Earthquake
Stories in Stone
Luna's Royal Guard
By TDR
Earth Quake
“TWILIGHT!! Are you home? I'm back!”
“In here Spike; I'm just trying to clean up the back room… again.”
“What happened this time?”
Spike trundles into the back room, wincing at the massive destruction that the side room had sustained. He had not seen anything like it since he tried to horde everything, then broke through a wall. He sets down the books he had brought home and heads over to help Twilight clean up.
“I have no idea how you manage to keep those three under control. They found the sword while I was watching them and decided to see if they could be cutie mark sword ponies.”
Spike looks around at the broken table and shelves.
“Wait, you mean they could lift it?”
“Well, Sweetie Belle couldn't, but Apple Bloom and Scootaloo didn’t seem to have much of a problem with it. Granted, Sweetie also tried to use her magic to lift it.”
“That explains the scorch marks all over the place. They aren’t hurt, are they?”
“No, and that wasn't because I got here in time. I was trying to put out the fire in the kitchen they started trying to cook when I heard the destruction in here. I ran in and Scootaloo was swinging the blade around trying to cut an apple stacked on top of a couple of books. All she managed to do was crush it and soak apple juice into the books.”
“What?”
“Look at the books and the table and everything Spike. Dents, dings, and some cracks, but nothing’s cut. It's like the sword knew who had it and stopped itself from being a weapon.”
“Swords can do that?”
“With what I have found out so far, the weapon seems to have its own soul. Maybe it did know that foals had it. Though why it let them pick it up at all is a mystery.”
“Not to me, Twilight, and I am liking that blade a lot less now.”
“What do you mean?”
“That thing’s made just for killing, killing dragons specifically, from what you've written so far. With its old master out of the way, it's looking for a new one that it can shape into what it wants. It wanted to make the CMCs dragon slayers, but didn't want to hurt any of its choices...”
“Umm, Spike, that's a bit paranoid. I think it might be easier to think that it’s got some sort of safety spell on it.”
“Sure you believe that... I know what it's really doing.”
“Anyway... Did you find what I asked for in Canterlot?”
“Oh that, yeah, fairly interesting stuff, too, even if I did have to sit though a lot of old war stories. You were right about the Guard's keeping a different set of records than the royal library. They had all the notes and numbers, including the complete books of all the fallen Guards from all the way back to when General Kaisur started them. They even have a book of those who have been dishonorably removed from the Guards. And that list starts With General Mustang, General Kaisur, and General Silvertail.”
“Well that's a bit of a spoiler, granted I didn't expect them to be heroes for siding with Nightmare Moon.”
“Yeah well, I also found the Guard's Division chart from the Discordian War as well as a bit of history from that.”
“Well go ahead and read it to me while I finish up. I have been curious about the divisions.”
Spike moves over to the stack of books he brought with him, pulling a parchment out of the middle of the pile. Twilight rights the broken table, mending it with a spell.
“Okay, before the Discordian War, Equestria didn't have any sort of guard aside from the Royal Body Guards that protected the Princesses. There were many war-like tribes of ponies, like the Valkyries and the Band of the Hawk, that often fought each other, but all of them answered when the Princesses called.”
“When the Discordian War started, the first of the Guard was formed out of the scattered tribes in an attempt to organize them into a unified fighting force. Under the Command of Princess Celestia herself, fifty divisions of ponies were created to fight off Discord's armies.”
“When the war was over, two of the Divisions had proven themselves to be far beyond exemplary: the 8th and the 42nd .”
“Princess Celestia ordered the 42nd to guard the newly created Great Wall that sealed off the Darklands. However, the commander of the 42nd refused the order, citing that it was far too boring of a task for his troops. There was evidently a great deal of fuss over the refusal of this offer and the 8th was chosen to guard the wall in the 42nd 's place. According to the records, the general in charge of the 42nd at the time was Ruin. He had been a statue in the Gardens that was awoken to command the forces by Princess Celestia. Once the war was over, he returned to the Garden.”
Twilight glances up, wondering if she was ever going to learn anything more about that pony.
“When The First Dragon War came about, they added thirty-eight more divisions, bringing the total to eighty-eight. However, the war was much bloodier than the Discordian one and most of the Guard forces were wiped out completely.”
“All the divisions suffered crippling losses, save the 8th, which was still guarding the wall, the 87th, which had not been deployed yet due to the training the unicorns required, and the 42nd. The 42nd again performed far beyond any reasonable expectations, and suffered the fewest casualties despite having been in every single battle of the war. As an honor, Princess Luna made them her personal division, bestowing the title of Luna's Hoof on them.”
“The 63rd Air Wing also survived relatively unscathed, with the highest kill count of the war, surpassing even the 42nd. They were given the title of Celestia's Wing for their actions in the war. A rivalry started from this that had the two divisions often competing against each other in both wartime and peace.”
“After the war all the divisions but those four were retired out of respect for the Guards that were lost. However, since the war of the north happened almost immediately after the First Dragon War, divisions eighty-nine through one hundred and fifty were formed and filled with new recruits and some of the older Guards that chose not to retire.”
“The war of the north ended in negotiations rather than any lasting combat and, well, that brings us up to this point in your studies.”
“What, that's it Spike?”
“Yeah, that's all I found. The only other thing is that as of right now there is no 42nd, 8th or 63rd in the Guard. The 87th is the oldest active division still around and they are the ones protecting the Royal vaults. The 8th was retired completely soon after the Second Dragon War. The only note on why is that their duty was fulfilled. A lot of the ponies from the 8th were moved to other divisions. The 42nd and 63rd are both listed in the dishonorably discharged book. No specific names, just the division numbers, although both are now listed as Nightmare’s Wing and Hoof.
“Hmm, I think we can guess what happened, but I want to know for sure.”
“Which means you are gonna see if you can find more information in your studies tonight.”
“Yep.”
Spike sighs, wondering if he could ask for a raise at all this extra work she had been giving him.
“I guess I am the one watching you tonight, better get started on fixing that book Dash brought back, too. ANNND writing one for Princess Luna. Does AJ still have that book you gave her?”
“She had Big Mac bring it to Fluttershy from my understanding. He's been going over to her house a lot lately. Seems that’s why he was so concerned about that I pass on the truth with what happened with Miss Cherilee; he didn't want to upset his real special some pony.”
Twilight smiles, nearly squeeing at the thought, and Spike slaps his face with his hand.
“Haven't you paired enough of your friends in your mind already? I still think you have the AJ and Rainbow Dash theory all out of whack. They're just close friends.”
“I am sure you will notice when you get older Spike.”
“I am sure you will notice when you get older Spike.”Spike snarked.“Yeah, cause I soooo want to imagine my friends knocking hooves with each other. “
Twilight largely ignores him; Spike had been in a rather foul mood since the sword first showed up, and she had started tuning out his grumblings. She finishes cleaning up and set up the sword and her study area while Spike went to work transcribing the new book for Princess Luna. Then again, maybe all the work she had been giving him could have something to do with it as well.
