The Calm
I needed a few days after that to just rest and relax. My body was ninety-percent bruises by weight, and my magic felt weird around the edges. It still felt weird. I was starting to think it was going to be a permanent thing that I’d just have to learn to deal with, a little bit like the other change.
I held up a hoof. Feathers the same color as my coat but tipped with red and yellow sprouted from my fetlocks, and it would have been absolutely fascinating if it wasn’t something that had happened to my own body without my permission. Also, they itched.
“I’m going to need to use some kind of special shampoo or something, aren’t I?” I mumbled.
Celestia put a teacup in front of me because I hadn’t had a cup of tea in several whole minutes and she was hovering like a giant worried mother hen.
“They probably need to be oiled,” she said. “Regular mane and tail shampoo will dry feathers out and make them brittle. I’ll help you pick out a conditioner when we’re back in Equestria.”
“Thanks,” I sighed.
“What you did with the Idol of Boreas was reckless, and you’re lucky that’s all it did to you,” Celestia said. “Primal magic can do terrible things to anyone who wields it unwisely.”
“No kidding,” I said. “It was worth it. I can deal with itchy fetlocks if it means I leave this place a little better than I found it.”
“Far better already,” Celestia said. “The new bridge is nearly finished, and the Royal Guard Corps of Engineers is building a safer and shorter road to the train station. They had already been working on it to prepare to move supplies for your rescue, but there was no reason not to let them finish.”
“The griffons will be happy to have the infrastructure,” I agreed. “It was an annoying walk up here. They can fly here easily enough, but good luck moving large shipments of anything like that.”
Celestia nodded. “I think it will be healthy for everyone, pony and griffon alike, to improve relationships between our nations.”
“Speaking of Equestria, how’s Luna doing?”
Celestia smiled slightly and sat down. “She sent me a letter this morning asking me for advice.”
“Some kind of legal trouble she needs help untangling?” I guessed.
“No. She wanted to ask where she should put the new Sunbucks coffee shop. Apparently, she’s having one built into the palace so she can get her morning coffee made properly. Luna hates the way the palace staff brews coffee.”
“She should put it near the throne room,” I said after a moment of thought. “There are always ponies lined up waiting to talk to you. A coffee shop selling drinks there would make an irresponsible amount of money from the captive audience.”
Celestia raised her eyebrows. “Did those unicorn brothers give you a few tips on finance?”
I shrugged. “Maybe it’s all the griffons asking for bits. Are you going to rush back to stop her? I know you’ve got better things to do than oversee a rescue when nopony even needs rescuing.”
“It’s something of a vacation for me, as well. I also wanted to avoid involving other ponies. When the news of the events here hit the papers, there were a large number of volunteers who wanted to ride in like the cavalry. It took considerable effort to keep Twilight Sparkle from taking over.”
I tried not to make an expression at that, but Celestia clearly saw it.
“I didn’t think she was the pony you’d want to see rescuing you from trouble.” She didn’t say again, but I felt the weight of the missing word like an empty tooth socket that got sore when something poked at it.
“Thanks,” I said quietly.
“Have you had time to gather your thoughts on everything that happened?” She refilled my teacup. I’d been sipping on it without even thinking, just because it had been right in front of me.
“There’s not a lot to say,” I shrugged. “But you know, it felt… good.”
“Having all that power?” Celestia prompted.
“No,” I waved a hoof dismissively. “It felt good to fix someone else’s mistake. Every king Griffonstone ever had held onto that power and refused to share it. Maybe it was easier for me to decide to give it up because I never felt like I had any claim to it? It’s still no excuse for what the kings did.”
“The greatest responsibility a ruler has is to make their subjects stronger,” Celestia agreed. “I hold court to listen to problems and give advice, but rarely to step in and solve an issue wholesale myself. When a pony, or a griffon, is empowered to solve their own problems, they’re happier and more likely to continue being independent in the future.”
“Also, I definitely don’t need more power,” I said. “Getting into that fight with Typhon taught me that. I wrecked his castle because I lost my temper. If I need more magic than that, I’m probably in a situation where blasting something with magic isn’t the right answer.”
“Too true,” Celestia agreed. “In the first battles my sister and I had with Discord, much of the world was laid to waste because we attempted to destroy him with brute strength. The badlands remain a scar on the world where we let ourselves chase after victory at the expense of the land around us.”
“I don’t even know what I’d do with more magic,” I said honestly. “At some point it stops being useful in your daily life and starts just being bragging about the length of your horn. Metaphorically.”
