Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all associated characters, settings and stories are the rightful subjects of Hasbro, the HUB, Studio B, and Lauren Faust.
Chapter 23
When the six arrived in Canterlot, they were relieved to see the city had done away with its black mourning banners and ribbons. Life appeared to be back to normal, if normal was the word that described Equestria without the princesses. For the six, especially Twilight, life would never truly be normal ever again. Something would always be missing. There would always be one tiny hole that would never be refilled or repaired. Unlike cement or mortar which could patch a leak in a dam or a hole in the wall, there was no substance or emotion that could repair a hole in the soul. Time could heal most things but it may not be able to heal this. Only time would tell.
The girls made their way through the station towards the main boulevard. Most stores were closed and traffic was light since it was Sunday. Ponies were out enjoying the afternoon sun before the chill came back with the night.
Inhaling the smell of the clean, yet somewhat flowery air, Rarity remarked, "It certainly is good to be back in Canterlot."
"You like it here?" asked Rainbow Dash. "It's so closed-minded and cramped."
"Silly Dashie, Rarity loves Canterlot more than anything," teased Pinkie with a quick noogie to Rainbow's head.
"I do love Canterlot, but I like a few things more," said Rarity. "My sister, my boutique, Opal, and you girls."
"You see, Rainbow Dash," stated Fluttershy, "Rarity does care about the things that matter most: family and friends."
"Speakin' of family, why don't we get started with that? It's what we came 'ere for," said Applejack.
"Are you okay, Twilight?" asked Pinkie noticing Twilight's silence and her vacant expression.
"Umm…yeah, fine," answered Twilight somewhat hazily.
"You okay, Twilight?" asked Rainbow.
"I'm just tired that's all."
"Should we wait until tomorrow to visit your brother?" asked Fluttershy.
"No, I should see him."
"It's alright if you wait, darling. Your brother loves you, he'll completely understand," assured Rarity.
"What about your parents?" asked Pinkie.
"I don't think they even knew I ran away. I mean we saw them when we first came here for Celestia's…you know, but I don't think they ever knew."
"And ya' don't wanna put unnecessary stress on 'em?"
"No, I really don't."
"Then, that's no big deal," said Rainbow.
"How about we just go over to the Palace and meet with Magicon? I'm sure he's been worried about us and it won't be emotional," suggested Rarity.
"You know, that's not a bad idea actually," responded Twilight.
"Then let's get our flanks skipping," said Pinkie as she jumped on to the sidewalk and began skipping towards the palace.
"Come on, girls, we better not lose another one in our group," said Rainbow flying above them and following Pinkie at a slower pace, just enough to keep an eye on her.
The other four followed her lead and slowly walked along the sidewalk towards the palace. Twilight kept her head low and avoided eye contact with everypony, including her friends. The three still worried about her but hoped everything would turn out alright.
Arriving at the gates of the palace the girls were relieved to see that the mourning had ended here too. The silver, gold, and white of the palace glistened brightly as ever in the afternoon sun, truly immortalizing the symbol of the Government of Equestria. Approaching the iron gates they saw Rainbow hovering over Pinkie who was a little jumpy, trying to wait for them.
"Glad to see ya'll waited for us," said Applejack as they approached the two ponies.
"We wouldn't go inside without you anyway," responded Rainbow.
"Well, now can we go in?" asked Pinkie excitedly.
"Pinkie darling, I don't why you're so excited to get inside? We've been in here numerous times," stated Rarity.
"I know but this time Magicon is in charge and I want to see what he's done with the place."
"I don't think he's changed much given that Luna died less than a week ago," said Fluttershy with full regret in her voice.
"We'll just have to find out," said Rainbow as she approached the gate.
"Who goes there?" yelled a guard from the nearby guard station.
"Twilight Sparkle and her friends," answered Rainbow Dash as the guard approached the gate.
"What is your purpose here?"
"To speak with Magicon."
The guard paused a moment before looking back at the girls.
"I do not know his plans and have no orders to keep out anypony and given that you've been missing for a while, Miss Twilight Sparkle, I see no harm in letting you in."
