Chapter 24: Meet N' Greet
Pinkie Pie and Cadence stared as the prismatic pegasus and the half Aviva pilot stared each other down. Both heard how much like the other they were enough to want to see it for themselves. To the baker and the princess it was like watching someone look into a mirror that distorted their shape. The two matched each others movements perfectly.
Pinkie whispered to the pink alicorn, “What does it mean?” to which the royal could only shrug.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
“I do hope this isn't a bother, your highness.” Seth spoke with as much respect as he could as he and Celestia strolled around the garden, “We should have called ahead, but we just wanted to surprise Twilight.”
“It's no bother, Lieutenant Colonel,” Celestia assured the human, “I've actually been wanting to meet all of you. First, thank you for looking after my student. She's been telling us about everything that had happened since her disappearance. In fact she was about to tell us about the ruins you and your team were sent to investigate.”
“Ah, yes. That was definitely eventful,” Seth reminisced, “I'll let her tell you about that though. I feel it will help her come to grips with what happened. And please, call me Seth.”
“Then, Seth, I suppose you won't be willing to tell me what happened,” Celestia stated.
“Once again, that's her place to tell, not mine,” Seth repeated.
“I'm concerned for her.” The princess looked over to where Twilight was showing Curt and Aden the sleeve Rarity made. “She's like the daughter I never had, and I don't want her to suffer.”
“I care for her, too. That's why I sent her here.”
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
“That is so awesome! I thought you had your leg back at first. You, Miss Rarity, are talented,” Curt admired the leg covering, “It even feels like her fur.”
Rarity giggled at that, “A feeling you know very well I hear,” She fluttered her eyelashes at him.
“Oh, god.” The soldier tried hiding behind his hand. “You really did tell them everything.”
“Every dirty, sexy, pleasurable detail,” Twilight teased.
“Well that explains why that guy's been trying to murder me with his eyes.” Curt motioned toward Shining with his eyes. “Let me guess, your brother?”
“Mhm. Sleep with one eye open.”
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
Debby was distracted from her ocular showdown by a sight she never thought she'd see; Raak sparring against someone who can hold their own. Rainbow turned to see what was so interesting and has a very similar reaction. Debby figured whoever that was, this rainbow pegasus thought she could match Raak. The human-aviva would have laughed at the thought if not for the fact that it was happening right in front of her.
“No way!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
Even with her amazing eyes, Debby could only see a blue and silver blur clashing with yellow and pink.
“How is he doing that?” the pegasus sounded flabbergasted.
"How's he doing that?" Debby countered with an incredulous look, "How is she keeping up with him?"
“You're kidding right? I've seen Fluttershy wrestle a grizzly bear into submission as if it were a puppy!”
“And I've seen Raak tear a Vorla's middle leg off and beat it with it.”
“How did this even start?” Dash asked.
Applejack came up next to them.“Y'all know how Fluttershy gets when another martial arts enthusiast shows up. 'Member that Chuck feller that showed up 'bout three years ago?”
“Oh, yeah, Bale Chucker. Poor guy,” Dash chuckled.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
“If you'd like, I can arrange accommodations for you in the palace,” Celestia said after a few moments watching the duel, “Of course, while you're here you will have to be escorted by a small contingent of guards. This is merely to put my little ponies at ease, as you are unlike anything they've ever seen. You are the first off world visitors Avol has ever known, and many may not know how to react.”
“That's understandable.” Seth had a bit of trouble pulling his eyes away from the spectacle before him. “I would suggest Twilight's brother not be included.” Celestia gave him a curious look. “I take it Twilight told you of the... favors Curt did for her.”
“Ah, yes,” Celestia understood his point, “The only other I've ever seen him give that look to was Queen Chrysalis.”
“To be honest, I'm impressed with his self control,” Seth stated, “If I were him, I would have attacked Curt by now.”
“He would have when Twilight first told us, but they had a discussion and came to an understanding,” Celestia assured, “Any word on the possible negotiations?”
Seth chuckled, “The Admiral is trying to convince the council to allow contact. Normally we don't interfere with a race below a certain tech level, but seeing as Twilight is a member of the Alliance military, there's a chance. I must ask, though, would you allow your subjects to fight?”
“My ponies are free to chose. I will announce the situation and ask if any will lend their assistance. It will be their choice whether or not to join you. I will also extend that offer to my guard. Any who accept will be excused from duty.”
“You know, any pony that helps us may die,” Seth asked.
“I'm no stranger to war, Seth, and I know the consequences involved.” Celestia fixed him with a sad but determined glance, “Just like I know the need for such sacrifice. I've lived a long time. They say with age comes wisdom, but even I continue to learn from my mistakes. I've spent my life thinking I could always protect my little ponies from harm.”
