Chapter Four
Meanwhile, after a moderate walk from the cottage, Fluttershy, Celosia and Cenobia had arrived in the downtown section of Ponyville and were making their way to Sugarcube Corner, where Pinkie Pie was currently hosting a party for the two brothers. Along the way, Fluttershy gave the two brothers a partial tour of the town itself, which the both of them found fascinating and enjoyable. The trio encounter several of the citizens who—already been informed by Twilight Sparkle and her friends—pleasantly greeted Celosia and Cenobia, including Cheerilee, Lyra and her coltfriend Note Worthy, Bon Bon and her coltfriend Chocolate Frosting, Doctor Whooves, and Berry Punch among several others. Each of them also told the two boys very pleasant things including "It's certainly nice to meet you" or "Hey, good job saving Fluttershy" or "Hope you enjoy your stay in Ponyville" or "Have fun at the party." All the pleasant reactions the two Colossi were getting from Ponyville's citizens slowly filled them with more excitement in looking forward to the party. In a short time the trio finally stopped just outside Sugarcube Corner's front entrance and the sight of structure itself amazed both Celosia and Cenobia.
"So, that's Sugarcube Corner?" asked the flabbergasted Celosia, momentarily motioning one limb toward it.
"Yep, it certainly is," replied Fluttershy casually, gently pushing their jaws up, closing them. "Now let's get in there and calmly enjoy the party with great big smiles."
"Right," said the two brothers at once before they and Fluttershy approached the door.
"Just one thing, Fluttershy," said Cenobia as he watched several ponies enter Sugarcube Corner. "Are you sure that this place can hold every pony in Ponyville? Because it looks a bit small for that, don't you think?" Much to his surprise, Fluttershy giggled softly.
"Oh, don't you worry, Cenobia. Pinkie Pie's parties are quite popular but not everypony in Ponyville comes to them at the same time here at Sugarcube Corner. While some do stay the entire time of the party, others just come and go. Besides, I'm sure that the party has just started and not everypony in Ponyville has arrived just yet." As she finished, Fluttershy opened the door and strolled into Sugarcube Corner with the two brothers following suit. Both Colossi were utterly stunned with what they witnessed: the whole storefront was decorated with all manner of balloons, ribbons, party blowers, streamers, confetti and other assortments of colorful decorations scattered everywhere with a few tables featured with the most delectable snacks, treats, and drinks ever made. On top of that, the whole place was filled with about two dozen ponies of all ages, both mares and stallions, conversing with each other vividly and enjoying the party.
"Wow, you weren't kidding, Fluttershy," said Celosia as he stared with awe. "There are more ponies here than I can count."
"Yeah and just look at how much fun they're having," added Cenobia as he scanned the crowd over. "Hey, do either of you see Pinkie Pie anywhere?" Cenobia got his answer when a pink blur raced up to them and materialized into the widely grinning Pinkie Pie.
"Fluttershy, Cel, Cen," she exclaimed. "Welcome to my super-tastic party at Sugarcube Corner!"
"Gee, um, thanks, Pinkie Pie," replied Celosia awkwardly.
"No problem!" Pinkie turned around, stepped forth, and inhaled real deeply. "Hey, everypony! I'd like you all to meet and welcome the guests of honor for today's ultra-citing "Welcome-to-Ponyville-Celosia-and-Cenobia/Thank-You-For-Saving-Our-Friend-Fluttershy" party: Celosia and Cenobia!" Everypony fixed their eyes on Pinkie Pie when she made the announcement and cheered joyfully upon catching sight of the two feline brothers, who both gave them awkward smiles while Fluttershy, not use to the attention, just withdrew her head back and gave a small wave. Once everypony quieted down, Pinkie Pie reverse direction back to the three new arrivals. "Now, if either of you boys need anything just give me a shout and I'll come runnin for ya in a split. 'Til then, enjoy the party!" Pinkie Pie immediately turned around and zipped over to another part of the storefront, leaving behind an astonished Celosia and Cenobia.
"Wow, Pinkie sure can move fast for an earth pony," commented Cenobia as his brother slowly nodded in agreement.
"Don't worry, boys," giggled Fluttershy. "That's just how Pinkie Pie is; you'll get use to it. But in the meantime, lets see if we can find the rest of our friends."
"I'm all for that," said Celosia and Cenobia at the same time as they followed Fluttershy forward into the crowd. Thankfully, it didn't take very long for the trio to find and meet up with Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, who were all assembled at one end of the storefront.
"Well, I'll be hogged tied at a rodeo," exclaimed Applejack happily. "Ya'll finally made it."
"Yeah, we sure did," replied Celosia as he, his brother, and Fluttershy formed a semicircle with the three mares.
"You'll also be happy to know that everypony we came across in Ponyville treated Celosia and Cenobia very kindly," said Fluttershy as she placed her wings on both brothers' backs.
"That's most splendid to hear, darling," chimed in Rarity, who felt joyous in knowing that the efforts she and her friends made to help make the two brothers feel welcome in Ponyville paid off. The pristine white unicorn suddenly noticed the two felines glancing from side-to-side with concerned looks. "Something wrong, boys?"
"Yeah, where's Twilight?" asked Cenobia. "Shouldn't she be here with you?"
"Oh, yeah, I forgot," blurted out Rainbow Dash. "Twilight said that she had something to take care of back at the library before coming over to the party."
"But don't you or your brother fret, Cenobia, dear," added Rarity. "For I can utterly assure you that Twilight will attend the party, for I know she would never forgo a chance to spend time with her friends." Both Celosia and Cenobia felt relieved in hearing Rarity's reassuring words, before the former suddenly glanced at Applejack.
"Applejack, do you know if Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo will be coming to the party?" he asked her.
"Oh, don't you worry 'bout that, sugarcube," replied the cowpony. "I'm sure that Apple Bloom and her friends should be gettin' here any minute now." No sooner had the orange cowpony said those words when Rainbow Dash, with a smile on her muzzle, hovered into the air and excitedly waved one forearm. This prompted a shout from within the crowd of ponies within the storefront.
"Look, there's Rainbow Dash! C'mon!" As Rainbow Dash slowly hovered downward, her five friends shifted their gazes outward and saw Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo trotting toward the group with smiles etched on their adorable faces.
Wow, that's really them, thought Celosia.
Oh my gosh, I can't believe that we're about to meet them, thought Cenobia similarly as he and his brother watched the Cutie Mark Crusaders finally stop close the sextet.
"Howdy, girls," said Applejack to the three fillies. "So glad ya'll could make it."
"Same here, sis," replied Apple Bloom before she suddenly noticed Celosia and Cenobia. "Say, who are these fellers here?" The four adult mares gave her perplexed expressions before Fluttershy softly cleared her throat.
"Girls," she began in a friendly tone. "I would like to introduce you to the heroes who saved my life yesterday: Celosia and his brother Cenobia." While speaking, Fluttershy motioned her head to each of the brothers, both of whom were still fixated on the three fillies before them. "Boys, I'd like for you to meet Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo." The two Colossi broke out of their trance and walked up to the three fillies.
"Um, hi," said Celosia awkwardly with a smile. "Its very nice to meet you, girls."
"Yeah, same here," said Cenobia. "Applejack and her friends told us a lot about you." For a few moments, the three fillies blankly stared at the brothers without uttering a word, which made the two Colossi and the four mares very nervous. Suddenly, all three fillies eyes and expressions brightened up with excitement and enthusiasm.
"Wow, that's so cool!" exclaimed Scootaloo with a smile.
"Yeah," added in Apple Bloom. "Who would've thunk that you boys would have gone up against a wyvern and lived."
