It was a beautiful peaceful morning in Ponyville, the birds chirped and fluttered to the many bird feeders the kindhearted ponies had put out for them. All was peaceful.
Twilight looked out on the balcony of her library home marveling at the aftermath of the sunrise. "The princess really out did herself today." she sighed contently. It had so far been a somewhat stressful two weeks since Bastion and Whiterun had showed up, but things were finally starting to go back to normal.
"Hey, Twilight you got a letter from the princess, and your brother." Spike waddled up to her with two scrolls held in his claws.
He offered them to Twilight as she picked them up with her magic and began reading to herself. Her expression soured as she finished the last paragraph of her mentors letter.
"What is it Twilight?" Spike knew when the mare was annoyed with some small detail.
"Well, Spike," She breathed in calmly and let it out. " It looks like I'm going to have to miss that meeting with the mayor." She looked at the letter Shining Armor sent and began reading. "Or maybe not." Twilight smiled fiendishly.
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"Whiterun, come on man armor up." Bastion stepped away from his trunk as he put the finishing touches on his armor. he glanced at the sapphire star on his chest and for the fifth time checked to see if he could see his reflection in it.
"Five more minutes, mommy school wont start for another hour." Whiterun rolled around in his sheets snoring peacefully.
"Thats fine and dandy Whiterun but we might have an inspection on our hooves today." Bastion knew his partner not only feared inspections like an elephant to a mouse, but the implied threat of one was all it took to get him to spring awake.
"Wait," Whiterun scrambled out of the sheets and saluted Bastion, "Sergeant Whiterun Snowtrot reporting sir." As the stallion's senses began to settle he relaxed before glaring at Bastion. "I hate you sometimes, you know that."
"Yeah yeah, we actually have to put in some work today buddy so get armored up." Bastion levitated his helm onto his head and adopting the stern cold stare that came with the image he now made.
Bastion actually liked his armor a lot and since each princess technically got their own personal guard whose uniform was supposed to be unique to them, Bastion took it upon himself to ask his wife to give them two sets of lavender trimmed silver armor. He especially liked the fact that since he was technically pony-at-arms and ergo one of Twilights personal knights he could keep it no matter what.
"Bastion remind me again why we you choose silver armor?" Whiterun asked as he clipped on the breast plate.
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Canterlot royal forgery: two weeks earlier.
"Call it." Bastion tossed the lone bit into the air.
"Tails no heads heads." Whiterun shouted to the coin in mid air.
As the gracefully fell to earth, its path was intercepted by a stray hammer. which lead both to a nearby smelter oven before it plopped into the molten metal.
"Bullion watch it next time!" Topaz shouted to the golden maned stallion who was smiling guiltily at his superior.
"Well now what?" Whiterun looked at the smelter as ant evidence of his victory of defeat melted away almost instantly.
"I know, the answer." Bastion smiled coyly."My wife is in charge of the forges so I win."
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"Oh yeah, I still think you planed that from the start." Whiterun remarked as he put on his helm.
" No, just your bad luck or my incredibly good luck decided that fair and square, Now come on we got to get down stairs before." Bastion failed to finish his sentence, As the bell above the front door to the library jingled.
"I'm coming, sorry for the wait." Bastion heard the clatter of the princesses hooves going down the stairs. followed with what sounded like Spike doing after her.
"Come on buddy, were up." Bastion trotted across the second floor study area and down the stairs. He knew the Sumareian Ambassador was bound to drop by eventually, he always had a nasty habit of showing up with the least amount of warning.
As Bastion made his way down the stairs he saw the stallion that had unknowingly ruined his day. There dressed in a black suit with a Sumareian flag patched on his shoulder stood one of the few zebras Bastion had ever met in his life, and he was simply chatting with the princess about books.
"I personally enjoyed her later work, though I'm still a sucker for the Love set Free. trilogy myself." The zebra said with a light accent.
"Well yes but comparing Inkwells style to Bridlemares is well... Difficult to say the least." Twilight looked at the two books in front of her, she knew that most of the ponies she asked about it were really divided about who was the better author. She personally liked both and the fact that they were both students under the father of modern Equestrian literature.
"Regardless, Ms. Sparkle or is it Princess Twilight?" the zebra placed both books on the check out table.
"Please, Twilight is fine. Though I never caught your name Mr.?"
"Atoy,Jako Atoy but please Jako is fine." He offered his hoof politely to Twilight.
"Nice to met you Jako, Princess Celestia said you would be in town for a few days and that you planed on visiting the new princess." Twilight smiled, noticing Bastion slowly inching his way to her side.
"Yes, indeed," Jako glanced over to Bastion and waved him over "Come now there's no need for this sneaking around good ser."
"Apologies sir, I didn't wish to interrupt your conversation." Bastion felt another set of eyes burning into him from somewhere.
"Nonsense, what type of princess wouldn't have security present, I most certainly brought mine." Jako stamped his hoof on the ground twice.
The door to the library opened slowly to reveal a hulking dark grey stallion in jet black armor and a similarly colored beret with two crossed swords patched on it, marched in and saluted.