She slips into the familiar expanse and was immediately hit with a sense of something being off. She whirled around in the empty space, trying to figure it out. She eventually noticed that the stars that always bothered her were gone. There was nothing but empty space in the spot they had been and somehow Twilight felt more worried that they were gone than when they were there. She regretted not taking the time to study them when she could, though she hoped this was not a sign of something impending.
She pushed on, focusing on Jer'rahd's window wondering what had happened after Luna had transformed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This had not been a battle, this had been a slaughter.
Jer'rahd and Princess Luna had teleported down from the mountain not long after her “ascension” as she was calling it. He was rather leery of her, though; aside from the change in how she looked and the giddy rush of power she seemed to be going through, she was still Luna. But this fight...
They had not gone back to Canterlot as he expected, but had arrived in the center of New Dullahan. The pair of them had expected a Guard post to be there and New Dullahan was a shorter trip than back to Canterlot. Of course, arriving in the center of an active Dragon forces’ encampment was a surprise to both of them, and the dragon forces as well. Luckily, Luna had recovered from the shock first.
Her power lashed out, striking down any and all she saw. Jer'rahd was not sure what she did, but the night sky of her hair seemed to produce countless shadows that slammed into the dragons around them like energy bolts, but with far more power than he had seen before. Many of those hit had parts of their bodies blown off. Scales and blood rained down around them, and a grin started to grow on the Princess's face at the sight of the carnage. She started to move, tearing across the bloodied field making a beeline towards the larger Tank. Jer'rahd drew his blade and charged after her as the dragon forces started to recover from the shock.
The beast barely had time to bellow out a roar before her magic gripped it. Its anger turned to that of pain as her spell ripped the guard post from its back before shredding the beast like a foal tearing into gift wrapped present. Flesh and armored skin flew everywhere as great torrents of citrus-smelling blood flooded through the makeshift streets and trenches of the base, sweeping away some trolls and smaller half dragons. The wave of blood broke on a shield she raised, saving both of them from the crimson tide. The muscle and bone of the creature was pulled free as the dragons started to move to retaliate and was used to meet the second wave with grisly effectiveness. Tons of meat crushed bodies and bone shards ripped through dragon scale like tissue paper.
At first, Jer'rahd was unaware if he was going to be any use to her; she was ripping through the gathered forces as if she were an army unto herself. However, when the archers and spells started, he found his purpose. His shield was brought up quickly to defend her from the attacks she did not even seem to care about. He moved to her side, his blade and hooves downing any that got close to her, the shields keeping her from harm as she laid waste. He saw a tendril of her dark energy arc towards him when his tail brushed her side as he moved. The bolt faded out before striking him as she seemed to clear her head for a second as their eyes met. That moment seemed to last longer than it did in his mind, but the roar of another dragon snapped them both out of it.
There was a look in her eyes he knew too well: blood lust, the same he had fallen victim to on more than one occasion. He knew she had been suppressing her anger since she had been captured, never having a chance to cut loose fully on those responsible for what she endured until now. The ferocity and violence she was displaying with her new powers was staggering. She was not just killing the enemy; she was rendering the corpses unidentifiable to any who looked. In this state, she was just about the killing; anything else was secondary, including her own safety. The bodies surrounding the pair were soon high enough that they needed to move up to stand on the broken shell of the Tank to see the battle field.
Luna might be a force beyond nature now, but she still needed his help. Oddly, that comforted him. She could lash out with her power and decimate anything, but she could not focus on everything. She still needed somepony to watch her flank.
The Guards in the opposing war camp finally noticed something was going on and mounted an attack as well, plowing through the now decimated front lines. Over half of the enemy forces had been destroyed by the Princess, or were in the process of trying to flee from her. This left the Guards little to do but clean up the stragglers. Any that Luna could, she struck down with no remorse. Several of the Guards moved towards her, thinking she was a half dragon at first, but the sight of General Kaisur side-by-side with the dark mare gave them pause. He ordered the small group back to the clean-up before any questions were asked.
In the end, nothing was left of the dragon forces. It may not have been that big of a force, mostly holdouts and those in hiding relying on the near-invulnerable Tanks for their successes. The few that tried to surrender met the same fate as those who tried to attack. Only the fastest of those that fled managed to get away from Luna's spells. Jer'rahd was panting hard from his own effort to defend her, his gaze watching over the destruction for any sign of another attack. Luna stood next to him on top of the Tank’s shell, looking out over the battlefield as if not winded or sated at all by the blood and death she had wrought.
After a time, the Princess left her perch, motioning for Jer'rahd to follow and headed back to the command tent at the base. She left the Guard to scour over the remains of New Dullahan for anything of importance. Cheers and shouts of victory greeted both of them on the march across the field between the two camps. Cries of victory filled the air around the command tent and the camp as a whole as they arrived. She ordered two Guards placed at the door and informed them to let no one enter before she ran all the command staff out. Once Luna was certain there was no one left in the tent save Jer'rahd, she promptly collapsed.
=====================================
[“How much longer do you think it will take, Bleu?”]
The dragon did not respond, and Velkorn thought perhaps Bleu had not heard her over the wind whipping over them as they flew towards Canterlot.
[“Another day at best Velky; I am going as fast as I can, but I can't keep this up forever. I know we need to get that stuff back, but...”]
[“I am aware you are doing your best, Bleu. We have already shaved nearly a day off our trip back. Do not push yourself beyond your limits.”]
Bleu lets off a snort that seems to crackle with electricity.
[“Don't go doubting me ‘cause I’m the youngest here. I'm good for another few hours yet.”]
[“I do not doubt you due to your age, I doubt you due to your thick skull. Even with your advanced growth after we escaped Neighlantis, this much flying has to be a strain, particularly with added weight from me.”]
[“Pfft, I flew Rhede back from Camp Geode in two days and you are way lighter than his lard-ass.”]
[“I suppose you have had more flying time as of late. Still, do not hesitate to land when you are tired. I do not need another patient.”]
[“You have got to be what my mother would have sounded like. Only with less roaring.”]
========================================
Things had gotten bad. These idiots were getting smarter, and a few of them had actually teamed up against him. Rhede exhaled deeply, listing to the accusations flying left, right, and sideways from the mob of nobles in front of him and the Royal thrones. All of them were ponies whose offers and plans he had rejected outright for a variety of reasons, primarily due to the fact that their plans would be more of a hindrance to the rebuilding of Canterlot or to the war effort itself or, at the very least, only profitable to them. Now, however, they had all somehow put together a interesting yet insane story that Princess Luna was not, in fact, giving him orders while she tended to Celestia.
It was after that bit of truth that the story went into the idiotic. Half of them were sure he had somehow killed both Princesses to usurp the throne, and the other half thought the Goddesses were locked up somewhere while he ruled. The part that made it even more inane was that due Luna and Jer'rahd slipping away without anyone noticing, and the secretive nature of what was wrong with Princess Celestia, several Royal Guards had joined the mob.
That fact added to the body guards the others had brought left him far outnumbered with only a pair of Royal Guards at the door who looked as if they were agreeing with the nobles’ accusations.
He could see that reason was not high on their list if it meant they might be able to get what they wanted. Of course, if Luna had come back when she was supposed to, this never would have happened but he was sure there was a good reason. He just hoped those two would hurry the buck up. The whole group of them refused to leave until the Goddess of the Moon came to meet them directly.
