//------------------------------// // Chapter eleven: Finishing Hero's training and continuing his journey. // Story: Season 10: Dawn of a new generation of Harmony // by xombiekilla //------------------------------// "Gah?! A horrible dream, or maybe it was a message. Luna, wake up!" Celestia gasped in shock as she woke up from her bed in the morning, breathing heavily and in a cold sweat. Luna had shared the room with her sister as she slept on her bed. The room itself was custom-made to accommodate both alicorns. "Please, Luna. Something terrible is about to happen. I don't know what it is, but whatever it is, you need to know about it." "W-Wha- what's going on, sister? What do you mean?" Luna then stirred from her sleep and saw Celestia's distressed look adorning her face. "Tia? Have you had a bad dream? I know that look on your face. Talk to me." "Luna. I'm afraid that Equestria is once again in a lot of trouble. I just had a terrible dream that depicted a strange hooded figure. He had released Cozy, Chrysalis, and Tirek from their prison. We may no longer be the princesses, but we must still be in service to our home and our ponies." "Oh, you've got to be kidding me. Why can't the forces of evil just for once not keep coming back, for our sake?" "I know how you feel, Luna. We'll need to depart for Canterlot. For Equestria's salvation, we'll be there to fight one last time." "Well, it's not like we've got much choice now. I'm just saying." Luna concluded as they both woke up, and the Silver Shoals staff members arrived to serve them. "Celestia, Luna. Here's your favorite breakfast. What's the matter? You two look like you've seen a ghost." "Well, because of the horrible dream that I've had, I suppose you wouldn't be too far off. Twilight needs us right now!" "We understand, Celestia. You wouldn't be going through this much trouble if you didn't have a good reason for doing so. "Well, first, we should eat breakfast, then we'll go to Canterlot to speak with Twilight." "Agreed, Tia. It is the most important meal of the day, after all." "Spike. I think it's time to send a letter to both Celestia and Luna. We need their help right now." Twilight made haste in her morning, stress still on her mind as she had lowered the moon and raised the sun. Then, she wrote a letter to summon both former rulers. "Twilight, you should eat your breakfast." "I will spike, but tell the staff I'll be running late this time." Twilight then hurriedly wrote a new letter and sent it to Silver Shoals Retirement Resort. The Silver Shoals mailroom then received a new letter in the mail stack on top, signifying its importance. That letter was addressed to Celestia and Luna, adorned with the royal emergency seal. The courier saw it and rushed over to deliver the letter to their room door quickly. He knocked to get their attention. "Hello there, Celestia and Luna. I've got this letter for you." "Come in then," Celestia chirped as the courier entered their room. "I understand that you're trying to stay positive, Celestia. But this letter looks very important, a summons to Canterlot Castle. I pray that nothing too terrible is happening right now." "No, fair mail courier. There's nothing you should concern yourself with. Equestria will always remain safe with us around." "I'm not ever doubting your powers, ladies. Well, I have to go back and finish sorting out the post. Good morning and good day, ladies." The mail courier left as Luna was enamored with how fast his delivery time was. "Post service is the best, is it not, Tia?" "Luna, please, don't start with that again." Starlight woke up in the morning, not sleeping enough after hearing about what happened last night. She knew she needed to bring this to Hero's attention quickly. "First, to get breakfast for everyone, I need to talk to Hero about the letter I got from Twilight. We'll figure this out. The light of Equestria will never truly be extinguished, not as long as we've got friendship." "Hey there, honey. Good Morning." Sunburst came in to greet Starlight. "Morning, Sunburst. So, you're ready for breakfast, then?" "I sure am. Want me to wake up both Luster and Hero?" "If you could do that, that'd be great. After breakfast, we'll need to meet here at the castle. Hero has to be here, too. He's an element just like the rest of us, excluding you and me." "I'll go and wake them both up. So, you're going to keep the academy closed then?" "We're facing a crisis here, so I have no choice but to until further notice. When we can safely explore the town without the risk of those Tainted creatures attacking us, I can then deem it safe to reopen the School of Friendship." "Yeah. That sounds like a good idea to me. Well, I best be off. I can't wait for breakfast." "Right, I'll try not to burn it this time." "Ha. Like you've ever been known to burn anything." Sunburst arrived at the guest room to wake up Hero. "Hey! Hero, wake up! It's morning, and breakfast is being made." Hero then stirred with a slight groan. "Okay.. okay. I'm up. Good morning to you, Sunburst." He got out of bed and began preparing to start his day. "So, who's making breakfast?" "Starlight is. I'm supposed to wake you and Luster up so we can all eat." "I see. I suppose I can't pass up a free meal, huh?" Hero replied with a cheeky grin as he yawned and stretched, "Well, let's go and wake up Luster then." As they both made their way out of the guest room Hero was resting in, they approached Luster Dawn's room. Once Sunburst opened it up, they saw what was honestly the most precious thing; she was lightly snoring, and on her chest, held within her clutches, was a book she must have been reading to herself before going to sleep. "Man, she looks so peaceful. Are you sure we should disturb her?" "Don't worry about it, Hero. This is normal for her." Sunburst replied as he approached his daughter. "Hey! Luster Dawn. Wake up!" She was groaning and