Chapter 218: Coronation Day!
At very long last the day had arrived, the day in which Shining Armor would be crowned as Equestria's new sovereign ruler! What had been talked about for so long was finally upon everyone.
The big day dawned with more than a few changes right off the bat, even long before the official transfer of power would take place before a crowd later. The throne that Princess Celestia had sat upon countless times over the many years of her rule was being taken away. Since Princess Luna wasn't retiring just yet her throne would stay, and a new throne for the soon to be Supreme Prince Shining Armor was being erected.
The royal sisters were savoring what would be their last day as co-rulers, struggling to hold back tears even though they were alone in the throne room. "It really is the end of an era isn't it, Luna?" Celestia commented. "Think about it, Shining Armor's all grown up."
Luna nodded. "He really has come a long way from just being part of your royal guard," She smiled. "Did you really mean it when you said that he and Twilight were basically family to you? The son and daughter you never had?"
Celestia gave a motherly smile as she answered. "Of course I did. They've both been such wonderful students over the years, and nothing has made me prouder than to see them succeed. But now they no longer need to rely on me to be there for them. Twilight's got her school to run, and Shining has the whole country to manage."
Luna put a hoof around her sister's shoulder. "I know he'll do a great job. He probably won't even need me to help him much, not even with commuting back and forth to the Crystal Empire as needed," Then she pondered. "Do you think we should tell him we cleaned out our royal suites? We'll have new ones at Silver Shoals, and he can convert the spare suite into a guest bedroom."
Celestia only replied. "Let's wait until after the coronation's officially over."
"Speaking of the coronation," Luna spoke up as her eyes looked all around for any sign of the prince. "Where exactly is Shining Armor? Shouldn't he be getting ready for his big moment? I hear that we will not only have most of Equestria showing up but also many of our allies. It seems highly unlikely he'd not want to prepare."
"He's been unusually withdrawn lately, even considering the circumstances," Celestia commented as she put a hoof to her chin. "And he still won't say why. I know there was the break in at the Canterlot Archives, but it's been weeks since then and nothing has happened. If there was going to be trouble our early warning systems would've surely detected it by now."
The younger sister could only sigh as she shook her head. "I guess we'd better go look for him and make sure he hasn't been replaced somehow. He better not have waited until now to say his goodbyes to his friends."
So the two alicorns set off to look for their fellow alicorn, soon finding the prince in the most unexpected of places. He was just outside the barracks the royal guards often frequented, dressed from head to hooves in the same purple armor he'd frequently worn on duty.
Standing opposite of the prince was a unicorn who needed no introduction given her state of appearance. Tempest Shadow was clad in the armor given to her by Princess Luna for having helped the princess out of a tight spot one night. Even so, the broken horned unicorn seemed to be a bit hesitant about what she was about to do. "You really sure you want me to do this to you? We both know I'm unusually skilled in combat for a unicorn." She questioned.
Shining Armor kept a straight face as he replied. "I'm absolutely sure, Tempest. But just in case I somehow misspoke, I'll say it one more time," He paused to deliver the next few lines slowly and carefully, making sure to articulate to the fullest extent possible. "I want you, to hit me, as hard as you can. You think you can manage that?"
Tempest's hesitation faded as a familiar smirk crept onto her face. "Oh yeah, I can totally do that. You'd better brace yourself, because I will show you no mercy!"
"I'd be insulted if you did, Tempest. Now enough talk, come at me!" Shining instructed as he assumed a combative stance!
With her eyes narrowed in focus, the broken horned unicorn let out a loud roar and charged forward as fast as she could! Her little horn stub sparked and crackled with energy as she drew near!
Shining instinctively threw up his signature shield spell and shifted his stance ever so slightly to afford him greater protection. "Please tell me that's not your best, Tempest. I specifically said to hit me as hard as you can." He couldn't help but taunt, even knowing that Tempest would surely have anticipated such a move.
And indeed she did, she quickly ran around behind the prince in an attempt to sweep his back legs and knock him down. She was surprised for but a second when he swung around to block the attempt. Unfortunately for her, that split second left her vulnerable to being grabbed by Shining's magic and flung into the air! To the surprise of the royal sisters, Tempest let out a scream as she was hurled upward and then began to fall back down.
Shining caught Tempest in the soft glow of his horn and gently slowed her descent, all the while maintaining his shield spell with only a hint of straining to perform two feats at the same time. "Okay, I think we're done here," He said to Tempest as the two bowed and then stopped to catch their breath. "You're the closest I've ever had to a worthy adversary, Tempest. I'm glad I can still count on you to help whip me into shape."
