//------------------------------// // 98. Tripartite - Part Sixteen // Story: Letters From a Little Princess Monster // by Georg //------------------------------// Letters From a Little Princess Monster Tripartite - Part Sixteen The little alicorn who called herself Monster was afraid, and looked much like she would rather be anywhere else. Starlight Glimmer understood perfectly, since she felt the same way.  But at least she had good seats to the show. All around them, Canterlot shone in all of its glory.  Welcoming an envoy from a foreign nation was something the whole city loved to do on a regular basis, and it showed.  Princess Luna and Princess Celestia stood at the top of a huge dais with Royal Guards arranged in precise array in front of them, and crowds of cheering citizens filling the streets.  Vendors sold balloons and candy, banners flew proudly overhead, and Starlight was struck with how dissimilar the entire group was, yet organized like the ticking of a fine watch. The Bearers of the Elements of Harmony (with Trixie substituting for the missing Twilight Sparkle, officially out on some hair-raising secret mission) stood clearly in view to one side of the Royal Sisters, dressed formally and awaiting the arrival of the new Storm Kingdom’s representative with apparent confidence.  Part of that could be from the glittering Elements of Harmony they were wearing in case of any mischief from the envoy, although Starlight had practically swallowed her tongue with confusion when she had gotten a good look at them and spotted the ‘Genuice Authenik Funland Registered Souvineer’ tag attached to several of the items. She wanted answers.  She just had not found the opportunity to ask them yet, or who to ask.  Trixie was right out, because she had been just as baffled by the same things but had learned to ‘go with it’ after long exposure to Twilight Sparkle and her friends.  Zecora was a possibility, if one could read between the rhymes and posited the questions between her bouts of pregnancy nausea.   The part-changeling, part-zebra foal was going to be… confused.  It would be in good company. Starlight still expected at any moment to wake up in a changeling cocoon, being extracted by a Royal Guard and sent to prison instead of getting the most surprising surprise party in Ponyville, finding a small house for an affordable price, and having Sunburst at her side the whole time.  She wasn’t about to complain.  He was recovering from his bout of delivery-trauma fairly well, particularly when he was informed by proxy that Celestia and Luna were going to have officially trained medical ponies oversee their births.  Remaining by her side (at a slightly larger distance), his presence still gave her a warm feeling under her ribs whenever she looked in his direction and saw the terrible tension that he had been under for years begin to melt. It was her.  She was doing it.  She made his life better by being, much like she made Peep Sprout’s life better by listening and Twilight Sparkle’s life better by thinking.  The poor thing had been so many traumatizing experiences, but like a sword being drawn through the fire and the anvil, she grew sharper and more powerful, and unlike a mere sword, she learned when to use and not use that power. Before they left the hive, Starlight listened to a scarred changeling who had been part of the invasion force a mere few months ago when Queen Chrysalis had prepared to attack Canterlot on the Summer Sun Celebration.  It had not been a pleasant conversation, out of the presence of the rest of the ponies, and Hhex had been a less-than-pleasant presenter with one missing leg and a face still caved-in along one side, but he was bitterly honest as bile.  For over an hour, he talked and Starlight paid rapt attention, mixed with considerable horror. Even as battered and crippled as he was, Hhex adored little Twilight Sparkle as the one who freed them from their eternal hunger so Princess Cadence could become their new queen.  The changelings could easily have hated the little alicorn for the deaths she caused.  But no.  They forgave her, and relished in their new lives.  As individuals. It made Starlight feel a little better about herself, and how she had been stopped before she caused more damage, but she still worried about her little village and the ponies who had decided to stay after getting their cutie marks back.  Double Diamond was going to start a ski slope with Party Favor as the official welcomer and Feather Bangs as a ski lodge manager.  Most of her other victims were staying in the village too, with the exception being the baker moving to Ponyville, supposedly to be nearer to the studly Big McIntosh, but Starlight suspected she was going to be keeping a close eye on their former leader also. And Starlight was living in Ponyville. Bizarre. Almost as odd as looking up at the dais where the adults who claimed to be the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony stood proudly, and knowing they were fraud… Well, something freed Princess Luna from Nightmare Moon, banished King Sombra, destroyed the Windigo in the griffon aerie, and put Discord back into stone.  