//------------------------------//
// Chapter 19 
// Story: MLP A New Generation 3: The Rise of Armored Hoof 
// by TwiShine45 
//------------------------------//

The moments following their soft declarations were full of confusing emotions. Yes, there was the traditional kiss, followed by an even more traditional sitting and watching the stars twinkle overhead. Yet, they were also somewhat taken aback by the previous minute. This was especially true for Zipp, who’d never been in love before. It was a wonderful feeling, but also a deeply disturbing one. This was uncharted territory, and, frankly, it frightened the young Pegasus. Her eyes dipped from the ground back to her new special somepony and then back to the ground once more. She just couldn’t look at him. He was handsome, yes, and very charming. However, her fierce, independent spirit collided with her new love like two freight trains. Her stomach churned and her ears burned. 

“Quarter…?”

“What is it, Zipp?”

“Um…so…I’ve always had this…thing about falling in love,” she ventured.

He turned and cocked an eyebrow at her. “What do you mean?”

She sighed. “I don’t know, it’s…complicated. I mean, I’ve always been a free spirit, you know? Soar on the skies, fly to distant lands, really enjoy life, if that makes sense. I guess I always saw falling in love as being something of a barrier to those objectives.”

He smiled. “Then, you’re lucky you fell in love with a rocker.”

“I am?” She asked, perking her ears in a way he found irresistible.

“Yes, my love, you are,” he said. “I don’t say that from a sense of self-aggrandizement, either. I’ve always felt the same way. The world of rock and roll tends to push you in that direction. Independence, self-worth, the whole she-bang. I completely understand how you feel, and I’m lucky I fell in love with someone who feels the way I do about life.”

She smiled, feeling some of her fear melt away in her kind stallion’s gaze. “Thanks. So…what happens now?”

“I could say something really sappy like, ‘life happens now,’ but we want this to be a good love story, so I won’t,” Quarter said.

“Okay, okay,” Zipp said. “But seriously…where do we go from here?”

“I guess we’ll let life dictate that,” Quarter said. “For now, let’s just enjoy the moment.”

The two huddled together, Zipp bending her head onto Quarter’s shoulder and wrapping a wing around his back. Silence pervaded their space as they fell deeper into each other. It was a happy moment, broken only by the soft whistling of the wind. Zipp marveled that all of this had happened simply because she had asked him once to explain the ways of old Pegasi culture to her. She dreamed of the day when they all would see Cloudsdale rise once more. Zephyr Heights was fun, and all, but Cloudsdale was her dream. To have her stallion, and her new favorite band, along for the ride made the dream even more alive.

Soon, Cloudsdale, she said, we will return home. Pegasi everywhere will visit…and we will regain our old identities. Scarlet Wing, the division, all of it will be figments of some past hell the likes of which we will never see again. Soon, my Cloudsdale…soon. 





The next night, 10,000 ponies packed their way into Maretime Bay’s local park, eager to hear Equestria’s oldest, and somehow newest, favorite group. Backstage, Armored Hoof was on pins and needles, trying desperately to retain some form of composure. But even now that they had regained some sense of their old popularity, it was still nerve wracking. This was especially true for Quarter, who had overcome an old sense of stage fright to perform on that first night in Maretime. Now, he found himself shivering, yet Zipp was right by his side, comforting him and urging him onward. The sale of their second album, Luna, had shot through the roof, and now they prepared to play it in full for their first outdoor show of their new career.

The album’s opening track was an instrumental called Lunae Reginae, which was Old Ponish for “Queen of The Moon.” A chorally-driven ode to Luna’s reign as princess of the night, the song played as a backing track until the full band joined in. Mane Halen, with his long namesake flying from the back of his head, nailed a special lead that cued Quarter to hit the stage for the second song, “In Troubled Slumber.” This was a mid-range song that spoke of Luna helping ponies in their sleep. The chorus could be a tad bit repetitive to sing, but Quarter loved looking out and seeing everypony singing along. This included future ruler Sunny and all of her friends, who sat directly on the front row. 

For the next hour and a half, the band played songs dedicated to Celestia and Luna. From the jazzy, groovy Celestial Anthem all the way down to Maretime’s newest number one hit, Behold The Hero. This was a song that was dedicated to Luna’s descending to Equestria from the moon itself. It was also very chant heavy, with a chorus that everyone could sing with. Quarter’s eyes flashed as he strode about the stage, dominating it as he had not done since the days of the princesses he sang of. Everything was going well, and everypony was enjoying themselves. Quarter thought he had never had more fun singing to such a large group of equines.

Then, to close the show, they did Luna’s ending track, Eye Above, which was almost the princess of the night herself bidding the audience adieu. Mesmerized, ponies swayed to the soft, gentle chords. Then, they bobbed their heads to the thunderous chorus lines. Quarter moved this way and that, directing audience traffic until the final chorus hit. Then, he called out his thanks to the audience and allowed the band to play out until the last beat fell away, accompanied by an impressive display of pyrotechnics. The band then took its bows, happy in the knowledge that they had pleased yet another gathering. 

However…there was one in the throng who was not pleased. It was none other than Opaline herself. She noted that, whenever the band played certain chord progressions, the audience was completely hypnotized. It was almost as if Celestia and Luna had given the band magical gifts…gifts that could completely upend Scarlet Wing in a fight.

This isn’t good, she told herself, and I must report this to Mistress Meadow. Scarlet Wing must be stopped before Sunny’s coronation. Otherwise…we might as well surrender now.