Stories in Stone
Capricorn's Curse
By TDR
Pull me Under
New Canterlot was in high spirits, for today was a very special day, one that many thought of more highly of than the wedding of Queen Luna and Lord Jer'rahd. Several businesses had closed, and others were offering special discounts for the event as well as themed items.
Thanks to Discord and Pinkie prying more than a little, it was now well known that it was Princess Celestia's birthday, something that the populace had long been curious about, but never been sure of. Celestia was never one for giving out her age, or being the reason for a party beyond the Summer Sun Celebration. Despite that, it was supposedly the Princess of the Sun's 15000th birthday exactly, and ponies every where were determined to celebrate it in style.
Of course this meant that all the great pony party planners packed the palace with a plethora of perfect presents. Nearly two dozen ponies and other creatures filled the 'party war room' that Discord had set up. Pinkie Pie, Cheese Sandwich, Frivolous Celebration, and Roxo the Clown were just some of the ones in attendance. There was initially some disagreement about who would lead the troop party planners, but after careful consideration, cupcake bribery, and a nice speech from Discord, Pinkie Pie was put in charge, with the motion seconded by Cheese Sandwich.
The pink mare wasted no time in getting things going. The decorations around the throne room were minimal, as she knew the difference between parties for grown ups and parties for kids, and she had planned accordingly.
This of course meant that they weren't ceiling to floor deep in balloons and streamers, just knee deep. Also there was a taller table that wasn't as decorated and was constantly staffed with some more adult beverages. Jer'rahd and Berry Punch were in line before the tender had finished setting up.
The Platinum Swan was set to perform too, their stage taking up a corner of the large room.
The birthday mare was in her usual place on the throne, looking rather amused about the whole process. Pinkie Pie was currently bouncing about her chatting up a storm as the Sun Princess tried to hide her annoyance behind a practiced mask. She had tried negotiating, threatening and now she was nearly begging for this to be over.
"There is no need for all this Pinkie. I'm somewhat beyond birthday parties at this point." the Solar Princess said.
"Nonsense, Princess. Every pony should have a birthday party." the pink Bearer of Laughter replied.
"I'm not getting out this one, am I? " Celestia sighed.
"You're pretty much down ritual suicide to escape." Pinkie grinned. “And you won't do that cause Twilight would get mad and she's scary when she's mad.”
Pinkie noted Celestia's attention had shifted from Pinkie as the Princess turned to look over the crowd of ponies here. Pinkie Pie glanced back as well, it was mostly castle staff at the moment, with some of the few family members Celestia had, and some visitors. Though there was also a pony Pinkie didn't know trotting right up to them.
The unicorn stallion was a dull gold with shades of silver in his coat almost like spots. His mane and tail were charcoal black. He wasn't wearing any clothing though Pinkie couldn't identify what his cutie mark was. He was strangely quiet as well and even the balloons he walked through seemed to move away before he touched them.
Pinkie Pie of course greeted him with her customary over the top hellos, and questions... and was completely ignored.
The ponies form suddenly melted away the dull gold coat sliding off him like water. What was left was a black scale armored stallion larger than even Celestia. Like the Princess the, stallion's mane and tail moved with a unseen wind, though unlike Celestia's his seemed to be made of black fire and smoke. His long horn was serrated along the top and his pale white glowing eyes spoke of a barely hidden cruelty. Draconic wings suddenly snapped open from his back knocking Pinkie Pie aside into the balloons scattered over the floor.
The stallion lunged forward suddenly, his horn lancing at the Princess. Celestia shifted just as quickly the jagged horn missing anything vital though it left a cut along her shoulder as she moved, the attack punching a hole through the back of her gold throne with seemingly no effort..
Celestia flapped her wings, lifting into the air as she glared down at the stallion her mane and tail alighting with fire. Most of the room scattered though the Guards were rushing in.
“I do not know who you are, but if you think that was going to stop m............” Celestia stated but was cut off as the stallions horn suddenly glowed a sickly yellow and the wound he inflicted felt like it was starting to crawl.
Celestia started screaming as her flesh began to wither and crack, her beautiful mane and tail began to go from pastel colors to gray, her wings and horn started to crumble and finally her eyes went milky white, her wing beats ceased and she fell to the ground with a crash of fine porcelain her mummified form breaking apart on impact..
Pinkie's poofy mane and tail immediately when flat and her eyes went wide with shock and tears fell from them.