The proof was right in front of her nose, from the inky black shape of little Twilight up with her friends in the VIP section, to the statue of Discord occupying a prominent position in the presentation much like he was one of the dignitaries greeting the Storm Kingdom’s envoy.  There had to be something to it. Something who preferred to call herself Monster rather than her real name. “Starlight?”  Sunburst had proven to be as accurate in assessing her moods as a changeling, and she could feel him tense up beside her despite the general celebration nature of the area around them.  “What’s wrong?” “Nothing, really,” she responded, looking for the easy diversion.  “It’s just…Starswirl’s Cork Extractor?  Really?” Sunburst had the most adorable blush, right up to his cheeks with pure-red ears. “It’s all I could think of,” he whispered. “And it worked,” said Starlight.  “Obviously.  Just… That spell is far more difficult to cast than it appears.  I’d have trouble with casting it on the spur of the moment, and you went through your whole list rapid-fire.  I’m impressed.” “I read through all the spell books we get at the store, watching for typos,” said Sunburst.  “Hopefully, they put a branch store in Ponyville.” At least Sunburst had a career path.  Starlight was ‘between jobs’ for the most part, and had spent most of her brief time in Ponyville talking to the residents and learning about friendship from the younger ponies.  She had even met Twilight Sparkle’s school friends, her old school friends, who had been somewhat cool at first but warmed up when Starlight ‘dished’ on her recent encounters with Monster.  Even Sunburst had gotten involved in the conversation, and he was terrible at talking to strange mares. They had photos and stories of their own, including one of the shy alicorn on a roller-coaster of all things, happy, proud, terrified, and thinking all at the same time. And they had trounced her solidly at Dragon Pit that evening.  Starlight blamed it on lack of practice and vowed a rematch or twelve. Then again, watching after and taking care of Twilight Sparkle’s activities was a career by itself.  Starlight had supervised the installation of Discord’s statue in the city park, helped suggest several new spellbooks for the library with Sunburst’s assistance, and answered questions.  The last task was the most vigorous.  Trixie’s answers frequently clashed with Starlight’s wise advice, and there had been an… agreement after a while, that compromise did not mean each of them won half the time, but there might be elements of a good answer in each of them, which Sunburst found himself refereeing. And, of course, one of the tasks that Starlight Glimmer picked up was escorting Twilight Sparkle to official events such as this.  With an escort of her own. Since a number of the crowd had begun to look up and point, she followed suit and peered up at a gigantic Storm Kingdom airship which had just come into view, leaving an inky trail of smoke behind it. “Do you think the Storm King will be onboard?” asked Peep Sprout to her other side. “He was overthrown a few weeks ago,” said Starlight. “I mean the next Storm King,” insisted Peep.  “There’s always been a Storm King in the Storm Kingdom.” Starlight smirked inside because she knew a little something that Peep did not.  “What’s the difference between a Storm King and a Storm Queen?” “Eyelashes,” said Peep immediately.  He looked up and winked.  “I can’t believe you thought I was a filly.  Everybody knows female changelings have upper and lower lashes.” “I’m learning all kinds of new things with Twilight’s friends,” said Starlight.  “Like I thought changelings could only eat love, but when you talked to me in the hive… Well, talked to us, you said we tasted like friendship and—” Starlight coughed “—something else.” “Oh, yeah.”  Peep Sprout grinned practically ear-to-ear. “That’s why you’re here with us this morning,” continued Starlight.  “You’re draining a little of that emotion.  Not enough for us to notice, but something to keep you topped off.” “That’s not a problem, right?”  Peep gave her the most poignant, begging look, but Starlight shook her head. “And since you can tap off emotions other than love, you can drain emotions like anger.  Like you did when I was so angry after being captured.” Peep froze. “Not that I’m upset about it.”  Starlight nodded in the direction of the awaiting princesses.  “You’ve been doing that to Twilight Sparkle whenever she’s getting upset, right?” If it were possible for Peep to freeze solid, he would have. “Only when you need to, of course.  And you’ve been very discreet.  Her friends may not even know you’re doing it intentionally.”  