Epilogue: Field Trip
The group of fillies and colts moved through the Palace Gardens, their eyes greedily taking in the sights of the well-kept flowers, hedges, and statues.
The mare leading them stopped in front of a statue of a slender alicorn and a burly unicorn, both displayed with determined even ferocious looks, as if preparing for battle. “Alright, class, and finally here we have the statue of Shining Armour and Princess Cadence, set here only a few months ago to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary. They saved Canterlot from a changeling invasion that happened right in the middle of their wedding. With the enemy bursting through the gates, it was their courage and love that saved everyone, even when the Elements of Harmony were disabled. So you see, children, never give up, even when the odds are stacked against you.”
The class of twelve ten-year-old foals (and one whelpchick) stood before the intricate carvings of the statue. Cadence’s feathers were all clearly outlined, as were Shining Armour’s fetlocks, right down to the one stray hair on his left front hoof neither his mother nor his sister ever made him forget.
The griffon girl of the group grimaced. “I liked the dragonequus better.”
A unicorn filly with a mirror cutie mark scowled. “You‘d like any monster better than a pretty couple.”
The Earth pony mare did a headcount, then called out to the usual straggler. “Guiding Gale! I told you to stay with the group.”
Guiding Gale, an air superiority blue blank flank pegasus with a neckerchief wrapped around his neck (complete with pockets for some snacks) and a mane that looked like an ocean blue flame, rubbed his eyes as he chewed on something. He flew in slowly from back at Discord's statue, then settled down with the rest of the group. “Sorry, miss Merry. What did I miss?”
The griffon curtly pointed to the two stone ponies. “That’s Shining Armour, that’s Princess Cadence. They love each other, and we’re all very grateful for that,”
Miss Merry, however, was more interested in the contents of the boy’s mouth than in his lack of interest in current events. “Is that gum in your mouth?”
“No, miss.” He sucked on the thing some more. He didn’t want to swallow it just yet.
“What did I tell you about eating sweets on a fieldtrip?”
“It’s not sweets, miss. It’s medicinal.” He pouted with indignation. This the eighteenth time in two weeks, stupid pollen season.
With all the tact of an elephant in a china shop, the cerise mare with the smiling poppy cutie mark leaned in and smelled his breath. “Well, I stand corrected, then. So, class, any questions?”
The foals remained silent.
Gale grunted, before nudging his griffon friend. “Adila, you owe me big time. I’ll never live that down now.”
“Hey, it was either the sound of us chewing through a love scene of our stomachs growling through it. Be glad they didn’t kick us out of the theatre.”
“Excuse me, miss… Merry, is it? My name is Blazing Shield, and you are the class from Bogsdown, I presume?” A grey pegasus came towards the group, walking through the statue garden just as they were ready to leave. It was a Royal Guard in full armour, but he seemed less serious than the ones they’d seen around. He was also unarmed, which was even more unusual.
Miss Merry Poppies turned to face the new arrival. “That is us. Is there a problem, sir?”
“No problem. I’ve been instructed to give you and your class here a little tour of the Phoenix Garden Hall of Fame. There are some names and faces I’m told you should see. It’s quite a rare sight, I assure you.”
“But that section of the Palace is off limits, isn’t it? We didn’t request permission to go there.”
“And yet, someone gave it to you. My guess is one of the nobles wanted to add a bit more culture to your visit, they can be random at times. Or perhaps one of your little ponies has important parents. At any rate, would you care to follow me, please?”
“Alright, class, I guess we get a look behind the screens. We can’t stay for too long, though, sir. We came by train and have a tight schedule to keep.”
“I’ll try to be as brief and as interesting as I can, then. Just one thing.” The stallion turned to Gale. ”Is that gum?”
“No sir.” The boy quivered. ”It’s medicinal. For allergies.” Make that nineteen times in two weeks.
“Ah, of course. It is pollen season, after all.” The stallion seemed to accept that explanation.
All the other foals, though, had a bit of a laugh at Gale’s expense.
He didn’t mind.
Not like he wasn’t used to it by now.
“And that is why it takes so long for the Wonderbolts to take in new members.” Blazing Shield wrapped up the explanation he’d given on the way.
Miss Merry nodded. “That makes a lot of sense, actually. I never realised that.”
Adila raised an eyebrow. “Wait, I don't get it. How was Equestria made again?”
“And now we come to the hallowed Hall of Fame. As you can see, here we hang the portraits of the great pegasus heroes. And before you ask, the unicorns are five corridors down south, the Earth ponies are just left from the royal arenas. But it’s the pegasi I’ve been instructed to show you.”
“What are we doing here, again?” Magic Mirror -- the unicorn filly with the mirror cutie mark -- asked.
Adila grinned. “Someone seems to think we need to see some more awesome flyers. As if I’m not good enough for the likes of you.”