“As somepony with a very long horn I’ll try not to take offense,” Celestia joked. “You’re certainly in better humor today.”
“I don’t feel quite as much like I’m going to collapse from exhaustion,” I said. “That does a lot to improve my mood.”
Celestia nodded. “So then you’re almost ready to return to Canterlot? I don’t want to rush you, but if my sister is going to put in a Sunbucks, I need to try and guide her hoof to including a Hayburger Princess in the renovation plans.”
“Really?” I raised an eyebrow.
“It would be nice not to have to escape my own castle in disguise merely because I want to eat irresponsibly unhealthy food,” Celestia said calmly.
I had to admit it would be nice to order a double hayburger with pepper carrot bacon in the middle of the night and not have to abuse the palace staff and Royal Guard to go out and get it.
“I’ll be ready to leave when the election is over,” I said. “It should be done by the end of the day, and then I’ll shake the talon of whoever becomes the new King or Queen of Griffonstone, and you can sign some fancy papers with them, and then they’ll somehow be legitimate because you said they’re in charge.”
“Introducing them to democracy was a bold choice,” Celestia said.
“The truth is I’d have just named somebird ruler on my own, but I don’t know them well enough.” I shrugged. “I think I convinced them pretty well when I said that the power of the old Kings belonged to all of them, and that also meant the power to choose.”
“You were very persuasive,” Celestia said soothingly. I rolled my eyes. She said it like she was calling a foal cute.
“If you had a better idea, it’s way too late to do anything about it.”
“Democracy has a way of surprising us sometimes,” Celestia said. “Are you sure you’re ready to respect whatever decision they come to when they elect a leader?”
That was a valid question. “I’m really hoping it’s going to be either Grandpa Gruff or Gilda, but I guess at worst it could be one of the birds that tried to mug me when I first came into town. They seemed like jerks, but who knows? Whatever happens, I’ll just grin and bear it.”
Celestia nodded. “That’s big of you.”
“Whoever it is, I’ll probably see them around the palace in Canterlot,” I said. “I don’t want to start off on the wrong hoof.”
The front door opened on its own, a breeze blowing it in just the right way to slide it open and swirl around the entryway without blasting Celestia and me with debris from outside. Gilda walked in, and the door closed behind her. She looked over her shoulder and whispered something that I assumed was a thank you to the wind.
“Look who it is,” I said. “So, did they count the votes yet?” I didn’t want to add a teasing question like ‘am I talking to the new ruler of Griffonstone’, just in case I wasn’t.
“Nah, but they’ll be accurate,” Gilda said. “If there’s one thing griffons have always been good at, it’s math. I spent half my time growing up counting and recounting my bits.” She walked up to the table with that natural grace a predator had and bowed a little to Celestia. “Uh, nice to see you too, Princess.”
“There’s no need for formality. I’m not your ruler, nor is this my castle. I’m merely a guest.” Celestia produced another teacup from somewhere, and I suspected she’d summoned it with a teleport spell. Gilda sat down in front of it, where Celestia obviously intended for her to go.
Gilda tapped her talons on the table for a moment and sipped at the tea. "So, uh, did you figure out, you know. What your wind is named?"
I looked away. "...Sally."
Gilda's expression was carefully flat. "Sally."
"I heard it when I was dismantling the Idol from the inside and-- look, don't give me that look, yours has a weird name too!"
"I didn't say anything." Gilda managed to avoid even a hint of a grin. "I was thinking it very loudly, but if you wanna know about that, you owe me two bits."
I rolled my eyes and changed the subject. “I know it’s too soon to tell, but any idea how it’s going?” I asked. “Who did you vote for?”
Gilda scoffed. “Come on, that’s obvious.”
I nodded. I totally understood. “I can’t blame you for voting for yourself.”
“Myself?” Gilda scowled. “No way! I don’t want to spend the rest of my life herding cats! I’ve got plans. Once things are patched up here, I’m going back to Equestria. I’ll show off some new tricks to Dash, and maybe try to get to know her friends enough not to scream at them.”
“Be patient with her,” I said. “You know how Dash is. She doesn’t like to admit problems. She’s got a lot of pride.”
“Don’t try that pony stuff on me,” Gilda warned. “I know you’re really making one of those double-entendres where you’re really talking about me! Not that you’re wrong. Admitting that I mussed up like a loser is going to hurt, but it’s gonna be better than feeling sore all the time.”
