//------------------------------// // A Chilly Knight - In Which Our Heroes Become Knights // Story: The Windigo Peacekeepers and the Frostfire Crystal Emperor // by Pen Mightier //------------------------------// 2 Days Later, Morning Night Guard Infirmary - Canterlot Palace Waking up is an experience that varies from pony to pony. There is the vague sense of disorientation, commonly dread, occasional existential crises and invariably some more pressing consideration of the state of one's bladder as well as proximity to the nearest toilet. For Warm Hug, however, his experience that particular morning could be summed up in a few choice words, 'Buck buckity buck mcbuck buckery bucking buckiness.' Never has he regretted being alive more. Every bit of him, even bits he didn't know he had, were screaming in agony He would have voiced this more eloquently if only he could find his voice wherever it was lost in the Zebrican desert that was his mouth and throat. He was quickly distracted from his search, however, when his ears muzzily picked up an irate voice. "....I still fail to see reason in locking the six of us in the guard's infirmary. We are innocent." "Well, I did challenge the biggest, ugliest, most horny thing to ever crawl out of Tartarus to a staring competition." A more laid back voice pointed out. "Lyra Heartstrings, you poked him in the eyes." The irate voice muttered. "Hey, not my problem he's a sore loser." The laid back voice said. "And no wonder he was sore. You poked him with a cello where Celestia don't shine." "He got in the way of my high note. Nopony gets in the way of my high notes." The irate voice managed to grow even more irate. "He made a good substitution. He hit some notes I had never even heard before. But I think Ms. Spitfire's thunderbolts to his pride shattered more than the glass in the theatre." "By sweet Luna, I was aiming elsewhere. It's not my fault your cello in the right place made him rear back at the wrong time." A calm voice sighed. "And picking a fight with Tirek is not the reason we're behind bars. We are witnesses, hon." "Yeah, I know, my wittiness is pretty criminal." The laidback voice chuckled. "You're just lucky I'm out of cellos." The irate voice was practically growling with murder. "Uh, okay, okay, no bad puns. I will only speak in un-puns from now on, promise. Please, don't stick a cello up my plot, please. I'm still pretty tender up there." The laidback one whimpered. "What are we witnesses to, anyway, if not my flaming hot if slightly tender plot?" "The Windigo; We saw him use his magic." Another voice, a saucy one, pointed out. "Windigos; They have been gone for centuries. If word gets out that one was walking around Canterlot, packing weaponized hot sauce..." "Yeah, I can see it now. Mass panic over weaponized hot sauces of mass destruction." The laidback voice said. "Um, I think he's awake." A soft, timid little voice spoke up. The others quickly quietened down at this. Warm Hug could practically hear them listening for him. Deciding to tactfully pretend he hadn't heard any of that, he decided on the next item on his priority list - voicing his pain in the most eloquent way possible. "By the lovebutt, I think Sombra in his grave felt that. I will show that craggy red lump of coprolite so much love and hope that he'll eat nothing but glitter and sparkles through a straw after I'm done with him, so help me Crystal Heart!" He growled through his parched dry throat before breaking into a fit of coughs. "A-are you alright?" The soft, timid voice asked from somewhere nearby. He blinked the dust and stars out of his bleary eyes, scrunching up just enough vision to slowly peer about as much as his stiff and painful neck allowed. The room was dim and thankfully easy on his eyes. The ceiling above was an unfamiliar one, bedecked with privacy curtains. With some difficulty he found the source of the voice, a young light pink mare sitting on her haunches on the pure white bed next to his. A hospital bed, his brain quickly added. Likely a concession to the bandages she wore around one eye and half her head. The nervously fluttering lilac bat wings behind her waif-like body and the big fluffy ears marked her out as a thestral, a child of the night. He had only ever heard of thestrals. Well, if all that stuff about blood-sucking's true then he should be as dry as a crystal biscuit by now, which to his knowledge he wasn't. Goes to show what them country crystal hicks know. Then he noticed the little bag she was cradling in her hooves, one with something thick and red sloshing about sluggishly inside like mushy jello. It had a curly little pink straw complete with a miniature umbrella sticking out of its side. A label on the side helpfully read 'A+'. 