A Novice Swordsman in the Canterlot Court

by DungeonMiner

24-"Pendragon Down!"

Chapter 24

Principessa Mi Amore Cadenza, exiled monarch of the Crystal Empire, stepped inside her new room. A smile played on her face and her horn alight with sky-blue magick as she held a suitcase in her magical grip. The pink minor alicorn hummed to herself as she set her suitcase down on the king-sized bed, and began to unpack.

Well, perhaps “exiled” was a strong word. It would be far more accurate to say that she was a princess without a country. The Crystal Empire had not been seen since her many-times-great grandmother and many of her ancestors had died without ever seeing their realm.

“Do you require anything else, Princess Mi Amore?” the guard behind her asked.

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she turned to him and gave him a pleasant smile. “Please, call me Cadence.”

“Do you require anything else,” the guard repeated, “Princess Cadenza?”

Cadence smiled through the question, settling for at least using the right word, if not the right language. “No, thank you, I can handle myself from here.”

The guard nodded and excused himself, leaving Cadence to unpack her things. She continued to hum as she began to levitate her personal belongings across the small room. Well...again “small” was a deceptive word. It would perhaps be small if the same room had been repurposed as a classroom, but seeing as how it was a bedroom...

The pink-and-blue trimmed room seemed to smile as she worked, reminding her of the ultimate purpose for her visit to Canterlot, her wedding. Stepping over to the vanity mirror that sat in the corner, she carefully placed her mane brush as well as a few small containers of makeup, blush mostly. She hovered a small book onto a nearby desk, a gift she wanted to give to her sister-in-law-to-be.

Her spare regalia, decorated with deep violet amethysts, was hovered into a nearby closet, and carefully placed on the velvet-lined shelves. Her surrogate aunt certainly knew how to prepare a room.

A knock sounded on her door. “Come in,” she answered.

“Princess Cadenza,” the same soldier said, addressing her. “You have a letter.”

The princess frowned. A letter? Who would send her a letter? As far as she knew, only the Princesses and her fiancé knew she was in Canterlot, and Shining was never really one for letters.

Her brow furrowed, she took the scroll from the guard. “Thank you,” she muttered as the scroll hovered in front of her.

The guard nodded, saluted and moved off, leaving Cadence to her thoughts. Unrolling the scroll, she took a moment before recognizing the hornwriting.

Dear Cadenc

Dear Miss Ca

Dear Princess Cadence,

It is so I first and foremostly apologize for the sloppiness of this letter; however, apparently, nopony can even a general has to be forced to conserve on paper. Secondly, I want to say that it has been a very long time since I saw you last. You may not even remember me, but you used to be my foalsitter when I was young.

“You may not even remember me?” Cadence whispered aloud. “How could I forget you, Twilight?” She continued to read, her eyes darting across the neat strikeouts of the otherwise impeccable letter.

While I was young, I have very distinct memories of you performing love magic, which I find and as such, I would imagine you to be an expert on the subject.

Cadence smiled as she kept reading, and she almost laughed at how Twilight desperately tried to quantify her feelings. It was, in its own way, incredibly cute watching her ask if she “should” feel this way or that and asking what it means.

She squee-ed at the thought of her little Twilight having a special somepony.

Of course, the fact that the brainy unicorn wrote her a letter only showed how desperately she needed help.

Cadence walked over to desk, moving her present to Twilight to the side, and quickly searched through the drawers. Knowing her Auntie Celestia, there would be some ink and parchment in here somewhere—Ah! There it is. Pulling out the bottle of black ink and a roll of parchment, Cadence smiled before reaching back to her almost-empty cloth suitcase. From inside it, she pulled out a small box. Bringing it to hover next to her head, she then, using her magical grip, pulled out her favorite quill.

It was a cheap thing, maybe five bits at any store, but the lavender feather was a gift that she would always treasure.

Besides, as the Princess of Love, she knew a thing or two about sentimental value.

My Dearest Twilight, she began as the brass tip of the quill scratched into the paper. She wrote quickly, penning the letter at a speed that would make the recipient proud. Then, reading the letter over herself, she double checked her spelling just for her favorite filly. And then she stopped.

This was Twilight she was talking about, and even with all of her advice, she may need a little...push.

