Chapter Forty-Nine - Thank You For Your Service
“Okay, so hold on, let me get this straight.” Twilight stood in front of Spike’s feet, slowly pacing back and forth before her old mentor and her sister. “You—” Twilight pointed at Celestia. “—came back here to help with the meeting with the Griffonian ambassador, because you—” Her hoof shifted to Luna. “—didn’t know how to respond to a… ‘request’ of territory ownership.”
The two sisters looked at each other and nodded, then Luna said, “We were unaware the Griffons held tension against us, thus We were not expecting such a demand. We wished for Celestia’s input because We wanted to avoid unnecessary conflict.”
“Lot of good that did…” Twilight mumbled to herself. Then she continued, “So you tried to negotiate, failed mis— failed, the Griffonians declared war—” She planted her hooves firmly to the floor. “—AND YOU DIDN’T TELL ME?!” she shouted.
Luna leaned toward Celestia and whispered, “We thought Discord was the only one whose ears could smoke…”
“No, mine can, too,” Spike said from the back of the room.
“BUT MY NIECE KNEW?!” Twilight continued, ignoring the other speakers.
Celestia put up a hoof. “You and Cadance were in no mental state to battle, Twilight, and Flurry Heart was willing to bear the burden of knowledge.”
Twilight panted a few more times. Then she sat on her haunches and put her hoof to her chest, slowly pushing it outward and across her body as she let out a deep breath. “Deep breaths, Twilight,” she said to herself. “Deeeeeeep breaths.”
“And Flurry Heart didst inform Cotton that there was still a full day before thy brother’s service,” Luna said, pointing toward the back of the room. “Today.”
“She did, Aunt Twilight,” Cotton called from beside Spike, steadying a bucket of water for her father to drink from. “We didn’t expect a day of war, though.”
“That’s another thing,” Twilight started. “You pulled all of this off in one day?”
Celestia and Luna looked at each other again before Celestia replied, “We had two alicorns, a giant army, and a massive dragon on our side. Which would have been two had Ember not been delayed. And the Spirit of Chaos as a last resort.”
“And he ended up finishing the battle anyway,” Twilight deadpanned. “But point taken.” She let out another breath. “Still… Spike received a near-fatal injury—”
“Nay, Twilight,” Luna interrupted her. “T’was not fatal. Only nearly.”
“That’s what near-fatal means, Moonbutt,” Spike said.
Celestia giggled at the use of the nickname. Luna blushed and sniffed.
Twilight let out a deep sigh. “And now he’s going to miss our older brother’s memorial.”
A knock emanated from under the floor, then a little trap door opened and Discord popped out. “I may be able to help with that,” he said, his chin laying in his claw and paw on the floor. When Twilight made no reaction, Discord pouted. “Aww, come on, not even a flinch?”
“I’ve known you long enough that I just assume you’ll show up anywhere at any time, Discord. That’s why I don’t sing in the shower anymore,” Twilight responded.
Celestia and Luna both snickered.
“Oh, poo,” Discord huffed, stepping out of the door and throwing it closed, once again flush with the floor. “Are you saying I’m the reason nopony’s broken out into song for the past few decades?”
“…Let’s just say yes,” Twilight said.
“Discord, what’s this about me not missing Shining’s service?” Spike asked.
“You talkin’ about what you did for me in the kitchen, Unc?” Cotton called, putting down the bucket.
Discord smiled and snapped his talons, causing Cotton to appear beside him and a cardboard cutout of her to take her place next to Spike. Cotton blinked and shook her head to get the stars out of her eyes. “Precisely,” he said, shoving a little sketchbook and pencil into her hooves. “Girl’s quick on the draw.” He snapped his talons again and Cotton’s eyes widened as her hoof moved in a blur, scribbling on the paper. When it finished, she turned the paper around to reveal a high-definition image of a television. “I could even set him up with a hundred-hoof screen.”
