Extended Holiday
Ch 110: Knowledge’s Serenity
Act 16
A few hours, and a couple of drinks later, Pensword sat in his office as he struggled to wrap his head around this new revelation that his wife had failed to mention when they’d been courting. He, Lunar Fang, and Duke Chivalry had taken the pretense of making final arrangements to give them the opportunity to meet in private, and avoid any suspicions. A tea tray steamed on his desk as he took one of the sugar cane stalks that had been set up next to it, and he decimated it to work off the shock.
Lunar Fang blushed as she looked her husband in the eyes. This time, it was her turn to explain. She winced as Pensword broke through his stalk with a hearty snap, before he took the longer of the two ends, and resumed his chewing. She sighed.
“I know I owe you an explanation, Pensword,” she started, “but there was a reason why I didn’t tell you about any of this before. My sister was once married to the duke. It was deemed a scandal at the time by most of the nobles, but it was one allowed by Celestia for love’s sake. We have Cadence to thank for that one. They were happy for a few years, but things grew heated when she finally gave birth to the triplets. It was one thing for a noble to have a dalliance, and even a marriage with a Thestral. It was quite another for her to give birth to three healthy Thestral children.”
She took the chance to drink some of the tea, then cut off a chunk of cane to steep in her cup. “The court was in an uproar. These were three legitimate children of rank who were openly acknowledged, even loved, by mother and father alike. They would one day take on their father’s mantle, and there was nothing the court could say or do to gainsay it, while the marriage remained valid. Worse still, in their eyes, the children were to experience their culture, as all Thestral children do. I remember it well.”
Lunar Fang took a moment to try her tea, and wiped her eyes on the sly in the process. “I’d been given leave on multiple occasions to visit their home, and organize the journey. The tribe was so excited to be able to meet their newest additions, and the Thestral community at large was excited for the social ramifications this would have on the kingdom. It could have meant real, legitimate change, setting a precedent of equality and acceptance that would stand irrefutable throughout Equestria. It could have been. It should have been.” Her head dipped low, causing her mane to fall over her face as she ruminated over her tea, and swished it between her hooves.
“Yes, it should,” Chivalry said consolingly as he placed a supportive hoof on her shoulder. “Why don’t you let me take over from here, Moonshade?”
“But Chivalry–.”
“Please,” he said softly. “This is my story, too.”
She sniffled but once, then nodded her acquiescence.
The duke smiled sadly. “Thank you.” He levitated his tea, and took a sip, followed by a long sigh. Fortified by the artificial warmth that now flowed from his chest into his outer extremities, he resumed the narrative. “Unfortunately, after just a year into the children’s growth, my wife fell ill. We worked hard to nurse her back to health, but, regrettably, nothing seemed to work. My Starry Night’s health continued to wane. She passed at the end of the children’s second year.” He sighed, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “And now we come to the part I’m not proud of. When the customary time had passed for mourning, I was summoned to a private meeting with several of the more influential houses in the House of Nobles. They offered their condolences, of course, and then came the threats. I’ll not regale you with the specifics. The long of the short was that I had to remarry as soon as possible, or risk losing any means of supporting my children and the Ponies under my jurisdiction.
“The wedding took place, as arranged, and, to make matters worse, arrangements had been included in the contract to ensure her first born would take precedence over my sons in ascension.” He grit his teeth, and would not raise his gaze to meet Pensword’s eyes. “It was either that, or watch my own children be assassinated before my eyes.”
Two cups shattered at that announcement, and the sound of dribbling tea tattooed against the ponies’ eardrums as if poured over the edge of Pensword’s desk.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Lunar Fang Demanded angrily. “We could have protected them. We could have–!”
“No, you couldn’t, Moonshade,” Chivalry cut her off. The depth of pain and anger in those eyes reflected Moonshades, but the sorrow and guilt far outstripped her own, creating a hole that would give even the bravest spelunkers pause. “Not when Luna hadn’t returned yet. You know better than anypony else. At most, Celestia kept a token Lunar Guard for night shifts and intelligence work. How do you think the houses would have reacted to the sudden arrival of an entire clan of fully armed Thestrals flocking to my house, especially with the documents and resources they had at their disposal? They could easily forge an annulment, or worse, documents implicating me and your clan in an attempted coup.” He shook his head. “No, it had to be this way, as much as I hate myself for it.”
“And your other children?” Pensword asked.
A jaded smile crossed the duke’s lips. “In that way, at least, Faust blessed me. Crown Jewel is barren. Every time she comes into heat, I’m forced to try, and every time, it’s a failure. When the truth became apparent, my ‘dearly concerned’ fellow nobles tried to pair me with another mare, but Celestia put her hoof down. It was one thing to have me remarry to have some female companionship on the lonelier nights. It was another thing altogether to try to force me to marry another wife, when my current one still lives. She’s kept a rather close eye on our house ever since, and I’ve held the warning over Jewel and her fellows’ heads that if they hurt so much as a hair on my boys’ hides, I would take everything to Celestia and Luna, and damn the consequences.”
The Duke’s horn sparked to life as he levitated the shards of the saucers and cups from the ground, and placed them gently in the rubbish bin. Then he levitated his handkerchief to sop up the mess. “I’m sorry things turned out this way, Moonshade. Really, I am. This is about the best way I can make it up to you. My boys want to be warriors, and, in your care, the last hold those cantankerous pustules have on me will be broken. I don’t claim to be anywhere near as strong or brave as your sister, Moonshade, but I hope, in this small way, at least, that I can help put some wrongs to right, and in doing so, honor her memory, and her love, unworthy though I am to have received it.”
Pensword watched the exchange with pensive gaze as he ran the facts of the scenario through his head. He recalled these tactics, had seen them employed many times in his day, before the war. Given the circumstances, if he had been in the same horseshoes, he might very well have done the same thing to keep Lunar Fang’s memory alive. To think otherwise would be to lie. As such, he knew what needed to be said, and wasted no time in saying it.
“I do not blame you.”
Both of the other Ponies’ heads swerved to stare at Pensword. “Wh-what did you say?” Chivalry asked.
“I said I don’t blame you, Chivalry. Your love for your foals, and for my,” he cleared his throat, “sister-in-law is quite clear in your actions. You are, perhaps, one of the very few among the nobles who has taken the time to learn of our culture, and embrace it. Should any seek to do you or yours harm, you will have our support. And, rest assured, your children will be in good hooves.”
“I can’t begin to tell you how relieved I am to hear you say that, Pensword. I know not everyone in the family will necessarily be pleased with the idea.”
Pensword looked questioningly to his wife, and Lunar Fang sighed.
“When Starry Night married Chivalry, and became a duchess, my older sister vowed never to have anything to do with her or her offspring again. She felt that, after all the abuse we’d faced from the other tribes, we should stick to our own. You could say she was a reflection of the purism the nobles practice. It’s . . . it’s ultimately why she chose to leave. I haven’t heard anything from her since Mother and Father died.”
Pensword facehoofed. “Right. So now there’s another sister I didn’t know about. Great.” He sighed, then smiled tiredly at his wife. Lunar Fang returned with a sheepish smile of her own. “New relations aside, I am happy we are here to help you, Chivalry. It is good to know that we have more members in the family. As I am sure Lunar– I mean Moonshade can attest, I am always happy to welcome more into the family. That includes you. We will do the best we can to raise your boys the way you and your wife would have had them raised.”
“I expect nothing less. If you were to give me any . . . leniency according to the Solar Court’s standards, I would challenge you to a duel to see if you were worthy to raise our young.”
Pensword raised an eyebrow. “Starry Night taught you well.” He caught his wife’s blush behind her mane, and chuckled. “And Moonshade as well, it would seem. No wonder she was able to teach Matthew so easily.” He shook his head. “I must admit, it feels strange to call her by that name, after all this time.”
