Progression
Chapter 16: Progression
True to Shining Armor's words, the Royal Guard squads that had been deployed to the far reaches of Equestria returned a day and a half later with several-hundred prisoners in tow. It was the largest mass arrest in the history of Equestria...which wasn't all that surprising, given the nation's relative lack of a history of mass arrests. Simply arranging for the space to hold all the arrested cultists had been a logistical nightmare, as Canterlot's sole prison (an extension of the Palace dungeons), was not meant to hold that many ponies. Celestia had anticipated that particular issue and had been making arrangements. Unfortunately, due to the haste with which the operation had been launched, many of those arrangements weren't yet complete. And all that came just before the bureaucratic nightmare of arranging trials for them.
All this meant that Celestia's planned reckoning with the Noble Court would have to wait. Guard investigators went over every inch of Elderflower's mansion, seeking evidence to convict his coconspirators. As evidence emerged, those ponies were placed on house arrest in their Canterlot estates, not permitted to leave while squads of the Royal Guard patrolled outside constantly. The air was filled with tension, as many of the detained nobles still had their cadres of mares-at-arms with which they could potentially try to use in order to force the issue. At least two members of the Noble Court had fled Canterlot for what remained of their properties in other parts of Equestria, the Guard following swiftly on their hooves.
Despite the tension, nothing had happened so far. But still, Canterlot, and the rest of Equestria along with it, held its breath as its inhabitants awaited the first spark that might set the city ablaze.
In contrast, Ponyville remained quietly pleasant as its inhabitants continued to rebuild their lives in the wake of Terra Heart's visit. Despite the fact that Canterlot was visible to the naked eye from the town, hardly anypony seemed to pay the city on the mountain any mind.
Fortunately, there was no longer any danger of anypony needing to cover damages to their homes and businesses. Shortly after Twilight Sparkle's return, Mayor Mare received a notice and a substantial deposit into the town's relief budget. If anypony had noticed that the amount of the deposit was equal to sum total of Baron Elderflower's monetary assets, they held their tongues. The deposit had come with a promise that more would be available if Ponyville needed it.
In the wake of their jaunt to Canterlot, both Rumble and Scootaloo had been grounded for a month by their respective families. Melon Cream hadn't originally intended to punish her daughter in such a way, but felt it wouldn't be fair to Rumble if he was the only one who was grounded, especially since Scootaloo had confessed to being the instigator of their departure. Needless to say, Cheerilee was not enthusiastic about the idea of two of her students cutting class and playing hooky by way of playing heroes...particularly without so much as a note. As a consequence, Rumble and Scoootaloo found themselves lumped with detention on top of their grounding, and a few days of makeup homework to boot. Despite the fact that the two of them were proud of what they'd accomplished, neither of them was feeling particularly happy with the outcome.
Despite all that, life in Ponyville was well on its way to returning to normal. The events of Twilight's abduction seemed to have occurred in the background for most ponies who were not within her immediate circle of friends. While a few had noticed her absence, nopony had commented on it, which actually made it easier for Twilight, as the last thing she wanted was to be hounded by ponies desperate to know what her experience in Baron Elderflower's custody had been like. All in all, things were proceeding quite naturally...with the exception of one minor hiccup...
"So...I was kidnapped," said Twilight matter-of-factly.
"Yeah," said Spike as he slid another book into its place on the shelf. His voice was still faintly gravelly from the strain his throat had been under the past couple of weeks.
"I was taken right out from under everypony's noses in Ponyville and spirited all the way to Canterlot for a few days," continued Twilight.
"That's right."
"You were all panicking because you had no idea where I was."
"Uh huh."
"Princess Celestia actually considered postponing the operation against the Cult Solar when she heard about it."
"Yep."
"Arkenstone, Scootaloo, and Rumble came up to Canterlot and actually had to force their way into Elderflower's mansion so that they could rescue me."
"Eeyup."
"...And all throughout this whole ordeal, through everything that was going on...Nopony bothered to tell Rainbow Dash about it."
"Um...yeah," said Spike, grinning sheepishly at Twilight, who looked more confused than angry about that fact.
"Not that I wanted to drag Rainbow away from her Wonderbolts training to help me...But why?" asked Twilight, tilting her head. A second later, she was forced to swat at her ear to dislodge a buzzing fly. The little pests had been oddly persistent ever since she'd gotten back from Canterlot.
Behind her on the table was a letter from the mare in question, which had been delivered through Spike's flames (Rainbow having been left out of the loop regarding the current moratorium on dragonfire letters) via a set of specially made candles Twilight had given Rainbow before she'd left to join the Wonderbolts. Twilight and Spike had worked Spike's dragonfire into the candle wax, giving the flames the properties of Spike's own fire, allowing Rainbow to send letters back through Spike, even if she wasn't a unicorn. If nopony had written her and Spike hadn't sent any letters to her, Twilight wasn't entirely sure how Rainbow had learned about the whole ordeal. However, the one thing that was certain was that Rainbow was not happy to have been left out of the affair.
Spike shrugged. "I sent a letter to Spitfire through one of Ouranos' feathers, since I figured this was the kind of emergency that she gave us those feathers for. She wrote back, saying that she was leaving it to us. I figured she'd tell Rainbow and that they were just all busy helping bust up the Cult Solar." Spitfire's reply had come through Spike's fire, lending credence to the idea that Rainbow was aware of the situation, as Spike presumed that Spitfire was using one of Rainbow's candles for that purpose. However, it was possible that a unicorn from the Guard unit she and the Wonderbolts were assisting had sent it instead.
"Hmm..." mused Twilight, tapping her chin.
"I don't think we should worry too much about it," said Spike, "There wasn't much Rainbow could have done in any case. Besides, we can tell her that everything is just fine now."
"That much is true," agreed Twilight, "Still, I hope Rainbow isn't too upset over all of this."
