Chapter 56: Of Diamonds and Stars 1

Queen Jennino Lanterlight walked as quickly as she could, not caring for how her appearance might look to her subject, as she made sure everything was in place.

The Prince of Equestria was arriving to meet her, and it was her duty as the Queen of Caninia to greet him properly, and if that means holding a festival in his name, then what is?

"Amber! Are the Carriages all ready?" She yelled at one of her younger sisters, Princess Ambrosia Muffinsbuns, who was as usual wearing her beautiful pink dress.

"They are," She answered loud enough for her hurried sister to hear, while still remaining quiet enough so as to not ruin her ladylike charm.

"And what about you Moony? Are the fireworks prepared?" Jennino asked her other sister, Princess Moonbeam Twinkletail, who wore her red vest and held onto her magic stick.

"The Fireworks and everything, the Musicians are rehearsing and the Chefs are busy cooking. Everything is ready Jenn, stop worrying." Moonbeam said as she made her way to her second oldest sister, her nose twitching as her mustache of purple fur itched her.

"We can't!" Jennino told her sister as she quickly grabbed her shoulders and started shaking, "Prince Blueblood Agreeing to our terms of trade will finally give me the credibility we need for Kathy to take us seriously!"

Moonbeam placed her paw on her sister's arm and slowly pulled her off, "I get it, we all do, But if everything we've already done wasn't enough for Kathy to open the table, I doubt humiliating yourself in front of the prince of Equestria will."

"Humiliate? I'm not going to humiliate myself! I am calm and collected! Ready for his arrival!" Jennino said calmly.

"Really?" Moonbeam raised an eyebrow before pointing at something behind Jennino's back, "Because he's standing on that ship right there, and he doesn't look impressed,"

Jennino turned quickly around to look away from the port and towards the sea, only to be met with nothing but the salty smell of the waves of this warm, early winter day.

"See, What would you think would have happened if he was there?" Moonbeam said from behind Jennino.

"I- I understand..." Jennino said as she straightened her back, "I'll go take a break," She started walking towards one of the chefs she brought for the party.

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Dimondia, the capital city of Caninia, has two Queens in two different Castles.

One Castle was empty, as the Queen and the two Princesses that lived in it left to ready a festival.

The other Castle wasn't empty.

Yet, even though the castle wasn't empty, to one Dog, the castle felt as boring as an empty shoebox.

"Indy! I'm bored!" A Yellow Dog cried out in boredom as she hung upside-down from a tree in the castle yard, her blue vest holding snugly against her body as she jumped off the tree branch with a flip, landing on her feet and patting down her blue skirt.

"I know, You said that five times already," Princess Indiana Ambereyes told her sister as she sat on a reclined chair the servants placed in the yard for her.

"But there's nothing to do! On other days with nothing to do I can just grab the telescope and try and look at Jenn's castle, but now? Nothing!" The Yellow Dog, Fiona Floppyears, said as she walked over and slumped onto her sister, her head resting on her stomach as her eyes looked up at her.

"Hey Indy," Fiona said, trying to get her more stoic sister to respond, "Hey- Hey Indy,"

Indiana sighed as she opened her eyes and looked down at her sister, laying her head on her body as if she was a petulant child, and not a nineteen-year-old princess.

"What?" Indiana asked.

"Banana Butt," Fiona responded before jumping up and away from her sister, wagging her yellow tail around as she ran around the yard.

"If you're so bored, Why don't you go check what Jenn's doing?" Indiana asked, causing Fiona to pause.

"...You know we can't." She said sadly, her head turning to look at her older sister.

"I know, so it'll just be you going, I'll cover for you." Indiana sat up from her reclined seat and stood up, cracking her neck as she stretched her back.

"What?" Fiona asked Indiana to explain.

"You don a disguise, nobody will know it's you, And you go to that port town to see what Jenn and the rest are doing. I'll remain here and have some clever excuse for why you're not here." Indiana said after she finished her stretches, a scowl on her face as she felt her back was still stiff.

"But Indy, you're trash at lying," Fiona said, causing Indiana to bark out a laugh.

"Ha! That doesn't mean I'm incapable! I'll just say you're not feeling good and decided to sleep in, That's easy enough."

Fiona sniffed at that, before she ran forward and pulled her sister into a hug.

"Thank You! I'll buy you a souvenir! Now let's go find a disguise!" Fiona yelled happily into her sister's fur as she held her head against her chest.

"Yeah Yeah, don't thank me yet," Indiana said with a soft smile as she rubbed her younger sister's back, "Just get me a new cool spear or something, yeah?"

"Haha, Sure!"

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Standing with her back straight as the sun set before her, her sisters by her side, and her people behind her standing ready.

Jennino Lanternlight looked on as the small ship, just over forty meters long, as it sailed into the port, Sunlight Yellow and midnight blue lines were drawn around the sides of the ship, giving it a slick look while keeping the "Friendly" Colors that Equestria was so known for.