Chivalry laughed. “It’s strange for me to hear Lunar Fang, instead of Moonshade. Still, I must warn you, if I was able to tell the difference, the other nobles will soon as well. And while I can see you pre-empted it by marrying Moonshade, they will still endeavor to slander you, and your reputation.”
“If they wish for proof, I can give them a very accurate demonstration for how to garrott a Gryphon,” Lunar Fang said passively.
“I’m sure you can, and that could prove it,” Duke Chivalry replied with another chuckle. “I recommend you keep that wire in your weapon’s pouch, just in case. You never know when the opportunity might present itself.”
Lunar Fang chuckled. “Any that give me reason to do so won’t last long.”
“Hear hear,” the other two agreed fervently as Pensword passed out the sugar canes for them to share together.
Vital Spark looked about nervously as he prepped for the long run ahead of him. Unlike previous years, the ranks of spectators and volunteers had risen to the point where carpenters had to make stands, and Unicorn mages had to be on standby to broadcast the events via a live magical crystal feed. Thanks to Comic, these babies would be able to record events as seen through the eyes of the announcers, and then be broadcast magically to the Unicorns that had been synched with the crystals. They would broadcast their magic into a series of refracting crystals that had been specially grown in the Crystal Empire to create a gigantic display hovering in the air with minimal effort. If one of the mages grew low on mana, a replacement Unicorn would be able to pick up the feed, allowing the coverage to remain strong throughout the competition. As he’d put it, the image should come in crystal clear.
Black Rook and the other troops also made their preparations, while Vital Spark scanned the crowds for his friends. Up in the royal box, Twilight sat, waiting to officiate. She smiled, and waved down at Vital Spark, and the balloon, where Pinkie Pie and Spike were getting ready to take off and comment.
Grif sat casually with his family on a few lawn chairs he’d insisted on bringing, despite the stands. He smiled wickedly at the members of his own troops in the running of the leaves, having told them there would be a special punishment for anyone who finished below thirteenth place. Given that there were over thirty of them in the race, more than a few were sweating at the sight of Grif as he offered Shrial and Avalon roasted chestnuts.
Vital Smiled, and waved as he spotted Clover over by the stands. She appeared to be examining the matrix work on the crystal display, so he let his gaze wander after some of his other friends in the crowd. It was a fun way to pass the time, until the race began.
Pensword also sat in the stands to watch as his own troops raced, including Fox Feather. He was dressed in a formal suit, and laughed at some of the antics his fellow Demon Slayers did in preparation for the race, including a mock military march. His eyes gleamed in anticipation as he thought about his plans for after the race. Four young foals propped themselves up on the banister to see the action, and to cheer on their new mother as the runners got ready for the race to come. Lunar Fang couldn’t help but smile as she pulled Pensword close to her with a wing. In this moment, they were one big, happy family.
“Welcome, everypony, to the annual Running of the Leaves!” Pinkie Pie shouted out through her megaphone. “Is everypony excited? I’m so excited! Just look at all the runners we have this year! It’s going to be a close race, and nopony can guess which runner might be the winner!”
“That’s right, Pinkie. Will it be our old favorites, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, or is it possible the new guards might just pull ahead to clinch a win for Equestria’s military? Then again, it looks like we might be getting a few Gryphons in on the action, too. It could be anypony’s game at this point,” Spike said through his microphone.
“And just look at all the people who’ve come this year! The stands are so packed, we’ve even got concession ponies! Hey, Smokey Red, gimme a hot one!” Pinkie shouted. The pony in question immediately levitated a steaming carrot dog with all the works, causing both commentators to salivate.
Spike immediately produced a gem. “Make that two!”
“You know, in all this time, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Spike actually eat meat,” Vital Spark mused. “Gems, sure, and the occasional Pony delicacy, especially sweets, but never protein.”
“He was raised by Ponies, Mon’ami,” Kahn said with a playful smile. “What else would you expect?”
“Fair enough. So, are you ready to run with the rest of us?” Vital asked.
“Naturellement.” He brushed at his feathers. “After all, one has to know how to impress the ladies.”
“You mean like you impressed that rose bush?” Vital asked with a chuckle.
“At least I got farther with zat rosebush than you have with your a’mour, my friend,” Kahn said, chuckling. “And, if I had your way with la femmes, I wouldn’t have to do much wooing at all.”
“Uh, I’m not really a flirtatious kind of guy, Kahn. You sure you’re not talking about somepony else?” Vital asked as he raised a skeptical eyebrow.
“Oh, mon’ami, you cannot see the hand in front of your face,” Kahn said, chuckling louder as he facetaloned.
“Well, yeah. I’ve got hooves,” Vital said with a perfectly straight face.
It was at that point Kahn's chuckle broke into a much louder laugh.
Vital smirked. “Thought that might get you going.”
“Are you prepared to lose, then, mon’ami?” Kahn said as he recovered.
“It’s not about winning or losing, Kahn. It’s supposed to be about having fun, and getting the leaves to fall. Though I still don’t get why we have to run to make them do that. Gravity should do that for us as time passes.” Vital shrugged. “Still, far be it for me to question local traditions.”
“Competition is the drive, though, non? Everyone here may not be upset, if they lose, but it is the thrill of the win that attracts them.”
“I’m just looking forward to seeing how I can fare in this kind of race. It’s the first time I’ve done a marathon before.”
Twilight concentrated her magic into her horn, and let loose a colorful display of magic to draw everypony’s attention her way. She then proceeded to clear her throat, and speak.
“Welcome, everypony, and thank you for coming to this wonderful event. I still remember my first Running of the Leaves just a few years ago, and the many warm memories and lessons that came with it. Today, we gather once again to remember these times, and to make new memories. However, we also gather today to remember the lives of those who sacrificed so much to protect our beloved homes from invasion. The Changelings have taken much from us since their first invasion. They’ve taken our sense of safety, filled our lives with fear, spread chaos and destruction, and now, have brought death.
“But even as we remember these painful moments, we need to remember that not all Changelings are the same. Thanks to Queen Me-Me, and her hive, New Unity was able to be alerted of the coming swarm, and mount a valiant defense, until the time that Hammer Strike, Pensword, and Grif were able to return from a diplomatic mission. We lost many brave souls to that attack, from all the tribes, our brothers and sisters in friendship and harmony, including many of Me-Me’s children, and the Gryphons from the Bladefeather Clan. These soldiers were unique, tenacious, focused, dedicated, and honorable. They fought valiantly, and have been laid to rest with the honors they deserve. At this time, I would like to ask that we observe a moment of silence for these, our fallen guardsponies, Changelings, and Gryphons of New Unity.”
Twilight fired off her horn once again, leaving a glowing insignia in the air. First, a glowing Unicorn’s horn, then a Pegasus wing, then a powerful hoof, a Changeling wing, a Gryphon’s head, and last, a crescent moon behind a Thestral wing. These six images circled together in the air as a rainbow ball of light formed where their corners touched. Then they merged together, and the orb of light burst apart, slowly dropping sparkles of multicolored dust surrounding the names of the fallen, one after the other, with no preference for tribe, rank, or creed.
“These are the remembered. And, like these leaves, they were with us for a very short time. For many of us, they fell too soon, but they will live on in our hearts and our minds, and what they stood for will live on to spring anew at winter’s end. In honor of their ideas of unity, of harmony, of friendship and love, these Gryphons and Ponies run. Let us also honor their memory, and carry them with us to shape a brighter tomorrow, and a happier spring.” She flapped her wings, and flew above the starting line. “With that being said, let the Running of the Leaves commence! Runners, to your positions!”
The assortment of creatures approached the much wider starting line.
