//------------------------------// // Epilogue: The League of Harmony // Story: Tales from the Conversion Bureau: The Last Bastion // by Sachiel //------------------------------// The Belfry, Canterlot, 6 AB (After Barrier) Sterling Brigand, Duke Pampa trotted into the restaurant, glancing around he spied a blue hoof being waved in the air by a fellow unicorn and member of the newfoal nobility. He cast his dark blue, borderline purple eye around the place as he made his way over to the table. The Belfry was the hottest new restaurant and bakery in Canterlot, founded by another newfoal, the eponymous Bright Belfry. Because of this it drew in a lot of newfoals from across the vast new realm of Equestria and his pale blue coat and brown mane were a common sight there, he even knew her suppliers off by heart. Like Rough Spirit, the pegasi she was currently chatting with by the kitchen As he passed by he nodded to a brown earth pony, Storied Sentry, one of the new curators at the Canterlot Museum, he enjoyed the fundraising soirées the place hosted and the earth pony always pulled out all the stops when she was running the show. A few tables down he noticed a pegasi call over a waiter to ask for some carrot extract, that'd be Feather Breeze, despite his name one of the toughest ponies Sterling knew. The impeccably dressed unicorn stallion by the window was Ambient Sapeur, owner of the most in demand tailors in Manehatten, probably here on business, the waistcoat Sterling was wearing was one of his. Finally he reached the table where Dawn Splendor was waiting for him “Hey Sterling” “Hey Dawn, long time no see” he replied warmly, despite everything, he was glad he still had his cousin Her husband on the other hoof... “Where's Blueblood?” “The Princess has him working on something for the Summer Sun Celebration, you really should come by the estate and see him sometime, he's always going on about how you'd be a good fit for his dinner club” “Oh, I'd, er, I'd love to Dawn but I'm gonna be pretty busy from now on” “You mean...” “Yep, I said yes, you're looking at Princess Luna's personal protégé” she squealed and threw her hooves around his shoulders “Oh Sterling that's amazing! Praise the Princesses!” “This calls for a celebration” she called the waiter and he returned with a bottle of something bubbly and filled their glasses “To the Princesses!” “Praise the Princesses” Sterling replied, clinking the glasses, thanking the stars he was a good actor “Do you ever, you know, miss it?” “Hmm?” “Before, Brazil” “Do you?” he asked curiously, she looked unsure “I...” her eyes flickered “it was pretty bad there, all that war, suffering, wasn't it?” her head twitched sharply as the potion did its work “no, it's better here, far better” “I'll drink to that cousin, to our new start in Equestria” “Here here” she replied gleefully as they clinked their glasses together All too often Luis got a reminder of what the potion had done to her, that he was less glad about Mansion of Sterling Brigand, Duke Pampa, outskirts of Canterlot “Are you practising as you should Sterling Brigand?” Luna asked sternly she walked side-by-side with her most faithful student later that night, the two of them flanked by her guards “Sure thing Princess, magic's taking some getting used to but I'm getting better every day” Sterling replied chipperly, keeping in lockstep as they went down the hall to their training area “I am glad, to be my personal student is no minor role, you are a symbol of the integration of the newfoals into Equestria, just like your cousin is with my sister” she proclaimed loudly as she stopped in front of the doors, turning to her guards “Leave us, return to the Royal Palace, the teachings of the Princess of the Night are for her student alone” the guards saluted, turned and walked back down the hall, once they were out of sight Luna and Sterling went inside “One moment” Luna pulled the doors shut with her magic and a bright glyph appeared on them “there, we are secure” “And Celestia doesn't suspect anything?” “No, my sister believes I am teaching you as she is your cousin” she replied, watching Luis levitate rocks and teleport around the room “although in truth I don't think you need it, you've taken to magic quite well” “Thank you Princess, she doesn't think it's weird you've picked me?” “She knows I went to see your father, I told her I promised to look out for you, she thinks that's what I'm doing...” she looked down at the ground “and I suppose technically I am” “Thanks Luna, I can take things from here, you've done plenty for us already” “It feels right you are here Luis, to be the one to carry what was hers forward” she said as she turned around and began attending to her own duties, he didn't push her, to say she was torn about, well, everything would be the understatement of the century Luis walked across the training room and down the staircase at the far side, heading deeper underground, deeper and deeper until he reached the cellar, then heading to the fair side, his horn glowed and another glyph appeared on the wall in front of him, that section retracted back revealing a secret passageway. He went in, closed the door and headed down it, finally he came out in a large room Inside a large pale blue table took up the centre, taken from the now abandoned Castle of Friendship (Spike had gone to live with the dragons, too many memories in Ponyville), on it was a large piece of parchment and atop it a crown of silver, holding a magenta gem shaped like an astrolabe. Dotted around the room were old artefacts, retrieved from caches by one of those who'd helped hide them there. Around the table were six thrones, five of which were empty “You took your time” Klara, or as she was known outside the room, Bright Belfry said “I got held up 'celebrating' my mentorship with my cousin” he replied as he slid into the empty throne “anyway, I call this meeting of the League of Harmony to order” As he did each throne pulsed, the cutie mark at the top being replaced by that of the pony sitting in it, the friendship map responding to the new Elements who were wearing their new necklaces around their necks. Luis placed the crown on his head, not the one he'd grown up to wear but it'd do “How's she? Any better?” Sanzhar, otherwise known as Rough Spirit asked him “Fraid not, the potion's still doing its stuff, she's definitely not one of us” “Have you heard anything about more being immune to the potion?” Dikembe asked “Ambient Sapeur hasn't heard anything from anypony coming into his shop” “Hard to believe the potion wears off in one in a thousand newfoals, although since these things protected us we don't really count towards that” Riley said, the erstwhile Feather Breeze tapping the necklace around his neck “you'd think Celestia would've figured it out by now” “Luna's helping keep it secret” “Just her?” “Let's just say Twilight and the Elements had lots of friends, some of them pretty powerful friends in high places, who have scores to settle with Celestia for what she did” “So we're really doing this” Storied Sentry, known to her fellow elements as Marcia said “we're really gonna overthrow her” “We're human, not giving up is kind of our thing” Luis placed his hoof above the table“ you can take away the human form but the human spirit? That can never be erased. It's our last bastion” One by one the others put their hooves on his, united in their vow, below one name on the parchment stood out: John Hancock And that's it, thank you all for taking the time to read it, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it