//------------------------------// // Rising // Story: MLPU: Twilight Sparkle: Princess of Thunder // by TheInvincibleIronBrony //------------------------------// Shining Armor stared at the still form of the mare who had raised him. He no longer felt comfortable referring to Celestia as his mother. The All-Mother was brought to her chambers immediately after she had fallen unconscious. The healers had wrapped her body in several restorative enchantments, leaving a layer of golden magic surrounding the queen. The door at the far end of the room opened and Luna entered, a somber look on her face. Shining only looked up for a second. "Has the council reached a decision?" he asked, referring to the meeting of Equinsgard's military leaders deciding who would rule in Celestia's stead. Luna gave her nephew a questioning gaze. "That should be the last thing on your mind," she told him, as Shining's gaze shifted back to the mare on the bed. "And it seems to be." Luna stared at Shining in silence for a few minutes. "Did she tell you?" she asked. Shining's eyes shot up to her. They were full of confusion and betrayal. "Did she tell me what?" Shining asked. "That I'm not her real son, or that I'm the monster parents tell their children about to make them behave?" Shining asked rhetorically, his gaze returning to Celestia. Luna gave the stallion a sad look. "You are her son," she told him. Shining scoffed at this. "She raised you as her own. She gave you a mother's love," Luna explained, moving to the other side if her sister. "And yet Twilight was chosen to success her," the stallion pointed out. Luna glared at Shining. "That was not her decision. Twilight was chosen by tradition," Luna reasoned. "She was chosen by a hammer," Shining shot back. "She was never comfortable in front of her subjects. Her loyal followers were as much than tools to her as Mjolnir was. Is that what Equinsgard needs in a ruler? Is that our future?" Shining inquired, almost angry. Luna frowned at this. "Twilight has proven herself unworthy if her title," she informed. Shining gave his aunt a curious look. "The council has decided that it is in our best interest to leave her in exile and they have chosen a new successor," Luna said, looking Shining in the eye. "They have chosen you." Shining Armor was shocked. After his discovery of his heritage he half expected to be thrown in the dungeon or simply murdered in his bed. But made king? The thought hadn't even crossed his mind. Where they mad? Was this some kind of joke? Or did no one know of his heritage but he, Luna, and Celestia? "I need time to think," he said, walking towards the door of the room. "Shining Armor," Luna called, the stallion stopping in the doorway. "Just remember that her first loyalty was to both of her children," she said. Shining Armor turned to see Luna gazing at her sister. He thought about her statement for a moment before continuing out of the room, closing the door with magic as he left. ///////////////////////// Minuette and Bolt stopped on a street corner to catch their breath. They had set out looking for Twilight and had been at it for hours. "Can we please stop and eat? I'm starving," Bolt complained, his stomach growling in protest. "Not until we find Twilight. Ugh, it was stupid to let her leave in the first place. We found her in the middle if the event. How could she not be involved?" Minuette berated herself scanning the area around her, setting her blue saddle bag on the ground. The dusty shops didn't have much to hide. The town itself was rather small. Minuette feared Twilight may have simply left Appleloosa. "Hey, you gotta pay for that!" an angry stallion shouted in the distance, catching the pairs attention. Bolt and Minuette ran around the corner to see what all the commotion was, Minuette grabbing her bag as they went. "Take your hand off me mortal!" a familiar purple mare yelled. Minuette arrived on the scene just in time to see Twilight toss the stallion bodily several yards away. The stallion got up and stared at Twilight in shock. Minuette took note of the loaf of bread in her hand. "That's it! I'm callin’ the cops," the stallion said as got up off the ground and reached for the phone in his orange vest. Minuette ran forward to stop him. "Wait! I'm so sorry. My... uh... sister is from out of town," she said, earning a quizzical look from the stallion. Twilight was about to interject, but Minuette continued. "She's from... Hoofington. Stuff is just free there... I guess," the unicorn explained, hoping the stallion wouldn't question her flimsy lie. The stallion