//------------------------------//
// CRISIS: Equestria - Chapter 40.9 
// Story: CRISIS: Equestria - Bonus Chapters 
// by GanonFLCL 
//------------------------------//


CRISIS: Equestria


Chapter Forty-and-Nine-Tenths: Idol


Blackburn and Lockwood arrived at the royal bedchambers late that night, long after the reception was over, and for the first time today since they woke up, they were able to be alone with one another. They’d already said everything to one another that needed to be said, spoken about everything that needed to be spoken about, done everything that needed to be done. 

Well, except for one thing, which was not only expected of them, but which they’d been looking forward to all day: their first official night together as Queen and King of Hope’s Point.

So, when they arrived in their room, they barely even took the time to close and lock the door before they were all over each other. The kisses were deep and loving; their hooves ran over one another with tender caresses. They moved over to the bed, mouths together, eyes closed, and started taking off one another’s clothes. The room was dark, barely kept lit by a single scented candle that had been prepared ahead of time by one of their attendants, but that was it.

Their attentions were drawn when somepony cleared their throat from the far side of the room, where the light didn’t reach. They didn’t break away from each other, just stared off towards the noise, eyes wide in surprise. The candle suddenly brightened enough to light more of the room, so that Blackburn and Lockwood could see who the intruder was:

Harmonia.

The alicorn was resplendent, her pristine white coat glistening in the candlelight, her long, misty blue mane flowing out behind her with a healthy, starlike glow. She was dressed in a thin white robe that delicately clung to her frame; despite everything, she carried herself with an air of innocence, purity, and virtue, despite the robe being somewhat provocative. Her mouth was curled in a friendly, apologetic grin.

Blackburn and Lockwood hastily reassembled themselves as best they could in the presence of a physical goddess, but before either could speak:

“Forgiveth me, my little ponies, for mine intrusion,” Harmonia said, her airy, pleasant tone sending cool ripples through the air. “I know that this is a special evening for thee, but I did not wish to interrupt thy ceremony earlier.”

Blackburn cleared her throat. “No need to apologize to us, Lady Harmonia. Um… to what do we owe the pleasure?”

Harmonia smiled, warming the room instantly. “I understand ‘tis tradition that wedding guests provideth gifts to the married couple upon them being united in matrimony? While I am aware that I hath not properly attended thy wedding ceremony, I wouldst still like to provide thee with a gift.”

“A gift? For us?” Lockwood asked, eyebrow raised. “I… well, thank you, Lady Harmonia, but if you don’t mind my asking… why us? Not that we don’t appreciate it, but surely you don’t do this for everypony that gets married?”

Harmonia shook her head. “Not for everypony, no, but before I was forced against my will into this physical form, I once granted my blessing upon every union performed in the south, for ‘twas my duty and honor to do so. But for thee, King Lockwood, and thee, Queen Blackburn… this visit is of a more personal nature.”

“Oh?”

“Thine efforts in months past hath saved the lives of countless ponies, not just in the north and south, but from worlds beyond our own. It is my belief that a boon must be given to thee as recompense for thine actions, and I saw no better time to deliver this boon upon thee.”

“Wasn’t really our efforts,” Blackburn noted, shaking her head. “Tick Tock for instance, or Twilight Sparkle and friends. Even Starlight Shadow and her sisters, loathe as I am to admit it. All had direct roles; deserve whatever reward you have to give.”

Harmona smiled kindly. “For Tick Tock, I hath already granted her a great boon. The regrowth of life in the north will take many years, but mine efforts hath been focused first upon where she hath made her new home. She will know peace and harmony for the rest of her life, and spend it with one that she loves.

“As for Twilight and Starlight, and those that call them friend or sister, I cannot provide my boon to them, for neither group dwells in our world any longer. Even my power, great though it may be, cannot spread to worlds beyond mine own. Thou, however, hath sacrificed much to help them accomplish their goal, and for that, I wish to grant thee a gift.”

Lockwood smiled and nodded. “Well, we’re very glad to have a gift from you, Lady Harmonia. Thank you.”

