A day had passed since the very successful Friendship Festival; old foes wandered the streets after the party, now thankful rather than hostile as their oppressive King had been vanquished. Ponies forgave the Southern Yetis of the Storm Isles for their transgressions, and even mourned for those who had been lost when Twilight's friends retook the city to save her. A pony who had lost her way had been saved by the power of Friendship, and she had returned to Equestria and Her ideals. It was another happy conclusion to what was nearly a massive disaster.
Even so, Celestia was displeased. They should not have been brought to the brink of total defeat so easily. They were better than that, weren't they? She was troubled by the thought that they no longer were, that she and her sister had become weak and ineffective through the years of peace, and so she paced worriedly in her private quarters, her sister lounging and reading a comic on her bed whilst they waited for the others to arrive. There was to be a secret meeting of the rulers of Equestria and Her closest ally, the Crystal Empire, and somehow they would set this right.
Twilight was the first to arrive, ever punctual, and in high spirits after recent events, at least until she saw Celestia's expression. “Princess?” It was an innocent question, her eyes friendly but intense as she tried to decipher the thoughts of her former mentor.
“Twilight, please, we have been over this. You are as much a Princess as I.”
“I know I know,” Twilight didn't need to hear the whole speech again. “Sorry, Celestia; force of habit.”
“Perhaps ye do not feel like a Princess,” Luna added, almost sounding bored, “For ye indeed lack much of what a Princess should have.”
“Luna, do be patient. We must wait for Cadance to begin, lest we say everything twice.” Celestia's remark made Luna drop her comic to her lap, an unimpressed expression on her face, but when she saw the chastised look Twilight wore she was awash with worry and regret.
“We do apologize, Twilight. We did not mean to insinuate that you are unworthy; nay, it is we who have failed you. You have not been provided the proper resources--”
“Luna, Cadance will be here any minute,” at this next interruption from her sister, Luna dropped her outdated sentence structure and regal demeanor... mostly.
“Pray tell Us, what exactly is the harm in saying something more than once? I have upset dear Twilight with my careless choice of words. Surely you would not deny me a chance to mend the damage simply to avoid hearing me repeat the point later?”
Celestia shuddered, her anxious pacing coming to a sudden stop in the center of the room as she shakily sat upon the bright orange rug. “I'm sorry, sister, it's just,” she seemed to swallow down trying to force her emotions to remain in check, Twilight draping a wing over her shoulders in a sign of support. Luna was much more concerned with the point of the meeting then, removing herself from the bed and cantering to her sister, but before Celestia could continue the door to her chambers opened.
They had been joined by the final pony Celestia had summoned. Cadance didn't have any words to banish the awkwardness of her moment of arrival, nor did she have any idea why Celestia was so upset, but ever the paragon of Love she simply strode forth and joined what swiftly became a group hug. They all patiently waited for Celestia to gather herself, so she could finally tell them what bothered her so. After a few minutes of silent comfort she spoke, soft and sad. “Our recent defeat was a colossal failure.” This confused the others, as Equestria had once again been victorious, but they listened intently regardless. “Our sweet little ponies were enslaved, if only for a short while, because even the four of us together could not outfight Tempest.”
“Fizzy,” Twilight corrected impulsively. “Her real name is Fizzlepop Berrytwist, but her friends call her Fizzy.”
“We assume that her friends are a group composed of yourself and the other Element Bearers.” Twilight just nodded to Luna in response. “Thou never cease to astound us, Twilight Sparkle.” Celestia used her wings to gently push the hug apart before the meeting could devolve into mutual admiration and congratulations: they didn't deserve it on this day.
“Our citizens saved us. Exceptional heroes among our populace, but still citizens. It is one thing when your friends follow you into battle, Twilight. It is another entirely for all of us and every guard at our command to fail spectacularly and need rescuing like the damsels in a minotaur's fantasy novel.” Celestia almost regretted the effect her words had on the others, their gazes shifting to the floor in shame, but now was not the time to be soft. “All four of us must improve in every aspect of combat to become the feared and respected warriors we once were. I have brought us together today to discuss who will become our trainers. They must be strong and bold enough to push us to our limits and beyond.”