'Ah, so the country crystal hicks aren't always full of coprolite. I'm just not her type, that's all', he thought to himself. "Um, you sound like you need a bit of this, really." She said, holding the bag of not-mushy-jello out to him generously, if a touch airheadedly. "Uh, I'm O negative." Warm Hug grimaced with a light chuckle. "Really?!" The thestral's eyes lit up like a foal on Hearthswarming Eve. "That's my favourite type, really!" "Oh, wow, yeah." Warm Hug shivered. 'Now my blood type's a pick up line too.' He thought to himself, wincing inwardly. "Bat fillies. You know just how to sweet-talk them. Casanova. A smooth one, if not so croaky." The saucy voice, tinkling with promised mischief, said. "Here, before you croak." A glass of water was levitated before him in a little swirl of emerald magic. "Oh, thanks, uh..." He raised both forehooves towards the cup, only to wince in pain on finding them both in plaster casts. He bit his lip in pain as he maneuvered them both into pincers about the cup of water before looking up at his benefactor. His eyes widened at the sight of the winter-white coat gleaming in the half-light, the soft light pink mane framing the playful smile looming above him. "Uh....." His voice intelligently articulated for him. "Change'A'Heart. Lovely to meet you." The mare standing by his bed said, winking her big golden eyes at him. "Uh, Warm Hug." Warm Hug said, still awestruck. "Casanova. One at a time, please. Though I don't blame you. That effect; I have it on everypony." She chuckled. "Cute. But, still, I only date older stallions." "I could have been named Sapphire Storm or Diamond Edge. But no, I'm a pick-up line." Warm Hug sighed, flopping his head back onto his pillow with a sigh. "Worse; It could be if you were named something like 'May House' or 'Ruby Dare'." The mare giggled. "Gee, thanks. Makes me feel better already." Warm Hug sighed. The white nursing cap perched on her candy-pink mane gave him a strange sense of familiarity. Then it struck him. "I've seen you in those vitamin ads around the Crystal Empire." He said, remembering the vitamin drive the new foreign princess had begun shortly after she took over his Empire. It didn't take very well, but by diamond-dust they spoke of that nurse in the ad and her gorgeous smile for weeks. "Isn't your name 'RedHeart'?" "Sometimes." She shrugged with a dismissive grin. "On top of the job, hoof on the dot, I'm TenderHeart. On the trot, plot red hot, I'm RedHeart. Off the clock, after the shop's locked, I'm Change'A'Heart." "Uh, okay?" Warm Hug murmured, confused. 'Some kind of earth pony thing?' He mused. 'Wait, earth pony?' "Hold on a sec, how'd you lift the cup?" He blinked as his numb mind caught up with him. "Secrets; A mare's gotta have some." She gave him another wink, her open brown eye gleaming a bright blue for just the briefest moment. "So, um, were you having a bad dream?" The thestral asked, big golden harlequin eyes filled with genuine concern. "I don't think dreams punch you in the face. Except that one time I had some nachos, Manexican chilli and ice cream before bed and...never mind." He grimaced, "But I'm alive, I guess. Thanks for asking." He gave her a reassuring smile. "Somepony up there likes me. Or hates me. Can't tell right now." "Don't know about 'like', but the night guards flew in just in time to drive Tirek away." The thestral said. "Another minute and we might not have been able to save you, really." "You saved me?" Warm Hug blinked. "Thanks. You know, nopony back home would have put their shine on the line for a stranger. Things are changing now that we're no longer choking on our yokes, but still." "Strangers; Easy to fix that." Change'A'Heart smiled, turning around to...return to her bed? Just as he was wondering why a nurse was in a patient's bed he noticed the cast around her rearhoof and the bandages around her withers. 'Ah, she's one of the inmates like us.' Warm Hug thought. "Change'A'Heart fixed everypony here including you with her changeling coccoon magic. She....oops." The thestral brought a hoof up to her mouth. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to..." "The secret; It wasn't a big one." Change'A'Heart shrugged, looking up at the little regulation changeling badge pinned to her nursing cap. "Besides, my changeling form; I lost it when Tirek stole my magic...and smashed my carapace." "That really crumbles your crystals. Can you get it back?" Warm Hug asked, frowning. "No. Not as convenient as cutie marks." Change'A'Heart shook her head, looking unbothered by the fact. "I won't miss it. Never used it much. Besides, my shapeshifting and my love magic; I still have them." She shrugged. But Warm Hug couldn't help but notice just a hint of bitterness in her voice. "That cheap coprolite flank-wipe." Warm Hug muttered, gritting his teeth in anger. "I should've shoved some of that hot sauce up where Celestia don't shine." "Counting bricks in Tartarus as Cerberus' chew toy; That's what he'll be doing from now on." Change'A'Heart said, sitting down on her bed. "Though hot sauce; now that's an idea." "Thanks, for saving me." Warm Hug gave her a thankful nod. "Don't thank me. Moonlight Sonata; she's the one who lost an eye when she and the night guards swooped in to save your flank." The changeling said, nodding at the meek thestral. "You got injured saving me?" He asked, feeling guilt rise as he eyed the bandages around the thestral's head. "Oh by the Crystal Heart." Warm Hug muttered bitterly, "I'm so sorry. You shouldn't have had..." "It wasn't serious, really." The thestral smiled sheepishly from behind the pillow she was hugging. "I was lucky Change'A'Heart was there to coccoon my injury. I might have lost more than an eye, really." "Hey, champ." Somepony else in a bed across from his called out. "The colt lookin' like a mummy from the Neighle river should be the last to do go guilt-tripping." It was the golden yellow pegasus he had spotted briefly earlier, though he barely managed to recognize her under all the bandages strewn across her rearhooves and wings. "You saved us three and probably half the city, hon. Remember that." "Yes. We wouldn't have been able to complete the evacuation if you hadn't held off Tirek, really." Moonlight said, with conviction. "I concur." An elegant gray earth mare in the bed to the right of the pegasus' said . "None of us would have gotten out alive without you and your...what's the word? Testicular fortitude." "Balls, hon." The pegasus supplied for her. "Crystal balls, in his case." A mint-green pony in the bed to the left of the pegasus' giggled. She may be a unicorn if that thing bandaged tightly atop her cyan and white mane was indeed a horn. "Hi, I'm background lyrebutt number 7, but you can call me Lyra Hearstrings, cause you're cool." She giggled to herself, "Get it? Cool?" "I've had to sit in the same room as her for two days now." The slate-gray earth mare groaned in despair. "Two days! But let it not distract us further." She sighed, calming down visibly. "You saved my life. For that I owe you at least my name, if not more. I am Octavia Philharmonica. Enchanted." "Spitfire here." The pegasus raised a hoof. "No fancy last names, not yet anyway." She gave him a little wink. "Don't all of you jump him at once, okay. Get in line." Lyra giggled. "So, a Crystal Pony, aaaaall the way in Canterlot." She said, eyeing Warm Hug with a critical smile. "Why aren't you spreading love and happiness back in the Empire? Got lost on your way to the crystal bathroom?" She sniggered. "Get it, crystal bathroom? Get it?" Her attempt at humour was greeted by empty silence. "Y'know what? Forget it. You guys are a tough crowd." "Yeah, about that..." Warm Hug smiled sheepishly, "Uh, I kinda wasn't 'Love' and 'Happiness' enough for the Empire." "You seem pretty chipper though, hon." Spitfire said. "Yeah. This kinda didn't make the smiles brigade." Warm Hug gestured at himself with a sardonic smile. "There's a sign at the gates to the Empire. 'You need to be this smiley and happy to ride this bad boy'." "Sheesh. And I thought I had to work tough crowds." Lyra shook her head. "So just up and gave up on your way the crystal bathroom?" "Lyra." Octavia growled in warning. "No, she's right. I kind of did. Give up that is, not the bathroom thing." Warm Hug said. "It was no big deal. I figured, the crazy old king already done wiped out most of our memories so I don't have that many attachments to the Empire. I'm not that good at looking all fabulous and sparkly and spreading love and happiness across the land. So I decided I could go out and do other pony things. I mean, it's not like love and hope is all crystal ponies do, right? I'm sure crystal ponies can do other things like, you know, papercraft or bonsai culturing or flying kites." He said with an indifferent smile. This was greeted with silence, blank stares and a few shared glances. A valiant few even tried staring at the walls and ceiling, anywhere but him. "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence." He muttered, face falling. "He has a point." Lyra bravely flew to his defense. "I'm a unicorn. I've got a friggin' lyre on my butt. But I do stand up comedy." More silence, blank stares, and more furious staring contests with the walls and ceilings. "Hey!" Lyra snapped, "That was my best joke yet! Don't make me bring my broken forehoof and horn into the joke!" Warm Hug grimaced. "That's real heroic comedy, making your own butt the butt of your jokes." "Dude." Lyra blinked. "You're good." She whispered