//------------------------------//
// Chapter 216: Holiday Havoc 
// Story: My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Stallion Edition 
// by SuperPinkBrony12 
//------------------------------//

Although it had been a long time since the successful theft of his bell, Grogar had remained an unknown threat. He had since taken up an unusual period of silence even to his own Legion of Doom. He appeared rarely before them and spoke infrequently to the trio. If he was planning anything they knew nothing about it and he kept it that way.

But then one day, Grogar abruptly departed his swamp lair. A move that the Storm King found most unusual as he approached the goat. "You're leaving, master? This is even weirder than your current spell of self-imposed silence. Where are you going?"

Grogar coldly responded without turning his head. "Nowhere that concerns the likes of you, Storm King. All you must know is that I shall be taking a leave of absence for a few days."

"What, you don't trust me?" The Storm King remarked as he tried to make himself look as innocent as possible, even adopting a look that was so foreign to him it made him want to gag. "And after I was willing to tell you about the other members' intent to back stab you with your bell too."

The old goat refused to turn around and answer the Storm King face to face. "Much as I appreciate your loyalty to me, you'll forgive me if I decide not to entrust you with knowledge of all my plans. I would've expected you of all creatures to understand that the more others know, the more likely they are to turn against you. It happened with that pony you took in."

The Storm King snorted and grumbled. "Tempest was just lucky. I was prepared to betray her and rightly did so! I used her the way I've always used everyone."

"Exactly, which is why I can't tell you where I'm going," Grogar answered as he kept walking away. "The information I share with you is on a need to know basis. And right now, you need only know that I will not be coming back for a while. I intend to pursue a backup source of power, so as to ensure that any attempt to tamper with my bewitching bell will not render me powerless. I was wise never to keep all my power infused into any one object. You must remain here and serve as my eyes and ears, making sure those two underhoofed dunderheads don't break apart this fragile alliance."

The Storm King giggled as he adopted a goofy grin. "You know, master, Tempest once told me that ponies believe in an old saying: When two creatures fight, they really care about each other. And since Chrysalis needs love to survive and Tirek drains energy from others, love can benefit the both of them," He was quick to add. "Can you imagine what it would be like if they ever got married? What would the kids look like? They'd be some pretty ugly kids, wouldn't you agree?"

Grogar just replied. "I don't care about such silly things. Just make sure those two don't try anything funny while I'm gone. That shouldn't be too hard to do." And with that he stormed away.

It wasn't long after Grogar had left that the Storm King turned back towards the skull head in the swamp and called. "He's gone, you can come out now!"

Chrysalis let out a sigh of relief as she and Tirek emerged from hiding. "At last, I thought that old coot would never leave! I despise the fact that I have to work under him at all, the queen of the changelings answers to no one!"

"Join the club, Chrysalis," Tirek grumbled while flexing his muscles. "None of us trust Grogar as far as we can throw him. Which is exactly why back stabbing him with his own bell is the perfect plan! And with the Storm King on our side, keeping Grogar in the dark about our plans, we have the advantage."

The Storm King picked up the bell from its hiding place beneath a rock, giving the dusty and rusty old object a shake. Nothing happened. "Yeah? Well if we can't figure out how the heck we're supposed to use this stupid thing, it's of no use to us," He sighed as he sat down on his haunches. "It's times like this that make me miss Tempest. As much as I didn't trust her I have to admit that without her ability to retrieve knowledge and intelligence I wouldn't have won even half of the battles I engaged in."

"Those ponies sure do have a lot of exclusive knowledge that they like to keep to themselves," Tirek snorted as he narrowed his eyes. "If not for Discord serving on my father's court I doubt Scorpan and I would've ever learned of Equestria's existence."

Chrysalis, however, just grinned. "Well, that's what we have me for! I've been amongst the ponies before in disguise, and I've picked up enough to know that their most powerful secrets are kept under lock and key at the Canterlot Archives. With Grogar gone there's nothing stopping us from sneaking into Canterlot and stealing whatever we need. Besides, it'll be fun to pit those pathetic ponies against each other, they're far too trusting for their own good."

"Sweet, a road trip! About time I saw some action!" The Storm King cheered! "Tempest told me how easily Canterlot fell despite the presence of four alicorns. This should be a piece of cake."





Miles away, in Canterlot, preparations were getting underway for the Summer Sun Celebration that was to be held the next day. There was already rumor in some circles that the holiday would mark the last major appearance of the royal sisters before they hoofed the reins of leadership to Prince Shining Armor.