“Hmmm... yes, We begin to understand.” Luna's wing extended to Twilight as she continued, facing Celestia with a determined expression. “Still, We insist that Twilight be given proper guards and servants.”
“W-what? I don't need any--”
“Yes you do!” Luna's insistence killed Twilight's protests, unlike when Celestia had merely suggested the possibility in times past. “If our guards were not so weak themselves then the city would not have been taken so easily. The Storm King himself was not even personally present for the attack, but still the guard failed to hold ground. If We must improve then so must they! Twilight deserves the best our land can offer.”
“Speaking of the best,” Twilight nervously interjected, ignoring her embarrassment. “I already composed a mental list of trainer candidates while you were talking. Do you mind if I use your writing desk, Celestia?” The Princess of the Sun had expected this part of the process would require input from all of them, but she didn't object. Twilight's horn lit up with her magic as she started to write while still several steps away from the desk. “Great! The more I think about this the more I'm looking forward to it!”
“As exciting as this is, the rest of you don't have a husband to stand in your place for a week. We'll need to find suitable stewards to perform your stately duties while we train.”
“We suspect this will take much longer than one week, Cadance. Our dear sister is both highly out of practice and a perfectionist.” Celestia huffed, but didn't bother to refute the point, Cadance just grinning nervously, but as the soothing sound of Twilight's magic and a quill scratching over parchment filled the room the rulers of the realm managed to move the conversation along more constructively. After thirty minutes of discussion, Twilight had finished her list and made her case to the others, justifying her choices. Celestia called for tea, the facade of a social visit fooling her servants until they left the room, and proposals on who would do what in the coming months continued. They planned for themselves a dedicated half of a year for training, with breaks on weekends to spend checking in on their stewards. Luna would have to merely scout the dream realm on occasion, leaving dreaming ponies to fight their own demons so she could get enough sleep to train as hard as the others.
Twilight had sold them on the idea of training in Ponyville, since they would need to oversee the training of Twilight's new staff in their downtime, and because it had many different types of terrain nearby for them to spar in. The meeting dragged on even as Spike was allowed to join them, sending letters by dragon flame to the appropriate individuals. They would soon travel to Twilight's castle to await the responses, but first there were ponies to brief on their new responsibilities.
Well, mostly one pony in particular.
“Nephew,” Prince Blueblood turned to greet Luna as she approached, giving a quick but respectful bow. It seemed she was in a hurry, and he didn't want to slow her down. “This is my sister's schedule,” she was almost past him as she said it, tossing the parchment in his direction carelessly, sure he would catch it in his telekinesis. “For today, at least. Here too is the schedule for tomorrow.”
“Auntie, what..?”
“The schedules for the next six months have been moved to your quarters by your new advisers. We shall return for a few moments each weekend to check in on Thee. Do nothing that We would not,” she turned to him with an excited gleam in her eyes and a smile on her lips, “Prince of Equestria.”
“I... I won't let you down, auntie Luna.”
“Good. If there is an emergency you can find us training near Twilight's castle.”
“Training?” Blueblood questioned, obviously baffled. Yet, Luna was only a few steps away from turning a corner and leaving Blueblood with his thoughts.
“Yes. The Princesses of Equestria shall become unstoppable forces of nature once again.” Just like that she was gone, Blueblood staring after her curiously for a long while. Quickly he recomposed himself, gazing at the list. Nodding to himself, he cantered on toward the throne room to get started.
Later, in Ponyville...
“Wait wait wait. You all want me, Rainbow Dash, most daring flier in Equestria, to train you, the Princesses of Equestria, in the most intense and grueling way possible for six months, with the goal to get your alicorn blood pumping and teach you so good that you can even fly circles around me?”