in awe, before breaking into muffled sniggers. Warm Hug couldn't help but feel the corners of his lips perk up before he finally gave into the laughter. The others, seemingly bewildered at first, simply shrugged before joining in. "Hahaha, you said 'butt'." Spitfire giggled immaturely. "May you all be struck by lightningbutts!" "U-um, bad bat puns are de-bat-able, butt I think I can get behind bat butt puns." Moonlight contributed with a meek little giggle. "I am the butt of my jokes. My cello is my weapon. Where Celestia's sun don't shine is where I stick it." Octavia said, solemnly, before sniggering at her own horrific joke. "The butts. They are strong with this one." Change'A'Heart joined in the horrible jokes. "Tush-aye!" Lyra declared. Silence fell. Even the crickets. "What?! C'mon, guys, that was good! Why do you all get to poop out bad butt puns? I simply can't get to the bottom of this. I'm just gonna crack at this rate." "Shush. Too hard; Your trying that is. Almost uptight even." Change'A'Heart said with a smile. "I have some laxatives that can help." They all burst into laughter again. Lyra simply threw her one good forehoof in the air in exasperation before joining in, half-laughing with mirth, half-sobbing in despair. "You all deserve to have your butts banished to the moon, all of y-..." She was cut short by the lock on the door to the infirmary clicking open. There was a brief knock on the door before it swung open to reveal the regal form of the moon regent herself. "Butts-ted." Octavia whispered as Lyra turned from mint-green to yellow to beet-red faster than a traffic light. "I was half-expecting a butt-flavoured knock-knock joke there." Spitfire whispered. This earned her a few giggles all around. "Uh, a joke?" Princess Luna seemed to flounder a little, seemingly caught off-kilter by the reception. "Um, I...uh...don't know any, but perhaps...." She looked around, suddenly nervous. "Uh, knock knock?" She ventured, uncertainly. "Who's there?" Lyra couldn't resist. "Princess." The princess said. "Um, princess who?" Moonlight asked. "Princess Woona." Luna declared in her Royal Canterlot Voice. "Uh, was that alright?" She asked in a quieter voice. This was greeted by a moment of silence. "That was lame." Octavia sighed, before bursting into giggles. Everyone quickly followed suite. Even the princess couldn't help but give a few choice giggles as the tension from her arrival melted almost entirely. "With all due respect, your highness." Spitfire, already a personal friend to Luna from her tenure as Wonderbolt Captain, said kindly. "Do take a bed and join us." She nodded over at an empty hospital bed. "You seem like you haven't had the load off your hooves since our big day." "Apologies, that was not how I had envisioned this to go." Luna finally shook her head with a sigh. "But yes, I have yet to have a moment since that day. Perhaps I shall do as thou suggests." The moon princess said, sedately trotting over to the bed and climbing atop it. "Hmm, t'is a most bouncy and spirited bed." She said, testing the bounciness with a few choice bounces. She paused awkwardly as she realized all eyes in the room were on her. She shifted awkwardly before whispering aside to Spitfire, "Like this?" "Quite so, your highness." Spitfire nodded approvingly. "Well done. Thank you for joining us." "Now the merry crew of hot-shot plot-kickers are all together again." Lyra declared with a winning grin. "Go us!" "Hooray." Octavia deadpanned. "The merry...crew?" Luna blinked. "Couldst thou be...including me in your number?" "You fought with us. Can't say fairer than that." Warm Hug said, simply. He didn't like alicorns, especially not after one just waltzed in and took over his Empire like it was a recently vacated toilet stall. But there was something about this particular alicorn princess and what he's seen of her so far, a certain...down-to-earth quality that made her, well, more a pony than a god. And if anypony should believe in giving chances, it should be him. "A fellow soldier of love; That is what you are, your highness." Change'A'Heart nodded with a smile. "I-if that's a-alright with you, maybe?" Moonlight said with a nervous smile. "Doth...doth that make us friends, perhaps?" The princess whispered, looking strangely hopeful. The giggles quickly subsided. None of the ponies were expecting that in the slightest. The glimmer in her eyes, the hope in her voice, it was all almost...earnest? They all shared a quick glance. They quickly reached the same conclusion. With a grin they gave her a nod. Octavia was the first to speak, clearing her throat dramatically. "I think I speak for all of us when I say yesterday we were but a band of strangers brought together by a strange fate. But I think I can say