Launching the Last Star

by The Real Darkness

Three

Strong Stitch looked first at Arctus who recgonized her and then to the first pony to stomp their hooves and the second, behind her. Princess Celestia and Princess Cadence stood applausing away. Twilight stood there in silence, her jaw had lost its hinge.

Scout Strong Stitch looked up to the windows of the castle and saw guards, maids, nobles, guests, and in great amounts stomping their hooves and even whistling.

Arctus smiled wide, Equestria was recognizing Scouts as those who sacrifice their lives to protect, he had built an order. He scooped the shattered axe head into a hand, along with his broken spatha and set them aside in the training yard to be dealt with later. He entered the armory building and retrieved a new spatha, sheathing it away with his greatsword.

He made his way to Strong Stitch who wobbled on her legs, blood moving in streams down her body while everypony continued to applaud. He grabbed the mace head from the ground and took the shaft of it from her hoof, gently prying until her tight grip let up and he threw it over by the other broken equipment.

"Scout Strong Stitch," she was snapped out of her surreal state by Arctus' voice, "I'll get you a copy of my and Silver Spike's personal journals for you to read and know secrets and tactics. Those are never to be uttered to anypony. You're now required to keep a log as well from today on."

She nodded slowly, her pupils dilated.

"I pushed you hard, incredibly hard, well done. I wasn't sure you'd pass," Celestia and Cadence made their way over with a shocked and sleep-deprived Twilight.

Celestia's horn lit and the gash along her face and shoulder healed easily enough. Arctus had already gotten his first aid kit out and sanitized the large slash he left on her stomach and then the one on her chest.

She could not utter a word.

"You report to Arctus and I now," the Sun Princess spoke, "congratulations, I'm proud of you."

"You two made enough racket to wake up half of Canterlot...not that we're complaining," Cadence giggled, "that's my first time seeing you fight, Master Arctus. And kudos to you, Strong Stitch."

"Y-you...so..magic," Twilight Sparkle was at a loss of words.

"I believe my student would like to express how amazed and impressed by both of you sparring," Celestia laughed softly.

Arctus looked up to see the hoof stomping was quieting down before he gave a spare cloth to Strong Stitch, "you still don't have words, that's okay. Not every can do what you've done. You are at the height of personal power, you've deserved your pride," Strong Stitch hadn't gripped the cloth and he shoved it into her mouth before grabbing out sutures he restocked on and threading along with his fishing hook, "bite down."

"Oh goodness, right here, Arctus?" Cadence's voice echoed her worry.

"Yes, right here. First aid is imperative in our work," he started, his fingers moving across her stomach wound quickly and with an expertise closer to that of a tenured doctor than a master of battle, Scout Stitch did bite down on the cloth, grunting.

"You'll need to still go to the hospital, but this'll help you get there."

"Princess, why don't you heal her with magic?" Twilight looked to her mentor.

"A bird told me you interrogated Arctus extensively today and tonight," Celestia side eyed Twilight with a frown, "and kept him from me," she smiled at her student's reaction, "but he should have explained how he spear absorbs magic."

"He did, but I don't see how you can't heal Strong Stitch's wounds."

"Twilight, please address her as Scout, she's earned that title," Arctus addressed her, "my spear has intensive anti-magic properties, to the point that the wounds it inflicts can not be stitched back together with magic."

"But...but...but," Twilight stubbornly lit her horn and a purple light flickered around the new scout's wounds while Arctus finished her stomach and began stitching her chest while she yelled into the cloth.

Nothing happened from the magical effort Twilight poured forth.

"You know...when I still lived in the castle of the Everfree, there was quite a few guards that were marred by his spear," Celestia commented, "it definitely did intimidate us into leaving him alone."

Arctus finished soon after, the wound on her chest not as severe.

"Was that the sever wind spell you used, Art?" Celestia questioned.

"Auntie!" Cadence expressed shock in her more informal addressing of Arctus.

"Oh, come now, Cadence. You know quite well the relationship I have with Arctus, the newspapers make sure everypony knows."

"It was that spell, you don't need to chastise me for using it, Celly," Cadence's small 'o' expression was directed to the Master Scout now.

"I'm impressed it cut through steel," she voiced.

"Glad that I'm still catching your eye," he took the rag back from Strong Stitch, "Equestria has pain killers as medicine, Aeternia doesn't. You're a lucky pony, Scout."

"Wh-what do you do to deal with pain?"

"We're conditioned and get hurt on purpose so we don't fold to it," he patted her back as she returned to all four hooves, "go on into town, get down to the hospital tell them it was my spear that left these marks on you."

She nodded and didn't even attempt to bow, slowly trotting away.

"Was it necessary to duel her the night she returned home?" Celestia now eyed Arctus accusatorily.

He nodded, "I wasn't sure of her endurance, those doubts have just been put aside. Her arrival means that Silver Spike is now observing.

"I gave him a communicator stone, they're cumbersome so it will remain hidden there, but it will allow us to be quickly alerted to threats."

"Threats?" Cadence asked.

"Are we at risk of war?!" Twilight pipped and Arctus paled while Celestia felt her heart skip.

"No, there is just a rather large nation to the South that has had Arctus' concerned and I take his reports seriously," Celestia spoke first.

"They're capable of a lot of destruction, I could crumble them easily, Twilight Sparkle. Do not worry, you're one of the safest ponies in all Equestria."

"Crumble kingdoms? Nopony could do that alone!" Cadence tried to call Arctus' bluff.

"Cadence, Twilight, I'll let you both in on a secret. You know how minotaurs are incredibly rare to be seen in Equestria? How the our history mentions an attempted invasion that was thwarted?" Celestia spoke with a flat smile.

Both the mares nodded.

"What is left out is how Arctus slew every invader and introduced me to what a real Aeternian Scout is capable of. Silver Spike and Strong Stitch are formidable and can do great things, but not like Arctus. Arctus had no moral compass, driven by glory, survival, victory, and the need to battle," both the younger mares faces darkened, "Art has changed...he found a home he can really call his home, a place he loves and he protects it like no other pony could."

"He," Twilight managed a single word, pointing to Arctus.

"Single hoofedly inlitrated Minos, spread a plague there, ruined their food and trade and natural resources. He slew those in power and killed any means of defense for them. He turned what little minotaurs were left into nomads that are destined to die out one day," Celestia grimly stated fact after fact, "I've seen and heard the man bred for war within him. He will keep all of Equestria safe from threats we don't know anything of anymore."

Cadence and Twilight were silent.

"And he has such a warm, soft, strong, and brave heart to choose us over his own culture, inner nature, and the behaviors he was raised to have," the Princess of the Sun smiled and laid her head to his shoulder, pecking his cheek.

"You make me out to be a hero."

"You are a hero and everypony knows it even if they don't talk about it."

"This night and tomorrow are for Strong Stitch, not me," he shook his head, "I doubt any other pony would want to attempt to be a Scout after this event is published in the media."

Cadence laughed, "you'll be lucky if anypony still wants to talk to you! I've never seen anypony fight like that and there were stallions dueling for my hoof in marriage before!"

"I...if you ever have time, Arctus...Master Arctus," Twilight corrected herself, "I'd like to see your spells in closer detail."

"Oh, I'd like to be there for it as well!" Celestia spoke a little too like a filly, "I'd love to see your full repertoire."