She set the scroll down before checking over her shoulders, making sure no was watching. Then, with a small burst of magic, created a small, blue, floating heart. With another burst of focus, the heart suddenly shattered, turning into a fine dust which lazily floated down to the surface of the paper.

Satisfied that her job was done, she rolled it up and sealed it with a golden wax seal, marking it with a heart rather than Celestia’s horseshoe.

Humming to herself, she trotted over to the door, and opening it, found the same guard. “Yes, Princess Cadenza?” the unicorn asked.

Ignoring his butchering of the Bitalian language, she held out the scroll. “I would like you to take this letter to Princess Celestia, please. Tell her it’s for Twilight.”

The guard nodded, taking the scroll. “Right away, Princess.”

She smiled as she left, before turning back inside. There were just a few more things that needed to be unpacked.

Alan strode forward, his every step echoing with purpose.

Now he was mad.

Judgement hung, slung over his shoulder, his duster flapped in the wind, and his hat was tilted low over his eyes.They were moving southwest along the Macintosh Hills, the small, red rock mountains glowing in the early morning light.

Alan didn’t notice.

His eyes were glued on the dust cloud that was drifting in the desert air in front of him.

Almost three hundred ponies had died at their claws, and twenty-six had been captured.

Alan did not like that.

Neither did the 4500 ponies behind him.

Those griffons were going to eat steel.

“Move faster, you lazy dogs!” Ironclaw yelled.

They were close. They were far too close.

If they kept moving like this they might catch up.

“I said faster!”

His forces had been repeatedly devastated. His force of nearly 6000 griffons had diminished to a force of a mere 4800.

And now the ponies were hot on their tail, and vengeance was burning in their eyes. He checked over his shoulder again, and, sure enough, the two massive flying galleons were following close behind. “Faster!” he called again.

The Pendragon was after them now, and following with a vengeance.

He kept pushing his forces, all but dragging the chain-bound prisoners behind them. They were in an open plain now, with short mountains to the south. Ironclaw physically picked up a bound pony and tossed him forward before turning to see the ships. His eagle-like eyes noticing that they were gaining.

He cursed the slow-moving carts, loaded with the Manticore machines and the remainder of their food and medical supplies.

They had been so integral in his original plan, a plan where a short siege would have been his victory, now those carts were nothing more than burdens.

He checked over his shoulder again.

They were closer than ever now.

“Keep the carts moving!” he shouted. “I want griffons in the sky! About face, you cowards! About face!”

All he needed to do was make a little space.

Alan’s hoof magically gripped the leather-bound handle of Judgement, while a small silver knife blade flew around him, resembling a fairy sprite as it covered his back.

He gave a furious, wordless cry as he brought Judgement down on a ground soldier’s head, splitting it like a ripe melon.

Taking a moment, Alan wiped his brow with one hoof while still standing on his hind legs.

The griffons had turned to face him on a plain, a field where neither truly held the advantage. The griffons also held the prisoners, nullifying the ability for Alan to bombard them, lest some of the ponies get hurt, otherwise they could have just rained fire from above.

Shining had split his hoof in the last fight, and had taken up a commanding position on the Ira. Silver, on the other hand-er, I mean hoof, was spending more time with Applejack, so this time Alan was alone.

His mana-dagger shot backwards, piercing a griffon’s throat as he tried to sneak up on the Pendragon.

“How’s it going up there, Dash?” he asked.

“Hold that thought!” she answered him, before a sudden explosion of sound and prismatic light erupted above him. Griffons began to fall from the late morning sky as a powerful shock wave rippled through the air. “It’s going alright up here, Al. No need to worry.”

“Good to hear. Keep it that way.”

“Sir! Yes, sir!”

“Shining, status report!” Alan order, bringing Judgement around to remove a griffon’s head from his shoulder, the chromatic blade slicing through bone like butter.

“Everything’s good up here, I was just about to send Spike out for another run,” Shining answered.

“Do that, and tell him ‘thanks again for growing wings’ for me.”

Shining chuckled. “Will do. Stay alive out there.”

Alan rolled his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. “Yeah, 'cause I totally planned on dying.”

“Ah, shut up,” the captain answered.

Alan smirked, before picking up his sword again, just in time to see Spike make use of his new wings and dive off the deck of the Ira. The skies around him soon erupted into red flame and green smoke.