"I can't believe you!" yelled Rainbow Dash, glaring across the desk at Spitfire, who didn't flinch beneath the angry gaze of those cerise eyes. Rainbow's multicolored tail lashed angrily as she flared her wings, spreading cerulean feathers to either side of her in a classic gesture of pegasus agitation. "How could you find out that Twilight was in danger and not at least tell me about it?"
Spitfire's eyes narrowed. She'd been prepared for this outburst since the day she'd learned about Twilight Sparkle's abduction. Naturally, a mare as loyal and devoted as Rainbow wouldn't be happy to learn that one of her closest friends had been foalnapped. "I made a decision as the leader of the Wonderbolts and as a Knight," said Spitfire simply, "I believed that the last thing you needed was to be distracted during such a crucial time."
"Distracted!" Rainbow exclaimed.
Spitfire's orange eyes narrowed as she returned Rainbow's glare with a steady gaze. "That's right. If I'd told you, what would you have done?"
"I'd have gone to Canterlot to do something about it!" declared Rainbow.
"What?"
"I would have found Twilight!"
"How?"
"I...uh...um..."
Spitfire sighed and raised a yellow hoof, running it through her yellow and orange mane. "You would have bolted off to Canterlot and thrown yourself into the middle of a Royal Guard investigation, only making things even more difficult. On top of that, you would have been offering Elderflower and his cronies an additional target."
"Yeah..." admitted Rainbow, her wings sagging and her ears drooping.
"Look, I understand that this hurt you," said Spitfire, "I may have been wrong to keep it from you. I certainly hope that you'd be able to listen to me if I told you not to go haring off after your friend. Perhaps I should have more faith in you. But what's done is done."
"You're probably right," Rainbow admitted, "I wouldn't have been thinking clearly. I obviously wasn't a minute ago."
"That happens sometimes," said Spitfire, "You don't always have time to think things through and will just have to go with your gut sometimes. One of the most difficult things to learn is when to differentiate between those times and the times when you have the opportunity to think about what you're doing. You have to factor in the wider context of the situation. You're participating in important training and you're a target for a rogue stallion with exceptionally dangerous armaments. Rushing off would only expose you to danger you're not ready to face.
"On top of that, you have to consider your future position. You're going to be facing decisions like this occasionally as a Wonderbolt. If you're on the job with me, you can't afford to abandon your position and go rushing off the instant you hear one of your friends is in trouble." Now Rainbow was the one standing cowed as Spitfire stared sternly across the desk at her.
"I think you've grilled my student enough," said the mare standing behind Rainbow, "It's true that she's impetuous and still occasionally reckless, but you really should have been honest with her from the start."
Spitfire's ears went flat and she nodded hesitantly. The pink mare smiled as she moved to stand next to Rainbow, gently extending a wing and draping it over Rainbow's back. Though she was considerably older than either of the other ponies in the room, Firefly scarcely looked it. The most apparent signs of her age were the light wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and lips, the hallmark of a mare who'd spent most of her life smiling. Her light-blue mane and tail showed no signs of graying and her blue eyes were as clear as ever, sparkling with life. Firefly was the eldest Knight of the Celestial Order currently serving, a pony who had perfected the pinnacle of pegasus magic and who was now teaching that secret art to Rainbow Dash.
Most ponies would have never even dreamed of talking to Spitfire as Firefly had. As a fellow Knight, Spitfire was technically Firefly's equal. But Spitfire had too much respect for the pony who had once mentored her to take offense at Firefly's tone. "I suppose that's true," admitted Spitfire.
"There," said Firefly, now smiling brightly, "Now that everything's settled, we can get back to work. Rainbow here still has a long way to go, so I can't afford to let too many things get in the way."
"Right," said Spitfire distractedly as she met Rainbow's gaze one last time, "I'm sorry for deceiving you like that."
"And I'm sorry for bursting in here and yelling at you, Captain," said Rainbow, "I'll try to think things through more carefully next time."
The two of theme exchanged nods and Firefly guided Rainbow out. Spitfire sank back with a relieved sigh. "I just wish I could use some sort of time travel spell to go back and smack myself on the back of my head when I had that 'brilliant' idea."
"Ugh...I can't stand this," groaned Scootaloo irritably as she and Dawn made their way back towards Ponyville. Though he certainly wasn't obligated to, Dawn felt as though he were at least partially responsible for Scootaloo' s actions and had made it a point to wait through detention with her and Rumble. Fortunately, between the three of them, Scootaloo and Rumble were able to get caught up on the work they had missed relatively quickly. Also, for all that it was a pain, detention was also an ideal time to get homework done so that they didn't have any waiting when they returned home for the day. Scootaloo really wished she could enjoy that more, as the only thing she had to look forward to after school was heading straight home, where she would remain under the watchful eye of her mother.
Dawn tried to provide her with as much company as he could, under the auspice that he was her teacher as well. Scootaloo was grateful that her mother hadn't grounded her from training as well, something Melon Cream wouldn't even actually consider unless Scootaloo had done something truly deplorable. However, for the time being, that was to be the extent of Scootaloo's social life. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Rumble were unable to interact with her outside of school, as Scootaloo was forbidden from leaving the house, or her mother's supervision when they went out together. Treats from Sugarcube Corner were scarce and only available after being earned through several extra chores beyond the ones usually expected of the filly.
"You're doing quite well," said Dawn, "It won't last forever. I think you'll be able to manage."
Despite her frustration, Scootaloo couldn't quite keep a smile from her face as she listened to her coltfriend's words. After all, Dawn was also grounded...in a different sort of way. According to Doctor Stable, his magic was recovering, but, for the time being, Dawn remained ground-bound. Given how much that experience had frustrated him, Scootaloo figured she could soldier her way through what was ultimately a much lighter sentence.