“El Fluffy, if you would be so kind,” Twilight said as she bowed in the large manticore’s direction. He had chosen to settle on a large pillow next to Hammer Strike on the ground near the starting line. Renati perched on a tall pole that had been set next to Hammer Strike’s seat, and Hammer Strike himself looked silently on as the events wound up. El Fluffy looked inquiringly at Hammer Strike, who simply gave a slight nod. The manticore then proceeded to rise to all fours, cough, clear his throat, then roar. The racers were off in a cloud of dust, and the thunderous roar of hundreds of hooves, paws, and talons beat the ground as one.
“Wow, now that’s what I call one doozie of a race!” Pinkie Pie said through her megaphone.
“That’s right, Pinkie. I’d say that just about everypony here had their heart in it. Just look at what a great job they did!” Spike said as he motioned towards Whitetail Woods. Not a single leaf was left hanging, and the ground seemed alight with color and flame that would stir at the slightest breeze.
“Indeed. Quite right, Spike. Why, I’d even go so far as to say they painted the town,” a familiar voice echoed as, with a pop, and a burst of confetti, Discord appeared hovering next to the balloon with his own microphone, except it was a rubber chicken. “Well, maybe not really, but I suppose it will have to do, under the circumstances.” He sighed, and waved his lion paw negligently.
“Mmhmm mm hmm! Hmm mmm hmm hmm,” a red-dressed Pony wearing a gas mask covering the entirety of his face spoke out.
“Thats right, my friend. Let’s get a big round of applause for everyone who ran today!” Pinkie said as though the sudden appearance of the Pony in a hot air balloon basket more than fifty feet above ground was no big deal.
“Pyro, is that you? My goodness, you’ve certainly gotten built. Have you been working out?” Discord asked.
“Mmmfmmm hmm hmm hmm!” the pony responded.
“Thats right, silly! This pyro’s never met you before. That was his great great great great–.” For the sake of convenience, we can simply assure you Pinkie stated every single great individually. “–Great grandfather!”
Discord leaned in, and carefully looked over the mask, the Pony’s coat, his mane. “Hmm. You know, you look almost just like him. You’re sure you still want to keep those lenses I gave him? Last I heard, they drove him to destroy an entire county, before they could get him under ‘control,’” he said, performing the air quotes. “Now where’s the fun in that?”
“Hmmm mmm fmm fm hmmm,” the Pony explained, stomping a hoof.
“I see. Well, that explains why your family didn’t break me out,” he mused. “You were having too much fun spreading chaos elsewhere.”
“Um, Discord, maybe you should save that conversation for another time,” Spike said as he pointed meaningfully towards the hundreds of Ponies that were staring at the incredibly strange conversation.
“Well, I suppose, just this once, that I can play along with your little game,” Discord said as he rolled his eyes. “Ladies and gentlecolts, and foals of all ages! And Gryphons, Minotaurs, and whatever other thing you may be,” he added under his breath. “It is our distinct pleasure to present to you the royal egghead herself, the diva of devices, the most famous of formulists, the winged clutz of the year, and Princess of Equestria, Twilight Sparkle!” Discord threw his hands up in the air, and a rain of gophers suddenly rained down from the sky, much to Fluttershy’s glee as she cuddled them. The others that fell nearly caused a panic, before they suddenly burst into a cloud of extremely colorful flowers. “Ta-da!” Discord said as he took a bow using a top hat he’d conjured.
“Discord,” Twilight grated from behind him.
“What? Can’t everypony take a little joke?” he asked with a chuckle. “Princess Twilight, everypony!”
The crowds cheered for her as she hovered there, and Twilight blushed at the attention. “Thank you, everypony, for coming to support the Running of the Leaves. It was quite a surprising turn of events to see a five-way tie for first place. With that being said, I would like to ask the lucky runners to step forward to receive their prize. “Congratulations, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Black Rook, Kahn, and Fox Feather!”
The crowd roared as the five stepped forward. Applejack and Rainbow Dash grinned at one another as they hoof bumped. Fox Feather remained dignified and solemn with Black Rook at her side, and Kahn whispered something into Twilight’s ear as he accepted his prize, before moving to stand beside the others. He chuckled as the princess blushed a furious scarlet behind him.
“Just what did you say to her?” Rainbow Dash whispered conspiratorially.
“J’aurais préféré un baiser de la belle dame, ma petite princesse. In Equish, it means something along the lines of, ‘I’d have preferred a kiss from the lovely lady.’” Kahn chuckled roguishly.
Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but laugh out loud as she kicked in the air like she normally did when the mood took her. This made Twilight blush all the more as she turned to address the crowd. “As for the rest of our runners, Each has been displayed on the crystal generator for you to see. Since we only had medals made for the top five, I’m afraid we won’t be able to give out any others, but good job to all of you. It was a thrilling race, right up until the very end. Thank you so very much for coming. With the festivities here over, you can feel free to return to your homes. And remember, Nightmare Night is just around the corner, so don’t forget to get those decorations and sweets ready for our special guest,” Twilight said with a smile.
As Ponies proceeded to disperse, many wandered among the kiosks and stands that had been set up for any last minute sales or treats, before making their way back to Ponyville to return to their usual activities. Hammer Strike nodded his approval at the fair play, and the performance and bearing from the troops, while Pensword flew in to embrace his wife alongside Lunar Fang. While everyone was distracted and dispersing, Kahn was busy moving in on an opening.
With all the skill and poise of the malicious flirt that he was, Kahn slowed his pace as he crossed Rainbow to leave the stage, speaking in a voice low enough that only the two of them could hear. “Perhaps reaching for the stars was beyond me, non? But who knows, maybe, sometime, I’ll get to taste the rainbow?” He walked off the stage, not needing to look back at the red-faced Rainbow Dash.
“Huh. I wonder what he had to say,” Vital Spark said as he pointed out the distinctly embarrassed Rainbow Dash to Trixie. “Great job, by the way. You’re in better shape than I thought you would have been, based on what I’d heard about you before.”
“Was there ever any doubt?” Trixie asked with an over-dramatic gesture that ‘accidentally’ caused her hat to fall over her face, hiding a blush of her own that she quickly gained control over.
“Let’s just call it a healthy skepticism,” Vital Spark said with a playful chuckle.
“It was nice for Trixie to get out, though. Thank you for convincing Trixie to do this.” Humility obviously didn’t come naturally to her, but it was a start.
“Was that actually a compliment I heard?” Vital Spark laughed as Trixie blushed. “It’s good to see you acting more like a person, and less like an overconfident prick. Not that you have been since, you know. . . .” This time he was the one blushing awkwardly as the memory of her near-death experience returned.
“Trixie knows she was . . . high strung in the past. She is trying very hard to change that.”
“And you’re doing a great job. You think, um, maybe we could study together some time? I’m having a little difficulty with some of the finer aspects of fetlock reading, and I could use a partner to help me out.”
“Trixie believes she might be able to make time in her schedule to give you her invaluable aid!” she said, swirling her cape with a flare. “But, for now, she must . . . disappear!” Unable to hide the blush on her face for much longer, she tossed down a smoke pellet, and vanished in the smoke that followed.
Vital Spark stared at the spot where she had been standing for a few moments. “She does realize she could’ve just teleported, right?” he asked the air as he cocked his head in confusion, before turning to see if he couldn’t find Hammer Strike and the others.
Pensword entered Hammer Strike’s Office, after checking to make sure he had no appointments. He smiled at Hammer Strike, and sat down in his usual place. “I am thinking of organizing a guy’s night out. Try to get back to the old times, before we were running the world, you know?” His cheeky grin showed he was kidding with that last comment, though there was an element of truth behind it as well. “Just enjoy each other's time. I never did get to hear what you all did to the military back home. I heard something about a freak out, but I didn’t get too many specifics. How was your family?” He sighed. “I know it will be hard to just start it up again, after all this time, but I would like to try, just so we can be friends and normal folk again, not the war heroes or the nobles or leaders.”
“And where, exactly,” Grif asked as he entered the room, “could we go? I know I wouldn’t like to be swarmed by fans, and I know Hammer Strike would hate it.”