Celestia almost said 'yes, exactly,' but Twilight stepped forward, shaking her hoof. “Nonono, not the last part. None of us will be able to fly better than you, but you can make us much better than we are. Also I'm – I mean We, as in the Royal We and apparently something I need to get used to using – We are putting you in charge of the other trainers.”
Rainbow put a hoof to her face, sighing deeply, but steadily her posture relaxed and a thoughtful countenance overcame her. “O-kay. I can do this, but I need the rest of the Wonderbolts here with me, and their equipment. I won't be able to do shows while this is going on, but I'm not getting kicked out for it either.”
“Done,” Luna stated with finality. “We shall relay your demands Ourselves. As per royal decree you shall be the commander of the Wonderbolts throughout these six months.”
“W-wait, I didn't mean – Aaaand she's gone.”
“I really appreciate it, Rainbow. I know it's a lot of responsibility but Celestia was right: We need this. I've prepared a list of everypony We want working under you.” Twilight levitated her list over, Rainbow snatching it from the air to give it a long, hard read, her face creasing with concentration as she tried to work out the logic of Twilight's choices and how best to apply them.
“Stygian and Starswirl? They only just reconciled so I'll have to be careful with them.”
“I'm sure you can handle it, Rainbow! We have a lot of paperwork to go through in advance so Blueblood isn't overwhelmed, so you have a whole week to plan out how you want to do this. See ya Monday!”
Rainbow was more baffled the longer she thought about the list, and she scratched her head as she stared at the name 'Fizzlepop Berrytwist,' until she remembered who Twilight called 'Fizzy.' “I have to work with Tempest Shadow!?” According to Twilight they were all friends with her already, but Rainbow was definitely still cautious around her, and yet the Princesses apparently thought it was a grand idea to spar with her for the next six months. “Ponyfeathers.”
Moondancer stared hard at the letter that had appeared in a spark of dragon-fire in front of her face, her horn lit with a muted pink aura as she levitated the parchment. “A royal summons from Twilight. Not just a letter from a friend, but an official summons with a seal and everything.”
“You should definitely go!” Exclaimed Minuette from the other side of the table in the doughnut shop run by Donut Joe. “Even if she couldn't say why she needs you in the letter, I'm sure it will be fun!”
“Plus it's technically treason for you to ignore the summons.” The others gave a small laugh to Lemon Hearts' words, but their mirth was obviously false.
“It wouldn't be treason,” Moondancer countered calmly. “At worst you could call it infringement, maybe just disobedience.”
“I work with the crown,” Lemon Hearts reminded with a flat tone. “They would call it treason if they wanted to.” There was a moment of silence while Minuette chewed a doughnut and Twinkleshine looked nervously between Lemon Hearts and Moondancer, but the latter had simply returned to reading the letter for perhaps the thirteenth time.
“Twilight wouldn't do that, though; would she?” Twinkleshine sounded unsure of her words, Moondancer shrugging like she didn't really care. Minuette's emphatic nodding made her opinion clear, but there were too many unknowns in the mysterious summons for any of them to really be sure of much.
“Considering that she had time to write a friendly post script with sentiments for me to pass on to each of you and also the time I'll be spending away I don't think it's urgent, but it's definitely important.” A possibility dawned on Moondancer that she hadn't thought of before, her face lighting up with giddy anticipation. “Maybe it's a top secret research trip! Why else would we need six whole months?”
“That does make a lot of sense.” They all nodded together, totally sure of themselves in spite of how wrong they were. Though Moondancer would miss her friends, she was excited by the prospect of spending so much time with Twilight, certain she would learn all manner of new spells and tricks while in Ponyville.
“First a royal pardon and now a royal summons!” Grubber had adjusted to defeat rather quickly, mostly because the ponies offered him all manner of sweet baked goods which were some of the best he'd had in his life. He hadn't left Fizzlepop's side since they'd reunited after the party, some part of him suspecting that all the mercy she'd been shown had to have a catch and he wanted to protect her from it if he could. “Seems these Equestrians like you even more than the Storm King did.”