“Thou art quite welcome, King Lockwood, Queen Blackburn,” Harmonia said with a gentle nod. She lit her horn with a dim golden glow. “Now please, both of thee, clearest thy minds of questions, and keepest thy hearts open. My gift to thee is one that requires great effort as I call forth magic from the Dreaming; ‘tis more difficult in this form.”

Blackburn and Lockwood glanced around them as the room was filled with the dim glow from her horn, until eventually they were no longer really there, in that room; they now stood some sort of formless void made of dark gold, occupied only by the two of them and Harmonia herself, who seemed ethereal as though she were only partially there.

Before either Blackburn or Lockwood could speak, a small, translucent orb of orangish-pink energy manifested itself in front of them. It slowly expanded and reshaped until it was in the form of a short unicorn, mostly featureless save for the horn on its head; no mane, no tail. 

The pony-shaped energy then opened its “eyes”—blueish orbs of light—and its “mouth” gave a little smile. Its mouth didn’t move when it spoke, but its words flittered out into the air all the same, coming from seemingly everywhere around them. “Golly, looks like we’re interrupting something, huh?”

Blackburn and Lockwood froze in shock, the former’s mouth hanging open, absolutely gobsmacked. “G-Gadget?”

“Duh. Loving the wedding dress, by the way. A little frillier than I would’ve ever expected from you, but y’know what, it still looks good on you. You look absolutely gorgeous.”

“How… how are we—”

“Oh. That. Well, y’know… this whole ‘Dreaming’ thing is kinda like a, uh… well, best I can describe it is like an afterlife? I know we never really gave much thought to what comes after we pass on and stuff, but here we are.”

Blackburn sniffed, finding herself unable to hold back tears; hearing her friend’s voice again was making her feel both incredibly happy and incredibly sad at the same time. “Gadget… I’m so sorry… I’m so, so sorry—”

“You don’t need to be sorry for anything, Blackburn. It’s not your fault things happened the way they did. I made my choice, and I don’t regret anything about it. I’d make that choice again, every single time. Now get that chin up, okay? Today is supposed to be a happy occasion, so if those tears of yours aren’t tears of joy, you better stop right now.”

Blackburn wiped her eyes, but became choked up and found it hard to speak.

Gadget then turned her “head” slightly to face Lockwood. “And you. So! You’re the King now, huh? How’s it feel to be royalty, featherbrain?”

Lockwood managed to compose himself better than Blackburn was, but only just. “Well, it’s only been a few hours, so I can’t really say much about it yet. It’s kind of weird having ponies call me ‘King’ or ‘Sire’ or ‘Your Majesty’ now, though. Though from how Blackburn’s described it, it’s not too much different from being the landlord of a whole city.”

“Golly, you just made being King sound like the most mundane thing in the world. If there’s anypony in the world who could make being royalty sound like crossing the street, though, I guess it’s you. Sheesh.”

Another glowing orb, this one two different shades of brown, formed beside Gadget and took the form of a tall earth pony. Like she’d done, it opened its “eyes” and gave a smile with its “mouth”.

“Y’all’re begin’ too hard on ‘im, Gadget,” said this new figure. “He’s the King now. Y’all’re s’posed ta treat ‘im wit’ respect ‘n politeness. Ain’t like we’d have ‘im any other way, right? The pony that can downplay gettin’ beaten up like it was a stroll in the park?”

Blackburn looked up, eyes wide. “Crossfire?

“Howdy there, Blackburn. Gadget’s right, y’all look beautiful in that there dress.” As Blackburn opened her mouth to speak, Crossfire’s head shook slightly. “An’ don’t y’all start apologizin’ fer what happened. Like Gadget said, we did what we had ta do an’ we don’t regret it one bit. If we hadn’t done what we did, the two of y’all wouldn’t be here now enjoyin’ bein’ wit’ one another.”

Lockwood shook his head. “That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt, Crossfire. You two meant the world to Blackburn. You’re her brother and sister in all but name.”

“Well o’ course it hurts, ol’ buddy, I ain’t sayin’ it don’t. An’ I ain’t tellin’ nopony not ta hurt, neither. But, I sure as shootin’ ain’t gonna let Blackburn try ‘n’ take the blame for anythin’ that happened like she always does. We all made the decisions we made that day together, as a team, an’ if we don’t regret it, neither should she.”

