//------------------------------// // Eventful Wedding Receptions // Story: The King Without a Crown // by Greyson //------------------------------// Chapter 3 - The Return of the King As for the book itself, it held within it the tales of times long passed. The times before the Rise and Fall of Nightmare Moon. The times where legends were born and melded in the fires of bravery and courage, their exploits lining the annuls of history for all eternity. It was during these times that a kingdom, born from hardship and victory, was founded. The Kingdom of Eden. There are few left to this day who remember such a kingdom as having ever existed; even fewer with knowledge of those who actually founded the kingdom. The Aeterna. A species of two legged warriors, scholars, traders, explorers and rulers. They were unique in their own ways. Once, there were many dozens of tribes in the lands which would become theirs. Each one had a different culture, religion, funeral rites and many more varying traditions and rituals. Each group as well held differing views towards their neighbouring tribes. Few were allies, many were enemies, all were divided. Yet there soon came a time when a savage host of barbarians arrived to conquer and pillage their way across Eden, originating from the frozen lands to the North of Equestria (these lands would later be pacified and settled by a unique race of Equestrians, paving the way for the birth of the Crystal Empire), every single tribe banded together under a common banner. Whilst they may have held different views and different principles, they all shared a common goal - a desire to defend what was theirs. Many Aeternan's fought and fell, yet they never faltered and, in the end, their determination to win and the desire for vengeance overcame the savagery of the invaders. The barbarians were beaten back into the frozen wastes of the North. The brotherhood that these tribes forged in the fires of battle endured long after they were victorious and, within a year of their total victory, they banded together to form one singular kingdom. One could argue that this should have been an impossibility; the various ideologies many of the tribes held would have surely ripped the kingdom apart from infighting. Yet this never happened. Some argue that this was because of the sheer bonds of friendship and camaraderie that they had forged during their way against the oceanic barbarians. Others say that it was because they all knew that their best bets of prosperity would be in banding together, despite the contrasting and outright blasphemous views held by their fellows. Yet all agree on one factor which most certainly helped to prevent any form of war within Aeternan society. The power and influence held by the ruling family. Out of all of the tribes that fought, one stood out amongst them for the sheer honour and bravery that they'd shown during battle. When the Kingdom of Eden was formed, the leaders of the tribes all met together and cast their votes as to whom would speak for them. As to whom would lead them towards a great and glorious future. They were all but unanimous in their decision. The tribe of Perennem would be the harbingers of Eden's golden age. When Cyrus arrived, he quickly noticed a plethora of things which concerned him. For a start, he wasn't where he had pictured himself. Unless the castle had undergone a drastic change in scenery, this was not the inner courtyard. Instead, it seemed more akin to the entrance of the city itself. Cyrus himself wouldn't have been too concerned had it not been for another concerning yet definitively more disturbing issue. Parts of the city were burning, green flames lapping at the cities shops and homes. Making his way into the city, he quickly found the most likely suspects behind the viridescent fires spreading across the city harassing a group of terrified ponies. Changelings. They were almost exactly like the equines, yet had a number of conspicuous differences. Firstly, they all held a coat the colour of night, a stark contrast to the vibrant coats of the pony population. Secondly, each of them had large, sharp fangs, similar to those of the big cats of the Eden forests. Cyrus doubted that the two species were related, however. The last feature that separated the Changelings from the ponies, however, was that the changelings were even alive. During the reign of his predecessors, Changelings had attempted to take over Aeternan society by kidnapping and taking the roles of prominent nobles and government officials, such as the Regent of Eden, a position second only to the king himself. It was only by sheer luck that they were discovered. A maid had accidentally walked in on the transformation process, and immediately reported to the first guard that she came across. A great scouring followed. Those suspected of being an infiltrator were tested and, if found to indeed be a Changeling in disguise, were forced out from