//------------------------------// // Celestia's Invitation // Story: The Crusaders // by GJT_Productions //------------------------------// "Captain, I still do not understand why Princess Celestia has such interest in inviting three fillies over to redo a school talent show performance, even if those fillies are related to the Element Bearers..." "Only two of them, actually, as far as Twilight Sparkle and I know. And, Stratocumulus, I've learned over the many years working here as Captain of the Canterlot Guard that an alicorn's mind is even more unfathomable than that of a more simple mare. Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor has come the closest to understanding them, but even he gets stumped sometimes..." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Captain, are you going to make arrangements for the travel of the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders' to and from Canterlot?" Princess Celestia asks with a sly grin on her face, poking her head in to interrupt the conversation between Captain of the Guard Gibraltar and Lieutenant Captain Stratocumulus, newly commissioned as the replacment for Aten in charge of the morning Guard shift. "Yes, Your Highness, I will get Lieutenant Biro working on it." Captain Gibraltar replies, Lieutenant Captain Stratocumulus joining him in giving a sheepish smile in Celestia's direction. These smiles were only dropped once Celestia's hoofsteps had faded into echoes in the Canterlot Castle hallways. "I swear those alicorns are going to be the death of me one of these days..." Gibraltar sighs out, levitating a sheet of parchment as he does so over toward Lieutenant Biro working studiously and silently in the corner of the Captain's office. "I wish Shining Armor was here to help me figure them out, sir..." Lieutenant Captain Stratocumulus replies with as much honesty as he can muster. "Now you know he's been busy with other assignments, coordinating the batponies working at night trying to track down where Aten and his guards disappeared to." Gibraltar reminds his subordinate. "As if the critial nature of Lieutenant Troilus spouting anti-pegasus conspriacy theories has helped any... it's a pity he's the most senior Lieutenant on the shift after Aten's group was purged out..." "Troilus barely even listens to me, sir. I'm sure it's because Celestia appointed me instead of him to replace Aten, I don't know what else it could be..." Stratocumulus growls out in quiet frustration. "Celestia put your former Agent of Chaos and long-term double agent status out in public record. I wouldn't have done that myself, but such things are important with her, so I've kept quiet about the wisdom of such a decision to myself until now." Gibraltar states, looking up at the worry of Stratocumulus as he speaks. "Unfortunately, that put a big target right on you for Troilus and whoever believes his crazy theories. And there's not much I or your fellow Lieutenant Captains can do about it." "What am I supposed to do with Troilus, sir, without triggering a huge scandal in the process?" Stratocumulus all but pleads to the Captain. "Despite his loose lips, Troilus has not done anything worthy of formal punishment. Know this though - the princesses have your back. Celestia wouldn't have placed you in this situation if she didn't. I have you back, Fidelitas has your back and Shining Armor has your back. If Troilus ever does anything worthy of real punishment, the book will be thrown at him, just to make it clear that his race does not excuse his undermining behavior. Aten did enough of that before the rebellion, and it's extremely aggravating Troilus seems to be interested in continuing this in a different guise. Am I clear, Lieutenant Captain?" "Very, sir." "Good, you are dismissed. Lieutenant Biro and I will be able to take care of Celestia's request from here..." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MEANWHILE, IN PONYVILLE'S GOLDEN OAKS LIBRARY... "Okay, before I give those around the table who don't already know how to play O&O the introductory course, I'm going to introduce everyone one at..." "BURRRRRP!" "Spike, where are your manners?!? Don't you see we have guests here?!" "I couldn't help it, Twilight! Letter!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stallions Big Macintosh and Gizmo exchange looks mixing mortification and amusement as Twilight Sparkle uses unicorn magic to take the rolled-up letter in one of Spike's clawed hands. Obviously never having seen Celestia's delivery methods firsthoof, it's all they can do to avoid staring down at Spike in slack-jawed amazement. "Note to self: Tell Princess Celestia my schedule for the new Ponyville O&O Club." Twilight Sparkle mutters to herself as she opens and unrolls the scroll while it is levitating in mid-air. "What is it? Is that how Princess Celestia sends all her mail?" Gizmo asks Twilight, causing Spike to blush somewhat afterward. "Not all her mail, Poindexter. Just anything that's supposed to be for me, which is weird since I've already sent a friendship letter this week..." Twilight trails off, referring to Gizmo by the name her older brother had called him in high school. "Well, what does the letter say?" Big Macintosh pipes up. "It's not addressed to me, Princess Celestia wants this taken to the Ponyville Schoolhouse and presented to Cheerilee on behalf of the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders'." Twilight replies with a great deal of surprise in her voice. "That thing my sister's part of?" Big Macintosh speaks again. "Must be. Can you take this to the schoolhouse when you pick your sister up, Big Mac?" Twilight asks, levitating the scroll over to the stallion as she speaks. "Sure, I guess..." the red stallion replies in puzzlement, looking down at the scroll on the table as he does so... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LATER, AT PONYVILLE SCHOOLHOUSE... The ringing of the school bell brings galloping excitement from the colts and fillies released from confinement to their desks. The teacher, Cheerilee, shakes her head in amusement as she begins to organize her notes. In the corner of her sight, she catches Big Macintosh sauntering into the classroom. "Here to pick up Apple Bloom, I'm assuming Big Mac?" Cheerilee asks in her usual perky tone of voice. "Actually, Twilight Sparkle wanted me to give you something." Big Mac answers, putting down the scroll he had gotten earlier on Cheerilee's desk. Puzzled, Cheerilee unrolls the scroll, reading it by holding it open with her forelegs while standing on her hindlegs. "Hmmm... Apple Bloom, could you and Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo come over here please?" Cheerilee asks, calling over the three "Cutie Mark Crusaders" currently huddling in the planning phase of their next "crusade". "What is it, Miss Cheerilee?" Sweetie Belle asks as the trio approach Cheerilee and Big Mac at Cheerilee's desk. "Big Mac brought something from Twilight, a message from Princess Celestia herself!" Cheerilee states, placing the scroll on the schoolroom floor so that they can read it for themselves. The three fillies crowd around the unrolled scroll, and their reaction to the contents is not joy, but shock and horror: "WHAT?!?" "Why does the princess want us to do that?!" Apple Bloom exclaims. "Yeah, aren't we gonna destroy her theater? Besides, it didn't do for us what we wanted it to do anyways, and I doubt doin' it a second time will get us the cutie marks. We gotta find other ways of doin' comedy if we're gonna get the cutie mark in that." Scootaloo adds in. "And she wants us doing it as soon as we can make it to Canterlot? I mean, that show took a lot of planning, and we won't have our sisters to help us out..." Sweetie Belle pipes up. Cheerilee looks over at Big Macintosh for help, but the earth pony stallion just shrugs in response. Cheerilee looks down at the skeptical fillies, and realizes the next week or so of her life just got very interesting...