Blackburn took a deep breath, hardly able to speak. “I miss you both… so, so much…”

“We know ya do,” Crossfire said.

“And we miss you, too,” Gadget added.

Blackburn moved forward quickly and wrapped her forelegs around the forms of her two friends. She found that the two weren’t entirely solid; it felt like hugging a cloud: not quite all there, but as a pegasus she could still feel it; not exactly cold, but not exactly warm, either. The two forms did not move to do the same, as they couldn’t do so, but Blackburn could still feel the sensation of hooves wrapping around her all the same.

When Blackburn finally pulled away, she’d managed to compose herself enough that she was able to wipe away her tears, but she didn’t say anything; she couldn’t think of anything more to say.

Lockwood, at least, made an attempt. “So, uh… we built a statue in your honor. Right out in front of the palace gates, actually.”

“Oh yeah, we saw it,” Crossfire said, a grin playing across his face. “That is some fancy stuff, yessir.”

“And very tasteful, I might add,” Gadget noted, also grinning. “I think you guys made me a little taller, so thanks for that.”

“Maybe a little, hard not to,” Lockwood chuckled.

“Yeah yeah yeah, wiseguy.”

“Glad ta see y’all’ve been eatin’ right, by the way,” Crossfire said. “Not so scrawny after all, are ya?”

“Yeah, I guess that’s what five years of climbing stairs will do to your tone, huh? It sure helped you guys while you were up north too, remember?”

“Don’t remind me,” Gadget snorted. “Golly, if I had hooves right now, they’d still be aching from all those dang stairs.”

Gadget and Crossfire then very suddenly shifted off to the side in an instant, so fast that neither Blackburn nor Lockwood had even seen it happen.

Blackburn raised an eyebrow and glanced around in a slight panic. “What’s going on?”

“Don’t worry, Blackburn, we’re not going anywhere just yet,” Gadget said. “We’re just gonna step a bit back from center stage while the others come and say their piece.”

“Others?”

Another orb of magic, this one a whitish-blue, formed in front of Blackburn, taking the shape of a taller unicorn. “I must say, darling, that dress of yours looks absolutely fabulous. Stunning, even,” the figure said.

Blackburn blinked, reaching her hoof out towards the figure. “Silver Glow?”

Silver Glow’s form gave a little smile. “Hello, Blackburn. It’s nice to see you again, even if it’s under these circumstances.” Her head tilted just slightly towards Lockwood. “And this must be the special somepony you found up north. He’s very handsome, dear. Hmmm, yes. Quite fetching. The eyepatch is a little much though, don’t you think?”

Lockwood gave a polite nod. “Um… thank you. Good evening, I’m Lockwood, Your Majesty—”

“Oh please, none of that ‘Majesty’ nonsense. I’m no Queen anymore, dear; your lovely wife is, and you are her King. If anything I should be addressing you formally, hmm?” She turned back to Blackburn briefly. “He’s very polite too, darling. I see what you mean when you said I’d like him. He certainly makes a good first impression.”

Blackburn managed a small smile. “He tries his best. I’m… I’m sorry that you never got to meet him before—”

“Hush, Blackburn, no need to bring up all that negativity here. What happened happened, it’s in the past now. I lived a full, happy life, and I’m glad that even though it was cut short, I was able to, at least for a moment, consider you family—”

“You will always be family to me, Silver Glow.” Blackburn raised her hoof up to touch Silver Glow’s cheek.

“And to me as well,” Lockwood added with a smile. “I know I never got to meet you… but Blackburn told me all about you. I’m glad I finally got to meet you, even if it’s like this.”

Silver Glow smiled again. “You two are just lovely together. Such a wonderful couple. I’m so glad to see that Blackburn found somepony worthy of sharing her life with. And might I add, your wedding rings are absolutely gorgeous. A wonderful choice; quite luxurious.”

Silver Glow shifted very slightly off to the side, and another orb of energy, this one gray-and-orange, manifested at her side and took the form of a tall pegasus. The fairly neutral expression on his face was instantly recognizable to Blackburn; she didn’t even need him to speak.

