Episode 21: "Gallus the Royal Guard"
…
Ever since war had been declared on Grogar and his Legion of Doom, Equestria had been mobilizing for the long road of war ahead. Perhaps no one was more concerned or interested in what was coming than the students at the School of Friendship. Some of them were concerned while others were hoping to serve Twilight and the other princesses, to have a chance at fighting for glory and honor in Equestria.
However, for Gallus the Griffon, joining Equestria's military was more than just serving. He had an ambition to win the heart of a hippogriff that he had a crush on. He also had a dream of putting to rest a dark period of his past where his entire life had come crashing down.
One day, Silverstream and Luster Dawn arrived at the Treehouse of Harmony when they heard wartime music coming from one of the rooms within the treehouse:
Oh, the army's not the army anymore
It's better than it's ever been before
The bugler blows I can't get 'em up
At quarter after seven
But if you're tired, stay right there
And sleep until eleven
Ba rum dum dum rump ba da bum da dum
Oh, the army's not the army anymore
"Hmm," Silverstream remarked, looking over at Luster Dawn. "Since when did we get a record player?"
"Well it's either that or Gallus has taken up singing," Luster Dawn remarked as they walked into the treehouse. "And I certainly don't hear him singing." Meanwhile, the song began playing again:
The army's not the army anymore
It's better than it's ever been before
You used to walk a mile for beans
But now they bring them to you
And all the generals say "hello!"
As though they really knew you
Oh, the army's not the army anymore
Walking up the stairs, they went into the room where Gallus was doing his homework while listening to a record player:
They've got a lot of hostesses
The gals are really cuties
And entertaining these co-eds is part of your regular duties
Ba rum dum dum rump ba da bum da dum
Oh, the army's not the army anymore
"Um, Gallus?" Silverstream called, but the griffon didn't hear her. "Gallus?"
Going over to the record player, Luster turned it off and only Gallus' humming was heard, but not for long. "Who turned off the music?" He asked, turning around sharply and seeing Silverstream behind him as he blushed. "Oh, Silverstream. I didn't hear you there."
"Of course you didn't, Gallus," Silverstream remarked while picking up the record that Gallus was playing. "What exactly is this anyway?"
"Sandbar loaned it to me," Gallus explained. "With all this talk about war and stuff, it really got me interested."
"Interested? About what?" Luster Dawn asked while reading the record label. "'Classic wartime tunes?' Must be a new trend or something. Never really heard of them."
"That's because no one's ever needed to listen to war time tunes as of now," Gallus explained. "I mean there was the Griffon Civil War, but we all know how that went," Almost immediately, Silverstream couldn't help but notice a strange look on Gallus' face, almost as if he had something to hide from her. "He also loaned me a few others in case you are interested." He added while handing several other records to Luster and Silverstream.
"Um, thanks," Luster Dawn stammered with a puzzled look on her face. "'Pack Up Your Troubles'? 'It's A Long Way To Canterlot'?" Hmm, if you like, I can listen to it after I get all my homework done and give you my feedback on it."
"Me too," Silverstream added, sitting down next to her beloved. "Um, Gallus, is there something you're hiding from me?"
"What do you mean?" Gallus blinked.
"I mean, ever since Headmare Starlight announced that Tempest Shadow is coming to speak…" Silverstream began.
"Fizzlepop Berrytwist." Luster Dawn corrected.
"Yes, well, ever since Fizzlepop Berrytwist was announced that she would be speaking to us, you've been being very secretive about something to me," Silverstream pointed. "Are you interested in joining the military? Is that why you're listening to all this war time music now."
Gallus felt his eyes widen upon hearing this. "Why do you ask me that? What would give you that idea?" He asked, trying to hide his intentions. "All I'm trying to do is to show my support for Tempest Shadow…"
"Fizzlepop Berrytwist." Luster Dawn corrected again much to Gallus' slight annoyance.
"Whatever," Gallus shrugged his claws. "All I'm trying to do is show my support for Fizzlepop Berrytwist. She's one of the underdogs like I once was. I mean, look at what I went through, seeing my dad going crazy for one thing and causing me to…."