"Not only that," said Sweetie Belle excitedly. "You both did it to save our dear friend Fluttershy!" And before the they realized it, the two brothers found themselves pulled into a tight embrace from the three fillies.
"Thank you so much," said the trio simultaneously.
"You're welcome. We were happy to do it," said Cenobia as his brother nodded in affirmative. Apple Bloom and her friends immediately released the two brothers, allowing them to stand face-to-face with each other once more.
"You know, Rainbow Dash wasn't kidding when she told us that neither of ya'll weren't exactly ponies," said Apple Bloom. The two brothers beheld puzzled expressions while Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy looked at Rainbow Dash for moment as the sky blue pegasus gave them a nervous smile and scratched the back of her head nervously.
"But that's okay though," said Sweetie Belle. "The three of us don't really mind; especially since Rainbow Dash also told us that you're both really nice." Celosia and Cenobia felt relieved in hearing these words from the unicorn filly.
"Hey, I got an idea," said Scootaloo. "How about you boys come and share a table with us."
"Sure, Celosia and I would be happy to do that," replied Cenobia happily as his brother nodded in agreement. "Assuming that Fluttershy doesn't mind." The two brothers looked back at Fluttershy, who had a warm smile on her muzzle.
"It's alright, boys. I don't mind," She said kindly. "Go on right ahead." The two Colossi felt surges of joy flow through them upon hearing the pegasus mare's approval.
"Great!" proclaimed Apple Bloom joyfully. "Now come on, ya'll, we'll lead the way." Thus, Apple Bloom and her two friends lead the two brothers to another part of the storefront while Fluttershy and her three friends watched them go, smiling warmly.
A short time later, the Cutie Mark Crusaders led Celosia and Cenobia to a vacant table where the three fillies stood on their hind legs and placed their fore hooves on its edge. With some effort on their part, the two brothers managed to positioned themselves on the table in a similar fashion. For a moment, the five individuals observed themselves around the table: there was Scootaloo with Apple Bloom to her right and Sweetie Belle on her left; Celosia was seated next to Apple Bloom while Cenobia was situated between his brother and Sweetie Belle.
"Apple Bloom," said Celosia nervously. "Your sister Applejack and her friends told Cen and me that you and your friends still haven't gotten your cutie marks yet." For a moment, both he and his brother braced themselves in assuming that the three fillies would be insulted by that remark. Instead, Apple Bloom and her three friends looked at the boys with surprised and puzzled expressions.
"Wait, she told ya'll that?" she asked.
"Yep, she sure did," replied Cenobia with a nod. "You see earlier today Twilight talked with me and Celosia about cutie marks, how important they are to ponies, and how ponies got them. We were sad and sorry to hear when Applejack told us that neither you or your friends have earned your cutie marks so far." Both brothers had sad and sympathetic looks on their faces when Cenobia finished his explanation, which made the three fillies in front of them smile for a moment.
"Well, I guess its alright if you felt curious 'bout that," said Apple Bloom before her face turned gloomy. "Ya see, not too long ago, I felt really miserable with nearly every colt and filly at my school had managed to learn their special talent and earn their cutie mark while my flank remained blank. But then there came the moment when I met Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo here at Sugarcube Corner." She paused for a moment to glance at the two fillies with a smile. "Both who, like me, also haven't found out their special talent and were without their cutie marks."
"And it was at a table just like this one," added in Sweetie Belle. "That we all became friends and founded the Cutie Mark Crusaders so that we'd work together in discovering our cutie marks and special talents."
"And since that day," continued Scootaloo. "We've worked hard in trying many different things in order to earn our cutie marks." The pegasus filly gave a dolorous sigh. "But each time we ended up failing in getting our cutie marks, just like with yesterday when we tried tree climbing." All three fillies bowed their heads sadly and frowned in remembering that failure. Both Celosia and Cenobia, who had been listening to the three fillies' tale of how they came together, felt quite disheartened in seeing this.
Wow, Applejack wasn't kidding when she told us about this earlier thought Celosia sadly.
Those poor fillies thought Cenobia sympathetically. There's got to be something we can do for them.
The two brothers looked into each other's eyes for a moment, as if sharing a silent conversation with each other, before staring back at the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"You know, maybe we could help you find your cutie marks," said Celosia, prompting the three fillies to suddenly look at him with surprised and hopeful expressions.
"Wow, really?!" asked Apple Bloom excitedly. "You'll really help us earn our cutie marks?!"
"Certainly," replied Cenobia enthusiastically. "You could use all the help you can get."
"So long as it doesn't involve learning how to fight wyverns," added in Celosia. There was a brief moment of silence between the five of them until they all exploded with giggles. When the laughter died down, the three fillies had big smiles on their muzzles.
"Celosia, Cenobia," said Apple Bloom. "Ah speak for all of us in sayin' that the Cutie Mark Crusaders gladly accept your help in finding our cutie marks." Both her friends nodded in agreement to the two brothers.
"Thanks, Apple Bloom," replied Celosia happily. That was when he noticed Sweetie Belle turning her gaze sideways and suddenly gasping fearfully. "Hey, what's wrong, Sweetie Belle?"
"We got trouble coming," she replied pointing one hoof outward. And when her four friends looked out in the same direction, they saw two fillies, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, walking toward their table and leering at the group.
"Oh, great," sulked Scootaloo softly. "It's Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon."
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Flank Blank trio," said Diamond Tiara contemptuously as she and Silver Spoon stopped a few hoof steps from the table.
"And look: they've brought over a pair of unsightly pets," jeered Silver Spoon as both she and her friend giggled meanly.
As both Celosia and Cenobia watched how Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were verbally harassing their new friends, they instantly recognized them as bullies. Especially since the two of them already had cutie marks on their flanks.
That would explain why they've been so miserable in not getting their cutie marks thought Celosia as both he and his brother felt ire slowly building up within their stone bodies.
At the same time, Apple Bloom quickly dismounted from her spot on the table and positioned her self right next to Sweetie Belle.
"Hey, lay off, you two," she said defensively. "These two happen to be Celosia and Cenobia and they're the heroes who saved Fluttershy from a wyvern yesterday."
"Not that either of you would care," said Sweetie Belle. "But today's party was set up for them too."
"Tch! Yeah right," scoffed Diamond Tiara. "Like anyone would want to throw a party for those ugly beasts." Both she and Silver Spoon chortled arrogantly for a moment only to abruptly stop upon noticing that Celosia and Cenobia have dismounted the table and positioned themselves between the two bullies and the table.
"Says the filly who thinks she's a princess," retorted Celosia as both he and Cenobia glared teal-colored daggers at the two shocked fillies.
"Excuse me?" asked Diamond Tiara indignantly.
"You heard him," replied Cenobia sharply. "You really think that wearing that fancy crown all day just makes you the most important pony in the world? Yet you also have the nerve to just walk up to anyone and treat him or her like dirt as if you were some high and mighty ruler?"
"Yeah," said his brother. "You probably go around town saying 'Oh look at me, I'm so special and important that I should be made a princess over Ponyville, so I can trample and spite anyone I want just to show that I'm better and more special than any of them.' " While speaking, Celosia momentarily pitched his voice higher to mockingly mimic Diamond Tiara's and walked in place in a seemingly luxuriant manner. As a result, Diamond Tiara found herself seething with utter frustration over the two brothers mockery of her, the Cutie Mark Crusaders watched this display with awe.
"Not very nice isn't it," asked Cenobia rhetorically. "Well let me tell you something, Diamond Tiara: Real princesses never act mean like that. 'Cause look at Twlilight Sparkle: she's a real Princess, one who's friends with everyone in Ponyville and cares about them very much."