"I'm not Twilight Sparkle," said Rainbow. "She is," pointing towards Twilight.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, miss…"
"Dash. Rainbow Dash."
"Yes, Miss Dash. Once again, a thousand apologies. I'll let you in right away."
He slid the key into the lock on the side and the gates immediately thrust open. The girls entered and the gates closed behind them. The guard returned to his station and the girls walked up the driveway past the gardens, which had yet to bloom, into the entrance hall.
A servant pony walked up to them and asked, "May I help you?"
"We wish to speak with Magicon immediately," said Rarity.
"Tell him the Elements of Harmony have arrived," added Twilight.
"Very good madams. I will let him know right away." He whizzed away into the heart of the palace and the girls were escorted into the throne room. It looked the same as when they had left it, minus the black drapes and flowers that had mourned the loss of Princess Celestia. Now the hall was in its original glory with the bright clear windows, some with stained glass, the spotless velvet carpet over the polished marble, and the graceful columns soaring to the arched ceiling. Everything in the hall evoked grandeur, regality, and opulence. No wonder why the nobles loved to hand out here.
But something was different about the room and Pinkie was the first to notice it.
"Girls look," she exclaimed pointing towards the few steps that climbed to the thrones. Indeed she was right. Instead of two thrones, one in solar yellow and one in midnight blue, a single black, gold, and velvet throne sat where the two used to be.
"I told you he had changed something," she commented.
"You're definitely right, Pinkie," remarked Rainbow Dash.
"What kind of taste in furniture does he have?" asked Rarity. "I mean, the dark and gothic throne does not match the glittering white of this hall. It really belongs in some old and creepy castle."
"Maybe he's getting ready for Nightmare Night?" suggested Pinkie.
"Or maybe dark objects are his thing?" suggested Applejack more realistically.
"Whatever suits his fancy, it's just a chair," said Rainbow.
"Oh no, Rainbow, it's more than just a chair. It is a throne: a symbol of power and nobility. The pony that sits in the throne has immense power and immense responsibility to rule Equestria," Rarity stated.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
"Well, umm…it is a little scary," remarked Fluttershy.
"In a way, kinda," agreed Pinkie.
"Sugarcube, your thoughts on that there chair?"
Twilight, who had not raised her head to examine the chair, finally did so and her eyes nearly fell out of their sockets by what she saw. She screamed and fell over backwards much to the panic of her friends who rushed to her.
"Twilight!"
"What's wrong?"
"Are ya' hurt?"
"What happened?"
"Can you hear me?"
After getting back on to her hooves Twilight put a hoof to her head and lightly shook it.
"Yeah, I'm alright. It's just I've seen that chair in a book on ancient magical artifacts before. The book said it was the Supremacy Throne."
"The what?"
"The Supremacy Throne. A throne designed to enhance the magical power of the pony who rightfully claims it. It also prevents others from sitting in it. If the chair likes the sitter it will only let that pony sit in it. It was said to be solely used by the Lord of Trottingham to prevent other ponies from usurping his throne. He eventually died and Trottingham ended its system of lords. The chair disappeared shortly after his death and was never seen again. How Magicon found it is beyond my comprehension."
"You are correct, Twilight Sparkle," said a voice to their right. Turning in the direction of the voice the girls saw Magicon, wearing his dark blue cape, standing at the end of a hallway leading into the Throne Room. He walked briskly up the steps to the throne but remained standing beside it.
"This throne was given to me by a museum curator in Manehattan who obviously did not know what he had on his hooves. Poor pony."
"Magicon, we are glad to see you," greeted Rarity.
"As am I," he responded as he climbed down the steps and walked up to the girls. "I see you were successful in your mission, even when I had to pull Shining Armor from your journey. I am very sorry about that."
"Is everything alright? Is Princess Luna really…you know?" asked Fluttershy.
"I'm afraid so. We held a very small funeral for her. She never would've wanted a big funeral so it was just me and a few of her close friends."
"So, where does that leave us?" asked Rainbow.
"Well, you may or may not know, I am in charge of Equestria now."