“AJ, Silver, what’s it like on your front?” he asked, before cleaving a griffon in two.

“Nothin’ we can’t handle! Ain’t that right Silver?”

“I’ve seen scarier Nightmare Night costumes,” the hammer-wielding earth pony answered.

“Alright, keep me posted,” Alan ordered, before his mana knife dug itself into a griffon’s temple. “Twi, check in.”

“We’ve got a battalion pinned. Between the fireballs, the sonic blasts, and large rocks flying through the air, they’re not going anywhere,” Twilight responded.

“Alright, Dashie, go ahead and get some clouds down there, I want those griffons devastated. Get Spike to help if you can.”

“Roger that!” the pegasus mare answered.

“What are you up to, Alan?” Twilight asked.

The human-turned-unicorn’s eyes fixed on a single figure over the pulsing battlefield.

“Something stupid,” he answered.

Tossing Judgement into the air, Alan dropped to all fours, a silver hand materializing to catch it the falling blade.

“Alan,” he heard Twilight say, a hint of worry in her voice, “the last time you said that you jumped off the Cloudiseum. What are you doing?”

Alan didn’t answer her, and only leveled his sword at his target.

“Alan?”

He charge forward, breaking into a gallop as his golden hooves beat into the ground.

“Alan!?” Twilight cried. “Alan, what are you doing?”

He ignored her, leaping over a griffon as he began rushing his target. His powerful pony legs launched him in the sky, and for a brief moment, he hung there in the sky, his duster fluttering like a cape, his hat pulled low over his face.

He hovered, a black shadow against the sky, an ominous figure of the angel of death incarnate. And then he came down, and Judgement followed fast.

The white steel came down on the griffons below him, sending rays of rainbow-colored light sailing through the air, as he cut through them.

Pushing off again, he jumped forward.

Ironclaw was within his reach.

One last jump, and the griffon suddenly found himself facing his enemy.

Alan switched from the hand to his hooves, standing on his hind legs as he somehow gripped Judgement.

The griffon, despite the new, unfamiliar stance Alan had taken, was quick to adapt to the high strikes.

Talons met blade again as the two leaders faced each other.

“We meet again, Pendragon.”

“What are you? A Bond Villain?”

Ironclaw blinked, looking utterly confused.

Alan took the opportunity to headbutt him.

Ironclaw screamed as Alan’s horn pierced his eye. The blow, coming straight onto his horn, did not break Alan's magic back in on itself, and he stood tall.

Admittedly, Alan had not actually wanted to wound him like that. If he had hit his horn at the wrong angle, he would have gone down, and that would have not been good. Still, the horn did it's job, and advantages were advantages, right? Shoving the griffon forward, Alan reared up, eager to bring judgement with Judgement. Mid-strike, however, he was suddenly blindsided.

The attacker’s claws dug into his back, sending Judgment flying from his grasp. Alan yelped in pain as another griffon pounced on him, and more claws dug into him. One began to rake his back legs against his side, the lion claws repeatedly digging to flesh, tearing his skin to ribbons.

Thinking quickly, he created a hard-mana sword, the silver blade coming up to defend him.

The blade shattered as a griffon talon came down on it.

Another beast joined the fray, digging his claws into Alan, while he suffered backlash. Pushing through the pain he tried to form another blade. Again it was shattered as another griffon joined. Alan tried once more, his vision going black as he fought for consciousness as four griffons ripped at him, and once more, the blade the shattered.

More and more griffons began to pile on him, and as Ironclaw watched, a talon over his bloody eye, Alan disappeared under the feathered bodies.

“Alan,” Twilight called, “the last time you said that you jumped off the Cloudiseum. What are you doing?”

No answer.

“Alan?”

Still no answer.

“Alan!? Alan, what are you doing?” Twilight cried before cursing under her breath. “Trixie!”

“Ma’am?” the now-caped captain answered.

“Keep these guys pinned, I have to go check on Alan. I think he may have done something incredibly stupid.”

“Don’t worry,” Trixie answered, “The Great and Powerful Captain Trixie will remind these griffon fools of both my Greatness and my Power!”

Twilight would have rolled her eyes, but she was already gone. The way Alan had sounded did not sit well with her at all, and now she was worried. Her eyes quickly scanned the battlefield, searching for him, trying to find him amongst the chaos. Suddenly, she saw him, leaping over the battlefield, sword swinging with every ounce of the battle-sparked fury she knew him to possess.

