Chapter 65: Things Change
Shining Armor had never felt as happy as he did right now. He was finally back in Ponyville for what promised to be a long time, and he finally had the chance to spend time with his friends again after only briefly visiting them a few weeks back. To top it all off, he'd managed to return everything to normal, after accidentally swapping his friends cutie marks due to an unfinished spell.
"The spell!" Shining Armor suddenly thought, remembering the incomplete master spell from Starswirl The Bearded that had caused of all this trouble. "Guys, I know how to complete the spell!" he boldly declared.
"Oh, you do?" Fancy Pants asked.
"Yes, and I have all of you guys to thank for it!" Shining Armor replied, barely able to contain his excitement.
"How so?" Big Macintosh asked his friend.
"There's no time to explain, just don't take off those elements!" Shining Armor eagerly answered, and dashed off in the direction of the library.
"Shining Armor's awfully excited about that there spell, and that's sayin' somethin' comin' from a stallion like me," Braeburn observed. "Last time I got that excited, I nearly landed myself in the hospital."
"Yeah, well I'm sure Shining Armor knows what he's doing. After all, he just undid something that had me trying to work on weather duty," Soarin replied. "There's a reason I became a Wonderbolt instead of a weather worker."
"I just hope whatever Shining Armor has planned isn't going to mess things up again," Thunderlane said somewhat nervously. "But I suppose there's only one way to know for sure."
"It's not going to do us much good to stand around here, speculating," Fancy Pants commented. "Everyone, to the library!"
The five stallions arrived at The Golden Oaks Library a few moments later, and Shining Armor eagerly answered the door. "Good, you're here! We can begin!" he told them.
"What exactly are you going to do?" Soarin asked his friend, as each of the stallions gathered around Shining Armor.
"Just watch, I'm about to do what Starswirl never could! I'm going to complete the spell!" Shining Armor explained, and picked up a quill. Then in the blank space provided in the book he wrote: "From all of us together, together we're friends. With the marks of our destinies made one, there is magic without end!" He ended his written statement with a mighty pen stroke!
For a moment, everything was silent and nothing happened. But then, something most unusual began to occur. Starting with the Element of Magic, each of the Elements of Harmony started to light up and glow. Without warning, each of the elements encased in a necklace shot out in a series of blinding beams.
"What's happening?!" Fancy Pants cried.
"Oh I don't like this! I don't like this at all!" Big Macintosh nervously added.
"It's like these things have a mind of their own!" Braeburn added.
"How do we turn them off?!" Soarin demanded.
"I don't know!" Thunderlane replied.
Shining Armor looked all around, he was completely surrounded by the beams and there was no way out. But he wasn't worried, in fact if one had been able to look through the blinding light, they would've seen a smile on his face. "Whatever happens now, I am ready to accept," he thought. "I've lived a good life, I have no regrets. I just hope that, if the worst does come, Cadence and Twilight will find a way to carry on without me." And he shut his eyes, as the blinding light grew brighter and brighter. At last, there was a huge flash, and then nothing.
The five stallions opened their eyes, only to be shocked at the sight that greeted them! Where Shining Armor had stood, there was now a black, smoldering scorch mark in the shape of his cutie mark!
Thunderlane was the first of his friends to speak. "Did we do this?" he nervously asked.
"Maybe... I think.." Soarin nervously confessed.
"B.B.B.F.F!" Twilight shouted upon seeing the smoldering scorch mark, her mouth dropped open in shock. "What did you do to him?!" she demanded of the five stallions.
"Who? Us? We didn't do this!" Fancy Pants protested.
"Actually, I think we did... by accident." Big Macintosh confessed.
Twilight recoiled in shock, tears started to well up in her eyes. "Then that means..." she couldn't finish the rest of her sentence, her tears started to flow without end and she started to bawl!
"Oh man, we're in it now." Braeburn said glumly.
"I'll say you are," Spike said angrily. "All of you have a lot of explaining to do!"
When Shining Armor finally opened his eyes, he was surprised at the sight that lay before him. There was nothing surrounding him but an empty void, only occasionally filled with stars. "Is this the afterlife? Am I dead?" he thought to himself.
