Armored Equestria: The Meeting of Harmony

by Graxdon

Chapter 2

Night Light pressed his ear against the door to his daughter’s room at the same time that Spike did, the blue unicorn knocking and calling, “Twilight? Honey? Is everything alright in there?”

A response came in the form of a panicked cry and the sound of hasty movement, swiftly slung spells, and piles of books toppling, both father and assistant backing away at the explosion of noise. Within the room, Twilight was a blur of movement, her face one of panic as she asked herself, “Where did I put the dress?! I know it’s in here…. Somewhere… GUH!” Running to the door of her room, her nightgown billowing as she opened the door and moved to run out to Spike’s nearby room to get his help, only to let out an ‘oof’ as she ran smack dab into the chest of her father, rocking him back with an expelling of breath.

Night was rocked back a step while his daughter landed on her flank, causing him to blink in surprise before chuckling softly and looking down at his daughter, still so childish despite being 16, but in a way that was adorable. Spike brought his claws to his mouth to stifle a laugh as her father asked, “Hello honey, got caught up in a book again, hmm?”

Twilight blushed brightly, saying, “D-Dad, I… I was just…” she sighed, lowering her head while her ears pressed flat against her head as she said, “Yes, I did… I’m sorry, I got caught up in it, and just… don’t worry though!” She looked up with a sort of fierce determination that caused Night to raise a brow in surprise at the sudden shift in her appearance as she said, “I know I can be ready in time, and I won’t disappoint you tonight!”

The Lord blinked before his smile widened, his chest swelling with pride as he pulled her close, hugging her as he said, “Honey, you could never disappoint me, none of you could.” He gave her a kiss on the top of her head before stepping back, saying, “Though, you may want to get properly dressed, Twilight.”

The heiress blushed, saying, “I… I was just about to do that, but uh…”

Spike sighed, giving a bow to Night Light before going in past Twilight, saying, “Don’t worry, I remember where it was… may need help digging it out.”

The heiress blushed brightly at that, nervously chuckling as she gave her father a nod, saying, “Won’t be a moment, Dad,” before shutting the door.

Night Light turned away and started back to the hall, smiling, though as he heard a crash of falling books, he paused before he heard Twilight exclaim, “Ah ha! We found it! Hehe, this reminds me of the latest Daring Do novel, where…” He drowned the sound of her excited voice out with his own amused laughter, continuing on to reunite with his wife.

---

Lord Igneous Rock of House Merriment sat soberly in his seat, staring out the window of the coach as it made its way up the streets of Ether Peak, going as quickly as the city allowed towards the large manor at the top and center. The stallion looked older than he was, not that he was a youngster anymore, that was for sure. The stallion’s mane and tail had gone grey early making the stallion look even older, though his coat was still an undimmed shade of a rather ugly greenish brown. Despite looking quite old, he also looked fairly fierce, only having one eye, his left covered by an eye patch with scars from claws along that side of his face and his expression as cold and stony as the mountains of his homeland.

His lip twitched though, the potential of a smile barely there, brought on by the squeal of excitement from the young mare sitting across from him, dressed in a rather colorful ensemble with the blue jewel of her Element that matched her pink coat and mane as well as his plain black and brown suit matched him. She was rocking in her seat, tapping her hooves together in excitement and beaming widely as she said, “Ohhhh, I am so, so, so excited!”

He looked to face his daughter, saying, “Calm down, Pinkamena, you know how important first impressions are.”

She looked up, nodding as she said, “I know daddy, but I just… oooh, I’m just too excited to sit still! I’m finally going to meet the other heirs, and they’re all going to meet me, and we’re all going to meet each other! I mean, I’ve met Lady Dash, and of course I know Applejack, we are cousins after all, but I haven’t gotten to meet the others yet! Ooh, I hope they like me, I hope we’ll all be super-duper close friends, forever! …Do you think they’ll like me, Daddy?”

The pink Heiress’ excitement and joy became tempered slightly from a hint of nervousness as she looked up to her father. He didn’t say anything at first, instead leaning across the space between their benches and pulled her into a hug, the stone-faced stallion gentle in a way that would be surprising to those outside of his family. Pinkamena’s smile returned in force as she happily hugged him back, burying her face in his chest as he said, “Pinkamena, everypony with a lick of sense between their ears would like you. Don’t worry about it, just be yourself.”

Pinkamena nodded, still hugging him as she said, “Okie dokie, Daddy, I will.”

Igneous nodded, the two embracing for almost a full minute more before he said with the barest hint of amusement, “You’ll need to let go of me eventually, Pinkamena.”