"You...... You....... You killed her." She said, her voice full of horror. That's........That's impossible. Celestia can't die. She's........she's.........she.......sh...........immortal.
A voice as cold as an arctic wind and as emotionless as stone replied: "Not anymore."
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[ Six years after the defeat of Tirek, New Canterlot Castle ]
She awoke to screaming that seemed to be right in front of her muzzle. Her wings whipped as she lashed out with her claws, jerking upright struggling with the confining blanket. The material shredded under her claws and the simple brute force she brought to bear. Her wings however got tangled in the shreds of her blanket and her airborne escape was thwarted as she fell back to the bed, bouncing off it and crashing into a book shelf. The large piece of furniture remained upright though all the shelves within it were dislodged falling free along with their contents to crash down atop of her. The whole while something was screaming like a banshee right before her.
It was when she finally took a panicked breath that she realized she was the one screaming.
It was also about that time that the rest of the shelves in the book case dislodged their contents onto her head with a resounding thud.
She whimpered, wincing as the room's light's suddenly came.
Dawn Star Kaisur looked up with squinty eyes from under the tattered remains of her blanket and the mess that was left the book shelf by her bed. The orange scaled and gray furred Kirin whimpered running one of her fore claws up through her platinum blue mane. The shaggy mess of it falling over her face and hiding her green eyes.
Before her in the doorway was a zebra foal just past her super fluffy phase with deep red stripes, a curly black mane and a red crystal horn poking up from the mess of her mane. Her clear blue eyes looked over the chaos in the room with a clear look of annoyance on her face, mirrored by the stuffed ursa major teddy bare with her.
Rynthia Pelt Kaisur was clearly not amused at her sisters antics at three in the morning.
“Dawn what is wrong, what happened?” Rynthia demands with a small snort.
“That didn't even sound close to a rhyme.” Dawn replies stretching out a little under the mess, her fairly long form shifting some of the toys and books piled on her causing a tin Guard pony to bounce off her muzzle.
“Because it's three in the morning time, I just woke up I can't think of a ….. word....” Rynthia mutters.”Rhyme! That's it!”
“Ooh so close.” Dawn teases.
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[Ten minutes earlier.]
“So yeah, like I said Jer, the pair of us will be coming around again in about a week. Velkorn says that Luna should be about ready to pop by that point.” Rhede commented.
[“ I said no such thing! I expect Luna not to be due until the end of the month, this fool just wants to speed things up so he can get back to Manehatten and to that parade or whatever it is.”] Velkorn shouted from behind Rhede.
“You know he didn't understand anything you just said right?” Rhede called back.
“Then it's his own fault he has yet to learn, personally I think it was quite a sick burn.” Velkorn laughed.
“Ooh trying to taunt him into learning zebra now... nice. Doubt it will work, also please don't copy something Rainbow Dash said.” Rhede chuckled.”That sounds way to weird coming from you.”
[“That was the proper usage of the term Rhede.”] Velkorn huffs.
“Any way we'll be back in a week, bye until then Jer, don't let Luna go too foal crazy. Or Celestia for that matter.” Rhede finished.
The sound cuts out and the glowing red light in the room goes out leaving it in darkness once more. There was a faint click and the recording crystal started up again illuminating the room in a red glow.
“Hey Jer, what's up? Velkorn and I are still in The Crystal Empire, but we're headed to Manehatten before coming back to Canterlot......”
Jer'rahd Kaisur, opened his eyes looking down at the glowing crystal on the small desk before him, his eye shut softly again as he listened to the last message he ever received from Rhede and Velkorn play for perhaps the thirtieth time that night alone.
The therapist hadn't liked the idea that he had kept the crystal, he didn't think it healthy. For that matter neither did Luna, but she allowed him to keep it provided he didn't dwell on it.
She wasn't here to stop him at the moment and it was not as if he could sleep any more without her nearby.
His time under Tirek's power had given his nightmares more fuel than they ever needed. Where he could some times make it through most of the night before, now he was lucky if he stayed asleep an hour before waking in a cold sweat, or a char-coaled pillow.
He had little trouble staying awake for days at a time,Orange and Luna both thought it was bad for him, and they were likely correct, though aside from making him more irritable he could manage several weeks straight before he started to doze off unexpectedly.