Eden. Within a fortnight, every single Changeling in Eden had been forced from it's borders and, for many, many years, were never heard from again. As the days passed, the people of Eden began to ponder just what it was that they wanted from them. Power? Resources? Knowledge? Integration? Nobody would ever know their reasons. Despite their more-than-likely nefarious intentions, some in Aeternan society felt varying degrees of guilt. They had most likely caused an entire species to die out after all, as they never heard any more mentions of Changelings from any other species. After a while, however, these feelings vanished, alongside the memories of the Changelings having ever existing. Cyrus himself, upon ascending to the throne, pondered their motives, wondering just what it was that they were aspiring for. Yet after a time he too forgot about them entirely, focusing his attention on the matters of state instead of on the matters of a species believed to have died out. He was surprised, of course, when he saw them. A part of him was glad. He wasn't one for genocide, after all. Still, his feelings at present mattered little. They were here, here and now, laying siege to the seat of power of his oldest and dearest friends and their people. Unless they could be reasoned with, Cyrus was prepared to force every single Changeling out of the city into the wastes of the North, where his people had pushed the ancient barbarians into. Sight set upon the castle in the distance, Cyrus marched forwards, assisting any ponies he came across, ignoring their stunned, fearful and impressed stares. Many years later the Equestrian art gallery would unveil its latest masterpiece - that of a lone two legged creature offering its hand towards a pony trapped under the rubble of their home. In the castle, meanwhile, the shouting of the attackers and the roars of the defenders raged within the hallways, spear versus claw, armour versus fangs. Despite their initial assumptions of the Royal Guard, the Changelings were finding themselves struggling to overcome their defences mounted by the garrison, numerical advantage and all. Having trained for years and years in the name of protecting their sovereign - recently sovereigns - the standard guardspony was worth three Changeling drones. Unfortunately for the Royal guards, there were plenty of Changelings to spare. Little by little, the guards were forced back, unable to stem the seemingly endless tide of drones from overtaking their defensive positions. Fortunately for both sides, those struck down seemingly suffered only minor words. The hardy carapaces of the Changelings meant wounds suffered wouldn't be fatal, whilst the finely crafted armour of the guards resulted in them being incapacitated. Granted, a few would most likely be maimed or left in a wheelchair for months to recover from their wounds, but they'd prefer that over death any day. They'd at least be able to show off their battle scars to the fair mares of Canterlot. Lieutenant Flash Sentry, having tried and failed to push through the horde of Changelings and to the throne room, finally stirred from unconsciousness. Opening his eyes, he found himself in the outer courtyard alongside a number of fellow guardsponies, all bound in the same chitinous substance. Standing near them were a group of drones, standing guard in case any heroic guardponies came to the rescue of their brethren. There was a good chance that none were in the position to come to their aid anyway. "Filthy insects, do you truly believe that our Princesses will fall to the likes of you?" The lieutenant snarled, baring his teeth at his captors. They did not flinch nor did they make any sign of reacting to his taunt, continuing to stand vigilant over their captives. Their silence did nothing to stop the lieutenant's tirade, however, and he continued. "Do you think you've won? That, because you may have defeated the Royal Guard, you've somehow gained victory? Ha! Don't make me laugh. The Princesses are beyond any of you, especially that Queen of yo-" He would have continued with his rant against the Changelings had it not been for the sudden explosion that originated from behind the drones. Almost as one, the Changelings immediately turned to face the cause, fangs bared and claws outstretched, ready to fight off any sort of rescue mounted by the remaining Royal Guard. Instead, they were confused to find themselves looking upon not a pony, but a strange, two legged creature walking towards them, its features grim and hardened. Stopping just a few feet away, Cyrus gazed upon the scene that lay before him. At least a dozen or more Changeling drones and eight captive guardsponies, bound to the floor. Just as he had done with every other group of drones he had come across on his way to the castle, he offered them the same choice. Perhaps they would be the first to be smart enough to accept. "Changelings! Hear my words and take heed! Cease