A giggle escaped the young mare as she let go, smiling as she said, “Yeah, I suppose so. Oh, Daddy, your suit got all wrinkly!” Reaching out, she began straightening his outfit, wrinkled from her lengthy hug, saying, “And you were giving me grief about first impressions, harrumph!”

---

The wind roared outside the confines of the sky carriage, the chill of the altitude this far up able to cut to the bone like a blade, but the Sky Knights paid it no heed as the bore the weight of the carriage upon the backs of four of the mithril-clad Knights, with four more acting as security around the carriage. Within, the cold had no place thanks to enchantments inlaid in the wood it was made of, but Heiress Fluttershy Soleil felt a very different chill. She was slouched somewhat, looking down as she played with a small piece of fabric on the sleeve of her beautiful, green and baby blue dress.

The yellow mare flinched at the cold, but beautiful voice of the other mare as she said, “It’s a dress, not a toy, don’t play with it.”

Fluttershy immediately stopped, glancing up through her mane as she said, “Yes mother.” Across from her was the Lady of House Kindness, Arctique Soleil. Arctique was dressed in a dress that was also blue and green, but had colors that were more wintery to her daughter’s spring, the pink gem of the Element of their House upon a choker at her throat. Like Fluttershy, Arctique’s mane was pink, but her coat was a deep, dark blue, and her eyes were a piercing light blue. The Lady was also very tall, and thin, but not in a sickly kind of way.

Arctique frowned, a common expression on the mare, as she continued her critique, “And do not slouch, Fluttershy, sit up straight. Also, looking down is a sign of weakness that is most unbecoming for a future ruler.” With every critique, Fluttershy adjusted the way she was sitting until she was sitting up straight and looking up, though she looked out the window instead of towards the intimidating mare. Arctique’s frown didn’t leave, and she continued to stare at her daughter to make sure she didn’t slack again before she too looked out the window, just in time for them to break the cloud cover.

Fluttershy smiled, impressed at the sight of the shining city coming into view, finding it to be quite amazing… she barely kept from flinching at the unimpressed, ‘Hmph,’ from her mother, followed by the mare softly saying, “He is going to be absolutely insufferable.” Before Fluttershy could ask what she meant, Arctique said, “Fluttershy, attend!”

Fluttershy immediately sat up even straighter, if possible, looking to her mother, a light shiver going through her as those icy eyes looked into her spring green ones. Arctique nodded ever so slightly before she said, “Now, tell me, who all will be there?”
The yellow mare gulped, wondering why her mother insisted on quizzing her, but spoke in that soft tone of her’s, “There will be the hosts, Lord Light and Lady Velvet, along with their daughters, Heiress Sparkle, and Noble Lady Lullamoon. Also visiting will be Lord Rock and Heiress Pie of House Merriment, Lord Belle and Heiress Francesca of House Generosity, Lady Smith and Heiress Apple of House Honesty, and Uncle Bolt and Chroma.”

As soon as she said those last words, Fluttershy knew she’d said something wrong, Stars take her if she could guess what, but the carriage seemed to become as cold as outside as her mother’s voice turned harsh, saying, “I do believe you meant Lord Bolt, and Heiress Dash. We are going to be in the presence of the other nobles, we will not be acting so intimate as to use first names and neglect titles despite familial attachment, do you understand?”

Fluttershy wished she could look down, or hide behind her long, pink mane, but she knew that would just get her in more trouble, so instead she softly said, “Y-yes Mother.”

That wasn’t enough, it seemed, for Arctique looked away, coldly saying, “Don’t stutter, Fluttershy, it’s most unbecoming.”

She couldn’t look down and hide behind her mane, but she looked out the window, and it was enough to hide her tear as she softly said, “Yes mother.”

---

Heiress Applejack Apple tried not to let her eye twitch in frustration as she asked, “What do ya mean our carriage left? Ya’ll were the one who said they’d be here in a little bit!”

The stallion at the station tried to give a smile, though he was leaning back from the angry mare as he stuttered, “S-sorry, your ladyship, I really don’t know what happened with that, but I’ll have another one here as soon as possible!”

Applejack let out a sigh of frustration as the station attendant left, leaving her in the office with her grandmother, the Lady of House Honesty, patiently sat on a bench. Once he was gone leaving the two Apples alone, she said, “That wasn’t really all that necessary, Applejack, he’s only doin’ his job.”