"Unlike you, Diamond Tiara. Because you're just a spoiled, jealous little filly who wants all the attention for herself no matter who she tramples on."
For a few moments, a furiously frustrated Diamond Tiara sputtered in trying to unleashing retaliatory verbal insults at the two felines, but utterly couldn't. Her friend, Silver Spoon just stood there staring at the two brothers, stunned with what they just told her friend.
"Ugh! I don't need this!" said Diamond Tiara at last with a furious expression. "Come on, Silver Spoon! We're leaving!" She turned to one direction and departed while Silver Spoon, shaken out of her stupor followed close behind her, casting a brief wary glance at the two brothers on the way out. Celosia and Cenobia turned around to find that the Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were gazing at them with gaping mouths and awed expressions, which instantly shifted into smiles.
"Wow! That was incredible," declared Apple Bloom joyfully.
"Yeah, that was totally awesome," added Scootaloo.
"It certainly was," agreed Sweetie Belle. "Thanks for defending us from those two bullies."
"Hey, you're welcome," replied Celosia. "We couldn't just stand there and let them verbally assault you like that."
"Yeah, that's part of why we also saved Fluttershy yesterday," added Cenobia proudly. "So what should we do now?"
Before any of the three fillies could answer, they and the two brothers instantly looked out to the center of the storefront upon hearing a recognizable voice.
"Attention everypony! Its now time for some super-citing party games! Everypony come on over so we can get started!" The quintet of youngsters watched as Pinkie waved one forearm up high while shouting out her announcement to everypony within Sugarcube Corner. The five youngsters shifted their eyes at each other once more.
"How 'bout we go play some fun with playing some party games?" suggested Apple Bloom.
"Yeah, that will be a great way to celebrate in having you two joining in our Crusading efforts," said Sweetie Belle.
"Yeah, not to mention that you'll definitely enjoy playing any games set up by Pinkie Pie," added Scootaloo. "They're a blast!"
"Sure, I don't mind," said Celosia.
"Yeah, I'm game if all of you are," bragged Cenobia before all five of them giggled merrily as they left the table and headed in Pinkie Pie's direction.
The first party game that Pinkie Pie had set up was Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Pony, one that has always been here favorite party game. At first, neither Celosia or Cenobia had any idea how to play the game, thus allowing Bon Bon being the first one to participate to demonstrate how it works. The two brothers and the CMC watched as the blind-folded mare (who was holding a false tail with an attached pin in her teeth) wandered about in finding a picture of a pony missing its while Pinkie Pie hovered close telling Bon Bon whether she was getting warmer or colder with the crowd around them cheering her on. Because Bon Bon had played this game before, it didn't take very long for her to find the pony picture and pin its "tail" on. However upon removing the blindfold, Bon Bon was disheartened to find that she had only managed to pin the "tail" it on its stomach and went back to her coltfriend in defeat.
When Pinkie Pie called on the next participant, Celosia was the one who stepped up to try out his luck, especially since he now knew how the game was played. In a trice, Pinkie had placed a blindfold over Celosia's eyes with the "tail" in his mouth and spun him around until he was nearly dizzy. Because he didn't want to accidentally puncture anypony, the blindfolded and dazed Celosia decided to move very carefully in his search for his target, even if he didn't know where it was. Thankfully, each time he wondered too close to any pony, they all scuttled back to avoid getting pricked by the pin on the "tail." But thanks to some coaxing from Pinkie Pie, Celosia managed to literally pin the "tail" right on its mark, or so he thought. When he lifted off his blindfold, he discovered that although the "tail" was on the rear end of the pony, it had unfortunately been pinned on the area where the cutie mark would have been indicated. But Celosia just shrugged it off and walked back to where his brother (who was excitedly wanting a turn next) and the CMC were waiting for him.
"Well, here we are Spike and not a moment too soon," said Twilight Sparkle as she and her dragon assistant entered Sugarcube Corner and came into view of a moderate-sized crowd of ponies huddled together like a horseshoe formation against the wall, all of them chattering excitedly.
"Are you kidding, Twilight?" asked Spike sarcastically as he dismounted Twilight. "I mean we could have gotten here sooner had you not held us up back at the library." Twilight glanced at him with annoyance and was about to rebuke him when Rainbow Dash suddenly zipped up to them.
"Twilight! Spike!" she said excitedly. "I was wondering when you two would finally come down and join the party."
"Why of course, I wouldn't want to miss it for all of Equestria, Rainbow," replied Twilight.
"Same here," added Spike. "So where are these two brothers that Twilight's been talking about? 'Cause I'm rather curious about meeting them face-to-face."
"You mean Celosia and Cenobia, right?" Spike nodded his head. "Hold tight and I'll bring 'em to you." Rainbow Dash zipped back into the crowd and quickly brought back the two feline Colossi to Twilight and Spike, with the latter of the two eyeing them with amazement for a moment. The cyan mare left their presence to inform the rest of her friends of Twilight and Spike's arrival.
"Boys, this is Spike, my number one dragon assistant." said Twilight to Celosia and Cenobia before facing Spike. "Spike I'd like you to meet the brothers Celosia and Cenobia, the ones who saved our friend Fluttershy yesterday."
"Hello, Spike, its nice meet you," said Celosia.
"Yeah, same here," added Cenobia.
"Thanks," replied Spike happily. "Its also an honor to finally meet the two of you. You have no idea of how grateful I feel over you two saving Fluttershy's life yesterday."
"Of course," said Celosia before his eyes suddenly brightened up with curiosity. "Say, Twilight said that you're a dragon right?
"Well, yeah, what about it?"
"Well, shouldn't you be bigger in size?"
"He's got a point," put in Cenobia. "Because we've heard about dragons before and that they're usually huge. You're the first small dragon Cel and I have ever met." Despite receiving an odd and disturbing look from Spike, the brothers looked at Twilight as she elicited a giggle.
"Well, technically Spike's more of a baby dragon right now," she answered. "It will be quite a long time before he grows into a full grown adult dragon." Spike's face shifted into a sour pout and groaned with annoyance, while the Celosia and Cenobia had expressions of amusement. Spike was about make a comment when he, Twilight and the brothers turned toward the crowd of ponies, which had partly dispersed, after hearing a loud shout.
"Okay, everypony! It's now time for some zinglicious cake!"
The four of them instantly recognized the voice as Pinkie Pie's. They approached and moved through the crowd before they stopped and noticed that Pinkie was standing in the center with a large double-tiered cake on wheels that she had procured from the kitchen on a wheeled platform. On the cake were the words "Celosia" and "Cenobia" inscribed on the white surface with chocolate frosting on the first tier while the second had eight blue candles all lit in a circle on top. After taking in the image of the cake, the brothers looked over at Pinkie in confusion.
"Um, Pinkie, what happened to Pin the Tail on the Pony?" asked Celosia. Upon hearing this, Spike groaned softly with a sulky look on his face in realizing that he had missed his own chance at playing a round of that game.
"Well, you see, I was planning to bring out your cake the moment the two of arrived," answered Pinkie Pie. "But then I suddenly realized that since Twilight and Spike hadn't arrived yet, I would force them to miss out having some cake themselves and that wouldn't very fair. So, I decided to wait it out with a few party games until they arrived, but now that Twilight and Spike are here, we can finally get started with serving some cake!" The party mare's blue eyes brightened with more excitement. "But before we do, you two will have the pleasure of blowing the candles."