“A hundred hooves might be a bit much, Unc,” Cotton said, looking up at him as she put the sketchbook down, “but the TV’s a great idea.”
Holding her hooves to her head, Twilight cried, “Okay, what? What did you two do?”
Cotton giggled up at Discord. “I wanted to see how the battle was going, so Uncle Discord gave me a way to watch. I got to see Dad, Auntie Tia, Aunt Luna…” she said, gesturing to each of them in turn with her head. She let out a sigh as she glanced downward. Discord did the same at her, but kept his mouth shut. Then Cotton shook her head and looked at Luna before adding, “I saw Tacca, too, but I couldn’t watch him for more than a few seconds. Is he okay?”
Luna chuckled and nodded. “Nary a scratch on him. He merely suffers from exhaustion.”
Letting out a relieved sigh, Cotton simply said, “Good.”
“I still say he’s oh-pee,” Discord quipped.
“Okay, so,” Twilight started, “aside from Spike’s injury…” She sighed. “…and some casualties… it sounds like everything is alright here now. The Guard is resting, the citizens of Canterlot have been told that everything is alright, rebuilding from damage to the city has already begun…” She stared at Discord. “And you seriously got that up and running?”
Discord looked away, tapping his talons and paw together. “Wellllllll… seeing as I’m the one that caused most of the damagggggge… I thought I should pitch in at least a little…”
“With creatures made of the rebuilding material taking out chunks of themselves and putting them together…” Twilight deadpanned.
With a shrug, Discord said, “Isn’t that what you ponies mean by ‘strip mine’? Oh! I didn’t realize it meant—”
“Anyway,” Celestia said. “Despite the fact that the citizens do seem a little…umm…”
“Freaked out?” Cotton offered.
“That’s one way of putting it.” Celestia nodded. “We’ve assured our little ponies that they mean no harm. Quite the opposite, in fact.”
Twilight sighed. “…Okay. Then… I guess…”
Luna walked up to her and put a hoof on her shoulder. “Twilight, ‘tis alright. Thou mayst return to the Empire. Thou shouldst be with Cadenza and Flurry Heart for thy brother’s service.” She looked over at Cotton. “And dost thou still wish to attend, dear Cotton?”
“Of course!” Cotton replied. Then she turned toward Spike and began, “I mean, if Dad doesn’t—”
“Go, Cotton,” Spike said, interrupting her. “If not your aunts as well, I’m sure Flurry would really appreciate you being there.”
Cotton nodded. “Yeah. She looked like it before she brought me back.”
“Then it sounds like it’s settled,” Celestia said. “Twilight, Cotton, and I will return to the Crystal Empire for Shining Armor’s service tomorrow, and Luna will keep an eye on Spike—”
“You mean I’ll keep an eye on her,” Spike snickered.
Luna scowled. “Thou art in no position to—”
“He’s messing with you, Luna,” Twilight said. Then she sighed and looked at Discord. “Dare I ask, but Discord, would you wa—”
Discord quickly shut Twilight’s muzzle with a zipper. “Nnnnnnnnothankyou,” he huffed, holding his arm up to her as if to push her away. As Twilight furrowed her brows at him, he sighed. “Nothing against your brother, Twilight. I’m just not good at funerals." He let out a little sniff. "You do remember Fluttershy’s, don’t you?”
As her eyes softened, Twilight undid the zipper. “Yes, I do.” She glanced back at Spike first before asking him, “If he’s okay with it, would you like to stay with Spike? Or are you just going to do whatever you want as usual?”
“¿Por qué no las dos?” Discord replied. “We could try and improvise an old Guys’ Night. Though I’m not sure how exciting it would be with the big lug lying on his back. We could always recruit Luna’s little taco…”
Luna frowned at him. “Tacca. And nay, he still must rest.”
Discord pouted. Then he perked up and started, “Hey, what if—”
“Nay,” Luna said firmly.
