Rebirth of the Damned

by Borsuq


149. Light of the New Dawn

“Alright,” Nymph said thoughtfully after the Hivespeaker, Twilight and Rainbow left the Apple family’s house, “I think it would be best if I ask Mother to come here so we can tell her in person.” Turning to Big Mac, she added, “Alternatively, I could teleport both of us to the Hive, but other changelings wouldn’t take too kindly to a pony being there just yet.” Big Mac nodded in agreement, trusting her decision. Smiling at her fiancée, Nymph turned to address their friends. “Everypony, you don’t have to stay-”
“I have to,” Wind Reaver cut in, deadpanning.
“- and given the circumstances of your last meeting with her, I won’t be surprised if you’ll chose to leave,” she continued, ignoring him, but she was then stopped by Applejack.
“Well, that may be true, but Ah figure we can all move past that. Besides, it would ‘ave been rude to not greet her in mah own house.”
“Doesn’t Granny own the house?” Apple Bloom asked, looking at her sister in confusion.
“Oh, hush. And anyways,” Applejack resumed, turning back to Nymph, “we’re all gonna be family soon, right?”
Nymph nodded, but inwardly thought, “Dear Ashvattha, I hope she won’t point this out to Mother quite yet…
“I’m sure after everything that happened, this meeting will be much more pleasant for all of us,” Rarity added.
“Alright then,” Nymph said as others nodded in agreement, “just… bear in mind that my mother can get a bit… upset when things don’t quite go as she expected them to - and I am pretty sure her daughter getting engaged so suddenly falls under that category - so if she starts shouting and throwing insults don’t get offended, she should calm down soon.”
“Really?” Scootaloo asked, surprised. “It’s hard to imagine seeing her angry. Queen Chrysalis was so nice to us when saw her last time, and I’m sure we annoyed her a bit.”
“Just to be clear, you’re talking about the time she kidnapped you, right?” Spike asked, raising an eyebrow, prompting annoyed looks from the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
“Don’t worry Nymphy, I’m sure everything will be fine,” Pinkie said cheerfully as the fillies and baby dragon argued in hushed voice. “It will be like a reunion with a reformed villain, we don’t usually have anything like those! You know, with Princess Luna not being a villain because she was corrupted by those dark powers that we kicked out of her, the dark powers inside Sombra being dispersed by Arthas and with Discord being turned to stone again. Although I suppose Chrysalis wasn’t a villain either as she was looking after her subjects…” she trailed off as she pondered this matter, then snapped and resumed. “But anyway, this’ll be super fun, we’ll get to reminisce about the past! And about how funny it is that the last time we met face to face she was pretending to be the bride and now her own daughter is going to be a bride!” Pinkie finished, giggling.
Well, at least me and Big Mac won’t be the sole source of her frustration,” Nymph thought as she smiled nervously, imagining Chrysalis’ reaction to that joke.
Clearing her throat, she sat down. “I’m going to ask her to come here then, give me a moment,” Nymph said, closing her eyes and focusing as she reached to her mother.
My beloved daughter,” Chrysalis voice filled her mind within seconds as she came in contact.
Mother,” Nymph thought warmly. “I trust everything is alright back home?”
Of course it is. Did you have any particular reason for contacting me?” she asked. “I’d have thought you would be too busy with that stallion to contact me.
A wave of embarrassment washed over her. “M-mother! Were you watching?!” Nymph asked, having detected the amused note in her mother’s voice.
No, of course not. And on a completely unrelated note, you should try holding your hips higher-
MOTHER!
Oh relax, dear. I swear, if I didn’t know you’ve always been like this I would have thought you were becoming more like a pony.
Nymph did her best to calm down. While it was true changelings were much more open about sex than ponies, she had always found herself embarrassed when Chrysalis would talk to her about it. Actually, not as much as talk, but use their connection to experiance what she was doing during sex, even if for just a few seconds, and then talk about it. Which, thankfully, didn’t happen too often. Nymph knew that she wasn’t her only heir that reacted to that this way, so she suspected it was caused by the nature of the queen’s bond with her heir rather than her own personality.
Mother, I do have particular reason for contacting you,” Nymph told her, wanting to leave that subject behind.
Very well, what is it?
Could… could you come here?” she asked, feeling slightly silly. “I mean, there’s something I would like to tell you face to face.
She could feel Chrysalis’ surprise. “Do you want to introduce me to your pony toy?
He’s not my toy, Mother, I already told you I really like him!” Nymph replied, annoyed. She did tell her that, back before she had realized what she feels for Big Mac is something much more bigger than that. “And yes, it’s part of the reason why I want you to come here. I mean, if you can.
I do have some free time,” Chrysalis replied, although Nymph could tell that she did so somewhat reluctant. “Very well, I will be there soon.
Thank you, Mom,” Nymph thought, relieved. “We’re in the Apple family’s house. Some other ponies are here too…
That’s alright, we are forming an alliance with them after all. It would be good to be on friendlier terms… even if those are probably the same ponies who annoyed me so much back in Canterlot…
Not giving Nymph chance to confirm that happened to be the case, Chrysalis broke the direct connection, leaving only the faint bond that was always present between her and every other changeling.
Sighing deeply, she opened her eyes. “She will be here soon.”
As the others went about making the living room more comfortable (with Applejack and Apple Bloom picking up some snacks from the kitchen and others rearranging furniture around the table), Big Mac frowned as he looked at her. “Are ya alright?”
“Yes,” Nymph replied, smiling. “My Mother just likes to tease me from time to time, it was nothing.”
“Tease?” he asked, confused.
“Trust me, Big Mac, you don’t want to know.”


“So what did you want to talk about Rainbow?” Arthas asked as they began to make their way towards the Abbey.
Rainbow Dash, who was following him and Twilight from the air, flew down to hover before them. “Well…” she began, seeming embarrassed, as she rubbed the back of her head and flew backwards while they walked. “There wasn’t a time to tell you, but during the camping trip I sorta decided to take Scootaloo under my wing.”
“Really?” Arthas asked, pleasantly surprised. “That’s great to hear. That little filly looks up to you a great deal.”
“Yeah, I kinda noticed,” Rainbow Dash replied, rolling her eyes while smiling. “Anyways, before Applejack gathered all of us, I was actually talking with Twilight about Scootaloo’s condition and what could be done about it.”
“I see,” Arthas said, glancing at the unicorn. “I should have asked you about this when I became her legal guardian,” he added, feeling guilty.
“Contrary to what you may think, you’re not responsible for solving all the problems in Equestria,” Twilight told him, smirking. Her expression then turned more serious as she continued, “As I told Rainbow before, pegasi born with weaker muscle structure can still learn how to fly. However, that requires them to undergo a set of exercises that would strengthen those muscles for several months at least, but even then that doesn’t guarantee they would be successful. And in case of Scootaloo…” she hesitated before she continued, “She’s a bit old to start this physiotherapy-”
“So?” Rainbow asked, snorting. “That doesn’t mean Scootaloo won’t fly! It just means she would have to train harder.”