"Sergeant Flak Jacket of the Sumareian grand army at your service." He said in a booming deep voice.before stepping to the side to reveal a significantly smaller mare.
Bastion did a mental double take of the mare before him, namely because she looked like somepony else he had seen around Ponyville, with her orange coat and magenta mane she reminded him of one Cutie mark Crusaders that tore through the library last Wednesday trying to be librarians, only she looked a few years older then her.
" Petty officer Sky Blitz of the civilian merchant fleet." She fluttered her wings nervously. As she trotted in Bastion noticed her black and red vest with the old pegasi tribe emblem on it, as well as her grey scarf that had her flight goggles nestled against her neck.
"Nice to meet both of you, I'm Sergeant Bastion Stonewall an-" Bastion looked up at the stairs, just in time to see Whiterun tumbling down them noisily before crashing head long into a pile of reference books on magical theory."And that is my partner Whiterun Snowtrot."
"I see, well Twilight I hate to bore you with political chit chat, but I have something to discuss with you in private. Would this library have a study room of some sort?" Jako asked as he watched Whiterun spring to his feet and trot over to Twilight like nothing had happened.
Twilight glanced over to bastion and winked her left eye twice before faking a sneeze. "Sorry about that, The only drawback to living in a library is all this dust," She faked another sneeze before pointing to another section of the library. "Theres a study room in this section we can go to." she smiled.
"Well alrighty then." Jako let Twilight lead the way to the study room while the remaining four ponies stood in the lobby.
They all stood there in silence before Flak cleared his throat.
"So tell me something, did she just tell you the firehouse burned down because, my guarded to guardian code last time I checked wasn't that rusty."
Bastion rolled around what Twilight did he remembered Princess Luna stopping him in the hall way once during the early morning guard exchange and doing it exactly like she did. Bastion knew Twilight wasn't asking for one dozen moon pies to be sent to her quarters
"No, I saw Princess Luna, do that and she just wanted moon pies," Bastion tried to remember Twilights last obsessive weekly scheduling fit. "That's it Whiterun she wants a maneuver Green twenty six."
"A what now?" Sky looked at the two stallions as the high hoofed.
"They're going to get Twilight out of the meeting under the guise of a significantly more important event," Flak leaned down to sky and whispered. " Don't worry rookie we wont have to do a thing."
"Flak, tell me something," Sky looked up uncertainly to her towering partner. "How did a mapmaker get pared up with you and then sent to Equestria?"
Flak smiled happily, "Tell me how two ponies like that were assigned to guard the princess."
"Good point."
"Hey, you two done chatting over there we could use your help coming up with a plan." Whiterun waved the two over.
Bastion looked at the group of ponies around him," Alright so here is the plan."
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" Thats why we are on such unfriendly terms with the Griffons ." Jako looked Twilight dead in the eye, he seemed real serious about the current political tensions that were threatening his home.
"Oh I see well, but I assume you didn't want to talk to me about that at all." Twilight looked at the zebra as he let out a heavy sigh.
"Yes, well the emperor sends his best wishes and would like to formally name you crown roylar of his court." Jako reached into his suit jacket and produced a scroll. "It's really an honorary title something the Emperor claimed his ancestor Dusk did when Sumareia was first founded. It does come with a few perks however," Jako smiled as he produced another scroll from his jacket. "I really should bring a saddle bag along with me."
"Ah yes, here it is, you are able to withdraw a maximum of thirty bits from the Sumareian treasury a week, as well as being named an citizen of the empire. Oh you might like this part. You are now authorized to checkout and text from the archives indefinitely, unless notified by the head scribe." Jako smiled before looking at the clock it was ten minutes until one o clock. "Oh look that wrapped up real quick."
"Wait, so thats really it." Twilight looked back up at the clock he had hardly taken away from her meeting with the mayor.
"Yep," He smiled "You don't think other ponies have a schedule to keep as well." He winked at her as he trotted to open the door to the study room.
As he raised his hoof to the door knob however, the door was suddenly kicked in and Whiterun looked around the room frantically, before he ran up to Twilight.
"Your majesty, I have terrible news," He smiled slyly and winked at her. "It's just awful terribly tragic news. News so bad I.... I." He stammered glancing back at Jako who stared suspiciously at him.
"Sergeant, what is this terribly tragic news?" Jako asked in a monotone.
"Well actually the news isnt tragic," Whiterun gulped audibly as Jako stared at him with his peircing blue eyes." Nor is it umm terrible." He smiled nervously.
"Well then lets hear it." Jako slowly trotted towards Whiterun who was now starting to sweat nervously. "Come on."
"Well uh Twilight your umm..... Brother Shining umm is having triplets." Whiterun spit out.
"Congratulations then, Auntie Twilight." Jako lost all of the creepy intensity he had as he started to giggle to himself. "Oh Auntie Twilight. I got to remember that one." He let out a hearty laugh before poking his head out. "Flak was that your Idea... No your silly you know that."
"Wait, he knew?" Whiterun whispered into Twilights ear.
All Twilight could do was nod as Jako turned around "Oh Twilight about those books."