your attacks against the populace, leave this city and never return! This is the first and final offer you shall be so mercifully given! Make your choice now, whilst you're still in the position to do so!" Silence reigned throughout the courtyard, Cyrus's voice echoing around the courtyard. For a moment, Flash believed that maybe, just maybe, the drones would actually accept this strange creature's proposal. But, just like the rest of them who had been offered the same choice, they did not. The Changelings charged, claws sharp and outstretched. To the guardsponies, they did not fancy the odds of the strange two legged beings. They had trained for years to get to the positions they were in, suffering under the arduous training regimes in which they'd been put under during their days as recruits. They were the finest warriors Equestria had to offer. If a whole garrison of them could not hold back the Changeling army, what chance did this creature have? He failed to notice one of the creature's hands glowing in a magical energy. Just as the drones were about to converge upon it, the creature suddenly threw its arm in a backhanded motion, a wall of ethereal energy flying out and sending the Changelings careening into the stone walls of the castle, incapacitating every single one of them. When all was said and done, Lieutenant Sentry and his fellow guardponies were released and left to rearm themselves with the scattered weaponry littering the courtyard as Cyrus continued forward, heading towards the castle. Finding and retaking his spear, Flash Sentry looked to his saviour, seeing him advancing towards the main entrance. "Wait!" The lieutenant called out. Stopping in his tracks, Cyrus looked over his shoulder to the one who had spoken. Seeing the impatience on the creatures face, Flash swallowed his nerves, his training kicking in. "What are you and what do you want?" "Your questions can wait for a later time, Lieutenant," he answered, staring at the insignia upon his armour, displaying his rank, "for now we must find the Princesses." Flash did not fully trust this being. Still, glancing over to the pile of dazed and unconscious Changeling drones that the creature had left in its wake, he at least knew that it wasn't a foe. Hopefully. "I last saw her Majesty at the chapel, overseeing the wedding, before their leader, Queen Chrysalis overpowered her. Come, I shall take you there. But be warned creature - if you should make one wrong move towards the Princess, you won't make it far." Even as he spoke the words he knew that he most likely had little chance of actually besting this creature in battle. "No harm shall befall your Princess. Now lead on." Whilst to the lieutenant Cyrus may have been brushing off his threat, he was nevertheless impressed by his boldness and loyalty to his ruler. Satisfied with this answer, Flash looked over to and signalled for the rest of his squad to follow them, their mission clear once again: to rescue the Princess and to fight off the invaders. With the help of their new ally, perhaps both could be achieved a lot more easily. Seeing a small part of Canterlot engulfed in a green flame brought a mirthless chuckle from the lieutenant. "Join the guard, they said. It'd be a blast, they said," Flash mumbled, placing his helmet back upon his head, "Yea, right. Thank you very much father. Fighting off an invasion of bugs and being saved by some all-powerful warrior truly is a blast." He couldn't say that his career wasn't an exciting one, though. "This 'all-powerful' warrior you speak of would rather be referred to as Cyrus, Lieutenant." Cyrus spoke, amused at the the lieutenant's words. 'This one will go far.' "Of course, Sir Cyrus." They made haste towards the chapel. Meanwhile in the chapel itself, things were not going well for the defenders themselves. Princess Cadance, whilst able to release her beloved Shining Armour from Chrysalis's control, was not strong enough to channel her magic with her beloved Shining's. What was worse was that Chrysalis was now acutely aware to their plans and, with a quick wave of her horn, threw them both to the far end of the room. Her victory was not yet complete, however. Twilight Sparkle, taking advantage of the distraction, was able to blast away the Changelings who had surrounded her and her friends, allowing them all to dash over to Cadance's side. At the same time, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew up to and freed Princess Celestia from her imprisoned state, somehow managing to carry the larger Equine to rest beside Cadance. It would not matter in the end however, as, without the Elements and, weakened by Chrysalis in their earlier bout, Celestia was not in any position to assist her subjects fend off the malevolent Queen of the Changelings. "Why do you even bother?" Chrysalis laughed, looking upon the weak and helpless band of resistance before her. On both sides of the large Changeling stood dozens