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// 76 – "Familiar Embrace." 
// Story: Spike Quits His Job and Goes on Numerous Quests 
// by B_25 
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~76~

"Familiar Embrace."


A wave of cheers began to ripple through the crowd of battered guards and tired mares. Their faces, once marred by fear and beaten by despair, alleviated their wounds with another chorus of cheers. The skies, once covered in gray clouds that made it hard to breathe for everyone below, was becoming more apparent to the dispersing transparent smoke. Even the Princesses had joined in the celebration, mingling into the crowd as if they did not have their crowns. 

Together, the ponies joined as one. And it was because of this combined mass, that the once fearful dragon, was nothing more than shattered stones down below, and that they were together in happiness. After many more cheers and hooves pointing up to the awaiting heaves, the Princess of the sun left the jointed crowd to take a stand before them. 

"Mares and gentle colts." Celestia's motherly tone attracted the ears of those filled even with screams, and quelled all other sounds but the ones nature provided. "If I could have everyone's attention for just a moment, there is a speech I would like to give."

They all may have been stallions who risked leg and limb to ensure the victory of the battle. Some may have experienced the worst agony possible for a pony to suffer through, only for sleep to elude them due to the present fears of dragons instilled on them today. Most probably wanted to party like the tomorrow that was almost never to come, and have an extra nice night with their wives and marefriends.

But their Princess had spoken, and that meant the golden rule was in effect.

The Princess looked onward the mass of seated guards, silent and obedient to her rule, no matter the state or condition that they were all in. Still, a chorus of laughter sounded from the pink and cyan mare who had each other's necks in the crooks of one-another arms, not quite sure why everyone had gone silent and fell to their rumps. 

"Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie." Celestia made sure to imbue her tone with as much authoritative as possible, her goal being achieved when the called mares walked through the crevice of the guards – a shiver coursing through their bones. When the two came to stand before their ruler, they did so with bowed heads.

They didn't dare to close their eyes in front of a Princess, but did their best to not see the disappointment that they assumed was across her face. They heard the echoes of the golden hooves grow louder and louder until the sound stopped before their field of vision. Then, there was a thud, and before they could even raise their heads – they found their faces buried in a coat of velvety white. 

The Princess felt a pride far greater than whatever horde the dragon could muster up in the entirety of his life, watching as those once little mares suppressed their instincts of self-preservation for the sake of a friend and of others. They had no concept of what combat was truly like to compared to a Royal Guard who had seen war, yet they still were able to muster all of their wits and wills and do all that they could. A smile broke through the white alicorn's mask of composure, one certainly akin to that of a proudful mother. 

"I'm so proud of you girls." Celestia brought them closer into her fur while she prodded her muzzle at the back of their necks, giving them an affection nuzzle. "Rainbow Dash, you were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice just to save a friend – truly an act befitting the Element of Loyalty. And you, Pinkie, who had the courage to tap dance atop a dragon's muzzle, and land a critical blow on the dragon's eye."

Celestia brought her mouth to the pink ear and proceeded to whisper into it. "Something that is quite clever and risky to pull off to even the most seasoned soldier."

Pinkie couldn't help bit giggle as the leaving muzzle tickled the fur on the top of her ear, before she looked up and into the magenta eyes of the Princess. Then she gave a wave of the hoof from the part of her that was free from the warm embrace. "It was nuthin!"

Celestia only smiled, looking onward to the sea of sitting guards. "I'm as sure that you are the proper vessel of the Element of Laughter as I am to have seen most of the guards here laugh at your little performance."

None of the guards flinched under the accusation their Princess had delivered, yet she still saw some of the restrained body languages of those sitting in the front. 

"At ease."

The guards almost fell into one another. Though those who did took a moment to whisper into one another's ears. "Do you think she'll give us a hug for all of out hard work?"

Those guards were promptly slapped across the face by the ones who had heard their words. 

Celestia sensed the hoof steps coming just left from the mass and addressed it without evening turning to look. Instead, she threw a hoof over in that direction with an even wider grin. "I would also like to present the other heroic deeds done by the rest of the Elements of Harmony."