"Shining Armor told us that," said Applejack.
"By the way, where is he?" asked Pinkie.
"I'm afraid Shining Armor was drawn away from Equestria after Luna's funeral. He won't be back for quite some time."
"You mean, he's not here?" asked Twilight suddenly on the verge of tears.
Magicon shook his head and put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "There, there, Twilight Sparkle. You'll get through this. You have your friends who rescued you and they'll rescue again."
"It's not my friends that are the issue. It's my brother. He abandoned the search for me and just left my friends to fend for themselves and find me and now when I come back to see him, he's gone again. It's not fair."
"Twilight, Shining Armor didn't abandon ya'," comforted Applejack.
"She's right. I had to call Shining Armor back. It was a national crisis and I needed my Captain of the Royal Guard in Canterlot immediately to deal with this. He came and dealt it with the upmost satisfaction. Then he was called to meet with the highest military generals from Equestria and surrounding countries for various conferences. He had to go so that he may learn about other lands and come back with the knowledge to make all of us safe.
"I know it's hard for you, Twilight Sparkle, but you must have faith in me and your brother to do the right thing for Equestria."
"Th…thank you," whimpered Twilight.
"You're quite welcome. Now, girls, I'm sure you've had a long journey and are probably famished. Why don't you come with me and we'll have the finest dinner in Canterlot and you can tell me about your exciting adventure?"
"That would be absolutely brilliant," remarked Rarity. "I mean, if that's alright with the rest of my friends."
"No objections here," responded Rainbow.
"I like food and good stories," said Pinkie happily.
"I'm okay with it if everypony else is," uttered Fluttershy.
"Ah'll go if ya' feel up to it, sugarcube," stated Applejack.
"I'll…I'll do it," said Twilight quietly.
"Don't think I'm pressuring you into this. If you don't feel up to it, go and rest. I have many rooms available for you to sleep in, Twilight Sparkle."
"No, that's alright, Magicon. Thank you. I'll come to dinner. Maybe some good food will help me."
"That's the spirit."
Magicon led the girls to the Dining Hall as the sun began to set over the horizon. He didn't expect them to be back so soon and he had much to ask them. Many things were riding on these girls and his plans would succeed or fail depending on what they knew and how they knew it. He would have to know everything and plan carefully. His rule was not going to be stopped by some group of twenty-year-olds. He was sure of that.
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Magicon could lie about many things, but when it came to the food, Magicon was completely right. It had been delicious and scrumptious, full of savory flavors and mouth-watering tastes. The girls enjoyed it even more than they had hoped. The topic of conversation was mostly them describing their adventure to Magicon who silently ate and listened. Towards the later half, Magicon filled them in on what occurred in Canterlot. By the time dessert was finished, two hours had already passed amongst the seven ponies.
"And that brings me right up to present," concluded Magicon as he wiped his cheeks.
"Quite a story," remarked Rarity.
"It wasn't fun, believe me."
"So, Princess Cadance is back?" asked Twilight
"Unexpectedly, but yes. Shall I send for her?"
"If it's not too much trouble, please."
"Certainly." Gesturing towards one of the servants Magicon said, "Send for Princess Cadance immediately."
"Yes, sir."
As the servant left to get the princess the girls rested, their stomachs overflowing with food.
"Well, Magicon, that was delicious. Ah haven't had that much good food since the Apple Family reunin'," complimented Applejack.
"You're very welcome. I'm glad this food is not being wasted."
"I have a question," said Pinkie. "Why did you change thrones and now use that scary one? Where's the princesses thrones?"
"Their thrones are being polished and cleaned and will be on display in the Canterlot Museum. As for me, let me first tell you that the magic in the Supremacy Throne has worn off. There's almost no magic left in it. The reason I chose it was because I wanted something unique and unlike any other throne in Equestria. The Supremacy Throne did just that. I couldn't use Princess Celestia's or Princess Luna's thrones. They were theirs, for them only, and I want to preserve their honor and sacrifice to Equestria by not ruining them with my usage. That's why I have my own."
"Okey dokey lokey," said Pinkie.
"Any other questions?"