Thus, the two feline Colossi walked up to the cake and gazed at the lit candles on top. In doing so, they both realized that neither of them were tall enough blow all of the candles out at once. Thankfully, Pinkie swiftly brought out two stools for them so that they mount onto them with their front legs, giving the brothers a clearer view of the candles. But at the moment of doing so, Celosia had a brief tingling sensation course through his stony belly, as if he had noticed something familiar about the tiny flames that dotted the candles. That sensation faded as he and Cenobia looked each other in the eye.
"Hey, how 'bout we count to three before we start," suggested Celosia in a whisper.
"Sure, I'm game," replied Celosia softly. The brothers nodded to each other three times before they gazed back at the candles, took deep breaths, and unleashed strong exhales, blowing them out instantly. Everypony gave a loud, joyful cheer for the two brothers as they stepped down from their stools. Pinkie Pie, who was standing up next to them, picked up the stools and raced out to put them away before zipping back over to the cake with a large knife and a tall stack of plates.
For the next few minutes, everypony at the party spent some time eating their share of delicious cake, in which Celosia and Cenobia, being the guests of honor, were given the first slices by Pinkie Pie. The two brothers were eating their cake together with Twilight, her group of friends, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Because they were new with eating food, both Celosia and Cenobia decided to chomped up their slices of it down in one gulp and found them very delicious. Though it left huge messes on their mouths, Rarity managed to clean it up.
It was during this moment in which Twilight mentions that before leaving the library she had sent a letter to Princess Celestia about Celosia and Cenobia, hoping that her mentor would be interested in personally meeting them sometime in the near future. While both brothers felt delighted over the prospect of meeting Princess Celestia, Twilight's friends felt a little nervous about the idea.
"Um, are ya sure that's a good idea, Twi?" asked Applejack skeptically, causing Twilight to give her friend a puzzled look.
"Oh, come on, Applejack," said Cenobia. "I think that's great idea. I mean Princess Celestia is a very kind and compassionate ruler, like Twilight said. What could possibly go wrong?"
"Well, darling," said Rarity in a worried tone. "Its just that she might react the same way most of us did when we first met you earlier and might do something absolutely dreadful to you."
"Not if we tell her about how we saved Fluttershy's life yesterday," said Celosia. "She'll definitely warm up to me and Cen after that."
"He's definitely got a point there," agreed Fluttershy.
"And luckily for you boys, I've already thought about that and included that important detail in the letter," said Twilight Sparkle confidentially. All of Twilight's friends instantly felt relieved after hearing this new information. The brothers excused themselves to get themselves some seconds on some cake but upon returning, they and their new friends noticed Spike suddenly holding his stomach with both hands and both his cheeks were inflated a bit.
"Hey, what's wrong, Spike?" asked Celosia. "You got a tummy ache." Within an instant, Spike suddenly belched out a green flame that not only startled Celosia a bit, but also materialized into a scroll. Twilight and her friends instantly recognized what this meant.
"It's a letter from Princess Celestia," said Twilight grabbing hold of the letter with her magic. "We better take this to somewhere more private."
"Oh! Oh!" shouted Pinkie. "I know just the place!" She ran to and up the stairs to her bedroom with her friends and the two Colossi (who quickly told the CMC they'd be back shortly) following close behind her.
When the group of friends made it to Pinkie Pie's bedroom, Twilight manages to open up the scroll only to find---to their shock---two of them instead.
"Hold on a second: the Princess sent you two replies?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Well, if that's what the Princess Celestia sent," replied Twilight. "Then she must have a reason for it. Here, I'll take a look at what the first one says." She cleared her throat and gazed at the note.
"Dear Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student,
It is wonderful to hear from you again. On top of that, I am also not only glad about you and your friends befriending Celosia and Cenobia, but I'm also very thankful of them both for risking their lives in saving Fluttershy from a wyvern in the Everfree Forest yesterday. I'm so anxious to meet them! And I'm not the only one either.
Because today, Luna and I also met two mysterious and friendly visitors in Canterlot who have also proclaimed themselves as Colossi. The first is a tall stone-armored bipedal giant named Gaius, who has a sword permanently fixed to his right arm and feet shaped like spheres. You should see how enormous Gaius is, Twilight, for he is a little more than twice my height, can you believe it? But all the same, Gaius is also a courteous and respectful individual who treats everyone he meets with chivalry.
The second visitor is a large lithic bird with a huge wingspan named Avion. Just like Gaius, he's very polite and gentle with others especially with ponies; I would imagine that Fluttershy would really like him since he's very capable of communicating with other birds.
The reason I'm telling you about this is because not only will I be coming to Ponyville sometime later today (possibly within half an hour) to personally meet Celosia and Cenobia, but I'm hoping that you won't mind Gaius and Avion accompanying me. For I would imagine that they would really want to reunite with them as soon as possible and I sincerely want to help them in that endeavor.
Be ready when we arrive, Twilight.
Yours truly,
Princess Celestia
P.S.: Avion might make it to Ponyville before Gaius and I do, especially since he can fly there easily.
P.S. 2: I've added a second note for Mayor Mare to read so that she and the rest of Ponyville will be properly informed and be prepared when the three of us arrive.
P.S. 3: My sister, Luna, will remain in Canterlot to maintain order."
There was a brief moment of silence the moment Twilight finished reading aloud the letter with everypony in the room absorbing what they just heard from it. It was immediately broken when both brothers hopped up and let out a big cheer, startling all six mares and Spike.
"What's got ya'll riled up?" asked Applejack.
"Because my brother and I won't be the only Colossi in Equestria anymore," replied Celosia.
"Yeah and just think," added Cenobia happily. "We'll be meeting up with not only Princess Celestia today, but Gaius and Avion as well. Isn't that great?"
"Oh, I'm sure that it is," said Fluttershy warmly. Though both she and her friends found the news of Princess Celestia and Luna encountering two more Colossi very surprising, all of them smiled at seeing Celosia and Cenobia being happy about it. However, Twilight's smile shifted into a frown as she realized something.
"What's wrong, Twilight?" asked Spike.
"Well, I'd hate to say it," she replied. "But I'm now worried." Everypony in the room stared back at her upon hearing this.
"What are ya talking about?" said Rainbow Dash. "I mean the Princess just said that Gaius and Avion are friendly so we shouldn't be too worried about them."
"Yes, yes I know that Rainbow Dash," said Twilight who suddenly began pacing. "I absolutely trust Princess Celestia on that and have no problems with it. Its just that I'm worried about how the ponies in Ponyville will react to them when they get here. I mean, what if they get extremely terrified and zip into their houses to hide like they did with Zecora's first time in coming to Ponyville? What if everypony starts setting anti-Colossi rallies? Or what if everypony just gallops out of Ponyville in a full-blown panic and never come back?! What if---Eep!" She abruptly stopped upon feeling a tug at her tail. She immediately turned around to find Celosia staring up at her with a pleading expression.
"Twilight, listen," said he calmly. "It doesn't have to come down to that."
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that if we can convince the ponies of Ponyville to give Gaius and Avion a chance it will go smoothly with them when they arrive."
"Yeah, just like when you and your friends told everyone about the two of us," said Cenobia cheerfully as he strolled up next to his brother. "Not only that, but with Celestia coming with them, she'll make sure that nothing bad will happen during the visit." Twilight's tense expression softened as she listen to these words of encouragement while her friends, who also felt nervous, smiled in hearing Celosia's uplifting speech.
"And besides that," added in Spike. "Aren't you forgetting the extra letter that Celestia wrote for Mayor Mare?" Twilight shifted her focus on the two letters still held in her magic and looked over the second note, which was indeed addressed to Mayor Mare at the top. The purple alicorn placed one hoof on her forehead chuckling awkwardly.
