ponies that is a normal bad funk but to me, it is pretty damn nasty, almost enough to choke me out but not enough to render me disabled.
Breaking off the hug I saw for a moment a smile on Forge's muzzle before it vanished and her frown returned, this girl is never happy I swear to god, its like something crawled up her ass and died.
"Now Forge, is there anything else you will need down here? Extra helpers? More tools perhaps?"
"Nah, I'm good down here big guy, now get your ass back upstairs, I'm sure little miss gossipy Quill has something to yammer on about with you." and there is the Forge I know and love, all tough and gritty while still remaining soft where it counts.
Leaving the forge-mistress to do her work I left with my staff in tow, my shrapnel launcher taking a backseat for now as I climb the stairs back up to the surface and from the looks I am getting from the servants working at the castle and from my own staff, I can assume that they can smell the strong sweat stank that Forge left on me.
Shining Pearl, my treasury manager and also one of the few crystal ponies I have seen that actually wears clothes on a daily basis. Pearl is a unicorn mare with a grey coat and an electric blue mane done up in a ponytail (bu-dum tist) with matching electric blue eyes, she wears what looks like business attire that consists of a white long-sleeve shirt with a black business suit over it. This girl is very serious, takes her job seriously, has no humor and she does not like Quill at all, those two are like exact opposites and when they are in the same room they grate on each others nerves before one of them snaps, mostly Pearl snaps first unless something upsets Quill during the day.
"My Kell."
"Ms. Pearl."
"I have this last month's tax reports in your office and I will have this month's tax reports to you by tomorrow morning." Pearl says as she levitates her cup of black coffee to her lips and takes a sip before levitating it back beside her.
"Excellent, thank you Ms. Pearl."
"It is no problem my Kell...and it would seem that you have visited Forge this evening."
"Is her sweat really that strong that you managed to pick it up?"
"My Kell, I have grown up with Ms. Forge since we were fillies, when I was playing with my dolls she was playing with the colts strong hoofing them into submission and she always was one to let her actions speak for her then use her head and her words to solve a problem. She was a troublesome filly back then and she is still a troublesome filly, but only now she is larger than all of us, stronger than any stallion here besides yourself and her magic is not something to sneeze at. Growing up with her taught me to always stay on her good side, regardless of what was going on because I value my neck a lot more then others, her temper is one of the things I have learned to not be the center of focus for along with her anger. By the time we got our cutie-marks and grew up she was signing up to be a royal guard but got rejected for being rough with the recruits, giving the instructor a black eye and for knocking out the recruiter by bucking her in the face while I was busy taking lessons on how to be a banker for my family's bank." Ah yes, I forgot that Ms. Shining Pearl was a member of House Gilded Coin, the wealthiest noble family in the Empire and seeing how their daughter now works for the 'King' they have a close connection to me.
"Naturally her sentence from the old rulers would have been several years in prison for assaulting a royal guard but instead decided to use her anger as an apprentice blacksmith and several years later she becomes one of the best smiths there is, followed by Sombra's usurpation of the throne and our banishment to now, his death and your rule. It would seem her temper and isolation from everypony else has done something to quell that anger of hers but if she was to see the stallion she has her eyes on talking to another mare like myself then she just might show that anger of hers in a way that just might warrant imprisonment or an execution." Shining Pearl says as she looks at me with a piercing stare, I am wondering why she is doing so but then again that is pretty much her normal stare.
"Wow, that is rough...whoever gets her is in trouble. That's a real ball buster right there." I said as I start to think on who could possibly be the center of her affection.
"Indeed, although I have heard that there are some stallions that like to be dominated by a strong mare but then again if they ever got in the same bed with Forge then they just might give up on coitus in general."
"I doubt that any stallion would give up sex if they had to spend a night of bumping uglies with Forge, they might feel scared of messing up when they are around her at best. And at worst they are pretty much her bitch." I said as I think about who could the poor sucker be.
"Such a way with words my Kell, although would a little bit of common courtesy be nice when talking with you? Your words are sometime... vulgar and crude, I am sure as a Kell of whatever it was that you used to rule had much better mannerisms then this?" Ms. Pearl says as she blanches back a bit, she is way too uptight for her own good, she might need to get laid if she is to ever unwind and relax.