“Rainbow Dash, it doesn’t exactly work like that,” Twilight said, cringing a bit.
“Well, maybe, but it still doesn’t mean Scootaloo should just give up. And as soon as you give me a book or whatever about what kind of exercises she should be doing, I will see to it that she does them. Which brings me to you,” Rainbow said, pointing hoof at Arthas. “I was wondering… well, um…” she trailed off, suddenly embarrassed again. “I was wondering if maybe it would be best if Scootaloo came to live with me?”
Arthas’ eyes went wide with surprise. “You would want Scootaloo to live with you?”
“If that’s okay of course, with you and her,” Rainbow quickly added. Arthas noticed she was slightly blushing. “We could try first if that would work out, with her coming for a few days and seeing how she likes it. I was thinking about doing that after I get back from Wonderbolt Academy, but with you saying you are going to leave soon, I could take her in for a few days before I have to leave. Because if she was staying with me I could make sure she was doing her exercises, so it would be for the best, right?”
When Rainbow finished her monologue - during which she avoided looking at either Arthas or Twilight - Arthas exchanged a look with Twilight. She was as surprised as he was. “That’s really thoughtful of you, Rainbow,” Twilight said, turning to the pegasus. “But you do know you would have a lot more responsibilities, right?”
“Meh, I make enough bits to support at least two more ponies, and Scootaloo took care of herself for two years,” Rainbow said dismissively.
“That might be true,” Arthas retorted. “But if you are planning to become Scootaloo’s legal guardian - which if I am correct is what you meant - you would also have to attend parent-teacher meetings, make sure she does her homework, generally be responsible for her well-being…” he counted off, and as he did, Rainbow gradually grew more serious.
“Yeah, I know, and I’m probably not cut out for those sort of things,” she admitted, sighing. “But I told Scootaloo I would take her under my wing, and I think this would be the best way to go about it. Also,” she added, pointing a hoof at Arthas, “you’ve been busy with your Order as it was, and now you’re going to have about forty ponies coming here soon?”
“Actually, there’s going to be more than that,” Arthas answered her question.
“So the way I see it, you will be too busy to take proper care of Scootaloo,” Rainbow concluded.
Sighing, Arthas thought that she had a point there. “I had been concerned about it,” he admitted. “Matters of how busy I would be aside, I don’t think the Abbey would be a good place for a young filly to stay.”
“So you think this is a good idea?” Rainbow asked; Arthas couldn’t help but notice that she sounded happy.
“I think it’s good enough of an idea to see how Scootaloo likes living with you. Ultimately, the decision lies with her. Of course,” he added, “seeing how that filly nearly worships the ground you walk on, I don’t think that would be too much of a problem. Or, air you fly in or something.”
“Sweet!” Rainbow exclaimed, ignoring his - pretty bad the more he thought about it - joke. “I’ll come by the Abbey later so we can tell Scoots together.”
“Yes, that-” Arthas began, but the pegasus cut him off.
“You can deal with whatever paperwork would be necessary if Scootaloo decides to come live with me, right?”
“Um, yes,” he replied, slightly put off.
“Great! Now if you’ll excuse me,” she said, rising higher into the air, “I don’t want to miss the look on Chrysalis’ face when Nymph tells her that she and Big Mac are engaged. Remember to find me that book about exercises for Scootaloo!” she called to Twilight as she flew back to Sweet Apple Acres.
“And she was being so mature throughout this conversation,” Arthas sighed as he watched her fly.
“Well, she wouldn’t be the Rainbow Dash we all know and love if she didn’t end it like that,” Twilight replied, chuckling, as they continued trotting towards the Abbey. “Still, I’m amazed that she wants Scootaloo to live with her.”
“Do you think it’s a good idea?”
“Well… I think so, yes,” Twilight replied, after a brief hesitation. “I know Rainbow might not seem like the most mature pony, but if she’s this serious about it, she will do her best for Scootaloo. And I think it might be good for her to take on such a responsibility.”
“I guess you’re right,” Arthas admitted. “Plus, she was right that with all the new initiates coming soon, I would be too busy to properly look after Scootaloo. Not that she needed much of that, but every kid needs some attention, right?”
“I suppose,” Twilight replied, giggling warmly. “Still, I’m sure you did your best… and were quite good at it, too.”
“Thanks. So…” he changed the subject, looking back in the direction where Rainbow flew, “do you think it was alright to let Rainbow go back to the farm? I’m kinda worried she’s going to cause a diplomatic incident…”
Arthas trailed off as he heard Twilight snort with laughter. As he turned to grin at her, he saw her looking at him with a mixture of amusement and reproach in her eyes. “You’re terrible.”
“All jokes aside, I am a bit concerned,” Arthas continued more seriously. “Chrysalis doesn’t strike me as a person that would react calmly to hearing that her daughter got engaged all of a sudden. Having a pony snickering at her reaction when she finds out probably isn’t going to help the situation.”
“I’m sure the others will keep Rainbow in check,” Twilight replied. Turning to look at him thoughtfully, she added, “You know, I’ve been meaning to say, you are surprisingly good with all those… diplomatic stuff. I mean, you were the one to point out that due to Nymph’s status the wedding is going to be a delicate matter. And back during the last Council Meeting in Canterlot, even Celestia was taking your advice into consideration.”
“I lived in a world where my race lived in seven different kingdoms,” he replied, shrugging. “And we were on more or less friendly terms with three other races. Not to mention that by the time I reached adulthood and joined the Order of the Silver Hand, most of those nations were a part of the Alliance. Being a knight of a holy order meant I had to have some knowledge on diplomacy and politics.”
And being the Crown Prince required me to know those,” Arthas added in his thoughts. He didn’t like lying to Twilight (and it wasn’t exactly a lie; higher ranking paladins in the order did have to understand diplomatics and politics), but he really didn’t want to bring that up. The situation didn’t feel right to go into that subject, either. “Besides,” he thought with a slight amusement, “if I were to say now that I was a prince, she might think I am joking.
“Oh, yeah, that makes sense,” Twilight said, dispelling any worries Arthas had that she would linger on the subject. Narrowing her eyes and smirking, she added, “Kinda funny that you don’t know how wedding customs work then, huh?”
“I don’t know Equestrian wedding customs,” Arthas corrected her, glancing at her with annoyance, even though he was fully aware she was teasing him. “Seeing how back in Lordaeron the ceremony wasn’t performed by the ruler of the land, I’m guessing there are some differences.”
“I’m sure there aren’t too many,” Twilight said. “But since we are on the subject, who usually performs the ceremony amongst humans?”
“Most ceremonies like those are performed by priests, so it would be the bishop of the closest church from where the young couple live. In case of royal weddings, like it was back at Canterlot, it would be most likely performed by the Archbishop of the Church of the Holy Light,” he added.
“Hm…” Twilight mused. “So, seeing how your order consists only of paladins, would that mean you are the closest equivalent of archbishop?” she asked.