Starlight watched the approaching airship instead of the nervous little changeling.  She had seen everything in Peep that she needed to anyway.  “There was a time when I would have used knowledge like this as a lever.  To control you.  Make you do what I want.” “And… what changed?” asked Peep very quietly. “I made a friend.  A very strange little friend, who brought another friend.  And now I have even more friends.  Friends change you.”  She nudged the shimmering carapace across Peep’s back, which seemed to have even more colors to it than just a few days ago.  “How do you manage the emotional load?  Where do you release the anger?” “I don’t.  Not really.  Twilight… She knows I was tapping into her anger, so she taught me how to change one form of magic to another.  I can’t turn it into love because I’m already full of it.” “Tell me about it,” murmured Sunburst about a moment before Starlight was about to say the same. “So I make it into magic safely and release it.  Twilight says I’ve gotten so much better at unicorn spells.” “Really.”  Starlight smiled inside.  “Going to be the first changeling to attend Celestia’s school?” Peep started to shake his head, then reconsidered.  He stayed quiet for a considerable time while the big airship drew closer, then changed the subject.  “Where is that thing going to park?  It’s wider than the gap between the flagpoles.” It certainly seemed to be a valid question, one that the small figure at the prow of the airship did not seem to be worried about.  He was a chubby creature dressed in a fuzzy coat, looking a little like a badger, and must have known Twilight Sparkle because they exchanged a wave. When the Royal Guard delivered Starlight’s standing positions for this event, she knew something was up.  Missing feathers, recently fixed armor, a few bruises here and there.  Just standing around the palace did not incur injuries like that.  Now that the Storm Kingdom patched and tattered zeppelin loomed almost directly overhead, nearly in contact with the nearby flagpoles, she had to wonder if there was some sort of ulterior motives for her assigned position. “Air brakes!” hissed the tubby badger-creature at the prow of the zeppelin, looking back over his shoulder. “I know how to fly,” snapped back a feminine voice with remarkable venom almost simultaneously with the fabric of the airship bumping up against the flexible flagpole and sending the pennant at the top flapping wildly.  “There it is.  Shoulda been labeled better.” With a hiss, the zeppelin came to a halt, then drifted backward a short distance until the creaking flagpole straightened back up. “Go make your presentation,” snarled the female voice again.  “I’ll get Stormy ready.” They were close enough to get a good look at the silly-looking badger-like creature, all dressed up like an Equestrian Admiral of the Fleet with twice as many frills on half as much body.  If Starlight had her preferences, she would have liked an observation place a little further away from the zeppelin and the descending platform that began to be winched down with a whirr of gears and strident squeaking.  On the other hoof, it let her observe the creature on his way down the elevating platform as he checked the notecards in one pudgy hand, wiped some frosting onto his elaborate outfit, and muttered, “If Tempest wanted to run this visit herself, she should have come along instead of… Well, I suppose she’s busy enough.” Once the platform reached the ground with a thump, the badger creature took a quick step forward, almost getting caught as the heavy wooden device began to ascend back up.  “Hey, watch it!” he called in an upward direction. “We’ve got a schedule,” called the voice down again. “Schedules.  Notecards.  Anyway,” he muttered with considerable disdain, turning the top card and raising his voice. “Citizens of Fill In Name Of City.  Bow before the fearsome might of the Storm…  Oh, wait.  Wrong card.  Here we go.”     Clearing his throat again, the creature announced, “Read this really loud, numbnut.  I am Admiral Grubber of the Storm Kingdom, and I bring you greetings from our leader, Tempest Shadow, the Storm Queen.  Point up above you and say first, let me introduce the new Emperor of the Griffons, find his name and put it here, and his fiancée, Gilda something.” Two griffons launched from the zeppelin, wingtip to wingtip as they glided down to stop at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the Royal Sisters’ positions.  The tall tircel bobbed his head fractionally and announced, “Greetings Celestia of the Sun and Luna of the Moon from the Empire of the Sky.  My father Emperor Ripping Claw, Scion of the Heavenly Empire, Bearer of The Emperor’s Cup has gone to meet the ancestors, slain in battle against the tyrant Storm King.  I have taken his place as Emperor Turbulent Skies Churned To A Violent Storm Upon Our Enemies, and this is my intended, Princess Gilded Clouds Raising Gloriously Into The Dawn Sky Signifying Upcoming Storms.  