Memoriam · 10:46pm Nov 23rd, 2023
I gripped the armrests of my seat, bracing for when the large propellor aircraft I was riding in touched down on the Vanhoover Airport landing strip. Despite having wings of my own, I didn’t enjoy flying in these things. I don’t know why my dad didn’t just teleport us here. He insisted we needed to travel like normal people every now and then so we didn’t take it for granted. At least we got to ride first class. Being royalty has its perks.
Credit to the pilot, the civilian-class Wyvern landed perfectly smoothly. I was still nervous the whole time. Annoyingly, my little brother, who had the window seat, was totally relaxed as he watched the ground get closer and closer until we made an impact.
The white and orange griffon buck smirked at me as he saw the indents my golden talons had made in the leather. “You seriously still get nervous? Come on, you’re supposed to be my tough big sister!”
I narrowed my snowy eyes at him after brushing aside my red mane. “I’m only a month older than you, squirt.” He shoved me. I shoved him back.
My dad turned and leaned over the seat ahead of us. “Gavin, Lava, play nice. You’re twenty-five. Act like it.”
“Yeah.” The one-eyed griffon sitting beside him added in a non-serious tone. “Vanhoover expects a certain decorum from a prince and princess.”
Gavin rolled his eyes. “What, are we here for a fancy meeting at Star Pin?” His expression brightened. “Oh, are we having lunch at the Gourmand? I want to see Gwen and Jade!”
Gritt chuckled back. “Yup, that’s the plan.” As he got up, he looked down the aisle at a seadog and kelpie wobbling out of their seats. “As long as Purser and Whirlpool didn’t get too sick.”
A purple dragoness and a yellow earth stallion helped them to the exit. A smaller dragon with a mix of their palettes followed them. Gavin and I followed Barb, Peepers, and Jet out of the airplane.
*****
The city of Seaddle bustled with ponies, griffons, and zebras. Rosegold had told me about how bad things used to be here for the latter. I’m glad that wasn’t the case anymore, otherwise I never would have met…
“Icarus!” I called out to my buckfriend before swooping into his striped embrace.
The young, handsome mayor fluttered his wings. “Princess Lavandula, you’re looking radiant as ever.”
My pink coat blushed red as Legate Zaire’s son held and kissed my hand. Stepping up beside him, I let him put a wing around me as we trotted to Star Pin Tower.
Our whole group made our way to the fancy restaurant within the luxury resort. Gritt and Gavin both gave Jade a tight hug, and insisted she and her mother take a break from serving to join us for our meal. They happily obliged.
Falchion Whiteclaw served us personally, and the food was heavenly as always. As I took another bite, I heard Barb scoffing at Gritt.
“You want me to go bowling with you?” The dragoness cocked her head. “Dude, playing against you isn’t fair. You always bowl a perfect game. Every. Single. Time.”
Gritt waved a talon. “Doesn’t mean you can’t still have fun.” He smiled at the others. “Gavin? Jet?”
The boys happily agreed. Barb relented and agreed to come as well as long as Purser was up for it. They all headed out soon after. I stayed for dessert.
*****
Dad eventually got tired of watching me share chocolate cake with Icarus and asked the mayor about visiting the memorials.
“Oh, yes, they’re both open to visitors until just after sundown.” The striped pegasus smiled. “Plenty of time for your friends to enjoy themselves before meeting at Reinier.”
It seemed like a pretty somber way to kick off our vacation, but dad always valued paying respects. Those events were before I was born, so I don’t have any personal connection to them. Still, I recognize the gravity of what happened.
A few years ago we visited a memorial the NCR had set up near Hollow Shade, erected in remembrance of those lost in the Long Night. The devastation the pegasi above the clouds suffered in just a few hours didn’t sound real, but it was. Considering what they’d done to the dragons, maybe it was deserved.
No, what a terrible thing to think…
Icarus nuzzled me. “Are you alright?”
I shook myself. “Yeah, just thinking about stuff.”
Rosegold looked worried but smiled as he got up. “Come on, let’s go to the park. I hear everything is in bloom right now.”
*****
The day was spent seeing the sights. Vanhoover really was a beautiful region of Equestria. Cold, but beautiful. Especially the sunset, which signaled that we needed to meet up with the others.
Icarus's father, General Wind Striker, escorted us. Reiner had lots of guards, which was to be expected of an active military base.
Trotting across the tarmac, I could hear Peepers whistling as he admired the Griffonchasers and Wyverns. The latter being weaponized variants of what we'd arrived in. A Cozy Glow design… No sense in letting research collect dust just because of where it came from.