Seeing where she was going with this suggestion, Arthas shook his head. “It wouldn’t be wise if I were to perform the ceremony. This wedding is going to be unusual enough without such changes in the customs.”
“Yes, I think I understand. Just thought it was an interesting idea,” she added, blushing in embarrassment. Clearing her throat, she continued, “So, about those customs…


“Did I miss anything?” Rainbow asked as she burst through the door.
The Apple family’s living room had been little rearranged in the short time she had been away. Rainbow noted that several chairs had been added around the table, with Nymph, Rarity and Pinkie working on setting it.
Are they going to have a tea party with Chrysalis?” she wondered, watching the place cups and small plates.
“Nah, Chrysalis ain’t here yet,” Applejack replied as she passed her, carrying a plate with some apple fritters on them. “Didn’t ya have somethin’ t’ talk about with Twilight and Arthas?” she added as she placed them on the table.
“Yeah, it’s already taken care of,” Rainbow replied nonchalantly. “I wouldn’t wanna miss this; can you imagine the look on bug queen’s face?” she asked in Applejack in a hushed voice, smirking.
To her surprise, instead of snickering, Applejack sighed. “Rainbow, ya heard what Arthas said. This ‘ere is a delicate matter. Try to not make fun of it.”
“Alright, I know, geez,” Rainbow replied, rolling her eyes, while at the same thinking, “Buzzkill. Should have talked to Pinkie first.”
“ Also, ya might wanna stop callin’ my brother’s future mother-in-law ‘bug queen’,” Applejack continued. “Ya know, now that we’re all suppose t’ be friends and family in this case.”
“Is that why you’re serving her apple fritters?” Rainbow asked, pointing a hoof at them. “Because I seem to remember Twilight telling us how she threw away the one you gave her back before the Canterlot Wedding.”
“Really?” Applejack asked, sounding surprised. “Ah seem to recall Chrysalis sayin’ that she ‘love-love-loves ‘em,” she said, imitating Chrysalis’ voice while disguised as as Cadance, and winked. As Rainbow snickered into her hoof, she asked her, “So what did ya ‘ave t’ talked with ‘em anyways?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Rainbow replied, not wanting to get into that right now. Instead, she once again pointed at the table. “So what are we doing?”
“Well, Nymph said ‘er mom will be ‘ere soon, so we figured we might as well all have brunch with ‘er.”
“I see,” Rainbow replied, but before she could say anything more - like how weird this all was - a green, circular, pulsing light appeared in the middle of the living room.
“Alright everypony,” Nymph called out, coming closer to the magical display together with Wind Reaver, “that’s my mother’s portal. Um… a courtesy bow of head will do in your case I think,” she quickly added before both of them dropped on their forelegs, kneeling.
Almost a second later, Chrysalis emerged from within the portal, flanked by two changelings in heavy armor. The Changeling Queen looked pretty much like Rainbow had remembered her, tall as Celestia, covered in black chitin with green parts on her back, with long green-blue mane and a crown adorning her head.
How exactly does Wind find her hot?” she wondered, recalling what he had told Tucker when he first came to Ponyville. “I mean, I kinda see it, with that mane, slender body and kinda even with those eyes, but her back and those legs-
Chrysalis’ voice snapped her out of this weird contemplation. “Raise, my subjects,” she told Nymph and Wind Reaver. As the two changelings rose on their hooves, the two that came with Chrysalis moved back to the edge of the living room and stood in attention. The portal, in the meantime, had disappeared. “It is good to see you again, my daughter,” Chrysalis continued, her tone becoming a touch warmer, as she took a step forward to hug Nymph. She then turned to look at everypony else. “Hello ponies. I am… pleased to see you in better circumstances.”
We might be at peace and all, but that doesn’t make her friendlier,” Rainbow thought as she - slightly reluctantly - bowed her head respectfully.
It appeared that Applejack didn’t have such reservations. “Howdy, Queen Chrysalis!” the earth pony said cheerfully, holding her hat to her chest and coming closer to her. “Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres.”
“Thank you,” Chrysalis replied. She took a quick look around and added, “You have a lovely house.”
Rainbow was pretty sure she wasn’t the only one to pick up that the Changeling Queen seemed a bit uncomfortable under all those pleasantries. “Guess we’re not the only one thinking this situation is a bit weird.
“Aw, shucks, thank ya Yar Majesty. Nymph wanted t’ talk with ya ‘bout somethin’,” Applejack continued, glancing at the changeling in question before turning back to Chrysalis, “and the rest of us thought ‘at would be a good occasion t’ hang out with ya a bit. Hope ya ‘ave nothin’ against a little brunch,” she added, pointing at an armchair that was big enough for the Changeling Queen to sit on.
“That sounds… lovely,” Chrysalis replied, and with a brief glance at her guards, she moved towards the table.
As Rainbow and everypony else also moved to take their seats, the changeling guards disappeared in a green flash, and a second later the same flash could be seen through one of the windows near the door.
“What’s with the guards?” Rainbow wondered out loud in a hushed voice, sitting next to Pinkie Pie.
To her dismay, she was answered by the person sitting on her other side. “Praetorians are the Swarm’s most elite warriors who are the Queen’s guards,” Wind Reaver told her. “Even your Princesses bring guards when on friendly visits, don’t they?
“Well… yeah,” Rainbow said, recalling the party about two years ago they threw for Princess Celestia and the two royal guards that accompanied her. “But wait, I don’t remember seeing any changeling with an armor like that during the Canterlot Invasion.”
“Espionage isn’t necessarily their strongest asset,” Wind Reaver replied, shrugging. “The original plan for the invasion was that Her Majesty would incapacitate Shining Armor, bring down his shield, knock out Celestia when she’s distracted with the Swarm attacking. Having a bunch of weirdly behaving ponies walking around Princess Cadance would draw attention, even assuming one of them wouldn’t just accidentally change back,” he added with a snort.
“Oh, right, that makes sense, I suppose,” Rainbow said, already losing interest as she eyed the apple fritters and other snacks on the plates.
“So, my beloved daughter,” she heard Chrysalis say to Nymph after a few moments (during which Rainbow already managed to fill her mouth with food), “what was it that you wanted to talk with me about?”
Rainbow turned her attention back to the two of them, not wanting to miss this.
“Right, well…” Nymph began nervously. She stopped to clear her throat and looked to Big Mac, sitting on the couch together with her on her left, before turning back to her mother. “You know I’ve been dating Big Mac.”
“Yes, and I am happy that you are happy,” Chrysalis replied, picking up a cup of tea with her magic.
“I’m glad you say that, and I hope you will be also happy about what I’m going to tell you now,” Nymph said, pausing to take a deep breath. “Big Mac and I are engaged.”
The teacup dropped down on the table, breaking into pieces. Queen Chrysalis was staring at her daughter, her expression unchanged other than her eyes growing wider. Rainbow chuckled, finding her reaction absolutely hilarious… which resulted in her choking. She hit her chest, and at the same time Wind hit her on her back, helping her recover.