Our empire wishes to restate our commitment to our allies, the pony nation and all those who shelter protected beneath your wings.” “We welcome you as friends and allies,” announced Celestia.  “The Sun shall never set upon—  Excuse me.”  She doubled back and proceeded to vomit noisily into a far-too-convenient trash can while Princess Luna picked up the slack.   “May the Sun and Moon ever shine upon your lands in friendship.  We welcome you, Emperor and all those in your company.”  Luna paused, obviously waiting for another line from the tall griffon pair, and the young emperor seemed to be waiting for something too.  Eventually the griffon turned his head and looked over his shoulder with a hiss. “Grubber!  Next card!” “Oh!”  The tubby badger creature ate the last piece of cake he had managed to produce from somewhere, then wiped his hands on his elaborate uniform.  “Yeah.  Tempest said it was important.  Where did I put it?  Ah!” Grubber produced a card and cleared his throat.  “Speak real loud, numbskull, and take ten fast steps forward.  Announcing the former Storm King of—” There was an enormous crash of shattering stone, and a statue smashed into the pavement just a few steps behind the tubby creature.  Bits of rock went flying in all directions, and Starlight abruptly found out that having everypony around you step back while you stood still was a lot like stepping forward.  Part of the brief panic was probably because most of a stone face skittered to rest directly in front of her, showing the last fierce glare of a Southern Horned Yeti before being petrified by what looked like a methal-dicalcite thaumic bomb of some sort. To be honest, Starlight Glimmer was expecting something unexpected due to her limited but intense exposure to Twilight Sparkle.  Having the petrified head… well, most of the petrified head of the Storm Kingdom’s tyrant come sliding across the pavement and stop in front of her dramatically reminded Starlight of the brief but informative visit she had with Princess Luna last night when she asked for any advice about dealing with Twilight. Expect anything.  Twice. “Hey!” protested Grubber, looking up at the airship and shaking his chubby fist.  “Laminia, you promised to be careful.  You almost killed me!” “Oopsie,” she called down.  “Then we’re almost even now.” Muttering under his breath, Grubber turned back to the Royal Sisters, flipped over his next card, and read, “This statue shows we are committed blah, blah, stuff in there about renewed bonds of trust between you ponies and the Storm Kingdom.” He flipped to the next card.  “Looking forward to visiting once calm has been restored.  Lots of other stuff.”  He flipped several cards in a row, then looked down at the scattered pieces of the former Storm King, which Starlight had started to gather into an organized pile out of reflex.  “Somebody get some glue for the old boss, and we’ll get right to the food.  There’s some sort of party after this, right?” * * * There was a party involved, of course.  With Pinkie Pie in the vicinity, Starlight expected nothing less.  What she did not expect was what happened during the delay between the mid-morning arrival of the new griffon emperor and his official evening reception.  It did give Starlight the opportunity to meet Lamina, a snow-white nocturnal pegasus, who was also nothing at all like she expected.  After all, batponies were rare but not unique.  They were also very suspicious of outsiders and insular, so none of them had joined the village. If Starlight had any more eye-opening moments, she wasn’t going to sleep for a week.  Finding out that Laminia was a friend of Twilight Sparkle and had killed a windigo...  Then finding out that Twilight’s meek long-haired magic tutor had also killed one… It only cemented Starlight’s internal pledge to never get crosswise with Twilight Sparkle for any reason whatsoever.  Having the petrified broken head of the Storm King land in front of her had not changed her determination one whit.  There was a considerable list of ‘Enemies of Twilight Sparkle’ that could be separated into two groups, the converted and the deceased.  Starlight had no desire to change her existing category.  Thankfully, that was the end of drama for the moment.  Once cleanup was complete, the mood of the event shifted to more somber as Starlight followed Peep to a second location, where the press and public began to be herded away from the groups.  It was a good solid walk to their destination, with Peep Sprout being uncharacteristically silent until they met up with Twilight Sparkle, who seemed to be likewise conflicted.  They walked side-by-side-by-side for a time, with Twilight’s other friends ahead of them chatting among themselves, growing more quiet as they went. Eventually during the walk, curiosity overcame Sunburst’s reluctance and he asked, “Twilight, where are we going?” “Important.  