“We start in our offices, but, eventually, we can build what I think would be called a . . . man cave? Did I get that right?”
“Wouldn’t be hard to make a space for it,” Hammer Strike commented.
“Well, then we can build it in the coming months. Might be fun to build it ourselves. Or should we get some outside help?” Pensword asked excitedly. “Would be a nice place to display and store the items from earth we can’t show to the public just yet. And it could be where we … No! Bad Pensword,” he snapped at himself. “Big planning later. Right now . . . well, what should we have as a checklist for this cave, then? I think a library would be a big item.”
“New Unity has a library, and I doubt we all brought enough books to require a second library. I can make some shelves for the room, and we can use them.”
“Okay,” Pensword replied with a smile. “So what do you two want to add to it?”
“It definitely has to be someplace with electricity.” Grif shrugged. “Or with power of some sort.”
“Shouldn’t be too hard to set up. I brought some plans for that,” Hammer Strike replied as he pat his coat.
“And I have a solar power generator,” Pensword added. “The US government gave it to us.”
“You can only get so much power out of those, but they’re still useful, yeah,” Hammer Strike agreed.
“It will be a start,” Pensword said with a grin. His ears perked, and his tail swished in anticipation.
“Isn’t a solar generator a little obvious?” Grif asked.
“Hide it like an oil well or water treatment plant behind the facade of a house,” Pensword answered.
“There are methods of creating solar-based energy through magic,” Hammer Strike hinted.
“You mean as in tapping the power directly?” Grif asked.
“Basically.”
“Would it take long to set up?”
“Not sure. If I do it myself, I could do it relatively quickly,” Hammer Strike replied, before muttering under his breath, “unless I accidentally let the energy disperse, like the first time I made them.”
“So, those crystal things will power stuff?” Pensword asked.
“Oh, no. That’d require a lot more work for a simple conversion. What I meant is supplying the solar panels with the same type of energy as it would sitting in sunlight. Just . . . not from the sun.”
“Either way, Pensword, I can’t see this being something we can set up any time soon. I have a lot on my plate at the moment,” Grif noted
“I understand that, but it would be something fun for us to do when we have less stuff on our plates.”
“It might at that,” Hammer Strike mused. “It might at that.”
Grif knocked on the door to Cheshire’s house with three short, quick, loud raps. After a while of thinking, he was sure he’d finally managed to come up with the best way to word what he wanted to say.
The sound of a jingling bell heralded the opening of the door as the portal pulled slowly open on squeaky hinges. Nobody stood at the door, but Grif’s trained eyes could easily make out the near-translucent wire that trailed from the door. As he reached the hallway, he turned to see an ingenious, albeit overbearingly complex, pile of cogs, arms, claws, winches, and springs that made up the device for the door.
“A visitor? For me?” Cheshire’s voice chuckled in that unusually carefree tone of hers, light as air, and as infuriating as the day she first grinned at him. “And who might it be, I wonder. Could it be the butcher? The baker? The vacuum salesman?”
“We need to talk, Chesire,” Grif said as he walked in, and examined the mechanism as a tug from a second string prompted the thing to spring to life, and kick an old horseshoe into the door to slam it shut.
“Then talk. I certainly won’t stop you, though to say that it’s needed, now that’s an interesting choice of words. What do we really need, Grif, hmm?” A deep purr sounded from the room nearby, and the brighter yellow light indicated a roaring fire.
“Chesire, when you install heavily intricate mechanisms to avoid needing to get up and answer the door, you’re at the point where you need to have people around.”
“Is that so? And who’s to say it wasn’t just a hobby of mine? I’ve been feeling so terribly good of late. Why, I’d almost say it hurts, if things weren’t going so well.”
As Grif rounded the hall’s corner, he found Cheshire with a goofy grin on her face as she lay on her side by the fire. Her armor lay on a strangely constructed stand off to the side. In an odd turn of events, it seemed that its feet had been stood up in the air, while the prongs for holding the armor were kept upside down, and the hooks had been reversed. The extra portions indicative of what had once been the arms of a coatrack now served as the base. She purred pleasurably as she stretched, and sighed contentedly as their eyes met.
“Chesire. Shrial, Avalon, and I have been talking. They’re worried about you, and, honestly, I am, too. We wanted to offer you a chance to live with us, at least until the baby is born. Lots of talons make for light work, after all.”
“Talons, talons, claws, and beaks. Fangs that bite, and teeth that gnash.” She giggled again. “You know, it’s the most curious thing how I’ve been feeling of late. I wonder if that’s why Mother told me not to have children.” She laughed. “I suppose I can be just a little bit mad, can’t I? But, then again, where’s the sense in life without a little nonsense?” And then she grinned an unsettling grin Grif had only seen a few times before, on a very strange cat from a land of wonder.
“A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men,” Grif offered. “Seriously, though, Cheshire. Please come back to the house with me.”
Cheshire purred, and rubbed her belly, before warbling affectionately at the spot. “No, I don’t think so, Grif.” Then she stretched again, and flipped to her other side, exposing just how wide her stomach had begun to expand, and sighed. “I’m feeling just a tad too good right now to move anywhere, you know.”
“I guess it’s too bad then.” Grif sighed. “The girls are going to grow up with only straight-laced Thalia for an aunt. No crazy, fun-loving aunt to keep them on the right path. Who knows what will happen to them?”
“Isn’t that what Avalon is there for? I hear she has quite the mischievous streak in her. As changing as the Winds, if what I hear is true,” she said with a smirk, though a glimmer of a playful glint shone in the back of those blissful eyes. Grif couldn’t help but smirk.
"Yes, but she's a scholar," he pointed out. "She’ll be calm, collected, and, Winds have mercy, methodical about it. Is that the way mischief is to be taught, Chesire, through method?”
Cheshire sighed. “Well, I suppose I could see about making my way over there, what with my busy schedule and all.” She rolled her eyes as she stretched yet again.
“Did I mention we’re having tuna tonight?” Grif offered.
“Are you trying to stereotype me, Grif?” Cheshire asked as she slowly circled her clan leader.
Grif raised an eyebrow, before producing a ball of yarn, and tossing it in front of her. Without even looking at it, Chesire’s talons struck out to bat at it.
“Touché,” she said with a smirk. “You’re lucky I’m pregnant. That wouldn’t have worked otherwise,” she said as she tossed the ball back and forth between her paws while her tail whipped playfully behind her.
“No, probably not,” Grif agreed. “If it makes things easier, I could have a litter brought for you.”
“Oh, Grif. Don’t you know?” she asked as she passed through the door, and slowly backed into the shadows leading to her personal quarters, so only the whites of her teeth and her eyes remained. “I’m already gone.” Her voice seemed almost to echo as even those last remnants faded into the nothingness.
“Once again, I always find myself praising the Winds she’s on our side,” Grif told himself with a chuckle as he put down the fire grate, before leaving the room. He had a sneaking suspicion Cheshire was already with the girls.
“All right now, ladies, if you could just make your way over here, that would be positively lovely,” Rarity said as she levitated her trusty measuring tape, note pad, quill, and inkwell. “Hold still, and we can have this fitting finished within the hour. And then we get to the best part of the preparations.” She practically vibrated with excitement. “Picking out the wedding dress!”
“I still don’t get why we have to be here when Twilight gets to skip out,” Rainbow Dash grumbled.
Applejack promptly knocked Rainbow on the shoulder with a hoof. “Because she’s a princess, and she’s got princess duties to attend to. Now quit puttin’ up such a fuss. Twilight’ll be here when she’s finished with her royal duties for the day.”
“And since she has to handle the ceremony, Spike said she was up super duper late working on the wedding speech again, and again, and again, and again, and again, until she could get it just perfect!” Pinkie Pie added as she bounced in place. “Ooh! Ooh! This one, Rarity!” she said, pointing a a very vibrant neon pink party dress.
