Triumphant Rising
The loud screech of an alarm clock yanked Paladin Major Twilight Sparkle out of the realm of dreams. A precise bolt of magic splashed upon the clock’s face, silencing the way too cheerful chime. The purple pony rolled over upon her back, staring up at the ceiling as she waited for her normally sharp mind to finish pulling itself out of the sticky mires of sleep. She couldn’t remember all the details of her most recent dream, but she knew it had been wonderful-- featuring Princess Rarity Belle, as they so often did. As her mind finished its boot sequence she made a mental note to thank the Goddess Luna should she ever meet the Divine Pony again. With the Goddess once more acting as the Steward of Dreams, sleep was much more restful than any Twilight had previously. Even better was the fact that all of Equestria and beyond seemed to be sharing the same effect of Goddess Luna being cleansed of the Nightmare.
With a soft puff of air released from her muzzle, Twilight rolled off her very comfortable bed and onto her four hooves. This mattress was far more comfortable than any she had slept on before; as a bodyguard of Princess Rarity she’d always had a soft bed to sleep on, but the four poster bed she had in her own private quarters now that she was a Major was even more mind-bendingly soft than her old one. It was said that the mattress she had now was made out of pegasus feathers donated after preening, but Twilight wasn’t entirely convinced about that particular rumor; nor was she about to tear apart the bed to find out, even if she could repair it. That was just rude. Deciding that she was now awake enough to start her morning routine, Twilight strode over to the coffee machine in the small kitchenette of her quarters. A relatively new invention, the coffee machine was one of the very first things she had bought with the small fortune she got paid in her new position. It was so nice to start the coffee, go shower, and finish in time for the dark liquid to be finished.
With the nectar of the Goddesses brewing happily before her, Twilight then turned to head for the bath chambers, hungrily sniffing the air as she did so. She was pretty positive she enjoyed the smell of coffee almost as much as the taste. Once inside the small chamber, she paused to look at the floor length mirror next to the ornate sink. She then performed a double take at the roiling muscles coiled under her skin. Twilight Sparkle wasn’t vain by any means, but there was a lot of mare staring at her in the mirror. It’d been so long since she’d bothered to actually look at herself, she’d never noticed all of the extra density she had been putting on. It wasn’t unpleasant, far from it. She was as sleek as ever, with willowy limbs despite being only a little bit taller than most unicorns. But the muscle mass was what really completed the picture-- it filled her out, gave something else for the eye to notice-- and subconsciously respect. She now understood why she could cause mares and stallions alike to fall silent at her approach, even without her armor.
Of course, she did concede that some of her effect on other ponies could be attributed to the wicked looking scar over her right eye. That biomancer Lily was extremely good at her chosen craft. Not only had she completely healed the wound, she had also made sure the eye itself was fixed. The only thing that remained was the scar, running diagonally across the top of her head near her horn down towards that same cheek. She made a second metal note of the morning to find out if Lily would be interested in joining Princess Rarity’s guard regiment as a part time healer. Twilight wasn’t about to pull the biomancer from her day-to-day life, but having one within easy reach would be very nice. Finally turning away from the mirror, she stepped over to the enormous shower situated along the far back wall. The shower could comfortably fit four or five ponies, and not for the first time Twilight wondered why they even made a shower so big.
With a well practiced motion Twilight twisted the knobs to just the perfect temperature; that sweet spot between almost hot enough to scald yet still cool enough it would relax tense muscles. The showerhead in this shower was of her own design, with holes big enough to cause the water spray to be fat droplets. After long days in her armor and dealing with all sorts of ponies, getting a nice little massage in her shower without the hassle of heading to the local spa was nice. Wasting as little extra time as possible (she did still have a schedule for today to adhere to), she lathered herself in her lavender scented soap and began scrubbing her coat. Even with her sheer endurance, most days since the return of the Princess ended with her too exhausted to bother with personal hygiene, so cleaning first thing in the morning was mandatory. Hopefully with her being able to delegate some of her workload to ponies assigned under her, she’ll actually have a little more time to relax with a good book here and there. Twilight then quickly rinsed herself off, reveling in the absence of the sweat stench. While she was used to it in part thanks to her occupation, she was still a mare and enjoyed smelling clean. Her mane was next, her magic expertly teasing out the knots and tangles that it always seemed to form into in the middle of her sleep.