Friend of mine.  Didn’t know,” she managed in her strange one word at a time enunciation that seemed to force itself to the forefront whenever she was under stress.  Unwilling to worry the little alicorn any more, Sunburst gave her a quiet nod instead of a response and kept walking while Twilight moved into the group of her chattering little friends. It gave Starlight time to think as their path wound out of the city and into a wooded area, winding between neatly pruned bushes and along pebbled walkways.  The Plan she had developed in her village depended on her being in control of the situation when she arrived in Canterlot and began taking cutie marks.  Any sane ruler would have thrown her into prison when her plan had been wrecked.  Since Celestia had not, and ruled well over a thousand years, perhaps sanity was over-rated in terms of rulership. She mused on the idea until they emerged into an open area that Starlight recognized from her studies, and there she stopped, unwilling to go any further, even when Sunburst doubled back and gave her a quiet nudge.  It took Twilight Sparkle turning and just looking at her with those dark violet eyes before Starlight’s hooves began to move again despite her misgivings. The Requiem was a large open building, barely enclosed on one end by an obsidian dome with small flecks of white that moved with the stars outside at night.  In the glaring light of mid-day, it was a cool place of shadows that counterbalanced the bright white multi-point star laid out in granite tiles in the center of the graveled area, giving an air of importance that made it difficult to speak louder than a whisper   Upon each point of the star, a simple wooden coffin had been placed.  Nine points.  Nine bodies inside, and a long line of ponies winding their way past each of them, with one or two ponies standing by each coffin to greet the visitors for a few moments as the line moved on.   A growing chill continued to spread in Starlight’s gut.  The number of Royal Guard in the vicinity did not help one bit.  Every one of the armored ponies would have opposed her dominance, even if she had been able to take Celestia and Luna’s Marks.  Hundreds could have died instead of the nine simple coffins that lay ahead, each lightly traced in golden thread with the cutie mark of the dead guard embossed on the end. All except one, who had a changeling standing by it. It was a puzzle that Starlight could not help but consider as the line moved forward, with Peep Sprout and Sunburst at her sides, but eventually the clue fell like a lead weight in her gut Changelings had no cutie marks. And Peep Sprout continued to look more gloomy the closer they got to the reception for the dead guards. “Did you know the… Royal Guard?” asked Starlight, more than a little afraid of the answer. Peep merely nodded once. “A relative of yours?” she asked despite herself. “My father, Stanchion.”  Peep swallowed.  “I didn’t see him much.  He was always working for the queen.  One of the best warriors in the hive.  I was supposed to follow his example.” “And now, you’re not sure,” said Starlight carefully.  “You have to make your own decisions, and you’re not used to that yet.” He nodded again, and to Starlight’s shock, Sunburst spoke up before she could find words. “We’re all three like that.  Our parents wanted us to be something that didn’t fit, and we had to find our own path.” Picking up the obvious introduction, Starlight continued, “Making your own decisions is difficult, but I think you’ll find it’s better—” she forced the words out with a gut-wrenching sense of irony “— than having somepony else make them for you.” “So…”  Peep Sprout looked up at her, blinking away a few tears.  “Does that mean you think I should go to Celestia’s school?  I’d miss my friends.  I just found them, and I don’t want to lose—” “Let’s just say I think you should continue your education and leave it at that,” said Starlight with an uncomfortable realization at how close they were to Peep’s mother and how likely it was she could hear them.  “Ponyville may have a magic school of its own soon, after all.  Trixie has been teaching Twilight Sparkle.  Mostly wrong, I suppose, but—” Starlight caught a bemused glance from Peep’s mother, who had given up all pretense about not hearing the conversation. “—that will wait until a more appropriate time.  Our condolences, ma’am.” “Thank you, Starlight.”  The changeling touched hooves with her, then Sunburst.  “I’m glad to see my son has made more pony friends.” “He’s a very… perceptive young colt.  Um…” “Colt is fine,” said the female changeling with just the hint of a smile, then lowered her voice and looked at where Twilight Sparkle and her friends were talking with a different set of mourners.  These looked like Royal Guards on the surface but she could see the damaged armor was probably some sort of prop, and their swords battered pieces of pot metal which had been used with great enthusiasm recently. “While Twilight is talking to the acting troupe, I have to ask.  