Shining Armor's friends had been called to the city to help assist with the final preparations, but Shining Armor himself didn't appear to them when they arrived. He was busy within the palace, tending to other matters within a private suite reserved for him.

The door of said suite suddenly swung open though, and in trotted Princess Celestia and Princess Luna who bore rather somber expressions. "Sorry to interrupt," Celestia spoke up in a noticeable hushed tone. "Luna and I know you must be very busy right now, planning for such an important holiday."

But Shining turned around and greeted his visitors with a smile upon his face. "Actually, you aren't interrupting anything at all. I've already successfully delegated authority out to the necessary channels. Everything is going great. This will be a Summer Sun Celebration to remember!"

"Actually, that's what we came to talk to you about," Luna commented in a voice that even for her was quiet and withdrawn. "We meant to tell you this much sooner, but we weren't sure if the time was right. The thing is, this may be the last Summer Sun Celebration you'll need to plan."

At that the prince felt butterflies in his stomach start to flutter ever so slightly. "You mean-" He began.

Celestia and Luna nodded as Celestia explained. "You've shown a tremendous amount of growth since your little... 'setback' with the Royal Swanifying. And the changes Luna and I have felt are only growing stronger, our time on the throne grows short," She then let out a sigh. "But The Summer Sun Celebration carries too much baggage to continue after your ascension to the throne. For generations it has always been about my battle with Nightmare Moon."

"And thanks to you and your friends, it's now also a commemoration of my reunion with my sister. My freedom from my dark self." Luna explained.

Celestia promptly floated over a familiar amulet and placed it delicately in Shining Armor's hooves. "Sunburst is sure he's gotten all the kinks worked out now. Controlling the sun and the moon should be child's play to you with enough practice. I hate that you must be told about this so suddenly. But I have faith in you, and in your friends."





Shining Armor soon brought his friends together in the throne room of the castle to inform them of the big news he had just learned about.

"The retirement of the royal sisters is already drawing near?!" Fancy Pants gasped! "It's strange to think that they'll soon be living their twilight years in some retirement home or something. For as long as I'm sure we all can remember, Princess Celestia at least has been around to watch over us."

Big Macintosh was struggling to hold back the tears. "I just hope you don't forget about us when you take the throne, your majesty. Boy, it's gonna be mighty weird to start callin' ya that."

Shining shook his head. "Even if some things will change, I don't want all of you to start treating me like royalty. I'm still your friend that you've known for so long after all," And he quickly corrected them. "Besides, my coronation still hasn't been given a date yet. I reckon it'll be at least another month or two before that happens."

Soarin couldn't help but rib. "Wow, you're so modest! That's just what I like about you, buddy. Hope you don't lose that sense of modesty after you're on the throne."

"Well, I'm sure I won't as long as I have all of you by my side. I'm already working on the preparations to make you my royal advisors," Shining replied with a smile and then cleared his throat. "But I called you all here for something more important. In light of the recent development, the preparations for the last Summer Sun Celebration will need to be modified a little. There are still a few things I need your help with."

Braeburn grinned as he bounced forward. "What are you so worried about? You've even gone and beefed up security at least ten fold! I reckon even a snake couldn't slither into Canterlot without settin' off alarms!"

But Thunderlane bowed his head. "Whatever you need our help with, Shining, we'll be happy to provide."

The prince smiled as he produced a set of note cards. "That's great to hear. I knew I could count on you guys. I know you won't let me down," He then told them. "I'm off to practice with that amulet some more. If anything should come up though, don't hesitate to tell me."





The Legion of Doom managed to reach Canterlot just as night was falling. Already they could tell that something was up. Now the city was normally quite crowded, but on this night it seemed to be unusually packed. There seemed to be no space at all to move if you weren't already on the streets. Vendors from all walks of life were trying to sell their wares, and everywhere you looked it was possible to notice the presence of royal guards and giant fans.

The Storm King fought back a gulp as he and the rest of the Legion of Doom observed the scene from afar. "Wow, the city has certainly changed since I've been here last," He said aloud, though he was so far away that no one heard him beside his fellow baddies. "And what's with the crowds? Is it some kind of festival again?"

"A holiday more likely, seems like these ponies have them all the time," Tirek remarked with a frown. "This is most unfortunate. We've come at the worst possible time."

Chrysalis, however, threw back her head and laughed long and hard. "Ha! The both of you forget that I am a master of disguise! I've penetrated such impossible defenses before and I'll do so again, just watch!" She promptly lit up her horn, her whole body glowing with sickly green magic as she took on her latest disguise: A familiar brilliant gamboge coated pegasus stallion. "These ponies never suspect one of their own," She spoke, her voice sounding exactly like the pony she was disguised as. "I'll have us into those archives in no time."

