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A Day in the Life.1,912 words
Politics and Poundings.1,410 words
The Old and the New.1,197 words
Situational Advisement.2,437 words
Calm.1,175 words
Storm.2,606 words
Fallout.1,406 words
Is It Cool If I Hold Your Hand?1,373 words
On Loan.1,371 words
Let's Make This Last Forever.1,664 words
Prying Eyes.1,609 words
Detective Work.1,371 words
Breakaway Orbit.2,788 words
Getting Away.1,225 words
Lesson in Love.1,550 words
Expert Advice.2,085 words
Taking the Plunge.1,388 words
Warm Reception.1,395 words
Public Relations.1,415 words
It Hits the Fan.1,607 words
Recon Action.1,911 words
Sunrise.3,211 words
Bonus Chapter: Seasonal Orbit.1,580 words

Bonus Chapter: Seasonal Orbit.

"Alright! We're less than ten minutes out! Everypony put your backs into it!" the deck officer calls out.

You stand on the bridge with your captain as the Delphinus sails through the morning fog. The Crystal Kingdom's were a ways away, you had pushed the crew hard to try and make it home today instead of tomorrow.

You'd have to reward them somehow.

You look around the retrofitted bridge, modified specifically for this mission. It may have been two years since the attempted coup, but you were still busy and the Delphinus was the best ship in the Equestrian Navy. You were glad Mister Fancypants was willing to part with it.

The box containing your prize still rests under your arm, the enchantments on it keeping the power from radiating out and taking hold of you.

"Excited to be home, Your Highness?"

You turn around and face your executive officer for this mission, a bright young colt named Star Shine.

"Star, I told you, while we're on duty you can call me "Anonymous"."

"I'll try to remember that, Your Highness Anonymous."

You roll your eyes and turn back to the windows on the bow of the ship, Star joining you at your side.

"It was touch and go for a while there, sir."

"You held together well, Star Shine. I'm proud of you."

The boy nods. "Thank you, sir."

The Delphinus breaks through the fog and lets in your favorite sight. Canterlot silhouetted by the rising sun on the horizon.

"Prepare to dock at the naval yards. Bring us in, helmsman.

"Yes sir."

You let out a deep sigh. It was good to be back.

The ship lands at the still under construction naval yards on the city's south side. As the crew disembark and start unloading supplies, you make your way back to the palace.

Important mission and all that.

Once you get to the barracks next to the castle, the familiar sound of somep0ny striking a training dummy catch your ear. You look inside to see a familiar blonde mane dressed in familiar armor.

"Well met, Knight Lieutenant Blueblood."

Blueblood turns his head around a smiles. "Uncle! Welcome back!"

He sheathes his sword and delivers a curt bow. Blueblood had been released from the asylum shortly after the incident on Luna's island. He had enlisted in the guard after he had decided that it was the best way to atone for what he did. The structure and simplicity of it did him wonders and he took to his new station like white on rice in a blizzard.

"Was the Crystal Kingdom everything you expected it to be?" he asks.

"It was...unique. But Twilight and her friends took care of most of the hard work."

Blueblood gestures to the box under your arm. "Is that it?"

You look down at it. "It is."

"Was it difficult to obtain?"

"As I said, the girls did all the hard work. We had to pry this out of a tree a good mile away."

Blue now gestures to the arm you're holding the box with. "How is it feeling?"

Your newly regrown arm.

"The magic did a good job repairing the damage, but it's still a bit stiff."

Blueblood smiles. "It doesn't show on you."

You'll take that as a compliment.

"Thank you, Blueblood. Would you like to come with me while I file my report?"

Blueblood nods. "Lead the way, uncle."

You and Blueblood walk through the palace to the area that houses the command center for the Royal Guard. Standing around a map of Equestria were General's Stormwing and Rocketeer and Grand Magister Tinker.

"-hink we should expand our search into the forests surrounding the Graveyard of the Forgotten." you hear Rocketeer say.

Tinker rubs her face and sighs. "You mean the graveyard at the other end of the forest where his city was located? Give him SOME credit."

"Are we...interrupting something?" you ask as you and Blue come up to the table.

"Ah, Anonymous, welcome back." Stormwing starts. "We were ju-

"We're all brainstorming as to where Grogar could have hidden himself away." a voice full of authority says.