“Perhaps for the reception, darling,” Rarity said, “But the wedding requires a particular color scheme, and we’re going more for a forging theme in the royal court. I can just picture it now. The excitement, the glamour, the simple love through gentle actions. Ooh, why, it’s just like The Princess Bride!”
“I think that’s so romantic. And we can have all my cute little forest friends sing in a choir. Forges are always closer to the wild,” Fluttershy said with a gentle smile.
Sweetie Belle poked her head in from another room. “Can we be the flower girls again?”
“Flower girl? Oh, Sweetie, you’ll be much more important than that,” Rarity said as she rushed over, and swept the filly up in her hooves. “You’re going to be our ring bearer!”
“Wait, you don’t mean like Frodo from that story Taze told us, do you?”
“While replicating that volcanic eruption in the form of a fireworks display would be a grand event, and I am perfectly confident Hammer Strike could forge a magical ring, if he felt like it, I’m fairly certain wedding rings are meant to be worn, not tossed into a fiery pit, Sweetie. You won’t have to worry about a thing.”
“Besides, Mount Doom went extinct six hundred years ago, silly,” Pinkie said as she rubbed a hoof in Sweetie Belle’s mane.
“But what do Scootaloo, Applebloom, Dinky, and Button do?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Well, I suppose we could have you and Button be ring bearers together,” Rarity mused. “It’s a tad unorthodox, but there are two rings involved, so having two bearers should work. And the rest of the CMC are going to be flower maidens, of course.”
“Well, in Pegasus weddings, a guard walks with the ring bearer to protect the bands, so nobody can steal them to break up the ceremony.” Rainbow Dash said with a grin. “I think Button Mash would look awesome in a set of armor. Can’t you picture it, guys?”
Sweetie Belle blushed. “I . . . I guess so.”
“Why, that’s positively brilliant, Rainbow Dash! He can be Hammer Strike’s squire!” Rarity gushed.
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Applejack agreed.
“It’s settled, then. Sweetie, I already have your measurements. Why don’t you go tell Button Mash the good news?”
“M-me?”
“Who better than my little sister to ask?” Rarity pointed out as she smiled kindly. “Besides, I’ll be busy making all these dresses.”
They all waited, until the door had closed, and Sweetie Belle’s form had vanished past the first bend, before laughter filled the room.
“Ain’t that adorable?” Applejack said. “That li’l filly’s got her first crush.”
“Of course it is, Applejack. You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to get those two together,” Rarity said. “Well done, Rainbow Dash. I never knew you could be so clever at manipulating a Pony like that.”
“Excuse me?” Rainbow Dash’s voice cracked. “I wasn’t doing anything! I just thought it’d be cool to have more blades in the wedding to annoy those puffed up wind bags.” She huffed, and her eyes narrowed, and her muzzle scrunched in anger. “I do not manipulate Ponies. That’s Discord’s job.”
“Oh, sorry, darling. I didn’t mean to cause offense. I just meant you helped Sweetie to actually get to a point where she actually had to act, instead of hesitating. You did an excellent job.”
“Oh, well, is that all? Aww shucks.” Rainbow rubbed her mane, mussing it all the more as she smiled. Then her brow furrowed. “I’m glad you think I’m so great and all that, Rarity, and I know I’m pretty cool . . . and all that, but there is one thing that’s still bugging me.”
“Yes, darling? What is it?” Rarity asked.
“What’s The Princess Bride?”
Grif sat at his desk, carefully sipping a cup of coffee as he waited. A half hour ago, Dagger Feather Scroll had returned from the empire with two more families of refugees at his tail. It was much as Grif had expected, and had confirmed some suspicions he’d been entertaining. Now he waited to confirm the rest.
Dagger entered calmly into Grif’s office as he tipped his head in respect to the clan leader. “You wished to see me?”
“Close the door, please, Dagger,” Grif said as he tapped the crystal on his desk.
Dagger did so respectfully, then walked up to stand before the desk, and silently waited.
“Before we begin, if you would kindly disarm,” Grif said.
He nodded his head. “Of course.” He calmly removed his daggers, the short sword Grif had given to him, and a plethora of other hidden ranged weapons to use in a pinch.
“So, Dagger Feather Scroll, why does a member of the Scro’tala faction of the Black Tips come to me with this ruse?” Grif asked.
“Pardon me, Sir?” Dagger asked. His tone was confused, but beneath it all, Grif could detect the slightest hint of worry.
“Drop the act, Dagger. Why are you here? You didn’t succeed the first time, so they figured they’d send someone in under my guard?”
Dagger saw Grif’s talon reaching for what was most likely a concealed weapon. He gulped, knowing only too well the legendary speed of the Avatar of Winds. It took less than a second for him to make his decision. He bowed low, and broke all pretense of ignorance. “We were looking for safe haven, Sir, honestly,” he swore hastily. “We’re a small faction with only two hundred active and retired members at most. We’re hunted by the other factions for choosing to depart from the traditional stance of our order. We fear the actions of the other factions will lead to the inevitable destruction of our branch, unless we act. Your compound is one of the few places on this world where it would be possible to live without fear of attack.
“We’re willing to trade information in exchange for our safety, if that’s what it takes. We can offer knowledge about our traditions and culture to your house, and even to the Demon. We just want to be able to live according to our conscience. The council disagrees with our choice, so we have been severed from the council, and a price has been put on our heads. Without the assistance of your clan, we will eventually perish, and our secrets with us.” He sighed, and lowered his head.
“So your plan was, what, slowly sneak in members and their families over the next few weeks? Months?” Grif asked in an even tone.
Dagger’s eyes shifted nervously, then he took a deep breath, and spoke. “That is correct. We wished to move slowly, without arousing concern or drawing attention. It’s not our wish to draw an attack on your compound. We just want to live on.”
“The last time I ended a conversation with one of your order, I killed him with with a broken coffee mug,” he said. His tail twitched, the only betrayal of any emotion his body would give. The very idea of Dagger’s offer was unsettling, but Grif couldn’t deny the value. Few, if any had ever had an idea of the inner workings of the Shadow Council and the Black Tip leaders. This was one of the oldest orders to exist in Gryphonia. They held skills, knowledge, and traditions older even than Celestia and Luna. “What assurance can you give me that I won’t regret this?”
Dagger gulped, and took a shaky breath. “As keeper of the order’s emblems, I swear on their safekeeping that we will be loyal to your blood, and those you call your blood, from now till the end of days. We don’t make that offer lightly. In exchange for our safety, we will protect your blood and teach those that wish, and who show promise, our knowledge freely. However, with our knowledge comes our oaths, laws, and commands. In many ways, the Black Tips are a nation within a nation. We cannot change those laws. However, as an added assurance, I have been instructed to inform you that, if necessary, we will even go so far as to allow one of your blood to marry into our leader’s line to tie our blood to your blood, with all that would entail.”
Grif stared silently at Dagger as he mulled over the proposal. His eyes remained neutral, his gaze pensive. It stayed like that for a tense five minutes. At last, Grif broke that gaze, and leaned back in his chair. “Very well, Dagger. I’m willing to let you and your sect enter into our protection, but I’ll need a proper list of possible enemies your kind have. We’re fortunate my captain was up to the task with your family, but we’re going to need a stronger guard for the next bunch,” Grif noted as he jotted something on a piece of parchment. “Also, you will each surrender your black tipped feather.”
“While those of us who can will, some of us cannot,” Dagger said with a regretful shake of his head. “They have the trait of the first black tips. The calling of the Winds has marked them for their task. To ask them of that would make them flightless. As for my black tip, it is back in the Empire in our branch’s safe haven. When it is brought over with the caravan,” he winced, “you will have it.”
“Then every one of you who can surrender theirs will do so. The minute this pact is sealed, Dagger, that part of your life is over. Is that understood?”
“I assume you mean the assassinations?”
Grif nodded.