The alicorn sighed and looked away toward the waning sun, “But one year ago I was proven wrong. My beloved student was stolen from me, and if not for you and your friends she wouldn't have survived. By coddling them, I've made my ponies weak and unable to protect themselves. I may be immortal, but I'm not invulnerable. One day, like all things, my time will end. Who, then, will protect them if not themselves? It's time I let my little ponies grow up, and learn to take care of themselves.”
Seth nodded in understanding. “And who better to help them than the ones who did just that for Twilight?”
“I hate it,” Celestia emphasized with a stomp of a fore-hoof, “But it's the right thing to do.”
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
“Thank you very much Mr. Raak,” Fluttershy thanked the silver furred soldier when they both caught their breath, “That was a lot of fun.”
“And thank you Fluttershy,” the Korg returned, “I haven't been challenged like that for years. Perhaps we can spar again some time.
“Oh yes, that would be lovely,” The butter yellow pegasus smiled and winced as she just noticed the bruise on her left cheek. Her opponent sported a similar mark on his right eye.
Raak chuckled seeing the hanging jaws of their small audience, “I think we broke our friends.”
“Oh, my.” Fluttershy giggled.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
“Damn...” Curt placed a comforting hand on Twilight's head, “That sounds like a bad one.”
“They're not as frequent though. I've only had two nightmares since I got back,” Twilight explained.
“I'm glad.”
The two walked toward the dining hall for a late lunch.
“Hey, you go on ahead,” Twilight said, “I gotta use the little filly’s room.”
“Don't you go touching yourself to me, you hear,” Curt called after her.
“I'll hurt you, ya dildo,” the unicorn shot back before disappearing around a corner.
Curt's smile vanished almost instantly, “Are you going to say something, or just glare at me all day?”
“I didn't think you noticed me,” an alabaster unicorn with a lightning blue mane stepped from around the corner behind him, “Twilight didn't.”
“I've got several years more experience than Twilight,” replied the sniper, “Shining Armor, right?”
The unicorn sneered at the human, “That's right, Twilight's brother. The mare you ruined!”
Curt just nodded, “Figured that's what this was about.” He turned to face the stallion and folded his arms across his chest. “Go ahead, speak your piece.”
“I doubt I have to tell you that I don't like you,” Shining began, “In fact, if it were up to me, you and your barbarian friends-”
“Barbarian?” Curt interrupted him with a steely glare, “You have a lot of nerve calling us barbarians. These barbarians are at least civilized enough to be above petty ignorance like racism. To be honest, I'm not too fond of you either after what you did to Twilight.”
“What do you know about wh-”
“I know all about it,” Curt's glare rivaled Fluttershy's, stopping the guard point in his tracks, “You chased away that Time Turner guy, and I'd bet others that never got the chance to ask her out. Because of you she thought she was ugly. She thought she would never know happiness all because you thought that she should only care about status. You didn't see the look on her face; the hopelessness. It crushed me to see her like that. That's why she came to me. She wanted to feel like she was beautiful for once, which is bull shit because she should always feel like that. You're her big brother. It's suppose to be your job to build her up, make her feel like she's special. Instead you knock her down. You tell her who she can and can't like, who you want her to be.
“Haven't you noticed how much more confident she is in herself? She’s a hell of a lot less introverted than she was. Why do you think that is, hmm? I'll give you a hint, she came out of her shell after Christmas. I was happy that I was able to help her. Not because of the sex, but because I was able to share a beautiful, intimate moment with someone I lo...a good friend. I showed her that she's beautiful.”
Shining was shocked. He didn't expect this human to respond like that. Shining may not be an expert on matters of emotion, but even he could plainly hear the passion and feeling in the human's voice. And even he didn't miss that near slip.
Was he going to say what I think he was?
The stallion shook his head to clear that thought away. He tried to think of something to say, anything to counter the soldier, but came up short. Shining's brow furrowed in thought as he stared at the ground. His piece said, Curt continued his journey to the dining hall and the meal that awaited him. A small smile tugged at his face. He'd been wanting to do that for a while now.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
“It's about time,” Twilight said as Curt found a seat beside her, “You should have been here before me. What kept you?”
“I stopped to chat for a bit.” he answered.
“With whom?” Twilight asked. She looked around the room noticing the only absence, “Oh... You talked to...”
“Yep, it was friendly. We just talked.” Curt dug into the salad placed in front of him.
“Good.” Twilight looked at him skeptically, but saw nothing to say anything bad happened. She decided a change of subject was in order, “Try this.” She levitated a half sandwich to him. “It's a DLT, dandelion, lettuce, and tomato, my favorite.”