My son convinced you to give up your plans suspiciously fast.  Are you thinking of—” “No,” said Starlight quickly and quietly.  “I was operating on incomplete information, and I was completely blind to it, even after being captured, right up to the point where your son made me see sense.  I had put so much work into my plan, focused so hard on it that I didn’t see how it—” “Sucked rocks,” said Sunburst. Giving him a discouraging look, she continued, “When you have a hammer, all problems look like nails.  That’s good for the hammer—” “—and not so good for the nails,” finished the changeling.  “That’s not what I was going to ask.  Are you planning on teaching in Ponyville?  Because we’ve been so determined that Peep was going to follow Stanchion into the warrior caste, but now…”  She bowed her head and leaned her flank against the plain coffin with the simple nameplate of her husband. “I think it best if we take things as they come.”  Starlight gave Peep Sprout a gentle push to the back.  “Peep, I know you want to keep an eye on me in case I suddenly revert back to myself.  I promise I’ll stay good.  Stay with your mother.  She needs you.  I know what that’s like now.” It felt a little empty to walk through the reception without Peep Sprout’s energetic presence beside her, but she had Sunburst.  And Twilight Sparkle up ahead. Meeting the actors of ‘Canterlot! - The Musical’ was another oddity.  They had gone with Tempest Shadow to liberate the Storm Kingdoms even through the risk, and had lost their star tenor in the process.  They were just as proud of their role as the changelings supporting Twilight Sparkle, and she was starting to understand why.  Likewise the rest of the families who had lost fathers or uncles, all of whom welcomed Starlight’s presence without the reluctance she expected.   Then again, Princess Luna was taking her place alongside her sister at the other end of the building as the rest of them filed into the seats.  Nightmare Moon had threatened all of Equestria and the world beyond in a way that everypony saw.  Starlight Glimmer had been stopped cold before she ruined more than a few lives in her one village, so she was practically unknown. That was probably for the best.  It gave her a far smaller hole to dig her way out of.  Plus, she had something more powerful by accident that she could never have gotten through all of her planning. Friends. And the source of that ‘accident’ settled down on the bench next to Starlight with a very quiet “hi.” “Hello, Twilight.”  Starlight scooted a little closer, since the little alicorn looked like she needed it.  Sunburst moved closer as well, making the dark child almost vanish between the two of them.  “I thought Peep Sprout should stay with his mother today.” Twilight nodded once, a tense and telling indication of the stress she was under.  “My fault.” “The Storm King’s fault,” said Starlight firmly.  “I heard some of what happened in the Storm Kingdoms.  Dozens of species are free because you gave Tempest Shadow her magic back.  The Royal Guard went with her freely.  So did Specialist Stanchion.” “I nearly killed him,” said Twilight in a near whisper.  “In the forest.  With Sh-hinging A-armor.  He survived.  Forgave me.  Didn’t think he’d die.  From this.” Starlight had no words, but she did have her presence, which seemed to comfort Twilight Sparkle.  They sat together in silence as the families withdrew from the coffins, were seated in their own section, and Celestia began to speak. How many ponies under her dominion had voluntarily given their lives for her over the centuries?  How many served despite the risks?  And yet Celestia’s long lifetime of experience was practically dwarfed by the explosive growth in power from the frightened young alicorn sitting next to Starlight.  Where would Twilight Sparkle be a year from now?  A century?  What mistakes would she make without the counsel of honest friends, not simply ponies seeking power as Starlight had been. It was a titanic weight of responsibility, far greater than Starlight’s crude plan of taking over the country and ruling it by sheer power.  And yet Starlight could not resist the… It was not an opportunity.  Nor a way to power herself.  Being Twilight Sparkle’s friend was something she had to do right this time. Once Princess Celestia finished her quiet speech, from which Starlight had not heard a single word, she bowed her head and the vast white granite slabs around the coffins began to rise.  The families seated in the front stood also, triggering the same reaction in the rest of the attendees, and Starlight did not really understand why until the thick granite structure closed, looking very much like a white stone column standing out under the sunlit sky. Then the sun lanced down, a brilliant line of fire that connected with the top of the stone in perfect control, so precise that Starlight could barely feel the faint wave of heat that it generated.  