I never liked wearing suits. The seams always make my fur itch. Still, that doesn't stop me from getting my size measured at the Sickle and Scythe Tailor shop.
"Looking good there, IV." Liaz points a finger at me and smirks.
He's already fully dressed. The stainless white of the suit makes the random patches of red scales on his neck and face more noticeable than usual. The tailor fitting his suit, Mr. Sickle, had to cut a hole in the back of Liaz's trousers for his tail to fit through.
"Heh, I look pretty damn good myself." Liaz whips around and starts flexing his biceps in the three-paneled mirror.
"Please, try not to move around too much-" Mr. Sickle stabs him in the leg with a needle. "- oops. Too late."
"S-sorry." Liaz lets his head hang.
Mr. Scythe, Mr. Sickle's twin brother, steps away from me and clasps his hands. Mr. Sickle disappears behind a red curtain and rolls in an extra mirror. My eyes glance over the suit, my mind drifting back to the first time I ever wore one. My knighting ceremony was almost twenty years ago now. It feels like it was just yesterday.
"Yup, this'll do." Liaz slaps me on the shoulder and then looks over at Mr. Sickle and Mr. Scythe. "Spectacular work, you two. How much are these bad boys gonna set us back?"
Mr. Sickle and Mr. Scythe look at each other. Each of them raises an eyebrow. Communicating without a single word spoken. Mr. Scythe is the one who breaks the growing silence.
"We couldn't possibly charge you." He says.
"Haaaaa..." Liaz sighs. "I knew it was going to be like this. We can't just leech off our Glimmer's reputation all the time. Ain't that right, Ironvine?"
"I wouldn't feel right if we didn't pay." I nod. "The majority of the city was destroyed during the rebellion. It's the least we can do."
"It's like he says. Besides, you both did outstanding work and deserve to be compensated." Liaz reaches for his coin pouch, which we both know is bordering on empty.
"Well…" Mr. Scythe glances at Mr. Sickle once more. "...We won't take any coins from you, but there is something else you can do for us."
"Whatever it is, me and this guy'll handle it." Liaz jabs his thumb in my direction.
"R-really? You haven't even heard our request yet." Mr. Sickle fidgets with his tie.
"Aww, it can't be that bad if it's coming from the two of you." Liaz pats Mr. Sickle on the back. "Now, why don't you tell big brother Liaz what's on your mind, huh?"
Mr. Scythe walks to the front counter, reaches under, and pulls out a blue bundle of cloth wrapped in twine. He carefully returns to me and Liaz, who are standing near the shop's entrance. He places the bundle into Liaz's hands.
"We only ask that you get the prince-" Mr. Sickle jabs Mr. Scythe in the ribs with his finger. "-Ahum, I mean the King... to stamp our banner with his majesty's royal seal... we would be most grateful."
"That's it?" I ask, a bit surprised by the simplicity of the request. "You just want us to get Glimmer to stamp this?"
"Y-yes! It would be an honor!" Mr. Sickle excitedly explains. "Is it asking too much? If so, we can-"
"I don't think it should be a problem." Liaz interrupts Mr. Sickle and winks at me. "You guys definitely earned it. We'll bring it back here tomorrow morning, after the coronation and all that."
"Thank you." Mr. Scythe says. "We will be expecting you tomorrow morning then."
"Take care, you two." Liaz and I shake the hands of the twin tailors and head out of the shop.
Deep oranges and shades of violets fill the sky as the tower's sun begins to set. Crowds of people make their way towards the palace in the fourth ring. It's almost time for Glimmer's coronation to begin.
"I hope they have some good food," Liaz mentions to me while we walk through the gates of the third ring.
"Glimmer said there should be a buffet," I say, thinking back. "I don't know where they're getting all the food from, though. I thought most of the local farms were burned. What little that's left is supposed to be rationed out carefully, if I'm remembering correctly."
"Beats me." Liaz put his hand behind his head. "We won't be here for much longer anyway."
"Yeah, but…" I stop walking for a moment. "... You aren't worried about these people?"
"Not even in the slightest." Liaz glares at me. "These people have lived here in the tower for generations longer than most of us. If they can survive - no, thrive - somewhere like this, they can definitely get back on their feet."
I look around. The buildings that were, just a month ago, nothing but ash or rubble are now businesses and homes that have had the reconstruction halted due to Glimmer's coronation. Liaz is right. The citizens of Denzen are more resilient than I'd given them credit for.
"Come on." Liaz wraps his arm around my shoulder and begins to drag me towards the gates of the fourth ring. "We'd better hurry."
Despite his eagerness, we're forced to watch the sun set while we wait in line. At first, Liaz manages to mask his impatience with a smirk. After another hour or so, his smirk shifts to a scowl. I chuckle to myself, wondering how he's managed to run a successful tavern up until a few weeks ago.
"Am I late?"
Whisperclaw's voice startles me, but not more than her velvet, black dress. She walks up to the back of the line, where Liaz and I stand staring. Black heels, replacing her normal leather boots, clack against the cobblestone. Rose-shaped, silver earrings sparkle in her earlobes. She reaches out two red, painted, and polished fingernails. I feel myself leaning in, before she flicks Liaz and me in the foreheads.