"I can't believe that I forgot about that," she said with relief as she looked over at Spike. "Thanks for pointing that out, Spike."
"Sure thing, Twilight," he replied. Twilight's purple eyes suddenly brightened before she turned to Rainbow Dash.
"Rainbow, could you please deliver this copy over to Mayor Mare?" she asked motioning the now rolled-up second letter over to her friend.
"Sure thing, Twilight," replied Rainbow Dash before gently taking hold of the letter in her mouth as she instantly darted out of an open window toward City Hall. The moment Rainbow Dash left, Fluttershy decided to walk up to Celosia and Cenobia.
"Um, just so you'll know, boys, I am usually really nervous and bashful around others much larger than I am," she admitted to them. "But since the two you know Gaius and Avion so well, I can put on a brave face to personally meet them."
"Thanks, Fluttershy," said Celosia. "We appreciate it."
"And don't you remember?" asked Cenobia. "Avion's form is that a giant bird and we all know how you love animals, right?" Fluttershy instantly blushed with embarrassment in hearing the rhetoric question, but it also made her feel less anxious with meeting Avion and Gaius later.
"Um, thank you for reminding me, Cenobia."
"Sure thing Fluttershy." No sooner had he said this when Rainbow Dash flew back into Pinkie Pie's room with a satisfied smile on her face while all her friends stared at her.
"Okay, I've managed to bring the letter straight over to Mayor Mare before coming right back," she said to them with a satisfied tone.
"Did ya make sure to see if she was busy or somethin' Rainbow?" asked Applejack.
"Yeah, she was in a meeting, but this was a letter straight from Princess Celestia and I had to get it over to her ASAP." Applejack gave an exasperated sigh in response.
"Dagnabit, Rainbow. Ya'll should always remember to knock first."
"Its okay, Applejack," said Twilight. "This is an urgent matter and I'm certain that the Mayor will understand that once she's read the letter. Besides, she's knows all of us pretty well." Applejack immediately relented after hearing Twilight's logic.
"Besides," piped in Pinkie Pie. "We've still got tons of super-mega-some fun down at the party!" With that, the pink party mare rushed downstairs to the party below with her friends close in tow behind her.
Upon returning to the party, Pinkie Pie decided to resume the party games, starting with a second game known as Pony Twister, another one that Celosia and Cenobia never heard about. They managed to understand the rules of the game when the Cutie Mark Crusaders explained it to them, including the fact that it was a two player game, involved stepping one colored spots with their legs and hoofs, and that who ever fell down loses the game. Celosia and Apple Bloom were the ones who decided to partake in the first round. While they did have fun playing the game together, there were awkward moments between the two of them, especially when their bodies nearly touch each other at some point. Unfortunately, when both of them were to make their next move, Celosia and Apple Bloom fell to the floor, ending the round in a stalemate and what's more, the former was laying on top of the latter. Thankfully, no one was hurt or injured, but both of them felt a little embarrassed about it.
The next round had Cenobia and Sweetie Belle as contestants. Both of them started out pretty well, but resulted in Cenobia as the winner when Sweetie Belle accidentally slipped while making her move. This was followed by two more rounds of Pony Twister.
By the time the fifth round of the game began, a loud commotion was heard outside of Sugarcube Corner by everypony at the party. Thus, Twilight Sparkle, and her friends including the brothers, and the CMC dropped what they were doing and galloped out through the store's front entrance.
What Twilight and her friends witnessed when they got outside was a large crowd of ponies in an immense open area of Ponyville to the left of Sugarcube Corner and all of them were chatting loudly while gazing up at the direction of Canterlot. Within this same crowd was Mayor Mare who was doing her best to keep everypony calm.
"What the hay is goin' on?" asked Applejack.
"Oh! Oh! You think they're here for the party too?" asked Pinkie Pie excitedly.
"I highly doubt it, darling," said Rarity, much to a dismayed Pinkie Pie. "For the record, they're clearly fixated on Canterlot and waiting for---Oh! Hello, what's this?" Rarity squinted her eyes like she had spotted something while gazing up at Canterlot from afar, which caused her friends to refocus their gaze in the same direction, including the Colossi brothers. They quickly managed to find what they were looking for.
"Is...is that a bird?" asked Cenobia.
"Yeah, it sure looks like a bird," said Celosia.
"He's right, look at how it flapping its wings," added in Fluttershy. Sure enough against the distant city of Canterlot was the black figure of a bird, which looked small enough to sit atop a mare unicorn's horn.
Hey wait a second. Is that...Avion? Celosia thought to himself. At the same moment, Twilight Sparkle suddenly disappeared in a bright flash before shortly reappearing with a long telescope levitating next to her. The Princess of Friendship placed the eyepiece over her left eye and focused it right on the bird while Celosia and Cenobia zipped right next to her.
"Oh my gosh," said Twilight Sparkle with a gasp. "That bird is Avion, just as Princess Celestia described him."
"Avion?!" shouted Celosia and Cenobia together, startling nearly everypony around them.
"Here, take a look for yourself." She motioned the telescope over to Celosia allow him to look into it. But the moment he did, Celosia suddenly stepped back and jumped really high into the air.
"Its him, brother! Its really Avion!" he shouted with excitement.
"Yay! Avion is coming to Ponyville!" shouted Cenobia with glee as he too jumped up really high. The two brothers, unable to contain the joy within them, began running around Twilight and her friends with excitement declaring how glad they felt about Avion coming to Ponyville. The Cutie Mark Crusaders even joined in on the fun and began running with the two brothers happily before they eventually stopped and just jumped in place near Applejack. Although it initially felt very awkward to them, Twilight and her friends never the less found it very encouraging to see the two brothers being very jubilant in wanting to reunite with one of their fellow Colossi. That's when the six also noticed that the crowd of ponies had now fixed their eyes on them as well, including Mayor Mare, and they all had befuddled expressions. They watched as Mayor Mare quickly moved through the crowd in approaching them.
"Twilight, do you mind if I asked what is going on?" she asked the scholarly alicorn.
"Well, Mayor," said Twilight Sparkle. "My friends and I just found out that little bird in sky is actually Avion."
"What? You mean the very same Avion that Celestia mentioned in her message?" Twilight simply nodded before Mayor Mare's puzzled expression shifted into a more serious one. "Then there's no time to lose. We've got to get ready for Avion's arrival."
"Agreed." Twilight looked over at Rainbow Dash hovering behind her. "Rainbow Dash, can you assemble some of the local pegasi for a task?"
"Sure thing, Twilight," replied Rainbow Dash. "What is it?
"First we'll need two long lines of dotted clouds running side by side to form a runway to help guide Avion into Ponyville. Once that's done, we'll also need a elongated mass of cloud big enough for him perch on." Twilight paused for a moment to look around until her eyes stopped at Sugarcube Corner. "Okay, have the cloud perch placed next to Sugarcube Corner to the right of the main entrance." She looked back up at Rainbow Dash. "Can you do all that?"
"You got it, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash hovered over to the crowd of ponies. "Okay, any of you who are pegasi come with me! We've got some work to do and little time to do it!" Without hesitation, a large number of pegasi flew up to Rainbow Dash as she led them high up into the sky to gather some clouds.
"I'll make sure that the ponies remain calm during Avion's arrival," said Mayor Mare as she turned around and walked back into the ground. Twilight then looked back toward the two brothers, who have ceased jumping along with the CMC and were gazing in her direction.
"So what now, Twilight?" asked Cenobia.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait until Avion arrives," Twilight replied.
"Which probably won't take very long," added in Spike and sure enough Avion's small outline was slowly growing bigger, indicating that he was getting closer to Ponyville. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie's blue eyes brightened in recognition.