"Welcome, young Shining Armor," a familiar voice warmly greeted. "I must admit, it is quite surprising to see you here." And in a brilliant display of white light, Princess Celestia appeared before Shining Armor's eyes.
"Princess Celestia, oh am I glad to see you!" Shining Armor said happily, as he rushed forward and embraced the alicorn in a full body hug. It was good to see a familiar face amidst all this uncertainty. "Where am I?" he asked his mentor.
"In a world that only a select few have ever visited," Princess Celestia explained. "You managed to accomplish a feat that even Luna and Cadence believed was not possible."
"Are you referring to Star Swirl The Bearded's master spell?" Shining Armor asked.
Princess Celestia nodded. "I was most surprised to see you of all ponies cast the incomplete spell, even if it was by mistake. I was also not expecting you to be the one to solve it. I had hoped it was my faithful student, Twilight, who would do it. But it is what it is, and in a way you were just as much my student as Twilight was. And like all great teachers, there comes a time when the student must surpass the master. There is little left that I can teach you or Twilight, the time has come for the both of you to become teachers in your own right."
"What are you talking about? You're not making any sense!" Shining Armor protested.
"All will be explained, if you'll kindly follow me," Princess Celestia explained. "Once you see what you have accomplished, you'll understand why you have proven yourself ready for this great transformation."
Shining Armor followed Princess Celestia, as the two trotted along through the star filled void. Much to Shining Armor's surprise, a series of pictures displaying various memories of his life appeared to either side of him.
Princess Celestia smiled, as she began to sing:
You've come, such a long, long way.
And I've watched you from that very first day.
To see how you might grow.
To see what you might do.
To see what you've been through.
And all the ways you've made proud of you.
It's time now, for a new change to come.
You've grown up, and your new life has begun.
To go where you will go.
To see what you will see.
To find what you will be.
Now it's time for you, to fulfill your destiny!
"My destiny? What do you mean by my 'destiny'?!" Shining Armor asked Princess Celestia, as the hall of memories disappeared.
"Shining Armor, from the moment you unlocked the secret to The Elements of Harmony, I knew you had potential. Much like your sister, I knew you were destined for great things," Princess Celestia explained. "But it was only after you were able to succeed where I had failed and redeem Discord, that I knew you were ready to ascend to the realm of the alicorns."
"And you sent the book to Ponyville, in the hopes that Twilight would solve it and also become an alicorn?" Shining Armor realized.
"In a way, yes. I was not sure which of you would truly figure out the secret to completing the spell, but I knew for sure that one of you would complete it," Princess Celestia told Shining Armor. "Now there's no turning back. Your old body was destroyed by The Elements, the only way you can return to the mortal world, is if you accept the gift given to you, and ascend to alicornhood. However, I leave the choice up to you. If you do not feel you are ready, you can remain here until your sister has ascended, perhaps even past that time."
"Princess, you wouldn't have sent that book to Ponyville if you had any doubt that I wasn't ready," Shining Armor immediately responded. "I shall gladly accept this most generous offer. But what I will do once I become an alicorn?"
"That is for you to figure out, with the help of your friends and the help of your family," Princess Celestia told Shining Armor. "But there will be to learn that later. Are you ready to complete your ascension?"
"Yes." Shining Armor nodded, and was immediately engulfed in a dazzling white light.
"So that's it then, he's gone for good?" Spike asked the stallions.
"I'm afraid it's so." Fancy Pants glumly replied.
"No, no. It's not true, it can't be true!" Spike protested, recoiling in shock. "He can't be gone!"
"I wish it wasn't so, Spike, but there's no way to change the reality of the situation. Shining Armor is gone, and he's never coming back," Twilight replied, trying to wipe away her tears. "We'll have to tell Cadence the bad news."
But just then, Braeburn gasped and shouted. "Guys, look outside! You're never gonna believe this!"
"Braeburn, this isn't the time for one of your games! This is serious!" Thunderlane angrily replied.
"No no, I'm serious. Look!" Braeburn demanded.