“Alan!” she cried, leaping onto a large rock that sat in the middle of the field, trying to get his attention.

He didn’t hear her.

“Alan!” she called again, before jumping down to chase him.

What is he doing?

He jumped again, coming down on another griffon, it looked a lot like the enemy general.

“Alan!” she called, again.

Then she saw him go down.

She saw him get dog-piled by four, no, five griffons, and watched in horror as they ripped at him.

In that moment, something happened in Twilight.

As she watched Alan get hurt, she suddenly, truly understood.

War was not about killing. War was about keeping others from being killed.

And in that moment, keeping Alan from dying was what this war became.

A massive, magenta wall slammed into the pile of griffons, tossing them in the air. With a leap, Twilight landed in front of the bruised and bloodied body of Alan and gripped Judgement in her telekinetic grasp. “Girls, Pendragon down! I repeat, Alan is down!”

“What!?” Pinkie’s voice asked in a shrill cry.

Twilight flinched at the sudden yelling in her ear, before stabbing a griffon as he charged.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can!” Fluttershy said.

“Moving to provide some backup!” Applejack cried.

“Where are you?” Dash asked. “You get me a location and I’ll send those motherbuckers packing!”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed as she stared down the griffons in front of her. “You’ll see me.”

Twilight then began to use a very deep magic. She prepared her ace in the hole, a spell she could only use once lest the fabric of reality tear in two. It was a spell so dangerous, so powerful, that it had to be written in runes to keep stable. It had been taught to her by Celestia, and the Princess had made her promise to only use it in the most dire of situations, only when there was no other option.

Her horn began to glow, and she silently begged her Princess to forgive her, but she had to save Alan.

The air before her began to ripple and shimer as magic began to pour in. Loud popping noises filled the air and Twilight’s hooves dug into the ground as the magical force slammed into her. The nearby unicorns could feel its pull as all eyes turned to the source of these loud popping sounds.

She groaned as ley lines began to form in the air, popping as they began to show. They began to grow brighter, becoming obviously visible against the sky. Those who were familiar with the symbol suddenly became aware that the mana was flowing in the shape of the Arcane Star, and with a blink, they saw that it was indeed the symbol of magic.

For a second, the large magenta star hung perfectly still in the air.

And then there was the sound of thunder.

Purple fire burned seven runes in the air, one at each point, and a larger one at the center. They burned with a violet light, and everyone stood, mesmerized by the sight.

And then the spell began its work.

Flaming spheres of purple fire appeared at random in the ranks before her, wreathing anything and everything, from griffons to stones, in violet flame. Other griffons turned to stone where they stood, and even more suddenly drawn to the sight of prismatic, hypnotic lights before they too, burst into flame. Others still found themselves paralyzed, dropping to the floor where they stood, while a handful of griffons were shrunken down to the size of pebbles. Magenta lightning arced through the battlefield, killing anything it touched. Finally, a massive hole, ripped through the very fabric of reality, appeared in the center of the star, and began to suck anything it could into its massive maw.

Screams of doomed griffons could be heard as a handful of them were sucked into oblivion, never to be heard of again.

It all happened in a matter of seconds, and that was all Twilight could hold it for before she fell to her knees. The star began to fade, and the purple fire and lightning flickered. She tried to push it for a few more seconds, but her spell soon died. The hole closed, and the runes went out, leaving only smoke and the smell of ozone hanging in the air.

Panting, Twilight stood before dropping Judgement to the ground. The battlefield before her was a mess of scorched ground and fried bodies. Half of the force that had been in front of her had been totally wiped out.

“Retreat!” a griffon cried, and began to run.

The others took that as an excellent cue.

Twilight sat right there, breathing heavily, before she became aware of a single griffon. It was the General. He stood there, clutching at a bloody socket that once held his left eye. His remaining right eye glared at her with all the hate it could muster, and Twilight shivered under his gaze.

He eyed her, before looking behind her.

She turned and saw ponies approaching.

Turning back to Ironclaw, she heard him growl. “You will both die for this.” Then he turned, and with a flap of his wings, followed his troops. He left those who were paralyzed, those turned to stone, and the dead.