“Come again?” Chrysalis finally said, still staring at Nymph.
“We’re engaged,” Nymph repeated, reaching with her hoof to Big Mac’s hoof and grasping it.
“Eeyup.”
Chrysalis’ eyes moved slowly from on to the other, then back again. “You’re engaged?” she asked after several seconds of just staring at them like that.
“Yes.”
“After just a few days of being a couple and barely a month of knowing each other?” Chrysalis specified, deadpanning at her daughter.
“W-well, um, yes?” Nymph said, smiling sheepishly.
Her answer clearly didn’t please Chrysalis, guessing by the frown on her face. Rainbow Dash also frowned, but from another reason. “Wait, you’ve been here only for a month?” she asked Wind Reaver in a hushed voice, who shrugged and nodded. “Huh, feels like it’s been three years. Weird,” she added, confused why she thought it’s been so long since the two changelings came to live in Ponyville.
“I know, right?” Pinkie asked from her right.
“Am I the only one thinking that it’s too brief of a relationship to get engaged?” Rainbow heard Chrysalis ask. Focusing her attention on her again, she noticed that her question seemed to be directed to everypony other than Nymph and Big Mac.
“Mother, they’ve all already had expressed their concerns,” Nymph quickly told her before anypony could say anything.
“Apparently, not accurately enough, if you are still going through with this insanity,” Chrysalis retorted.
“It’s not insanity!” Nymph countered, stomping on the table and causing it to shake.wings buzzing angrily. “Mother, Big Mac and I love each other-”
“Yes, I noticed,” Chrysalis interrupted her, turning to regard Big Mac. As her eyes narrowed the stallion cringed. “It’s creepy. You’ve been together a few days, why does he love you so much?” she asked, once again turning to Nymph. “You didn’t put him under any spell by accident, did you?”
“Of course not!”
“Alright then, so for some reason he is absolutely in love with you already,” Chrysalis said, causing Big Mac to blush (and the Cutie Mark Crusaders to sigh “Aww!”). “Why are you so sure you love him the same?”
“Well, um…” Nymph began, stammering from embarrassment. “You see, I didn’t lash out at him after he nibbled my tegula-”
“He did what?!” Chrysalis shouted, staring down at Big Mac, making him slightly back away on the couch.
“Big Mac didn’t know then what that means for changelings,” Nymph quickly defended him. “We were just… playing. When I told him this morning that it’s the changeling’s equivalent of proposal, he immediately proposed properly to me.”
Rainbow couldn’t help but comment on this exchange. “Okay, this is seriously weird and borderline messed up way to propose, you know that right?” she asked Wind quietly.
“It makes more sense than exchanging jewelry that you practically never wear later,” Wind retorted with a snort.
Rainbow bit back a retort; Chrysalis continued to speak to Nymph, but now her voice was so cold that she could swear the temperature in the living room dropped. “So you’re telling me that this stallion had no idea for days that you had agreed to become his lifemate?”
“I-it wasn’t his fault…” Nymph began to say, but Chrysalis cut her off.
“Oh, I’m not angry with him,” she said, and then head turned towards Wind Reaver, her horn lighting up. Green aura enveloped the changeling and pulled him towards his Queen. “When I’d assigned you to be her bodyguard during her stay in Ponyville,” Chrysalis said slowly, glaring down at Wind, “didn’t I charge you with protecting her from any possible harm? Did you think that it doesn’t include protecting her from humiliation?”
“Y-your Majesty, how was I supposed to know what those two would do in bed?!” Wind asked; it was a surprising change of pace to hear him speak with genuine fear in his voice. “I didn’t even know he would want to sleep with her in her real form! I’ve been trying to get that one into bed,” he said, pointing back at Rainbow, much to her anger, “and she finds my looks too disgusting, so-”
“Wha- excuse me!” Rainbow interrupted him, her face becoming red from anger and embarrassment. “It ain’t gonna happen because you’re an asshole!”
He turned back to her and looked at her angrily and pleadingly. “Work with me, please!” he said, nudging his head at the Changeling Queen.
Rainbow just glared at him in reply, but before either of them could say anything else, Chrysalis turned him back around. She opened her mouth, but before she could scold or threaten him, Nymph spoke up, “Mother, this isn’t something Wind Reaver should have been responsible for, and I do not feel I’ve been humiliated-”
“You do recall that you are my heir, right?” Chrysalis asked her, releasing Wind (who promptly backed away).
“Yes Mother, but I do not care if the other changelings consider I’ve been humiliated; after all, we are going to become lifemates. Well, in a fashion,” she added.
“And you do realize all the possible… consequences?” Chrysalis asked her, narrowing her eyes.
“Yes, of course,” Nymph replied firmly, making Rainbow wonder what did Chrysalis mean by ‘all the possible consequences’.
The Changeling Queen let out a sigh and leaned back on the armchair, appearing rather tired.
“Mother?”
“I’m trying to make up some old tradition that would force your fiancé to fight a champion of my choosing if he wants to marry you,” Chrysalis replied, rubbing her eyes.
“Mom, I won’t let you make Big Mac fight Commander Unscathed,” Nymph told her, frowning. “Or that Amber Monstrosity Grand Magistrix Lucid created.”
Amber Monstrosity?” Rainbow repeated in her mind. “Not sure if I want to know what that is actually.
“You really want to go through with this?” Chrysalis asked her daughter, ignoring her reply.
“Yes. We both do,” Nymph added, her and Big Mac holding each other’s hooves. “Also, I think it would help improve changelings and ponies relationships-”
“If I wanted to improve them through marriage, I would just marry Celestia,” Chrysalis snorted, interrupting her. She shook her head and resumed, “If this is something you truly want to do then… fine. You have my blessing, or however it is you ponies say.”
“Thank you Mom!” Nymph immediately exclaimed, jumping at her and hugging her. She backed away after a moment. “Um, I mean, thank you, Mother,” she repeated in a more controlled manner.
“Eeyup,” Big Mac added, smiling.
“Well, I must say this is splendid to hear,” Rarity said, breaking the apparent “agreement of silence” everypony had opted for during the discussion. “I cannot wait for you two to start planning your wedding.”
“Eeyup, and Ah can’t wait for ya to become officially the part of the family,” Applejack told Nymph, then turned to Chrysalis. “Ya too, Yar Majesty. Ya’ll always be welcome at Sweet Apple Acres!”
“I’m overjoyed to hear that,” Chrysalis said in a voice almost devoid of joy.
“You know what this calls for?” Pinkie asked, suddenly appearing right between Chrysalis and Nymph (Rainbow glanced at her seat on her right where she could swear she was a second ago and found it empty). “A party!”
“You’re pushing your luck,” Chrysalis tried to say, but Pinkie already whipped out her party cannon and began to use it to decorate the living room with balloons, ribbons and confetti, causing the Changeling Queen to give a resigned sigh.


Luna looked up from Moonlight’s cradle as she heard her bed chamber’s doors open. “Hello Sister,” she greeted Celestia as the older alicorn walked into the room. “What brings you here at noon?”