Holding up his arms, Discord countered, “Wait, wait, hear me out. What if you—” He circled around Luna’s head and tapped on her skull a few times. “—were our host? Even my magic can’t heal a wound like that without potential consequences,” he said, pointing to Spike’s side, “but we could do anything in your little dream realm. Sir Flames-A-Lot—”
“Garbunkle,” Spike said.
“—wouldn’t have to miss out, and your little taco would still get his rest. Technically.”
“Tacca,” Luna growled at him, swatting Discord away. Then her eyes softened and she cocked a brow. “But pending his agreement, we shall consider it. On one condition.”
“And that is?”
“Thou must allow Us to participate. We have heard tales of this ‘Guys’ Night’ of which thou speakest.”
Leaning on Cotton’s head, Discord snapped his talons and a suit of purple scale mail appeared on Luna, along with a crossbow and a mace. “Done. You’d make a great cleric.”
Luna looked down at herself and took in her new armor and weapons. Then she smirked. “Hmm… We believe We wouldst enjoy this…”
“Hey, why does my foot suddenly feel cold?” Spike growled, idly scratching at a missing patch of scales on his right foot with his tail.
Ж
Early the next morning, Spike still lay on his back, flanked by three princesses and his daughter.
“Okay, let’s try this again,” Celestia said, Twilight and Cotton beside her on each side.
“Indeed,” Luna responded from next to Cotton, looking to her sister. “But in this attempt, We wouldst like to join ye momentarily to give Cadenza and Flurry Heart Our condolences personally. If Sir Spike does not require Our presence.”
“As far as I know, there aren’t any other countries planning to declare war,” Spike said, “so if you’re only gone for a minute, I think I’ll be fine.”
Luna nodded at him. “We thank thee, Sir Spike. Now, let us depart.”
All four mares vanished in a flash of light.
Suddenly, Discord appeared on Spike’s earfin. “Good, they’re finally gone. Now we can—”
“You pull anything funny and I will eat you, Discord.”
Crossing his arms, Discord replied, “I taste like cheez whiz. The cheap kind.”
“You deliberately disobeyed me on the battlefield,” Spike growled.
“Oh, please. You told me yourself you were having fun.”
“I was being facetious. Either way, you should not have been part of that battle.”
“Hey, at least I make a good medic. I even saved your sorry butt.”
Spike huffed. “Like Tartarus you saved my butt. I got hit by a harpoon.”
“And how do you think you got back here? You would have been best friends with the ground if I hadn’t caught you.”
Spike stayed silent for a moment, contemplating the chaos spirit’s words. “You still shouldn’t have been out there, Discord,” he grumbled.
“Agree to disagree.” Pushing off Spike’s earfin and floating into the air, the draconequus lay on his belly and pointed down at him. “How about this? I’ll give Garbunkle three extra constitution points, and we never speak of it again.”
Spike narrowed his eyes at him.
“…Deal.”
Ж
As Cotton and the princesses once again appeared in front of the Crystal Heart, they were greeted by a different welcoming committee, in the form of an elderly, lilac unicorn.
“Your Highnesses. Cotton Candy,” the mare said, smiling with a shaky bow. “Welcome back.”
“A pleasure as always, Dr. Glimmer,” Celestia responded, also smiling as she nodded her head.
“Indeed,” Luna said simply, also nodding.
Twilight stepped up, her face tense. “How are you and the Professor doing, Starlight?”
Starlight Glimmer chuckled. “Preparations are finished, Twilight. There’s no need to have a panic attack over last-minute final touches.”
With a sigh of relief, Twilight said, “Okay, good, thank y— Hey!”
Starlight smirked and put up a hoof. “Just honoring your brother’s wishes.”
“Uh, and what would that be?” Twilight asked, cocking a brow.
Just then, they saw Cadance and Flurry Heart coming down to meet them. “To have an occasional laugh at your expense,” Cadance giggled.
Twilight scowled. “Right. You’re really going to take that to heart?”
“You’re standing next to one made of crystal that’s powered by good spirits, Aunt Twilight,” Flurry Heart responded. “Of course we will.”