"I'm just glad I didn't get back a few days later," she said, "Another week and I would've been grounded during my birthday."
"Birthday?"
"That's right," said Scootaloo, grinning at her coltfriend, "It's coming up next month. Come to think of it, I think Bloom's isn't too much later...Sweetie too. All of us were born pretty close together."
As she spoke, Scootaloo noticed that Dawn's confusion was replaced by calm acknowledgment. "I see..."
Scootaloo shrugged off his bland response. Instead, something else occurred to her. "Hey Dawn...when's your birthday?"
"I don't know," said Dawn.
"Oh, cool..." It actually took Scootaloo a few seconds to register what Dawn had just said. His tone had been so casual and unconcerned that the actual substance of what he had said had flown completely under her radar. "Wait! What do you mean you don't know?"
"I don't know," repeated Dawn, "My Master and I never learned the day I was born, so I've never really had a birthday to speak of."
Scootaloo froze in place, blinking as she processed this new revelation. Dawn was an orphan. Though his memories of that time were fuzzy, due to him being so young, Dawn did know that he had been thrown out of the cloud home that he'd been living in by the pony he'd identified as his mother. By lucky chance, the pony that would become his Master, teacher, and father figure for the next few years had been passing beneath and had managed to catch Dawn as he'd fallen towards the ground. When Dark Wing, the pony who'd caught Dawn, returned the colt to the cloud mansion that he'd fallen from, the owners of said mansion had denied ever having a foal.
The prevailing theory was that Dawn had been rejected by his parents due to being born with the Eyes of Nightmare. Given that his presumed parents belonged to the pegasi upper-class, they had likely perceived his condition as being a threat to their status and prestige and had attempted to cover it up by removing Dawn from the equation.
Taking that into consideration, Scootaloo supposed that she shouldn't have been surprised that Dawn didn't know the date of his own birth. However, something else concerned her more. "Even if you don't know when you were born, you must celebrate your birthday sometime, right?" she asked, already having a worrying premonition of what the answer would be.
Dawn shook his head. "No. Actually, back then, I didn't even realize that ponies celebrated the day they were born. I'd seen parties from a distance when we'd tried settling in one town or another, but never knew what they were for. The subject never came up between us."
"What about when you got to Ponyville?" asked Scootaloo, her eyes growing wider, "You've seen birthday parties around here."
There had been plenty of birthdays in the intervening time since Dawn had arrived. Some had been for Fluttershy's friends or ponies in their class. Now that she thought about it, Scootaloo vaguely remembered Dawn watching those exchanges from a distance, as though he were some in some foreign place, observing some strange cultural ritual that was unknown to him. He hadn't actually participated in them, though he did bring an obligatory present for most of them.
"That was when I figured out what birthday parties were," said Dawn with a shrug, "But I don't know when my birthday is, so I've never had one myself. It doesn't seem all that important to me."
Scootaloo's jaw went slack as she stared at her coltfriend. The idea of not knowing when you were born might not have seemed all that daunting in and of itself. However, the thought of never having that special day where you and your friends celebrated your becoming a year older...that thought made her heart shudder.
Once again, she shouldn't have been surprised. Birthdays were just another entry in the long list of things that Dawn's Master, had apparently never bothered to teach him about. Before he had come to Ponyville, Dawn had no idea what Nightmare Night was about. Nor had he ever celebrated Hearth's Warming. His life with his Master had been one of constant instruction, focusing on developing Dawn's skills and abilities. However, the consequence was that Dawn had missed out on several important experiences that Scootaloo and those around her had always taken for granted.
"Is it bad?" asked Dawn, a little unnerved by the sight of Scootaloo gaping at him.
It took a moment for Scootaloo to regain her composure. After working her mouth back shut, she struggled to find the words to say. "Well...It's kinda important. I guess you'd have to actually have a birthday party to get the feeling. You might want to think about it."
"If you say so..." said Dawn.
Their walk continued in awkward silence as they resumed their journey to Scootaloo's home.
"Remarkable..." mused Wight Shade as he studied the object in front of him. Given that the material was so reflective, it had been tricky finding the proper lighting to examine it with. But Wight and Kombu had eventually settled upon a light in the red spectrum. The object he was currently examining was a wing, Perlin Bluestreak's wing to be precise. "You actually succeeded in bonding mithril to a living organism without impairing the function of the altered limb. I'd given up on that."
"I know that it's nothing close to what you achieved," said Doctor Kombu, staring across Perlin's back at Wight.
"Nonsense," said Wight with a chuckle, "You've completely exceeded my achievements in this field. The entire reason I took my research the way I did was because I came to the conclusion that there was no way to do exactly what you have done. That you have succeeded where I failed is completely to your merit."
"You're not upset?" asked Kombu.
"Why should I be? You've uncovered a new dimension of study in the bonding of organic and inorganic materials. By all rights, Perlin's wings should shred themselves to pieces if he even tried to flap them. Yet he can fly and wield them as though they were little more than ordinary feathers. This is a revelation! How did you achieve it?" Wight's eyes shone with curiosity as he looked up at Kombu, betraying a childlike eagerness to learn everything about Perlin's wings, now that he had the chance to examine them in earnest.
"It wasn't easy," admitted Kombu, using his magic to carefully manipulate Perlin's wing as the colt lay limply on the operating table in front of them. Perlin wasn't unconscious or anesthetized, merely in a self-induced trance as he lay still and allowed the two unicorns on either side of him to manipulate his wings as they pleased. It was a position that Perlin was used to. It allowed Kombu to examine his wings whenever he was due for another adjustment or when the wings needed (rarely) to be repaired. Neither Perlin nor Kombu were overly fond of drugs or anesthetics and avoided relying on them unless it was absolutely necessary.