That done she turned off the water and stepped out onto the tiled floor, dripping water everywhere. She paid it no mind; her personal cleanliness wards would take care of some droplets on the floor. While every other noble seemed to love having servant ponies constantly cleaning up after them, Twilight didn’t see why it was necessary when a few simple wards would do the trick just as well, and save the servant ponies some extra work. Completely ignoring the cabinet full of towels, a blast of heat from her horn quickly dried out her fur and mane. She then began multitasking, braiding her rather long mane up into its usual ponytail while simultaneously brushing her teeth. The paladin spit gently into the basin and side stepped to flash herself a rather dazzling smile. Then, giggling softly, the unicorn trotted from her bath chambers just as the coffee brewer dinged, signalling the end of its cycle.
She fetched her favorite coffee mug, a solid crystal little thing with the words Misfit scrawled across the front in loopy hoofwriting. The mug had originally been the result of a mean spirited joke, but Twilight had took it in stride by promptly naming her training squadron Misfits. The bullies weren’t entirely sure how to react to Twilight and the rest of the unicorn trainees completely ignoring obvious racial attacks, and while that instance wasn’t the last it was the only time Twilight had let them get to her in private. After the Misfits started breaking and setting records, the earth pony and occasional pegasi paladin cadets couldn’t really do much to drag the unicorns back down again. Three small teaspoons of sugar and a thick dollop of chocolate syrup went into the black brew, the clinking of the stirring spoon seeming to echo slightly in the spacious bed chamber. The unicorn mare took a long gulp of the beverage and immediately started feeling herself perk up even further.
She finished her cup of coffee in several swift swallows, just as she always did every morning. She set the mug in the kitchenette sink to be washed later and proceeded to grab her large purple thermos. The remainder of the pot of coffee went into this thermos, and she swiftly began preparing it just as she had her small glass. As she dedicated part of her mind to that task, another part sent her magic questing towards her walk-in armory that took up a good quarter of the far wall, facing the double doors of the chamber. By the time she finished with her morning drink, her magic had assembled her gear in neat little piles in front of the armory doors. Casting a critical eye over the equipment to make sure she wasn’t missing any pieces, the unicorn paladin began tugging on her symbol of office. The chain link undershirt went on first, the metal feeling cool to the touch as the charms held within the shirt adhered itself to her fur. Next came a necklace that housed the Element of Magic. Twilight had agreed that walking around with a crown on her head would be a little presumptuous, and so had turned the powerful artifact into a necklace to match its kin.
Yet, it also wasn’t just the Element of Magic. It was also her armor. The artifact was powerful enough and familiar enough with Twilight that it had all the makings of becoming a soulstone, which is exactly what the unicorn had turned it into. Now, instead of being forced to wear her full armor every day, she only wore Magic. The soulstone could deploy her full plate armor in seconds, ensuring it was there when she needed it. Only paladins of the highest caliber were ever allowed to carry souled equipment, and the fact that she could do so still boggled Twilight’s mind sometimes. Of course, since she didn’t have any other gemstones or magically inclined material her weapons could be souled to, she still needed to carry them on her person; luckily it wasn’t too taxing to keep her personal pocket space going all the time. Twilight stepped up to the mirror on the inside of her armory and touched a hoof against the Element gleaming at her throat.
Immediately her armor began to deploy, materializing seemingly out of nothing in a matter of moments. Her segmented body piece was first, clamping to her undershirt almost eagerly. Next came her legplates, snapping into place and increasing the strength Twilight felt in her legs substantially as the enhancements kicked in. She lifted her hooves one at a time, allowing her boots to flow out from the legplates. Lastly, her helmet settled over her head, hissing air as the armor filled with the compressed air enchantment. Before her heads-up display had time to calibrate, however, Twilight took the head piece off and clipped it to her right foreleg. She examined her reflection, the brilliant amethyst gemstone gleaming in her chest piece. Giving herself a small nod as she made sure everything was in place, Twilight then turned to the weapons still resting upon the floor. Her custom balanced longsword buckled at her left side flush with her body, stopping just shy of where her saddlebag could be clipped to her flank. Her tower shield, emblazoned with her cutie mark, went into the clips on the back of her armor. Its weight felt very comfortable as it settled there, and then with a well practiced flick of her left shoulder the defensive tool swung outward with a familiar series of clicks, locking into its ready position. Flicking her shield back across to its resting place, the purple pony gave herself a once over.