"Ms. Pearl, being a Kell has nothing to do with mannerisms and language, we have a massive crew to keep in line, we don't have the time or patience to be all nice and tidy, it's a tough and gritty world out there." I said as I see a passing patrol of six guards, four of them are holding the new glaives while the two in the middle are holding large crossbows with their magic.
"Ruffians then, well at least you are more civilized than Sombra ever was, just make sure that you don't accidentally set this kingdom on fire." Pearl said before trotting past me before stopping.
"And before I leave you to your duties, do try to clean yourself off, I think I smell something more than just Forge's sweat on you...but then again knowing how insufferable that mare is that is probably just old sweat mingling with the new." eww...that is gross.
"Will do, have a good evening Ms. Pearl."
"And you to my Kell." and with that said we went our separate ways, I went to my room and Pearl went...wherever it is she is going to.
For a daughter of a noble house I have yet to see her try to paw for my affection and win me over to marry her, maybe she already has her eye on somebody else?
Pony showers are grossly too small for me to use so when I had to first use them I had to strip myself down to nothing, squat and shuffle my way in, but now that we have more construction materials that was then used to renovate my bathroom to fit my body height and shape and a bit of my standards as well. From a room of royalty it then shifts into what is pretty much a sauna and by the gods it is an amazing bathroom, wood floors, scented candles, self-cleaning bathtub and lastly an armor stand to hold my heavy ass protective body armor.
When I arrived to my room I immediately went straight to the bathroom, stripped down piece by piece and scrubbed each piece down with the thick brush that was placed in here for me.
I learned a few months ago that when my craving for a snickers bar came around I asked one of the servants if they knew if there was any candy stores within the city and they pointed me to one but when I got there I made a fatal error.
You see these ponies are in an area where everything takes on the properties of crystals even though they are still whatever they are before the transformation, and well their candy are also like crystals, their lollipops are crystals on a stick, they have the pop rocks but without the pop, rock candy necklaces, and god-forbid they even have ice-cream but it's not entirely crystals, its more like a...what's the word I am looking for...oh yea, its like a slushie of sorts but it doesn't melt and turn into a sugary drink.
And now because I didn't realize that at the time I am now stuck with a bag of rock candy that I can't even eat because my thin-needle teeth would probably miss and I might choke on it. I do not want a tombstone that reads 'Here lies Skolas, choked to death on a piece of rock candy.' and I sure as hell will never hear the end of it from the people in the afterlife.
Once my armor has been cleaned of horse sweat I donned it and went back on my daily routine of checking those under my command, walking the streets to talk to the citizens, train in the courtyard with the guards, give Forge new ideas, give the eggheads in the smart house the family-friendly ideas to better the empire and lastly having my afternoon tea with Pearl as she tries to teach me manners which so far is failing badly. I was never one for the exquisite manners or acting like a nobleman at an expensive party trying to be somebody I am not.
"You know my Kell, you may not be the best in showing polite manners but at least you know how to treat a mare with respect and kindness, but you do need to work on your dancing, you got two left hooves."
"My mother raised me right, showing respect to women was one of the key points she hammered into me along with being nice to them. And as for manners I know about them and how to use it when I need to but when you're trying to teach me all of the different forks, spoons and knives that are associated with a noble party then I just might use the wrong one to make a point."
"Please don't my Kell, they would show you the correct utensil to use before killing you with it."
"They can try to kill me but they won't live long enough to enjoy their spoils."
"That I can believe, you have the undying loyalty of your subjects."
"Do I have your undying loyalty?"
"Yes but I won't take an arrow for you, I rather not have blood on my nice suit."
"Glad to know that you care about me Ms. Pearl."
"Mmhmm...*sip* good that you know, if it wasn't for you then this kingdom would be falling apart at the seams with a power mad unicorn sitting on top of the drained husks that was once his subjects."
"Then it was a good thing that I came in when I did, it would be a shame if Sombra did anything to damage that pretty face of yours." I said with a hint of flirtatious intent to mess with the treasury accountant.
"Oh my, is my Kell trying to be make a move on little ol' me? Oh what would your subjects think if they find out that their king was courting his master of coin? Oh such scandalous behavior will surely raise questions on such a thing began! I can see it now 'The Emperor of the Crystal Empire courting his Master of Coin? Will we see a new Empress to stand beside our Emperor or is this a concealed fling!'."