This issue might not have even come up at all if the sun had risen as it was supposed to the previous day. The night had been ongoing for over twenty four hours now and the ponies were quite freaking out. Whatever Luna was doing, it was not making things easy for him. Then again, that might have been the point.
“We demand to see the princess now, cur! If you cannot produce her, then it is clear you have done something with her and need to be restrained and questioned.”
Rhede's eyes narrowed but he did not move from his seat behind the desk.
“You have no say to demand anything from me.”
“We have every right to demand to see the one we are answering to. Your refusal is simply proof that you have taken over this position illegally and need to be thrown in the dungeon and a proper pony be placed in your stead.”
“Like one of you?”
“Precisely!”
His reply was cut off by the main doors slamming open. It was rather sad, really; he had a delightful retort prepared which compared the nobles to dung left by a rotting fish. The gathered mob turned to see what the commotion was and effectively blocked his own line of sight. The startled gasps from the ponies between him and who ever just came in brought a small smirk to his muzzle. He was half tempted to crane his head up to see, but felt that it was beneath him to look like a foal trying to see past a crowd at a parade. Whoever it was would make themselves known soon enough.
The sound of hoof falls echoed in the hall; a pegasus, by Rhede's estimation of how light they sounded. He truly hoped it was Starfall; aside from Jer'rahd, that mare was the most powerful force in the Guard right now. As the nobles shifted aside, he smiled softly. He was not disappointed at all.
Starfall strode forward towards the pack of nobles and Rhede's desk. She was covered in a black suit of skin-tight armor that covered her form fully, save her head. Several belts of gear and her swords hung from the belts in such a way to remain clear while she flew. The main edge of her wings and feathers were coated in some sort of metal blade blackened to blend with the suit’s colors. A skull with wings marked her over her cutie mark and a pair of goggles hid her eyes from view. Her expression however was one of annoyance and anger.
“Quite the new threads there’ General Silvertail. So what do I own the unexpected pleasure?”
She looks around at the gathered nobles as if all but urging any of them to interrupt her.
“I would request the removal of this lot, but they will find this information out soon any way. The Dragon Army at New Dullahan has been destroyed. Princess Luna herself, accompanied with General Kaisur, successfully routed the entire army before most of the Guard had deployed to their aid. General Kaisur has sent word that they will be returning soon to complete all that needs to be done for the next leg of the plans and expresses interest if our part has been completed. Also, a blue dragon has also been spotted by the northern watch tower and should be here within a few hours. The dragon was seen to shift to Princess Luna's colors as well as Princess Celestia's before taking on the coloration of a Zebra. That was the agreed upon signal from General Scale.”
Rhede's smile grows even wider as the nobles and the guards who seemed intent on questioning him seem to grow a bit nervous at this revelation. Rhede was going to revel in this part, but it seemed Starfall was not quiet done.
She stares at the nobles, though it seems her attention was on the dozen or so Royal Guard who were in attendance. The Guards in question were slowly turning pale from the glare even with her eyes hidden.
“Why are you lot not at your posts?”
“We are off duty General Sir.”
“I do not recall clearing any solider to be off duty in the middle of this crisis, let alone to seek an audience with another General. Do you have some issue with how I have been working your miserable flanks as of late?”
“It has been a bit excessive, sir; we barely have time to do anything other than work and sleep.”
“I see your lips moving Private, but all I hear is a foal's crying.”
“I am a sergeant sir.”
“DID. I. STUTTER. PRIVATE!?”
“Nooo. No sir.”
“You are lucky we need idiot fodder like you around to shield the smart ones with your thick skulls. Otherwise, I would let General Kaisur have you when he returns. Every pony has been working their flanks off to make sure Equestria stays in our hooves and here you idiots are taking a holiday to buddy up with a bunch of limp-hooved fools who think the worlds going to change if they throw enough bits at it. GET THE BUCK OUT OF MY SIGHT AND BACK TO YOUR POSTS!!”
A chorus of “yes sirs” followed as the group stampeded out of the throne room, practically falling over themselves. Starfall's gaze turned to the aforementioned “limp-hooved fools” before Rhede interjected.
“Good. Thank you, General; if you do not mind waiting a moment, I need to finish up with this group before we can get into anything with a higher clearance level. “
She steps back as Rhede rises moving around his desk to stand before the greatly reduced mob.
“Now then. Do you want to know the reason behind why Princess Luna and Princess Celestia do not want anything to do with you lot? Do you want to know why the Princess’s location was kept a secret? Do you want to know why I get stuck dealing with you lot? Because quite frankly, one or more of you is a traitor to Equestria.”
He let that sink in; ignoring the murmuring and the somewhat confused look on Starfall's face. He was glad she was wearing the goggle;s it masked that look.
“Now, we know that all of you have had dealings with Mustang and that makes all of you suspect. While we are unsure which of you is specifically involved, all leads come back to your group of noble houses. Since we don't know exactly, we opted to simply test you, through denial and rejection of anything you propose to see how you would react. A simple anger test as well; we all know dragons are not known for holding their anger very well. And as we see here, your response to it all was to attempt a coup, possibly brought about to put the traitor in charge, as I am sure all of you wanted my position.”
Several of the bodyguards seem to move away from their employers and the group of ponies turn, glancing at each other. Rhede loved this.
“Now see, we could have done the proper thing and simply had you all executed under suspicion of treason. And let’s face it: we all know that is exactly what General Kaisur wanted. He hates nobles anyway. I did manage to convince him to let me try and find the traitors myself so that we didn't pick the wrong one. I do have some regard for due process and such even in a time of war. Of course, all of you have fought me tooth and hoof this entire time and I have yet to find out who the traitor is.”
One of the nobles speaks up though sounding a bit shaken even if he tries to hide it.
“Preposterous, if that was the case why bother to tell us that one of us is a spy?”
“Simple, because if I don't find out which one of you is a spy by the time General Kaisur remembers the issue, he is going to have you all killed and then it won't be a problem for anyone. Well, except me, because then I will have to see to the relocation of the wealth you have collected and the liquidation of all assets. Your families, of course, will also be suspect, and the lands beholden to a traitor of the crown are returned to the crown on the execution of the traitor. A law that was recently passed by a vote of the nobles and put into law by Princess Celestia herself at your instance, Lord Byron.”
Rhede stares at the noble who spoke, though the others glare with equal fury.
“Now I figure that warning the lot of you of this will make you put all your time and effort into finding out who the real traitors are, so as not to share their fate. That way, I won't have to do anything except keep an eye on all of you so you don't try to run. That, of course, would be an admission of guilt, though there may be more than one traitor, so the investigation would continue. But for now, I have other things to do. Get out of my sight.”
The Royal Guard at the door moved up, weapons drawn, and ushered the subdued, but still complaining, nobles and bodyguards out of the throne room. It was all Rhede could do not to fall over laughing before the doors closed. Starfall turned her head to Rhede, hearing the repressed laughter he was not hiding that well.
“I was unaware that one of that lot was a traitor.”