A day or two while Luna was away didn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. He would have gone with her to Gallopagos, though some one needed to stay around to make sure the girls got off to school in the morning. The royal sisters and Elusive were attending the school in the Ponyville district, just as Pip and the Lily's had. It meant a bit of travel in the morning, but Rynthia got go to class with her brothers, and Dawn had other foals her own age to play with. Plus it was much easier to post Guards at a little school house in a less crowded part of New Canterlot.
Being near Luna was the only thing that stopped his nightmares. Even after she gave up her godhood to Sparkle her presence still allowed him to sleep. No matter what he faced, or what terror came after him in the waking world none of it even came close to what happened in his nightmares.
He had managed the nerve to consult a sea pony shaman at one point, though the tenticly beast creeped him out considerably. He or she? Maybe it? Any way they weren't able to help. What ever was done to him by Aqua's adviser was locked into place when he became a false god.
He wished he could have gone with Luna, perhaps make it more bearable for and to be honest when he had nothing to do he was a wreck. He couldn't sleep, the girls were asleep and all his other children were away. Berry was studying crystal magic in the Crystal Empire with her dragonling Beryl. He had bought a section of land where his old house used to be and given it to Pip as a graduation present. There was a decent sized house there now that Pip shared with Scootaloo. Orange and Hunter both lived in the Crystal Empire. His oldest daughter had taken a job at the hospital that they named after Velkorn and Hunter was currently training the Crystal Pony Guard with everything he learned teaching the 42nd. Even Brush had gone off to college in Manehatten. It wasn't the first choice for an artist of his caliber, but Jer'rahd knew the real reason he went and hoped the mare remained worth his son's effort.
Despite being the regent lord of the Kirin he had only been to the island perhaps twelve times in the last four years. Of course he didn't need to be there unless something big came up. Communications between New Canterlot and Gallopagos had been made triple redundant since the Tirek incident.
The last time he was there was to finalize the suggested route for the rail bridge. A massive duel set of tracks running across the shortest point between the south west edge of Gallopagos island and the main land near Manehatten was on the other side of the Hooper sea. From there it was a short trip north to the Crystal Empire. there was talk of building a rail bridge to Baltamare too, but there were issues with that. Horseshoe bay used to be the Darklands and strange things still happened there.
The pylons were put in place and were maintained by the River Ponies, who used the stone and corral foundations as farms for various fish and shell fish farming. They also maintained the tracks out over the water. The metal was some sort of ore the Sea Ponies mined that didn't rust and the trestles were designed in such a way that there had only been minor damage the last time a Level Three DR hurricane hit the area.
All in all it was a great engineering project, a leagues long rail system that stretched over an open sea connecting the island to the shore. What was amusing was at first they decided to name it after him.
He refused of course, trying to foist it off onto Sparkle, but it seems engineers only named ships and the like after females, Solid study structures were named after males. Luckily he still managed to deflect it by letting the name be taken by Rarity's father.
Magnum Reignolds bridge
With the construction of the bridge he and Luna had briefly considered heading out to live in Gallopagos or near it on the main land. He would be able to handle the day to day events of running the Kirin nation from closer by and Luna could keep tabs on the Changelings. Many Changelings had moved onto the island as well, the place likely boasted at least half of all the Changelings that existed. The Kirin territories were one of the few that had nearly accepted the Changelings fully. Most places on Equss still discriminated in some way or another, either by not hiring them or refusing to serve them in shops, and those were the more polite issues.
Most of the acceptance was due to some of Jer'rahd's first rulings declaring the discrimination unlawful. Granted his exact words were,' If you won't accept my wife, then you can set up shop some where else.' Kicking that many shops and Businesses out of Lion Heart city was of course expected to be a fiasco and bring about a recession in the new nation. That didn't happen as several Apple Family Farms,a number of former Blue Blood,now Kaisur, businesses, and the main headquarters of Coco Pommel's production line all set up shop in Gallopagos making it a major business power nearly over night.
They had decided to not move there for three reasons.
First was Luna's aversion to the place, due to her history with the region.
The second was Jer'rahd's aversion to all the water around the island. He had panic attacks just going to and from the island.
The third was because it meant Rynthia would be further away from her brothers and the pair of them would be away from Elusive. The Kirin god wouldn't have any foals his age to play with easily with Dawn and Rynthia gone. So they stayed in New Canterlot.