Kombu continued his explanation. "The outer layers are pure mithril. But the core of each feather contains a trace quantity of silver, almost like marrow in a bone. Given that mithril is magically and electrically resistant, it stands to reason that it would have to be paired with another metal that is more cooperative to magic in order for the wings to function like normal pegasus wings. The silver core acts as a conduit for Perlin's magic, which allows him to fly, despite the fact that the wings' weight exceeds that of ordinary pegasus wings. I also spent years working how to marry the metal to his musculature so that his wings wouldn't simply tear themselves apart at the point of contact."
"Truly magnificent," said Wight with a chuckle, "I'm impressed. It almost seems a shame to replace them."
"But it's the boy's will," said Kombu with a shrug, "I've recorded all the information on the procedure and have the records sealed in a safe at the estate in Trottingham. I am confident that I could perform the procedure again if I had the materials."
He sighed. "But therein lies the difficulty. Duke Torchlight spent over half of his fortune on acquiring the mithril just to make the boy's original pair of wings. I have had to use those resources to purchase additional amounts of the metal for his repairs and adjustments as he grew."
Mithril was not an easy material to obtain by any stretch of the imagination. Its value and the scarcity of the metal were but the tip of the financial iceberg. Mithril mostly came from the territory of the griffon aeries, many of which were still intensely hostile towards Equestria and its ponies. As a consequence, mithril often first had to be acquired by a more friendly aerie that would then trade it with ponies. This, combined with the ever-shifting allegiances of the various aeries, as they fell in and out of conflict with one another, led to the rise of an ever changing network of of "roads" through which the precious metal had to travel in order to reach Equestrian hooves.
On top of that, the vast majority of the mithril supply in Equestria was controlled by the government, especially the Princesses and the Royal Guard. As such, others, even the members of the Noble Court, had to go to great lengths simply to acquire mithril, even in moderate amounts. The sheer expense that Duke Torchlight, one of the highest-ranking members of the Noble Court had gone to in order to obtain what he had highlighted this truth.
"It's worth looking into," mused Wight, "Doing so might open new avenues of research, even for the materials I work with."
"Fortunately, all that information is also up here," said Kombu, tapping his forehead, "I am happy to provide you with any information you require. It is a privilege to work with you once again."
"Excellent," said Wight with a chuckle, "For the time being, let us focus on making our customer happy." He grinned as he looked down at his "customer," who waited patiently on the table for the operation to begin.
Pinkie Pie opened her mouth and inhaled in a loud gasp that gave everypony in the room the impression of being pulled towards her. "What? Dawn's never had a birthday party!" she very nearly shrieked before she was lightly cuffed by the yellow mare with the striped mane sitting next to her.
Slumping down slightly, Pinkie grinned apologetically at Mayweather, who let out a resigned sigh before smiling and nuzzling Pinkie's cheek. "Try to relax a little more," suggested Mayweather softly before reaching up to scratch behind Pinkie's ear, causing the party pony to purr almost like a cat.
"That's what Melon Cream told me earlier," said Rarity, "She heard it from Scootaloo, who had it from Dawn himself."
"Oh my," whispered Fluttershy, her hooves going to her mouth as her eyes widened, "I had no idea!"
Their little group had assembled in the most unusual of meeting places, the employee bunkhouse on Sweet Apple Acres. Sugarcube Corner, like nearly every other establishment in Ponyville, was still going through the process of reconstruction. The Cakes were currently supervising the acquisition of new ovens, bakeware, and other equipment, taking the opportunity to upgrade to newer models of nearly everything after having spent the last twenty years using the old sets. The library would have ordinarily been the venue of choice for a meeting like this. However, Dawn was helping Arkenstone prepare for the reopening of the teahouse. The two of them, along with Spike and Caramel, had taken over thee library's kitchen to experiment with new blends and even snacks that could be served along with the tea. Fortunately, such experiments promised to keep the boys occupied for several hours.
"You never asked?" inquired Twilight, glancing at Fluttershy, who sank back behind her mane a little.
"Um...I wasn't sure if Dawn was ever going to bring it up. I thought it might be an uncomfortable topic for him." Fluttershy sighed. "I never even considered that he didn't even know when it was or that he'd never celebrated it. He never even said anything during any of the birthday parties we went to."
"I suppose it just never occurred to him," said Rarity, gently tapping a hoof against her lips, "I'm sure that he's probably noticed ponies celebrating birthday parties before, but he never thought to bring it up himself. He probably didn't want to be a bother. He is that sort of colt after all."
"Well...Ah'm wonderin' if we need to do anythin' 'bout it," said Applejack, drawing shocked gasps from the other ponies in the room. "Don't get in a tizzy! Here me out," she said, holding up her hooves, "Ah'm just pointin' out that Dawn don't seem to think it's a big deal. Ya know how that colt is. He ain't one fer big shindigs or hullabaloos. He might not've brought it up 'cause he don't want anypony makin' a big fuss 'bout it like we are now."
"She has a point," Rarity conceded, pursing her lips, "That is very much like the Dawn we know."
"In that case, we might just want to wait," said Twilight, "Maybe Dawn might like the idea after he goes to the Scootaloo's birthday party. Odds are good she might talk him around."
"That sounds reasonable," said Rarity.
"No!" shouted Pinkie Pie, pounding her hooves on the table loud enough to make everyone else in the room jump, "No! No no no no nonononono NO! Dawn absolutely has to have a birthday...and a party!"
With a sigh, Mayweather lightly cuffed Pinkie once again. "Settle down."
"Pinkie, I understand you're enthusiastic about throwing parties and that it's really important to you," said Twilight, "But if Dawn isn't interested in having a birthday party, I don't think that's something we should force on him."
"That's not the point," protested Pinkie, "A birthday is a time for us to celebrate, to tell a pony how happy we are that he was born. Dawn's never had that! He's never had a day for all his friends and family to get together and share just how happy they are to know him." She sagged down. "We've celebrated things he's done. But Dawn needs a day for ponies to celebrate that he's simply there. That's what a birthday's for."