of drones, all mindlessly loyal to their Queen and matriarch. "You have no hope of defeating me now. Your precious Celestia lies there weak and defenceless, Shining's harlot can all but stand up straight and my drones are already scouring the castle to find that other Princess of yours." "It doesn't matter," Twilight replied, eyes narrowed, "we'll find a way to stop you, no matter what!" Her friends cheered, voicing their own declarations alongside Twilight's. Rolling her eyes, the ruler of the Changelings observed the rabble ahead of her. As she'd already pointed out, the two Alicorns were in no real position to challenge her. The only threat she'd face would be from the two unicorns, mainly the one who'd spoken. Still, if Celestia couldn't stand up to her, what chance did this one have? What chance did any of them have against her now? "I don't think you understand, Twilight Sparkle," Chrysalis purred, a mouth stretching into a sinister grin, "that, right now, you have no hope at all of stopping me now. Look at your Princess! She couldn't stop me and you think that you have even as much a chance as she did? Don't make me laugh. It would take a miracle for you to somehow have any possibility of defea-" The chapel doors quite literally exploded, cutting Chrysalis's rant short. Through the thick cloud of smoke came a wave of Royal guard charged, at the forefront being Lieutenant Flash Sentry, his eyes locked onto those of the surprised Changeling ruler. Her surprise was only momentarily, quickly being replaced with annoyance at her impotent guards stationed outside. Before Flash could give any orders, a beam of emerald light shot out from Chrysalis's horn towards him, the Queen intent on finishing what her guards could not. Just before her spell could strike the guard, she watched in shock as a separate beam of light blasted out from smoke of the explosion, meeting her own magic head on. Shrieking in pain, she cancelled her spell, the beam aimed at Flash Sentry vanishing. In anger she narrowed her eyes, staring into the smoke and at the faint silhouette of whatever pony had dared to hurt her. Her anger quickly vanished as she watched the silhouette grow in size and density, replaced with a mixture of shock and curiosity when a two legged creature stepped out from the smoking rubble of the chapel entrance, the guardsponies making way. Stopping just in front of the formation, Cyrus looked at the large Changeling before him, assuming it to be their Queen due due its larger and more regal appearance compared to the drones at her sides. He then looked to the other side of the room, gazing upon the Equines huddled together, their expressions mirroring that of the Changeling ruler. They seemed to be guarding something - or someone - but he couldn't see past them. The voice of the Changeling brought Cyrus's attention back to her. "You dare strike a Queen!?" That confirmed his suspicions of this one being the ruler, "Do you have any idea who or what you are dealing with, you insolent creature!?" "I believe I should be asking you that question." The second she heard the words, a shocked gasp escaped Celestia's throat. She knew that voice. She'd heard it many times before diplomatic meetings and friendly escapades. It was the voice of a king. It was the voice of her best friend. It was the voice of Cyrus Perennem. The group of mares heard her gasp and, concern overriding their trepidation from the scene ahead of them, rushed to check on the well-being of their ruler. As this was happening, Cyrus and the guards kept their focus solely on Chrysalis and the drones, neither side making any moves, both sides prepared to lunge for one another. "This need not end in violence, Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings. You still have a chance to call off this misbegotten invasion and spare both yourself and those in this room any further sufferi-" He had no time to finish he plea before, having grown tired of diplomacy, Chrysalis let loose another spell, this time aimed at creature ahead of her. Unlike the last time, he did not meet it with his own, remaining motionless as it shot towards him. Cyrus sighed and, spreading his arms, embraced the oncoming spell. Every being within the room watched as Cyrus was engulfed in a virescent fire, his whole being smothered within a blanket of pure flame. The guards - Lieutenant Flash Sentry especially - were in sheer shock. The being who they'd watched casually force his way through groups of Changelings had just been so easily vanquished. Chrysalis herself was as equally shocked, though more due to how he'd so nonchalantly embraced his demise. Even Twilight Sparkle and her friends found themselves speechless at what they'd just witnessed - what could have been their saviour being reduced to ash. Celestia, peering through the gap between the protective circle of the mares around her, had just bared witness to everything that had just happened