“Not all ponies are so kind, but if the Princesses are then perhaps they can inspire change over time. I know Twilight cares for all her subjects; the Storm King didn't.” The two made their way onto the Friendship Express, ponies and a few griffons boarding with them or squeezing past on their way out. When they took their seats they found their train car surprisingly crowded, as if several of Ponyville's residents had stayed in Canterlot after the Friendship Festival for some time for one reason or another. Across from them sat a unicorn with taped together glasses and a book floating in the aura of her telekinesis. Fizzlepop squinted at the title, but Grubber beat her to it.
“The Many Spirits of the Saddle Arabian Deserts?” Fizzlepop had to resist slapping a hoof to her face as Grubber started an unnecessary and potentially very awkward conversation with the unicorn. It was true that most conversations with ponies would be of that nature for both of them since they were directly involved in taking Canterlot for the Storm King, but she'd prefer feeling agitated by this particular example to acknowledging that depressing fact's full implications. “Why would ya need to know about that? You a battle-mage or something?”
Moondancer slowly lowered her book, staring at Grubber dispassionately. “I'm studying,” she answered flatly. “The Djinni entries alone have been both expansive and fascinating. I haven't gotten past them yet.” Her tone gradually became less agitated the longer she spent looking at the two across from her, an opportunity to learn more about the event that recently shook the entire nation too enticing to pass up, even for a book. “Aren't you two the ones who lead the attack on Canterlot?”
There was some anger in Moondancer's voice, but it was overshadowed by her curiosity, which Fizzlepop took to be a good sign. “I have submitted to the will of Equestria's royalty for my crimes, which has been an all-together more pleasant experience than I expected.”
“Yep! Those Princesses love the commander.” Grubber began to obnoxiously brag beside her, taking pride in her status and achievements as if they were his own as he always had. He didn't have an envious bone in his body; he was a loyal, lazy sycophant and Fizzlepop didn't expect he'd ever change. “Heck, we're actually on our way to help Princess Twilight with something right now.” Well, at least he had the tactfulness to not mention that their mission was a secret as yet not revealed even to them.
Upon hearing his words, Moondancer was so shocked that her telekinesis ceased and her book began to fall. When her horn had first been broken, Fizzlepop often hurt herself trying to catch falling objects, the resulting electric discharges damaging whatever she wanted to save, but years of training under the Storm King's toughest Storm Guard sargeants had retaught her to rely on her body and her hoof caught Moondancer's book effortlessly by mere impulse. “Try not to drop this again, please.”
“Th-thank you.” Moondancer took the book back with shaking hooves, placing it in her satchel. She was now certain that she wasn't being summoned for a research trip, unless it was going to be a particularly dangerous one. “I was just surprised since that's the reason I'm on this train too.” Grubber immediately burst into a fit of laughter, Fizzlepop quickly smacking him with a hoof and sending a vicious glare his way. “I suppose you are wondering what the Princess could possibly want from a totally ordinary unicorn such as myself.” That shut Grubber up a lot more effectively than Fizzlepop's empty threat, and he blinked at Moondancer in surprise.
“Uh... yeah, that's exactly what I was wondering. Didn't expect you to admit it though.”
“No, it's okay. I've been wondering that myself. It's a difficult question to answer. I find myself puzzled by an even more difficult question now, which is why in Tartarus she would want a short, fat, limp-wristed ape who needs a pony to do literally everything for him.” There was a long, awkward silence as they all stared at each other, Grubber scratching his arm self-consciously. “That came out more harsh and less funny than I wanted it to. I'm sorry.”
“Hey, it's better to fire back than to curl up and be offended, right?” Moondancer was glad Grubber seemed so willing to put the whole exchange behind them, but she was also surprised by how easily he seemed to brush it off. Obviously he had a cultural background that was entirely alien to her, having been a member of the Storm King's military.