"Oh, wait!" she shouted frantically. "Don't go away, I'll be right back." Within a flash, the pink party mare zipped back inside Sugarcube Corner.
"What in tarnation is she doin'?" asked Applejack in which all her friends just shrugged their shoulders. But no sooner did the answer came when they a loud shout from inside Sugarcube Corner.
"Hey, Everypony! Come on out and see what's happening outside!" Then to the amazement of Twilight and her friends, Pinkie galloped back out followed by a large number of ponies, who happened to the attendants of Celosia and Cenobia's party.
"Well, at least we now know what she was doing?" said Celosia as his brother nodded agreeably.
Meanwhile high up in the air, Avion was continually making headway for Ponyville, with a pair of two Royal Guard pegasi accompanying him as his escorts and guides. He already departed Canterlot a short while ago and was nearly halfway to Ponyville, which looked very small from there but eventually grew visually larger over time. Before he left the Royal Guard's barracks, Celestia instructed him to give Twilight a message the moment he arrived in Ponyville, one that he would make sure to remember. Celestia also assured him that she had already forwarded a message to Twilight about him and Gaius coming to Ponyville, which Avion found comforting since he did not want to terrify any of Ponyville's populace.
"Avion, look," shouted one of his escorts pointing forward with one hoof. From what Avion saw far ahead near Ponyville amazed him, for he noticed several white dots moving about until they soon formed two long lines---both of them running parallel with each other---directed somewhere in the middle of the town like a runway.
"It looks like everypony in Ponyville is expecting us," shouted the other guard.
"You mean with those two lines ahead of us?" asked Avion.
"Yes," answered the first escort. "Its called a runway. Something that pegasi use when they getting ready to land."
"And if they're expecting you, Avion, I'd imagine that they've possible erected a cloud perch for you to sit on," said the second escort.
"If that's the case, then let us make haste," said Avion with a tone of determination. "For I am most eager to reunite with Celosia and Celosia." With that, he flapped his wings to increase velocity while his two escorts did their best to keep up with him.
Back in Ponyville, the crowd of awaiting ponies gathered in front of Sugarcube Corner had enlarged in size as they watched Avion approaching them. By now, Rainbow Dash and all of the pegasi she had assembled managed to finish both of their cloud arranging tasks in record time. Yet while nearly everypony in the crowd waited anxiously, Celosia and Cenobia, (who were situated the crowd's edge with their friends) were waiting with excitement, which grew as they watched Avion closing in on Ponyville.
Thus when Avion finally reached Ponyville, nearly everypony gasped with both awe and fright, some even thinking that he'd scoop them up in his talons. They were surprised and relieved to find that Avion did no such thing and instead flew right over the crowd with everyone in it quickly turning around to see where he went. They all found out when they noticed Avion flying over and past his cloud perch before he turned around in midflight, flew back, and planted himself atop his temporary roost. It was after this that two things happened at once: firstly both of Avion's escorts flew in and landed somewhere within the crowd of awestruck ponies to give themselves a breather after trying keep up with him. The next was that the moment Avion settled himself atop his cloud perch, both Celosia and Cenobia rushed over to him with utter haste and with their friends following in tow.
"AVION!!!" shouted both brothers happily causing the enormous bird to focus his eyes on them and immediately recognized them at that same moment.
"Celosia! Cenobia!" he replied as the two brothers stopped below him and looked up. "It is so good to see you again."
"Same here, Avion," said Celosia.
"Yeah, the feeling's mutual," added Cenobia whose eyes, along with his brothers, gave Avion the look that would say "I've missed you so very much," one that the giant bird understood too well. By now, their new friends had caught up to them and were now starring up at Avion with looks of awe and wonder. What's more the crowd of ponies from before have en mass walked over to Avion to get a closer look at him, with some of them a bit nervous of the giant's birds current posture. Avion like wise lifted his head and stared out at them.
"Greetings, citizens of Ponyville," he said in a polite tone. "My name is Avion and I've come not only to meet with young Celosia and Cenobia, but also to seek out a pony named Princess Twilight Sparkle. May I ask where I can find her?"
"Um, excuse me, Mr. Avion, sir?" said Twilight Sparkle modestly. Avion looked down at the source of the voice and found Twilight Sparkle slowing ascending up to him with the flap of her wings. "Are you looking for me?" Avion, having been informed by Celestia of Twilight's description, immediately recognized her as the same mare.
"Indeed I am," he replied as Twilight slowed her ascent to where she was eye-level with Avion.
"Um, alright. May I ask the exact purpose for why wanted to see me?"
"Because I have a message straight from Princess Celestia herself." Twilight looked quite surprised in hearing this from Avion. "She would like to know of a decent area where she can teleport herself and Gaius in Ponyville." No sooner had Avion said these words when Spike burped up a letter from Princess Celestia herself.
"Hey, Twilight, you get down here and look at this," shouted Spike from below. Twilight quickly descended to the ground and took up the unwrapped scroll in her magic.
"Twilight Sparkle,
I would like to inform you that Gaius and I will heading for Ponyville shortly. But before we go, there's one thing I need to know first: where would be a good place for us to teleport in Ponyville?
Princess Celestia."
Despite her surprise with the note's informality, Twilight smiled before looking around for a moment and then teleporting (with her telescope) somewhere before reappearing with a pen, an inkwell, and a piece of paper in her magic, which she gave to Spike.
"Spike, please take this down," she said before clearing her throat. " 'Princess Celestia, I know the perfect place for you and Gaius to appear: which should be quite close to Sugarcube Corner's front entrance. It should be ready for you by the time you send back a reply. Twilight.' " By the time Twilight finished her dictation, Spike had also managed to deftly write the whole thing down on the parchment.
"Okay, that should do it," said Spike. "Anything else, Twilight?"
"Nope. That should be it." Thus Spike rolled up the parchment, ignited it with a small green flame, and watched as the ashes zipped up to Canterlot. Twilight turned around and looked at Mayor Mare, who had been standing with proximity of her and Spike when she gave the small dragon the dictation of her reply to Celestia's note.
"Mayor Mare, could you please help with arranging a large open space within for Gaius and Princess Celestia."
"Of course, Princess Twilight," said Mayor Mare. "I'd be happy to help contribute to it."
"You mind if we helped too, Princess?" asked one of the Guard escorts as he and his comrade hovered over to Twilight Sparkle.
"Of course, gentlemen. Now lets get to it!" With that, Twilight, Mayor Mare, and the two guards ushered the crowd over to the front of Sugarcube Corner with Applejack and Rainbow Dash coming forward to join the effort. The rest of their friends were about join them when their attention was suddenly drawn back to Avion, who had clear his throat.
"Celosia, Cenobia," said he. "I want to say that you both did well in saving Fluttershy's life from a wyvern yesterday and that I'm very proud of you for it."
"Thanks, Avion," said Celosia, who had a little crack in his voice. "That coming from you means a lot."
"Most definitely," added Cenobia modestly with a nod. Their new friends suddenly observed the two brothers showing brief looks of sorrow, as if something was going through their minds.
Within a very short time, the crowd of ponies had been repositioned in front of Sugarcube Corner and had rearranged into a large donut shape, with the circular space in the middle as big as City Hall and with the two pegasi guards positioned on both ends of it. Celosia, Cenobia, (who once again felted very excited) and their friends were standing within the section of the crowd that was huddled against Sugarcube Corner's front entrance.
Once Twilight and her friends had finished with rearranging the crowd, she received one final message from Princess Celestia stating that she and Gaius will teleport in the spot suggested by the former and that the latter would be there shortly. Within the message was PS that requested Twilight to make sure that no one Ponyville overreacted to with Gaius' upon arrival, a request that the former would do her best to follow.
