Remembering Harmony

by milesprower06

What We Remember

Prince Shining Armor gave his wings a stretch as he approached the Crystal Castle after another session with Captain Cumulus. While he had continually called on his military experience after resigning his commission from Canterlot's E.U.P., having frequently taken a personal hoof in training the Crystal E.U.P., he had to admit that it had been quite some time since he had to break routine and open himself up to learning again, ever since his sister bestowed him with his wife's magic that had turned him into one of the first stallion alicorns in millennia. When he returned from his visit to Ponyville with his new set of wings, he had asked his Captain of the Guard for some pointers, and Cumulus had done much more than that; having set aside time for one-on-one instruction with the Crystal Prince each and every day since. He still considered himself an absolute novice, nowhere even close to being able to stand hoof to hoof with any of his E.U.P.'s aerial guard, but he was improving every single day, and there was certainly an undeniable freedom in taking to the sky. So far the greatest challenge was overcoming the airsickness that he had ever since he was a colt. As he learned how to control himself in the air, it seemed to lessen rather quickly. He had yet to see if it would still be a problem when he was on board an airship, however.

It had been three months since the final defeat of the Storm King and his armies, and rebuilding efforts in Ponyville, Canterlot, and the northeast coast were very much ongoing, and would likely continue for years. He had called for skilled volunteers to postpone their responsibilities here in the Crystal Empire, and go to the most affected areas to help build, comfort, and feed those who needed help building, comforting, and feeding. As such, the population of Equestria's northernmost city dropped by about a quarter.

Shining approached the underside of the Castle, where the Crystal Heart was currently on display, and stopped to see the freshly carved memorial that had been placed out front, just before the Heart's receptacle proper. It was an obsidian pedestal, and a white stone larger-than-life Crystal Heart, atop which stood a proud and valiant pink quartz statue of Princess Cadance.

On the obsidian base, there was a gold engraving which read;

This memorial dedicates and honors the selfless determination, courage, and kindness of the citizens of the Crystal Empire, who took in over two hundred Ponyvillians in their most desperate hour. May Amore forever watch over them.

The memorial was simply beautiful, and what had astounded Shining the most when it was delivered barely a week ago was the age of the sculptor, Chipcutter; he was barely a colt, and he had been one of the refugees who had taken shelter up here for several weeks after the Everfree Forest had engulfed the town. He had made this statue in a matter of weeks, along with another one for Ponyville, also dedicated to what the Empire had done for them.

One of the first things Shining had done upon returning to ascend to the Crystal Empire's throne, was oversee as much of a 'funeral' that he could without a body, for his wife Cadance. But afterward, instead of observing a traditional city-wide period of mourning, he implored the Empire's citizens to help Equestria's healing efforts however they could with their time, talents, and resources.

"Spread the light and love of the Empire wherever it is needed. That's what Cadance would want us to do." He had told them.

One of his first fears in the aftermath of everything was figuring out how and when to explain things to his infant daughter. But to her credit, the alicorn foal seemed to have somewhat of a grasp of what had happened. He could almost see it in her eyes when she had touched the Crystal Heart in the closing minutes of the memorial service.

"Mama..." Flurry had whimpered as the Heart glowed brightly with her touch.

Luckily, it wasn't just within Equestria's borders where effort was being made. The sparks of friendship that the Elements of Harmony started had bore fruit as the nation slowly got back on its hooves. The Yaks farther north had donated several wagons worth of blankets. Princess Ember and the dragons aided with building materials. Sadly, Gilda, Greta, and Gabby were the only three griffons who helped with correspondence as loved ones made efforts to get in touch with one another, especially in the coastal cities. The Hippogriff Kingdom was only able to send minimal help as well, as they were also in the midst of rebuilding their fallen capital of Mount Aris. Rescue efforts in the four major cities hit hardest on the northeast coast were greatly aided by King Thorax and the Changeling Kingdom, who had also helped Twilight retake Canterlot in the closing days of the Storm King's occupation. Of all the kindgoms beyond their borders, Equestria owed its survival most of all to the changelings.

As the days passed, Shining found himself able to take more breaths of relief. As challenging as rebuilding and getting used to his new powers were, they were challenges he relished. As close as everything had come to the brink months ago, he took the chance to recover at all as a blessing. Thousands had perished in the attacks on the northeast coast, which meant thousands more had lost loved ones. So when he considered what he had lost, he found it easier to carry on when he considered what other ponies had lost as well.

A tragic few had lost virtually everything that they had built their lives on and around.

He got salutes from the guards on duty as he passed the Crystal Heart and ascended the stairs into the castle, the first floor of which was nearly two stories up directly over the Heart. He walked through the corridors up to the throne room, and stared at the throne that he had inherited from Cadance.

"Hang in there, Twiley."

Author's Note:

And thus I begin my 50th story here on Fimfiction.

Thanks for reading! Your comments and feedback are everything to me.

Comments

[TheAncientPolitzanian]

Happily surprised to see this saga get another installment!

"Hang in there, Twiley."

It won't be easy, that's for sure. Be it in Canterlot or Ponyville, she's surrounded on all sides by the ghosts of her past.

I look forward to seeing where this goes!

P.S. Happy 50th Story!

[Level Dasher]

I look forward to seeing where you bring this one. I'm always pleasantly surprised when you continue storylines that originally had a satisfying ending, and expand on them even more, and this one is no exception.