Gleaming lavender armor, check. Sword in scabbard, check. Shield across back, check. Helmet, check. Other forms of weaponry? Check. Even as she checked off that mental box she gathered up her auto-loading crossbow and stashed it into her pocket space. Several drums of crossbow bolts followed soon after. It wasn’t a weapon she was the most comfortable with, but Twilight had long since learned that having a ranged option aside from just her magic was mandatory. As heroic as she had probably looked throwing her shield around (and even though it made for a surprisingly effective ranged weapon), having a crossbow on hoof simply meant she would be better prepared in the future. She also made a quick review of the emergency equipment still in her pocket. Portable campfire, handfuls of gemlights, several coils of rope of variable thickness, a few brush knives and hatchets, some firesticks (on the off chance a non unicorn had to light a fire), and even a few replacement hilts for her sword and a two spare tower shields. Striking out with her squad with minimal supplies in an effort to rescue Princess Rarity had taught Twilight there was never such a thing as being over prepared. Lacking even maps to guide them, the four paladins had been lucky they even managed to make it to Ponyville without wandering around in circles for weeks or even months. Equestria was a pretty big nation, with swaths unsettled land; simply one of the side effects of ponies preferring to stick together. With Ponyville being a relatively small village off to one side of Canterlot, there wasn’t even a real road between the two locations.
Finally satisfied that she was fully kitted out, the paladin snapped the doors to her armory closed and snatched up her thermos of coffee. Taking a swift swallow from the container, she closed the lid and snapped it to the latches on her left foreleg. Taking a glance at the nearby clock, Twilight determined that she was running a full fifteen minutes ahead of schedule-- like always. With a small flicker from her horn, she eased open the doors to her bedchambers and stepped out into the main hallway of the palace. The two Xenith Guard stationed on either side of her door saluted as it opened, and Twilight returned the salute before turning smartly and trotting swiftly down the corridor. She no longer had to escort Princess Rarity to the Grand Hall for breakfast (even though she still did sometimes), instead relegating that duty to one of the new members of her Princess’ guard detail. Without fail, the new recruits were all rather eager for that particular job; even the Wonderbolt mercenaries Commander Dash had assigned to Twilight’s purview went at it with gusto. Twilight really couldn’t blame them; Princess Rarity was easily as well loved as her parents.
As the unicorn approached the end of the hallway, she noted that Trixie, Sunset, and Twinkleshine were also approaching the intersection of corridors directly across from her. The way all four of them arrived at the same time was a little creepy to most other ponies, and secretly the close knit group of friends enjoyed the air of synchronized mystery. With nary a word of greeting, the paladins fell into lockstep with Twilight in front, Sunset and Trixie to either side, and Twinkleshine bringing up the rear. The posse made a right, putting the corridor that lead to the renovated nursery to their backs; apparently the Royal Family was expecting another daughter. The quartet marched in quiet silence for a bit before Sunset spoke. “You reckon they’ll ever get used to us doing that?”
Trixie’s response was a soft snort. “I doubt it. Just the other day I overheard a couple of maids discussing the idea that we’re one singular pony split up into four bodies.”
Despite herself, Twilight snickered. The idea was ludicrous, but she couldn’t fault the serving staff for not knowing any better. “Well, we did practice this as a way to unnerve other cadets.”
“Sure, but I think what we have now is even more impressive than what we were originally trying to do.” Twinkleshine giggled a bit.
“Too true. So, oh glorious leader, what’s our agenda for today?” Sunset chimed.
Twilight Sparkle resisted the shockingly strong urge to turn around and glare at the amber mare. How in Equestria Sunset managed to sound utterly infuriating yet respectful of her commander’s station was something that likely wasn’t ever going to be solved. Instead, the major gave a reply. “We’ll swing by the kitchens to grab a quick bite while on the move. We’ve got our usual ten minute grace period since we weren’t escorting her highness to breakfast ourselves. After that, we need to head directly to headquarters for inspection. Princess Rarity finally has a moment to see how her new guards are doing.”
“Is the princess worried about a lack of discipline?” This came from Trixie in her usual blunt manner.
Twilight shook her head. “Far from it. This is her time to actually get to see most of the new ponies in charge of her protection. It’s not going to be just her, either. The King and Queen mentioned a visit with Rarity, and I seem to recall my brother muttering something about stopping by.”
The purple paladin could almost hear her three friends perk up a bit. “Your brother, Shining Armor? The battlemage?”
This time Twilight did turn to glare back. “No, I’m talking about Spike, the Royal Messenger. Of course I’m talking about Shiny, Spike doesn’t really have an interest in guard work.”