The group shared a good chuckle as Twilight crossed her forelegs.
When the laughter eased, Luna approached the two crystal princesses. “Cadenza, Flurry Heart,” she said, pulling them into a wing embrace, “We cannot stay, but We wish to pass Our sincerest condolences to ye. Prince Armor was truly a fine stallion.”
As the three of them broke the hug, Cadance and Flurry responded in unison, “Thank you, Aunt Luna.” Mother and daughter then looked at each other and smiled briefly.
Luna stepped back to leave, and Flurry called to her, “Give Uncle Spike our best wishes!”
Nodding, Luna said, “We shall.” Then she turned to the three Canterlot residents and added, “Sister, Twilight, Cotton, We shall see ye when ye return. May Shining Armor’s memorial…” She paused, then turned back to Cadance. “…go off without a hitch.” She smiled, then winked at Cadance before she disappeared. Cadance cocked a brow for a moment, then her eyes widened slightly and she glanced at Cotton, covering her muzzle with her hoof as she chuckled.
Celestia, Twilight, Cotton, Flurry Heart, and Starlight Glimmer all looked at her. “What’s so funny?” Cotton asked her.
As her eyes closed, Cadance shook her head and waved her hoof. “Nothing, nothing,” she giggled.
“RUTHERFORD HEAR PONY FAMILY!”
Ж
After an afternoon of catching each other up on certain events of the battle, final final preparations for the ceremony, and simple rest, the time for the memorial had arrived.
In the grand hall of the Crystal Castle, Cotton found herself accompanied by her aunts, her cousin, and Sunburst, who slowly walked beside her in the rear of the group.
“It’s wonderful to see you, Cotton,” Sunburst told her. “It’s been too long.”
“I know,” she replied. “I’m sorry I missed you on Thursday, Professor. I didn’t think I would be going back to Canterlot to be part of… well, a war.” She glanced at the floor with a frown.
Sunburst nodded. “Yes, that was indeed unexpected, but I’m sure Spike is glad you were there.”
Cotton shrugged a shoulder. “Well, now he is.”
After a chuckle, Sunburst looked back over his shoulder. “…where are they?”
Tilting her head at him, Cotton asked, “Where are who?”
Looking forward again, Sunburst answered, “Your classmates. They should be here by now.”
Cotton smiled. “They’re gonna be watching with us on the platform?”
Shaking his head, Sunburst replied. “They’re conducting the service today.”
Cotton’s eyes widened as she stumbled forward. "What?"
Nodding, Sunburst said, “Starlight and I just don’t have the stamina to lead these kinds of events anymore. This is also a wonderful opportunity for Chrysanthemum to get used to public speaking. She’ll be doing quite a lot of it if she’s to be our new Crystaller.”
Cotton lifted her eyebrows for just a moment. “Wow.”
“Wow indeed,” Sunburst chuckled. Just then, they saw a flash in their peripheral vision; they turned and discovered that Starlight Glimmer had appeared, accompanied by Chrysanthemum and Buzz. Starlight walked up beside Sunburst, Chrysanthemum and Buzz on Cotton’s side, then they continued the route to their destination as if they had been there the whole time. “There you are. What took so long? I was afraid Princess Twilight would panic.”
Starlight chuckled as well, then tilted her head in the filly’s direction. “We’re mares. You know how long we take to prepare.”
Cotton looked over her classmate, taking in her full appearance. An elegant cyan dress draped over her red-orange coat, and a similarly colored streak had been dyed through her yellow mane, which curled down to her shoulders.
“Wow, Chryssie! You look amazing!” Cotton said with a grin.
“Doesn’t she?” Buzz added from the filly’s other side.
Chrysanthemum’s cheeks reddened. “Thanks. I wasn’t expecting to be doing this today, but Professor Sunburst and Dr. Glimmer insisted it was a good idea.” She looked forward and gestured toward Cadance, Twilight, and Flurry Heart. “And the Princesses agreed. I am so nervous about this.”