with good confidence that our Fire of Friendship won the day." "Lemme translate her constapatese for you." Lyra said, "That's 'Hay yeah', princess." "I...." the princess peered down at her forehooves, ears drooping a little. "I don't..." "Um, a-are you alright, your highness?" Moonlight asked, concerned. "No, I'm not alright." Luna shook her head. "I am delighted beyond compare!" She suddenly declared in her royal canterlot voice. "Eeeeee!" Moonlight squeaked, dropping flat on her bed, pushing her ears down with her hooves. "Ah, apologies. I forgot our thestral sisters have sensitive ears." Luna said, sheepishly. "But t'is to our great happiness to be included in thine companionship." She gave them all a happy nod. "Which makes my next preposition much, much easier." She cleared her throat dramatically, before raising a hoof imperiously. "Thou hath all proven thyselves valorous beyond compare in the face of grave peril. For thy fellow ponies thou hath given more than what our active servicemen hath given that day." "P-Pardon m-me, ma'am, I'm a servicemare." The thestral raised a hoof sheepishly. "Thou art a reserve. I made doubly sure. Officially thou were not on duty. Thou sneaketh in of your own volition." The princess said. "In truth a violation of military protocol, but we shall overlook this trespass in favour of thy unwavering service to thine princess." "U-um, s-sorry." The thestral whispered, "U-uh t-thanks, ma'am, really." "In view of thine heroics, all of thee, thou shalt all be knighted forthwith as members of my own personal order of knights, the Order of Peacecraft." The princess declared, with a commanding wave of her forehoof. "So I decree as Princess Luna, rightful Regent of the Moon." "Never heard of them." Lyra said. "Because I hath only just founded it. 5 minutes ago." The princess shrugged. "This Empire's first order of knighthood too. Our glory shall be doubled henceforth." "And our princess commander; that is what you shall be to us?" Change'A'Heart asked, curiously. "No. I shall be a friend first, fellow knight second. 'Princess' may join the queue somewhere at the rear." Luna said with a determined smile. This was greeted with a few polite giggles of approval. "At our table we shall all be equals. That is my promise." "Thank you for your kindness, your highness. But with all due respect, is this about keeping quiet about...well...what we saw?" Octavia suddenly asked, bluntly. "Also why we were locked up in here?" A few fidgeted uncomfortably at this. None of them wanted to voice this, not to a princess. "Astute. Thou striketh the matter at its heart, like a true knight." The princess gave Octavia a shrewd look. "I apologize for treating thee all like prisoners, especially after thy selfless heroics. But yes, t'was all for the sake of secrecy. As knights, I expect us all to honour just this one oath of secrecy - that we shalt not speak of what we witnessed that day without leave of the Order." "Apology accepted, your highness. Thank you for being frank with us." Octavia said generously. "Then let me be the first to say yes, with pleasure." "Understandable." Spitfire said, diplomatically. "I can't blame you, your highness." "Not like anypony would believe me." Lyra shrugged with her one good foreleg. "I'm game." "Your...highness." Warm Hug looked visibly uncomfortable. "Why all the secrecy? Have I done something wrong? And why must they all swear to secrecy because of, well, me?" "Patience, friend Warm Hug." Luna gave him a serene nod. "It shall be my pleasure to explain. But first I ask thee all to join me in making this oath." Everypony there noted how Luna had carefully said 'we' and 'us' with regards to the oath, including herself in their number. They shared a quick glance and a nod of agreement. "Good. Repeat after me." Luna said, solemnly, "I shalt not speak of what I witnessed that fateful day outside this circle of friendship, cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in mine eye." She said, crossing her hooves in her heart before ramming it in her... "OUCH!" They winced sympathetically before following suite, carefully missing their own eyes. "My gratitude, friends." Luna blinked her painful eye. "Now, the explanation. It is now clear to the seven of us, Warm Hug, thou art a Windigo, a frost spirit." "The same one from the Hearthswarming legends?" Octavia asked. "The ones who froze the leaders of the three tribes?" "Indeed." Luna nodded. "The legends have made them all out to be evil spirits that feed on hate and contempt, who freeze any who bicker and quarrel. And while it is a derangement of the truth, the Windigos were happy to leave the legend the way it was, as a warning for us all." "So, um, it's not true?" Moonlight asked, hopefully. Warm Hug hadn't