“In that case, then yes. We can live without murdering for a while.” Dagger chuckled. “It may take some getting used to, though. Cloak and dagger is in our blood, you know.”
“I said the killing for money would have to stop, Dagger. I never said anything about your intelligence network.” Grif smirked at him, and winked.
“Oh, you are clever.” Dagger laughed. “You’ll have to ask each one of us to commit personally, until our leader can be smuggled out with the rest of the clan. He’s the only one with the authority to make the pact for all of us.”
“Then bring him to me as soon as you can,” Grif said as he stood up, and handed a parchment to Dagger. “This should give you access to the resources you’ll need.” His eyes hardened briefly. “And from now on, Dagger, no more lies. I think you know what will happen, if there are any.”
Dagger nodded his understanding. “I’ll do my best. I can’t speak for everyone else, though.”
Grif grunted. It would have to do for now. “Very well, Dagger. You can go. Leave whatever messages you brought for me on the desk, and go see your family. Help get the new people settled in.” Grif tapped the crystal again, and its light faded.
“Understood.” Dagger did as instructed, then turned to leave.
“And for the record, Dagger, next time you try to create an Equestrian identity, don’t use a weapon as a first name. Equestrians rarely use weapons first in their identities.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, though it may take some time to adjust to that,” Dagger said with a chuckle. “We’ll have a list of our real names included with the next arrival.”
“Excellent. That will be all, Dagger.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Twilight Sparkle stood in the yard, surrounded by the other Unicorns. A set of weighted horseshoes had been attached to her hooves, and she breathed heavily as sweat ran down her brow. She glared at Grif, who sat patiently on the other end of the yard. “What do you have next?” she asked.
Grif looked up from cleaning his talons, as he had been doing since she started attacking in this sparring match. “Oh, I’m sorry, did we start yet?” he asked mockingly.
Twilight snorted, but that was all she did this time. “Which attack are we going to practice, Grif? I’m not going to waste time trying to hit you. You and I both know I’m not anywhere near that level yet.”
“It’s not all about attacking, Twilight. At least, it’s not about charging dead ahead, and swinging until you hit the target. You literally just spent the last ten minutes wasting energy.”
“Well, you told me to show you the sets I’d memorized so far,” she pointed out. “You’re also the one who suggested I wear these weights,” she grumbled.
“And I expected that a thinker such as you would realize that, to show what you learned effectively, you’d need to realize when to attack.” Grif sighed. “This is a problem I’d have expected from Rainbow Dash.”
“Well, yesterday, Clover told me to not think as much, and be more instinct driven. It’s going to take me some time to find the right balance,” Twilight defended. “I have more data now, so I should be able to formulate some proper counters.”
“Do you dance, Twilight?” Grif asked.
“Grif, you were at the gala. You saw me on the dance floor. Do you really want me to show you here?”
“Then I think we’re going to have to start by teaching you how to dance.”
Applejack had been hoofing out some apples from a crate to promote her farm. Her precious cargo quickly spilled onto the ground as she heard those words. “I think facing a Hydra would be easier than teaching Twi to dance. Trust me, Grif, you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.”
“If she were wielding a hammer or a club, I wouldn’t worry about it, but the blade is a weapon of elegance and refinement, no matter if it’s a spear, a glaive, a sword, a dagger or a knife. You won’t find a true warrior of the blade who cannot dance.” With those words, Grif executed several blade forms in quick elegant movements that made it appear he was dancing to some invisible music.
The sound of noisemakers and confetti appeared all over as Pinkie Pie popped out of Applejack’s apple barrel. “Show them what you’ve got, Twilight!” she cheered as she reached into the barrel, and pulled out a gramophone. Then she set the needle on the record, and began to play an upbeat song.
Twilight blushed, but nodded her head as she got into the beat, before she began to dance. Very . . . very . . . uniquely. Well, that would be the kind way of putting it. She was on her hind hooves doing what might loosely be called the monkey, well, more like the deranged monkey. Her limbs flailed as she jolted to the music. Soon the spectators had to dance or jump out of the way as she shifted, and swung her focus in time.
The gramophone cut out mercifully as Grif lifted the arm off the record. “I think I see the problem,” he said simply.
Twilight stopped, her tongue sticking out a little, her flank a little in the air and her left hoof out at an angle. Pinkie Pie took a picture of her pose. “Oh?” She asked as she slowly moved back to a normal stance on all four hooves.
“You’re not dancing,” Grif concluded. “You’re acting in the way you believe Ponies act when they dance. You're still thinking, but you're not feeling. You're trying to control the flow, rather than move with it.”
“I am?”
“Clearly.” Grif sighed. “Okay, listen, Twilight. When pinkie plays the music again, I want you to listen to the rhythm, and respond with what feels right, not something based on what you’ve read or seen. Let your body feel the rhythm. Let your heart beat with it.”
Pinkie Pie grinned as she pulled the record off, and spun it around on her hoof, before it fell perfectly onto the player, and the needle dropped, playing a new song.
Twilight listened first, she let it flow, and Grif saw a hoof begin to tap to the beat, followed by the swishing of her tail as she just tried to let her body sway. While it was still all over the place as she got into it, her body wasn’t quite so clumsy as before. One could almost say they could see a pattern developing. Not a very good pattern, but a pattern. If she had nunchucks tied to her body, she would make a very worrisome berserker, or possibly done a lot of harm to herself. It was difficult to say at this point.
Grif observed for several minutes, before he cut the music, and nodded. “You're starting to get it, but you’ve still got a ways to go. What time do you get up in the morning, Twilight?”
“That depends on if I have a late night study session, but usually around dawn. I was Celestia's personal student, after all. It kind of comes with the territory.”
“Tomorrow, meet Ping outside the library at dawn, then. I’m going to start you on a new series of exercises, and Ping should be able to teach you. They will help you learn to synch with your body’s own rhythm.”
“I’ll be there,” Twilight promised as she nodded determinedly.
“Now pick up that blade, and come at me again. We still have an hour to go.”
Twilight picked up her blade, took a series of deep breaths, entered into a proper stance, and took her time to analyze the Gryphon, before lunging forward to attack when Grif had looked away.
Grif couldn’t help but let out a tired sigh as she fell for the old ploy. They had a long way to go yet. The sound of her magic alerted him of her sudden teleport, and he blocked expertly. While it was still a technical miss, this was the closest she’d gotten so far, a mere four inches from hitting him. He let a small smile put at the edge of his beak. There might just be some hope for her, after all.
Princess Luna stood upon the burnt ground, surrounded by Thestrals with only their fur and harnesses attached for the work that was to come. All were ready to start rebuilding the lodge. She closed her eyes, and as Celestia lowered her sun, she began to raise her moon, full and bright as the stars began to glow. As she finished setting the course for the night, she looked upon the Thestrals, and smiled at the two Pegasus stallions who had decided to join the festivities. It seemed the mares had them wrapped around their hooves quite nicely.
“Tonight, we rebuild what was lost in the Changeling advance. This building, which we erect with our own hooves, will stand as an important part of Thestral culture in New Unity. It will be a place for important meetings, and sacred rites. Each tribe knows what to do, but as we have a few who wish to join us in our ways, we will explain the various designations. The Viper Tribe will dig the foundations, the Bear Tribe shall haul the wood, and help with splitting it. The Wolf Tribe shall act as guards to protect the perimeter while we work. The Dragon Tribe will play music to keep us occupied, and to add a sense of merriment to the ceremony. The Fox Tribe will hunt for game, and cook it to feed the workers. The Manticore Tribe will work on ceremonial carvings and carpentry for the interior, and the Lions shall work on the roof and the carvings for the exterior. Is everypony ready to begin?” she asked. When the Thestrals all nodded in ascent, she smiled, and nodded her head. “Then let the building commence!”
The Thestrals quickly dispersed, and the sound of axes and saws at work soon echoed through the forest.