“Don’t be,” Buzz said from beside her. “You did really well practicing at the Professor’s.”
Cotton looked over Chryssie’s shoulder at Buzz. “And you’re part of the ceremony, too, huh? Why aren’t you dressed up?”
Buzz chuckled. “There’s no point for me to be. Trust me, you’ll see.” He took a deep breath as he looked forward. “Let’s just say it’s gonna be really weird for me.”
After tilting her head at him, Cotton just shrugged. “Not gonna ask. Just gonna watch.”
As they walked, they could hear the sounds of mass conversation gradually getting louder. It grew to a dull roar as they approached the doors leading out to the platform; taking a glance out the windows, Cotton could see the whole population of the Crystal Empire, young and old, all gathered in the main street that led to the platform, as well as the entire Crystal Guard lined along the road facing the castle. “Wow,” she said once again.
Chrysanthemum continued looking forward. “Not gonna look, not gonna look…”
Buzz chuckled beside her. “You’re gonna be in front of them in a minute anyway.”
She let out a deep breath. “I know, I know.”
As they approached the doors to the platform, Celestia looked over her shoulder at them, holding a folded Equestrian flag under her wing. “Is everypony ready?”
The whole group, sans Cotton and Starlight, all nodded. Cotton’s eyes widened as she looked around. “Woah, is everyone part of the ceremony?” she asked.
Starlight nodded. “Almost; I’m sitting this out. I apologize, but we didn’t know what kind of role you could play. Would you have liked to participate?”
Cotton’s eyebrows rose. “In front of that crowd? No thanks.”
Starlight smiled. “Then it worked out perfectly.”
“Hey, where’s Rutherford?” Cotton asked. “He’s family, too.”
Flurry turned around and said, “He’s not good with sad occasions. He’s watching from our room with a sound dampening spell.”
Cotton nodded. “Makes sense.”
“Okay then, everypony,” Celestia said, “out we go.” With that, the whole party walked out the doors, with Cotton and Starlight waiting to exit last.
As the crowd saw the group appear on the back of the platform, a chorus of shushing echoed throughout them, all the way to the rear, where the statue of a young Spike holding the Crystal Heart stood.
Sunburst smiled, then walked up to the front of the platform. He cast a spell on himself that increased his volume tenfold, then began the ceremony. “Fillies and gentlecolts, We have all gathered here today in remembrance of a remarkable leader. A wonderful stallion. A pony who shall remain in our hearts until the end of time.”
Standing just in front of Cotton, Chrysanthemum turned around and whispered, “Wish us luck.” Buzz turned to her and smiled, and then they both began walking up the platform.
“And now,” Sunburst continued, “please direct your attention to my apprentice, Chrysanthemum, who has a few words to say.” As he backed away, Chrysanthemum stepped forward, Buzz trailing behind her before he stopped to keep attention on her.
After taking a deep breath, the filly turned back to Sunburst for a moment, who cast the same spell on her to increase her volume. She then looked out over the crowd and began.
“Shining Armor was an exceptional pony. One of honor. Of integrity. And of love.” She allowed herself a small smile. “And why wouldn’t he be? He married the princess who represents it.”
Scattered chuckles could be heard amongst the crowd. Cadance turned to Cotton and smiled as well. “I told her to say that. A little humor to lift the spirit.” Cotton nodded.
The positive response from the crowd increased the filly’s confidence, and she held her smile as she continued, “We have known Shining Armor to be a stallion that wore many hats.”
At this, Buzz stepped forward.
“For many—be it in Canterlot, the Crystal Empire, or anywhere else in this fine nation of Equestria—he shall be remembered as the Captain of the Royal Guard.”
Engulfing himself in green flames, Buzz assumed the form of Shining Armor, perhaps at the age when Flurry Heart was born, wearing his full suit of armor, with the Sparkle family crest in the center. He made a point of holding his helmet in his hooves first, then securing it on his head. After snapping a hard salute as he stomped the ground, the whole of the Crystal Guard along the road responded with salutes of their own, the sound of their unified stomp resonating across the entire Empire.