“Dad,” Blackburn said, her tone as neutral as the expression she herself was giving.

“Blackburn,” Stormchaser replied. “You look lovely.”

Blackburn blinked. “Thank you.”

“It’s only fitting that you should, being Queen and all. The ponies of Hope’s Point deserve to have somepony that takes care of themselves as much as she takes care of them.” He shook his head weakly. “I can never apologize enough for the way I treated you while you were growing up, Blackburn.”

“...I treated you poorly too, dad. All that mattered to me was being… different. Different from you, different from everypony. I know I blamed you for mom’s death… but that wasn’t fair. Neither of us were there for each other… when we needed to be.”

“Blackburn, honey… it’s alright. Your grandfather always used to say that you can’t live a life of regrets. Don’t start now, okay? You’ve grown up so much since I last saw you… I never saw it when we were together because of how our relationship soured over the years.”

Blackburn nodded, then gestured towards Lockwood. “Dad… this is Lockwood. Lockwood… this is my dad.”

Lockwood bowed slightly. “A pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty.”

“No need for that here, son. You’re the King of Hope’s Point now, remember?” Stormchaser chuckled, then turned to Blackburn. “So, this is the stallion that made you go running back up north even when I tried to stop you, hmm?”

Lockwood made to answer, but Blackburn was quicker: “Yes. He is.”

Stormchaser smirked. “Hmm, you’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time.” He turned to Lockwood. “Go on, son.”

“Yes sir, I am,” Lockwood said with a nod. “If things had been different, I had fully intended to go through all of the proper processes of getting married to your daughter when she brought me home with her.”

“You mean you planned on asking me for permission and all that? Son, you love my daughter, you know as well as I do that she’d never let you even get that far. She claimed you, and there wasn’t going to be a pony alive that would stop her from being with you forever. If anything, I blame myself for you two spending so long apart. I’m sorry for that.”

“No regrets, dad,” Blackburn chimed in. “Remember?”

“Of course, of course.” Stormchaser gave his daughter a little smile. “I know you’ll continue to do good for our city, Blackburn. You’re going to be the Queen you always said you would be. I’m proud of you… I’m proud of how strong you are, of how determined you are to do what you think is right no matter who stands in your way. I know I never said it while I was alive… but I’m telling you now. I am proud of you.”

Blackburn weakly smiled back, then stepped forward to give Stormchaser and Silver Glow a hug as she had with Gadget and Crossfire. When she pulled away, they were gone.

Blackburn stepped back and wiped her eyes again, then fearfully turned to Gadget and Crossfire, just to make sure they were still there. They hadn’t budged an inch; Blackburn breathed a sigh of relief.

Another orb of light, this one red-and-orange, manifested in front of Blackburn, and formed yet another tall pegasus. Blackburn had already started seeing a pattern; she figured out who this was before he’d even fully taken form.

“Grandpa…” she breathed.

Flashfire’s “eyes “ opened and he gave Blackburn a tiny smile. “You’ve gotten good that that, haven’t you, my little ray of sunshine?”

“Had lots of practice, grandpa.”

“I know you have, sweetheart. My little Princess…”  His smile widened a little. “No, my not-so-little Queen Blackburn now, aren’t you?”

Blackburn nodded. “I’m trying my best, grandpa…”

“Trying? My dear, you are doing. Your father expanded the city far beyond what I ever dreamed possible, so far I wasn’t sure it could be kept safe… and you’ve managed to prove that it can be. And now you’re expanding it further after helping to do what I never thought possible: you brought light to the north again.”

“I just want to live up to your legacy, grandpa—”

“You’ve more than done that, Blackburn. You’ve surpassed me in ways I never would’ve thought of. You’ve surpassed your father. You’ve surpassed all of the expectations that we put upon you, and then some. I am proud of you, sweetheart. You’ve grown up so much.”

Blackburn smiled, then gestured to Lockwood. “Grandpa, this is Lockwood. Lockwood, this is Flashfire, my grandfather.”