Twilight then, on her knees, began to crawl towards Alan. “Alan, Alan can you hear me?” she asked, her horn shining again as she prepared her best medical spell. “Alan? Alan, say something.” Her horn crackled as she aimed it at his side, which was all but mincemeat.

“Alan?” she called, and then blacked out.

Twilight sat, her head resting on a pillow.

“Get me another bloodpack,” she heard someone say.

“Injecting anesthetic.”

She tried to open her eyes, but they felt like lead.

A clawed hand gently stroked her hoof. “He’ll be okay, Twi.”

She was so tired...

Twilight slowly opened her eyes.

“She’s awake,” someone whispered.

The blurry room slowly came into focus, and the incessant “beep” of a heart monitor made itself painfully obvious to her ears. She was in the medical deck of the Vindicta, in a small room near the back of the ship. She had only really seen it once or twice, and the current darkness was not helping her any.

The dimly lit room was filled with a mishmash of medical equipment, a table with notably unused scalpels, large rolls of gauze, syringes of multiple sizes.

On the left wall were a few couches, one of which was occupied by Spike, while the rest of the Mane Six stood nearby.

And next to her...

Alan lay in the cot beside her, his heart rate going at a steady beat. The left side of his face was wrapped in a bandage, his right foreleg was also bandaged, coming up to his elbow. Two IVs, one in each foreleg, slowly dripped both blood and a painkiller into his system. The rest of his body was hidden from view by the thick blue blanket that was carefully laid over him.

“He’ll be fine, Twilight,” Spike informed her. “The doctors said he lost a lot of blood, but it won’t take too long for him to recover, especially with the help you gave on his side. He just needs to rest now.”

She simply stared at the white unicorn. His armor, ruined duster, and sword sat on a nearby chair, and without them, he looked so...normal...

So delicate...

He lay, there, bandaged, bloodied and broken. The slow rising of his chest the only thing that proved he was alive.

He would have died today.

Her heart leapt into her throat at the thought.

Alan, the one who had held her in his arms when she was plagued by nightmares, the one who was always there to help, the one who would gladly get into a grudge-match debate, the one who...

He could be dead.

“He’ll be fine Twi,” Spike said again.

“It looks a lot worse than it is,” Fluttershy said, hovering over to her bedside. “The deepest wound was to his side, but you had already healed the majority of it up when we arrived. There is a strong possibility that he would still have been conscious if it weren’t for the magical backlash.”

He could have died.

“Come along, girls. I think it’s best if we leave Twilight to get some rest,” Rarity said, making her way toward the door.

“Right, Ah’ll let Shining know what’s goin’ on,” Applejack stated.

Rainbow Dash walked over to the door, “He’ll be alright, Twilight,” she said, before whispering under her breath, “he has to be.”

Pinkie Pie said nothing, but simply patted Twilight’s hoof and left in silence.

“Be sure to get some sleep, Twi,” Fluttershy said, hovering towards the door. “The magical exhaustion you went through is going to keep you inside for a few days.”

Spike stroked her hoof one more time before laying a scroll in her lap. “You got a letter,” he said.

Twilight only stared at the sleeping stallion.

“Come along, Spike,” Rarity called.

Spike slowly back-stepped out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

Twilight simply stared at Alan.

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, but before long, her attention turned to the scroll in front of her.

The golden heart seal stared back up at her.

Picking it up in her magical grasp, she popped the seal and began to read.

My Dearest Twilight,

How could I possibly forget my favorite filly? I cannot think of a single time where I cannot help but long for those days where you would come running up to me with your favorite book, eager to tell me all the plot twists from the first to the last.

I also cannot help but remember the day Shining gave you coffee...but that’s a whole different nightmare.

Twilight smiled at the memory, she had bounced off the wall for hours during that little escapade.

I cannot express how happy I am for you Twilight. The letter you sent me detailing your feelings made me smile. I also, knowing you, can imagine how confusing these emotions could be. Do they mean you’re in love? Do they simply mean he’s handsome? Well, my dearest, I will gladly tell you what your emotions mean.

Nothing.

Emotions mean nothing, Twilight. An emotion is simply a small dose of chemicals in your brain. You know this, but because they are in your brain, they feel very real. However, despite all that, they are still chemicals. Can love then, be quantified in hormones?

If it can, I’m sure there would be several poets who would be very angry at that.