Chrysanthemum continued, “For us here in the Crystal Empire, he shall be remembered as our prince. A leader who never failed to consider the well-being of his subjects with every decision he made.”
Buzz engulfed himself again, changing his clothing into Shining’s red service uniform, complete with his blue sash.
“And though he rarely wore his crown…” Making a golden crown appear in his hooves, Buzz then placed it on his head. “…he wore it well.”
Twilight, Cadance, and Flurry Heart then moved up the platform.
“But Shining Armor was much more than his royal titles,” Chrysanthemum continued. “He was a wonderful brother…” Twilight took her cue to step up to Buzz’s side, and he put his foreleg around her shoulders. “…an exceptional husband…” As Cadance stepped up to Buzz’s other side, his blue sash transformed into the white cumberbund Shining Armor had worn on his wedding day. Then he put his other leg around her. “…and an incredible father.” Flurry Heart walked up next to her mother and leaned into her side. “Shining Armor’s greatest title…” Buzz then stripped himself of Shining Armor’s uniform, and a simple red cap appeared in midair, spinning a few times before it gently landed on his head with the bill forward, Buzz smiling as it did so. “…was ‘Family Stallion.’ And it is with this title that Shining Armor will forever remain in our hearts, crystal or otherwise.” Chrysanthemum then closed her eyes and bowed her head slightly, signalling the end of her eulogy.
As one, all the citizens of the Crystal Empire—sans the Crystal Guard—sat on their haunches and clapped their hooves for the filly. She looked back up at them all and blushed, then turned around to see Celestia, Cotton, and Starlight clapping their hooves as well. She took a deep, relieved breath out of her nostrils, then as Buzz and the three princesses retreated down the platform, Buzz dropping his disguise, she let out a small cough, which reverberated throughout the crowd, the volume spell still in effect. She grimaced, then turned back to Sunburst and pointed at her throat, waving her hoof down. Sunburst nodded and altered the spell, lessening the volume increase. Stepping back up to the edge of the platform, she pointed downward to where a small group of ponies stood.
“If those of you in the front could please step back, the procession is about to begin.”
The small group looked behind them, and one pointed out a line that curved around the area beneath the platform. After they all had retreated behind the line, Chrysanthemum turned around and nodded to Celestia. The princess lit her horn, and a whooshing sound emanated from the area beneath the platform as a section lowered underneath the ground. After a few moments, it lifted back up and became flush with the ground once again, now holding a stand with a wreath of white lilies on the left, a stand with a thin crystal shadow box on the right, and an opaque crystal casket in the center. Celestia then levitated the folded flag she held to the filly, who grasped it in her own aura and carefully unfolded it before laying it gently over the casket. She then focused and lifted the shadow box, containing all of Shining Armor’s medals, ribbons, and awards, holding it up for all to see.
Sunburst took his cue and once again increased Chrysanthemum’s volume. “Shining Armor, thank you for your service,” she said.
Every single pony in the Empire repeated back to her, "Thank you for your service.”
Celestia then stepped forward to the front of the platform. She looked toward the first soldier standing around the line of the road. When he nodded to her, she lifted Shining Armor’s casket in her aura, levitating it toward him. He then grasped the casket in his own aura, and moved it to the soldier next to him. And so it went, each soldier keeping the casket moving around down the road for all the citizens to see, many of whom bowed to it as it passed.
Chrysanthemum turned back to Sunburst one more time, pointing at her throat before swiping her hoof across it. Sunburst nodded, then removed the spell. She whispered to herself to make sure it had worked, then sighed with relief when she confirmed it had. “Wow.”
Looking down to her, Celestia smiled. “You did an excellent job.”
As she looked back up into Celestia’s warm eyes, Chrysanthemum blushed. “Thank you, Your Highness.”