“As much as it pains me to admit it, Grubber is actually useful. He planned the attack on Canterlot. He was technically a rank above me before we both decided to abandon the Storm King's forces on account of him being, kinda, shattered into several pieces and subsequently posed into several ludicrous positions with nightmarish anatomical compositions on a dance floor, a little bit.”
“I remember that, actually. I didn't know that the broken crystal statue was actually the Storm King's corpse until Pinkie Pie gleefully informed me that it was. She proceeded to whisper the same thing to everypony and ape near me, and probably everyone else too.”
And so the three bonded over how much Pinkie Pie mutually creeped them out, Moondancer eventually beginning to inconspicuously take notes on the peculiar relationship Fizzlepop and Grubber shared. None of them were aware that more people answering the same summons were seated in the next traincar.
“So, you gonna do it?” Capper held a confident smile as he said it, leaning back on his bench as if he was particularly pleased with himself. He stretched his arms and spread his legs to own the ridiculous amount of space he had, making his isolation look much more welcome than it actually was. By contrast, Celaeno shrunk in on herself self-consciously, her outfit much bolder than her pose. Ponies had opted to sit above sanctioned capacity on other benches to be away from the foreigners, and they were trying with limited success to ignore that fact.
“Do what, exactly?” All Celaeno really knew about Capper was that he was bold enough to attack the Storm King's army and inept enough to need to when they attempted to infiltrate the occupied Canterlot. She felt his cocky air was both unearned and inevitable.
“Quit being a pirate; settle down in Equestria; that sort of thing.”
“The crew is just taking a long-deserved vacation right now,” she said dismissively, crossing her full leg over the one that was half crystal in an attempt to somewhat mimic Capper's confident air.
“I always needed to steal to survive, kind of like a pirate, but I don't think I'll ever have to again if I stay here.”
“Because the ponies will take pity on you?” Capper suppressed a growl. “And we didn't just steal. We searched uncharted islands and found ancient treasures, and we will again.”
“'Didn't just steal.' So you did steal, and you plan to again.”
Celaeno clenched a fist, wishing she had a table to slam it on. “The Storm King didn't deserve his obscene taxes!”
“You're right, you're so right, and I've done worse, believe me.” Capper leaned forward slightly, a predatory glint in his eyes. “But when the ponies put a fair leader in power and those poor people start trying to get their economy back on track, your tax interceptions will be a lot less welcome. Besides, it's not like you weren't just takin' from the people to begin with. The Storm King only raised his taxes every time they were late.”
“What are you saying?”
“Just don't do something you'll regret.”
Celaeno flicked her steel sword an inch out of its scabbard. “Do you really think you could make me regret anything?” She no longer minded that the ponies were afraid of her, nor that she had to present her letter of summoning to bring her weapons aboard. In fact, she was rather proud of it. If there had been another bench with sufficient space, Capper would have moved to it. He was no longer smiling.
The Next Day, Behind the Castle of Friendship...
The isolation and stealth spells had been cast and tethered to a magical gem array to extend them indefinitely. The necessary experts had assembled, and the Wonderbolts were in the midst of setting up their training equipment and aerial obstacle courses. On the ground, Applejack was busy setting up obstacle courses of her own, Pinkie helping her add some flare here and there, while Fluttershy quickly ushered the last few animals out of the training fields.
Rainbow Dash lazily flapped back and forth in front of the Princesses, Starswirl and Stygian taking notes behind her while she sized them all up. According to Rainbow this was to be an introduction to the coming course. “Okay, we're gonna start with some sparring. It'll be the most common form of training for all of you.” Twilight and Cadance were both startled when Rainbow suddenly slammed down in front of the Princesses, Celestia tittering at them while Luna rolled her eyes.
“It's funny how they flinch, isn't it?” Celestia's small laugh stalled immediately, Rainbow giving her a cocky smirk. “You're first, by the way. Put 'em up!”