Everyone did so, and they could hardly believe what they saw! The sky above Ponyville was lit up by a huge blue shield with three lighter blue stars surrounding it, and a magenta colored six-point star inside the shield itself! The shield slowly but surely descended to the ground, casting a blinding glow of white light, as everyone in the library (and even some ponies from elsewhere in Ponyville) rushed outside to see what was going on!
Big Macintosh squinted, were his eyes playing tricks on him, or was there somepony inside the light? "Nah, it can't be! Can it?!" he thought. Then he called out "Shining Armor? Is that you?"
As if to answer the question, the light faded. And sure enough, there stood Shining Armor, proudly displaying his new wings for all to see! Everypony was amazed!
"B.B.B.F.F, you're back!" Twilight exclaimed, immediately rushing forward and hugging her brother as tightly as she could. "I was afraid I'd lost you forever!"
"Aw come on, Twily, you didn't really think I'd just leave and the others behind, did ya?" Shining Armor teased. Then he noticed something else about his sister. "Twily, are you crying?"
"Who, me? Of course not! And I don't have something in my eye either," Twilight protested. "It's just... liquid pride, that's it."
"You got that from me, didn't you?" Shining Armor asked, to which Twilight nodded. "It's okay, Twily. Even big ponies cry sometimes, there's no shame in admitting that."
"I'm just so glad you're okay!" Twilight said happily.
"Not that I mean to break up this happy reunion or anything, but you look just like an alicorn." Soarin commented.
"That's because he is an alicorn," Princess Celestia replied, touching down in front of the group, prompting everyone to bow (including Shining Armor). Princess Celestia chuckled. "Now, now, there's no need for such formalities. Especially from you, Shining Armor. You're a full fledged alicorn prince now, we are equals."
"Not true, I still have much to learn. You may not be my teacher in the same way you were before, but that doesn't mean I can't still consider you my mentor," Shining Armor replied. "I don't know if there are any books I can read that will teach me about what it means to be an alicorn. You, Luna, and Cadence are all I have to go on for advice."
"And advice you shall gladly receive when you ask," Princess Celestia nodded. "However, from this day onward, we are all very much your subjects. You and your sister are going to just as much the teachers as you are the students. Ponies will look to you for guidance and advice even more so than they have before. However, there is a far more important matter that we must discuss first."
"And that would be what?" Shining Armor asked.
"The arrangements for your coronation of course," Princess Celestia said with a slight fiendish smile. "All of you need to lighten up and relax before then, just because Shining Armor is an alicorn doesn't mean your friendships are over."
"That's right, even princes need friends!" Shining Armor agreed. "And I can't think of anyponies more qualified than the six of you to be my royal advisors. And Twily, you'll be my special advisor!"
"Oh thank you, B.B.B.F.F, I couldn't have asked for anything more from you!" Twilight happy exclaimed.
A few days later, Shining Armor's coronation was held in Canterlot with all of his friends and family in attendence. And as he took up his crown and stood out on the balcony for everypony to see him, he thought to himself. "Everything's going to be just fine! This isn't the end, it is but a new beginning. For me, and for everypony I care about."
Stats
Page generated in 0.033 seconds
Total duration
1,014 users online
198,444 hits today, 2,004,447 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Hey there. Thanks very much for getting this next chapter up. Excellent job on the exchanges, emotional content, added details and future story set-up in all the right places. Maybe when you get to the "Prince Shining Armor" chapters, you could passingly mention two recent adventures in alternate universes (one where Shining Armor was a human being and another where he and his friends had to deal with evil versions of Celestia and Luna [the latter being from the "Reflections" arc of the IDW comics]).
Of course, I will completely understand if you don't like the idea and will still look forward to more of this as soon as time and inspiration will allow.
Whoa OK I was not expecting to be in the episode Magical Mystery Cure So very fast as I was gonna go through at least a couple of episodes of season 3 of this story but Shining armor is an alicorn cool lol
To be honest I thought we will see a little bit of season 3 because there's a lot to do with some of the episodes with those guys but I guess you want to get to the point of the story So you kind of skip ahead of season 3 final