"Flash Sentry" was able to stroll effortlessly through the crowds without anyone batting an eye. All was going well until he came to the front steps of a building that was heavily guarded. "Excuse me," He said to the guards as calmly as possible. "I'm First Lieutenant Flash Sentry. I need to speak to Captain Armor, it's urgent."

After briefly exchanging glances, the guards looked at the young lieutenant and said in response. "Not a problem, sir. Just show your badge and you may enter."

"Badge?" "Flash Sentry" blinked as he briefly stepped back in surprise.

One of the guards explained. "Standard security procedure, can't be too careful. Just show your badge at the door. It's like being buzzed into an apartment."

But "Flash Sentry" gulped as he began to break into a nervous sweat. "I... was not aware that was a thing. Nopony told me about this."

Another guard rolled his eyes. "And you're the great grandson of Flash Magnus? I sincerely hope that not all guards in the Crystal Empire are as clueless as you are," He then whispered to the other guard. "Probably too distracted chasing down Captain Armor's sister behind the captain's back. Either that, or one of Flurry Heart's magic surges messed him up."

"I'm... I'm so sorry," "Flash Sentry" stuttered and blushed as he backed away. "Just forget I was here. I wasn't supposed to be here anyway, and what I wanted to tell Captain Armor actually isn't that urgent now that I think about it. Sorry I wasted your time." He retreated in a walk of shame and embarrassment before either of the guards could think of detaining him for questioning.





"Flash Sentry" retreated to safety before dropping the disguise, reverting back to Chrysalis. "Blast that insufferable Shining Armor, even now he mocks me and humiliates me!" She hissed as she could hear faint snickers from the others. "Don't either of you DARE mock me, or you'll regret it in an instant!"

"Not so easy now, is it?" Tirek mocked Chrysalis.

The former queen just muttered to herself. "Well, we'll just have to change up our approach, somehow. Between the three of us there's got to be a way to outsmart even this seemingly foolproof system the prince has set up."

"I don't suppose we could just turn around and come back another day?" The Storm King suggested. "Grogar doesn't seem like he'll be coming back anytime soon, why do we need to obtain the information about his bell right now?"

Tirek shook his head. "Out of the question! We didn't come all this way just to be turned back now by some security. There's got to be some way to infiltrate the archives without any of those ponies being any the wiser."

Just then, a series of five familiar ponies appeared in the streets. And each of them were carrying a little note card. "Okay, so we're all clear on what to do?" Fancy Pants asked his friends.

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh nodded. "Braeburn and I are checkin' on the food vendors, servin' as taste testers."

"Thunderlane and I are going to take another look at the weather preparations, and make sure the Wonderbolts are ready in case they're needed." Soarin declared.

"Excellent. And I'm giving some last minute instructions to the unicorns in charge of the fire works, which just happen to be led by Sassy Saddles' younger sister," Fancy Pants smiled. "So let's split up! We'll meet back at the castle in an hour or so when our royal duties are finished, and then turn in for the night."

"Okay, see ya then!" Thunderlane saluted and the five stallions went their separate ways. They didn't know that their entire conversation had been overheard.

Now Tirek had reason to be concerned too. "Shining Armor and his friends are here, and it's just before a crowded holiday celebration? I'm starting to think the Storm King might be right. This could be bad for us."

However, Chrysalis adopted a sly and cunning smile as she spoke up. "No, you fools! This is perfect! We need a distraction and those pesky ponies just gave us the tools we need. Now, do exactly as I tell you." And she began to whisper her plans into both of her fellow Legion of Doom members' ears.





Tirek followed the Apple family cousins as they inspected several food stands set up in a small clearing near the royal gardens. He noticed that all the vendors there were earth ponies, there were no unicorns or pegasi anywhere in sight.

After a little while, Braeburn and Big Macintosh left with stuffed faces and a sense that the food situation was under control. That was when Tirek made his move, the crafty centaur taking full advantage of the bushes to cover himself while he drained away every drop of magic he could from the earth ponies. He grinned from ear to ear as he slowly returned to the form he had last dawned when Discord had helped him steal all the magic from unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies. "Don't worry, ponies. Your magic's gone to a good cause: Me!" He thought to himself.

The Storm King tailed the two off-duty Wonderbolts from afar, until they stopped to talk to a pegasus stallion who sported thick red glasses, and a curly mane and tail that consisted of sea green and snow white locks. He had bluish-green eyes and a coat the same tan color as sand.