Pinkie's friends stared at her, a little taken aback by her vehemence. But, at the same time...
"I think you're right," said Fluttershy, "I tell Dawn I love him every day. But he's spent his entire life with ponies saying that he shouldn't have even been born, telling him that he was a monster, a demon. He deserves a day for ponies to say that they're happy he was born. I want a day to tell him that."
"Are you sure?" asked Twilight, "Would Dawn actually care for a party?"
"Oh...He wouldn't like a big one," said Fluttershy with a smile and a giggle, "And he'd never ask for a party himself. He'd rather not be a bother...But I'm sure he wouldn't mind a small party, something like the welcome party Pinkie did for him last year...but smaller."
Twilight and the others exchanged glances. Pinkie Pie seemed mollified by the prospect of throwing any kind of party, even if it was just a small one. While Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack had their doubts,, they defaulted to Fluttershy's expertise. She was Dawn's mother after all.
"I guess that's fine," said Twilight after a moment, "But when should it be? We don't have a birthdate for Dawn, so we need to decide what day to have his birthday on."
"Ooh! Ooh!" squealed Pinkie, grinning as she bounced in her seat, "Let's make it soon! I want to throw that party as soon as possible."
"Hush," scolded Mayweather with a roll of her eyes, "If anypony gets to decide what day is Dawn's birthday, it should be the one who's raising him."
All eyes turned to Fluttershy, who smiled warmly. "Actually, I know exactly what day Dawn's birthday should be..."
Princess Celestia stared out over Canterlot. She could see the gold-clad figures of her Royal Guard moving along the streets below, many of them having returned to their former patrols. However, it was the bare minimum that they could afford at the moment, most of the Guard being tied up in enforcing the house arrest of several members of the Noble Court. Though the number of Guards on the street were light, their presence alone was a balm to the worry and discontent of Canterlot's citizens, a sign that things were slowly returning to normal.
"It's getting late, you should retire for the day," said Luna as she came out to stand beside her sister.
"I will," said Celestia, "I just wanted to make sure that everything was going well."
"The city shall see to itself for the night," said Luna, "You've been very busy lately."
Celestia nodded. The trials had begun. With so many ponies affiliated with the Cult Solar having been arrested, the magistrates had been forced to try them in groups according to their places of origin. The troublesome part had been separating out the well-meaning ponies who had simply been duped into joining the organization from the ponies who considered themselves true believers who presented an active threat to Luna or ponies like Dawn. Fortunately, there was a fairly simple procedure for that. Very often, all they had to do was bring Luna into the courtroom and watch the sparks fly. The ponies who genuinely believed in the Cult's doctrine against Luna often outed themselves very quickly, especially when they didn't realize that Celestia was watching.
Still, even though the majority of the Cult's leadership and the ponies staffing their temples had been arrested, the fact remained that its members were still a very real threat. Though the Royal Guard had rounded up as many of them as they could, there were likely plenty of Cultists who had slipped through the cracks. Hopefully, most of them had realized the error of their allegiance and would return to their normal lives without causing trouble. However, Celestia was sure that there had been a few who would refuse to accept the truth and would continue to pose a threat to ponies like Dawn and Luna in the future. Whether those few malcontents could actually succeed in rebuilding the Cult was a question that Celestia hoped she didn't need to find the answer to.
Still, she knew she couldn't afford to rest on her laurels. She'd made the mistake of not stamping out the Cult Solar in its entirety once. She would be damned if she made it possible for some other malcontent to start the whole thing over a few hundred years down the road. She would tear the Cult Solar up by its roots and make it absolutely clear that she would no longer tolerate their violent idiocy.
However, that would come after the Noble Court was dealt with. With a sigh, Celestia lowered her head. She suspected that Morning Star was somehow behind their actions as well. While she supposed that having the Royal Guard in Canterlot completely understaffed was issuing an open invitation of some kind to the nobles, there was no accounting for the speed with which they had taken advantage of the situation, almost as though somepony had prepared and primed them for it. Had Morning Star actually arranged the whole affair with the Cult Solar to draw the Royal Guard away from Canterlot for some unexplained purpose, which was carried out under the cover of Elderflower's actions? Had Morning Star accomplished his goal, whatever it was?
Whatever the case, at least we have the Elements of Harmony back, she thought..
Feeling the gentle brush of Luna's feathers against her own prompted Celestia to look over at her sister, who met her gaze with a warm and gentle smile. "Go on," said Luna, "I shall watch over the night."
"Do as you will then," said Celestia.
Stepping away from the balcony, she set off for her room, looking forward to a good night's sleep. However, she paused as she heard some commotion coming from the hallway that led to the throne room. There was the sound of raised voices and agitated tones that indicated an argument of some kind, accompanied by the sound of several sets of hooves as a decent-sized group of ponies headed her way. Straining her ears, Celestia tried to pick up the conversation and find out if it was something that she needed to weigh in on.
"Your Grace! Again, I ask you to stop this. This is highly inappropriate!" That was the voice of her majordomo, a rather stiff and stubborn stallion by the name of Habitus, who, despite his tendency to worry needlessly over formalities was an able steward, managing to make Palace affairs run like clockwork.
"Get out of my way, you simpering wretch!" snarled a second voice in an outraged, imperious tone that made Celestia's eyelid twitch. She knew that voice all too well. Duke Periwinkle, one of the highest members of the Noble Court, on a level equal to Prince Blueblood, was a common fixture of Day Court sessions. At least once a month, he brought forward some sort of petition against some pony or business that he believed had slighted him in some obscure or imagined fashion, demanding that Celestia imprison, banish, or imprison and banish those he held responsible or some other ridiculous punishment.