A moment after that Pinkie Pie suddenly zipped inside Sugarcube Corner and came back out with a long strip of fabric, some nails, a hammer, paint and a paint brush. Then moving with lightning speed, she erected a banner above the store entrance that read "Welcome to Ponyville, Gaius!" on it. Pinkie quickly explained that since she didn't have time to set up a party for Gaius, she decided to set up a simple welcome message for him instead, an answer her friends accepted. Even Avion found the sight of it impressive. After that began the waiting period for Celestia and Gaius' arrival, which was indeed a brief one at that.
For from the very center of the donut-shaped crowd came an immense flash of light and out from it appeared the towering form of Gaius and Princess Celestia who stood next to him on his left. Although there were gasps heard from many ponies throughout the crowd, all of them were immediately drowned out by the shouts of two familiar voices.
"GAIUS!!!"
Within an instant, the ecstatic Celosia and Cenobia burst out from the crowd and swiftly rushed up to Gaius who recognized them the moment he heard their shouts and saw them coming. When the two brothers skidded to a stop at the giant knight's spheric feet, Gaius had to literally bend down his neck in order to see them.
"It's so good to see you, Gaius," said Celosia ecstatically with Cenobia nodding rapidly.
"It is good to see you as well, Celosia...Cenobia," replied Gaius calmly whose eyes also had a joyful gleam. "I am also relieved to see that the ponies here in Ponyville have treated you very well."
The three Colossi suddenly shifted their eyes at Princess Celestia when she politely cleared her throat to gain their attention. For Celosia and Cenobia, both of them felt overwhelmed with awe and wonder in standing before the regal and beautiful Princess Celestia, who was gazing down at the two brothers with a pleasant expression on her face. For them, it was one thing to be told and described what she looked like, but seeing her up close like this was a different experience altogether. Yet, when they turned their eyes upon her, they immediately knelt down on their bellies and bent down the faces reverently.
"We're so sorry, Your Highness," said Cenobia apologetically. "My brother and I were so excited at seeing Gaius that we forgot to show our respects to you."
"It is quite alright, boys," replied Celestia gently. "You may rise." The two brothers did so as Princess Celestia looked out over the crowd before her. "Citizens of Ponyville. Today I would like to introduce all of you to Gaius. I know some of you may find him intimidating but I assure you that despite his size, he is in fact quite gentle."
"What your Princess has said is the truth, little ponies," said Gaius placing his left arm over his plated chest. "For I swear unto by my knight's honor that I shall not harm any one of you." Gaius immediately noticed many of the nervous and agitated ponies in the crowd appease themselves all thanks to both his and Celestia's words of reassurance. The giant biped noticed six ponies and a baby dragon emerge and approach him, looking up at him with awe and wonder. He suddenly remembers who they are based on what Princess Celestia told him back in Canterlot, such as Princess Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy.
"Gaius," said Twilight Sparkle. "I, Twilight Sparkle, hereby formally welcome you to Ponyville." The crowd of ponies gave a brief but heartfelt applause to Gaius as he felt a wave of warmth coursing through his body.
"Thank you, Twilight Sparkle," replied Gaius. "Your words are deeply appreciated. I have even taken note of the message on that banner there." He indicated Pinkie Pie's erected sign with his right arm while he spoke while Twilight and her friends turned to look at it for a moment. Gaius shifted his gaze toward Avion who been patiently waiting on his cloud perch since his arrival. "Avion, my friend, have these good ponies of Ponyville treated you kindly since your arrival?"
"Indeed they have, Gaius," replied Avion. "They have all been quite accepting of my arrival." The corners of Gaius' mouth flexed upward in a small smile in hearing this from Avion before the two Colossi shifted their eyes toward Celosia and Cenobia.
"Um, Princess Celestia," said Cenobia prompting the Princess to look down at him. "My brother and I heard about what you mentioned in Twilight's letter some time ago in that you wanted to speak with the two of us. Is that true?"
"Indeed, Cenobia, you are quite correct," said Celestia as she sat down on her posterior. Then she picked up both brothers in her magic, brought them both into her arms and embraced them in a warm, gentle bear hug. "Thank you. Thank you both for saving the life of Fluttershy from a wyvern yesterday. She is one of my subjects and more importantly one of Twilight Sparkle's best friends, which makes her mine too. Thus, I am forever grateful for what you did for her yesterday."
"You're welcome, Princess Celestia," replied Celosia and Cenobia lazily. For due to the heavenly warmth of Princess Celestia's embrace, the two brothers felt quite blissful at that moment. Of course the moment Celestia released the brothers and set them back down on the ground with her magic, that same warmth left them, but they didn't mind. At this same moment, Fluttershy walked up to stand beside them.
"Um, Princess Celestia," said she. "I'm also grateful for what Celosia and Cenobia did for saving me from that wyvern yesterday. So much so that I now consider them both heroes." Both brothers smiled in hearing that from Fluttershy as did all of her friends.
"Well said, Fluttershy," replied Celestia warmly.
"Indeed," said Gaius gently. "What they did for you yesterday was very noble, young Fluttershy and I am very proud of them for it." Everypony within the crowd felt deeply touched with Gaius' kind words about Celosia and Cenobia, especially the two brothers and their friends. As for Fluttershy, who normally felt scared around beings as large as Gaius, no longer felt that way toward him after hearing the way he spoke so kindly. After a brief moment of silence, Celosia's eyes shrank slightly in realizing something important.
"Um, Gaius?" he asked awkwardly.
"Yes, Celosia," replied Gaius.
"How is it that both you and Avion managed to come into Equestria?" Cenobia focused his eyes on his brother when the question came up, as if he suddenly knew what Celosia was implying. "I mean...shouldn't...shouldn't the both of you...already...be..."
"Dead?" Gaius spoke that word quite somberly. For when Celosia tried completely addressing his next question, he found himself unable to finish it, whether it be because of him being so young or something else. Thus it was Gaius who finished it for him. Of course once he uttered the word "dead," some in the crowd muttered to themselves in confusion while others gasped softly in horror. Among those who gasped included Fluttershy.
Wait...what does he mean? she thought to herself fearfully.
"You are correct, Celosia," Gaius continued dismally. "Both Avion and I had been dead as you suspected. But through some mysterious magic or unknown supernatural power, our souls found their way to this world of Equestria and thus we became reborn with new bodies."
"He speaks the truth, boys," declared Avion, whose eyes had a sad tinge to them. "And while both Gaius and I are genuinely glad to be reunited with both of you, we were also shocked as well. For we greatly feared the worst in that you, Celosia and Cenobia, also had died just as we did." This drew more horrified gasps from the crowd which were louder than previously. But none were more saddened by this revelation than Fluttershy and her dearest friends. Fluttershy looked down at the two brothers who now had pained expressions on their faces.
"Is...is this true?" she asked softly, her eyes now at the breaking point. "Did...did you...did you r-really...?" The poor mare never got to finish as Celosia and Cenobia positioned themselves in front of her, side-by-side, and looked up with morose looks.
"Yeah, we did, Fluttershy," answered Celosia with a grievous tone. "We both did...die...in the Forbidden Lands."
"We...we're so sorry we didn't tell you before," apologized Cenobia who along with his brother was on the verge on shedding tears. "It's...it was just too painful...a moment...for us to...to..." But instead of finishing, both he and Celosia reached up and embraced Fluttershy before they burst out crying with tears pouring out from their clinched eyes. Fluttershy, feeling that this would happen and being a compassionate mare herself willingly gave into the embrace and squeezed the two brothers comfortingly, despite the fact that she was now crying softly.