The others bow as the sound of golden horseshoes clinks from behind you. It's fortunate they do or they'd have caught the tiny nuzzle you got from the alabaster white alicorn as she came up on your opposite side.

"Anonymous." she says.

"Princess Celestia."

You -were- still on duty.

"Report." Celestia says to all gathered.

"We have eliminated Noveria, Shimmerwood, and Abadon's Fury as places he could be hiding. We are currently considering the idea that we have overlooked some hideaway in a place we have already combed and are as such looking into areas closer to home." Tinker says.

Stormwing snorts. "I still suggest that Gallopfrey would be the ideal spot for him to hide, a dead city for a dead ram."

Celestia shakes her head. "Grogar is not on Gallopfrey, I have it on authority."

The generals take that as fact and shut up, going back to their map.

One of these days you were going to get Celestia to tell you what she meant by that...

After you delivered your report on the situation in the Crystal Kingdom, you, Celestia, and Magister Tinker made your way down to the catacombs underneath the city. After Grogar escaped, these catacombs were converted into a high security vault for various magical artifacts that were deemed too dangerous to be in the public.

You pass by the Alicorn Amulet, the Spear of Tirek, the last drop of Smooze and many more as you walk down the halls of vaults and find an empty one. The guards on duty open the great metal door and usher you inside.

You approach the pedestal and open the chest you had been carrying this entire time. Inside sat a discolored unicorn horn, still smoking a bit from the magic that had come into contact with it.

"This is all you were able to find of Sombra, Anonymous?" Celestia asks.

"We scoured the countryside for three days and this was the only physical remains we found. The rest of King Sombra seems to have gone up in smoke, as it were."

Celestia levitates the horn onto its resting place and lowers a glass dome over it. The three of you step out and shut the thick steel door behind you, spinning the handle and locking it into place.

Tinker seems to eye the horn through the door. "I'll begin an investigation into the Crystal Kingdom's leylines, if Sombra escaped, I want to know."

Celestia nods. "I wish you luck, Grand Magister."

Tinker nods back. "Your Highnesses."

She leaves and the two of you are more or less alone for the first time since you got back.

You let out a deep sigh and stretch a bit. "I'm exhausted..."

Celestia walks up next to you. "I'm not busy today...would you like to rest?"

That sounded like heaven...

"Lead the way, dear."

Celestia leads you groggy through the halls back to your room. You walk over to your armor stand and casually remove your arms and armor before donning a set of wool clothing. You crawl onto the bed just as your limbs give out and you collapse face first onto the mattress.

Celestia chuckles on the other side of the room before climb in and resting her head on your back. "I trust your trip was eventful." she says.

"We watched the girls defeat Sombra from above, they did a fairly good job."

Celestia nods. "Yes...Twilight and her friends passed the test, I'll congratulate her when she arrives tomorrow."

Airship travel had the advantage in speed over a train every time.

You turn your head to the side. "Think they'll tell you about how they threw Cadence?"

Celestia turns her head to the side. "Threw?"

"Mhmm...They defeated Sombra by hurling Cadence through the air to catch the Crystal Heart before her got it."

Her eyes widen. "My word..."

"It was...unorthodox."

You sigh and lower your eyelids. "Missed you while I was gone."

Celestia chuckles. "I missed you while you were gone."

"Heh..."

Celestia re-arranges herself on the bed and lays her head next to yours. "I'll be glad to have my bodyguard back."

"Feeling that unsafe in your own city, Your Highness?"

You feel her lips peck you on the cheek. "I missed the company."

You smile and stretch out on the bed a bit more.

Celestia drapes a large wing over you and shuts out the morning light, letting you drift off to a much deserved sleep.

It was good to be home...

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Seraph973

Seraph973 #1 · Jan 17th, 2013 · · ·

A nice little bonus chapter.

Evil Paladin

Evil Paladin #2 · Jan 17th, 2013 · · ·

Helios encore!!

Didn't occur to me that you needed to explain how they resolved the season 3 open-
Waaaait.
The Crystal Empire was back for a long time without Sombra trying to immediately reclaim it?
I remember in your previous chapters that the Crystal Empire was there