Flanking the massive steel door of Stable 14 were two slabs of carved granite. To the left, a mural of Legate Zaire, General Striker, and the late Pierre Whiteclaw signing a peace treaty that ended two centuries of fighting. To the right, a long list of names.
My father went right. Sitting before it, I could see tears form in his eyes as he read the names of every griffon killed in the Reinier Massacre. I wrapped myself around him, as did Gritt.
“I should have warned them…” He spoke so quietly, I nearly hadn't heard him. It was easy for me to forget that he was there, in the thick of it all.
We all sat quietly, paying our respects until it was time to move on. We still needed to visit the mountain's summit.
*****
The climb seemed to calm Rosegold. He was quiet, but I could tell by the expressions on his face that he was talking to Knight in his mind. She always knew what to say to him to make him feel better.
At least until we reached Gustave, and the steel monument placed at the base of the enormous cannon. Then there were tears in his eyes again. As well as Gritt’s, Purser's, Barb's, and Peepers’.
The monument was of three rockets held aloft by criss-crossing jet trails, which led to a plaque.
On this spot, a moment of sacrifice and courage paved the way to peace. Founder of The Hub and leader of the Hot Rods, Washout gave her life to bring an end to a great evil and avenge its victims. May her memory live on, and her legacy be an enduring inspiration.
It's always nice to see that things are still going well so many years later, and that Washout got a proper memorial so that she's not forgotten. The innumerable and unnamed (at least here) casualties among the Enclave are a real tragedy too, but they'll mean something to their surviving relatives too.
It's sobering to think of how large a memorial would need to be to properly memorialize everyone who died during the war or in the events that followed it, even after the day of Sunshine and Rainbows.
5756485
And tragic how the majority of those names are lost to time. They're often just snippets found in miraculously surviving terminal entries or newspaper clippings, usually getting glossed over by starving scavengers or indifferent mercenaries.
5756485
What happened to the Vanhoover Enclave griffons may just be Rosegold's greatest regret. At the time, he was worried breaking cover to warn them they were being lured into a trap would ruin his chances of stopping Cozy. Looking back, he's convinced he could have done something differently.
5756485
As for Knight being in Rosegold's head now... She obviously can't stay there forever.
He's already planned for that, had Novabeam build her a new body. She could already be using it, but she wants to be with Rosegold until the end. It's her duty as his doctor to attend to her patient.
5756493
Probably so, considering no physical attack could stop her. He'd have had to use the mindscape attack regardless, though of course he didn't know that ahead of time.
Everyone has to make their decisions in the moment with the information they have, and live with the consequences.
5756591
Catching up with some other characters, Galloping Gorge is barely glossed over in the last chapter. Zarrow does end up that region's Senator. Between him, Snap, and Tempest, he's the best at, and most interested in, being a politician. Snap is perfectly happy being a sort of secretary/mistress/bodyguard for him. Zarrow would likely catch flak from the other senators at first, because he'd be very smug about being "the raider who got away with it."
Tempest, after helping Zarrow whip Galloping Gorge into shape, went traveling. Saw the sights, mostly went around from one little settlement to the next, quietly and peacefully enjoying the world as it rebuilds itself. Unless another big threat rears its head, in which case Tempest wouldn't be able to sit back and watch. I could see her coming across Heidi, relaxing in some some random town, and them understanding one another with just a glance.
Eventually, Tempest would retire in Hippogriffia. She's the only living person who knows anything about their lost culture, and she spends her twilight years helping them restore it.
____
A funny bit I thought of, when Galloping Gorge was annexed...
Gawdyna: Alright, just sign these and the annexation will be official.
Zarrow/Tempest: *start filing paperwork*
Zarrow: *glances over at Tempest's forms, and squints in confusion* Who the hell is Fizzlepop Berrytwist?
5756485
The Shadow Dragon's night of destruction is an event that would be reported far and wide. If Kaz and company learned about it, and where it came from, I imagine they might freak out a little.
"We were having our fishing trips near that?"
Odds are, Lilith's thestrals were watching them from the shadows to ensure they didn't get too close to the Well.
They likely wouldn't find out about the thestral village, because Lilith would not allow details that could compromise her home to be broadcasted. Secrecy is her people's lifeline, and she would openly threaten Homage not to expose them.