“I do not 'put 'em up,' Rainbow Dash.”
“Suit yourself. Onetwothreego!” Celestia had the presence of mind to raise her hooves, taking an ancient combat stance and ready to deflect whatever Rainbow threw at her. She overestimated herself, however, as the fastest pony alive blitzed forward, kicking out blow after blow so quickly that Celestia couldn't even determine what strikes she was employing, much less process how to counter them. “Dead!” Celestia felt Rainbow's hind hoof tap gently against the back of her head, even though her ribs were sore from previous strikes. Was Rainbow claiming she'd won? Celestia wouldn't have it end so soon, her horn lighting as she teleported directly behind Dash, taking a restrained buck to her stomach for her troubles. “Too obvious!” A hoof tapped her face while another held her neck. “Dead!” Dash kicked her into the dirt, a hoof gripping Celestia's and another tapping her knee. “Broken leg!” She reared up, but instead of smashing Celestia's face in with her rear hooves she merely demonstrated that she could have. “Dead! Broken wing! Dead! Dead! Paralyzed! Dead! You lose!”
It was Cadance's turn to laugh, but she shut her mouth as quickly as she could when Rainbow Dash looked her way next. Luna was hiding her smile behind a raised hoof, but Celestia wasn't finished with Dash. Her horn sparked behind the pegasus and her telekinesis held her still in the air mid-flap. “You only won because I allowed you to fight.” Celestia gasped when Rainbow's wings started moving again, the high concentrations of magic in her wings pushing through Celestia's hold and quickly freeing Rainbow's entire body.
“You will never attack anyone here unless you are actively sparring.”
“I didn't really attack--”
Rainbow turned around and pressed her muzzle against Celestia's, her eyes burning with righteous fury. “You will never! Ever! Attack anyone here unless you are actively sparring with them! Do I make myself clear?” Princess Celestia, the immortal alicorn who controlled the Sun that shone down on them from the sky, wilted under Rainbow's gaze and nodded her head with shame. “I can't hear you!”
“Yes! Yes, I understand. I won't do it again, it was wrong of me.” Rainbow Dash nodded, marginally satisfied, and looked around to see that the atmosphere was now much more tense. She was glad they were all finally taking their own idea seriously.
“Twilight, do what Celestia couldn't for ten seconds.”
“You want me to restrain you with telekinesis?”
“I want you to try.”
Twilight took a deep breath. “Okay.” Rainbow felt a force she couldn't resist slam into her chest at just the right angle, spinning her upside-down in the air before her wings were forced into a folded position and her forelimbs were magically slammed down over them. Twilight let gravity bring Rainbow to her back and allowed her rear hooves to kick uselessly, focusing all her energy where it really mattered, Stygian starting to count for them. By the time he reached 'ten,' Rainbow had made no progress, and she was beaming proudly when Twilight released her.
“Now, explain to the class how you did that.”
“Well, firstly that trick wouldn't work so well on alicorns or earth ponies; I have different techniques for those. Since pegasi focus their magic through their wings, they should be denied the chance to fight with them. By using Rainbow's other limbs to restrain her wings I prevented her from fluttering away my spell, and I forced her to her back early so her hind legs would be useless. A general tip is to keep your magic flowing over the subject, so it's harder to push past.”
“Awesome!” Twilight beamed from the praise, biting her lip to hold in a happy giggle. “And now it's your turn to fight, Twilight.”
“Since I know how to restrain you, should we just have a no spell spar?” Rainbow burst out laughing, rolling on the floor while Twilight's expression shifted from happy to confused.
“Oh man, no. You aren't sparring with me, you're having a magic duel with Starswirl.” Twilight tried not to hyperventilate. Their training had begun less than an hour ago and she was already wracked with nerves, but she'd wanted this. Dash was going to truly challenge them all, push them beyond their limits, and forge them into legends. She took another deep breath. She was ready.