gave Minuette a hard look. "Well here she has to pay," he countered. "Of course. I'll pay for her," the unicorn said as she reached into her bag and pulled out a handful of bits. She held them out to the stallion who quickly counted them. The stallion smiled and took the payment. "Thank you ma'am. You keep your sister outta trouble now," the stallion said as he returned to his store. "Sure thing," Minuette answered before turning to Twilight. "Why did you steal that?" she asked, glaring and pointing a hoof at the loaf. Twilight glared right back. "Is it a crime for me to feed myself? Where I come from, I would feast on more than a measly loaf of bread,” she said indignantly. Bolt gave the mare an open mouthed stare. "Are we seriously bringing her back with us?" Bolt asked, unsure if this was a good idea. "Yes we are," Minuette replied, glaring at the Pegasus. Twilight's eyes widened in anger. "What gives you the impression I will return to your home after the treatment I received this morning?" she asked incredulously. Minuette froze. She hadn't thought about what to do if Twilight didn't want to return. She took a deep breath and decided to be honest. "Look at this," she said pulling out a piece of paper for Twilight to see. It was the atmospheric data with the pony shaped silhouette. "This is proof you were in the event from last night. What I'm saying is..." Minuette trailed off, looking around to make sure nopony was listening to them. "I believe you are, or at least were, an alicorn," Minuette admitted, looking away from the mare. Bolt looked at his boss with wide eyes. "Wait, what? This doesn't prove- OW!" Bolt shouted when Minuette stomped on his hand to silence him. Minuette wasn’t sure if she was an alicorn or not, but there certainly was something odd about this mare and only she might have the answers she was desperately looking for. Minuette looked back to Twilight, who seemed interested. "I was wondering if you would explain what you experienced while you were in that event," Minuette explained hopefully. Twilight ignored the pegasus, looking only at Minuette. "You believe me?" she questioned, not entirely believing the unicorn. Minuette nodded. Twilight took a moment to think, before an idea popped into her head. "I did not come to this realm alone," she admitted, earning quizzical looks from Bolt and Minuette. "My weapon, Mjolnir is somewhere in the realm. To restore my full power I must retrieve it," she explained. Bolt looked skeptical. "And you're telling us this because?" he asked fearing the answer. "Help me retrieve it and I will answer all your questions," she told them. Minuette's face lit up and Bolt groaned. "Sure! What's it look like?" Minuette asked excitedly. Twilight smiled at the unicorn's eagerness. "Before we search, I must eat. Where can we acquire sustenance?" she asked, her determination rekindled. Bolt looked up at the mention of food. "I found a pretty good diner a few blocks from here. Best waffles in town. Follow me," the pegasus explained flying off down the street, Minuette and Twilight following after him. //////////////////////// Pinkie Pie sat in her hotel room, staring out of the window as a truck drove by the building. Normally she wouldn't pay much attention to trucks in a rural town, but so far every truck had left in the same direction. She couldn't see the contents of the trucks, but she knew something was going on. Too many trucks off in one direction, for no apparent reason. Made no sense, but Pinkie knew there was a reason. Nothing was just random. Not even her. Although, she’s been called that many times. She left the window and looked around the small hotel room. The two beds, one of which Sweetie Belle was using to study the file they'd been given on the events, were covered in a rather boring brown covers and white pillows. A door near the back of the room led to the tiny bathroom. Pinkie had been rather disappointed with the bland walls and boring decor. Pink was more her color. However, it was a bed so there was hardly reason to complain. The pink pony started rummaging through her bags, next to the door. Sweetie Belle looked up from the file curiously. "What are you looking for?