The hoof pointed itself at the rest of the Elements Bearers, who had been speaking with Luna during the cheers, finally made themselves present. All except Luna bowed upon hearing the voice of their ruler, keeping their heads to the ground until they were allowed to rise back up. Twilight, however, was a little fidgety at seeing how happy Dash looked in the warm embrace of Celestia's coat. 

"Although I hate admitting it," Celestia's voice attracted the attention of all once more, but those who had their heads bowed continued doing just that, "I am a mare that's a bit on the bigger side, so I think I can fit in four more of you."

The rest didn't need to be told anymore, as they were already galloping toward the group hug with their head held high. Twilight herself leaped onto Celestia, who caught her with the already extended hoof, and embraced her close to the heart. As for the rest, the slowly mingled into the hug, as the other free hoof brought them all close to one another.

Despite this being the first time that they were fully hugged by the Princess, they felt as if it were a familiar embrace. 

"I first would like to thank Applejack for taking care of me when I was out, and trusting me enough to give me her beloved hat." Applejack could help but squirm with embrace against the soft wall of fur, though this caused her to enjoy the pleasant sensation even further as she sunk into it. A moment later, she felt the weight of her hat leave from around her neck, and placed once more on her head.

Just before she could look to the pony responsible, she saw the Princess plant her lips on the rim of the stetson. "I hope to repay that love in kind, imbuing it forever in the form of this hat. You took charge of the Royal Gaurd and led them well when they had not a leader, deciding to piggyback a dragon to bring him back. Surely, the Bearer of Honesty is forever true to her word."

Applejack couldn't help but her cheeks flare up under such praise from such a great ruler, casting her eyes away only to find the stallion she had saved waving to her. Gently, she waved back, and after a moment, the two began to smile.

"We should all be thankful for Miss Rarity for almost the same thing." Celestia lifted her hoof aside from the unicorn of a similar coat, who had gotten so caught up in snuggling the fur that she wasn't expecting for all the stallions eyes to be on her. "Repelling a dragon's flames it no easy feat, nor extracting revenge in a more creative fashion."

Rarity blushed under such praise and began to back into the white coat even more, secretly hoping the Princess would hide her again soon. "It was nothing, really. Just wanting to protect my friends and thinking about what a pain my cat can be. It was more therapy than anything."

Celestia saw the younger mare's wish in how her eyes glisten when they looked up to her, bringing down her hoof and looking to the shy pegasus who hid in between the back of her right hind leg. "And we must never forget about Miss Fluttershy, who sometimes likes to hide from the praise she is more deserving of. Even in the heat of battle, we all must seek for peace, and the Bearer of Kindness tried doing just that, no matter how foul the beast was. This is a lesson we should try to repeat every day."

The Princess looked down to her hind leg to find a pegasus who had curled further into herself, comforted by a curved wall of warm fur, and mouthing a quiet thank you to the princess. She lightly chuckled, before moving on to her treasured student. "And finally, last but not least, fellow princess Twilight Sparke, who went head to head with the dragon at the start of the encounter, and chased after it all to save her friend. It was because of her mastery of using all the Elements that Luna and I were able to save enough magic to do this."

A magic faded into existence around the two rulers horns, who went onto to channel them into a wisp that then streamed forth. They flew down onto the ground of the platform that had been covered in dust and blood, absorbing them like they were a towel. Once the mess of the ground itself was clean, they moved to the now cool once blobs of fire to clear the left-over goo.

These streams of magic passed over the fallen weapons, before floating up into the air and reaching the still slightly gray sky. They found themselves a nice opening to the blueness that awaited all below on the other side, before their owners looked to everyone. "I do believe it's about time we saw the sun." Celestia pointed her hoof up at the little hole made in the clouds, attesting to the sky on the other side that she would see it soon. "Don't you all agree?"

Slowly, her words were processed in the minds of all who had heard them. It started with the Element Bearers who left her warmth to rise up onto their hind legs, pointing their hooves to the hole of hope etched in the smoke-enshrouded sky. The guards began to catch whiff of the act for they all rose in a wave-like fashion, and pointed their hooves upward in declaration to the sky beyond.  


The Princesses began summoned forth the last of their magic.