“I need a short break,” Celestia replied in a tired voice, closing the door behind her, falling down on her bed and covering her eyes. “Listening to petitioners in court with signing documents in between them was all I did since dawn. And surprisingly only about a third was concerning changelings.”
Seeing her sister complain about the amount of her duties she had to face this morning made Luna chuckle warmly; it wasn’t very often she got to see her so tired. Truth be told, it was somewhat relieving; she used to think that Celestia was perfect in every way. While Luna loved her, it had made life difficult, living up to those same standards.
“I hope I am not imposing?” Celestia asked her, looking up at her from the bed.
“Of course not, Sister. Moonlight is still asleep,” she said, looking with affection at her daughter. “I swear, when that filly finally decides to go to sleep, nothing can wake her up… not even her aunt practically jumping on the bed rather loudly,” she added teasingly.
“Loudly? Are you implying that I’m fat?” Celestia asked, narrowing her eyes.
“Well, you do weigh more than me.”
“That’s because I’m taller, you runt.”
“Since you aren’t concerned about your weight, then you won’t have a problem joining me for brunch?” Luna asked as she giggled, ringing a bell to summon her servants and order some snack.
“I am perfectly secure, thank you very much. I will gladly join you,” Celestia replied, stretching out and yawning.
Seeing how tired she appeared, Luna stopped their banter and offered, “If you want, I can take over for a few hours.”
“No no, I’m fine,” Celestia said. “I just need about an hour, or even half without listening to any petitioners or reading any documents-”
The door opened once again. “Princess Luna, do you know- Oh, there you are, Princess Celestia!” her aide Raven exclaimed, relieved. Next to her hovered an important looking letter, held in her magic. “A letter bearing the reply from King Robert was just given to me by the griffons’ ambassador.”
Celestia uttered a long sigh, which caused Luna again to giggle in amusement. “That’s rather unlike him to reply so soon,” she said, stifling her laughter. “And according to the Night Guard, he was away on hunting trip when the letter arrived at Griffenhalla. Are you certain that the reply is from him?”
“The seal is genuine,” Raven replied, shrugging.
“Of course this would be the one time he hurries with a reply,” Celestia remarked in annoyance, before sighing again. “It is King Robert’s seal,” she added, showing the letter to Luna. Imprint in the wax of a griffon standing up on hind legs surrounded by twelve stars was plainly visible on the envelope. “Thank you for bringing this to us right away Raven,” she told her aid as she broke the seal.
“Not a problem, Your Majesty,” Raven replied as Celestia opened the envelope and took out the letter. “Would you like me to stay and help you with the reply?”
“No, we will need to discuss this matter with Sir Lightbringer first before replying. You may go now, I will send for you later.”
Raven bowed to both of them and was about to leave Luna’s bedchamber before she turned back. “Um, Princess Luna, if you don’t mind me asking, why is Princess Moonlight  here and not in her room with her nannies?” she asked as Celestia began to read King Robert’s response.
“Because both think the the other is working while they're enjoying their free day,” Luna quickly replied. “And if you tell them that I tricked them to sneak Moonlight back into my chambers, your pay will get cut in half.”
“No it won’t,” Celestia said over the letter.
“Oh right, you sign her paycheck,” Luna realized, frowning. “Then you will be having nightmares and stuff.”
“My lips are sealed Your Majesty,” Raven replied, bowing again, before quickly leaving.
“You do know Angelic Heart and Caring Star will figure out sooner or later what you’ve been doing, right?” Celestia asked, looking up from the letter.
“I have my night guard shadowing them to make sure they won’t run into each other-”
“Usage of the Crown’s resources serving the betterment of ponykind,” Celestia commented with amusement.
“- so at this rate, they won’t figure it out until Moonlight learns how to speak,” Luna finished, ignoring her comment.
“Whatever makes you happy Little Sister,” Celestia said, returning to the letter.
Luna waited patiently for her sister to finish so that she could read it herself. A movement in the cradle caught her attention. She turned to her daughter to see her turning around through her sleep. Noticing that she appeared to be dreaming, Luna was about to take a peek into her dreams, but just then she heard her sister exclaim:
“They want him to what?!”
Luna looked at Celestia, startled. “What, what is it?”
Instead of replying, her sister passed the letter to her. Confused, Luna quickly began to read it. “To Their Majesties, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, bla bla bla, after considering your proposal together with my advisors, yada yada yada.... Hm, I don’t understand,” Luna thought as she continued to read the message, “everything King Robert wrote seems reasonable-
Her eyes went wide.
“They want him to what?!”


“They want me to what?!” Arthas asked, sounding utterly surprised.
Not that Twilight could blame him.
“They want you to take Prince John Sandstorm as your ward and your squire,” Princess Celestia explained calmly through the enchanted mirror in Arthas’ office, “as well as his second cousin, Francis Snowpelt, young Lord of Huntford, who would become a squire for one of your paladins, and accept ten adult griffons as initiates into the Order of Celestial Lights.”
Arthas sighed, sitting down on the floor and rubbing his temples. “This is not quite how I imagined my proposition to invite griffons into the order would be accepted.”
“Yes, we must say that we’re even more surprised than you are,” Luna said, her reflection standing next to Celestia’s.
“This is an unusual situation, I take?” Arthas asked.
“You could say that,” Twilight replied, eager to share her knowledge. “While it is a common custom for Griffonia’s nobility to send their cubs away from home - usually when they are around twelve years old, and mostly for about two years - and in case of the royal family it’s practically a tradition, their princes and princesses aren’t usually sent anywhere other than within their kingdom. In the rare cases that had happened, they’d become the wards of the ruler of Equestria,” she finished her explanation, nodding at Celestia and Luna.
“You are right as always, my faithful student,” Celestia smiled at her; Twilight felt warmth spread through her body at her mentor’s praise. “There had been several cubs from the royal family sent to live in Canterlot throughout my reign and before, with the latest being Prince John and Lord Francis’s great-great-grandfather, the late King George Snowfeather. The idea behind this custom is to allow young griffons to learn the world, grow, make new friends, as well as foster alliances between their family and the one whom responsibility they’ll become.”
“So I would have to become responsible for two kids?” Arthas asked, raising an eyebrow. Turning to Twilight, he added, “Today of all days, huh? Rainbow proposed that Scootaloo would come to live with her,” he explained to Celestia and Luna. “And it was literally about ten, twenty minutes ago.”
“That is indeed a strange coincidence,” Luna agreed. “Although I am happy to hear that Rainbow Dash chose to take on such responsibility. And surely, you must agree that it would be better for Scootaloo to live with her rather than at the Abbey with all the initiates. Prince John and Lord Francis, on the other hoof, should be more comfortable living there, since they would be squires in the Order.”