"Yeah, the city criers would do such a thing but each of them would add their own spin to it, I know for a fact that one of them would shout that I am seeking a harem, another would say that I am being bound and gagged while we do the deed, and probably that I am a monster that sucks out the brains of my victims turning them into zombies."
"Kell it can't be that bad..." Pearl said before I gave her a flat stare, somehow she got the picture and continued, "Okay it can be that bad, it was just one time that they did that."
"Pearl they said that I was sleeping with the two baking twins and Glittering Quill, I don't even know how they made up that one but that is still making me cringe."
"Oh hush you, we all know that you got a good laugh out of it." I hate to admit it but I did get a good hardy laugh out of it, I think I might have scared a few of the crystal ponies when they heard me laugh.
"That I did, but for now we must cut our conversation short, it would seem that I am going to be late inspecting our new auxiliary recruits." and with that said I got up and did a small bow to Shining Pearl before pushing in my chair and leaving her office and walked down to the training field.
It was during my walk to the courtyard did I feel a disturbance, like insects crawling all over my skin and before I could figure out what it could mean it was gone. Maybe it was just my body reacting to that bag of crystal rock candy I had earlier.
Far from the Empire's border, several ponies and a young dragon crested over a snowbank and set their eyes upon what was supposed to be a cold, decrepit city but instead they saw a shining beacon of civilization standing alone against the blizzards of the Frozen North. A colossal transparent pink and light blue dome surrounding the city and beyond with the edges of the barrier a mixture of reclaimed land and glittering snow.
"But...how?" a confused Princess Cadence said as she trotted ahead of the other ponies, too shocked and confused to fully comprehend what she is seeing. "Why would Sombra activate the crystal heart knowing it would just banish him out of the empire?"
Shining Armor and the rest of the guards that have been assigned to him are in the same boat as their princess, they were told about the empire and who was in charge but they knew little about the heart.
"Maybe he was growing bored and turned it on to see what it would do?" Spike said as he rode on Twilight's back, his stubby legs wouldn't have allowed him to trudge through the thick snow.
"Spike you don't understand, if he turned it on then he would be outside of the barrier...and out here with us." Twilight said as everyone around her realize that with the dome on that King Sombra is out there with them, probably is already watching them right now.
While everyone was realizing what was just said, one pony thought it was a better idea to run ahead over everyone else and go straight to the giant glowing dome.
"Princess Cadence, wait!"
Shining Armor and the six mares behind him snap out of their musings from the shouting of a guard as they look to see Princess Cadence taking flight and heading straight to the Crystal Empire.
"Should we go after her, Captain?"
"No, I am sure she can take care of herself, with Sombra outside of the barrier we have to take care of ourselves for now, get into a circle formation around the elements and keep them safe, I will lead us in." Shining said as the other guards saluted at him before moving around the mares and started to look around.
"Cadence what are you getting yourself into..." Shining mumbled to himself as a gust of cold wind slashes across his face, making him wince at how sharp it was before pressing forward with the guards, girls and Spike in tow.
While the equestrian ponies slowly made their way down the snowbank a figure lying just beyond their line of sight slowly slides where they were standing earlier and looks to where they are going before following after them, keeping some distance to not be detected.
Sharp Tack was having a great day, his date with his marefriend went well last night, he got kissed on the cheek and had a pleasant dream before waking up the next morning and found that he was given a promotion to private first class from his old rank of private. He went from patrolling the empty halls of the palace to patrolling the walls and streets of the city and he loved every second of it.
It was on his new patrol route did some strange happen to him, you see being an earth pony with a yearning desire to fly has him constantly daydreaming about flying with the birds or with the pegasi guards with a pair of wings of his own. And with him on the wall he was just a few steps away from having a rather short flight but it would be a flight nonetheless for him although he would be in a lot of pain if he did so.
During one of his many daydreams was he snapped out of it when he saw something flying right at him and he was not prepared to see that it was another pegasus coming over the gate and he thought it was just a scout coming back from a long range patrol but when he saw that this pony was not slowing down per orders but instead sped up.
"Halt! State your intentions!" Sharp shouted as he raised his glaive in a defensive manner but was promptly ignored by the speeding pink pegasus.