"Your Grace, you must stop immediately! Petitions must be brought during regular Court hours! You are out of line!" Habitus' protestations were slowly getting louder as the group got closer.
"You are the one out of line, you trumped-up hoofservant!" roared Periwinkle, clearly in one of his moods if Celestia was any judge of them, "I am not some dirt-groveling commoner to be turned away on technicalities! I will not stand by and ignore the insult that has been paid to my peers!"
Celestia sighed and turned in the direction of the conversation. If Habitus was actually giving ground, even to a pompous blowhard like Periwinkle, it was probably because Periwinkle had brought suitable intimidation with him, probably in the form of several of his guards if the number of hooves she was hearing was any indication. Periwinkle would probably not be turned away, short of Celestia summoning a Guard platoon to dissuade him, something she, unfortunately, did not have on hoof at the moment.
Instead, she opted to give her majordomo some relief and take over the conversation. Following the sound of voices, she strolled down the hallway and turned a corner, affecting an expression of surprise as she saw Habitus and Periwinkle, giving the impression that she'd stumbled across the commotion by accident.
"My," said Celestia as she looked over at the group of ponies, "What is going on here?"
True to her suspicions, Periwinkle had brought a group of his guards with him. The pastel-blue unicorn had ten ponies in blue-rimmed armor standing behind him, arrayed in ranks of two. Half of them were unicorns, while the other half were earth ponies. The guards affected expressions of cold indifference as they stood behind the outraged duke. However, Celestia could spot faint twitches of nervousness as they followed in their master's wake. Bringing an armed force that wasn't part of the Guard in some fashion into the Palace was very illegal. That extended even to members of the Noble Court, who often thought themselves above the laws meant to control the "common ponies."
"Your Highness!" exclaimed Habitus, notes of relief and pleading in his voice as he addressed her, "This ruffian has ignored all decorum and barged in here, unannounced and with an unauthorized-"
"SILENCE!" roared Periwinkle, cutting Habitus off, "I'll have your hide for daring to refer to me in such a fashion."
"You will do no such thing," said Celestia, pretending to hold back a titter of amusement, "I value Habitus' skills very highly and I would not like you to deprive me of them."
"Then you should remind the fool not to forget his place and insult his betters," snarled Periwinkle, both his tone and words actually causing the front row of his guards to step back in surprise as they stared at their master like he had gone mad.
Celestia actually giggled for real at that. "I suppose I should," she said, "However, that would require that one of his 'betters' actually be present for him to insult."
Reeling as though he had been struck, Periwinkle worked his mouth furiously as he stared at Celestia with wide eyes. Habitus was also staring at her with a similar expression of amazement. Favoring her steward with a smile, Celestia said, "You can go now. I will take care of things here."
"A-are you sure, Your Highness?"
"I am," said Celestia, "You are dismissed for the evening. Go get some rest. We have a busy day tomorrow and many affairs to attend to."
"And do any of these affairs pertain to redressing the insult paid to my peers by the Captain of your Guard?" asked Periwinkle as Habitus trotted past Celestia to escape down the hall behind her, only barely managing to keep from breaking into a full-blown gallop.
"That affair shall be attended to," said Celestia with a smile, "I am sure that it is on the docket somewhere."
"This is the highest priority!" insisted Periwinkle, "The ponies your Captain has placed under house arrest are the leaders and ruling powers of Equestria. How dare he treat them like a batch of common criminals!"
Celestia found herself laughing for real, much to the discomfort of Periwinkle's guards, who shifted nervously and began stepping back slightly. "Indeed, they are not common criminals," said Celestia, "They are criminals of the most uncommon sort."
Periwinkle's eyes bulged in their sockets, his jaw going slack at Celestia's words.
Almost grinning, Celestia continued. "Shall I list out the crimes they stand accused of? They include conspiracy and accessory to abduction, murder, and high treason. If it weren't for the fact that our court system is currently quite busy, they would already be rotting in prison, quite possibly for the remainder of their pitiful lives."
Periwinkle opened his mouth to protest, but Celestia cut him off. "And now you show up here with armed guards, daring to make demands of me and insisting that I bow to your will. You violate the law and bring armed ponies in my presence, forcing your way past and threatening my staff, who are infinitely more worthy of consideration than your ilk. You speak of the affronts to your peers, yet your behavior here and now is an affront to me." Celestia's tone grew harsher and darker with each sentence as her body began to shine, white light spilling out of her form. The hallway slowly began to heat up, the Duke and his escort all breaking out into sweats as the temperature continued to climb.
"Y-you can't," stammered Periwinkle, "The N-Noble Court will not allow-"
"The Noble Court cannot allow or disallow anything anymore," said Celestia, her voice booming down the hallway, making the windows rattle and the doors shudder, "It is officially disbanded. You and yours are hereby stripped of the tattered remainders of your authority, your titles are no more than meaningless words. You stand before me, commoners one and all, just like the ponies you so scorn."
"We will not stand for this!" protested Periwinkle, "You will regret trifling with us!" He turned and glared at his guards. "You serve me. Subdue the Princess! We shall take back what is rightfully ours."
The guards exchanged nervous looks before slowly backing away from Periwinkle. Then, haltingly at first, one of the ponies in the first rank reached up with a hoof and began to undo the buckles that held her armor together. The steel plates dropped to the floor with a loud clang. One by one, the others began to follow suit.
"You traitorous dogs!" howled Periwinkle. His horn began to blaze, but abruptly dimmed when the horn, along with the Duke's entire body was washed with a golden aura.
Celestia's magic yanked Periwinkle off his hooves before slamming him bodily in the wall. "Enough of this," said Celestia, her voice a dangerous rumble. Already, the sound of hooves echoed down the hallway as even more ponies arrived. This time, it was members of the Royal Guard who rounded the corners, both in front of and behind Celestia.
Celestia levitated the limp form of Periwinkle over to them. "Take him and throw him in the dungeon, whatever cell is available."