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow. Pinkie looked at her companion. "My bow. Something has the locals stirred up and it's probably that meteor. We have to check that out anyway, so I say we go now," Pinkie explained, returning to her search. Sweetie held a look if genuine concern. "Why do you need your bow for that?" "Just in case," Pinkie answered. Sweetie looked at Pinkie with an eyebrow raised. What the hay did Pinkie pack with her? Why does she need all that stuff? She attempted to look over to Pinkie’s bags to see what they contained, but was unable to see anything, but a some files, a badge and a dozen knives. Why Pinkie carried so many knives was beyond her imagination. After about ten minutes of searching she pulled a steel brief case out of the bag and set it on the bed. Sweetie watched with fascination as Pinkie prepared the weapon. "So, what do I have to do to get a weapon like that for field work?" the unicorn asked. She hardly ever saw any other agents use nonstandard equipment. Only a handful, including Pinkie and Rarity, were even allowed to go on a mission without a firearm. "Years of practice," Pinkie replied. "Now get ready. We need to hurry," she said, fitting the bow back in the case. "What's the rush?" Sweetie asked as she started gathering her own equipment. A standard issue side arm and a taser. "Because, the meteor might be some sort of alien mind control device and the aliens are enslaving the townsfolk to create an army of brain dead soldiers to take over our planet so they can make us harvest our own resources," Pinkie explained in a single breath. Sweetie looked slightly alarmed. "Either that or there's a big party going on and we don't wanna miss out on that now do we?" Pinkie asked rhetorically as she opened the door. "Right," Sweetie answered, silently wondering what went on in Pinkie’s mind. ///////////////////////////// Spike entered the dining hall and started scanning the ponies in the room, searching for Shining Armor. The prince was nowhere to be found, but the drake easily spotted Blossomforth and Raindrops near the center of the room, with Raindrops regaling a small audience with the story of their recent trip to Jotunheim. "We were easily outnumbered, five to a hundred," Raindrops said dramatically, her listeners paying rapt attention. "I recall facing a much larger army than that," Spike interrupted, the crowd parting to allow him through. Raindrops scowled at him. "I was getting to that," she argued. "Is something wrong?" Blossomforth asked, wondering why Spike would interrupt. He usually kept quiet during one of Raindrop’s tales, basking in the glory they shared. "I have news. Can we speak in private?" Spike asked, earning a nod from the pegasi. The three warriors left the dining hall and stopped in the deserted hallway. Spike turned to his friends. "The All-Mother has fallen into the Solar Sleep and Shining Armor has been named her successor," he informed them, earning slack jawed looms from the pair. "That's terrible," Blossomforth said with worry. "At least Shining Armor is taking her place. With him leading us into battle, we stand a good chance," Raindrops reasoned. "That's only if he accepts the throne," Spike countered. "Why wouldn't he?" Raindrops asked, furrowing her brow. Spike shook his head. "I'm not sure. He's been different since we got back from Jotunheim. I can't say for sure what it is, but something has changed," he told them, not quite understanding his own observations of the stallion. Blossomforth thought for a moment. "Then as his friends it is our duty to convince him to take the throne," she told her companions. Spike and Blossomforth looked up at this. "Equinsgard needs a leader. He's the only one who can fill that spot right now," she reasoned, earning a nod from each of them. "Good. Then let's go find him," she said flying off down the hall, Spike and Raindrops close behind. ///////////////////////////////////////////// Pinkie and Sweetie Belle arrived at the crater site. A crowd had formed around the center where there seemed to be a line of stallions and buffalo trying to lift something. "What are they doing?" Sweetie asked, quirking an eyebrow at the strange celebration. "Not sure," Pinkie said, as the hopped out of the vehicle. "Get the scanner," she told Sweetie, who opened the back doors and started going through the equipment in their bags. She quickly produced a small device that looked like a PDA. The agents started pushing their way through the crowd. Just as Pinkie got within sight of the center of the crater a stallion stepped in front of her. "Well, hello there little missy. Don't believe I've seen you around these parts. What's your name?" he asked. Pinkie tried to get around the stallion, but he simply moved back in her path. Pinkie sighed in annoyance. "Look mister, I just wanna see what all the hullabaloo is. Can you get outta the way please?" she requested sternly. Sweetie Belle glared