“Oh, I hope my armor is polished enough!” This came from Twinkleshine, and she seemed completely immune to the Deadly Glare of Death her commander was nailing her with.
“I wonder if I should keep my helmet on or leave it off…” Sunset, likewise, was equally undaunted in the face of wrath leveled at her. The only one who didn’t say anything was Trixie, but Twilight could still see the eager light in the powder blue mare’s eyes.
“Okay, look guys. I don’t care what you want to fantasize about in your free time. On the job, I do not want to think of my brother that way, and I’ll thank all three of you for remembering your discipline in front of the Royal Family. Am I clear?” Twilight never once raised her voice; she rarely had to, really. When she was this serious, she had a strange habit of appearing to be even bigger than she already was.
As one the three unicorns behind her stopped and snapped off a salute. “Commander,” they chorused, and Twilight new they would follow orders. She turned to continue their brisk trot.
“I hated pulling rank on you three, but seriously? Ew.” A full body shudder rolled through her frame, from the tips of her ears down to her hooves. “Ew, no thank you at all.”
“Sorry, commander. But seriously, that reaction alone was hilarious enough.”
Twilight released a long suffering sigh as her unruly subordinates giggled behind her. “Sometimes I wonder why I put up with you three.”
“'Cuz we get stuff done?” Sunset asked cheekily.
“One of these days, I’m going to put that theory to the test,” Twilight warned, but without any real heat to her words. From there, the rest of the journey was relatively silent, or at least as silent as sixteen hooves tapping out a rhythm could be. The kitchens were still busy with the breakfast rush, but even so one of those amazing ponies had put out four extra, extra large banana bread muffins for the paladins. Despite her best efforts Twilight had never been able to determine which one of the cooks took the time out of their busy work to make sure the four of them had breakfast on the mornings they had little time to sit down and have a proper meal; an even bigger mystery was how those ponies managed to memorize the paladin’s schedules almost better than Twilight herself did. Still, Twilight waved to some of the cooks in thanks and received grins and waves in return before she dug into the deliciousness before her; despite the muffin being almost as big as her entire head she’d finished the treat in a few large mouthfuls. The purple unicorn only paused in her gait to take a swift chug of her coffee before continuing on, and like clockwork her three subordinates followed.
“I think the only other ponies capable of matching our creep factor are those kitchens,” Trixie commented dryly. “I’d almost wager they were a part of the armed forces, with how oiled they are.”
“They’re certainly something,” Twinkleshine agreed. “You ever discover who is responsible for leaking our timetable to the kitchens, Twi?”
The paladin in question shook her head. “Nope, and after a while I quit trying. The only thing I did manage to figure out is that they seem to stagger who sets out breakfast for us, probably to prevent me from correctly guessing who it is. Sometimes it's infuriating, all I want to do is thank them.”
That comment got their commander a laugh, and shortly after silence reigned again. They were nearing the front doors of the palace; as such, the amount of creatures going to and fro increased substantially. The Misfits might not normally care about self image, but the sight of four renowned paladins moving with purpose, no words being spoken, was enough to clear a little bubble around the group. Other paladins in the throng even paused to offer brief salutes to Twilight Sparkle, and as she returned them she had to really struggle to keep the self satisfied smirk off her features. Her new rank as both nobility and a paladin major placed her on almost the same level as Sacred Shield, otherwise known as the Sword of Celestia, who oversaw each and every paladin in the realm. There had even been a rumor or two floating around of Twilight being called the Sword of Luna (okay, more than couple) but Twilight had done her best to stamp those rumors out as quickly as she could. The last thing she needed was ponies giving her titles for no reason. Even so, seeing as Twilight only answered to Princess Rarity Belle like Sacred Shield only answered to King Magnum, there were few other paladins who outranked her.
Shortly after the group was outside, hanging a right towards the brand new barracks that had been built explicitly for Rarity’s new guard detail. King Magnum had insisted on entirely new buildings after Twilight warned him that she would be considering applications from any branch of the armed services, and not just paladins. That discovery had earned her a bit of backlash from the public at large and even a few of the less educated paladins but Twilight had remained firm. As a general rule, paladins had one method of operation: Get in, do some damage, and get out, preferably keeping the attention of the enemy on you as long as possible. Twilight knew this well, and decided from the get-go that Rarity’s personal unit would be as adaptable as possible; to that end, Twilight had chosen soldiers from every branch of the armed forces. The Rangers, Royal Air Force, Medic Corps, Paladins, standard Infantry, several Equestrian Intelligence agents, and even a few promising pilots from the brand new Flight Mechanical Division who flew the fledgling airships Equestria had started fielding.