“Uhh, sure. This is one of those meat flowers right?” asked Curt.
“Meat flowers?” Luna gave a quizzical look.
“It's their nickname for our magically altered flowers,” Twilight explained.
Shining Armor plodded in, his head still hung low in thought. Twilight looked at him, concerned.
“Twilight...” he said in a barely audible tone, “... I'm sorry. I should have never tried controlling your life. I'm a terrible brother.”
Curt scoffed, “You really are thick aren't you?”
“Curt!” Twilight admonished.
“You're a terrible brother?” he said, ignoring his purple friend, “Why did you do what you did? To protect her, right. To make sure she would have a good life. You're a good brother, you're just a stupid one.”
“I guess you're right. I'm sorry for treating you like that, Curt.” Shining looked up a bit at the human, and extended a hoof.
Curt took the offered hoof and shook it. “Water under the bridge.”
“I still don't like you, though.”
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2058474 I think Mike may mean, "Why do we exist?" or, "What is the meaning of Life?".
2059870 I know. That's why trollestia was used
The plot thickens...
With every meal so make sure you get plenty of exercise!
I am so terribly clever.
Oh my god, updaate!
Yes
Flutternorris anyone? And why I have the feeling that Raak is the one with the amazing one-liners?
"I think we broke our friends" that line was epic and I read it Schwarzenegger style!
Huh. I suppose Fluttershy got a taste for action after her Rocky-esque trainging in Hurricane Fluttershy.
...Sweet
I could total see Fluttershy yelling 'boot to the head' at Raak, and Raak saying 'fist to the face' back at her. Why is that?
2059924 No, after seeing that impressive kick to the bear's back I got the feeling she's been a martial artist for a long time.
So The Fool has fallen for the Rider.
All stories considered, you REALLY like shipping Twilight. Then again, all the others were done well, so why should I except any less?
2059933 Considering Dawn Shield is a series and thus one one story with several parts, I only have two others. And there's a lot of shipping in both. In Chaotic Harmony all the mane 6 were shipped, and Dawn Shield has Twilight, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo shipping (and plans for more in the next installment). Plus I've already said Twilight won't be shipped in this.
Anther good chapter down. And loved the sexy chapter you added at the end.
Double Rainbow
2059870I think he well knows that.
2060005
ALL THE WAY!!!
Damn Fluttershy!
please don't hurt me
Lo... Love. Not 'like' but 'love'.
I totally saw that coming. And I love it!
Man, now I can't wait for more. I really want to see more scenes with Rainbow and Debby and the others reacting to their antics.
Aww poor Shining, oh wait he had it coming.
Anyways nice chapter and having Fluttershy and Raak wrestle was a great touch too!
BEST BUCKING SERIES EVER.
Oh this was a good chapter.
2059870 No, Mike means why we're out here in this canyon... and the answer is I have no idea
2059961 In my own humble opinion, I feel as though you should eat your words in regards to Twilight being shipped. But maybe that is just me. Anyway, I loved this chapter. Can't wait for more!
HELL YES UPDATE
Looks like Twilight might have set Curt up for heartbreak. She keeps using him without thinking about the consequences. Like maybe... Curt developing genuine feelings for her.
why do i have the feeling that as soon as twilight is done telling her story shit is going to hit the fan?
"I know I said I wasn't going to, but I changed my mind. Here's the clop scene for Twilight in heat."
Lol, you naughty little...
Anyway, really enjoy this story so far. Shining is a little...OOC to me but that's OK. I can see why you added a bit of conflict with him. Still been really interesting to read.
I would love to have seen Debby and Dashie meeting first-hooved.
I doth protest Shining being a harrowing, insufferable wag, but I guess I can chalk that one up to head canon. We all got our own niche facial expressions and actions that support our own conclusions. Full review will come at a later point and explain my reasoning, when I'm not so busy anyway. Goddamn 10k word chapter and schooling.
Also Rarity would be a much more awesome marine than Twilight, if given the chance. That's my head canon.
...
...You love Twilight, don't you Curt?
24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4qs0eySBj1rwnpq0o1_500.png
...
But, why do I get the feeling that something bad is going to happen to Curt before this fic is over?
Dat scene of Curt telling Shining off...
You go man!
I got to someone once in a like manner. Made them see how stupid they really were.
2060430>>2060492 Is it that hard to believe that he'd act that way to the guy that deflowered his little sister? Also, being higher class (I've always seen Twilight's family as such) there would be social expectations ingrained into them. Being nobles, they're expected to marry nobles or be considered outcasts. In Shining's mind she's throwing her life away and he Curt's the one doing it to her. If you ask me, his heart's in the right place.
2060580
Again, I shall present my evidence when my long-as-the-state-of-the-union-address review comes out.