When Sharp tried to get the unknown flyer to stop he was once again ignored, and when the flyer was within distance to see clear details he saw the strangest of things in his entire life right next to seeing the new king of the empire.
As the pink flyer got closer he saw that this pegasus also had a horn on its head and when Sharp could see the color of its eyes he noticed that the fly was not a feminine looking stallion, but instead it was a mare and the same race of pony that once ruled over this kingdom before Sombra usurped the throne.
Before he could even question what he is seeing, the flyer in question flew right over him, ignoring his shout to stop flying and land, and kept on flying until she stopped and landed right in the middle of one of a busy markets that dot the city.
"OH buck...Bastion is going to have my flank for this..." Sharp muttered to himself before taking his glaive and took a few steps towards the edge of the wall, and one step too many and promptly fell over the side of the wall.
"Oh bollocks! Oomph!" Sharp was about to be in a world of pain if it wasn't for a giant mare that just so happened to be standing right next to the wall when he landed.
Looking at the mare in question he saw that it was a gate guard and she was looking at him with the look of amusement on her face before she turned her head back to a different guard that was on duty with her.
"See that sister, I told you that I can get a stallion to mount me, except this one is doing it wrong." the giantess said as she laughed heartily, almost throwing the private off her back and onto the crystal stone below her.
"Hammer, I don't think that this one is trying to get you to form the eight-legged beast, it more looks like he is in a hurry to get away from you." her sister, Morningstar said as she trotted toward Hammer, snickering under her breath as Sharp Tack started to panic at what might be happening to him soon if he doesn't get off of Hammer's back.
"Nonsense! This stallion is eager to please a mare and I am sure he wants it as well as I do." Hammer said as Sharp Tack tries to scramble off of her back.
"N-no! There is an intruder that just flew over the wall and landed in Diamond Square!" Sharp shouted quickly as he started to grow pale at the thought of one or both of the giant mares having their way with him, he is too young to die by a crushed pelvis.
"*sigh* Fine...you get off easy this time. Sister you want this one or shall I go with our little jumper here." Hammer said as she gives a flirtatious wink to Sharp Tack who kept getting paler.
"I got this one, you need to cool yourself off before you jump on a stallion without his permission." Morningstar said which earned a snort from Hammer before turning back and pushed Sharp Tack of her sister's back and onto the floor.
"Come on little pony, we got an intruder to catch." Morning said before grabbing her large spiked mace from the wall beside her and hefted it over her back.
With a nod from Sharp Tack the two guards raced off toward where the pink intruder has landed.
As soon as the two guards started to gallop toward the marketplace Hammer waited a few moments until they vanished around the corner of the street before going on top of the gatehouse, and promptly grabbed the alarm horn and blew it, letting the horn emit a loud, bellowing sound that started a chain reaction throughout the city.
"Did you hear that?" a startled Spike said as he gripped onto Twilight's neck tighter as the loud blaring sound raced through the tundra lands around them.
"Yes, we did Spike, that sounded like an alarm. Cadence is in trouble!" Rainbow Dash shouted before lifting off and flying straight to the barrier, going through it without any trouble before disappearing from sight as the barrier blurred her appearance as she becomes more distant from the rest of her friends.
"Dash! Wait! Ah buck..." Twilight said as she raised a hoof in an attempt to talk her out of making a rash decision but was too late.
"Do we go after her or stay with them?" one of the guards said as he looked around, feeling a bit scared at the fact they just lost two ponies although they left by choice to go straight to the barrier and the empire that lays within.
"We have to get to the barrier now, we don't know if Sombra is out here with us and we won't stand a chance out here in the cold." Shining Armor shouted over everyone who was starting to get worried/ freaking out and when everyone turned to look at him and when they realized that he was right they picked up the pace right up to the barrier.
Pressing a hoof against the transparent barrier he waited to see if there was anything that might react to his presence but instead he felt nothing but warmth. Once he found that the dome wasn't going to harm him he pressed through and came out the other side on soft snow that has thinned out right at the edge of the dome.
As soon as he went through the dome it was quickly followed by the rest of the guards, Twilight and her friends and Spike whom all looked around expecting the worst to happen but instead felt the warmth of the sun beating on them and the gentle breeze across their muzzles.