When the two pegasi left the stallion (who identified himself as Feather Flatterfly), the Storm King kept watch from afar. Then when he was sure the coast was clear, the styr threw a rock and watched it smack against a tree. Flatterfly left his post to inspect the noise, which allowed the Storm King access to the various boxes that housed different weather patterns. "Ooh, are these the labels for all the weather the ponies have?!" He thought to himself as he removed the labels with the greatest of ease. "Gosh, it sure would be a shame if someone were to mix 'em all up. But who's got two thumbs and would do that? Oh I know, me!" 

And the Storm King did just that before slipping away undetected. "I've lit the fuse," He thought to himself. "Now I just sit back and wait for the kaboom!"

As for Chrysalis, she waited for Fancy Pants to finish talking to the unicorns that were managing the fireworks display, before she opted to take on the look of the fashion unicorn brother of Photo Finish: Fashion Plate. "Hey, excuse me!" The unicorn called to a mare who had locks of fiery red and orange. "What's your name?"

The unicorn mare replied. "My name is Fire Flare. I don't have time for questions, I wish simply to be left alone while I work on perfecting this new fireworks display. It's to be the star attraction at the Summer Sun Celebration tomorrow."

"Fashion Plate" just replied. "But why bother putting in all that effort? Most of the ponies attending are not unicorns, they won't appreciate the kind of immense, magical talent that goes into your show. One unicorn to another, I wouldn't waste my time on them. The pegasi and the earth ponies don't truly appreciate what we unicorns can do. And I'm pretty sure they're all from out of town."

"You know, this would be the first time my group has performed for non-unicorns. Many of them were quite reluctant to participate before we learned it would be for the most important holiday in pony history." Fire Flare answered.

"Fashion Plate" responded by trotting away. "Just think about what I've said. Is it really all the bother? Why stoop to the level of entertainment for lesser groups? They will forget quickly."





Unaware of what was going on, the five stallions completed their inspections and returned as planned to the throne room to give their reports.

Shining Armor wasn't present when they arrived though, which did sadden the group considerably. "I know he's working really hard to control that amulet, but I was really hoping we'd get to see him before the celebration gets underway tomorrow," Thunderlane commented. "Once the sun's raised he's gonna be too busy with the big announcement for us to talk to him."

"Well, we did our jobs. We did what he asked of us," Fancy Pants smiled. "It looks like everything is gonna go off without a hitch. I'm sure Shining will be very pleased to hear about that, whenever he has time to be told."

However, just a moment after Fancy Pants had spoken several royal guards came rushing up, with one in particular looking out of breath and with a frazzled mane. "Where are the princesses?! Where's Captain Armor?! We need to speak to someone of authority! It's urgent!"

"Whaddya mean? What's going on out there?! I thought things were under control." Soarin questioned the guards.

One of the guards explained in between desperate pants. "It ain't like anything anypony's ever seen! It all happened all at once! The earth pony bakers are sick and can't bake anymore treats, the weather's completely out of control and the unicorns in charge of the fireworks display walked off: Said something about them being 'Too good to associate with out of town commoners'."

The stallions all rushed to a nearby window, and what they saw made their hearts sink! The city of Canterlot had devolved into chaos, it was everypony for themselves! Pegasi were trying heroically to tame the powerful storms that were bringing lightning and wind to the heart of the city! Earth ponies were scrambling to save what food they could. And unicorns were all wondering what could replace the fireworks show now that the performers had quit.

Amidst all this chaos, no one seemed to notice a trio of figures whose mere appearance would've been enough to give them away. "Best road trip ever!" The Storm King proudly declared!

"It's not over yet!" Chrysalis replied with a smile. "All this will be for nothing if we don't hurry to the Canterlot Archives! This is our only chance to obtain the knowledge we seek!"

Tirek just grinned. "No problem. With all the magic I've absorbed from those pesky ponies, breaking into the archives will be a piece of cake."

"Ooh, cake! I love cake! We should totally steal some cake while no one's looking!" The Storm King added. "It'll be the perfect crime to cement how terrible we are! Trust me, ponies remember you far more for the personal stuff than they do when you just ransack places and cause destruction." And the Legion of Doom then headed to the Canterlot Archives, delighting in the fact that no one knew they were there and that no one could stop them.





"We've got to tell Shining Armor about this immediately!" Soarin sternly declared as he and his friends eyed the fast de-escalating situation in Canterlot. "He and the princesses will know how to restore order before everything hits the fan."