The procession ended, and Shining Armor’s casket returned to its starting point. “Now we need to end the ceremony.”
“Oh, right,” Chrysanthemum responded, stepping back to give Celestia the spotlight.
Grasping the casket in her magic once more, Celestia gently lowered it back to its original place. Then she cast her own amplification spell, as this was not an appropriate occasion for the Royal Canterlot Voice.
“We have one more way to honor Shining Armor today, but first we must also honor Sir Spike, the Brave and Glorious,” she said, pointing to the dragon’s adolescent statue. “He is currently recovering from injury, and is unable to attend today’s ceremony, but he wishes to honor his elder brother in his own way. If those of you near his statue could please step aside.”
The entire crowd turned to face Spike’s statue; those standing beside it looked at the ground, discovering another set of lines across the crystal road, joining each other and surrounding the statue. After they retreated, Celestia lit her horn and the ground once again gave way, the statue slowly descending into the earth. After a few moments, the ground ascended, now displaying a crystal statue of Shining Armor in his full regalia, holding a salute. The Crystal Guard instinctively snapped their own salutes.
“Sir Spike has much appreciated the reverence you have shown him these past decades, but he wishes for his brother to receive it now.” She held up her hoof in a salute. “May you rest in peace, Shining Armor. You are relieved of duty.”
Across the crowd, and upon the platform, there was a scattering of salutes. As they were noticed, more hooves rose, until eventually not a single pony still stood on four legs. For a few moments, a cacophony of words of respect filled the air, then all fell quiet.
After a few beats of silence, Celestia lowered her hoof and said, “Thank you, everypony. Please enjoy the rest of your evening.” Then she cut her spell and walked down the platform, and the crowd gradually dispersed.
As Celestia and Chrysanthemum descended the platform, the others walked up to meet them.
“Thank you,” Twilight said, her voice cracking, looking between Buzz and Chrysanthemum. Settling on the filly, she added, “You speak very well, for somepony who’s nervous about speaking in public.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” the filly responded, her confidence still present.
Cadance smirked at Buzz. “And how did it feel having three princesses in your forelegs?”
Rubbing the back of his head, Buzz replied, “Uuuh, do I have to answer that?”
As the rest of the group chuckled, Cotton turned to Flurry Heart and whispered, “Aunt Twilight and Aunt Cadance are much more chill than before I left.”
“A long rest in the baths and a full day to recoup does wonders, ‘cuz.”
Just then, they saw green wisps approaching them.
“Hey, that’s a letter from Spike,” Twilight said. “I forgot he was watching the ceremony.” As the wisps approached them, they veered toward Chrysanthemum, and then a scroll popped in front of her, which she grabbed in her hooves. “It must be for you,” Twilight added with a pained smile.
Unravelling the scroll, Chrysanthemum stopped when the address line appeared. She looked at Buzz and said, “Hey, it’s for both of us.”
“Cool,” Buzz responded as he sat next her.
She unravelled the scroll the rest of the way, then the two read the letter together. After a moment, both of them cocked a brow. “Uhh… what?” She turned the scroll around and showed it to the party.
Dear Chrysanthemum and Buzz,
They a grub You two a noun. Ski your toy, and i pick a good joke.
all the beSt,
diScord
Twilight deadpanned as she saw the signature. “Of course.” She lit her horn, and the letters on the scroll rearranged themselves. After glancing at it again, she smiled. “That’s better. Look now.”
Turning the letter back around, Chrysanthemum and Buzz read it once again.
Dear Chrysanthemum and Buzz,
You two did a great job. Thank you, and good luck to you both.
Sincerely,
Sir Spike
Buzz chuckled. “Okay, that makes more sense.” Chrysanthemum just smiled at him and nodded.
Turning to Twilight, Cadance asked, “What was it?”
“Just Spike telling them they did a good job.”
“And you did,” Sunburst said to the two of them. “I’m very proud of you.”
“Thank you, Professor,” they both responded in unison, before they looked at each other and giggled, giving each other a hug.