"Umm…Magicon…sir, what are you going to do next?" asked Fluttershy.
"Well, changing Equestria for the better. Modernizing it, moving it forward, and helping millions of ponies."
"You will continue the princess's legacy, correct?" asked Rarity.
"You don't see me banishing the court, do you?" Magicon teased. "No, though I am not royalty by blood, I do bear a title: the Prince of Equestria. But you all can still call me Magicon."
"That's mighty kind of ya' and that's a mighty fine title ya' got," said Applejack.
"Why, thank you."
"Yeah, yeah, royal titles and all that, let's do something worthwhile," said Rainbow.
"Rainbow!" scolded Rarity.
"What?"
"You should show respect to Magicon. He rules you now."
"Nopony rules me except me, myself, and I."
"It's quite alright, Rarity. Rainbow Dash is a very independent mare. There's nothing wrong with that," said Magicon.
There was a knock on the door and Princess Cadance entered. "You wanted to see me Ma-". She stopped herself as she saw the six girls seated around him. Her eyes widened, her jaw dropped as she stood their motionless taking it all them. Twilight looked over, saw her, rose, and ran towards her. She jumped onto Cadance and hugged her causing the alicorn to collapse.
"I…missed you…Cadance."
"I missed you too, Twilight."
The two of them lay in each others hooves, tears in both of their eyes as they hugged each other.
"Ain't that just the sweetest thing," commented Applejack looking over at the two.
"Indeed," said Fluttershy.
"I'm about to burst into tears of joy," remarked Pinkie.
"It's nice," said Fluttershy quietly.
After a few moments, Magicon said "Ahem" to the two mares who blushed, rose and sat down at the table. Twilight looked much happier than she had been, relieving many of their friends.
"So, Princess Cadance is back and you six are back. All we need is Shining Armor and we're as close to normal as we'll get."
"Do you know when he'll be back?" asked Twilight.
Magicon shook his head. "When he writes, I'll respond giving him a full update on all of your arrivals."
"That's very kind of you, Magicon. Thank you," thanked Cadance.
"It's the least I can do. Now, if you all don't mind, why don't we continue this conversation in my study?"
"Actually, can we use mine? I've been using it and it's been rather lonely."
"Certainly. Cadance, you take the girls to your study, I need to take care of one small matter before I join you."
"Sure."
Cadance rose with the girls alongside her as they left the Dining Hall and walked down the halls. Once they were out of hearing from the Dining Room, Twilight asked Cadance,
"So, you don't know where he is either?"
"Not in the slightest. Magicon gave me the same story that he probably gave you."
"That he's at some sort of military conference outside of Equestria?"
Cadance nodded and Twilight sighed.
"Don't worry, Twilight. If I know my husband, he will write and keep in contact. He'll want to know what's going on and Magicon will inform him. I trust both of those stallions."
"I do, but every time I want to see Shining Armor something involving his duty gets in the way. It's like he puts his duty before family."
"Twilight Sparkle!" scolded Cadance. "If that were true, I would not have married the pony that is your bother. He is loyal and loving to his family. He has always been honest and dedicated in his duties to me and you as well as to his job. He has managed them both for two years without difficulty. This is just a small bump in the road, it will pass."
They reached Cadance's study and they all entered, ready to share their stories once again and speculate about Shining Armor, Magicon, and Equestria.
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Once the girls were out of earshot, Magicon rose and motioned the two guards at the doorway to follow him. He had one goal in mind and one pony to share it with. He walked briskly through the torchlight of the hallways with the two guards in tow. Turning down a small hallway, Magicon stopped when he arrived at a large steel door. Motioning for the guards to open it, Magicon quickly entered and flew down the circular stone stairs, his hoofsteps echoing against the stone walls, and his cape flying in the wind behind him.
Once he reached the bottom, he wasted no time in passing the night guards in the dark hallway who saluted him as he rushed past. He only stopped when he reached a special cell guarded by two of Luna's former guards.
"Open it," Magicon ordered. The guards did so and the glow of torches flooded the dark, damp, and disgusting chamber. Magicon walked slowly inside, waiting a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. The door closed behind him but the window was open, allowing some light to penetrate the darkness.