“Guilty as charged,” I smiled. “I learned from the best.” I tilted my head towards Celestia.
“It’s very difficult not to be sarcastic with some of the silly problems my little ponies bring before me,” Celestia conceded.
“Anyway, I voted for you,” Gilda said casually. “I mean, obviously.”
I spat out the tea I’d been drinking and the teacup shattered in my magical grip, the tea and porcelain compressing into a compact sphere under sudden massive pressure.
“You did what?!” I gasped. “I’m not even on the ballot! I made sure!”
“Oh yeah, they printed them wrong,” Gilda agreed. “That hot mare you’re always hanging out with made sure we got the updated ballots.”
“Shahrazad…” I growled.
“I figured it was the safe vote,” Gilda said, somehow still not noticing the steam rising from my coat. “We messed things up for decades trying to do it on our own. And now everybird is trying to figure out this primal wind magic stuff.”
“But…” I groaned, still unable to compose myself.
“Plus if you stick around we might be able to convince some of those pony engineers to help us get the mountains reseeded and some farms going again.”
“We’d be happy to assist you with conservation and restoration efforts no matter who becomes the new ruler,” Celestia assured Gilda.
I was just sorry she’d thrown her vote away. I had to remind myself that it was her vote to throw away. That was the whole point of an election. Maybe it even showed some humility that she didn’t vote for herself. It was restraint that I didn’t know I’d have.
The front door creaked open, somepony small pushing it open with obvious effort. Ruby struggled for a moment with the heavy portal before getting in and leaving it open behind her.
“Sunset, Sunset!” she yelled, excited. “You won’t believe it! They counted all the votes and… guess who won?!”
I looked at her face and felt the blood drain from my face. Celestia gently took the broken cup out of my magical grip and repaired it in a flash of light before setting it down on the table.
She was bouncing with excitement, with the kind of joy that only a foal with a secret could have, and I already knew the answer.
My face met my hoof.
“Son of a--”
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Loved this story from beginning to end. It was a lot of fun, and the commentary was on point. Also, just wanted to say how much I enjoyed Shahrazard in this. She was a ton of fun and it's so good to see her again after the last fic.
That was great!
"Sally"
I'm with Gilda on this.
God dammit Shahrazad...
Also surprised at a lack of Clover, since she mentioned the Idol in The Witch of Canterlot.
I want to know morw about Ruby
Poor, naive Sunset... You're the only one who ever believed you wouldn't be their new Queen
Look at the bright side, you didn't topple or usurp any governments. They gave one to you!
Oh I can barely wait for the next one, it's going to be hilarious
I laughed at loud multiple times during these last two chapters. Sunset's dynamic with Flim and Flam was surprisingly interesting. And what an ending.
Sorry Sunny, the reward for work well done is more work.
I was not expecting leg feathers. Gives if a new phrase to 'run like the wind'.
Is also very witchy. Nice!
Also was surprised to learn that fetlock looking silky is called feathering?
Oh boy, poor Sunset. This story seemed different than normal, since it had a lot of plot-hooks left hanging that could easily become one-shots or even an entire story. So far we have:
Sunset being 1 step away from being an Alicorn.
Queen Chrysalis getting a home visit from her "favorite" pony in her Badlands home.
Attempting to heal King Guto.
I highly doubt that Sunset will accept being their president, so the Griffons are going to get a really fast turnover in their first shot at democracy. Not exactly unheard of in the system, but still.
Sunset hasn't figured out that she is immortal yet? Typhon told her multiple times... But I guess she is in denial!
I grump that The Calm showed up in my feed before The Eye of the Storm and I’m pretty sure I just got super spoiled. Anywho, time to read it in the right order.
Oooh, I cannot wait for the next story in this series!!
Aeromancy to griffins, a good way to solve the issue. Power to the people.
ANyways, good job with the story. :)
11069347
5 bits says she’s already figured out what Sunset is and is and concluded that wife and chief advisor of a Goddess trumps being Queen of Saddle Arabia.
I really enjoyed this story for the characterization of Sunset and the way it handles it’s tone so well staying between comedy and drama. My only disappointments are that it’s over and the name of Sunset’s wind.
I love this version of Sunset and finding this little series made me aware of something I didn’t know I needed, more pony Sunset. I can’t wait for the next Witch story to drop.
11069481 Unfortunately she's already said she'd respect their decision. So she's stuck with the job, at least for the time being.