Needless to say, the whole atmosphere was now dreadfully melancholy as everypony watched this heartbreaking scene. For Gaius and Avion, they deeply understood how both Celosia and Cenobia felt, especially knowing that they themselves experienced terrible and tragic deaths in their old home world. They looked at each other with sad eyes and bowed their heads with reverence.
For Princess Celestia, she too felt sympathetic for the two brothers, especially with how as an immortal alicorn ruler she had known countless mortal friends over the millennia who had all died, some of whom she had watch pass away on their deathbeds. Thus as the solar watched the two boys sob uncontrollably, she silent shed a few tears herself.
For Twilight Sparkle and her friends, they felt both shocked and despondent with this new revelation that Celosia and Cenobia had brought to light, yet what made it especially appalling for them was how they'd previously known that the two of them was that the two of them had died pretty young. Twilight Sparkle held Spike with one foreleg as they both cried softly together while Rainbow Dash stood on the ground with her head stooped and her wings open and hanging on her sides, where as Pinkie Pie spewed out geysers of tears from her eyes. Applejack just simply took off her hat, placed it on her chest and bowed her head somberly while Rarity cried daintily while wiping her tears with a piece of cloth.
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, deeply upset with what they heard about their new friends, rushed up to their sisters (or sister-figure), embraced them around their legs and wept. Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash did their best to comfort the three fillies to the best of their ability.
As for everypony else in the crowd, each individual had a different reaction to what they witnessed: many wept aloud, some bowed their heads respectfully, while a few more at the crowd's edge departed to give the two brothers some room. The morose scene between the two Colossi brothers lasted for several minutes, which by that time, their loud sobbing had softened significantly. At this moment, Gaius did something: he slowly rotated the sword on his right arm to a downward position, placing the tip lightly on the ground before he slowly knelt down on one knee looking down at the two brothers.
"Celosia...Cenobia...," he said with firm but gentle voice, drawing their attention. "Please understand that both Avion and I know how you feel with this grave matter; for death is truly a traumatic and terrible thing for any who endure it. But please do not despair over that any longer. Instead, be joyful. Be joyful that in dying, the two of you have been brought and resurrected here in the beautiful world of Equestria where you can now live in the company of benevolent and gracious ponies such as these here in Ponyville. I have also observed that you both have recently made new friends here in Ponyville; friends will now have the chance to know you better just as you will do the same with them as time goes on. Therefore, I ask you of both to once more rejoice in that, despite us dying in our old home that we are now alive once more in Equestria---our new home. Please always remember that." As Gaius delivered his encouraging speech to the two brothers, the melancholy atmosphere around them and the crowd gradually shifted into a more vibrantly uplifting tone until everypony, including Celestia, Avion, Twilight Sparkle, her friends, and the CMC utterly forgot about how sad they felt as they looked at the giant biped admirably. Those who had been crying quickly wiped away their tears.
As for Celosia and Cenobia, hearing Gaius' poignant words made them forget about their deaths in the Forbidden Lands and helped them remember all the good things that had happened to them in Equestria so far and the friends they have made too. Both of them and Fluttershy slowly disengaged from their embrace while keeping their now merry gaze focus up at Gaius' eyes.
"Thank you, Gaius," said Celosia in a relieved tone. "We really needed that."
"Yeah, it was very encouraging," added in Cenobia. "Thanks for that."
"You are most welcome," replied Gaius. As he slowly stood back up, Fluttershy used her long pink mane to dry off Celosia and Cenobia's tears. That's when a now smiling Pinkie Pie decided to step forward.
"Hey, Gaius," she shouted loudly while waving one foreleg at him rapidly, which prompted the giant to look in her direction. "Gaius, would you like to join in on the what's left of the party? Because there's still lots of good-tastic fun to get through before it ends!!!" To Pinkie's surprise, Gaius tipped his head sideways and scratched his head with his left arm for a moment. Every pony took this as a sign that Gaius was confused over what a party was. Before anypony could say anything else, Rarity clopped up next to Pinkie Pie and daintily cleared her throat.
"If you'll beg pardon, Gaius," she said politely. "I do believe that what Pinkie was asking is if you be part of the festivities. That, of course, is another word for "party." You see, before you and Avion made that untimely arrival, we've having a celebration here in Ponyville in honor of Celosia and Cenobia's honorable act of saving our dear friend Fluttershy yesterday." Gaius straightened his head in when heard and understood the answer before his eyes gave a sad look followed by him giving an equally sad sigh.
"I apologize, Miss Pinkie Pie," he replied. "But I will not able to attend your festivities."
"How come, Gaius?" asked Celosia.
"Because I need to return to Canterlot shortly. For I have intentions on becoming a member of the Royal Guard in order to properly protect all those who inhabit Equestria." The mixed reactions from the crowd were instantaneous. Of course, Celosia and Cenobia were very happy in hearing about this from Gaius. Some within the crowd were touched by Gaius' good intentions, including Twilight Sparkle and her friends while others had nervous looks on their faces. Some even whispered amongst themselves over Gaius' announcement, like it was the worst thing to happen in Equestria.
"My little ponies, please hear me out," said Princess Celestia whose voice prompted the whole crowd to focus back on her. "I want you all to know that you have nothing to fear. For both Princess Luna and I personally approved Gaius' choice in joining the ranks of the Royal Guard in Canterlot under the condition that he passes a simple test. I can assure you, my little ponies, that both my sister and I have seen many admirable qualities in Gaius that make suitable in serving the Guard. All that I ask that you please give him a chance just as Princess Luna and I have." The solar ruler's words made the more skeptical ponies within the crowd think about what she said for a moment before they gave smiles of assurance, which Celestia interpreted as signs of approval from them.
"Hey, Gaius," said Cenobia. "Will you please remember to come back to Ponyville for a visit?"
"Of course I will, Cenobia," promised Gaius. He looked over at Avion, who had a thoughtful look in his eyes. "What about you, Avion? Would you like to come back to Canterlot with me?"
"Forgive me, Gaius," replied Avion. "But I would like to stay in Ponyville for a while, if you do not mind of course."
"Of course not, Avion. I do not mind that at all." The giant bird looked around the crowd and found that nopony else objected to this either.
"Guards, to me please," said Princess Celestia to the two guards who stepped forward while the Princess looked over the crowd for a moment. "My little ponies, thank you so much giving Gaius and Avion a warm welcome in Ponyville. It has also been a joy seeing you all again as well. But Gaius and I must regretfully return to Canterlot at once. I hope that you all will enjoy the rest of your day, my little ponies. But until then, farewell." The crowd watched in awe as Princess Celestia charged her horn with magic before a massive light enveloped her, Gaius, and the two pegasus guards, vanishing in an instant.
"Oh no," shouted Pinkie Pie suddenly. "I forgot to ask Gaius if he wanted a cupcake!"
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Lookin forward to more
7247732 Thanks. Were there any parts you liked in Chapter 4?
7247801 Probably Gaius pep talking Cel and Cen
7248807 Yes, I liked writing that moment too. It just demonstrates how close the Colossi are to each other.
This chapter makes me glad I never played the game and just watched my little brother play it. And now I want to beat him over the head with a pillow or something.....
7251778 Was it Celosia and Cenobia crying that gave you that feeling?
7253353 Yeah. I'm pretty sure if Wander ever ends up in Equestira Fluttershy will pull out her bear massaging moves, go Flutterbat, and make him regret ever being born.
7272798 You forget that Wander has been reduced to a mere horned-baby back in the Forbidden Lands.