“Heheheheh, they’re not, at least as far as I know, but that lingering doubt particularly after they tried to stage a coup will keep all of them chasing each other’s tails. It’s a safe bet I will be getting quite a few anonymous letters on various wrong-doings among them as well. Your timing was impeccable, Starfall.”
“If I had known they were such a problem for you, I would have waited longer before coming in.”
“Yes, well, thank you anyway for not delaying. That little bit of info helped make it more real for them. And it will help Princess Luna and Princess Celestia a great deal in the long run.”
===========================================================
“Are you sure you will be all right, Princess?”
“For the last time, Jer'rahd, I am fine... I simply had a bit too much of an adrenaline rush and was not paying attention to my power level. I was a great deal more tired than I thought I was.”
Jer'rahd meets her gaze with the steely expression he normally reserved for Rhede or Bleu after they had done something and despite her new, rather menacing form, she flinched from that glare. Luna was not sure why, but she was rather upset he seemed mad at her.
It likely had not helped matters that she remained the same when she ran out of power, rather than shrink and lose her starry mane and tail as she had before. That was something Jer'rahd had quickly pointed out when she awoke. Of course, she had woken on a bed roll spread out over the camp commander's bed. He had been outside the tent issuing orders, but not moving far from it so he could keep an eye on her.
She smiles in spite of herself, rising to her hooves, ignoring his glare and moving to the full-length mirror the Commander had there. She looks herself over fully for the first time. Her eyes close as she sighs; she looked like what she imagined her foal from Onyx Wing would have looked like. The thought of that alone was enough to send a shudder along her form.
“You do not look that bad Princess. I am more concerned with any other effects it may have had other than just a cosmetic change.”
She turns her head, looking back at him, a bit surprised, though her face remains impassive. Somehow, she was relived at his comments.
“I am glad to see one of us does not think I look as hideous as I feel.”
“There is nothing wrong with how you look now, save you have become what I am sure many of your subjects viewed you as before: The Goddess of The Night and War.”
“And what is your honest response to this look?”
“The look does not matter much, but if I am to be honest and shallow, my favorite look you have had was when you used up too much power while we were in the Darklands.”
She smiles again chuckling. For some reason in her mind she thought it highly amusing that he found she looked her best when she was at her weakest.
“I do not think that will happen again I am afraid, Jer'rahd. I believe that might have been something I gave up for power.”
“So long as that is all you gave up, I am sure I can handle the new look.”
Her smile widens a bit as she considers something. The armor slips from the crown of Magic to cover her new form and she regards herself with a start. A small whistle comes from Jer'rahd, bringing a light blush to her muzzle. Her armor from the Element of Magic had changed as well. It was not very covering before. though it was less now. barely managing to be a chest piece and armored hoof covers. The most-covered part of her body was the blue-gray helm that covered her head, yet still let her glowing mane flutter free.
“I do have to say the armor definitely changes the look a little Luna.”
“It is a great deal less covering than I expected.”
“True, you look somewhat like you are dressed to jump out of a cake.”
“What?”
“Never mind; something Rhede had a mare do once at my eighteenth birthday.”
“I am not sure I understand the reference.”
“Better that way Princess. Come on, it’s time to meet your troops.”
==================================================
Velkorn winced as Bleu hit the ground, the dragon’s claws and tail lashing as she worked to stop herself, barely having the energy to do more than keep from flipping over and crushing the zebra on her back. She finally slid to a stop, almost colliding with the north tower, her size rapidly shrinking down to her normal form as Velkorn leaps off her back .
[“Bleu, what? Are you alright?!!”]
[“Fine, little overtaxed... I need a nap...”]
[“You said you were good to fly the rest of the way. We should have stopped again for a rest!”]
[“I was fine... landings are hard... don't you have a Princess to save...? Or did I land in the wrong place... is she in another castle?”]
[“No, you did good Bleu... Stupidly outdid yourself, but good.”]
[“Hey, I learned to hurt myself and do stupid things from the best.”]
[“Stop following Jer'rahd's example.”]
[“Fine, just go...”]
Velkorn looks at the dragon and the furrow she had plowed up in the cook’s herb garden before sighing. The zebra darts off as Starfall and a group of Guards flew into the court yard. She offered a small wave to the pegasus, who nodded at Velkorn as she gallops away.
She dodged past the cook, who was staring in shock at the remains of the kitchen’s garden, and darted among the rest of the staff in the kitchens, skidding out into the hall nearly face-to-face with another group of Guards. The zebra barely paused, leaping up and running along the armored ponies’ backs, landing on the floor and darting up the stairs along with great shouts of alarm from the Guards. She sighed, wishing she had time to stop and explain things, but Starfall knew she was here. She blinked as she galloped up the stairs towards the Princess’s quarters; a red stallion was running alongside her, without her even noticing until now.
[“So I gather the mission was a success? I had rather hoped it was you causing all the ruckus. Makes my job easier...”]
[“Yes, good to be back and all, Rhede. I will not know if it was a success until she is cured. Where are Luna and Jer'rahd?”]
He smirked as they ran up the spiraled staircase. He did not even seem winded, almost enjoying the run. She had to stop herself from watching the muscles under his skin move; she had other things to do, but by the stars he was distracting right now.
[“They went to New Dullahan; they should be here in a while. There are other things I need to talk to you about when we get the chance, particularly involving the little secret we found out about the dragons.”]
She does look over to him now, the serious expression on his face likely meaning something bad had happened. Always with the bad things with these ponies. She exhales deeply as he runs ahead skidding to a stop before the Guards motioning them aside as she charges past, knocking open the door to Celestia's quarters, startling Baelit out of his chair.
[“How is she?”]
[“Cripes, auntie, you know how to make an entrance... She’s exactly the same as she was when you left... Did you run all the way up the stairs?”]
She nods in response, panting hard and working to catch her breath.
[“Ummm, why? She hasn't changed at all; you actually told me you expected that to be the case.]
[ “I have no idea...”]
=======================================
Jer'rahd trots alongside Luna as the pair ventures forth to check on how the reclamation effort of New Dullahan was going. The engineers had already moved in and started reinforcing the walls on the far side of the camp, working on restoring structures that had been damaged or used for another purpose. The Guard Commander reported a few prisoners were taken, some half breeds and orcs. The Princess ordered them killed, not even seeming to care if they knew anything.
This was disturbing to Jer'rahd as he stood alongside of Luna, or as she was referring to herself now, Nightmare Moon. He did not bat an eye at the executions; he likely would have ordered the same at this point. It was the reverence that was displayed that bugged him, even if it was directed at her.
The results were somewhat mixed with the troops. Most of them were bowing to the Princess as she passed; the exception to this was the scattered members of the 42nd that were here. All of whom snapped to attention and saluted rather than bow. That did not bother him as much as the bowing did, and Luna seemed more amused by these ponies than by the ones bowing.
As they were shown the progress, which was impressive in such a short time, the Princess she seemed distracted by something else and this nagged at him. He was not sure why he was bothered by her actions now; there was nothing she had done that he had not done himself, only slightly less brutal. Her attitude was unchanged and she even seemed to be somewhat struggling to maintain the new name she had taken.