Starlight smirked. “Perhaps we ought to send you two to your room.”
Their eyes widened, then they glanced at the party and blushed, but did not break their embrace.
“Not before they join us for dinner,” Cadance said. “All of you. Let’s go eat before the Canterlot crew needs to go home.”
“Sounds like a plan to me. Lead the way,” Celestia responded. “Funerals make me hungry.”
“Really? They make you hungry?” Cotton asked.
“Yes, everypony responds to grief in different ways. Don’t be surprised by anything you see at dinner,” Celestia replied.
As Cadance led everyone to the dining room, Flurry added, “You could just stay the night. It’s not like we don’t have enough room.”
Cotton smiled. “I wouldn’t mind that.”
“Well, then it’s settled,” Twilight said.
Celestia hummed to herself. “Why do I have a feeling that’s a bad idea?”
“You’re just being paranoid, Auntie,” Cadance replied. “Just sit back and relax for once.”
“Well, alright,” Celestia sighed. “I just hope there won’t be any trouble back home.”
Ж
Back in Canterlot…
“You find yourselves in a dark cavern, the only source of light the glowing mushrooms along the walls. In the distance you hear the growling of— no, Luna, Clerics can’t use lances.”
“But the lance is Our weapon of choice! ‘Tis why We chose it as Our name!”
“You can’t use pointed melee weapons. Here, you can use a crossbow like the one I have if you want.”
“Nay! We refuse!”
“Fine. Lunar Lance finds herself pinned against the cavern wall by mushroom monsters for illegal weapon usage…”
“Hey! Sir Sp—”
“Garbunkle. And I’m with Discord on this one.”
“Don’t worry, Your Highness, I got you!”
“Roll for initiative… The mushroom monsters are impervious to daggers. Flying Fox takes two damage from a counterattack.”
“Oh, come on!”
“Aww, don’t be all mopey-dopey! I can fix you right up with a song!”
Stats
Page generated in 0.029 seconds
Total duration
929 users online
475,439 hits today, 2,732,798 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
RIP Shining Armor
Also an F for poor Lance
That is all.
"Godspeed, you magnificent bastard."
Smiles, tears, and smiles for this chapter! Game night is a fun ending.
R.I.P. Shining Armor. You are loved, and will be missed!
starting to think the authors ignoring steadclaw to troll us.
Dangit, Pinkie...
9676723
There are these things call ed d Author's Notes, ya see. They're a way for the author of a story to communicate directly to the audience. Now, I would hope that you knew what those are, but the fact that your comment makes blatantly ignored the one on this chapter would suggest otherwise.
Try harder next time. By which I mean, actually try.
That sounded suspiciously like Pinkie toward the end there...
You'd think with his experience, Spike wouldn't make a newbie GM mistake like that. If you have to punish your players, especially a rookie like Luna for wanting their character to be customised in a particular way, then you messed up at character creation.
Lance is a martial weapon, so in the various forms of D&D a Cleric, who can only wield simple weapons, can't use one. Fair enough. But I can see at least two ways around it.
Be the cleric of a war god who has lance as her favoured weapon. Be a paladin instead, and customise for max healing ability. A paladin is not quite as versatile in doing healing and undead smacking as a cleric, but the right build will come close, and with Luna's martial attitude, she'd probably enjoy it more. If she had a spare feat slot, she could take a weapon proficiency feat. Or a trait that gives her an heirloom weapon (passed down through her family, so she knows how to use it).
I suspect this experience is going to turn Luna off RPGs for good. So, well done with that.
With the way you resolved the Steadfast sub-plot, I'm just about done with this story.
9679971
seeing as the author made it too the end of the act with ignoring the matter i believe you earned a SHUT THE FUCK UP.
A grand and honorable ceremony fit for Shining Armor, who was a paragon for both Equestrian and the Crystal Empire with dedication beyond duty.
I love the statue.
9679971
A lot of people ignore authors notes as they sometimes contain spoilers