"This...isn't what I was expecting." Twilight said as she looked around, clearly confused and in awe at the same time
"Come on, we have to find Cadence and Rainbow Dash!"
And with that said the group of equestrian ponies galloped towards the city in the distance, unaware that right behind them was a pony wearing pale blue armor, crystalline goggles and a pair of ski's.
Once they were gone from sight for a second time the crystal pony in question ruffled through his pack and pulled out a finely crafted horn before pressing his lips and blew it twice, alerting those that can hear it.
Intruders are within the Crystal Empire, and they are armed.
Landing in the middle of a busy market with dozens of crystal ponies big and small surrounding her on all sides looking at her in a mixture of awe and confusion, unsure of who she is and where she came from but one thing was certain for them.
This was an alicorn, wearing royal attire and she was alone.
Once the crowd got an eye full of the strange royal pony they went back to their business but kept an eye on her, suspicious as to why she is here in the first place and what her intentions are.
To Princess Cadence she was flabbergasted, why were these ponies so happy, why are out and about in a merry fashion when King Sombra is still alive?
"Excuse me, miss" the pink alicorn asked a passing crystal pony in front of her whom stopped and looked a bit uneasy before stopping herself to talk to the strange alicorn. "Where is King Sombra?"
"He is in the palace sitting in a jar by the throne." the mare said, her hoof scrapping against the floor feeling unsure about this situation she is in.
"In a jar? Has he gone insane?" Princess Cadence said as she raised an eyebrow, confused as to why Sombra would be sitting in a jar.
"No, his ashes." the mare said simply as she looked around herself, still not sure if she should be talking to this stranger. "Emperor Skolas killed Sombra after he shot him with a black crystal shard then he set him on fire! He ran him through when he had his back turned and then he had his body turned to ashes and are now on display next to the throne."
Princess Cadence visibly blanched away from the mare as she stepped back away from her.
'How can somepony so easily kill another and then mutilate his body by setting it on fire! This Emperor Skolas must be several times worse than Sombra! How are these innocent ponies not cowering in fear while this monster still lives and rules over them!'
When Cadence had enough room she took flight yet again but this time she heard the sound a horn being blown but she shook her head and flew straight to the palace, in her head she had to put a stop to this new threat before it could harm her little ponies.
"Aw damn it! She isn't here..." Private Sharp Tack said as he and his temporary partner Private Morning Star come to a complete stop in the center of the market, looking around for any sign of the pink intruder. The blaring of the warning horn behind them sounded off, instructing every single citizen of the Crystal Empire that there was an armed intruder within the walls.
"Wait a second...a feather...she took flight!" Morning Star said as she looked at the feather before turning her eyes from the crowd on the floor to the open skies above them.
"There! She's heading to the palace!" Sharp Tack shouted just as a passing patrol came around the bend, immediately moving through the masses of civilians before stopping in front of the mismatched guards.
Once the pair told the guards what is going on they quickly stormed through the crowd and headed straight for the palace, knowing that this unknown alicorn intruder could be a threat to the empire and to their emperor.
It was when they started to march through the front gates of the palace did they hear the sound of the horn a second time did they realize that something is very wrong here and every single guard and citizen had to mobilize.
They can only hope that the emperor can hold out long enough for help to arrive.
"What do you mean you haven't heard of me!" an annoyingly nasally voice shouted as the one that was being shouted at spoke back in a calm yet bored manner.
"I haven't heard of you, big deal. You're not a citizen of the Crystal Empire and so you can not enter while we are under lockdown."
"But you have heard of Princess Celestia right? Or Princess Luna?" Rainbow Dash said, hoping that the giant mare that is standing bored in front of her would at least know about them.
"Nope, can't say that I have heard of 'em." Hammer said as she leaned against her giant war hammer, trying very hard not to yawn at the outsider that is hovering right in front of her face or worse smack her face in with her hammer.
"How have you not heard of either princess in this back end city!" Dash finally snapped as she waved her hooves around, trying to be expressive but to Hammer all she is doing is flail around like a foal.
"Cause we don't care much for the outside world, and if you dare insult my home again I will shove this here horseshoe so far up your plot hole that you can taste the metal." Hammer said with a snort before rearing her head back and spat out a glob of spit over the wall.