“Yeah…” Arthas replied, frowning. “To be honest, I didn’t plan on recruiting squires. I’ve always assumed that in a society like Equestria it would be frowned upon to teach kids how to fight and have them serve knights. Of course, I did read than in Griffonia it is often encouraged, even if actual squires are rare this days.... ” he mused, then sighed. “I suppose I will have to decide how to work it out later. That matter aside, what would be my responsibilities if I accepted them as wards?” he asked the Princesses.
“You would be responsible for raising them during their stay,” Celestia replied. “So on top of whatever training you would deem they should receive as squires, you would have to make sure they receive proper education.” As Arthas pondered what she told him, she continued, “Also, there is also the matter of Prince John’s security. As you undoubtedly know, the royal family of Griffonia is guarded by the Kingsguard, a sworn brotherhood of knights. It is mentioned in the letter that one of them will accompany Prince John Sandstorm to ensure his safety-”
“Excuse me?” an unknown to Twilight voice suddenly interrupted Celestia. “Did you say ‘Sandstorm’?”
Quickly looking around the room to locate the source of the sound, Twilight’s eyes stopped briefly on Arthas’ cat, Spottedleaf, sitting on top of his desk behind them… only to stay on her and grow wider. Spottedleaf’s eyes were glowing with silvery light. And not only that - Twilight was almost certain that the unfamiliar voice came from her direction.
She turned to Arthas, certain she would see her shock mirrored in his reaction, but to her bafflement, he had turned to his cat to reply her question. “Yes, that’s the name of one of the griffon’s tribes from before they were all united,” he said bizarrely calmly, “and now it serves as a secondary name for griffons who have their tribal colouring, correct?” he asked, turning to Twilight. Noticing, however, how she was staring at him - and in the corner of her eye she noticed that Celestia and Luna were doing the same - Arthas asked, “Is something wrong?”
“‘Something wrong’?” Twilight repeated, feeling her eyelid twitch. “Your cat just talked!”
“Oh… is that not normal in Equestria?” Arthas asked, looking from her to the Princess in confusion.
“No, it is not,” Twilight replied, struggling to remain calm. From the mirror, she could hear a stifled snort and an amused chuckle. Blushing, she continued, “Why-”
“I’m sorry,” Spottedleaf now interrupted her, raising on the desk to move closer to her. “Before you tiny horses start bickering like always, could you tell me what other names those griffon tribes had?”
Being questioned by a cat, and having to look into those starry eyes, caused Twilight to lose her composure. “Oh, um…” she stammered, then cleared her throat and began again, “Well, there was the Snowfeather Tribe of course,the Raggedpelt Tribe, the Nightcloud Tribe, the Shellheart Tribe, the Stormfur Tribe, Silverstream Tribe, the Willowbreeze Tribe, the Heathertail Tribe, the Flametail Tribe, the Breezepelt Tribe, and the Thistleclaw Tribe,” she finished, naming the last of the twelve griffon tribes. She then frowned, recalling what Spottedleaf said when she asked her about them. “Hey, what did you mean by ‘bickering like always?!” she asked, feeling offended.
But it appeared that Spottedleaf was no longer listening to her. She was still staring at her, blinking her eyes, for a few seconds longer, before taking a deep sigh and jumping down on the floor. “This is a really strange place,” she meowed as she padded away.
Twilight watched her leave the room before turning to Arthas. “What was that about?”
“You mean her asking about the tribes or her talking in general?” Arthas questioned in turn, which only annoyed Twilight even further.
“Arthas,” Celestia began before she could say anything. “I believe I said during the last Council Meeting in Canterlot that everypony should be on a lookout for unusual occurrences.”
“How was I supposed to know that pets learning to talk is considered unusual?” Arthas asked, rolling his eyes. “If I were to be honest, I would have to say that I have no clue what is considered as ‘unusual’. By the Light, I am still coming to terms with the fact that your manes are flowing like that,” he added, pointing at their manes.
“You have to admit that he has a point, Sister,” Luna pointed up, giggling in amusement.
As Celestia rolled her eyes, Twilight took a deep breath, calming herself down. Luna was right; even if Arthas had lived on Equestria for months, there were still plenty of things he didn’t know about.
Not to mention that on Azeroth we all would be considered as talking animals,” she thought. “I guess it’s not surprising he was so quick to accept his cat talking as something normal.”
“From what I could get from her,” Arthas continued, finally answering the unasked question, “Spottedleaf had run into that spirit beast Zecora’s sister had brought with her, and he passed unto her a blessing of speech that was given to him, saying, and I quote, ‘he never used it anyway’,” he said, shrugging.
“Huh, that’s quite interesting,” Twilight mused. “Perhaps I should finally go and meet Zahara. It has been some time since I visited Zecora anyway.”
“Pinkie is throwing a party tomorrow, I’m sure they will be invited,” Arthas reminded her. “For now, let’s get back to the subject. You said that a member of this Kingsguard will come live here along with the Prince?” he asked Celestia.
“That’s right. However, while her primary duty will be to guard Prince John, because you will be his guardian during his stay she will also obey your orders. Assuming they won’t collide with her duties of course,” Celestia added.
“I see… so there will be thirteen griffons coming to the Everfree Abbey in total, correct?” When Celestia and Luna both nodded, Arthas frowned and rubbed his chin. “Then we might have a small problem.”
“A problem?” Celestia asked.
“Well, there are four ponies coming from Canterlot to become initiates, three from here in Ponyville, four from Cloudsdale, eight from Manehattan, seven from Vanhoover, four from Baltimare, three from Appleloosa, three from Dodge Junction, and five from way over at Cockneigh, I think two are from Trottingham and three from Hoofington if you want to be specific,” he recited from memory. “And of course, thanks to Serenity, we have sixteen ponies coming from the Crystal Empire, which together with ten griffons means there will be sixty seven initiates living and training at the Abbey. The quarters for initiates, on the ground floor of the barracks, can hold fifty. Now, the quarters above them could be easily rebuilt to hold the remaining ponies, but those are reserved for higher ranking paladins as their own rooms. The fact that I will have to also accommodate two squires and a Kingsguard, not to mention a cook and blacksmith, brings me to a conclusion that the barracks will have to be enlarged,” Arthas summed up, then sighed, sounding tired. “And also that I will have to pick a quartermaster to do all calculations like that in the future.”
Twilight stared at him, surprised, but also impressed by his organization skill. “He was able to memorize all the initiates and where they are coming from, then calculate if the Abbey’s barracks can hold them with how they are currently arranged,” she thought, feeling as if it got a bit warmer in the room.
“I did not expect that,” Celestia replied thoughtfully. “It is true that we had discussed the number of possible initiates that would come to the Abbey in the future, but…”
“... but back then we hadn’t taken into account griffons joining the Order,” Luna finished. “Not to mention the Crystal Empire returning.”
“Fortunately, you and your paladins are leaving for the Dread Isle in two days, right?” Celestia asked Arthas, but Twilight missed what he said, to shocked to pay attention.
“That’s where you’re going for a week?!” she asked Arthas, interrupting whatever he was telling Celestia. When he turned to her, his face betraying his discomposure, and nodded, she couldn’t do anything but ask, “Why?”