"Yes, how could I forget that, Gallus?" Silverstream asked, remembering the Hearth's Warming prank that caused Gallus to open up about his background. "We never knew you were suffering so much until then."
"Remember also that Tempest had her own issues with her past, yet now that she's Princess Twilight's captain of the royal guard, she has a chance to make her positive mark on Equestria." Luster Dawn added.
Luster's words echoed through Gallus' mind, but he knew that he and Tempest were destined to come together one way or another. He had a dream, an ambition to protect and serve all creatures of Equestria and no one was going to deny him that chance.
"Why do I get the feeling that Gallus is going to join the army?" Silverstream thought to herself as she attempted to focus on her schoolwork. "He's too young and besides…I love him."
…
…
The next morning, the whole student body of the School of Friendship was gathered in a large auditorium as Tempest Shadow looked up at them with a nervous glance on her face. "Do you think that they'll revile me? I know they're probably going to me… scary." Tempest asked Sunburst as she sat on the stage.
"I think they'll accept you for who you are, mostly," Sunburst replied and reassured her. "After all, we are at war. So they might view you differently given your military background."
"I hope so. Still, I'm more used to barking out orders than having friendly chats in classrooms," Tempest nervously confessed, looking at the multi-creature students, then she suddenly took notice of Gallus, sitting with his friends. "That griffon there, the one sitting next to that bubbly hippogriff. He's looking right at me. Who is he again?"
"That's Gallus. He's one of the students who saved our school from Cozy Glow," Sunburst pointed out. "Supposedly, he and Silverstream are close, like really close. But he always insists it's nothing."
Tempest kept her eyes on the griffon. She didn't really know why but something seemed to be drawing her to him.
"Good morning, everycreature," Starlight announced as all in the auditorium quieted down. "I'm sure a lot of you are excited about us having a really important guest speaker with us today. With Equestria in a state of war, I feel that some of you will have a lot of questions regarding what's going to happen, and how you can help fight this war."
"She's looking right at you," Silverstream whispered. "Tempest has her eyes on you, Gallus." Gallus. meanwhile, noticed that Silverstream had her claw in his, and felt a sense of Silverstream being worried for him.
"Everycreature, please join me in welcoming Captain Tempest Shadow of the Equestrian Royal Guard, specially assigned to the protection of Princess Twilight Sparkle and her co-rulers." Starlight instructed.
With the sound of applause, Tempest stepped forward, giving the audience her full attention. "Thank you, Headmare Starlight," Tempest replied, clearing her throat. "And uh… my actual name is…" She blushed. "Fizzlepop Berrytwist. But please, call me Tempest."
Feeling slightly embarrassed, Starlight backed away quite nervously.
"Now, as your guest speaker," Tempest began while pacing back and forth across the stage. "It's my duty to inform you of how you can help with the war effort First, I want to make it clear to anyone still confused: Yes, I am the same Tempest Shadow who onced attacked and enslaved the citizens of Canterlot per the Storm King's orders."
A series of nervous murmurs befell the students upon hearing this, including Luster Dawn herself.
"But," Tempest continued. "Rest assured that I am no longer that same pony. Thanks to her highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle, I've been given a second chance in life. And that second chance is helping Equestria fight against Grogar. But I cannot do it alone. I need your help, every one of you has a part to play," Activating her broken horn, Tempest produced a screen showing off a list of ways that creatures could contribute to the war. "These are the three ways any of you can contribute to the war effort," She explained. "First: You could enlist either here or with the armies of your kingdoms if you wish. I can tell you right now that if you enlist, you will be put through some of the most rigorous training of your young lives."
Gallus took this statement seriously. To him though, it didn't really matter what would happen. He had tough skin underneath his feathers.
"The other is by buying…" Tempest started to say only to stop when she looked to her left. "Um, Grubber? Grubber?"
"Sorry, Tempest," The hedgehog apologized as he carried a large box followed by Hannibal. "We weren't paying attention to the…"
But Tempest snatched the boxes away from her assistants and turned back to the audience. "By buying these," Using her magic, Tempest pulled out a green piece of paper with Twilight's portrait in the center. "These are war bonds," She declared. "The money you use to buy these war bonds will go towards producing weapons for our troops on the front lines. If you wish to buy now, my assistants will be coming up and down the aisles with these bonds, and will provide further instruction if needed."