muttering something to herself while stuck in the throes of her slumber. This caused both Hero and Sunburst to chuckle a little. Then, she began to awaken. "Guh... W-What? Oh, come on, dad. Why?" "Sorry, honey. But it's time to wake up and eat some breakfast." "I couldn't just have like five more minutes to sleep? Does this have to happen right now?" "Unfortunately so. After breakfast, you could then do whatever you wanted to do. Sound fair?" "Yeah, it does. Well, might as well get this day started." Luster sighed in defeat as she exited her bed to follow Sunburst and Hero to the castle's dining room. Starlight was nearly done making breakfast as everyone was seated and waiting to be served. "Starlight's making her fluffy pancakes again. Doesn't that sound just tasty, Luster?" "Well, I do like mommy's pancakes, sure." Then, after a few minutes had passed, Starlight came into the dining room, floating the food on a large serving dish, using her magic. "Breakfast is served, guys." Starlight declared as she set the large serving dish on the table for everybody. There were potato hash browns, pancakes, and seasoned fruit. It was served with some apple cider or coffee. For not specializing in cooking, Starlight did a pretty excellent job. "Wow. Not bad, Starlight. This looks pretty good." "Well, thank you, Hero. I'm not the best, but I've been practicing feeding Luster independently. She appreciates it, and so does my lovely Sunburst." "I can see why. This looks wonderful." Hero said as he stared at the plate he had been stacked up with the delicious flapjacks. Once everybody had their serving, everyone dug in. "Oh my... Faustia. This might even be on par with Applejack's lunch I had the other day." "Butter me up, why don't you, Hero." "I'm being serious here. This tastes good." "Well, I appreciate that, Hero. It's a useful skill to have under your belt when you're the mother of a borderline picky daughter and a husband that eats pretty much anything he sees." "Hey!" Both Luster and Sunburst had curtly replied. "I heard that, mom. I'm not that picky." Luster said in her defense. "And I've got a healthy appetite. That's not the same thing as gluttony." Sunburst also said in his defense. "I'm just joking with you guys. But I kind of find it difficult not to announce what I see. After breakfast, Hero. We need to talk about something important. If you wouldn't mind." "Not at all," Hero replied as they were almost finished with their breakfast. "So guys, what do you think we'll all be doing today?" "If I'm not reading something, I guess I'll be making up for lost sleep," Luster said as she briefly glared at her dad with an annoyed scowl. "I'll check with the town's citizens to see if they're okay after that recent Tainted attack." Starlight nodded, proud of her husband. "Well, after I talk to Starlight, I'll try to finish my training." Hero looks over to Starlight, and she does so in kind. "Hero. That's kind of what our discussion is going to be about. I can only say that you will have a hectic day today." She later said, "Twilight had given you an emergency summons to her castle at Canterlot. As well as the elements, the pillars, and myself. The other princesses will also most likely be there to meet with us." "So I'm guessing that means I got no choice but to show up, huh?" "I'm afraid so, Hero. But you'll be aligned with strong allies once you get there." Starlight reassured him as he finished his breakfast. Starlight and the other two had then done so shortly after that. Starlight then levitated the empty dishes into the kitchen to be washed. She then looked at Hero as she said. "Everything will be fine, Hero. Trust me as your new friend, okay?" "Yeah. I trust you." "Thanks, Hero." Starlight hugged Hero as she let go, and she and he had gotten ready to travel to Canterlot for that summons. Meanwhile, as the Hero, the elements, and Starlight were preparing for their trip to Canterlot, Chrysalis was up to no good. She explored the rows upon rows of cells in the Maximum Equestrian Correctional Facility, each dangerous housing criminals to Equestria. After successfully knocking out the stationed guards around the cells, she approached the one she sought. "Alright then, he's got to be somewhere around here. Cell Block C, D, E. Ahh, here we're, right after F. How appropriate that the cell I'm looking for also has the letter G in its name." Satisfied at her discovery, she used her magic to pry open the cell bars to reveal a taller, more strange-looking bipedal figure in the dark corner of the cell room. "Huh. Who's there? Who're you? Why are you breaking me out of here, anyway?" Asked the bipedal figure to Chrysalis. "Queen Chrysalis, and If I were you, I'd be more grateful for this deed. If you're the one I'm looking for, and I'm sure you are. Grubber, right?" "Yeah, that's my name, alright. So what use could I possibly be to you?" Grubber then looked intently at his unexpected rescuer. "I'm in the market for extra muscle, and you shall have freedom. I believe this is a fair trade for you." "What?! Are you nuts? Do you have any idea how much trouble I'd be in if they were to capture me again? MIND YOU, if I accept this, which is incredibly risky on my end, what could you offer me to make it worth my while? 'Cause just freedom alone ain't going to cut it, I'm afraid." "Let's see here: Aside from freedom, you'll gain power, vengeance, protection, and a guaranteed spot as my right hand when I succeed the throne. Does this sound acceptable to you, Grubber?" He gave it some thought for a moment. "Well, I suppose this is the only thing I could do. Fine, I accept your offer, Chrysalis." After a sigh of defeat, he relented and accepted her bargain. "A wise decision, Grubber. Now, follow your queen. We've got a lot of work to do." Chrysalis and Grubber exited the Maximum Equestrian Prison Complex, a delighted grin now adorning the wicked queen's face.