Beside her, Twilight Sparkle held herself nearly rigid, in solid contact with Starlight’s side and trembling ever so slightly during the entire cremation process until the lance of solar fire cut off, and the stone slabs began to slowly descend to their original flat configuration. “Not.  Again.  Never.”  Twilight Sparkle took a deep breath, the first that Starlight suspected she had taken in a considerable time.  It only emphasized the story that Starlight had heard from Trixie about Twilight’s first exam to get into Celestia’s school, and the terrible disaster that followed.  The tale had been slightly bent by the tale-teller, but there was a great deal of content that led to only one conclusion. “Not today,” whispered Starlight.  “Maybe not in the next century.  Maybe not ever.  But if it becomes necessary for you to lift sun or moon, you will.  I’m sure of it.” Celestia spoke again in front of the mourners, quiet soothing words that made Twilight Sparkle relax more than Starlight’s presence.  She told of loyalty, the importance of justice, and how bonds of trust formed slowly between nations and their inhabitants.  Each of the urns was presented to their families in turn, with the ponies showing no reluctance to accepting a changeling among their numbers, and tears being shed equally regardless of feather, chitin, horns or fur. Then when Starlight was just starting to think it was all over, Grubber came waddling up to the lectern where the Royal Sisters had addressed the crowd, and all of the solemnity she had been feeling flitted away. “Hey, Your Hineyesses.  Before we finish this thing and get cake, Tempest had something I was supposed to tell you.  First, thanks for loaning us your guards because we woulda been pancakes without ‘em.  They fought like crazy, and I’m really glad they were on our side.  Second, we kinda stole Princess Loony’s—” “LUNA!” bellowed Lamina’s voice from somewhere out of Starlight’s sight. “Yeah,” said Grubber.  “What she said.  Anywho, Tempest got it into her head to make that big scary guy and the b—”  he bit down on the word and gave a guilty glance in the direction Lamina’s voice had come from.  “Ahem.  They’re the Royal Consorts to the Storm Queen now.  Don’t be mad at me.  It was all her idea.” “Consorts,” said Luna calmly and with the hint of a smile.  “They will need a release from Our service, and in the name of harmony between our lands, I hereby grant it.  May they serve Queen Tempest Shadow with honor and respect, as they have Ourselves, and may they be your close personal companions for years to come.” Grubber looked a little uneasy, but he flowed into the next part of his announcement fairly smoothly.  “Oh, and I’ve got an image crystal from the attack that I was recording just in case we lost, but we didn’t, and I’m pretty sure Tempest would tear me a new one if it got back to her so here.” He put a hoof-sized lump of crystal down on the lectern, which promptly glowed green as the image of a proud dark unicorn in the armor of an Equestrian Night Guard appeared above it, apparently recorded from the rear. “Together, we are stronger than alone.  United we can prevail over the strongest tyranny.  I learned that as friends, we hold a power greater than the Storm King, greater than the Windigo.  Below us lies the City of Storms,” she shouted to a huge crowd of watching ponies and other creatures flying or perched on the surrounding Storm Kingdom airships.  “In it, there are others still imprisoned by the Storm King.  Other friends who cry out for rescue in the night.  Victims of the tyrant’s cruel lash!  Who will go with me to defeat him and return the imprisoned to their friends and families?  Who will—” Tempest turned and looked at one of the nearby yeti looming over her, who had made a low grumbling much like a small avalanche.  “Yes, you can still fight each other, provided you remain friends after.”  “Yuuuuu!!!!” called out the yeti in a growing cheer as they shook weapons overhead, nearly drowning out Tempest Shadow as she continued. “Who will go with me to overthrow the Storm King’s rule!” The image faded out with a few clicks of awkward hoof-tapping from the watchers, unsure if applauding during a funeral was quite proper etiquette.  The noise died out rapidly as a series of the same real yeti came marching out to the lectern, forming a loose semicircle in front of Celestia and Luna.  Bringing up the rear was the snow-white nocturnal pegasus that Starlight had met before, keeping her yeti in line with sharp glances and scowls.  She lowered herself to one knee, followed by the towering yeti with a few low grunts and growls, before Grubber started speaking again. “One more thing before we get to the cake.”  