Doing as they were told, Grubber and Hannibal proceeded to go up and down the bleachers.
"Finally," Tempest concluded. "How many of you here hold a specific talent?"
Right away, several students raised their wings, hooves or other appendages, including Ocellus, Smolder and Yona. "Good, because there will be plenty of times where our warriors will need to be entertained. It doesn't matter what you do, as long as it keeps our spirits up both on and off the front lines." Tempest smiled.
"We could do our cheerleading routine again," Ocellus whispered to Smolder and Yona. "It would be perfect."
"Yona like this idea!" Yona whispered back but Gallus had his own intentions.
"But remember this," Tempest cautioned as she concluded her lecture. "We are all in this together. Each of you must play his or her part in defeating Grogar and his allies. Only by working together can we win this war."
…
Once the assembly was over, Gallus set his attention on seeking out Tempest. Going down the bleachers, he approached the broken horned pony. "Excuse me, um, Captain Tempest?" He nervously asked as Tempest turned around to face him. "That was a…nice assembly you gave."
"Indeed," Tempest remarked, addressing the griffon. "You must be Gallus, correct?"
Suddenly, Gallus felt his heart sink in shock! He couldn't believe that Tempest knew who his name was. "You…you know my name?" He asked.
"I do," Tempest answered. "Princess Twilight told me about you and your friends, Gallus. About the special bond you all share. And she told me about your troubled past. I feel like we might have something in common. So if you're interested, come to the castle after school today and I will relay my plans for you."
Following this advice, Gallus left the auditorium "I can't believe she knows my name," Gallus thought to himself as he dashed to class. "And for that matter, my troubled past in general. Something must be up."
Meanwhile, back in the auditorium, Tempest was left alone with Starlight and Sunburst.
"I'm sure the students could learn a lot from you, Tempest," Starlight remarked as Tempest stepped off the stage. "But, do you think that focusing all of your attention on Gallus…"
"Princess Twilight told me that he needs personal guidance and direction," Tempest interrupted. "Just as she once gave me."
"Tempest we…" Starlight stammered. "We have a lot in common, but…Gallus might be too young to even enlist in the Equestrian forces. For that matter, even our older students might not want to enlist."
"Look, Starlight Glimmer," Tempest firmly declared. "Everycreature must play his or her part. Even I sense that young Gallus has a hunger for fighting not only this war, but a personal war of his past. Think about that, why don't you? He could be great if he had a way to channel all his resentment and self-doubt in a productive way."
Flabbergasted, Starlight watched as Tempest left the auditorium followed by Grubber and Hannibal. "I shall see myself out, Headmare Starlight."
Starlight reluctantly nodded. "Um, okay." Waving nervously, Starlight could only wonder if one of her most troubled students really could or would be willing to enlist if given the option.
…
…
When the school day finally ended, Gallus prepared to make his way over to the Castle of Friendship, but Silverstream was concerned. "So, you aren't going to the treehouse?" She asked while at the lockers.
"Sorry Silverstream," Gallus answered. "But Captain Tempest Shadow wants to see me. This might be my one chance to finally kick the demons of my past! A chance to finally give back to the country that gave me friends, a home and most importantly a family!"
This made Silverstream think back to when Luna had helped Gallus confront the actions of his father. She'd thought that would be the moment where Gallus would get over his past. Yet now it seemed like it had all been for nothing. "But what about going to your father's grave in Griffonstone?" She wondered. "Isn't that enough?"
"I shut the door on my past, now I have to start thinking about my future," Gallus declared. "Look, Silverstream, I'll be back tonight. But right now, Tempest is waiting for me and I don't wanna let her down."
Before Silverstream could say another word, Gallus dashed away. The young hippogriff felt worried that the love of her life was possibly making a big mistake. And to her, she felt there was only one pony who could possibly help her in this situation.
Leaving the School of Friendship, Gallus made his way next door to the castle and knocked on the front door, expecting Spike to answer. But,when the door opened, he got a surprise in the form of Grubber. "Um, Tempest told me to meet her here," Gallus said to the hedgehog. "She said so herself, didn't she?"