But Big Macintosh protested. "No, let's not do that. Not yet anyway. We can't be relyin' on Shinin' to solve our problems for us all the time. He's got enough on his plate as it is. We owe it to him to show that we're not gonna depend on him. Besides, if we're gonna be his royal advisors we gotta be able to handle chaos like this so that we can help guide Shinin' through it."

"I guess that means we'll have to split up again if we're going to get things under control," Thunderlane realized. "Soarin and I will try to clear up the adverse weather."

"Cousin Big Mac and I still have our magic!" Braeburn declared. "We'll save all the food we can, and whatever can't be saved we'll make ourselves!"

And Fancy Pants concluded. "I'll see if I can't persuade the fire worker performers to come back. Perhaps if I mention that I know Fire Flare's sister, they'll listen to me."

Before the five could put their plan into action, however, Shining Armor came trotting out into the throne room. He had heard everything. "Guys, I appreciate the gesture, but if there's a problem I expect you to tell me right away," He informed them. "It wasn't hard to figure out something was going wrong when storm clouds started rolling in during practice with the amulet."

Soarin frowned as he hung his head. "Should've known there'd be no fooling you, Shining. I guess being an alicorn gives you like a sixth sense for trouble or something."

The young alicorn just replied. "I know you guys have good intentions, but we're a team! If something affects one of us it affects all of us. That's not going to change even after I take the throne. Haven't we been through this already?"

Thunderlane couldn't help but question. "How can you sound calm at a time like this? This is serious!"

"I know, Thunderlane. But panicking won't solve anything, it'll only make things worse," Shining explained. "Being a leader means learning how to keep a cool head. Now, if we all work together and move fast, with the princesses help we should still be able to have a Summer Sun Celebration. Are you all with me?!"

"Yeah!" The prince's friends cheered!

Shining smiled. "Excellent! Now let's get to work, we don't have much time!"





Celestia and Luna worked hard to help Shining and his friends clean up the chaos and restore order to Canterlot. They were an especially big help in clearing up the storms, and getting new entertainment to replace the old ones.

But unknown to everyone the Legion of Doom's little distraction had worked like a charm. The royal guards keeping watch over the Canterlot Archives were ill prepared for the threat that approached them, and by the time they were able to draw their spears it was already too late. Tirek knocked them aside and took their magic with the greatest of ease.

A lone guard goose that had wandered away from its flock threatened to give away the legion's presence, before a quick thinking Chrysalis posed as another goose to make it go away.

But it was the Storm King who made the discovery the trio had been searching for. With a great deal of effort he was able to break a chain lock guarding a book resting high on a shelf in the forbidden section of the archives. "Aha, here we go! There's a whole section on Grogar's Bewitching Bell!" He declared to the others. "We got what we came for, let's burn this place to the ground and get out of here!"

"How about we scrap the burning part? We don't want to give ourselves away just yet, now do we?" Tirek pointed out. "The ponies won't be in the dark for much longer."

The Storm King sighed as he took the book into his arms. "You guys are no fun, you know that?"

"We can have all the fun we want after we betray Grogar!" Chrysalis told the styr. "Now come on, we have to go!"

Unfortunately, the trio didn't quite manage to make it out of Canterlot undetected. Shining Armor spotted them making a desperate run for it out of the corner of his eye and flew down to intercept them. To say he was shocked to see the likes of Chrysalis, Tirek and the Storm King all together would be an understatement! "It can't be! Two of you are supposed to be in prison, and the other is supposed to be dead!"

Chrysalis just grinned as she replied in that taunting, manipulative tone of hers. "Well, you're not the only one who can have friends in the right places," Then she added. "Unfortunately, as much as we'd love to stay and chat we must decline. We have other obligations, big plans."

"Plans that don't concern you!" Tirek warned. "So if you know what's good for your health I suggest you back off. In case you haven't noticed, we're considerably more powerful now than when you last faced us."

The Storm King grinned. "I'm sure we'll meet again soon. Congrats on the inevitable promotion by the way. You've totally earned it, your majesty!"

"The three of you aren't going anywhere!" Shining roared as he charged up his horn! "Coming here was a mistake on your parts, your thieving and treason end here and now!"

Alas, Tirek was able to effortlessly knock back Shining with a fireball, and the smoke provided just enough cover for the Legion of Doom to get away. "Something is definitely not right here!" He thought to himself, before his thoughts turned back to Canterlot. "But I don't know what those guys have planned. I'll have to let my friends know after the Summer Sun Celebration. It may be sunny now, but I have a feeling there's a storm lurking just over the horizon."