2060580 no, not the reaction to Curt. I get that and I can even understand him being shocked by it. No, it's the racism towards non-unicorns like TIme Turner even before this happened,and somehow making Twi feel almost undesirable or "ugly" because the color of her coat or in the process of "protecting" her and making her more neurotic for it. I know that many noble types are like that, I just always thought of Shining Armor being above that sort of behavior is all. After all, there's nothing saying Twi would be throwing her life away to be happy, he certainly isn't a prince exactly in title even if he IS captain of the Royal Guard and he still married a Princess and I figured he'd know that. His reaction makes sense in the idea that he's in shock because she's not dead, been horribly wounded, then has been having a sexual relationship with an actual alien, had to kill to protect herself and others and scarred her psyche in the process. With learning all that in such a short time I can understand being irrational and angry and hurt and acting OOC to Curt upon meting him. Still, Go Curt for standing up to Shining like that.
2060425 With Twilight nightmares and that thing in it, you know it will. I just can't wait to see if it's character is like a certain half-Sebacean, half-Scarran Peacekeeper villian I know and love from Farscape. Thinking that he doing a lesser evil for the greater good.
2060789 He's not racist toward non-unicorns, but she WOULD be shunned by the nobles if she married a non-unicorn. To a noble, being shunned by ones fellows is the worst thing that could happen. The. Worst. Possible. Thing.
(I'm sorry.), so Shining is just trying to protect herr from that. Also, it wasn't him that convinced her that purple is ugly. In the show, and just about any other source, unicorns are always depicted as being lighter colors, so it's safe to assume that light colors are the desirable colors and dark colors are not. One can't assume ponies have the same concept of what makes someone attractive.
2060883 Yeah but see, him supporting a system where if she married a non-unicorn and scared them away just to protect her status seems strange to me. I can't really imagine him putting station above the happiness of his sister and it does seem a tad racist in general even if not him specifically being racist just by upholding those ideal. The fact that he would in some fashion support that thinking for his sisters sake is one thing, supporting it when his sister is the personal student to Celestia is worse since regardless of unicorn status ANYONE would want to be her friend no matter who or what she fell in love with so in his being overprotective he's seemed to have supported a system that is wrong.
Are they? I never really noticed the shading on Unicorns. Sure Trixie's mane isn't dark but her coat isn't any lighter in blue than Twilights shade of lavender.
I see you let us have that clop scene...
2061081 Trixie isn't light, but she isn't really dark either. She really is a bit lighter than Twilight though, just not a whole lot. I might be wrong, but I think Twilight is the darkest unicorn in the show.
2061098 I got an inspiration. That and several readers wanted it so I delivered.
2061113
Hehe. All I have to say on the note of that scene is that the beginning had me laughing my ass off.
2061126 There isn't enough funny clop that still manages to be hot. Most clop comedy involves failed attempts at sex, but no actual sex. Like one I read about Gilda trying to perform oral on a stallion... ouch
2061142
That's absolutely terrible.
You got a nice balance. You've got Bethesda balance if that makes since to you (They made fallout and elderscrolls. Two game notorious for being series, but being lighted enough to joke at themselves and have wacky antics to break up the dark but its never two much).
That's how I feel about that scene. Some of the things said were funny, but not so mood breaking that I didnt want to finish the clop scene. Also the image of Twilight launching herself like a lavender torpedo at the nearest man is hilarious.
2061169 Someone stole my sweet roll
Rainbow finally met her Avivan doppelganger, I fear for the galaxy now that they both now have wingmate who can likely predict the other's plans as they prank or cause trouble
Poor Cadence, being perplexed.
Fluttershy kicks ass, not literally, but enjoys a nice sparring match with everyone's favorite blue guy. Well at least Twilight's
2059961
shiiiiiip heeeeeer
shiiiiiiiiiiiiiip heeeeeeeeeeeeeeer!
2060526
yeah, something like dieing horribly and with his last breath confessing to Twilight.
2060883
>implying Twi gives a rat's ass. She lived her quiet life as librarian/national hero in a city of Ponyville, with her friends and no nobles around. Also she's borderline daughter to Celestia, friend with Luna and good friend with her ex-foalsitter Cadence. So i say, nobles can go impale themselves on one of Discord's horns, their opinions are none of her concerns. Now she's a combat officer and technically Equestrian ambassador to Alliance. Still, not a single
given.
You sir... This was awesome! Is that some incoming Twi/Curt shipping I see? Also, Raak and Fluttershy fighting...
That scene where Curt ripped Shining a new one was really good as well.
2061142 You said no shipping a few chapters back. After this chapter, I have to ask if the statement is now considered null and void.