Jer'rahd blinked noting the crystal had stopped. His train of thought had distracted him for a while and the thoughts of his daughters actually brought a half smile to his face. A rare thing this late at night.
He moved to tap the crystal again, listening to his best friends voices again when a scream and a crash
cut off such thoughts and sent him barreling out of his bedroom and down the hall, nearly knocking the door off it's hinges.
He slowed from his dead gallop as he came within sight of the door and his youngest daughter standing half in and out of it talking to what sounded like Dawn. He moved up behind the little zebra peering into Dawn's room curiously. The place was a brilliant mix of gold and white colored walls and furniture. Daring Doo posters and ones of cute kittens and puppies covered the walls along with some artwork that dawn herself had painted with her claws.
Her bed was almost against the far right wall with a pile of stuffed creatures taking up nearly the entire rest of the wall, piled nearly to the ceiling. The right side of the room had a school work desk and a overflowing toy box. Straight across from the door was a small window into the courtyard and a large book case that was currently half on the floor leaving a big pile of books and various nick knacks from his and Luna's trips he had brought back for her.
Buried underneath this pile was the wiggling form of his second youngest daughter.
“Is every thing alright?” Jer'rahd asked, looking down at the two fillies. Rynthia looked like he felt. Tired as if she hadn't slept much, though most likely she had been woken up by her sisters noise. Dawn seemed alright, although the moment she saw him her eyes started watering and she burst out of the book pile and rushed over to him. She scrambled up his side onto his, back grabbing tightly around his neck and burying her face into his mane. It was something he had gotten used to as she was growing up, every time something scared or startled her she immediately went to him like this.
Granted with the little Kirin's face buried in his mane, he couldn't understand anything she was saying when she started blubbering.
“Muffdenbutthawiththeantherbirthdaynighandsleepandpartyandhorn......” Dawn rambles.
Jer'rahd blinks looking back at her before looking down at Rynthia questioning.
“She had bad dreams, it is exactly as.... you think......... as you see?” Rynthia ponders.
“As it seems?” Jer'rahd offered getting a faint grumble from the small Zebra.
Rynthia had met her cousin Sunshine in her guise of Zecora a number of times and she was determined to rhyme like her. The problem was she didn't seem to be able to wrap her head around the whole process just yet. Of course Jer'rahd wasn't sure what a six year old needed to meditate or focus on, but he wasn't going to argue with her if she wanted to try. Most of the time it was cute and when she managed a rhyme she got rather excited and wound up being even cuter.
“Gunnawaubwithpinkandcakeandwheresauntie?” Dawn blubbers.
Jer'rahd glanced to Rynthia who yawns softly and shrugs having no clue what Dawn had said that time.
“What was that Dawn?” Jer'rahd asks.
“I wanna see auntie......” Dawn mutters into his mane.
“ Celestia? Why?”
“Wannamakesureshesokay.”
Jer'rahd blinked though he sighed. Seeing his sister in law was not one of the things that he wanted to deal with right now, but if Dawn wanted to he would put up with the Sun Goddess.
Jer'rahd smiled, softly picking Rynthia up his magic and setting her on his back as well. He would need to go slower as Rynthia didn't have claws to hold onto him with, but he would still get where he was going faster than with one of them walking on their own. If things were going like they should Celestia should be in the throne room taking over some of Twilight's Night Court duties.
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The trot to the throne room was uneventful, save Dawn clinging tenaciously to his neck.
Canterlot Castle had been rebuilt nearly the same as the old castle, though this time it was built utilizing modern construction creating a much stronger base. Something that was tested by setting off a few controlled explosions against certain walls. While the walls still took a good bit of damage, the resulting damage didn't weaken the rest of the structure any and thus that section could be replaced without any effort. The insides were of course decorated again, though a number of changes had been made, most corridors were designed to funnel enemy troops to choke points and to offer easily set up cover for defenders.
Celestia had also moved all the stain glass windows from the throne room to a side hall, partially for security, but mostly because many of them were still being rebuilt and she was tired of birds flying through the open areas and trying to nest in her mane while she held court.
Jer'rahd nodded to the Guards out side the doors as he walked up, noting the pair of them snapping upright much straighter.
“Relax, I'm off duty.” he comments not seeing either of them ease up a fraction. Some times being well known as a hard ass drill instructor and the Guard Captain of the Six Sixty Sixth was a pain.