“Commander Pensword, Lunar Fang, Fox Feather, if you could please assist your High Chieftess with supervision, she would appreciate it.”
Pensword and Lunar Fang bowed. “I apologize, High Chieftess, but Fox Feather is indisposed, helping take care of the foals. However it would be our honor to assist you.
Luna smiled. “This pleases me greatly. I am grateful to know Fox Feather is taking to motherhood so well.”
The happy couple beamed with pride. Then Pensword let his eyes wander towards the two Pegasi. It seemed they had been given the task of hauling food to the foals, while Fox Feather helped to keep them occupied. He sighed regretfully. It was a pity she couldn’t participate in the building, but until the hall was finished, she couldn’t be properly inducted. So, while she was an honorary member of the tribe by marriage, she still had to wait for the rest. Still, Fox Feather had already proven just how long she was willing to wait when it came to Pensword. She could manage a few measly nights.
Luna hovered a locked chest in her magic with a worried frown. At last, that frown hardened into a look of resolve and acceptance as she turned to the couple, and set the chest down before them. Its surface was immaculately carved and painted the colors of the night. Minor stones and gems had been embedded to give luster and sparkle to the emblems of the star beasts from the tribe. Her own cutie mark sealed the lid shut. “Lunar Fang, as part of your duties, I would like you to guard this stone from the first cave, until the lodge is finished.”
Lunar Fang’s eyes widened in surprise, but she did as she was bade, and climbed upon the chest, before crouching in an attack stance. None would take this treasure from them while she was on guard.
“That is also why I asked you to the come,” Luna said sadly. “When I and my guards cleaned out the rubble, we couldn’t find the first stone. I fear Chrysalis may have taken it for study.” She spat angrily at the ground, the memory of the Ursa Major’s death still vivid in her mind.
Pensword tasted blood in his mouth as he bit his lip to keep the string of curses at bay. “I will endeavor to find and recover the stone from her clutches. No one takes the stone as a trophy.” He narrowed his gaze. “I think I shall make sure Clover puts a preservation spell on Crystalis’ head as well, so it may hang, and remind us all of the duty before us and our children. We will return the stolen home.”
Luna nodded her head in thanks, then smiled. “But now is not the time to dwell on such things. Now is the time to build for the future. Come, come and see what I have planned. It may not be so grand as what we have in Ys, nor can it hope to replace the hallowed grounds of home, but it shall hearken back to when first we and the Thestrals marched as one.”
“What do you–?” Pensword turned confusedly, and froze in shock as he looked to the area where the lodge had once stood. His eyes widened as he finally recognized the place for what it was. How had he missed it before? Over a thousand years ago, he and his people had gathered in this very spot as Luna marshalled them to war for the first time under her banner. Few here would appreciate the significance of that fact, but he knew at least one who would. He turned to look towards Moon Biter, who had been carefully studying a sketch of one of the carvings she would need to make, and using a wood planer to shave off some of the wood. She stopped momentarily, looked at the drawing again, then stared up at the castle in surprise as she hastened to blink back the tears that threatened to overflow. The Gryphon Slayers may not have recognized it before, but they surely would after the structure had been rebuilt and dedicated. Pensord would make certain of that.
He approached Moon Biter, and placed a supportive hoof on her shoulder, then looked down at the sketch. It portrayed the head of an Ursa Major, with Luna’s crescent moon on the forehead, instead of the star. He knew where this carving would go, and exactly where it would point. He felt a familiar pang in his heart as he thought back to the mountains, and the caves from whence they had come so very long ago.
An hour later, Pensword was walking through the woodworking camp, observing as panels were carved and chiseled. Various depictions of their history slowly came to life under the dedicated hooves of the Manticore Tribe: Princess Luna in her battle against the Ursa Major, the pleading before the tribes on the behalf of Equestria. Pensword blushed, and blinked back tears as he spied a depiction of a familiar young stallion with moonstones arrayed in an arc in front of him. True to Luna’s word, this lodge would be an impressive monument to their unity, for it was to become an embodiment of their history, a living archive. He watched as the Thestrals worked to widen the foundation, and dig deeper than the first lodge had been, and smiled. The public history would remain above for all to see who would visit, but the sacred things, those events closest to Thestra hearts and traditions, would be kept in the catacombs that even now were being dug. He smiled, and left the wood workers to their tears. Whether they came from pride, or from the sorrowful task of recording Luna’s fall, he did not know, but he would leave them to it. They had that right.
The Fox Tribe soon returned from their hunt, and each of the parties took their turn eating. First came the young, who ate eagerly, and then were quickly put to bed in little depressions they had dug for themselves earlier that evening. Furs and pelts were laid over them to keep them warm as they slept, well, with four exceptions. Moon River and her new brothers were giving their keepers a run for their money, and then some.
A Pegasus stallion marched up to Pensword with Moon River nomming his left ear, and Day Moon doing the same for his right. His bandana had been wrapped around his neck, allowing his mane to flow freely. His silver eyes glowed in the moonlight as he smiled mischievously. Cristo and Inigo both struggled to hold back their prey, which just happened to be the stallion’s legs, and they giggled all the while, much to their target’s frustration. Clearly, he was not amused.
A laugh came from behind as Princess Luna stepped out from the shadows. “So, at last I meet the whispers of the Thestral mares properly: he who is moon kissed, who bears the eyes to burn out evil wherever he looks, and you and your brothers all blessed by the White Wolf to stand in the dark, and guide the lost.” She leaned down, and nuzzled the younglings. Moon River booped the princess on the nose, as was her usual behavior. Inigo and Cristo looked up with fiendish grins all children their age bore when they were up to mischief. Meanwhile, Day Moon reared backwards, then struck with a hard nip at Luna’s nose.
A gasp rang from the Ponies nearby, but Luna simply smiled as the blood oozed from the bite, and raised her head high. “When this one comes of the age for training, he shall be trained by Grif in the techniques of monster hunting that the human, Taze, left behind, so that this one may become the first hunter since my fall to guard against those that worship the Nightmare, and feast upon Pony blood for their power. As the Great Wolf hunted those that fell and flocked to the side of the Nightmare upon her birth, so shall he also fight them.” She looked happily upon Day Moon, who still had his fangs bared. “Great is he who willingly bites the nose of one who is stronger,” she whispered conspiratorially. With a minor glow from her horn, her wound healed, but she left two white dots that only those who examined closely would be able to see. “To mark your first attack,” she said as she winked at him. Day Moon smiled, and winked back.
With that exchange complete, Luna turned her attentions to the Pegasus. “You shall be compensated for your wet ears, but. . ..” She paused as she realized all four foals had up and vanished. “And they’re gone.” She giggled. “Pensword, your children shall be a good influence for the coming generation. Methinks little Moon River will reinvigorate the old ways in ways that the Thestrals have not shown for generations. Truly, it is good that you are to become your own clan tonight. For this way, the Wolf Tribe can have as much say and claim to Day Moon as your own Bear Tribe.”
“What?” Pensword balked. “But . . .how? I thought legend says that the Wolf Tribe should care for one as blessed as Day Moon.”
“And remove him from his siblings?” Flurry Fang asked. “He would resent us more for taking away the rest of his family. Never before have we had a moon kissed born as sibling to fellows gifted by the white wolf.” He smiled like a wolf laughing at a joke. “Besides, why should we take away the moon’s gift to your clan?”
Pensword looked flatly at Flurry Fang, but said nothing. “I shall be hunting for my foals.” He felt a weight on his back and turned his his head to see Cristo’s uncontrollable black mane and tail. Then he felt a wing tip started to play with a tip of his long mane. He saw that as a sign. “Don’t worry, my son. You are special as well. Someday, when you come of age, and battle of wits lies in your future, none shall stand before you, unless you let them.” He smiled at the small brief smirk that formed on the boy’s muzzle, and was shocked at how easily he had taken to calling them his sons. “Now do you know where. . .?” He stopped as Cristo shook his head, but the eyes twinkling with suppressed mirth told another story.