alongside everypony else. Yet unlike them, she was neither shocked nor despaired. Instead of sharing the look of horror with which her ponies held, she instead wore a small, knowing smirk upon her muzzle. She knew that, if this was truly the Cyrus of old, if he had truly survived the invasion of Eden and the cataclysm that followed, then she knew what was about to happen. She knew that Chrysalis could not hope to fell Cyrus with one simple spell. Celestia was therefore the only being in the room who was not surprised when the fire surrounding Cyrus began to change. Before their very eyes, every pony watched as the green inferno began to shift and pulsate, the very colour of the flames changing from its sickly green to a more majestic gold. The Royal guard backed away quickly, unsure as to what to do. Even Chrysalis recoiled, the pride of her victory now replaced with confusion and a touch of fear at the sudden and drastic events unfolding. The fires expanded, growing larger and hotter until, finally, they exploded outwards. The blinding light that followed forced all within the chapel to cover their eyes. When the light receded Cyrus emerged, drastically changed. A thick set of metal armour - coloured in a coat of gold and silver - covered his whole entire body - minus his head. It shined bright, the rays of sun coming in through the windows giving it an almost ethereal appearance. As if to further enhance its already pristine beauty, patterns and designs seemingly etched into the armour furthered its awe inspiring majesty. Finally, a great, golden eagle was portrayed within the centre of the thick, hardy armour; its wings outstretched and ready to take flight. Celestia had seen him like this on multiple occasions, yet it never once ceased to amaze the Princess of the Day how truly astonishing he appeared within his armour. She'd never forget the first time she laid eyes upon him within that great suit of armour; standing at the forefront of his army during a military parade through the streets of Eden's capital. It was a sight that both she and her sister remembered for many days afterwards. "I offered you a chance," Cyrus spoke, his already deep having deepened even more so, now sounding as fearsome as the armour he wore, "and you refused to take it. Now you may consider the following." He took a step forward, the impact of his armoured boots echoing throughout the chapel. "One; You have attacked a being whose powers you know little about, endangering the continued existence of both yourself and your forces." He took another step, the distance between him and the now nervous Changeling decreasing. "Two; My offer of a peaceful resolution to this conflict has expired, and will not be made again for as long as a single Changeling remains within this city." By this point Chrysalis realised the dire situation in which she now found herself. This was no ordinary creature. She'd been so used to dealing with Equestrians that she never accounted for any beings of power - minus the Princesses - being able to pose a threat. Nevertheless, she had come this far. She would not just surrender to this being, no matter how daunting he may be. After all, he was just one creature, and, whilst he was backed by a dozen of armed and armoured guards, she still had the numerical advantage. It would be enough. Her drones could handle the guards, along with those pesky mares at the other side of the room if they got involved. The armoured warrior however would be hers to deal with. With a furious cry on both sides, the Equestrians and the Changelings charged into battle once more. To Princess Cadance, the scene before her was like something ripped straight from the pages of an epic fantasy book: two different sides battling it out to decide the fate of an entire city - an entire kingdom. Had it not been for the fact that the livelihoods of her, her friends and everyone else within Equestria hinged on this battle, she may have felt a sense of joy to be able to pay witness to such a historic event. Alas, she was more worried for what would happen if they lost. As good a reason as any, she supposed. Still, she couldn't help but look over towards their armoured ally, battling it out with Chrysalis herself within the middle of the conflict itself. Both the guards and the drones were far too busy dealing with one another to interfere with the duel. Both were throwing a mixture of offensive and defensive spells, testing each others magical might and prodding for any signs of weakness in the other. "Cadance." Ripping her attention away from the battle for a moment, Cadance turned to the mare who had been her guardian for so many years. "Yes, auntie?" "You must listen to me carefully," Celestia spoke, propping herself up with her hooves, her strength still depleted yet slowly returning, "for it is up to you and Captain Armour to win this fight." Hearing his name being said, Shining Armour forced himself to look away from raging battle as well, joining Cadance in facing Princess Celestia. "What do you mean?" "Cyrus is outnumbered, and I fear that, despite his many strengths, he may not win this fight. Not without our help." The ponies blinked. How did their Princess know the name of this being? "How do you-" "I will answer all your questions later, my dear niece, but for now we have more pressing issues to deal with." The Princess interrupted, gesturing towards the battle. Following her hoof, they understood just why time was of the essence. Despite their skill, the guards were being overwhelmed, and now more and more Changelings were beginning to jump into the battle between their ruler and Cyrus, attempting to assist their queen however they could. Cyrus himself realised this fact and knew that he had to end the battle quickly, yet the combined efforts of the drones alongside the surprising strength of Chrysalis herself was making such a thing difficult to achieve. With a growl, Cyrus reached forwards with his gauntlet, catching a drone midair, throwing it into the horde of Changelings around him as if it were a pebble. It made no difference however, as they kept on coming. "Then what are we supposed to do?" Cadance asked, her voice cracking slightly from prospect of this 'Cyrus' somehow falling to the Changeling horde. If neither Celestia nor the armoured warrior could defeat Chrysalis, who could? "You are the Princess of Love, Mi Amore. That is a power stronger than most, and it is a power that can defeat Chrysalis and her army if only you channel it correctly." "How do I go about doing that then?" "Captain?" Shining Armour nodded, "Close your eyes and picture my niece. Picture everything about her that you love and adore. Do the same for the captain, Cadance." Although confused, Shining did just that, his thoughts coalescing into a singular picture of his fiancees radiating smile. Cadance followed suit, her own images of her beloved 'Shiny' formulating in her mind. In the background, Celestia could see that the guards were now all but incapacitated, and now most of the Changelings were beginning to converge upon Cyrus, the challenge of fending them all off beginning to strain her friend. Celestia could only hope that he could hold them off for just a little while longer. Left and right the drones were sent flying as Cyrus's magic forced them away. He he had no allies left in this fight. The guards, despite their ferocity, had been beaten due to the sheer numbers of their foe, leaving Cyrus to fight this battle alone. He did not know what mares in the corner were doing for he was preoccupied with a more pressing issue - Chrysalis. It hurt his pride yet he had to admit he had underestimated her. She was stronger than he had initially believed and, with the help of her numerous drones, was beginning to force him back. Grinning maniacally, Chrysalis began to taunt her opponent. "Did you truly believe that you had a chance? Pathetic! I don't know who or what you are, you insignificant insect," the irony almost brought a smile to his face, "but I don't care either way. Their city? Their people? Their love? It's mine! Mine! All of it, do you understand!? MINE!" Fuelled by her own frenzied words, Chrysalis let loose a powerful blast of magic, impacting right within the middle of Cyrus's armour, sending him crashing to the ground. Dazed, Cyrus yet rose to his knees, staring defiantly at the horde of Changelings. "You don't know who I am?" Cyrus asked, his voice taking on an eerily calm tone, "Then allow me to enlighten you." The way he said those words unnerved Chrysalis somewhat. With a screech, she ordered all of her drones to converge upon the creature. Fangs at the ready and claws sharp, they all lunged at him as one. And they were all sent flying backwards at extreme speeds, many of them hitting the walls and dropping to the floor with little grace. Enraged, Chrysalis fired a constant beam of magic towards Cyrus, intent on finishing the battle once and for all. She then watched as her opponent, possibly as a plea for mercy, threw his hand out to intercept her spell. The moment her magic connected with the palm of his hand it stopped, going no further despite her efforts. The sight before her unnerved her greatly. Rising to his feet, Cyrus's pupils were glowing with the colours of his own armour, small mist-like tendrils of gold emanating from his eyes. When he spoke, his very voice seemed to echo a thousand times throughout the whole entire chapel. "I, am Cyrus Peremnum. I am the King of the Aeterna and the Watcher of Eden. You are not the first to seek my end nor will you be the last, but as the rest of them have so too shall you bear witness to my fury!" With renewed strength and purpose, Cyrus began to advance towards the Changeling monarch, her magic still going no further than the palm of his hand. As if the sight of Cyrus holding back her attack with but the palm of his hand wasn't bad enough for the now panicking Chrysalis, a flicker from the corner of the room caught her eye. For but a moment she was distracted long enough to see what was going on. She saw both Shining Armour and Cadance pressing their horns together, their magic coalescing. She knew at that moment that she had lost. Seeing the sheer panicked look in her eyes confused him and, following her gaze, Cyrus sought to find the source of her despair. Who dared to steal his moment of glory? He wasn't able to see what it was that she'd seen for as soon as he'd turned his head his vision was enveloped in a bright light. A moment later and he felt something pass through him. Something warm and caring. Whatever it was, it was strong. When his vision returned to him, he looked to where Chrysalis once stood. She was no longer there, the only clue to her whereabouts being a Changeling sized hole in one of the windows. He had to guess that she'd either fled or had been forced from the city from the sheer force of the unknown energy, alongside the rest of her forces. Still, a victory was a victory, even if he wasn't the one responsible for it. With but a mental thought, his armour began to fade into a golden mist which itself faded immediately thereafter. With the Changelings gone, Cyrus could now return to his original goal of finding the Princesses. Luckily for him, one of them wasn't far. "You always did know how to make an entrance." He'd heard her voice many times, yet not once did it ever fill him with as much joy as it did right now. He turned around to find Celestia standing right before him, her expression void of any emotion. "Princess." Cyrus said, nodding to his oldest and dearest friend. She hadn't aged a day in his eyes, even though he suspected the last time he'd seen her must have been many years ago judging by how "Cyrus." Celestia prided herself on her facade of a calm and collected ruler. She'd perfected it over hundreds of years of meetings and petitions with her subjects and fellow rulers. It would take a persistent effort from even the smoothest of diplomats to form even a crack in that mask. "It would appear you've gained weight, Celestia." Or that. The epic battle which everypony in the room had just witnessed would be fresh within their minds for years to come, yet hearing the strange yet powerful warrior known as Cyrus, who had stood against a whole horde of Changelings alone without fear, implying that the Princess was fat would be something they'd remember for even longer. Shaking her head, Celestia couldn't help the tears that fell from her eyes as she threw herself onto him, wrapping her forelegs around his neck, smiling as he returned the tender embrace. After a few moments she finally let go, taking a step back to look over him again, a small part of her expecting him to just suddenly vanish. She prayed that he did not. Not again. "You're gone for over two thousand years and the first thing you do is call me fat? You really haven't changed have you." He shrugged, offering her an innocent smile. "You always did value my honest council, did you not?" Yes, this was him alright. "Now," he said, his tone becoming a touch more serious, "I have many questions, Celestia, and whilst I'm not sure the answers will be the ones that I desire to hear I must hear them regardless. But first, I must ask: Luna. Where is she?" In all of the chaos none had spared a thought as to the whereabouts of Princess Luna, the newly reformed Princess of the Night and Celestia's younger sibling. Almost as if summoned by fate itself, a sudden battle cry emanated from outside the chapel, growing louder by the second, before the mare herself, adorned in her old armour and holding a hood via her magic leapt through the breach. "Vile Changelings! Thou shalt harm our subjects no longe-" She stopped upon realising that there were no Changelings in the room. Blinking in surprise, she looked to her sister for an answer, before noticing who it was beside her. Her sword dropped to the floor with a cloud clatter as she struggled to formulate a sentence. Looking over the bewildered Luna, Cyrus couldn't help but notice what appeared to be dark shadows under her eyes. Was it fatigue from earlier battle? Or perhaps she had just been awoken from her bed to the sounds of clanging steel and the cries of battle. Knowing Luna's strange sleeping patterns, he wouldn't be surprised if it were the latter. "I do hope you didn't sleep through this entire siege, Luna. It would not be the first time you'd done such a thi-" Like her sister before her, she too threw herself upon Cyrus. Unlike her sister however, Luna was wearing a weighty set of armour. Cyrus would later go on to say that the pain of being crushed by Luna outweighed that of the pain endured during the duel itself. The mare in question did not appreciate such words, claiming that they made her sound 'heavy.' She did not like such drastic comparisons to her sister, after all.