Lockwood smiled politely. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

“A pleasure to meet you too, son. I hear you’ve been taking good care of my granddaughter.”

“I try, sir.”

“Well, keep it up,” Flashfire said with a grin. “I have a feeling you’re going to be a great King. From one king to another.”

Lockwood, eyes wide, bowed just slightly. “Th-thank you, sir. That means a lot.”

Blackburn stepped forward to embrace her grandfather. “I’ve missed you, grandpa… I’ll do everything I can to keep your dream alive…”

“I know you will, my little ray of sunshine. Because it’s our dream now, not just mine alone. And you have Lockwood with you to share that dream with you.”

As Blackburn pulled back from the hug, Flashfire’s form disappeared, and Blackburn took a step back and took a deep breath. The pattern was playing out further, so she knew what to expect when one last orb of blue appeared in front of her and took the shape of a shorter pegasus. As soon as it was done, Blackburn stepped forward again and wrapped it in a tight hug.

“Momma…”

The form of Blue Blitz did not move, but Blackburn could feel her mother’s warm embrace tighten around here. “Hey kiddo…”

“I’ve missed you so much, momma…”

“I know sweetheart. I’ve missed you too.” Blackburn could feel her mother’s hooves running through her mane. “You’ve gotten so big. Look at you! You look gorgeous, kiddo. Only you could make a wedding dress look cool.”

Blackburn laughed. “I tried my best.”

“Still taking after me after all this time still, huh? No frilly froo-froo stuff for my little filly, no sir.” She turned slightly to face Lockwood. “So, you’re the one that stole her heart, huh? Hmm… yeah, okay, I kinda get it.”

Lockwood felt her hoof run over his eyepatch and injured wing.

“Yeah, he’s cool, I can dig it. Battle scars and a pirate eyepatch, the whole package.”

Lockwood chuckled. “I think it’s more that she stole my heart, miss. It’s a pleasure to meet you, by the way. Blackburn’s told me all about you, and then some. She admires you, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. I was pretty awesome, huh?” Blitz said confidently with a slight smirk. “I know you’re going to make her happy. I can already tell you’ve made her the happiest mare in the world.”

Blackburn felt her mother’s hoof pat her stomach; she blushed and coughed slightly. “Y-you...  know, huh?”

“Kiddo, I am your mother. I should know when my little filly’s got a bun in the oven. Your father barely noticed when I was pregnant with you until I got so big that we couldn’t, well, y’know, and your grandfather’s probably got the tact not to say anything. Not me, though.”

Blackburn smiled and glanced over at Lockwood briefly, who was tugging at his tie. “He has made me very happy, momma.” 

“My little filly keeps you grounded, keeps you safe, not just from others but from yourself at times,” Blitz said to Lockwood. “But you, you make her soar, make her feel loved for who she is. I know you’ll take good care of her.”

Lockwood smiled. “I always will, Blue Blitz. I promise.”

Blackburn looked back at her mother’s form, and the tears started to well up again. “I don’t want you to go again…”

“I’m sorry, kiddo… but I have to. But I won’t be gone forever. As long as you keep me in here—” she tapped Blackburn’s heart “—I won’t ever leave you. I love you, sweetheart. You’ve grown up to be the kind of mare I always wanted you to be: brave, smart, fast, and loved. You’ve made me so proud to be your mother.”

Blackburn tightened the embrace again, and felt as her mother’s form evaporated in her grip. She pulled away, wiping tears from her eyes, then turned to Gadget and Crossfire, who watched her with gentle smiles. “Gadget… Crossfire…”

“We have to go, too, Blackburn,” Gadget said, her smile unfaltering. “But your mom’s right: as long as you keep us in your heart, we’ll always be with you, through everything, just like we were in life.”

“We’re always gonna be watchin’ o’er y’all ‘n’ the folks who matter most ta ya,” Crossfire added. “We’ll be wit’ ya through thick ‘n’ thin. An’ when y’all think o’ us, don’t regret how our journey together ended. Think o’ all the happiness we shared as friends when ya share our story wit’ that lil’ colt or filly y’all’re gonna bring inta the world.”