"Y-yeah," Grubber slowly replied. "But uh, that's what she wanted you to think. Uh, Hannibal?"
Hearing the sounds of thumping, Gallus turned around and saw the storm creature wielding his spear and shield, growling menacingly. Reacting fast, Gallus managed to dive out of the creature's way. "What?! Are you nuts?!" Gallus cried to Grubber as Hannibal whacked him with his shield and onto the ground. "I come in peace!"
Hannibal didn't listen as he leapt into the air and attempted to squash Gallus like a pancake!
Fortunately, the young griffon managed to duck out of the way and taking his front claw, he clenched it into a fist and punched Hannibal in the chest, sending the storm creature stumbling back slightly.
Snarling, Hannibal grabbed his spear and attempted to finish off Gallus, only for a commanding voice to stop him.
"That's enough, Hannibal!" Gallus turned to see Tempest Shadow in her royal guard armor.
"Captain Tempest," Gallus cried out. "What…what's the meaning of this? I thought you wanted to…?"
"Did you think that this was going to be an ordinary conversation, young griffon?" Tempest remarked. "This was merely the first test in which you will demonstrate your abilities. I always believe actions speak louder than words."
This made Gallus confused. "My…abilities?" He blinked.
"Yes," Tempest nodded while pointing the tip of her spear at Gallus. "Your abilities. Now follow me, unless you're having second thoughts about this."
"No ma'am," Gallus shook his head. "But where are we going?"
Tempest smiled. "Why, to begin the first part of your training of course."
"My training?" Gallus wondered as he reluctantly followed Tempest to an unknown destination.
…
Back at the School of Friendship, Silverstream was in Trixie's office trying to come to terms with what was going on with Gallus. "He…I don't know, ever since Gallus heard that Tempest Shadow was coming to visit the school, he seems…determined to fight in the war despite his age."
"Most creatures do have that hunger to prove themselves, Silverstream," Trixie remarked. "And the desire to fight for what they hold dear. I mean, he's only young once."
This didn't bode well with Silverstream, giving the magician and guidance counselor a cold stare. "But that's just it, Counselor Trixie," Silverstream protested. "He's still young, he's still a child. Even at his age he's too young to be fighting. What can I do to make him understand that fighting the war in his way is too dangerous? If it's still ongoing when he comes of age and he's fully graduated, maybe then he can reconsider."
It was then that Trixie suddenly came to a conclusion. "Silverstream," She spoke up, walking over to the young hippogriff. "This may sound odd, but…do you…love Gallus?"
"What…what do you mean?" Silverstream blinked in confusion.
"I mean, do you love him in general?" Trixie pointed out. "Do you have feelings for him?"
Suddenly, Silverstream began to feel slightly awkward at being asked such a question. "Uh…"
"Anything you say in this school, doesn't leave this school," Trixie promised. "Your word rests with me, Headmare Starlight, Vice Headstallion Sunburst and Professors Celestia and Luna. Even your friends don't have to know."
Sitting up, Silverstream looked up to the ceiling and sighed deeply. In her mind, there was no use in running anymore. "Yes," She firmly answered. "Yes, I do love him, Counselor Trixie. It's scary, but it's true. I love him with all of my heart. That's why I'm worried about him joining the fight against Grogar like this. He's gonna get himself killed, I just know it!"
"Then, perhaps you should tell him that," Trixie suggested. "Tell him how you really feel about him so he understands."
"Counselor Trixie, are you sure about that?" Silverstream cried. "What if he rejects me? Or what if he…?"
But a touch of Trixie's hoof quieted Silverstream. "These things take time, Silverstream," Trixie said. "He'll understand everything in due time. I mean, it's like a magic trick that you want to keep practicing over and over again until it's right, right?"
Silverstream said nothing.
"Hey, I'm a part time magician. So if I say it's true," Trixie pointed out. "You need to tell others these things while you have the chance." Still Silverstream had to absorb the fact that she had feelings for the young griffon.
…
Meanwhile, Gallus found himself back at the School of Friendship's track and suddenly found himself staring down a rather bothersome sight: Three caged timberwolves right in the middle of the field.
"Welcome to the first lesson of your training, Gallus," Tempest declared. "These timberwolves are deadly creatures and only you can defeat them."