5757000
That definitely would have been very sobering to learn about after the fact, and Lilith may have been responsible for at least one Talon going missing over the years then. I doubt too many ventured that way, but I'm sure Kaz's squad weren't the only ones.
Of course, they knew the area was dangerous, and post-war Equestria was chock full of nasty things that went bump in the night that most people didn't know about and were happier not knowing about.
5757033
Speaking of sobering things to learn after the fact, how much do the Kaz Crew know about what exactly happened on the Day of Sunshine and Rainbows? Like, are they aware that Ditzy Doo, the ghoul owner of the Absolutely Everything general store and caravan is singlehandedly responsible for saving their lives from the Enclave's fleet?
Because let's face it, the Sonic Rad-Boom is the only reason that battle wasn't a completely one-sided massacre of every last slaver and Talon.
5757099
I always wondered how much of that was publicly known, but I assume as knowledge of Little Pip spread, alongside her story, it would eventually become common knowledge.
Kaz's squad probably didn't really believe it at first and dismissed it as folklore or hearsay. They just assumed it was a balefire bomb that Red Eye had in storage somewhere and his security forces used at the last moment when no other choice was left. They'd never seen one go off before, so it made sense.
In time I imagine that they came to accept that maybe it was true, and that they only survived by the weirdest twist of fate. Of course, by that point, they'd seen enough people die that their survival felt somewhat random already, so I'm not sure it would have changed how they felt about it too much. They weren't likely to meet her after all.
5757134
I think the most awkward scenario any two of my characters could have with each other would be Lilith and Zaire meeting at some kind of diplomatic get together.
Both were raised with very traditional, and very opposing, religious beliefs regarding Princess Luna/Nightmare Moon.
Until they actually speak to each other and realize they get along, they'd both be extremely worried about offending the other or getting in a fight.
If Zev and Bael met, they 100% would get in a fight.
___
Lilith would have an unusual relationship with the NCR. She can't "join" and act as a senator because her people don't trade, have no currency, and need to remain anonymous. Gawdyna isn't super enthusiastic about having a community under her turf that she has little to no information on. Lilith takes it upon herself to be an ambassador to the NCR.
She maintains regular correspondence with the NCR, but the relationship is tenuous. When the Well of Shade was filled with cement, she insisted on handling it herself. The equipment was dropped off at the edge of Hollow Shade by the NCR, used by the thestrals, and returned, along with a supply of medicinal potions as payment.
___
An ability thestrals have that I hadn't showcased was a sonic screech, that for some is strong enough to cause concussions or even rupture blood vessels. They generally treat it as a last resort because they perceive it as cruel.
They can also inexplicably walk on walls and ceilings. That's how they're able to sleep hanging upside down. It's kind of odd how some zebra brews seem to emulate the abilities of Nightmare Moon's soldiers...
So, good luck to anyone trying to enslave a bat-pony. They can fly, scale barriers, they can teleport so long as they're not exposed to bright lights, and they can burst your eardrums.
5757209
That all makes plenty of sense to me, including the ability for batponies to speak and attack with ultrasonic sound, and for them to walk on the ceiling. If pegasi can sit on clouds somehow, it's not much of a stretch for a batpony to walk on the ceiling.
5757503
Something that got a bit downplayed is how vulnerable Knight is within the mindscape. That's the one place she can actually die. So bringing people into it is generally a significant gesture of trust.
That brings up the question, "If she wanted to destroy herself, why not have someone kill her in the mindscape." She'd feel horrible asking that of someone. While she was willing to take her own life, she wasn't willing to make someone else have her blood on their hands.
Another reason she wouldn't want someone killing her in the mindscape, her body might still be a threat. With her soul gone, the *deadly combat robot* left behind might become the autonomous genocide drone Cozy meant it to be.
5757531
I could easily see that being possible, and even the possibility of it makes sense that it would give her a lot of pause. I wouldn't want to take that risk either if I were her.
5757539
I picture the body Knight gets post-Rosegold having hippogriff anatomy, and she does magic by waving or snapping her claws like a draconequus.
She'd primarily act as a steward to Hippogriffia's throne. Perhaps at that point, the various allied factions and nations have a sophisticated communication network that she stays patched in to, allowing her to quickly respond to situations.
5757640
That would make sense to me, and if she had the option to take any form she might as well take full advantage of it. I'd want claws instead of hooves too.
5757786
When Aris did purge its radiation, Purser paid Rosegold a surprise visit.
Got him back for all his unexpected teleporting.
5757539
How Cozy intended Knight to be, and what she'd be without her soul: