MLP A New Generation 3: The Rise of Armored Hoof

by TwiShine45

Chapter 27

Sunny awoke. A simple act, yet one that, in the light of recent events, was so cosmically relevant. It had been three months since Scarlet Wing’s attack on Maretime Bay, and the town was continuing to rebuild. Armored Hoof had been putting on show after show, donating all the proceeds towards the Rebuild Our Maretime Foundation. Thanks to the band’s popularity in the wake of their third and fourth album re-releases, the funds had made a huge chunk in the budget. However, there was still more to be done, and Sunny had hired Level Measure, the town’s best architect, to help redesign and refurbish the area. Slowly but surely, buildings were being either repaired or torn down and completely redone. The old place was looking newer by the day.

So, in light of that, an often innocuous task like waking up in the morning could be undertaken with a great deal of thanks. For Sunny, that thanks went to the magic of the ponies who had come before her, currently surrounded her, and would carry on her future legacy. It was their memories, thoughts, and determination that had willed her to create the magic blast that cleansed Equestria of Scarlet Wing’s presence. Luster, Meadow, Opaline, and their evil ways were no more. Every scouting party sent out came back with the same news: the caves where the group launched their wicked forays were completely abandoned. Sunny had sent multiple parties out, wanting to be thorough. But all the reports were exact, and the ponies could breathe and rejoice once more.

Well…almost. Sunny couldn’t quite breathe as she suddenly remembered that today was the day she’d long pined for: her coronation as ruler of Equestria. Her eyes lit up when she thought of Canterlot and the train chugging into the station there. The city had been pulled out of its dingy life as a ghost town and revitalized ahead of the big event. All of Equestria would be there. Sunny’s friends were guests of honor and the entire town of Maretime was abuzz. Reports stated that Bridlewood and Zephyr Heights were equally as ecstatic. Finally, another Alicorn would reign supreme over Equestria, bringing thousands of years of peace and harmony to the land.

Sunny smiled as she got up and looked at herself in the mirror. Once again, her purple mane was a frizzy mess. So, she braided it before heading to the redeveloped Mane Melody for Pipp’s magic touch. She arrived to find her Pegasus friend busily swooping about the place, getting multiple ponies ready for the big day. Pipp’s assistants, Jazz Hooves and Rocky Riff, were also rushing around, tending to everyone that Pipp told them to. Sunny decided not to make a ruckus, and patiently waited for her turn in line. But the presence of a soon-to-be ruler doesn’t generally go unnoticed, and it wasn’t long before Pipp saw her standing there.

“Oh, hoofness, Sunny!” She chirped. “I didn’t see you there! Jazz, get the big chair ready! We’ve got a ruler in the house!”

“OOOOOOOOO!” Jazz crowed, “I’ve been waiting for this!”

Pipp quickly led Sunny over, sat her down and started on her mane. “Well…shall we try this a second time?” She asked, cracking a wry smile.

Sunny giggled. “Yes, ma’am!”

“You must be so excited!” Pipp continued as she whirled around Sunny’s head.

“Oh, I am, I am!” Sunny said. “But…”

“Uh-oh, here we go,” Pipp said. “Come on, Sunny. Get it all out. What’s up?”

Sunny let out a long, deep, teetering-on-the-edge-of-sarcastic sigh. “Well…you see, Pipp…I’m…nervous.”

“Oh, Sunny, babe, you’re about to rule a whole freakin’ nation! It’s not like you’re participating in the first grade spelling bee.”

“I know, I know,” Sunny said. “But…I just feel like…I shouldn’t be nervous. I don’t think that’s what Twilight would want. I mean, think about it…would you want your successor to be nervous?”

Pipp rolled her eyes. “Sunny, listen. First of all, you are a PONY. You’ve got feelings and you’ve got a right to express them. If you’re nervous, you’re nervous. You aren’t dumping on Twilight’s legacy just because of a little stage fright. Secondly, you were born and bred for this. I may never have known your father, but from all you’ve said about him, I’d bet my last bit that he wanted this for you. Maybe he knew something you didn’t know. Thirdly, this is your destiny. Embrace the heck out of it! After all, it’s not every day that you’re crowned the ruler of an entire nation…”

Sunny smiled. “Thanks, Pipp. I needed to hear that…”

---

A few hours later, the train chugged into Canterlot and Sunny was assisted off by some Pegasus guards. She was wowed by everything that had gone into the last three months of preparation. The buildings were veritable pantheons of shine as she strode beside them. Each one was a mirror, reflecting its own brilliance back on her in a never ending cascade of wonder and beauty. Her smile only widened as they approached the royal castle itself, which had been fully repaired. It glowed the brightest of all, welcoming her as it surely had Celestia, Luna, and Twilight eons before. The latter of the three ran through her mind, and she was certain that she could hear Twilight’s voice singing over her as she trotted into the old palace.

I belong here… she thought, …this is what I’m supposed to do…this is my destiny!

She felt her cutie mark begin to glow as she trotted through the halls towards the balcony where Hitch himself would place the crown on her head. She was ecstatic that her special somepony was getting to participate in such a special moment with her. As she trotted along, the guards slowly fell away until only her captain, Spectral Mass, remained. She’d hired him after Queen Haven, upon relinquishing her crown, recommended that he be placed in such an important position. He’d been Haven’s captain, dutifully guarding the Pegasus queen for year upon year. Now, he had an even greater task: to guard and protect Equestria’s first Alicorn in hundreds of moons.

“Your Majesty,” he said, bowing slightly as they arrived at the door to the balcony. “I am deeply honored to be here today to take part in such an historic moment. This will define, not only yourself, my Princess, but all of Equestria. I certainly wish you the very best in your new endeavor.”

Sunny smiled, bowing back to the veteran soldier. “Thank you, Spectral. I am honored to have you as my Captain. I know you’ll do your family, the Pegasi, and all of Equestria proud. Well done, my friend.”

Spectral smiled and bowed once more, opening the door and escorting Sunny onto the balcony. Upon stepping forth, they were met with the raucous cheers of 100,000 ponies who had made the trip from their various homes. Most had never seen Sunny before, so they were amazed at getting to glimpse an Alicorn first hoof. Those who grew up with her or knew her from around Maretime were closest to the stage, cheering loudly. Finally, there were her friends, who were on the platform with her. Each was dressed to the nines, and they all arose and politely offered hoof claps on her arrival.

She was beaming as she stepped forth and looked at her new subjects. Her eyes darted this way and that as she recognized different faces in the crowd. She saw Haven and Alpha Bittle, now a couple, sitting proudly in their seats to the left side of the stage. She saw the fillies from her home bouncing up and down with sheer delight. Then, she looked over to the right where another stage had been set up and the members of Armored Hoof were cheering. Of course, she’d asked them to play an entire post coronation concert. To say that everypony was looking forward to it would be like saying the sky is blue. It was just a fact.

Then, she felt her stallion’s gentle hoof on her shoulder. “I’m so proud of you,” he whispered in her ear.

She nodded back at him. “Thank you,” she managed to get out before Hitch stepped to the microphone.

“My fellow Equestrians!” His voice thundered through the throng. “We are gathered here today to crown Sunny Starscout as Princess of Equestria! Many of you know the events that have transpired recently. Scarlet Wing was a scourge upon our land, causing division with their Distrust Dust and driving a wedge between us. It was because of anger, jealousy, and resentment that they did this. Now, let us forge a new land on our old pillars. Let us live in friendship with one another and under Sunny’s reign. May we experience peace, prosperity, and joy as she takes her throne. Long live Princess Sunny!”

“LONG LIVE PRINCESS SUNNY!”

Sunny’s face couldn’t quit glowing as she felt Hitch place the crown of the day and night on her head. She felt the power of Celestia and Luna flowing through her, gifting her control of both times. She felt the support of her friends standing there, and her favorite band as they began their set. But most of all, she felt Twilight and swore to always uphold her legacy. Scarlet Wing had died…and now Equestria had come alive.

Comments

[Phetiamwantip]

Sunny has become a princess I'm so proud of her. Can't wait to see how will she act since she's now a princess. If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride - and never quit, you'll be a winner. The price of victory is high but so are the rewards.

[LordFlareon]

I'm gonna be breaking down my thoughts on this whole ANG saga.

Negatives
1. The fact that your first G5 project involved killing off one of the main characters. Especially since the character in question was Izzy.
2. Armored Hoof played no part in Scarlet Wing's defeat, even though the plot summary implied it.
3. I wish Astral Flare had gotten a bit more focus. I thought maybe we could've seen moments where she would try to convince Sunny of her innocence.
4. Instead of Astral being killed, I think a good alternative would've been Sunny finding out about Zipp's previous support of Scarlet Wing. I think either of these would've been the situation that would've pushed Sunny to her breaking point.
5. Meadow Bloom being cast aside as the big bad of Scarlet Wing in favour of Opaline.

Positives
1. The looming threat of Scarlet Wing. Including the build-up to their first encounter and their attack on Maretime Bay.
2. Sunny and Hitch realising their feelings for each other.
3. Zipp and Quarter's friendship and subsequent love.
4. Armored Hoof's music.
5. The climactic battle between Maretime Bay and Scarlet Wing.

Overall, while I wish certain parts could've played out differently, I really enjoyed both of these stories anyway. And I'm pleased to say that I've become a big fan of Ghost after this one

[TwiShine45]

11510336
Yeah, to be honest, I'm not really totally satisfied with the way this part of the story played out. I got in too deep with too many plot points and no real positive way of tying them up. I also realized that I wasn't really happy writing it anymore. It got way, way too long and it felt both like a burden and like some other projects I wanted to do were suffering simply because this story just kept going and going. I actually agree with a lot of your points, both pro and con. Doing stuff to parody Ghost was a ton of fun. Having it be locked in to a story that felt like a slog to write wasn't.

(BTW, I will be posting the rest of my Ghost parody lyrics in my blog, so be sure to check that out! I'm also planning on doing actual vocal covers of the songs so people can hear what they sound like. When that will be, I'm not exactly sure. But, it's gonna be happening at some point...if my chaotic personal life calms down a bit, lol.)

[Phetiamwantip]

TwiShine45, I'm giving you a trophy for finishing your MLP A New Generation 3. Congratulations. 🏆