“And you’d better tell them all about us, Blackburn,” Gadget said, narrowing her eyes. “Or so help me, I’ll find a way to get back at you.”

“Wouldn’t dream of doing otherwise,” Blackburn said, shaking her head.

“We’ll see each other again someday,” Crossfire continued. “Jus’ promise us y’all won’t be in a hurry ta do it. When we see ya again, we wanna hear about the long, happy lives y’all lived. Both o’ ya,” he added, looking to Lockwood. “We’ll have forever ta catch up after that.”

“I promise,” Lockwood said with a nod.

“Me too,” added Blackburn. She sniffed, barely holding back tears. “Goodbye, Gadget,” she said moving forward to hug Gadget’s form. She turned to Crossfire and hugged him next. “Goodbye, Crossfire.”

Lockwood came up and did the same. “I’m glad that Blackburn had such good friends. I hope our foal will have somepony like you two in their life someday.”

The four of them all came together for a group hug, just like old times. When the hug broke, Gadget and Crossfire’s forms started slowly fading away.

“Congratulations on the wedding, by the way,” Crossfire said, his voice quiet and distant. “The food looked great.”

“Yeah, about dang time you two tied the knot,” added Gadget, her voice also fading.

Seconds later, their two forms disappeared, and then, all in a single instant, the golden glow that surrounded them vanished. Blackburn, Lockwood, and Harmonia were back in the royal bedchambers. Harmonia’s horn dimmed, and she let out a harsh breath as she hung her head, exhausted. 

Blackburn, barely keeping her composure, had to turn away, closing her eyes to try and regain her focus. 

Lockwood was able to regain his a little quicker, taking a deep breath and wrapping Blackburn in a hug. He turned to Harmonia, noticing that she was clearly struggling just to stand. “Lady Harmonia?”

Harmonia stood and shook her head. “Forgiveth me, my little ponies. As I said, tapping into the Dreaming in this form is a taxing experience. I hath never expended such energy, not since taking this body. But I wished to thank thee for thy role, so this discomfort is but a trifle.”

Blackburn broke from her hug with Lockwood and gave him a brief look; with just a gesture of her wing, Lockwood knew what she wanted to do. The two then briskly walked over to Harmonia, leaning up to give the larger alicorn a hug around the neck. Harmonia was taken aback, eyes wide, as the two smaller ponies embraced her. 

“Thank you…” Blackburn breathed, her voice barely above a whisper. “Thank you… so much…”

“You have no idea how much this means to us,” Lockwood said.

Harmonia fidgetted unevenly in their embrace; this was the first time since taking a physical body that anypony had given her any kind of genuine, loving physical interaction, and she could tell they were excessively genuine. She was able to lean into their embrace, her energy strengthened by their presence.

“Thou… thou art welcome, both of you,” she said, hesitant.

“We will do everything in our power,” Blackburn continued, pulling away from the hug to give Harmonia a serious, proud look, “to make sure that the north becomes a land of light again. To help you, as you have helped us. You have my word as Queen of Hope’s Point.”

“And mine, as King,” Lockwood added with a nod.

Harmonia smiled. “I know that thou art sincere, Queen Blackburn and King Lockwood. It will take time to bring life and light back to these dark lands, but I know that with ponies like thee on my side, I can accomplish anything.” She cleared her throat and took a breath. “But I must leave thee now, my little ponies. There is work to be done, and I hath interrupted thy evening long enough.”

Blackburn and Lockwood each bowed gently before her. “Lady Harmonia.”

Harmonia then lit her horn, she shimmered, and then she was gone.

Lockwood looked at Blackburn with a coy grin. “What do you think Tick Tock’ll say when we tell her that Harmonia topped her wedding gift?”

“Likely several words not appropriate in polite company,” Blackburn muttered as a smile played on her face. “Probably best not to mention it. Would never let us hear the end of it.”

“Yeah, fair enough.” Lockwood agreed with a chuckle.

Blackburn then glanced at Lockwood, then at the bed, and smiled. “Shall we, my King?” she asked as she stepped in to start removing his tie.

Lockwood smiled and lifted off her veil. “Of course, my Queen.”


The End