"You've certainly come a long way since we started this combat training," Tempest replied while panting. "But I still don't understand why you're asking me to do this on your coronation day."
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna decided this was the perfect opportunity to make themselves known as they trotted forward, Celestia clearing her throat. "I must agree with Fiz..." She corrected herself before she inadvertently said Tempest's real name. "Tempest here," She quickly corrected herself. "What is the point of this, Shining Armor?"
"Today is your coronation day. You should be getting ready to walk out on the balcony to take the crown," Luna added. "Even I believe there's such a thing as training too much."
Shining wasn't convinced as he shook his head. "Our enemies are surely scheming as we speak. They don't rest, so we shouldn't either. Today would be the perfect day to launch an attack on Equestria. The moment we let our guard down is the moment the enemy will be waiting to strike. It's imperative that as the soon to be sovereign ruler of Equestria, I stay in peak fighting shape, ready for anything."
Tempest nodded. "Our enemies are not to be underestimated, especially when one of them includes the resurrected Storm King," She coldly hissed and spat at the name. "And after how easy it was for me to conquer Canterlot on his behalf, I'll be darned if I don't use my experience from serving under him to our benefit. Equestria won't be caught off guard again on my watch!"
Celestia only frowned. "I appreciate your concern, the both of you. I'll admit that the thought of an attack has crossed my mind since what occurred during the last Summer Sun Celebration. Yet look around, you're both training so hard you see everything as a threat even when it's not. You don't even consider that the increased security presence issued as a result of some recent threats could be an effective deterrent."
"That's like saying that because you have fire insurance, you don't have to worry about fire proofing your home or having a plan if a fire were to occur on your watch," Shining protested. "Besides, I'm not being paranoid and stupid. I'm taking rests and making sure to tend to my other royal duties as needed. My friends are helping with the coronation too, and they haven't arrived yet. So I figured I'd use the free time I have now to train. Chrysalis, Tirek and the Storm King will surely use everything they have at their disposal to win."
"But you won't have to do it alone," Celestia cautioned to Shining. "You have your friends, not to mention your wife, your sister and even Luna and I. Even after you're supreme ruler that won't change."
"So please, for your own sake, take it easy for a day," Luna advised. "After all the challenges you've faced on both your own and with your friends, there's not a single thing you can't overcome in the end."
"I hope you're right, Princess Luna, for all our sakes." Shining commented but said little more on the subject. He reluctantly realized that the princesses had a point. Even so, he couldn't shake that nagging feeling that things were not as they seemed, and that this period of peace was about to be rudely interrupted.
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Ooh, foreshadowing! Nice to see Tempest getting a role here though, real shame that she and a lot of the others seen in the final battle weren't doing anything except standing there. *Ahem* Sorry, it's my one pet-peeve about that two-parter. Anyway, I liked the offhand mention of Temp helping Luna, I'd read a story about that. Can't wait to see the next chapter!
10474592 The thing with Tempest is actually a reference to the IDW comics "Nightmare Knights", a five part series that Tempest was heavily involved in.
10474604
Ohh, right! Heh, I read that actually, the mention of Temp getting new armor from Luna just threw me off
10474608 That was a personal decision on my part, but I think it makes sense for her character. She wouldn't want to be shackled by the past and send the wrong impression. I suspect the only reason she has it in the show is because giving her even just royal guard armor would require having to change her model completely.
10474612
Heh, true. My headcanon has a similar theory, she went to work for Twilight as her personal guard, and Twilight gave her some new armor (purple and silver to match the castle) that she wears while on duty. She still keeps her old armor, but scorched off the Storm King's insignia with her magic and only keeps it as a reminder to herself to be better.
Probably just in case if any other attack will come around
And he's right things are going to get crazy
So here we are the coronation and what a way to start out your story on the 10th anniversary mlpfim anyway so shining armor is preparing for is day to become the prince of equestria not only that preparing for a battle just in case if there is any battle which unfortunately they will be because things are going to get crazy so I wonder how this will work out I guess we'll find out next time
REALLY good job on the start to the final arc of your main "Stallion Six" series. The exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up are all wonderfully done. I especially liked the reflections on everything that has happened over the years, the discussions for near-future plans and the point out that they all need to be ready for when their enemies strike.
Definitely looking forward to the rest of the final arc.