Arthas sighed. “I want the others to gain more experience before they begin training other ponies,” he explained. “On Azeroth, young paladins would be sent to places like the Plaguelands to fight the undead. The Dread Isle is about the only place on Equestria where they could gain a similar experience.”
Having been told recently about the Plaguelands (and, more importantly, how they looked just two, three years ago), Twilight had to admit that he was probably right. Still…
“Are you sure that it’s necessary? I mean, aside from all the horrors of that island being rather… traumatic to average ponies to witness first-hoof, they’re also extremely dangerous.”
“I wouldn’t decide to bring my paladins there if I wasn’t certain they were up to it,” Arthas said in a calming voice. Smiling, he added, “And if they are up to it, you know I will be fine.”
The fact that he was probably right didn’t do much to dissuade her worries.
“Twilight,” at the sound of her mentor’s voice, she shook and turned to look at her through the enchanted mirror, “I understand that you are worried about Arthas, but both Luna and I trust his judgement. He and his paladins will be fine.”
Feeling a bit more relieved, Twilight nodded at Celestia, then at Arthas. “We’ll still talk about it later,” she thought, now feeling even more annoyed about him leaving than before when she had learned about it.
“Back to the subject,” Celestia resumed their discussion from earlier, “we should be able to enlarge your barracks within the week you will be gone. I will contact the architects that you had worked with making the original projects.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Arthas said, bowing his head.
“There are two more topics that we wanted to discuss with you regarding the Abbey,” Celestia continued. “ I was able to convince the blacksmith I had mentioned to you to come back from his retirement and come work at the Abbey; he will arrive on the same day you will return. However, when I mentioned that you are going to Dread Isle, he made a certain… request. He wants your paladins to collect armaments they will find there,” she answered his questioning gaze. “I will send you his precise description shortly through Spike, along with King Robert’s letter; it would be good if you were to write a reply to him along with ours, saying that you accept the honor of his son becoming his ward. I’m sure you understand.”
“Of course,” Arthas replied, nodding. “And I look forward to reading about this blacksmith’s request, I’m quite intrigued by it.”
“We thought you might be,” Lune chimed in. “As well as about this next part. You both remember the facility you found in the Everfree Forest?”
How could we forget?” Twilight thought, quivering at the memory as both her and Arthas nodded.
“While we were unable to discover anything new about this Project Eclipse, the recovery teams we sent to the site found some more of those projection runes. However, among them there were some who served a more complex purpose.”
“Unicorns from my school were able to discover that those runes can create a solid image of creatures out of magical energy,” Celestia resumed after her sister. Twilight was impressed hearing about that; creating solid images of creatures from magic should require a complicated spellwork. “We suspect that they were used for training. What’s more important, one of those researches was able to construct a device based on those runes. We had hoped to incorporate it for training of the royal guards, but first we’d need to make sure this device works correctly. You seem like the perfect pony to test it out,” she added, nodding at Arthas.
“I am honored you think so, Princess. I will gladly test this device.”
“Doctor Thaumaturgical will come to the Everfree Abbey tomorrow then, three past noon. Of course, if everything will work fine, the same device will be sent to your order for training purposes.”
“I’m sure it would be useful,” Arthas replied. “Thank you, Your Majesties.”
“Think nothing of it,” Celestia said, smiling. “I will send you King Robert’s letter and blacksmith’s instruction soon, can we expect your reply to the King before the end of today?”
“Yes, of course. However, there is a certain matter we were hoping to discuss with you before you contacted us telling us about King Robert’s message.”
Well, now it will be the Princesses turn to be surprised,” Twilight though, amused.
“Oh? Then by all means, go on Arthas,” Celestia replied, nodding at him to continue.
“Thank you, Princess,” Arthas said, glancing briefly at Twilight before he continued. “You know how Nymph, Queen Chrysalis’s daughter, began dating Applejack’s brother Big Mac, right?”
“Yes, you’ve mentioned this to us,” Luna replied, sounding confused. “Why are you bringing this up now?”
“Because the two of them just got engaged,” Arthas told them flatly.
Twilight tried to remember if she had ever seen either of the Princesses so utterly surprised, but she couldn’t, not even Celestia, whom she knew much longer. The two alicorns were staring at Arthas with eyes wide as plates, their mouths hanging open.
“E-engaged?” Celestia asked.
“Already?” Lune questioned in turn.
Both Arthas and Twilight nodded in affirmation. “They both love each other very much,” Twilight quickly began to explain, “and Big Mac accidentally performed the act that among the changelings is considered the same as how ponies are proposing-”
“You mean he bit her on her tegula?” Luna cut in, raising an eyebrow.
“Um, yes,” Twilight replied, slightly embarrassed, and a bit impressed that the Princesses had apparently already read Angelic Touch’s report. “Of course, back then he didn’t know what it meant, but when Nymph told him, he proposed to her, so that she wouldn’t be dishonored.”
“Oh, I see,” Celestia murmured, pondering what they just told them. “This… could be problematic. What does Queen Chrysalis think of this?”
“Well, Nymph should be telling her about her engagement right about now over at Sweet Apple Acres,” Arthas replied, turning his in the direction where the farm was. “Since nopony came to fetch us, and we didn’t see smoke and didn’t hear screams, I think she managed to explain everything calmly to her mother.”
Twilight looked at him with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. While she still wasn’t exactly fond of Chrysalis, she knew that she wouldn’t react so drastically.
“I hope that you are correct,” Celestia replied. “The first pony-changeling wedding in history would be an important event even if the changeling wasn’t the heir of the Changeling Queen. Chrysalis’ cooperation would be of great help. Did Nymph and Big Mac begin to make any plans?”
“Not yet,” Twilight said. “They’ve gotten engaged only this morning. But after Arthas brought to their attention just how important this wedding would be and how delicate it would be to make sure it will go perfectly, they’ve agreed that they should start planning it soon.”
“I’ve also suggested to wait until Granny Smith returns, as she is the head of the Apple family,” Arthas added. “From what I’ve heard, their weddings usually took place on Sweet Apple Acres.”
“I see,” Celestia said, humming thoughtfully. “It’s important for this wedding to retain the Apple family’s traditions. I would imagine a lot of Big Mac’s relatives will be invited?”
“Applejack suggested that they could set the date for the last day of Apple Family Reunion, so their whole family would be there” Arthas replied. “However, that’s about a month from now, I am not sure if there would be enough time to prepare everything.”
“Oh, I’m sure something could be done to help them if they chose such an early date,” Luna said, smirking.
“I’m sure they will be happy to hear that,” Arthas replied. Clearing his throat, he continued, “I had a certain idea regarding the wedding, but I thought it would be best to make sure that it would be possible before I mentioned it to Big Mac and Nymph. Twilight told me that wedding ceremonies are performed by the local representative of the Crown, meaning in the case of Ponyville it would be Mayor Mare,” he said, glancing at Twilight. “However, I was wondering if it would be possible for somepony else to perform the ceremony.”