Yet even in this black Magicon could make out the dirty white figure of a stallion, chained to the corner, unmoving but slowly breathing. His cerulean eyes were remorseless as they gazed upon Magicon.
"What do you want?" he mumbled his voice hoarse and cracked as he spoke.
"What? No 'hello'? No 'how's it going' being undivided Ruler of Equestria?" Magicon teased.
Shining Armor made a few grunting sounds and attempted to get up, but was restrained by the heavy chains.
"Do you know how long you've been down here?"
Shining made no response, other than his slow breathing.
"No idea? Well, allow me to inform you. You've been down here for a while and you look disgusting. When you get out of here, you're going to need a bath. Oh wait, you're never getting out of here!"
"You're a sick bastard, you know that?" hissed Shining.
"I'm your sick bastard."
"You are nothing to me."
"Oh really? Then if I am nothing then the information I possess means nothing as well?"
Again, Shining made no response as he sat in the filth of the cell.
"Would you like to know the information?"
"Why bother? It's not like you can do anymore damage than you've already done."
"Oh, believe me Shining, I can do much more." He paused. "What if I told you a certain pony of yours was back in Canterlot alive and well?"
Shining's eyes flipped up and his eyes stared at Magicon, desperately wanting an answer.
"Twilly's back?"
"That is correct, and might I say she would make one fine apprentice and possibly more," he smiled at Shining.
"Don't lay a hoof on my sister."
"Oh, how about a pair of lips instead?"
"No!" yelled Shining as he jumped up and struggled with all of his might to cast a spell at Magicon and break free. After a few minutes of struggling, he fell back, bitterly defeated by the iron that held him.
"If you do anything to my sister, I'll murder you and smash you into oblivion!"
"Such bold words coming from a stallion who can't even break free from a simple prison."
"I swear, Magicon, I will get out of here and I will destroy you!"
"No, I don't think you will. You see, we wouldn't want anything to happen to your wife now, would we?"
Magicon's horn glowed and a live image of Cadance appeared. She was seated in her candlelit study with the six girls surrounding her. From the looks of the image she was narrating her story to them. Shining Armor gazed at the image and tears fell from his eyes as he saw his beautiful wife. He had cheated on her and now he felt so ashamed by it and deep down he knew it was his fault. Magicon had hesitated but he pushed him over the edge. He stretched out his hoof to reach her but the image dispersed as his hoof neared it.
"You won't be able lay your hooves on that alicorn ever again," hissed Magicon.
"Wh…why, Magicon?"
"She's an unnatural creature to Equestria. She should've never been born to begin with and you were so stupid to fall for her and marry her when you could've had me."
"Magicon…nopony would ever want you."
"You did."
The words stung at Shining and his closed his watery eyes, refusing to make eye contact with the disgusting stallion before him.
"Now, here's the deal, Shining. You're going to stay down here until whenever I decide to release you. When that day occurs you will neither talk, nor write, nor show anypony or any creature what transpired between you and me after your arrival in Canterlot following Luna's death. Nopony besides us will ever know what truly happened and you will forget about why you are down here and what you did. In exchange, I will spare your wife from torture and death."
"I won't make any deal with you, Magicon."
"Oh, well then. I guess you can rot in here for the rest of your life and your wife can die tonight then," boasted Magicon as he turned around and began to head towards the cell door.
"Wait."
Turning around, Magicon saw that Shining was on all fours, but could see his legs were wobbly from malnourishment and exhaustion.
"I'll…I'll…do it."
"Now, that's my Shining Armor. Good things come to those who obey the rules." Magicon walked back over and ruffled Shining's mane to exaggerate his words.
"Just go," hissed Shining.
"Very well, then. Enjoy your time with those mental images, Shining Armor."
Magicon laughed as he exited the cell, closed the door, and took one last look at Shining Armor. He was sitting looking at the opposite wall, his head up, lost in a memory. Satisfied, Magicon shut the window and left the dungeons and their lonely prisoner for the night.