Turning to regard the Duke's former guards, Celestia smiled as she saw them kneel. "Thank you, my little ponies. For the time being, I ask that you return to Periwinkle's estate. Look after things there. I will not leave you abandoned."
Moving in almost perfect unison, the ranks of ponies bowed deeply to Celestia before making a hasty exit, a few Royal Guards shadowing them down the halls to make sure they did as they were told. After they had gone, Celestia was left standing alone in the hallway, looking over a few piles of abandoned armor. She let out a sigh, hoping that she hadn't just made things even harder for herself.
So...yeah. When it came to writing this story arc, I largely forgot to mention Rainbow Dash at all, so I addressed it here. I'm a bit surprised nobody really brought it up (or maybe I haven't been reading the comments in enough detail).
I suppose you could call it a good thing that a government has difficulty coordinating mass arrests due to a lack of experience in...coordinating mass arrests. That means someone's doing something right...right?
Next chapter: Guess who's back. Here's a hint:
Stats
Page generated in 0.056 seconds
Total duration
724 users online
975,228 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.®
Liar liar, pants on fire.
OH THAT WAS ENJOYABLE!
and Tia, short term pain, long term gains. Your country will ultimately be better without the Noble Court.
I feel like this isn't said enough so ima say it.
Thank you for the immense amount of effort you put into these stories Moguera. Reading them is oft the highlight of my day. The characters [and associated development] are exquisite and the political machinations oft get me thinking far more than is normal, and for all of this I thank you.
6846460
Oh, so that's who he means.
...
...
...
vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/sonicfanchara/images/2/2a/196509_safe_rainbow_dash_animated_reaction_image_wonderbolts_academy_ohmygosh.gif/revision/latest?cb=20140628231728
I honestly thought that Twilight was going to ask why they didn't have Spike send her a message and then track the smoke.
What?? I don't get.... Oh. Him. Where was he all this time? Was his assignment even easy?
Finally a mention of birthdays! I've been waiting for that since story 4!
I've been wondering what Rainbow Dash was doing...
Now let me wonder when's Fluttershy's birthday, and also if Lightning Dust or Flash Spark are coming back in the story.
Oh, and what about Shade Steel?
"Hear"
Either "Habitus, who was, despite" or "an able steward, was managing"
Also double space right before that sentence
The day when Fluttershy and Dawn met each other
im wondering if he'll bring his own cranberry juice or if he'll need some provided
breakingthecode.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/coward-coward-chicken-shithead-demo-copy-copy.jpg
I wonder if we'll ever meet them.
after he goes to
theScootaloo's birthdayFinally, some ponies with some FUCKING COMMON SENSE!
Well about time numb nuts! Now do it to the rest it of them!
Pants on fire?
...I haven't got a damn clue.
6846715
Oh, I'm sure we will. Just as soon as it's safe for them to "claim" their "long-lost" and conveniently famous son.
...Pants on fire!
I was wondering when Swift Stride would be back!
Last we saw him he was running like the swift thing he is away from MS's location.
"That's not the point," protested Pinkie, "A birthday is a time for us to celebrate, to tell a pony how happy we are that he was born. Dawn's never had that! He's never had a day for all his friends and family to get together and share just how happy they are to know him." She sagged down. "We've celebrated things he's done. But Dawn needs a day for ponies to celebrate that he's simply there. That's what a birthday's for."
Never had thought of a birthday that way before. Maybe I'll let my husband celebrate mine more often now, I usually say nope. :)
Fire pants... Sounds about right to me.
But seriously who is fire pants?
I love this series...
You have my interest, but I gotta start all the way on the first one!!
Ah, so he's back is he?
Di's gunna be gud!
6846663 I'm thinking more the day Dawn got adopted... officially that is.
6846751 I'll get the fire spells.
Fed-up Sunbutt is the best kind of satisfying.
What? Dawn's never had a birthday party. lets hope somepony rains in pinkie.
I am really sure as to what day Flutter Shy has in mind for Dawns birthday but I will keep that to my self.
Celestia levitated the limp form of Periwinkle over to them. "Take him and throw him in the dungeon bout time.
as to Rainbow Dash yes I noticed she was not in the story to this point but I guessed she was spending time training with Fire Fly.
I am thinking this story over all in one of your strongest to this point in the series to this point for action that is.
*looks at hinT8 I don;t get it...DOES NOT COMPUTE...DOES NOOOT COMPUUUUTE *falls over*
6846819
6847095 It's Swift Stride.
Also, why is Morning Star spying on Twilight? I'm sure those flies are his doing.
I thought Dashie wasn't showing up in this fic because she had training she was still doing, and nopony wanted to interrupt that with Mr. Bug Gut out on the loose.
Although, and this is bad on me in a way. I feel bad for what Celestia's done to the Noble Court up to this point. Rather than channeling their world view into constructive venues. She took a rather extreme version, of completely eradicating them and their usefulness. While furthering the self importance, and need to screw over anything that fit their whimsy.
Even now. After being the cause of their petty evils. Is going to eradicate any and all potential goods she could have salvaged [as Blue Blood, and Fancy had shown they still have the capability of doing. Even if those two and Arcana did destroy their family's home / heirlooms for their future generations]. Which also in a way is due to Celestia's extreme acts on the subject, while ignoring what her actions were doing to future generations of nobility.
Sure the current court needs to be wiped. But both LunaVerse, and even in the UK. It can be made to work, but unfortunately not in this AU. And in a way that's really depressing.
___________________________________________
Still all in all. Freaking awesome fic, and I look forward to the next two chapters coming out ^_^.
6847041
reigns in Pinkie ...
But now I want to see a Pinkie rain. I bet it'd be filled with Chocolate Milk Clouds [or chocolate Icecreme] with dollops of whip cream. Or even better raining down little Pinkie Pie candies.