Looking to the closed doors he was a little surprised that he couldn't hear the usual shouting that always seemed to happen during the night court.
He glanced tot he two Guards who simply shrugged.
“She sent the petitioners out about twenty minutes ago sir.” the pegasi on the right side stated.
“If you're not here to participate in the court you might as well head in, she told us not to let in any more for the court but didn't say anything about Guard Captain's or family sir.” The unicorn half dragon on the left comments.
“Right thanks.” Jer'rahd nods pushing open the door. He was a little worried that Dawn was still clinging to him rather than poking at the Guards like she usually did. She found it hilarious trying to get them to move when they took the statue poses.
Pushing open the door he stepped into the great echoing hall. The carpets and drapery did little to ease the echos of the throne room. Granted that was what Celestia wanted. She didn't have to speak up very much to be heard and she could whisper without being heard, though any one away from the throned dais could easily be overheard.
Jer'rahd's eyes narrow seeing both Peach Blossom and Starfall in the room on either side of Celestia talking about something.
Peach Blossom looked older, it was something that rather bothered Jer'rahd. The orange cream pegasus was now in his mid thirties, a far cry from the young stallion he first trained when he awoke sixteen years ago. His new job, foals, wife, and the loss of several ponies close to him over the last sixteen years was easy to spot in his tired gaze and slightly sagged form. There was still the fire in his eyes that Jer'rahd recognized and he was still built like a brick wall, but his age was still starting to show.
Starfall was much the same, though the mare had tried to hide it, the signs of birthing twins, and another colt last spring showed. Her mane and tail were frazzled and like Peach Blossom her eyes showed far more age than her body, though she was showing the signs of much more easy living than she was used to. Still she could kick his flank so he wasn't going to say anything.
She glanced his way and smiled putting her hoof over her face to hold back a bit of laughter. Peach Blossom glanced over as well and slapped his face with a hoof as Jer'rahd approached.
Then there was Celestia herself. She hadn't changed in the slightest. Same eyes, same mark, same arrogant glare, same flattening of her ears at the sight of him, same need for 'wide load' to be painted on her flank.
She was sitting on her throne glaring at him as he walked in, though her expression softened at seeing the two fillies on his back, he could see a small black and white Kirin colt hiding under one of her out stretched wings at the side of the throne..
Elusive blinked at seeing Jer'rahd and grinned a bit, the small colt was a lot like Pip, he wanted to learn to fight, though his mothers both wanted him to study magic and science. Still Jer'rahd had managed to give him a few lessons here and there.
“I told you he'd show up.” Starfall laughed. “That's twenty bits or a back rub you owe me.”
“You couldn't have waited another ten minutes to walk in the door. “ Peach Blossom groaned looking at Jer'rahd.
“Speak the name of the Demon and he shall appear.” Celestia added rolling her eyes.
Dawn perked up at Celestia's voice, leaping off Jer'rahd's back and nearly knocking Rynthia off as well, though Jer'rahd managed to steady the now annoyed Zebra with his tail before helping her get down.
Dawn hit the floor in a run, bounding over towards the Solar Goddess like a ferret hunting . She lept up onto the throne plowing into the seated Celestia and knocking the wind out of her hugging her tightly around the neck..
The two pegasi look at Jer'rahd who shrugs, before they look back at Celestia who was struggling to breath around the Kirin's tight grip.
Celestia sighed slowly untangling her self from Dawn after a number of reassurances that she was fine.
“I'm fine Dawn... What's wrong?” Celestia asks using her patented paternal voice. The only one that didn't work on was Jer'rahd.
“Bad dream......” Dawn pouted.
Celestia blinked looking down at Elusive curiously, though the alicorn Kirin was still more focused on Jer'rahd as he approached.
“Alright. Are you okay? I need to have a word with your father a moment, how about you Elusive and Rynthia go play for a moment.” Celestia adds as Jer'rahd watched the three foals wander off from the throne. Dawn nearly immediately tackled Elusive to play fight him. She only did that with a few of the foals she was friends with. Really just Shin, Talon, and, Elusive, it was supposed to be a throw back to the dominance thing imprinted in the first Kirin. But Dawn was smart enough to know she couldn't do any real damage to the godlings, so they got most of her attention.
“So what happened this time?” Jer'rahd asked. “You wouldn't be expecting me if something didn't happen.”