missed her eyeing him fearfully. He couldn't help but bite his lip bitterly. "As the pegasi manage the weather, the earth ponies nurture the earth, the unicorns wield magic, the thestrals light the night and keep the dark at bay and changelings harvest love." Luna nodded at each of them in turn, "So are Windigos a pony tribe of their own, tasked with keeping the peace and preventing disharmony....at all costs. Their frost magic strengthens in the absence of love, in the abundance of hate, allowing them to freeze those who would threaten peace with war. They chose to freeze the leaders of the three tribes to prevent an all-out war that would have ended our world as we know it. That they chose to be remembered as a warning rather than as heroes is just a reflection of their dedication to peace." "But, I'm a crystal pony, your highness." Warm Hug said, "My task is to spread love and hope, not freeze hate and stuff." "Windigos and crystal ponies art one and the same." Luna said. She smiled at their slack-jawed expressions. "Both protect the peace. Windigos do so in war time by cooling anger, freezing hate. Crystal ponies do so in peace time by spreading love and hope. Hate and Love changes them from one form to another as necessary." "Wait. Then why didn't we all change into Windigos under Sombra?" Warm Hug asked, poignantly. "When we all needed that power the most?" He added, almost bitterly. "Excellent question." Luna nodded, seeming impressed with his thinking. "And to answer that question I shall tell thee all of an old legend amongst Windigos, of the mighty Frostfires, most powerful of Windigos. They were said to be able to wield both the Windigo frost magic and the Fires of Friendship. With the Fires of Friendship they are able to revert lesser Windigos into Crystal Ponies. That made them the natural leaders of Windigos and Crystal Ponies alike." "A Frostfire; There was one in the Crystal Empire during Sombra's time, stopping all the Crystal Ponies from becoming Windigos?" Change'A'Heart surmised. "Excellent deduction. Thou scoreth half the points." Luna said. "The Crystal Heart." Warm Hug muttered. "The Love and Hope it produces keeps us from turning into Windigos. Isn't that right, your highness?" He said, suspiciously. "That's why it's so important that the Empire is all 'happiness' and 'smiles', isn't it?" "Yes." Luna nodded, carefully. "Thou must understand, Warm Hug, our world, our very defences including the Crystal Heart and the Tree of Harmony, all rely on our peace, a peace even the Windigos and Frostfires sacrificed their legacy for. If any Windigos were to arise, that would be cause for all of us to question our peace." "I...I can understand that." Warm Hug muttered, sullenly gritting his teeth. "So, it really was the Crystal Heart then?" He growled, barely hiding his contempt for the rock that was the bane of his life. Luna nodded in reply. "The Crystal Heart is an artificial Frostfire Heart, crafted by the last of the Frostfires. It was a gift to the three tribes after the Unification, as a promise that as long as they produced enough hope and love to keep the crystal heart going, they would be sparred the wrath of the Windigos." She gave a thoughtful pause, "At least, that is the official story, obscure as it is in our most secret history books." "Because the crystal ponies were obviously miserable under Sombra. Where'd all the love and hope suppressing them come from then?" Lyra pointed out. "And if the Crystal Heart can change regular ponies into crystal ponies, what's stopping it from changing regular ponies into windigos?" Spitfire suggested. "Interesting thoughts. Indeed, all mysteries worth considering." Luna nodded. "Like all the holes in the plot that is Equestria's official history." "Heheh, plot. Hole." Lyra giggled. "And we're back." Octavia couldn't help but giggle as well. "Butt of course." Change'A'Heart added drolly. "Bottom of the barrel, guys." Warm Hug sighed with a helpless grin. There's no staying sullen and angry with this band of crazies. "Get your plots out of the gutter." Spitfire chuckled. "But, um, I thought we were only here for the plot?" Everypony roared with laughter at Moonlight's horrific attempt. "To such a bountiful beave of booty, I say yea!" Luna declared with a commanding wave of one hoof. "For in our Order, no buttocks shall ever be left behind!" "Aye!" They all lost it at Luna's butt-tery declaration, all quickly devolving into completely immature wrecks. The rest of the day was spent in the warmest, closest of companionships. There are a few things that can bring the unlikeliest of friends together. Facing down and surviving an evil monster from Tartarus and making horrible butt puns together were, much to their pleasant surprise, some of them.