The orange mare, dressed in a rather stallionish ensemble, slacks, boots for her rear hooves, a shirt, and coat with the glowing orange element residing in a bracer on her right forehoof sighed, giving a nod as she said, “Ah know… Ah just want all this to be over as painlessly as possible.”

Lady Smith, or Granny Smith as those close to her more casually referred to her, sighed softly before creakily getting up and moving over to rest a hoof on the pacing mare’s shoulder, stopping her gently. She smiled up at her granddaughter, saying, “Come on now, settle yerself. We’re only gonna be here fer a few days fer the meeting. Now that ya’ll have yer Elements, there’re things we need to discuss. Just relax, it’ll all be fine.”

Applejack took a deep, calming breath, reaching up and lightly touching the brim of her hat before saying, “Yeah… yeah, yer right… it’s just another business trip.”

The old green mare chuckled lightly at that, saying, “Ah wouldn’t say that,” just as the station manager entered the room with a polite smile to inform them their new coach had arrived. As the two mares left the office, Applejack gave a nod to her grandmother before going over to give the porters a helping hoof with loading the luggage, Granny Smith looking on, saying to herself, “It’s time fer the start of a new life, kiddo, whether yer ready fer it or not… Consarn it! Be careful with mah bags! Ah only have so many sets a denchers, don’t need ya’ll shatterin’ the lot of ‘em!”

---

When the train had stopped, Heiress Rari Di Francesca had been delighted to see a carriage already waiting, quieting whatever the driver had begun to say in protest with a very hefty sack of bits, at which point he had joined the porters in loading the luggage onto the carriage… as much as would fit on just one carriage at least. Rari’s father, Lord Magnum Belle sat next to his daughter dressed in a finely made, but rather simple suit, a stark contrast to the gorgeous dress done in shades of purple and adorned in jewels, all of which paled in comparison to the tiara with the flawless Element placed within, all put together by Rari herself.
Lord Belle frowned slightly at the sight of all the bags loaded on the carriage, then looked at all the ones that remained before saying, “You know dear, we are only going to be here for a few days, not months.”

The Heiress nodded, smiling as she said, “Of course father, I am well aware of that.”

Lord Belle’s frown deepened as the were led into the carriage, the wooden vehicle groaning under the weight of all the suitcases and bags, as he asked, “Then would you mind explaining the number of bags you brought with?”

Using her magic, Rari scoured the seat of any dust that may be upon it, no matter how small, before taking a seat, saying, “Oh, that. Well, I felt that I should travel light, of course.”

Magnum let out a sigh, rolling his eyes, muttering upwards, “Titan’s forbid Sweetie Belle be like this when she gets older.”

His elder daughter didn’t notice, instead peering out the window as the carriage began to move (slower than would be normal given the extra weight), a slight frown on her face as she said, “Hmm… it’s not as clean as Canterlot, is it? You’d think a trade capital like this one would be able to afford more cleaning crews?”

Magnum shrugged, also looking out as he said, “Well, they have a lot more hoof traffic than we do, dear. Ponies, gryphons, draconians, changelings, even zebras come here from all corners of the world with good to trade, sell, and buy. They actually have a stronger economy than we do.”

The mare frowned, saying, “Well, they should use some of that to clean things up a bit more, if you ask me.”

The Lord chuckled at that, saying, “I think it gives the place a bit of a charm to it. I know I love coming here, always nice to just find a café and watch everypony coming and going.”

Rari frowned, but didn’t say anything more for the moment, just watching the street go by. The city was quite beautiful in a different way than Canterlot’s beauty… still… “I just hope my dress won’t be a complete mess from the dust.” A laugh from her father caused her to glare at him, her nose scrunching up some while her cheeks turned a tad red in anger as her voice raised, asking, “What? I put a lot of time into making this dress just for this occasion!” Her frustration only grew as her father’s laughter doubled, the carriage unable to contain his booming laughter.

---

Not for the first time, the young Knight Commander was thankful for the thick lining under the armor. It may be nigh-indestructible mithril, but that didn’t prevent it from becoming like ice after long, high altitude flight, especially long, high altitude flights this far north. There was even frost forming along it, but not too thickly due to the speeds they were travelling. She was joined by five other Knights, four supporting the small carriage, and the fifth acting as her fellow guard. They’d been making excellent time from Stormhölm by switching out who was supporting the litter, the Commander even taking up one of the posts, and it only got easier when they managed to catch up just enough to piggyback on a previous windstream. She couldn’t really know who had been on it before, and it seemed absolutely ridiculous… but she was sure she could smell that spring breeze scent that Lady Fluttershy Soleil carried, the thought making her thankful the cold already made her cheeks rosy.