That got a chuckle from Gale and the other foals. It was a mixed bunch, consisting of unicorns, Earth ponies and pegasi. There were, however, only three blank flanks in their class. One was a griffon, one was a grey Earth pony filly with a blonde mane and a bit of a reputation for being clumsy, and the last one was Guiding Gale.
“Well, now that you mention it, the griffons who serve Equestria do have their own Hall of Fame, but that’s not in this palace. And I don’t know why exactly you are here, all I know is someone asked me to show you… these.”
The class grouped up before two portraits, arranged in height by what looked like age. At the top was a light blue mare who looked in her twenties, with a rainbow-patterned mane. Blazing Shield had flown up to just underneath it to give his explanation.
“This is somepony you’ll probably know. Her name is Rainbow Dash. You know her as the Element of Harmony, more specifically that of Loyalty, and as the Wonderbolt. You’ve probably seen the rainbow trail from Bogsdown when she goes on her commute from Ponyville to here every single day. You may even know that she is the first pegasus to perform the Sonic Rainboom in one hundred years, and the first one to be able to do it on command in two hundred years.”
The foals gaped at the picture. Of course they knew Rainbow Dash, it was kind of hard not to.
“What you probably don’t know is that when she first did the Sonic Rainboom, she was no older than you. She was just ten years old when she first did the impossible. It took a long time before it was acknowledged as such, she even had to do it a second time just to prove she could do it. But what’s important to note here is how fast she went. The Sonic Rainboom only happens when a pegasus moves so fast the field of magic around her - her aura, her very soul, even - can barely keep up.”
Adila raised a talon. “Wait, so that forcefield is the soul showing?”
Blazing nodded. “Indeed. The soul of a pony doing the Sonic Rainboom moves so fast that it it begins to move at the same rhythm as the soul of our very universe. The barrier that appears is the border between a pony's soul and our world's soul, or so the legend goes. That is what causes the explosion. It is the liberation of the soul from the limits of the body, and the pony's soul touching that of the world. When the Rainboom is accomplished, both soul and body are set free, and the secrets of our world are said to be revealed. If you believe in that sort of thing.” He smirked.
Miss Merry was impressed at the guard’s explanation, he had them riveted. Then he pointed to the portrait under Dash’s and to her right. It was an orange filly with a purple mane that looked like a feather because of the colour pattern. She was about their age, maybe two or three years older.
Adila squeed at the sight, Gale chuckled to himself before their teacher glared them to silence.
“This one is a little less famous, but still well-known in certain circles.” He smiled at the griffon who apparently liked stunts. ”Her name is Scootaloo. This flyer's claim to fame, believe it or not, is sticking to the ground. During the Dirt Lovers Derby, this little filly on a scooter managed to flap her wings so fast, some claim she could have made a Sonic Rainboom if she wanted. Only her experience was slightly different. She kept her wings angled to let the air push her down on the ground. As a result, she instinctively took control of the air around her. Eventually, she went so fast that the winds formed the shape of a hammerhead shark, vaguely, mind you. You see, when a pegasus moves that fast while putting that much power into her stability, the air starts to warp around them without their active control. Their soul, rather than seeking to meet that of the world, seeks to protect the body instead. The rider becomes one with the wind, as it were. This speed is just below the limit of a Sonic Rainboom. Instead of breaking through the soul barrier, the barrier is made to bend, even fold.”
Blazing paused for a moment to let that sink in.
“Scootaloo is the first pegasus in a century to be able to perform the Hammerhead. Because of the distortions she causes in the air, she becomes invulnerable for a short time, surrounded by a shield made of pure vibrations and stronger than dragon scales. Any object that tries to stop a Hammerhead fails. The forward motion cannot be interrupted by any material barrier. When that hammer and triple fin shape appears, the forces around the rider simply push everything aside, or let the rider go right up the wall, defying gravity as easily as riding a bike and manoeuvring at top speed without ever missing a beat or losing contact with whatever's underneath. It is indeed... the perfect ride.”
Magic Mirror scowled. “Wow, looks like fillies and mares do all the good stuff in Equestria.”
Blazing Shield grinned at that, before flying aside to show the third portrait, completing what was revealed to be a triangle. It was a dark blue colt with a spiky mane, who looked about ten. “You might think so, but before you let that go to your head, consider this one. This is Doldrum Whimper. He got his picture up here by sheer courage. His friend was waylaid by a demon who’d been giving the Royal Guard the slip for centuries. I believe your region knows him as the legendary Baron of the Marshes, or Kludde.”
That got a few gulps. Everyone knew that name, and most of the stories. Not this one, though.
“Rather than stand idly by while his friend was hurt, Whimper chased after the creature. It then cast its spell on him, magically setting his lungs on fire and putting a crushing weight on his back, or at least making it feel as such. I don’t think I need to tell you that this was not a pleasant experience. Barely able to breathe, and with the Baron ready to finish him for his insolence, he still managed to find the strength to fight the thing.”