"But first," Grubber added, holding what appeared to be golden royal guard armor in his paws. "You got to look the part."
Nervous, Gallus took the armor and put it on him as the sounds of the timberwolves continued to grow louder and louder.
"You expect me to fight these things?!" Gallus cried to Tempest. "What are you…insane?!"
"No," Tempest quietly replied. "It's time for you to grow up some more. You will not fight them all at once, and these timberwolves have been trained. Worse comes to worse, I will intervene. But I expect you to put up a fight."
But Gallus was not prepared for what he heard next.
"OPEN THE CAGES!" Tempest shouted and a dark blue aura opened the cage doors and the timberwolves were released, one charging right towards Gallus while barking and snarling.
Gallus could only gulp at what he was about to go through.
Barking and snarling, the first timberwolf charged at Gallus! Gallus grabbed his sword, waving at the timberwolf while trying to defend himself. However, the wooden wolf was too quick for Gallus, leaping at him and forcing the griffon to the ground.
Taking the sword, Gallus attempted to roll out of the way as the timberwolf attempted to pounce on him. But Gallus kicked it in the jaw, allowing himself time to get away.
"This is your first big test, Gallus!" Tempest called. "The timberwolves represent much more than themselves!"
Taking to the air, Gallus managed to avoid the first timberwolf, but another swatted him back down on the ground! Using his shield to defend himself, Gallus could still smell the timberwolf's bad breath breathing down on him. "Gallus," He suddenly heard a voice that was all too familiar to him. "Gallus, my son."
Gallus suddenly began to hear the voice coming from within the timberwolf's mouth. "No, no it can't be!" He cried, grunting and pushing the timberwolf back with his feet. "No!"
Charging, the timberwolf bit down on Gallus's right leg as he tried to fly back into the air! All the griffon could do was struggle and cry out in pain. "Dad?!" He cried out! "Why are you in there?! Can't you just…?"
"Gallus, listen to me!" He heard the voice again from within the timberwolf. "I know you hate me for what I did. But, I love you and have been watching over you since…"
"Shut up!" Gallus snarled, taking his sword and slashing at the timberwolf! Then, taking his shield off the ground, Gallus began beating it on the timberwolf over and over again. "You never loved me…"
"I do love you, Gallus," The voice protested from within the Ttmberwolf. "And I want you to think about what you're doing."
"Doing what?" Gallus cried. "Joining the army to fight?! I did it to get away from you! Bury my past forever! If you've come for forgiveness…"
"Son, I know you will never forgive me," The voice said as the timberwolf pushed Gallus to the ground and placed its paw on his underbelly. "But you must think about what you're doing. You aren't just doing this to bury your past, are you?"
"What are you saying?" Gallus thundered, the pressure of the timberwolf's paw pushing down hard.
"I mean, you have feelings for somecreature. Somecreature who cares about you." The voice explained.
Growling, Gallus managed to push the timberwolf off and in a fit of rage, took his sword and began trying to cut it into pieces! After several moments, Gallus stopped while the other two timberwolves ceased their advances.
"You're joining the war to impress your hippogriff friend, right?" The voice asked as Gallus turned around to see the ghost of a griffon. "The one called Silverstream?"
"It's more than that, Dad. It's more than you would ever understand," Gallus protested. "Yes, I love Silverstream and you can't stop me from loving her! But this isn't about her!"
"Son, I want you to think about what you're doing here today," The ghost cautioned, trying to place his ghostly claw on Gallus. "I admire your ambition to join the royal guard, but…"
"But what?" Gallus asked. But then suddenly, he turned to see the other two timberwolves transform into Celestia and Luna respectively. "Professor Celestia?! Professor Luna?!" He cried, before turning to Tempest. "What's going on here?"
"We all care about you, Gallus," Luna explained as she approached the young griffon. "But your father has a good point about your feelings for Silverstream."
"Don't do this because you love her, Gallus," Celestia cautioned. "I want you to live a full and normal life and I'm sure everyone here agrees with me."
Turning around, Gallus saw Tempest, Celestia and Luna all nod their heads in agreement.
"But, but…joining the royal guard, fighting against Grogar…" Gallus started to protest.