They began their descent, all vision lost as they passed through the clouds, before finally breaking through, the Knights all letting out a small breath of relief as their destination finally came into view. The commander made a simple gesture of her hooves, signaling the other guard to take point before she banked down to fly alongside the carriage before, very carefully, opening the door and entering. She let out a pleased breath as she entered the relatively hot carriage, removing her helmet carefully, her mess of rainbow colored mane spilling forth, slick with sweat despite the cold outside. Chromatic Dash, Heiress of House Loyalty and Knight Commander of the Central Region of Equestria set the mithril helmet aside, the red Element shining in its place, set in the forehead of the mithril helmet. She looked to the sole occupant of the carriage, an older stallion who hadn’t even stirred from the blast of cold air upon her entrance, the finely dressed Pegasus of a pale purple coat and rainbow mane simply stared out the window with sad, weary eyes.

Seeing her father, Lord Prism Bolt, lost in sorrow wasn’t a new sight for the Heiress, but it still filled her with a mix of pity and frustration. Regardless, she pulled a curtain across to split the carriage before she began to remove the armor, lining, and everything else, toweling off as she said, “We’re almost there, Father, so not much longer.” There wasn’t an answer beyond a soft sigh, which she took as an acknowledgement. She stacked her armor with practiced efficiency before pulling out a fine toga-like dress, the material billowing like a cloud, and put it on with far more difficulty. She wasn’t used to wearing such things, hated it in fact, and would rather have worn her armor. The mithril was surely fine enough to serve the same function, but the advisors said that the dress would be better, and so she’d been given the blasted article of clothing. Once she was dressed in the toga and golden sandals that laced up her hind legs, she pushed the curtain back aside.

She almost asked her father what he thought, but then reconsidered, instead just sitting to wait for the descent. She pulled her helmet from the top of the stack, nudging aside a few clasps and removing a piece of the helmet, now holding a simple tiara with the Element at its center. She ran a quick brush through her mane, bound it in a simple braid, then put the tiara on. Looking to the window, she saw a faint reflection of herself and frowned, thinking, ’You look absolutely ridiculous, Chroma!’ She sat back, but still gazed out the window, fidgeting a bit at having to sit in here instead of being able to fly… but a small smile began to light up her expression as a thought came to mind, ’At least I’ll be able to spend time with her.’

---

Night Light returned to the hall, slowly entering and smiling as he looked around, nodding in appreciation for what his wife had done with the hall so quickly, making the already beautiful hall looking absolutely perfect. He looked to where she was giving some final instructions to the staff while also thanking them for their hard work, and made his approach. They dispersed just as he arrived, leaning in to give her a surprise kiss on the cheek. She jumped a bit before giving him a look that would have been disapproving if not for the blush and smile. He grinned right back at her, asking, “So, finally done fussing over everything?”

She gave him a light nudge, asking, “Depends, are the girls ready?”

Instead of going into details, he said, “They both are running a tad late, but they’ll be ready soon, don’t worry. How about you, are you ready?”

She smiled lovingly, leaning up on the tips of her hooves, saying, “You’re here, so I’m ready for anything.” She gave him a sweet kiss even as he grinned, considering making a naughty flirt at her choice of words, but thought better of it. He did hum happily into the kiss, holding it for longer than most other nobles would consider proper for public, but he didn’t care… Velvet on the other hoof did care, and she pulled away, cheeks flushed slightly as she said, “You are absolutely inappropriate.”

He shrugged, saying, “I’m a Lord, I can be as inappropriate with my wife as I bloody well please!”

She rolled her eyes at that, but blushed, smiling as she said, “It’s hard to believe that you were born to nobility, so crass.”

He grinned, nuzzling her as he said, “And hard to believe you weren’t considering how often you act like you’ve got a stick up your-“

He was cut off by a light punch from her, causing him to laugh, though both looked to the doors as there was a booming knock. One of the other most powerful ponies in the country had finally arrived.

Author's Note:

What's up everybody! To those of you reading this story, thank you for showing interest! Two things I'd like to ask, 1: please tell others about it if you enjoyed it, and B: Please leave comments! Feedback is what helps me keep going with something, and I want this to be awesomely big! *coughnextFO:Ecough* So yeah, please comment, like it, help it be seen by others, and all that jazz! Also, I love answering questions about the world and I'll add info to the Forum for the group Armored Equestria, which I would love for any of you to join as well!