at the stallion as well. The stallion chuckled. "Oh that's just a little competition for the guys. You wouldn't be interested in that," he assured laying a hand on Pinkie's shoulder. "How about you let me show ya a good time," he offered, smiling at the pink mare. Pinkie glared at the stallion and looked at Sweetie Belle. "Here's your first practical lesson in self defense," she stated. Pinkie immediately grabbed the stallion's hand and flipped him onto his back, knocking the wind out of him. Sweetie Belle went wide eyed at the display. "I was told not to attract attention to yourself in the field," she said, shaking her head. Pinkie smiled as the stallion left, muttering curses to himself. "Eh, I like a good tussle once in a while," Pinkie reasoned as she continued towards the center. Once they had reached the middle Pinkie noticed that the line was pretty much gone now, most of the competitors now watching their friends take a turn. Pinkie waited for the last contestant to fail before approaching the object. "Get a reading," she told Sweetie. Sweetie raised the scanner and pointed it at the hammer. Pinkie looked at the screen over the unicorn’s shoulder and was shocked as the screen went haywire, a multitude if colors surrounding the hammer. "Is this thing broken?" Sweetie asked, shaking the scanner. "Don't think so," Pinkie answered, placing a hand on the handle and tugging on it with all her strength. She gave up after a few minutes. "Can't take it with us. Call this in. Tell them we're gonna need some help with this one," she said as she started walking back to their vehicle. Sweetie pulled out her phone and started dialing. ///////////////////////////// Shining Armor wandered the halls of the palace aimlessly. He cared little where he was going. His mind was plagued with what he had done. "What am I to do?" he asked himself, uncertainly. "You must take the throne," a familiar voice answered. Shining looked up to see Cadence approaching. "How can I? After what I did to my mother, how could I possibly deserve to take her place?" Shining asked, the memory making him cringe. The sight of the mare who had raised him, lying on the floor helpless because of him. He blamed himself for Celestia’s suffering, but why keep the truth from him for so long? Was she ashamed? Was it truly for his benefit? Did she think him unable to cope with the truth? All these questions, and no answers. "To rule a kingdom is not a privilege given to loyal soldiers. It is duty given to one the subjects need," Cadence replied catching the stallion's attention. Cadence placed her hand on his face. "It is not your right, but your responsibility to see us through these hard times. To guide us until your mother wakes," she explained calmly. Shining thought about this. He gave a deep sigh as he placed his hand on Cadence’s. "So you’re saying I have no choice in the matter?" he asked. Cadence smiled. She leaned in closer to him, resting her head against his shoulder. "You always have a choice. But would you really choose to abandon your home when it needs you?" she asked. Shining nodded his head searching for a solution. "I could bring Twilight back from her exile," he said. He placed his handss on Cadence’s shoulders and lead her away from his body until their eyes met. "She was meant to rule not me," he informed his companion. Cadence shook her head. "That would not be wise. Twilight is not ready. She does not accept responsibility when she is at fault," the mare said, glaring at the ground. "If you were to pass the throne to her you would be demonstrating that you are no different," she finished. Shining was about to reply, but was cut off as Spike, Raindrops and Blossomforth came down the hall. "Shining Armor," Blossomforth began, landing in front of her friend. Shining and Cadence removed themselves from each other, their cheeks starting to turn red, but they hid them well. "We are at your service," she said as she and her friends bowed to him. Shining was shocked at the display. Spike stood up and looked at Shining. "What are your orders All-Father?" he asked. Shining looked at Cadence and smiled. "It would appear my choice has been made," he said earning smiles and cheers from the ponies near him. He then turned to Spike. "Continue your war preparations. I have a few personal matters to attend," he ordered. The three warriors saluted and quickly departed. Cadence watched Shining Armor turn down a hallway. "Where are you going?" she asked, curiously. "To ensure my home's safety," the newly crowned king answered, a plan forming in his mind.