"There's much more to the royal guard than just fighting wars, Gallus," Tempest cautioned. "And there are other ways you can contribute off the battlefield. I had to learn that the hard way after the Storm King was defeated. You're still young and your education should come first. Trying to be a hero is not a bad thing, but if it's all you think about it will lead you down a path of no return."
Gallus was shocked at what he was hearing as at that moment, Silverstream came down to the field with Starlight and Trixie following suit.
"Gallus!" Silverstream cried, landing in front of her boyfriend and hugging her. "I heard all the noise and…"
"Silverstream!" Gallus interrupted while taking an enormous gulp. "There's something you need to know."
"That you love me?" Silverstream guessed, much to Gallus' shock.
"Well, yeah, but…" Gallus stammered. "I…I only considered joining the royal guard…to…to make you proud of me. So that when I defeat Grogar, you can look at me as a hero."
A smile came onto Silverstream's face and she placed her beak onto Gallus' giving him a big kiss as the older mares stepped back. "You're already a hero in my eyes, Gallus," Silverstream warmly replied with a smile. "And I want us to have a future together. But I need you at my side for that to happen. Please, Gallus. We can both contribute to the war without either of us needing to risk their lives just to prove something."
Overwhelmed with emotion, Gallus threw himself onto Silverstream, hugging her tightly.
…
From a safe distance, Tempest and the other mares watched what was going on. "There's more to being a royal guard than just fighting," Tempest remarked. "It takes much more."
"Yeah," Starlight sighed, remembering her own troubled past. "Gallus' dark past is something he's been trying to bury. But he can't bury it forever. And sometimes we have to face our fears head on before they lead us to do things we shouldn't do."
"It's the same for everycreature," Celestia added. "There are other students who no doubt feel the same way as Gallus."
"What are you saying, sister?" Luna wondered.
"I think your sister is saying," Trixie answered as they all left the field to give Gallus and Silverstream some privacy. "That this war is going to affect a lot of students, and like Gallus they may want to join in order to prove a point."
"So what should we do if that happens?" Celestia asked.
"We'll think of something, Celestia," Starlight reassuringly replied. "I have a feeling this is only the beginning of what's to come for the school."
As the two alicorns and two unicorns walked back into the building, Tempest turned around and saw Gallus and Silverstream still on the field. "And it's certainly the beginning of what's to come for you, Gallus," Tempest thought to herself. "You and your friends. Hold onto them and never lose sight of them. Even Twilight believes they may hold the key to Equestria's future."
…
…
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10358051
Yeah. I know what you mean. They had so much potential.
Either 1. there could be an episode involving the Princesses and Spike trying to negotiate a peace treaty between the Diamond Dogs and the Abyssinians in order to get their help against Grogar and his Legion, or Grogar could use his magic to upgrade the Diamond Dogs with dragon DNA (granting Fido, Rover and Spot the flying ability, increased strength and durability and flame breath of teen dragons [in addition to the ability to get bigger and more powerful when they get a large enough horde of valuables] to make them tough enough to be useful, but still stupid enough to stay loyal).
In all honesty, either is equally likely.
Excellent job on this latest chapter. Absolutely loved the work that went into the exchanges, characterizations, action and future chapter set-up. Loved the little Shout Out to "Donald Gets Drafted" (namely the song "the Army is not the Army anymore") as well as Gallus's reasons for joining the guard, the tender moments with Silverstream, Tempest's training methods and the reflections on just how much the war is going to effect the students.
Very definitely looking forward to the rest of the season as well as Season 12 (as well as some post-war seasons if you can think of enough episode ideas to keep it going after Grogar and his Legion are defeated.
Season 12 might be after Grogar gets defeated, no one realises that he has a last ditch effort, a secret weapon that could potentially kill the usually immortal princesses and destroy the land....
A bit interesting on touching on the idea of Gallus want to be a royal guard due to what The Last Problem had done.
Liked that tender moment between him and Silverstream too.
Didn't expect that Celestia and Luna pull that "disguise as an animal for something" bit again but this time with both sisters there. Though I wonder if there would be a time where Luna makes only Celestia disguise as an animal for something. Just a thought I guess.
I wonder when Gallus's father's ghost spoke to him, did the others hear him too?