Though I don't know why she puts up with Shahrazad. She needs to be scraped off. She's a manipulative witch who is only interested in herself, and sees Sunset as a useful tool. She's the one element of this story I despise.
Hahaha you just got duped again sunset🤣 I can't wait for the sequel I LOVE THIS SERIES🥳🥰
Why am I not surprised that Shahrazad pulled that… oh right, because it's Shahrazad.
Well, sorry Sunny. The griffons have spoken.
I’d say she should have kept an eye on her, but crippling exhaustion will present a barrier to just about anyone.
Dear lord I love this series! ROFL I can't wait to see what Sunset does now!
11069704
You do realize that Sunset has talked about 'Names have Power'. She didn't need to give out the real name of her wind, and could have lied.
But now that she's President (or Premier or whatever the Griffons decide to call it), how will Sunset get the time to go off on adventures?
#sunset shimmer deserves wings!
Gah! I guessed the wind would be Sandy. Cuz... You know... Desert.
Anyway, great story! I said it before, but I love this version of Sunset so much.
11070119
I hadn’t considered deceit, because honesty with Gilda just seemed the most likely. Gilda did reveal the name of her wind.
I suppose it could be a nickname or something, but I don’t think Sunset would be concealing it from Gilda.
I love these stories and hope we get more of this universe, thanks a lot for another banger!
Sunset: Finally Gets Over Her Obsession With Power
Literally Everyone: "And that is why we want to foist power on you!"
I’m not sure why Celestia’s okay with this, it means she now has even less time to spend with Sunset. Plus Sunset really did not want this and even though it happened through election, many other nations may believe the election was rigged and this is an Equestrian grab for power
11070386
The turning her head away when she mentioned it is what made me think she wasn't being truthful.
I kinda hope sunset finds a way out of this. I don't think leadership would be good for her long-term.
Aww tough, Already finished.....Well let's see how next story of this series go......some time next year I think/Hope...
Chapter 7:
"I hopped up into the fallen crane’s boom."
"I hopped up onto the fallen crane’s boom."?
"Around me the absolutely gloom was oppressive"
"Around me the absolute gloom was oppressive"?
"“Thank the stars and sun!” Flam groaned."
"“Thank the stars and sun!” Flim groaned."?
(Flam speaks in the next line.)
"Flam ageed, nodding solemnly."
"Flam agreed, nodding solemnly."?
"a massive talon was far too many misshapen claws"
"a massive talon with far too many misshapen claws"?
"but at least your survived"
"but at least you survived"?
Chapter 8:
Yeeeep. :D
Well, another splendid tale in this series, this was; thank you for writing! :D
Hrm.
11070691
unless its a 1 shot like after witch of Canterlot
then maybe a month or 2
Such a great story. This is by far the best lore for the Idol of Boreas I've ever read.
Oh no! I was enjoying this so much and then it had to come to an end! Well, it had to happen some time. Though I really wish the epilogue was a bit longer than it was, it ended on such a fun note it's hard to be disappointed. I hope we can get a one shot or two in the interval between this and the next arc (please please PLEASE let there be another arc). I absolutely loved all the characters here, you did such a great job on that front. Even ones I normally don't like or care about, including most OC's, were really fun in each scene. You made the Flim Flam brothers enjoyable to read? How? I'd say it was "witch"craft but that'd be a bit on the nose.
I've loved all three entries thus far, well done on each of them and I thank you profusely for writing and sharing these with us here.
you know, for a person who wanted to become a princess, she's horrified to be elected to royalty alot.
Book 5: "So there I was,
running away toflying solo across a different ocean to Neighpon, hoping that this time that I could un-manifest my destiny,Kinda disappointed Flash didn't tag along. He was kinda a non-factor in the last story, but I thought it'd be funny if he just kinda due to circumstance defaulted into being Sunset's personal guard.
Sunny's going to have fun introducing Gryphons to the idea of taxes...
This AU is just a ton of fun and I was so glad to see this story pop up!
I'm glad this series is continuing, I really like your version of Sunset. The whole AU you have constructed has a lot of potential. This story was clever and funny. I hope you keep going with it at some point.
Great story, just like all the previous ones! Can't wait to see more of our favourite witch and how she handles her new role
Perfect ending
11083904
I meant thats its too short a time. It would be only 450 or 800 years depending on how long Griffins live
11083912
I realized that you meant that later. I hadn't fully realized it when I commented.