“Worried, colt? Don't be; everything will be fine...”
He whirled about suddenly, his magic gripping his blade; his eyes scanned the troops around him looking for the source of the hissing voice. It had felt like it was right next to his ear. The Princess paused looking back at him curiously.
“General are you well?”
“Yes, my apologies Princess. I seem to be getting jumpy.”
“You are likely tired. We shall have time to rest once we make it back to Canterlot.”
“Understood, Princess.”
As she started walking again, he took a look around again. He was sure he had heard that voice before. It sounded the same as what he had heard on the mountain. Perhaps the blast had affected him somehow. He needed to talk with Luna in private about this. The ride by carriage back to Canterlot would be a perfect chance for that.
================================================
Starfall looked at the dragonling at the end of the furrow in the head cook’s herb garden and sighed. Bleu had shrunk down to normal size when she lost consciousness, though she was still too big for Starfall to move on her own. Luckily, she didn't have to worry about that option here. She fans her wing, bringing some of the unicorn Guard over, ordering them to gently pick Bleu up with their magic and follow her.
After a bit of deliberation, three of the gathered unicorns’ horns glowed softly, lifting the dragon up in the air. Two of them were doing the heavy lifting while the third seemed to be steering and keeping Bleu steady. Starfall trotted off, heading to the quarters Bleu and Jer'rahd shared, guiding the strange little group along.
Reaching General Kaisur's quarters Starfall pushes on the locked door grumbling about the key mostly to herself though one of the Unicorns seemed to have overheard her. The red and tan stallion leaves the other two to hold the dragon, moving up and quickly picking the lock with his magic. She glances back at him as he whistles innocently and slips back to help carry Bleu again. Starfall shakes her head and opens the door.
There was something odd about being in someone’s home when they were not there. Even if Bleu was here as well, the feeling remained through her slumber. She ordered the Guards to place the dragon in her bed and then ushered them out. She glanced past the open door into Jer'rahd's room as she passed, noting a rather sizable pile of books stacked on the desk along with a collection of notes. She froze as the Guards left closing the door behind them, fighting her curiosity.
Mostly the question of what sort of books was the great Demon of Dullahan hoarding in his room like this? They would not be plans of any sort, as most of those were in his office under better security. A brief smirk crossed her muzzle as the temptation got the better of her, wondering if they might be some sort of love notes for Luna. She figured it was nothing quite so interesting, though she steps into the room anyway, moving silently even over the dragon’s snores. Besides, if Jer'rahd wanted to keep this sort of thing private, it would not be in the open like this... behind two doors, with a dragon guarding it, in the middle of the most guarded place in Equestria... Goddess she was starting to sound like Rhede.
Perhaps that was the crux of it, however; Rhede and Velkorn knew something that was kept secret from everyone else. That bothered her even if it was for the best. What if Jer'rahd knew something that could affect everypony, too, and was hiding it like Rhede and Velkorn had?
She moved further into the room, looking around at the curiously sparse place. A bed, a dresser, one picture on the wall, a shelf holding a strange dagger that seemed to be made of rough iron, and a skull with a pile of bones around it. That last had to be the armor Luna made for him. The dagger she was unsure of, but it must be important to him to be kept here. Her gaze sweeps the room a second time not seeing anything else of note save the picture and the pile of books and notes.
A wave of unease ran through her about this spying, though she had gone this far. The pegasus moved over to the picture, her ears perking as she looked over the picture on the wall.
It seemed to be done in oil paint and was heavily faded, as if it had been hung up where the sun was able to reach it and fade the pigment. There were four ponies in the image and one foal. The two in the back appeared to be older, both earth ponies; the stallion seemed somewhat ragged as if he had seen a great deal of pain in his days, but was finally starting to see the light at the end. The older mare looked somewhat sickly, though she still smiled for the painter trying to seem more robust than she clearly was. A tinge of worry was in her eyes as she seemed to look at the smiling older Stallion.
The younger stallion was also an earth pony, dressed in Guard garb with some medals and a rank on his collar marking him as an officer. The uniform gave away the time as near the start of the War of the North. He seemed haggard as well, and due to that it was easy to tell the two stallions were related. His eyes were not watching the painter, but directed down at the mare and the foal on her lap, a smile spread his lips as he watched the pair.
The mare in the middle of the image was not an earth pony, but a unicorn; she was also the only one with any coloration left in her portion of the image. Her mane was a bright pink, though her face was partially obscured by the mane. Her gaze was turned down to the foal in her forelegs.
The foal looked little more than a few months old and seemed to be mostly distracted gnawing on the pink mane of the unicorn mare. A small nub of a horn protruded from his forehead as well.
Starfall's ears flattened to her head realizing this had to be Jer'rahd's family. His real family. She sighs, feeling a great deal worse about being here now. Rhede and Bleu were probably the only ones who even knew about them. Aside from the one time in the Darklands, Jer'rahd never mentioned them. Did he even remember any of them at all? She shook her head, growing far more upset with that thought that she should have.
She whipped her head about, snorting lightly trying to clear the thoughts away before moving over to look at the books. She regards them with a confused look.
“Historical data? What the heck is he looking for that he could not just ask Luna?”
“Boss wants to know about his grandfather, Starfall.”
The purple haired pegasus yelps loudly her wings whipping down as she jumps in surprise colliding hard with the rooms low ceiling and crashing back to the ground with a pained groan. Bleu's head remains half poked in the door though she seemed to be failing to suppress a giggle at Starfalls expense.
“What, Bleu, sorry I mean I didn’t...”
“Relax. Yah think Boss isn't used to someone looking through his stuff? Rhede is his brother and I live here too. I figure you got a bit worried after all that went on anyway...”
“Umm, yes let's go with that if it works.”
“Yeah, I heard he was not exactly nice to you. He's had a lot on his plate lately. That damn dragon put a bit of a question into his head and it’s been eating at him.”
“You mean Mustang?”
“His name was really Silverclaw, but yeah that one.”
“What the heck could the dragon have done to mess with Jer'rahd?”
“He told him what his name meant in old draconic. Heck I didn't even know it meant anything, course I don't speak old draconic. I don't even think sweet flanks can.”
“Sweet flanks? You mean Rhede?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m sleepy leave me alone.”
“What does his name mean then? And why investigate his own grandfather? Isn't he dead?”
Bleu shifts sitting back in the hallway yawning again.
“Yup, for a while now. But boss's grandfather named him. Grandpa fought in the first dragon war alongside Mustang. He's been a little worried that there might be something with that.”
“Why would there be something with that? What does his name even mean?”
“’Shield of Gods’ was the rough translation.”
“Wow... that's…. fitting...”
“Yeah, no kidding, but Boss became a bit obsessed with finding out why his grandfather named him that. Turns out he even changed the family name to hide that fact from Jer'rahd when he got older. Of course, no one can remember what the family name was before now. He can trace his mother’s linage with the Bluebloods back to the founding of Equestria, but he can't find anything about either of his grandparents at all. Even Maw Pelt doesn't remember the original name and she grew up with Boss's dad.”
Starfall moved closer to Bleu, pushing on her shoulder, stirring the dragon and urging her back towards her room and her bed.