"Rainbow Dash!" a voice shouted from below the two and for a moment they looked around to find out where it originated from. When they finally looked down they saw a friend and a strange respectively, although the guard standing watch at the gatehouse saw several more strangers along with five guards acting as an armed escort.
"So that was what the alarm horn was about, I just thought the scout that found you ponies was just tooting his horn cause he found this one and the pink intruder that flew over the walls earlier." Hammer said as she looked over the group, her massive stature clearly scaring one of the unarmed ponies into a petrified stance, a two of the four guards are shaking while holding their metal spears in their hooves.
As they stood there looking at each other Hammer returned her gaze to looking over the horizon, being on watch as a temporary replacement until reinforcements arrive to cover her position so she can go back downstairs and stand by the gate like she was supposed to be doing.
"So?" Twilight Sparkle spoke up, hoping that she could try and get them inside without causing any trouble.
"So what?" Hammer snorted as she looked at the purple unicorn below.
"Are you going to let us in or are you just going to be standing there staring at nothing?" Rainbow Dash said while trying to blend in but she was immediately picked out of the group when Hammer stared right at her.
"I could let you ponies in, but..." Hammer began but she stopped, she knew what she was going to do next.
"But what?" Twilight said, hoping that she has finally reached to the hardheaded mare.
"But I won't." Hammer said with a grin.
"And why not if we may ask?" Rarity spoke up, wondering if her refined, noble flair would let them in.
"Because we are under lockdown until the pink intruder is captured and imprisoned." that got everyone's attention in an instant.
"WHAT! You can't do that she is a princess of Equestria!"
"She failed to respond to a command from a sentry that was manning this wall at the time and she flew over instead of landing and coming through the gates. Per our orders under the revised military articles she is to be treated as either a smuggler, spy, saboteur, or an assassin until further notice or she has been classified differently by a ranking officer or from the emperor." Hammer snarled at Rainbow Dash, that rainbow tart was getting on her last nerves which isn't much to say the least.
"Why I outta-" one of the guards below started to speak up but was silenced by Shining Armor, he knew his wife wanted to do what was best for the enslaved crystal ponies but if they don't do this right and defeat Sombra before he can be a true threat then they might instigate a war that Equestria isn't prepared for.
"Stay here until it's over, there is nothing we can do without provoking the crystal ponies." Shining Armor said as he looked at the walls, wondering if there is a way to sneak over without getting spotted but was interrupted when something slid right by him and the rest of the ponies that came with him.
As the group of equestrians looked at the strange crystal pony he revealed himself to be a scout as his pair of ski's, covered muzzle and goggles could indicate along with the long cloak that covered his back up to his tail. Wearing light blue painted armor with what looks like chains appearing underneath it. A pair of wings fluttered out from underneath the cape as he pulled up his goggles to see better now that he isn't being hindered by the blizzard beyond the dome.
"Ah, how nice of you to drop by little scout. Do tell me that it was you that blew your alert horn earlier and not some other tosser out in the wastes." Hammer said with a bit of a smile, she just loved talking to the scouts, she could be out there herself but she is too heavy and is not a pegasus to get the full potential out of the ski's.
"Aye it was me, although I had to keep my distance and blend into the snow to remain undetected." the scout said as he shook off a clump of snow that was laying on top of his head.
"I see, well come on up then, those equestrians have to wait it out until the intruder that broke through is either captured or wasted, until then wanna sit here with me and watch these outsiders?" Hammer suggested as she shifted her stance, letting her hammer hold her weight up as she relaxes a bit.
"Eh sure, my report back to Bastion will be its usual shortness with the exception 'found a group of equestrian ponies marching to our fair city armed with out-of-date spears and armor', I wonder what his face will look like when he reads it."
"Probably like the same when he reads everyone else's, stoic and cold." Hammer chuckled as she remembered when she gave her last report to Bastion, how that old pony read it over and dismissed her. That old stallion needs to drink a beer or two to relax.
Before they could continue talking two quick bursts from a horn coming from the palace, signaling everyone that the problem has been taken care of.
"Alright let em in, stay up here and make sure they don't try to teleport or fly over." the giantess said before grabbing her hammer and started to make her way to the stairs leading down.