And as the boat docked before them, a set of stairs dropped from the deck and landing on the solid wooden port, right in front of a long red carpet.

"Stand tall and Proud!" A voice loudly proclaimed from on top of the ship.

"For you are in the presence of Prince Blueblood Platinum!" The voice continued as a golden-haired white Unicorn slowly made his way down the stairs, a Navy-Blue suit with an Ice-Blue undershirt and a black tie was on his torso, with the shirt stopping right before his Cutie Mark, depicting a silver and gold Compass Rose. 

A small gem, triangle in shape, as if an incomplete puzzle, was held onto a small golden chain wrapped around his neck as a necklace, It was Red with subtle hints of green.

An Elegant yet friendly smile was on his face as he walked down the stairs, his Ice-blue eyes glinting with the light of the sun setting behind him over the ocean.

Each step he took caused Jennino's heart to beat faster and faster, making her gulp to swallow the saliva that was forming in her mouth, She ignored the concerned side-eye Moonbeam was giving her.

And as the Prince finally stepped off the stairs from his ship and onto the red carpet, the voice returned with one word.

"Rejoice!"

The fireworks shot into the sky, the flashes of the tiny colorful rockets illuminating the sky and the crowd as the music started playing while Blueblood slowly walked up the red carpet and made his way to the three Princesses.

"Jennino Lanternlight, I presume?" He asked Jennino, who nodded her head quickly and took the hoof he offered in her paw, almost freezing when he kissed it.

"It is a most wonderful pleasure to meet you," He said as he looked up and into Jennino's eyes, and for a short moment, barely less than a second, her brain short-circuited.

She could imagine miniature versions of herself running around inside her brain trying to stop a fire from spreading.

"Oh, believe me, Prince Blueblood," Jennino smiled widely down at the Stallion.

"The Pleasure is all mine."

And so the period of time that future historians will dub "The Meeting of Diamonds and Stars" began, but that is a story for another time.

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Omake: A Discovery Months Away.

Near the peak of a mountain south of the City State of Yakyakistan, sits a cave filled with a carpet of soft moss and a small pond of spring water in its center.

In the middle of the pond sits an old stone statue, detailing an old Yak King.

"Bjorn! You Got to see this!" A Yak yelled as he entered the cave, carrying on his back a sack filled with scrolls and papers, detailing the discoveries that they managed to uncover in regards to the Tomb whose entrance sits near the back of the cave.

"Is it yet another rock, Olaf?" Bjorn, a tired old Yak asked in exasperation as he turned and raised his glasses up his nose, taking a look at whatever Olaf brought him.

"Not rock! A Water Sample! From the cave near the bottom!" Olaf said excitedly as he opened his sack and pulled out the correct document, giving it to Bjorn to read.

"The Lake at the bottom? What's so special about..." Bjorn quieted down as he read the document, and his eyes slowly widened.

"Do you understand?" Olaf asked excitedly, nodding his head like a puppy.

"Understand?" Bjorn repeated his question, "I more than Understand, Olaf! This is an amazing discovery!" He shouted out.

"If what's written here is correct, King Tarkus IV specifically chose this mountain to build his tomb!"

"It Is amazing, Yes. But I still Don't understand. Would it not have been better to build Tomb Elsewhere?" Olaf asked.

"Olaf do you not understand? He didn't build his tomb on this mountain because he chose this mountain as his last resting spot, but because of the Water at the bottom!"

Olaf nodded his head, still not understanding what Bjorn was speaking about. He was simply happy to see him excited for once.

Seeing no reaction of understanding from the younger Yak, Bjorn decided to explain it in simpler terms.

"The Water inside the lake at the base of this mountain contains a trace amount of Umbra Magic," Bjorn explained to Olaf slowly, "Which means we might have a clue as to whatever caused their disappearance so long ago, it might even be recorded inside this tomb! All we need to do is get rid of that Abominable Snowbeast that made its home in the tunnel... Any news regarding that?"

Olaf shook his head at that, "Prince Rutherford said he deals with it, Haven't said word about it since,"

Bjorn sighed at that, turning his head to look at the stone door near the back of the cave.

"Soon, We will make the greatest discovery in recent history..."

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Deep Below the cave in the mountain, and deep below the tomb inside it, and even deeper below the depths of the Lake.

A Black Butterfly quietly waits for his Empire to return, Screaming in wordless anger at the barrier holding him captive far below the land.

His eyes, burning with malevolent flame, staring at the magical instrument just out of his reach, beyond the barrier holding him captive.

A Clock, slowly counting down, second by minute by hour by day by week by month by year by decade by century by Millennium.

And Soon, The clock will reach zero.

And the Black Butterfly will once again spread its wings.

And the Crystal will crack once and for all.

"AMORE!!!"