Twilight recalled how he asked her about it before they got into his office. She found his idea brilliant, but she herself wasn’t sure if it was within the Equestrian customs.
“Sounds like you already have somebody in mind,” Luna noted.
Arthas nodded. “I was wondering if the ceremony could be performed by Princess Cadance. She is known as the Princess of Love, so nopony would argue that this wedding was just a farce prepared to strengthen the pony-changelings relationships,” he began to explain as the Princesses exchanged glances. “Furthermore, everypony knows what had happened during Cadance’s own wedding; if she were to perform the ceremony, it would send a clear message that the times when changelings were monster seeking to harm ponykind are a thing of the past.”
“Your reasoning is brilliant, Sir Lightbringer,” Celestia said, smiling; Twilight did not miss that Arthas almost rolled his eyes hearing her address him by that name. “It is allowed for a princess to perform the ceremony if she is present in a town, although often the local authorities take that as a slight insult. However, I am sure Mayor Mare will understand when it will be explained to her. Of course, we’ll need to ask Cadance first.”
“I’m sure Big Mac and Nymph will be glad to ask her personally,” Arthas replied.
“Then it is settled. There will be more to discuss regarding this matter, but it can wait until they begin making their plans. Please, do let them know that we will be glad to help with the wedding.”
“And of course,” Luna added, “pass them our congratulations.”
“I hope we will be able to congratulate them in person soon,” Celestia said. “Now that we’ve finished discussing their engagement, we can return to our duties. Sir Lightbringer,” she added, turning to Arthas, who knelt respectfully, “you have a letter to write. I will send King Robert’s message to Spike in but a few moments. Twilight,” Celestia said, turning now to Twilight, who quickly stood in attention, “I will also send a new spellbook for you to study. Something to take your mind off throughout the next week,” she added, smiling.
“Thank you, Princess,” Twilight said, grateful.
Despite knowing that Arthas would be alright, she would still worry. However, now that she could bury herself in her studies, she would spend much less time doing that.
“Also, knowing Pinkie Pie, there’s probably some small celebration going on right now at Sweet Apple Acres, so go and be with your friends,” Celestia finished, about to end the connection.
“One more thing, Arthas,” Luna stopped her. “Regarding the griffons joining your Order; it would be good if you’d start learning Griffen.”
“Of course,” Arthas replied. Turning to Twilight, he added, “I was hoping Twilight wouldn’t mind teaching me; you told me you are fluent in it?”
“Oh, I would be happy to teach you!” Twilight quickly told him, enthusiastic about the idea. “Trust me, with my teaching method you will learn it before your wards and initiates arrive. Actually,” she added, now even more excited, “with this method you could also teach me in return some of Azeroth’s languages!”
“Um…” Arthas stammered, taking a step back before recovering, “sure, of course. I think I should be able to teach you Dwarven and Thalassian easily, since I actually learned those.”
Twilight nodded, understanding what he meant; that all the other languages he could speak in he came to know because of his time as the Lich King. Not wanting to dwell on the subject, she quickly pushed it away and began to plan their teaching session.
“I’m sure you will have a lot of fun together,” she heard Princess Luna tease them as she was hardly stopping herself from jumping from her excitement. “Do not forget about writing your reply to King Robert… and deciding which one of your paladins will be given Francis as a squire.”
Arthas nodded and bowed, as the Princesses ended the connection. The mirror once again showed only his and Twilight’s reflection. Arthas sighed and turned to her. “This has certainly been an eventful morning,” he commented.
Twilight had to agree. “Day isn’t over yet,” she added, smirking. “Are you worried about the griffons?” she asked, feeling some of her enthusiasm ebb away.
“A bit,” Arthas admitted. “Call me paranoid-”
“Done,” Twilight cut in, sticking her tongue at him when he glared at her.
“- but I have a feeling that the young prince might be told to spy on me. Since I am probably mostly unknown to Griffonia, not because they might be planning something against Equestria,” he quickly explained as she looked at him alarmed.
“Oh… hm, maybe, but I don’t see how he would pass any messages secretly back to Griffonia,” Twilight said, frowning.
“Oh well, I will worry about that later,” Arthas said, rolling his eyes. “We should probably go back to Sweet Apple Acres and see how are things there.”
“Do you mind if I ask who you plan to assign Francis as a squire?” Twilight asked as they were about to leave.
“Hm,” Arthas stopped and looked down, pondering. “Well, Storm Clash is the highest ranking paladin after me, and is pretty much my second-in-command, and he is a pegasus. I will probably assign Francis to him. Alternatively I could consider Serenity, after all she had showed great initiative by staying in the Crystal Empire and helping all those ponies who lost their close ones because of Sombra, and based on what I heard she proved to live up to this responsibility. I will decide during this week I suppose,” he finished, looking at Twilight.
“I’m sure you will make the right decision,” Twilight quickly told him, smiling at him. “I just wish you weren’t leaving… you know, so soon after…” she trailed away, blushing from embarrassment.
Arthas chuckled and trotted closer. “I will be back before you know it,” he said, placing a hoof gently on her cheek. As Twilight could only blush even more in reply, Arthas leaned and kissed her. She quickly relaxed feeling his lips on hers and melted into his embrace. “We should get going,” Arthas said after a few more moments; there was a regret in his voice. “After all I have some work to do.”
Twilight nodded and they left his office, heading back towards the Sweet Apple Acres. “Changing the subject a bit,” she began as they trotted through the empty hallways, “it will be nice to see Serenity again.”
“You could say that again,” Arthas agreed. Smirking, he added, “I think she’s the only one of my paladins that hasn’t caused me any headache so far.”


Serenity sighed, looking back at the Crystal Castle, easily visible even all the way from the train station. “Back when I left the first time, I didn’t expect to return so soon,” she thought, “and now I am leaving again...
“Ma’am?” tiny voice from beside her asked. “Is something wrong?”
“No, Liturgy, just thinking about the Crystal Empire,” she replied, turning to the white filly. “Even though I am excited to go back to the Everfree Abbey and Ponyville, I’ll still miss everypony here.”
“Everypony is going to miss you, too,” Liturgy replied, smiling. “All those ponies you’ve helped. But the Light now calls upon us to continue It’s work in Ponyville.”
More like Sir Lightbringer calls me to return,” Serenity commented in her thoughts, but didn’t correct her.
“Would you like me to carry your bags, Ma’am?” Liturgy continued, glancing at the saddlebags she had strapped on her armor.
“No, it’s alright. You might be my squire, but you are still a little filly. You can carry my bags after you build up more strength,” she told her, hoping she didn’t took offense to her words.
Her worries were needless. As usual, Liturgy smiled and bowed her head. “Very well then, should I secure our seats on the train?”
“Yes, I will be right behind you,” Serenity told the filly, who nodded and headed towards the train.
As she watched her squire, trotting across the train station with her small saddlebag, her white with golden streaks mane waving on the winds, and with a cutie mark of a flash of golden light adoring her flank, Serenity couldn’t help but think, “I am going to be in so much trouble.