"Got it Hammer, don't hurt that pretty face of yours on the way down." the scout said before spreading his wings and flew up the wall and landed beside her.
"Compliments will get you somewhere but not anywhere near this hot piece of flank." her voice shouted over the wall as she went down a flight of stairs to the ground.
"We shall see."
While they were busy talking to each other the ponies below heard every single word and were now trying to figure out what was going on, Twilight was busy covering Spike's ears, Rarity was shaking her head in disappointment, Fluttershy still petrified in fear, Applejack and Rainbow Dash (who was still a bit pissed) were snickering and Pinkie Pie was busy playing with her mane. Shining Armor on the other hand could only shake his head with a smile, he knew that the interaction between the two different divisions was common but he never guessed that such conduct would happen up here. His guards on the other hand were laughing a bit, they have been there before, flirting with other guards and got the same response.
It didn't take long for the large gate to slowly open up, lifting upwards a few inches before being pushed inward. Once the gate was open the equestrians saw for the first time what was hiding behind the walls and for the first time they were in awe.
The streets were made of crystals, the buildings were made out of crystals, trees lined the streets and they too were crystalline in nature but the thing that caught all of their eyes was the ponies. They were just like them in appearance with the exception that they are sparkly and gem-like in appearance. Another thing that caught their eye was the occasional very tall and bulky ponies walking around, some of them carrying heavy cargo on their back and sides and the one standing in front of them with a small contingent of guards behind her.
Trotting up to them was a massive mare in gleaming crystalline and metal armor, holding a weapon just as tall as her with the head of the hammer being as big as Shining Armor if he was sitting down. Her grey-ish blue coat mixed with a red and orange striped mane, a pair of deep green eyes staring at the equestrians with an uncaring gaze.
"I am Lieutenant Hammer and I shall be your escort until we arrive at the palace. Here are the ground rules, no magic, no flying, stay with the group and do not go running off to see the sights, no questions, and most importantly if you try to leave the group you will be arrested for refusing to follow the instructions of a Crystal Officer. Are we clear?" Hammer said with authority in her voice and once the equestrians gave a series of nods she turned around and took the lead as the crystal guards surrounded Twilight and her friends along with Shining Armor and his guards before moving forward.
Once they started to march through the streets of the Crystal Empire the equestrians started to look around, taking in the impressive sight that is the crystalline buildings and ponies. Each pony in the group besides the royal guards were looking at everything around them, trying to remember different things that they believe is important to them.
Rarity was staring at the modest dresses and suits that the civilians were wearing, wondering how they were made and the style of the clothes.
Applejack was looking at the crystal trees and wonder if they had an apple orchard of their own that made crystal apples, she was wondering if they tasted any different or had special properties when it comes to normal apples.
Rainbow Dash was grumbling to herself, how did that giant mare not know who she was or even the princesses of Equestria! It was like she wasn't even raised right to know who was responsible for raising and lowering the sun and moon But she was more pissed off that no one knows who she is.
Fluttershy is shaking, still afraid of the crystal guards but she is mostly afraid of Hammer due to her impressive size.
Pinkie Pie was too busy staring at a candy shop that was selling crystal candy of various flavors and shapes.
Twilight was taking mental notes on the crystal ponies of both the normal size and of the giant variety, wondering how exactly there are giant ponies, how the street lamps is pretty much a gemstone lying within a metal cage, and so many other things that are going through her head right now.
Spike was busy staring at all of the gems and crystals, his stomach growling quite loudly as he remembers that he forgot to eat breakfast that day.
Shining Armor was looking at the guards, they all wore armor that he has never seen before, it looked more advanced than what he had during his time as the captain of the royal guards, their weapons look much more advanced than theirs and the four unicorn guards that are marching beside them are holding fairly large crossbows that are better seen as a stationary weapon then one carried around.
When they arrived at the front entrance of the palace and went up the stairs they were warned to be on their best behavior and if they refused to follow that rule then they would be spending a lovely night in the dark cells below.
What they were expecting was a captured Princess Cadence being held in chains with a nullifying ring on her horn and her wings tied up.
What they weren't expecting was the equestrian princess to be held on the lap of the emperor, being petted like a cat by a four-armed being wearing strange armor with four glowing pale blue eyes.
"Uh...this is...you know what, this is exactly what it looks like."