“Yes, mother. pfft. “
“Keep it up and you are going to fall over in the floor and I cannot carry you. Besides, some pony has to look out for you all. Velkorn can't watch you, Rhede, and the Princess. So, did he find anything out?”
“No, just that his grandfather was dead-set in what he was going to call his grandson and managed to convince the rest of the family to go along with it somehow. Boss is a little worried that he might somehow be a sleeper agent or something for the dragons.”
“Okay, that is completely ridiculous. Rhede has known him since they were foals. He has met and fought two dragon gods and neither of them tossed out any spell that would make him change his allegiance. Considering what was done in those fights, it would have been a perfect time to do it, too.”
“He understands that, but he realizes he's also not normal and wonders if there's some reason.”
“With what? His spells? I do admit it is odd he only has the two, but he is also only half unicorn, and some full unicorns don't have spells as potent as his shield is.”
“Yeah, well, boss has his insecurities just like everyone else. We are all one big mess of drama right here. It’s rather funny, but more “ho ho” funny than ha ha...”
“What do you mean by that?”
Starfall's answer came in the form of a rather loud snore that nearly knocked her on her flank. She flattens her ears to her head, looking down at the dragon with a small curse. How did Jer'rahd sleep through this noise? Better still, why didn't she sound like this on any of their trips? Starfall sighs, heading to the door, quite sure the answer to that was something silly. She paused just outside the home, thinking on what Bleu had said about the drama, and her own thoughts traveled back to her daughter.
=============================================
[“So does she drink it, or do we put it on the wound?”]
[“Baelit, calm down. I doubt it matters much as it seems to be a magical cure, but I would expect it would be placed on the wound for the greatest effect. The powder is too thick and does not seem to dilute in water. I doubt she is in a state to eat oatmeal like mess.”]
[“Which means...”]
[“Yes. We will need to reopen the wound to treat the artery again if it has not closed. And judging by the coloration around the wound, it has not.”]
[“That was my belief as well, though I know nothing of Alicorns...”]
[“I shall let you read the book when I am done with it.”]
[“You found a book on your trip, Auntie? That’s great.”]
[“ No. I am writing one.”]
[“ Ummmmm…”]
[“Go inform Rhede and Starfall, if you can find her, of what we are going to do. “]
[“ I do not think that is such a good idea, Auntie. You should get some rest first before something of this caliber. She has lasted this long.”]
[“I am fine. I have ridden most of the trip and the sooner this is done, the sooner I may rest. But the damage may continue with her. Now, are you going to aid me or do I find somepony who will?”]
[“Fine, but while I am gone, getting what is needed, you are going to lay down and at least try to take a nap. Are we clear?”]
[“I do not need...”]
[“Velkorn!!...]
The zebra mare blinks, turning to glare back at Baelit ,who for just a moment looked very much like her brother in his stance and glare. It was enough to make her choke the response she was going to make.
[“I understand you are a doctor, but so am I. You are showing quite a few signs of exhaustion and stress. So you go get some sleep and everything will be ready when you get up. If I have to sedate you, I will, but you are not going to do anything in this state, as you run the risk of making it worse.”]
She glares at him a moment, the visage he had fading under her scrutiny, but his stern look still showed enough traces of his father to bother her. The idea that she had seen her brother so clearly in his face sunk home what he was saying.
[“So be it, Baelit. Get everything together and we shall start when I wake.”]
=======================================================
The carriage bounced and jumped as it was pulled down the road. Jer'rahd sighs, hoping they would return to a normal road soon. He felt as if he was more battered in this armored ride than many of the battles he had been in. Luna reclined across from him, not seeming to even notice the bumps. He briefly wondered if she had fallen asleep, but he had questions that could not wait.
“Luna?”
The Princess of Night yawns showing a rather menacing pair of fangs, before she opens her eyes focusing on him.
“I am awake, Jer'rahd. What is it?”
“I would like to know what happened on the mountain. That energy backlash and the effects. What exactly has it done to you?”
“I would think that battle would have made it clear that my power has been magnified.”
“Though not your perception, clearly.”
“I had you to guard my flank Jer'rahd. Was there a point I needed to worry about you not covering me?”
“...No, but...”
“Then there is no issue with that. You did your job as you we're supposed to. The only other thing was the change in how I look. I do not see how this is difficult for you to understand.”
Jer'rahd frowned at the condescending tone she was displaying, though he was doing much the same, so could not say anything.
“It is not the result that worries me so much as how it came about. Power does not come from nothing, Princess. Where did all this come from? And what sort of side effects are we going to see from it?”
“We? What do you mean what side effects are we going to see?”
He sighs not sure if this was a deflection or not.
“On the tip up you said there was a chance I would be affected by it if I was close enough. A great deal of energy swept over me when I came to check on you. And since I didn't turn pink I am curious if I have anything to worry about.”
She perked up a little at this, seeming rather worried that she might not have only affected herself.
“Have you noticed anything different?”
“In terms of power, no, not at all. My shields and ability to move things is unchanged. I still have a few half-healed scars and I do not feel any stronger, so it seems I am unchanged.”
He half smiles a bit.
“Somewhat of a disappointment; I was hoping to be able to spit lightning or something.”
She chuckles a bit, though he had a hard time telling if it was actual amusement or if she was humoring him. He could barely read her before, and now it was almost like she was a whole different pony.
“I think that skill might be best left for Bleu. But if you have not noticed anything at all, then it seems you were only hit with a showy effect of the spell and no real power. Nothing to worry about, although the book did say there might be some sort of hallucinations for a while for those attending the ceremony.”
“Well, that's a bit of a relief I suppose. Here I thought I had finally lost it with the voices.”
“Wait, voices?”
“Yeah I heard two on the mountain, just after I was hit with the magic, and then another yesterday.”
She takes on a rather serious expression and Jer'rahd was aware of the tensing of her form, as if she was poised to leap away from him, or at him.
“What did you hear them say?”
“On the mountain I think the voices were talking to each other. One asked if this was the only one and the other told it to let that one decide. I believe they were talking about me and then you.”
She blinks a bit confused by this though she did not relax.
“What of the one yesterday?”
“ It asked me if I was worried then told me not to be.”
“Worried... about what?”
He looks up at Luna who had him fixed with a stare that would have sent a lesser pony leaping out the window. All it did for him was root him in place, returning the stare. He felt like he physically could not look away from her eyes.
“I was worried about what the spell might have done to you, as I said.”
She kept the stare on him for a few moments more, though she seemed to relax and her gaze softened some.
“Thank you for that, Jer'rahd, but nothing bad happened from the spell, though the voices are of interest. The hallucinations being audible are not listed anywhere in the books that I know of and there are easily thirty pages of previous effects, most are the same by pony type. Let me know if anything else is said to you. I need as much information as I can to find anything in the books about it.”
He turns his head a bit letting out a breath he had not known he held. She sounded normal for a moment there. Even with the change in the pitch of her voice, she still sounded like Luna for a moment.
“I will do that.”