That'd be the best rain.
6847233
you know strangely enough that sound like a party I would like.
6847308
Yep. Pinkie Pie brings only the best for her parties. Now if she could only fix the reentry problems of her Geosynchronous Orbital Party Cannon, her parties truly would be legendary,
6847329
how is this a problem my party's are epic.
I loved whenever Swift was brought up and every pony is saying no you don't want to meet him. Lol I have waited for this and I really hope it's as funny as I thought it would be.
Probably that day when Dawn has reborn after his execution back at the end of the 2nd and at the beginning of the 3rd story (The Promise of a New Day and Storm on the Horizon), am I right?
judging by the pic in the author's note I'm gonna guess Discord because it was a very random chaotic picture.
Also with all the chaos and disharmony everywhere you'd think he would have the strength to break free again.
Ideally the Nobel court is a counter balance to the princesses, they also help rule dealing with smaller details that frankly the princesses might miss.. This applies on down the line to the mayors of individual towns and villages.. That being said thats the idea of the situation not what appears to be happening.. Truthfully I imagine while Celestia hates it she occasionally has to remind them of who is in ultimate charge
6847361
Because the 2 story tall cakes are crispy black shells on the outside, and under cooked on the inside, and the frosting and punch still miss the mark by ~ .75 - 5 miles. Depending on orbital velocity, reentry heat, and wind factors. Don't even get me started on the icecreme turning to ash by orbital friction.
Still the Disco Balls, Streamers, and DJ Summoning Jutsu are able to work 90% of the time.
6847942
I think it was mentioned in one of the previous stories (unless I am really messing something up due to how long it has been :P) that there is also an elected parliament of a sorts in place to help the Princesses rule. If I recall right, Elderflower once ranted about it how elections are bad because the members are too busy fighting for reelection, which would make the Noble Court the superior rulers because they are born to lead. Or something like that.
The Noble Court truly is an ancient artifact at this point that has long since outlived what usefulness it might have once had. Celestia's not losing any administrative manpower by disbanding them - they aren't officially allowed to interfere with non-nobles anyway. It's something she has simply been slow getting around to fixing, kinda like the Cult issue - she has let it fester for too long.
6847979 true administrative power or bureaucratic power. Sadly its true elected or hereditary officials make the laws but its the bureaucrats behind the scenes that enforce things keep the records both can be abused
6847942 I can see somewhat of a parliament being established with elected officials to serve as a check to Celestia, but who knows.
6846460 Lyra, Lyra, pants on fire.
Either Swift is back, or Fancy Pants gets lit on fire.....
I personally hope Fancy Pants gets lit on fire for some reason xD
6848013 Sky Drake said there is already some of that but they are ineffectual due to constantly working for re-election rather than governing unless both of our memories are bad
Ok, so Celestia was badass this chapter, but who's coming next chapter? Pants in fire...hmm..oh, OHHHHH!! I get it!!
6848107
It's not necessarily true that they are all that ineffectual - just because Elderflower said so doesn't make it true after all. He is completely biased and self-serving where the matter is concerned. I'd imagine they wouldn't be significantly different from our elected politicians in terms of effectiveness - who do manage to get some work done from time to time, and have the Princesses steering the overall ship regardless (even though Celestia's competence is certainly suspect as well).
In the end dissolving the Noble Court is a wholly good thing. They don't contribute in any way towards running the country - the very laws of Equestria actually forbid them from interfering with the lives of "commoners". The only ones they are legally allowed to mess with are other nobles (which is why Knighting Twilight was a real dumb move on Celestia's part - they couldn't actually touch her before that). They truly are useless.
6848347 Sorry when a group is enpowered and believes and acts like the laws only apply to the other guy laws wont stop them.. Also while they are nobles and forbidden from affecting commoners they are business ponies money ponies ect there is no way to stop them from effecting the common pony all the law does is stop obvious actions or those that are plainly against them
You're bringing back Burning Pants? I loved that guy! Best character ever. Who knew Fancy's family was so interesting?
"Celestia actually giggled for real at that. "I suppose I should," she said, "However, that would require that one of his 'betters' actually be present for him to insult."
well i have this to say
gifbooster.com/wp-content/uploads/5549/cartoon-characters-ohhh-meme_53_paused.jpg
memecrunch.com/meme/ZGFY/ohhhh-shiittt/image.jpg?w=500&c=1
i.imgur.com/SnCcn5m.gif?noredirect
6846460
6847189
Ahhhhh, that makes sense. "Liar, Liar, pants on fire" fits him surprisingly well, considering he's a good guy.
THANK YOU PINKIE AND MOGUERA!! This is EXACTLY why I love birthdays so much. I wish more people seemed to get that! *scoffs at people who want to stop celebrating birthdays because they're "getting too old" *
6846715
6846751
I wonder if Dawn might simply be the child of one that noble's maids....
6846715
Yeah, the pants thing flew over my head until after I started reading the next chapter.
Isn't there some sort of analysis spell Twilight could cast to determine Dawn's exact birth date?
Also, that scene with Periwinkle's guards was amazing. You totally should have had Celstia raise an eyebrow, tho.
vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/c/cc/Princess_Celestia_raises_an_eyebrow_S02E03.png/revision/latest?cb=20111121040826
7570075
Probably not, such things as carbon dating, and analyzing half life doesn't really work on living organisms. Although they probably could get a round about guesstimate by his size, mass, and physical development. But I doubt it could give a spot on date for things.
Nor do I think anyone would have created a spell to do so. Since the amount of people who wouldn't know how old they are, or their birthdays would be incredibly rare.
camo.fimfiction.net/Frlqjo9WZGoxNOolzNt-VJJyX6K3ouaD3CEEistc-gg?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tonycooke.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F05%2Fpants-on-fire.jpg
I call bullshit!