Twilight chuckled at the thought.

No, Twilight, love is far more than chemicals and feelings. The feelings are nice, and they certainly help at times, but emotions change on a whim; one minute the world is a wonderful place, the next, you’ve had the worse day on Equestria. Love is stronger than that.

The truth about love is that it is a choice. It may not be a logical choice, it may not be a smart or good choice, but it is a choice. Love is waking up every morning, looking at your husband and, even though he did something incredibly stupid the night before, choosing to love him anyway.

A relationship based on emotions, will only last as long as the “feelings are there.’”

A relationship based on a choice will last as long as you want it to, even to the end of time.

The truth is, Twilight, I cannot make two ponies fall in love. I can make them have feelings for each other. I can make them feel comfortable with each other. I can even make them forget arguments mid-fight, but I cannot make them fall in love.

That is their choice.

I cannot make two ponies who hate each other jump into each others arms, I can just make them feel a little more comfortable with the other.

All I can do, is give them a little push in the right direction.

So, my dear Twilight, I have good news. If your emotions confuse you, forget them. In the grand scheme of things, they mean nothing, and can in fact leave you broken-hearted when “the feelings just aren’t there anymore.”

If you love him with your mind, Twilight, your heart will quickly follow.

Love,

Sunshine, sunshine,
Ladybugs awake.

Cadence.

Twilight sighed.

Would she choose to love him?

Would it matter if he didn’t love her back?

“Twilight?” a voice called next to her.

She lowered the scroll, turning towards Alan as he lay on his cot. His eyes were glazed over, and he spoke with the delirium of the medication through his system. “Twilight, why are you in the hospital?” His tongue lolled about in his mouth as he tossed his head to look at her. “Are you hurt?”

“N-no, Alan. I’m fine.”

Alan slowly blinked, a smile growing on his features. “Good. Because I’d have to hit somepony if they hurt you. I don’t like hitting ponies.”

“I know, Alan.”

“And you were always my favorite pony,” he said before dropping back into unconsciousness.

Twilight stared at him, her jaw hanging open and a blush on her cheeks.

Alan awoke to the steady beat of his own heart magnified by a machine.

“Ow,” he said, his throat dry, and scratchy. “Why do my legs feel like they’re on fire?”

“Because you did something stupid and the painkillers wore off,” he heard Twilight say.

“I think I remember that,” he moaned. Opening his eyes, Alan blinked, before looking around the room. “What are you doing in a cot?” he asked.

“I did something stupid and tried to save you,” she said with a smirk.

Alan smiled at her. “So we’re a couple of idiots then?”

She laughed, and didn’t notice the scroll falling to the floor, where it opened, and shot up a cloud of blue dust.

The dust went by unnoticed to the two unicorns, even as it slowly made its ways into their nostrils.

Twilight calmed down, and sighed.

“How long was I out?” Alan asked.

“That depends,” she answered, “You woke up once already.”

“I did?”

“Yeah, and you...said some stuff...”

Alan blinked. “I do not like how you said that. What did I say?”

“You said...” she began before mumbling.

“What? What did I say?”

“You said I was your favorite pony...” she said before turning away, hiding the blush on her cheeks.

Silence.

The look on Alan’s face was a mixture of pure, unadulterated horror, and hopeful embarrassment.

“I-I...” Alan stammered.

More silence.

“I’m...sorry?” he said, the apology coming out as a question.

A quiet tension hung in the air for a moment before Twilight answered. “I thought it was kind of cute...”

He looked at her.

She turned and looked at him, a blush obvious on both of their cheeks.

Alan gulped, before speaking, “T-Twilight?”

“Yes?”

“W-” the air around him began to glow a light blue. “W-would you be my special somepony?”

Thomas Aquilas sat on his cot in silence.

He was still blind.

He had been fed, watered, and his wastes were disposed of regularly, keeping him comfortable, although the barbed tones of the doctors did not help his conscious.

He had yelled at that poor mare for no reason.

Well, okay, he did have a reason, but his actions were horribly uncalled for.

Maybe he deserved this. Maybe he deserved being blind after what he did. They were doing everything they could to make sure he was comfortable, and he just blew up in their face.

He heard his door open.

“Mister Griffon?” a soft voice called.

His ears perked at the sound of the mare’s voice. “Miss Fluttershy?”