Pensword chuckled. “Very well. Run along, and play havoc with the sitters. Just don’t get into too much mischief, all right?”
Cristo took to a long gilding leap, then trotted away on foot. A discreet wing signal on Pensword’s part had two mares head in the opposite direction from Cristo to find the troublemakers. Unfortunately, it was too late to stop the surprise attack as all were suddenly peppered by a barrage of toy bolts. Seconds later, they found the foals nestled in their holes as if they’d never left. After a proper round of laughter, the rest of the construction carried on with a brightness of hope for the future.
As the moon started to set, the shingles, which had been carefully carved to look like Dragon Scales, were placed, the carvings and artifacts were carried inside with the sleeping foals, and, somehow, they managed to fit the entire construction crew as well. While Fox Feather was allowed in, since she was an honorary Thestral, the Pegasus stallions were ordered to either stand watch or sleep, if they chose. Either way, they would have to do it outside the structure. With everyone gathered inside, the doors were closed and barred. The stallions did their best to remain awake, but with a little help from the dream walkers, they were soon in slumber. The Thestrals smirked as they quietly unbarred the doors, and pulled the sleeping Ponies in to join the rest of the crew, before closing the doors, just as the sun rose over the horizon to touch the completed structure.
When the moon rose again, the Thestrals exited, and Pensword had officially been set apart as the head of Clan Pen. The tribes spoke softly around, bidding one another farewell, and, while Princess Luna and the remaining troops of her personal guard prepared to leave, the other Thestrals moved to return to their homes.
The shadow skulked from its place beneath the boughs of the Everfree, and quivered in anticipation as the Thestrals dispersed. Now was the time. It dashed silently toward the structure’s gates, only to hiss angrily as it made contact with the doors. Moon-touched silver, a sacred blessing. The creature would not be able to pass. It prepared to pass on to the castle, when three loud hisses drew its attention, and it froze. There, silhouetted in the rising light of the moon, three pairs of white bat wings spread, three pairs of eyes glowed blue, green, and silver. The creature fell to the ground, and the rustling of the leaves heralded its retreat as it fled. The master would not be pleased with its report, but the master had to be warned. It prayed to the abyss it would not suffer like the last shadow to come back empty.
Clover sat patiently, waiting for the assembled Unicorns in front of her to find their places, and settle in. It had been over a month since her first lesson, and yet, it still took them too long to get ready.
Vital Spark sighed from his place at his table up front, and rolled his eyes. “Just like high school,” he muttered.
“Don’t they know who they’re dealing with?” Trixie whispered back.
“I get the feeling they’ll be finding out soon enough,” Vital whispered back. “Clover’s never this lenient for very long. And she’s smiling. She must have a trick up her sleeves that we don’t know about.”
“You call that falling in? That was a disgrace! Now I want you all to run back to the courtyard, and then come back in formation like real guardsmen!” a voice shouted from a side chamber as a bright blue crest glinted in the light. The torches reflected off the proud stallion’s mane and coat as he stepped boldly to join Clover’s side. The crest of his house seemed almost to glow with its familiar lavender sheen. Shining Armor had come to New Unity.
“S-sir!” one of the recruits stared wide-eyed as he struggled to form a proper sentence.
“Did I stutter, Private? I said move!” Shining barked as his horn ignited with his magic. In a matter of moments, a wall of force pushed itself out towards the Ponies, passing over chairs, desks, and other materials like they weren’t even there, but forcing the soldiers to cluster closer and closer to the door, until there was no room left. The door in question opened with Clover’s assistance, then slammed shut again as several yelps indicated the spell had continued to run its course.
Vital Spark grinned as he raced up to the former captain. “Shining! It’s great to see you again,” he enthused as he shook the stallion’s hoof vigorously.
“Well, Clover asked me to come give a lecture on barrier spells. I figured she’d appreciate a little help getting things moving more smoothly, too.”
“Definitely. Admittedly, after all that’s happened here recently, I’m surprised these Ponies are being so carefree.” Vital sighed. “I’m guessing you already heard about that, though.”
“Well, it’s pretty hard to miss more than a few of your unmarried stallions and mares hopping a train, and heading to Ponyville.” Shining’s ears lowered “I’m sorry for the losses you all faced.”
“It’s going to take everyone time to recover, I would think. I just hope the nobles don’t go up in arms over this. If anything, it’s more reason to get these troops trained right. If it weren’t for the more experienced ones keeping everything in order, that battle could’ve taken a very different path, with a very different outcome.” Vital Spark took a deep breath, and sighed. “Sorry, sorry. I know we probably should be focusing more on life than death. How’s Cadence doing?”
“She’s fine.” Shining nodded. “She was just bogged down with work right now.”
“So how soon till she’s expecting?” Vital asked with a mischievous smirk.
Mercifully, the door opened, and the Unicorns began filing in in a more disciplined manner. In a matter of seconds, the room was full, with each Unicorn sitting at the ready with their focus in front of them. Shining Armor nodded. “That’s much better. From now on, I expect you to assemble to your classes with the same discipline. If not, I will hear about it. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Sir!” the troops shouted together.
“Now I’m betting you’re all wondering why I’m here. Your teacher, Clover the Clever, didn’t call me about your lack of respect and discipline, though I wouldn’t fault her, if she had,” he said as he fixed them with a glare She called me here, today, to help instruct your ignorant plots about barrier and shield spells.”
“Ooh, this is gonna be good,” Vital whispered to himself excitedly. Trixie giggled at his somewhat childish behavior. He looked almost like a foal in a candy store.
Over the next hour, Shining Armor proceeded to lecture the guards on the finer points of shield spells. For once, his relation to Twilight was evident as he went into long-winded explanations, bringing up highly complex quotes from works by other Unicorn mages. At every fifteen minute point, he proceeded to quiz random troops on what he had been talking about, to make sure they’d been paying attention. One guard who’d fallen asleep during the class had received a very rude awakening in the form of a bath of ice water contained in an open-topped spherical shield.
Vital Spark winced. “Ouch,” he hissed. “So that’s what it’s like in boot camp.”
“Now then. Does anybody have any questions?” Shining Armor scanned the room.
“When do we perform the practical?” Vital asked.
“That will be the next class,” Clover spoke up for the first time.
“So we just study the theory until then?”
“The theory is the most important thing right now,” Shining Armor said. “Most Unicorns can throw up a barrier, but few can make it hold for the type of fire you're likely to face on the battlefield.”
“Why is that, anyways?” Vital asked curiously.
“Why is what?” Shining asked.
“Why is it that so few Unicorns can sustain a proper defensive barrier like yours or Clover’s?”
“Because all they're doing is providing a repelling force, not an actual wall.”
“So, even though it looks like a shield, and acts similar to the shield, it’s a different animal entirely?”
“Essentially, yes. A real shield is a wall created from magical energy,” Shining Armor explained. “Stronger shields are faceted.”
“Faceted? What do you mean by that?”
Shining Armor created a shield, which, at first, appeared like a normal dome. He then proceeded to concentrate, and, slowly, small hexagonal shapes began to grow visible as they expanded over the surface. Soon the whole shield resembled a gem.
“So once we master the formulae, and get the spell matrix fixed properly in our memories, these barriers should become second nature?” Vital asked.
Shining Armor nodded. “That's the jist of it.”
“I’m surprised nobles and others haven’t mastered it, then. You’d think they’d want a power like this, if most Unicorns don’t know how to use it properly. Then again, I guess we should be thankful they haven’t.” He winced as he looked back at the other recruits. “Present company excluded, of course.”
The other guards sweatdropped, and clover facehoofed.
Vital Spark chuckled nervously. “Uh . . . sorry?”
Trixie shook her head in utter disbelief. “And Trixie thought she wasn’t tactful.”