Some jaws dropped at that.
“Imagine being so scared and angry that it whites out all rational thought. Imagine seeing your deepest self, all the ugly bits that you try so hard to hide, just bursting out in the open and taking over. That is what happened to Whimper, and he wielded his rage like a true warrior. With a surge of strength, he broke the thing’s hold -- on his throat, I might add -- and managed to unbalance it. That broke the spell, and with that opening, he managed to do on his own what it took the Royal Guard months of planning and entire platoons to do. He hurt it, and what's more, he stopped it from fleeing, something we never accomplished.”
More jaws dropped.
“This was a colt with no military or martial training whatsoever, but he trusted his instincts when they took over. He hurt the thing." Pause for dramatic effect. "Badly, to the point that the Royal Guard just had to pick up the pieces and throw what remained of Kludde into Tartarus, where he’s been ever since.”
Magic Mirror frowned. “I don’t get it. Those three don’t make a set, do they? Whimper shouldn’t be hanging next to them. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo got here by being fast, he got here by just getting angry and fighting?”
“Not quite. You see, Doldrum Whimper managed to summon the sort of strength we in the Royal Guard aspire to. By letting his inner self out -- and believe you me, facing your dark side is not an easy trick -- he managed to dodge an instantly cast spell that would have otherwise sealed his fate. He later learned how to do that on command. Ask your unicorn friends to tug at your tail with magic and then you'll know how fast you need to be to dodge that sort of spell.”
Silence fell.
The guard pointed to Rainbow Dash’s portrait again. “Rainbow Dash, faster than the speed of soul.”
Next came the orange filly. “Scootaloo, faster than the speed of wall.”
Lastly, he pointed to Whimper’s. “Doldrum Whimper, faster than the speed of magic.”
Adila was smiling at that.
“All three accomplished the impossible, moving at speeds that no one would ever have thought they could. To this day, these three are the fastest living things in or under the Equestrian sky. And all three of them did these incredible feats while they were still blank flanks. Let that be a lesson to you. Potential comes in many forms. Respect the ones around you, for they may surprise you one day.”
He let that last lesson sink in for a bit.
“They only got their cutie mark either doing these incredible feats or even later, in Whimper’s case. The two young mares you see here are speedsters who to date remain unmatched in their respective fields, even by each other. As for Doldrum Whimper, he took the spear test from Princess Luna when he was ten, making him the youngest pony in recorded history to pass it and the first to be acknowledged by Luna since her return from exile. After a little over a decade, and countless Warrior Meets with the Royal Guard and all our martial arts grandmasters present, the only pony to ever beat him in combat was the Ashen Blizzard himself, the highest ranked martial artist alive and personal sparring partner to Celestia and Luna.
Another pause for dramtic effect.
“That is how capable a fighter he is. He was beaten only by the best. So yes, you have a fair point, he never even participated in a real race. Yet that colt was put here for his speed, a speed on extreme close range that makes him a terror in combat. Doldrum Whimper is, to this very day, the strongest civilian warrior in Equestria, and remains nigh undefeated as such. No one, short of the Ashen Blizzard, has ever brought him down.”
“Umm… excuse me, sir?” Adila raised a talon again, much to the chagrin of her teacher. ”That’s not completely true.”
The pegasus guard set down on the ground and gave her a quizzical look. “Really, now? Pray tell.”
“Well… Doldrum Whimper’s from our town, sir, and he’s been beaten, I’ve seen it.” She nudged the pegasus next to her. ”Gale, back me up on this, would you?”
Blazing smiled to himself. “You’ve seen the Mangler from the Marshlands be beaten? Care to explain how that happened?”
The griffon girl just kept prodding the blank flank next to her with an elbow. “Come on, tell him.”
Finally Gale relented and sighed. “Umm... sort of, I guess? He has gotten beaten in combat, but not for real.”
“My dear boy, beating someone in combat is always ‘for real’, or it’s not combat. And if there is a pony who can beat that good a fighter, even if it is just in a practice match, I’m sure the rest of the Royal Guard would love to hear about it. So by all means, explain yourself.” Blazing gestured with a hoof..
The boy gritted his teeth. He glared at Adila for bringing it up, but continued, as asked. “Well, yeah, he is a great fighter, and I’m sure everything you’ve said is true, sir. I know, I’ve seen him knock the right head of a hydra out cold by hitting the left one. But technically he’s been beaten in combat, I guess.”
“You guess or you know, boy?” The guard smiled.
The blank flank swallowed the herbal pastille he’d been sucking on, then shyly kicked the ground. He averted his gaze as his whole class, and the guard, stared at him. “It’s nothing serious, sir, really, it’s just…”
Another nudge from his griffon friend, and the colt finally spilled the beans as he looked up at the portraits.
“He still lets his little brother win sometimes.”