======================================
Starfall, Bleu, and Rhede sat outside of Celestia's quarters in her sitting room, having replaced the Royal Guard for this watch. Velkorn and Baelit were currently working on the Princess along with a unicorn surgeon from the Queen's Cross that Baelit brought in. It had been made clear from all of them in no uncertain terms that if he tried anything funny that he would be kept very much alive and intact for Princess Luna to deal with him.
The older brown-furred unicorn simply glared at the group of them, and in no uncertain terms informed them where they could stick their threats and if they wanted, he would tell the Princess the same thing when she got there. Bleu took an immediate liking to him though the others did not. Baelit simply shrugged.
Rhede snorts in annoyance.
“Where the buck did they find him? And seriously, what kind of a name is Stable, anyway?”
“I think he might have been in combat at some point. Did you see the limp? He clearly has some sort of an injury.”
“Ahhahaha. Wooo, that was great. I haven't heard that many expletives in a single sentence since Boss got his tail caught in the door when it was long at the last Gala.”
Starfall sighs and Rhede shakes his head, glaring at the giggling dragonling before he takes a seat.
“I would have preferred Velkorn sit in on this, but this is likely one of the few chances we are going to have for a time to talk. When Luna gets back, everything starts all at once and we are going to be very busy. Is everything set on your end with this, Starfall?”
“Pffft business already, sweet flanks? This is why I try to inject a little levity into everything. Fine, what have I missed?”
Starfall glances to Bleu, who at least sits up, though she remains in her smaller form in the middle of the floor.
“Everything on my end is ready, Rhede. The new armor is working out perfectly and that mare you sent me to design them has managed to figure out some way to mass produce it. At least sixty percent of the force has been outfitted already. Cloud Dancer will be staying with the Pelts for the next year or so when I am not around. Your mother was quite agreeable to it, Rhede.”
“We have lost quite a few of our own recently. Having another few hooves around the house will help distract everypony. Maw was willing to take in all the orphans of this attack as well. Even with our losses, the family is larger now than it has ever been before. Suffice to say it is quite crazy in Ponyville at the moment.”
“Hold up, fluffy tail. There’s still something bugging you.”
“ How... Stop calling me pet names, Bleu.”
“I might if you spill whatever it is.”
“I somehow doubt that.”
“Buck it, Pelt, just say what it is. I have already heard it anyway I am sure.”
“Right… there's quite a few rumors going about that Princess Luna has changed drastically. Many at New Dullahan thought she was a half dragon or something until Jer'rahd vouched for her.”
“That must be a heck of a change for ponies not to recognize their Princess.”
“Well, we will find out when they get here tomorrow. But the most unsettling one is that she and Jer destroyed the Dragon forces in New Dullahan by themselves, including both Tanks.”
“Not really surprising with Boss being there. I mean, come on, The Goddess of War and the Demon of Dullahan? I bet half of them soiled themselves trying to get away.”
“ Not as the rumors have it. Luna supposedly ripped the entire army apart by herself with Jer just offering support. I know Luna has some power behind her but enough to kill two Tanks? You've saw the size of that one, it was two or three times the size of the one we fought in the Darklands. And she could not do anything against the one there at all at full power.”
“Seems we were not the only ones who did something interesting, then, Rhede.”
“I guess.”
“Wait, what the heck did you two do?”
“Perhaps expanded a bit of military might. And cleared a path through some tricky nobles.”
“Crap, and all I did was carry Velkorn around and nearly freeze my tail off. That stuff better work or all I have to show for it is a half bucket of gems.”
“I am amazed you have that many left.”
“You calling me fat, twinkle hooves?!?”
==========================================================
The two zebras stood over the bed, looking down at the softly-breathing Princess of the Sun. It had been nearly six hours since they had reopened her wounds to clean and apply the mixture. With the unicorn’s help, the stitches this time were much neater and tighter when they closed up the wound again.
The unicorn, Stable, had already left, proclaiming he was headed for the nearest bar, leaving the two of them alone to see if there was any change.
Velkorn sighs, running her temple with a hoof.
[“Nothing yet. There is still a seepage of blood even around Stable's stitching and her breathing is still far too shallow.”]
[“Well on the plus side, Auntie, at least she is not any worse. How long was this stuff supposed to take, anyway?”]
[“I have no idea. The Windigo did not say and the stories do not tell, either. The Windigo have no concept of time, anyway. Even if they did... what is this?”]
They both look to the bed as the Princess's horn begins to glow, softly at first and quickly growing brighter until they had to shield their eyes from the luminescence.
Then, as suddenly as the light started, it went out. The pair moves closer to her, eyes wide as they look over the now much smaller Princess of the Sun.
[“What what happened here, Auntie? Why did she shrink?”]
Velkorn smiles softly, pulling the bandage off the wound. She was a little disappointed to see it was still there, but her smile grew wider seeing that it had partially closed on its own, showing what should have been several weeks’ worth of scar tissue over the wound on a normal pony.
[“It is just as they said: her own magic will heal her, but it will be used up rapidly. The same happened with Princess Luna when she used all of her power.”]
[“Ummm, alright, does that include what’s happening with her tail?”]
[“What?”]
The zebra mare looks up, watching as the color of most of Celestia's tail hair seemed to slowly drain as if a straw being emptied. Each individual hair seemed to lose its pigment and turn as white as her coat. After a few moments the same effect began happening with her mane as well. The two zebras simply watched in mute awe.
When it finally stopped only a few sections of her mane and tail remained the soft pink it had always been.
[“That was odd...”]
[“A side effect, perhaps?”]
[“That has got to be the strangest side effect of any medicine I have ever seen, auntie.”]
“Would you two please stop talking in zebra? It is too hard to think in that language at the moment...”
[“Princess?!”]
[“Thank the stars...”]
“Ow... what did I just ask… never mind, skip that. Just get me a glass of water or something. My throat hurts...”
=================================================================
Princess Luna stood in the throne room, her Generals standing before her with a mixture of looks on their faces.
Jer'rahd still looked a cross between tired and worried, although she was rather leery of him now as well. There were pages listing side effects of the spell, and the ones that recounted hearing voices had some of the worst end results.
Rhede looked... well, Rhede always looked lecherous, though now he had that thoughtful smirk on his muzzle that generally meant he was planning something or thinking dirty thoughts. Sometimes both.
Starfall seemed impassive, though Luna knew her enough to tell the mare was rather worried about what had happened, although the pegasus's focus seemed to be more directed towards Jer'rahd than at her own new look. Luna pondered briefly asking why, but tucked that aside for later.
Bleu looked... well, Bleu had almost the same look as Rhede did and that scared her more than anything else. Though the few glances the dragonling took in Rhede's direction showed she was just copying the Earth pony’s pose and look for some reason, likely boredom. Luna sighs, not truly being surprised that a dragon who changed size and coloration as easily as Bleu did would not be impressed with her own change.
Velkorn, however, had the most confusing look. Worry, relief, elation, and caution. It was a little odd how the zebra managed to convey all these emotions that clearly.
“Oh for bucks sake, get it over with and ask already.”
“Can I go get a drink, now?”
“She looks like that mare I hired to jump out of your birthday cake, Jer.”
“Rhede, shut up already. This is serious.”