“I have some great news,” she continued. “Our doctors have figured out a cure for your blindness.”

“Y-you have?”

“Yes, and I wanted to be sure you were one of the first ones treated.”

Thomas blinked. “R-really? After the things I’ve said, you’re going to treat me first?”

“Oh, yes! You were just so upset when we last spoke, I just had to be sure I could help you before I came back.”

Thomas felt like he had been stabbed in the heart.

After everything, she just wanted to let him see again.

Tears began to form in his sightless eyes. They didn’t deserve this. Nopony ever deserved war on them. I swear to never harm another pony for the rest of my days, he thought to himself. “Thank you, Miss Fluttershy. Thank you.”

There was the sound of a horn flaring with magic, then all of a sudden an explosion of color washed across his vision.

He blinked, and slowly, the colors began to align themselves about the room. His blanket was blue. Fluttershy was yellow with a pink mane, and turquoise eyes, the unicorn standing next to the bed was light pink, with a green mane and baby blue eyes. A blue aura of magic trailed from her horn to his eyes before fading away. In front of him, laying on the blanket, was a pile of white powder.

He could see.

“Did it work?” Fluttershy asked expectantly.

Thomas smiled as tears fell down his face. “Yes, yes it did.”

“Yay!” Fluttershy cried in the quietest cheer he had ever heard. “The Prince will be so happy to hear that!”

Thomas blinked. “The Prince? What Prince?”

“Why, Prince Ironblood of course.”

Thomas’ now seeing eyes went wide. “The Prince...The Prince is alive?”

Shining Armor paced the length of the deck of the Vindicta, limping as he moved on his split hoof.

As soon as he had heard that both Alan and his sister had been admitted to the medical bay, he immediately moved to the other ship. He had to get a team of pegasi to fly him over, the normal causeway too dangerous for the slightly-injured pony.

Applejack had told him that they were both going to be fine, but he was a big brother, it was his job to worry.

And now he was just pacing.

That was an hour ago, and he was still pacing.

“Argh!” he cried. “I can’t take it anymore. I need to know what’s going on!” Shouting his ultimatum, he turned towards the doors to below deck.

He went down three flights of stairs, one for each deck. Two of the decks held numerous bunks as well as cannons, while the last was solely the medical bay. Almost stomping through the bay, he passed several griffons and ponies on cots before coming up to the room in the back, reserved for generals and captains.

Behind that door, one of his best friends and his sister were lying in cots, both injured.

He opened the door without second thought, and his jaw hit the floor.

Twilight and Alan, the former sitting on his lap, innocently wrapped in his forelegs, both stared at Shining.

Never once did their lips part.

Finally, Alan broke the kiss and spoke. “Shining! Hi! How are you doing?”

Shining’s eye twitched.

There was something that wasn’t right with this picture. Yes, Twilight liked Alan. He knew that. It was a little obvious to him in fact. Yes, he knew that Alan also liked Twilight...but...but...this...no...

He then noticed the heart seal on the scroll that lay discarded on the floor, and his eye twitched again.

He sniffed the air, and sure enough, he smelled a hint of chocolate and roses.

He sighed, his head dropping. “Cadence, Honey, why?”

And another chapter down.

“You know, I find it funny that people were saying how nice it was that you let Alan lose a fight when you’ve had this chapter essentially dedicated to him getting pwned like a n00b.”

Pinkie! Where’d you learn that kind of language?

“Well maybe if somebody didn’t spend so much time on the internet...”

Oh don’t you even think about blaming this on me.

“Thinking about it.”

I am not amused.

“Could be worse. She could have gotten it from that one episode of South Park.”

“Hey! DM! quick question! What do you think of Alicorn Twilight and will this affect the fic?”

Well, I’d normally address that in blog post, but when I did I don’t think I explained myself too well. Essentially, so far, it doesn’t look so bad, but then again we haven’t seen a lot. But I mean, if I can make a Brony in Equestria story, where the human turns into a pony, work then DHX can write a good Twicorn.

And no, this will affect nothing.

“Well thanks everybrony for reading the latest chapter of A Novice Swordsman in the Canterlot Court. Be sure to watch your favorites bar for the next chapter. It’s going to be a doozy!”

So, fave, leave a comment, or don’t, whatever. Thanks for reading, and see you next time.

Bye!