"Stop staring at me, you idiots." Whisperclaw crosses her arms and closes her eyes, like my mother used to do when I got in trouble as a kid.
"Sorry. I don't know what came over me." I rub my throbbing forehead.
"We meant no disrespect." Liaz bows, placing his hand on his chest. "Quite the opposite, in fact."
"I'm sure there will be plenty of women for you both to gawk at once the ceremony ends." Whisperclaw brushes past both of us, following the flow of the line. "Hurry up, the guards are letting people in."
Liaz and I trail closely behind her, shooting threatening glares at the men trying to stare. It seems we both had the same intent in mind. Nobody gets to try anything funny until Reanld and Whisperclaw have a chance to talk things out. When we finally make it to the gate, a pair of guards stops us. Both stare down at scrolls, neither bothering to look up at us.
"Names and invitations, please." One of the guards, a pale-skinned human boy with bright orange hair, demands in an obviously forced deep voice.
Whisperclaw coughs, trying to grab the boy's attention, but his eyes stay fixed on the scroll in his hands. The second guard, a young, dark skinned, elf girl with starry black hair, looks up first. Her eyes widen, and her jaw begins to move as if to speak, but no words come. In the end, she relies on lightly punching her comrade in the shoulder.
"Ouch! Hey! What was that for?" The boy finally looks up at us and falls backwards in surprise. "N-n-n-no way! It's you! The prince's Ravens!"
"Yup. It's us. Whatever that means." Whisperclaw growls. "Is this how you treat everyone who tries to pass through the gates? I'm sure Prince Glimmer would love to hear all about this."
"Come on, Whisper, don't give the kid a heart attack." Liaz grabs Whisperclaw and gently shifts her away from the young guard.
"Sorry, she can be a little… much, sometimes." I help the boy stand and hand him his scroll. "Just make sure to look at people when you talk to them. Otherwise, they might think you're just being a pompous ass."
I motion towards Whisperclaw, who growls from behind Liaz.
"I'm… I'm so sorry. Please, go right ahead. I'm sure you know where you're going." The guard, face flushed as a firefruit, bows nervously and stands aside.
We pass through the gates, and my ears are immediately met with soft trumpets, harps, and a piano. Blue banners hang from the windows of the palace, overlooking the courtyard. Small whitestone tables are stationed at equal distances from each other. Some contain trays of sweet, scented pastries and other finger foods, while others feature tall glasses of sparkling cocktails and wines.
"Glimmer definitely went all out." Liaz chuckles, grabbing and downing a glass of wine in a single swing. "Not that I'm complaining or anything."
I ignore Liaz and shift my attention back to the courtyard. My eyes are drawn to a young human couple and a child, most likely their daughter. The girl reaches for a knot-shaped pastry, but her mother pulls her hand away.
"No, Nemina. That food is for the king's guest." The woman says to her daughter.
Just as the woman is about to take Nemina away from the snack tray, a man in a black suit steps in her way. A purple and black jester mask covers his face, but I can still manage to make out the man's golden, slitted eyes. Two twisted black horns sprout from their head, and a slim, black, barbed tail flicks around behind them. At least he's keeping his wings tucked, I say to myself. What's with the mask, though?
"Pardon me." Renald places a black-gloved hand on his chest and bows to the couple. "I couldn't help but overhear your earlier conversation. Prince Glimmer had this food prepared for everyone to enjoy."
"Really?" The woman looks at her husband, who shrugs. "Is... is that true?"
"I assure you it is." Renald raises himself and rubs Nemina's hair gently. "The ceremony will be starting soon, so please eat and drink while you have time."
"Thank you. We will, then." The couple and their daughter walk away from Renald and begin sifting through the different tables.
I use the opportunity to approach Renald before he can try to leave.
"Long time no see," I clamp down hard on his shoulder with my hand. "We missed you this morning, Renald."
"Ironvine…" He gives me an irritated side eye. "... could you let go of me?"
"Fine. What do you have a mask on for?" I let go of Renald's shoulder. "Were you trying to avoid us?"
"No…" He dusts off where my hand impressed on his suit. "... it's nothing like that. Glimmer put me in charge of security and asked that I wear this mask so I don't scare away the guests."
"Renald? That you?" Liaz asks loudly, the three of us forming a small circle. "You didn't plan on leaving early again, right?"
"I was just telling Ironvine that -"
"You actually bothered showing up." Renald is interrupted by Whisperclaw. "There's a surprise."
She pushes Liaz aside and attempts to get nose to nose with Renald, shoving her finger into his chest. Renald doesn't say anything, but he doesn't break eye contact with her either.
"You're really not going to-"
"Come with me." This time, Renald is the one to interrupt Whisperclaw. He grabs her hand and pulls her away from the gathering crowd. "Let's talk somewhere else."
I get a brief glimpse of them slipping out the back of the throne room and towards the northern garden. I sigh. Those two have so much to work out that it's ridiculous.
"At least he didn't leave her behind this time." Liaz laughs as we drift into the throne room.
Any moment now, Glimmer's coronation would begin. My thoughts drift to our call with Vesper earlier today. What exactly waits for us on the second floor? Can we even make it that far without Celestria's healing power? It's gotten us through so much now that I can't imagine not being able to access it. However, my comfort doesn't match reality. The reality is she's dying and, once she dies, I won't be able to save anyone.