He took out a vial of some sort and poured liquid out onto the stone surface in front of him, which promptly began to boil and form a steamy cloud.  “It might take a while to establish a spell connnection,” he added with a nervous look at Lamina.  “We’re a long way from the Storm Kingdom and… Oh, there it goes.” Tempest Shadow appeared in the misty fog, looking around as her image stabilized and a low hissing turned into her voice.  “...that cursed nitwit probably didn’t— Hey, there you are.  Princess Luna.  Princess Celestia.”  The image looked around.  “I suppose since this is a pony funeral, the griffons aren’t here?” “Correct, Your Majesty,” said Celestia with a slow nod. “Skip the titles.  This spell call runs a bundle and I don’t know how long it will last.  Anyway, the yeti villages in the High Mountains have an ancient tradition dating beyond memory.  The villages fight all the time, but if a yeti from one village is killed, the other village must give up their fiercest warrior as a replacement.  Equestria sent assistance in our hour of need, and nine of your brave warriors fell fighting for the freedom of our peoples.  In return, the yeti of the Storm Kingdoms bequeath unto the Equestrian Royal Guard nine of our fiercest warriors in honor of their fury and bravery.” “Wait,” said Celestia rather quietly. “We can’t—” “Oh, the connection is fuzzing out,” said Tempest in a rush.  “You know the Storm King didn’t pay for very good spell service, so we’ll have to call you back later and no backsies.  Bye!” Starlight was determined to remember that moment as long as she lived.  Celestia had a stunned expression, much like Starlight must have looked when the changeling swarmed and captured her, only without any goo.  She mouthed a few words, one of which looked like a silent profanity, then turned to Laminia and the towering yeti. “I really don’t know what to say,” she said, so Luna stepped forward and spoke in her stead. “Lamina, Our service really appreciates this… gift,” she said, looking generally upwards at the nine mountains of hair and weaponry. “There better not be a ‘but’ in your next sentence,” cautioned Lamina. “I don’t think they’d be very comfortable guarding Canterlot?” Luna added carefully, shifting her eyes to the yeti.  “They’d frighten the local ponies, and… you really don’t want to guard doors, do you?” The biggest yeti huffed once, a noise much like a bale of hay falling from a very tall place and sounding definitely negative.  The rest of the yeti seemed to agree, and a low scuffle broke out with considerable pushing and low grunting, making Starlight abruptly aware that Twilight Sparkle had vanished. Or more correctly, managed to slip away without being noticed and was whispering something to Princess Luna while the yeti squabbled. “SILENCE,” commanded Lamina with a stomp of one snow-white hoof that brought the entire building to an instant calm and made all the yeti line up like they were first year cadets in the Royal Academy.  “Princess Luna was speaking,” continued Laminia calmly. “As I was saying,” continued Luna redundantly while Twilight faded into her shadow, “we really have no place for warriors of your stature here.  You would be bored, standing around all day.  But the only other place we could place you is in the Frozen North, in the new Crystal Empire. All of the yeti perked up and held themselves even more stationary. “I’m sure you wouldn’t want that,” said Luna.  “Outside of the city’s weather dome, it is frightfully cold and snows all the time.” One of the yeti made an inquisitive grunt, only to have the yeti next to him stick an elbow in his ribs. “I mean the entire city was just freed from King Sombra’s spell, and the ponies there are nearly defenseless against any monsters who might attack them.”  Luna shook her head.  “It would be far too dangerous to send a gift this precious into such hazardous circumstances.”  “Ooo!” declared one of the yeti, only to be harshly shushed by his companions.  They gathered into a circle and made fierce grunting noises back and forth, looking up at times and trading a few short punches to emphasize certain points.  Eventually, they lined up again and one of the yeti made a series of grating grunts and hoots. “Oh,” said Luna.  “You want to be assigned to the Crystal Empire instead of our Royal Guard?” Nine mountainous yeti nodded, and the taller one began speaking briskly and without a pause.  Starlight had no idea what he was specifically saying, but in general terms it sounded positive, leading to ecstatic grunts and hoots until the whole bunch of yeti were hopping up and down, waving their weapons, and howling at the top of their lungs. Luna lifted one hoof and looked at Laminia. Each of the yeti immediately stopped and lined up in a rigid line that any Royal Guard Drill Sergeant would have been hard-pressed to find fault with. “They said yes, Your Highness,” said Laminia, who seemed to be resisting rolling her eyes, and not doing a very good job of it.