Voices emanating from the small courtyard of the barracks made Twilight pause right before reaching the opening. She could easily pick out the dulcet tones of Rarity inside, and a smaller murmur sounded like King Magnum. Checking the watch on her foreleg, Twilight confirmed they were still five minutes early. Glancing back at her friends, Sunset was the one to nod. As one the four unicorns lifted their helmets and settled them into place with muted clicks. Twilight barely gave her heads up spell the chance to activate before she was already marching through the open boundary of the small settlement. As she did so, an elegantly carved sign that hadn’t been there yesterday was staked just to the left that read Templars of the Generous Diamond. Twilight had enough time to marvel at the fact that their new name was visible for all to see before the newcomers caught the attention of everyone present at the barracks. It wasn’t just the Royal Family who was there. Every current member of the Generous Diamonds was there, as was Shining Armor, Spike, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. Letting her eyes pan around, she could also see several Wonderbolt uniforms in addition to Rainbow Dash slightly hidden behind Shining Armor, the two of whom Twilight assumed had been holding a conversation.
With all the eyes on her specifically, Twilight blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “What is this, an interrogation?”
The tiny courtyard exploded into mirth, and Twilight was glad her helmet hid her embarrassed blush at completely ignoring protocol. Before she could attempt to fix her mistake, Rarity stepped forward to hug the purple mare gently. “Nonsense, darling.” The diamond princess proclaimed. “But… word got out that the famed Major Twilight Sparkle was going to be recounting her harrowing campaign to rescue little old me; turns out everyone who’s anyone wants to hear.”
Twilight removed her head piece so she could properly glare at her beloved. “And I don’t suppose you know who started those rumors, right?”
Completely ignoring the sarcasm, Rarity replied easily. “Of course I don’t, but… well, you’re here now, so what’s done is done.”
Twilight heaved a suffering internal sigh. She loved Rarity to death, but sometimes that mare… The major grabbed her coffee and took a long drought. Feeling the hundreds of eyes on her, she switched her glare to the creatures who were supposed to be her subordinates. Several ponies, griffons, and deerfolk met her gaze eagerly. Sighing aloud this time, Twilight realized she had little choice in the matter. She cast her voice amplification cantrip and began speaking.
“I suppose if I’m going to do this, it would be better if I start from the beginning. I don’t think you’re going to understand the determination I had in the Everfree Forest if you don’t first know where that determination comes from. I’m sure most of you know that there’s a pretty hefty racial stigma against unicorns becoming paladins…”
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A sequel?
Oh... my... gosh...
Sequel?
OhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygosh!
YES!
Now that my episode is over, I would like to say that I never expected or even heard of a sequel happening.
I can honestly say that I am excited! I wish you luck in creating a worthy successor!
omg, this is why i keep watch over stories I already faved <3
All of my want
Them references
Interesting, going to check out your other work now, Flicka.
8396785 Glad you enjoyed! I'm not entirely sure anything I write is worth checking out, but people seem to enjoy them all the same. Now, if only I could actually update regularly...
I'm glad to see that this story is up to your usual high standards. There are a lot of cute and/or interesting things here, and I must say it has me curious to learn more about this world so I'm very much looking forwards to that prequel you mentioned you were working on. Really the only criticism I have of this one is that it could use a quick editing pass to clean up mechanical errors because there were a fair number of those, but it doesn't hinder enjoyment too much so it's not that big a deal.
Was thrilled to see this had a new chapter when I went to reread it.
Do we know when the sequal will be???
8837079
You flatter me far too much meep, though a compliment is a compliment. I'll see if I can give you a few pointers later.
Chainlink-Armor with fur underneath . . uurrrg i pity the fools having to wear that . .
This is great! You have left me wanting to know all about the retrieval of Princess Rarity. I hope you continue Twilight's battle report/storytelling. Plus, you have gotten your characteristics right. Twilight is as good as Canon while Trixie and Sunset play into the part while keeping their basis character intact.
Well done! Thanks for the read!
9639753
It was was referencing Panacea/Amy Dallon from the 'Worm' web serial. And how she's a biokinetic that gets her power from being linked to a Shard of a giant space thing. The space thing is also sometimes called an Entity.
Me irl before work.