“Ooh, I could go for some cake. Can we get one with sapphires?”
“Can we hold off on your adventures’ recap, I have done too much today and I need a nap.”
Luna simply stares as the five seem to break down to random bickering among themselves for a moment and shakes her head, barely holding back a laugh.
“Well, it is nice to see some things really have not changed.”
Bleu climbs up onto Jer'rahd's back as the others look back up to Luna at her words. The dragonling raises up in her back legs and points at the Princess with a fore claw.
“What you expect, some world-changing event to herald the fact you got your hair done? Like what? Tidal waves? Eternal Darkness? Rhede turning gay?”
“Leave me out of this, lizard.”
“No, I suppose not. You are all the same ponies I traveled with into the Darklands...”
“AHEM.”
“Ponies, Dragon, and Zebra....”
“Better, but put dragon first next time.”
Jer'rahd shifts suddenly, letting Bleu fall off his back with a yelp. Luna shakes her head the smile still on her muzzle, though that slowly fades.
“I regret to say that we still have a great deal of work ahead of us, my friends, And we will need to hurry to carry the element of surprise. Has everything been prepared as I asked before we left, Rhede?”
“I have all the information waiting for your review Princess. Spies have been reporting in regularly with encampment details as well as locations of the leaders and forces at Cindervale.”
“Good. Starfall?”
“New equipment is set and procured; the troops have been drilled and are ready. The majority of the Guard are still stationed in Manehatten for the moment. We are set to leave a skeleton crew at each location and march immediately.”
“Bleu?”
“Look, I have been ferrying a zebra around for nearly a week; you didn't give me crap to do. Still, I passed Rhede some of the less crappy designs that Celestia's school made and he's got some ponies working on some of them.”
“Velkorn... has…?”
“Princess Celestia is well. she will heal fully that is easy to tell. She has expressed a desire to speak with you, however your new look might complicate her injuries out of shock, too.”
Luna exhales deeply and smiles.
“That is good at least; I will send my regards, though I will wait to see her until she is healthy enough to deal with… well, this look.”
“So what’s the deal with that name I have heard ponies calling you? Nightmare Moon? Sounds like a stripper...”
“BLEU, shush.”
“What?! It does.”
“Well, blame your boss for it, then, Bleu. It was his idea.”
Everyone looks over at Jer'rahd, who shrugs lightly, but offers up no further information.
“Ah, you did remember the cake!”
“Shut up, Rhede.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Twilight opens her eyes, the spell fading, leaving her head a bit foggy for a second. A soft couple of chirps followed by a giggle and a light whistle from a flute filled the air for a moment. Then the playing repeated again and the chirps continued almost on key.
Twilight moves around to where the sound was coming from to find Spike playing his flute lightly with Peewee trying to add an accompaniment to it. She chuckles lightly.
“It seems he is getting better with keeping time. He will be ready to join Fluttershy's bird song choir any day now.”
“That’s the plan, at least. You done for the night?”
“Yup, just gonna put it all away and write down what I can. Did you finish copying that book?”
“Most of it. I finished the updates and started work on the one for Luna, though my claw started to cramp so I put it aside for a while. So Fluttershy has a book that is two chapters behind and the other spare is up to date now. Honestly, you need a spell or something, ‘cause keeping up with you with all these books is getting to be a bit painful.”
“Sorry, Spike, but it's almost over. Once everyone finishes, we can help Princess Luna out and be done with it all.”
“Good, then everything can return to normal.”
“Well, as normal as things get in Ponyville, anyway, Spike.”
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Ho. Ly. Crap. There goes sleep for the time. I literally am squeeing right now.
EDIT:
"Tons of meat crushing bodies and bone shards ripping through dragon scale like tissue paper" This sentence made no sense to me.
"[“Bleu, what? Are you alright?!!”]" I think you meant to have that as three separate dialogue lines.
"He mane was a bright pink," Forgot the R
"Velkorn can't watch you Rhede and the Princess. " There should be a comma between "you" and "Rhede" (Just trying to help out where I can)
"On the tip up you said there" That R in trip can be tricky, can't it?
"rather leery of of him now as well" This one should be fairly obvious.
"“What you expected some world changing event to herald the fact you got your hair done? Like what? Tidal waves? Eternal Darkness? Rhede turning gay?”" Umm, what?
You still seem to be slipping in and out of tenses. Mostly past and present. Something to keep an eye on.
"She still needed some pony to watch her flank." I'm sure he enjoyed the view. dum dum tchssss
I gotta know. How long where you laughing to yourself for that one?
"“True, you look some what like you are dressed to jump out of a cake.”"
"Or did I land in the wrong place..... is she in another castle?”]" hahahaha. Wow, great reference.
Another great chapter TDR. The best part was probably when Rhede scared the nobles shitless.I can't wait for the time NNM goes tyrant on everyone, that is gonna need to be a powerful fan for that shitstorm.
You already finished a new chapter?
Don't burn yourself out, man.
Mmmmmm... Cake
893863 Alright fixed all that and made parts of it a little more clear. I am about to just wash my hands of tenses at this point, i suck at them.
The part that gets to me is i was all set to wrap up the story in a couple of chapters, and then i get more ideas. And ideas are not conductive to wrapping things up.
And i was laughing at that cake joke for a while.... so much so i had to use it twice.
894117 Thanks for the warning but this is actually my normal update schedule. the first twenty chapters or so were about a week apart. That stopped for a while due to a bunch of things , but now its leveling back out finally.
Jer'rahd meets her gaze with the steely expression he normally reserved for Rhede or Bleu after they had done something and despite her new rather menacing form she flinched from that glare. Luna was not sure why, but she was rather upset he seemed mad at her.
hehe i think Jer had the power of the stare
Another wonderful chapter, I wonder what will become of Jer'rahd. His namesake is interesting, but voices aren't sounding good. I wonder if/how/when he finds out about his grandfather.
i have the feeling that the original family name for jehrrad was either "traitor" or "killer", given how he does the first one eventually, and already has done the second one.
amazing. I like the bickering at the end. it made me lol.
896495 nah just a skill my grandmother used to use . she would get real quiet and just stare at you and it made every one uneasy cause she only did it when she was annoyed.
897175 tune in next time, same pony time same pony channel....
897948 Hmm hmm hmm you may find out sooner or later..
903003 With how serious things will be getting at times i like throwing humor into a situation. Besides any group of friends is going bicker in good humor particularly in a tense situation.
905077 creepy but effective
905077
I know that feel. I am writing a dark fic but have the characters joke a bit more than they should, but it's probably them trying to block out any thought that they have saying they might die.
The research external to the blade was nice and would be a great vehicles for world building and forshadowing, if the records survived and are truthful. If the inverse is true you can mislead readers for subverted dramatic irony or general tension building all while adding to the idea that the princesses and society are unreliable sources of information (suddenly a wild assassins creed plot point appears!).
You know, I was thinking about it, and simply bolding the Royal Canterlot Voice would work instead of capslock.
The Mario reference totally cracked me up!
Shipper Twi is best Twi.
HUZZAH! The notice has been doubled! Or Spike is snarking and mimiking Twilight. Not sure.