Would be interesting if Luna is able end up hearing/speaking to the spirits of the dead/passed on or something. Felt like it seems fitting maybe.
Another thought that came to mind.
10339499
If that will happen, would the Royal Sisters get to interact and defeat him before that happens?
I mean the closest interaction they had with the one that is behind the very invasion that caused one of the greatest humiliating failures Luna and Celestia suffered through as rulers is most likely just hearing him while they are stuck as statues(pretty sure they were conscious since we kind of heard Celestia's muffled scream I think).
Well.. a actual true "rematch" against the Storm King's army for the sisters to help that huge scar of humiliating defeat heal is impossible due to Tempest and the Storm King's troops reforming(same with about the changelings from the season 2 and 6 finales, a "rematch" is impossible due to them reforming..) so.. just fighting and beating the Storm King is kind of a start I guess.
Wished those scars of defeat the sisters suffered from the movie was addressed instead of the writers brushing them aside.
What bothers me in the movie aside from shafting the Royal Sisters(especially Luna for me) is how there's no negative repercussions.
Like.. Luna and Celestia failed Equestria big time(right infront of all of the ponies) by falling to an actual military invasion. Forced to rely on the Mane 6 to succeed where the sisters misterable failed again. This defeat stinging more than the other previous times due to Equestria actually fell(for 3 days but still) to a actual invading country/force. The sisters failed as protectors and rulers there big time. (And the fact this happened on the very first Friendship Festival they experienced. Sadly the very last one they would experience too as rulers of Equestria, making it feel worse)
And yet Luna and Celestia brush this aside and not be bothered by it AT ALL. I am pretty sure a defeat like this(especially with the other defeats in the past) would damage their confidence big time.(And the fact they can't have any chance of redeeming their images as rulers due to they retired. Especially for Luna.. That's what also bothers me about their retirement.. they, especially Luna, didn't get to address all those scars of defeat and redeem their images as rulers before they retired. Luna's image is really suffering much worse than Celestia's)
I feel like Luna would really take it hard. Like her returning from the moon only to repeatedly fail or get sidelined when some villain attacks.
I'm just.. bitter about the movie and the fact what it did to the Royal Sisters is brushed aside instead of addressed on how badly it affect them. Luna most likely taking it worse.
Sorry about the big post..
Just wanted to let out my thoughts on that bit about the movie..
Once Gallus trains with Tempest in the army, i think of this:
"Make a Guard Out of You" (parody of I'll Make a Man Out of You" from Mulan)
Tempest: Let's get down to business, to defeat Grogar..
Did they send me creatures, when I asked for ponies?
You're the weakest bunch I ever met,
But you can bet before we're through...
Creature, I'll make a guard out of you...
Tranquil as the Everfree, but on fire within...
Once you find your center, you are sure to win..
You're a spineless, weak, pathetic lot...
And you haven't got a clue...
Somehow I'll make a guard out of you....
Lilly: I'm never gonna catch my breath..
Bulk Biceps: Say goodbye to those who knew me..
Derpy: Colt, was I a fool for not joining the Wonderbolts...
Spike: This pony's got 'em scared to death..
Gallus: I hope she doesn't throw me out..
Lilly: Now I really wish that I knew how to swim...
Chorus: Be a guard..
Tempest: We must be swift as the coursing river...
Chorus: Be a guard..
Tempest: With all the force of a great typhoon..
Chorus: Be a guard..
Tempest: With all the strength of a raging fire,
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon....
Tempest: Time is racing toward us till the Legion arrive...
Heed their every order and you might survive.
You're unsuited for the rage of war,
So pack up, go home, you're through....
How could I make a guard...out of you?
Chorus: Be a guard...
Tempest: We must be swift as the coursing river...
Chorus: Be a guard...
Tempest: With all the force of a great typhoon...
Chorus Be a guard...
Tempest: With all the strength of a raging fire,
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon...
Chorus: Be a guard...
Tempest: We must be swift as the coursing river...
Chorus: Be a guard...
Tempest: With all the force of a great typhoon...
Chorus: Be a guard...
Tempest: With all the strength of a raging fire, Mysterious as the dark side of the moon!!!
Everyone: Hoof rah!