“Three hours ago an island appeared in the middle of the Hooper sea. The island appears to have some ruins of a settlement on it and a large dormant volcano, which explains the black sand and ash covering everything. Most of the island is covered with a sickly yellow shield that is preventing any one from getting past the beach surrounding the island. The shield itself is odd as from a distance you can see the contents of the island, but the closer you get the less transparent it becomes until it's just a wall of magic right at the edge.” “Peach Blossom reports.
“Not a reason to send for me in the middle of the night so go on with the rest.” Jer'rahd sighed realizing that the three of them were drawing things out because the reason was going to be a kick in the teeth and he had a inkling of what it was. No not three. Celestia seemed just as pissed as he was getting.
“The island came into being, taking out several leagues worth of track of the rail bridge across the water...” Starfall continued.
Jer'rahd sighed cutting off Starfall.” Who was on the train?”
“You need to ask?” Celestia states.
“No, but for once I am hoping I'm wrong.” Jer'rahd muttered.
“You're not. Five ponies were on board the train at the time. The main car managed to just miss getting trapped, but the shield came into being right between the engine and the passenger cars. One of them was cleaved in half along with the bridge. The rest of the cars slammed into the inside of the shield jumping the damaged track and crashing onto the island. Good News. It was the Red eye so there were only five passengers, plus the two conductors in the engine car aboard. “ Starfall continues. “Bad News, both Luna and Twilight were aboard it. There was also the Ponyville librarian, Trixie Lulumoon, a member of the Platinum Swan and the assistant headmaster of the Platinum School of Music, Octavia Melody, third..... well the third is on par with your issues.”
“ As troubling as Luna and Sparkle being there?” Jer'rahd asked some what surprised..
“Yup. A former highly decorated member of the Six Sixty Sixth and a former member of Princess Cadence's Royal Guard. Lyra Heart Strings.” Starfall continued.
“Oh buck.... Bon Bon's mare friend.” Jer'rahd growled slapping his face with a hoof. “Who ever did this dun goofed big time.”
“Indeed.” Celestia agreed.
“Plan?” Jer'rahd asks.
“Search and rescue of course. The Changelings can feel Luna still, but they say it is through a haze. Still that means she is still alive and if Luna can survive a train wreck so can Twilight. Also the moon is still moving so that's a good sign.” Celestia states
“Here's something. With the exception of the librarian these are some rather high value targets. Ransom perhaps?” Peach Blossom comments. “Or a way to get revenge on you all for something?
“No one forms an island just to foal nap a couple of ponies.” Jer'rahd grumbles.”Besides I think I know what this is, it's something Sparkle and I couldn't find on our hunt. Searched for the blasted thing for a month.”
“Oh?” Celestia asked “ Do tell.”
“I would if I could but I don't recall the specifics. We need to get Spike here, he knows more about it than I do. Celestia can you send him a message or one to Bleu as for us, then we have some preparation to attend to.“ Jer'rahd states. “Peach Blossom I need you to alert the Guards to be on the look out for a gray donkey with an odd accent or not speaking modern Equestrian at all. His clothing is likely to be a few thousand years out of date... Actually have Agent Sweetie Drops do it, it'll keep her occupied, though make sure she knows that we prefer him alive and unharmed, when Spike gets here I'll have him give her the full description.”
“A Donkey?” Peach Blossom questions.
“Yeah he's sort of the herald of the bigger threat. We really need Spike or Sparkle for this I only recall bits of the whole thing, but I know enough what to look for. Starfall can you get Pip and Scootaloo here, I'm going to send them to the Crystal Empire.”
“What for? They are some of the best Guards we have, shouldn't they be here to help?” Starfall asks.
“Because he's sending his foals to be watched by Cadence again. That I agree with, and having two of the best guard Elusive will give me some peace of mind as well.” Celestia stated rising from her throne looking over at the three foals talking in the corner.
“Should we send ours as well?” Peach Blossom added looking at Starfall who seemed to be daring him to try and send her away with the foals.
“I doubt it. This is less for protection and more for foal sitting duty. Celestia and I are going to be rather busy.” Jer'rahd states.
“Really now?” Peach Blossom questions, “Only you and the Princess? And I guess we just stay here?”
“ I need some one I can trust to keep an eye on things here. Besides they have my mare friend and sister, and his wife.” Celestia stated flatly looking at peach Blossom with a glare that was enough to make the pegasus flinch. “Do you really want to be in our way?”