Galaxia's Equestria

by pchn00

Chapter 10: Harmony Reforged

Chapter 10: Harmony Reforged

Jennifer stood in the citadel’s armory, gazing silently at the thirteen glass cases contained within. Only three were occupied. She recognized the twin scimitars of Nightsinger of course. Though she’d never seen it, Sunshine’s rapier—Hymn—was easily recognizable. The last occupied case held a pair of short but wickedly sharp looking daggers. The small plate beneath the weapons said their name was Stinger. Beneath each weapon’s name was a list of the bearers. Mercy’s case had the most names of any of the arms of course. The sword had been passed from pony to pony far more frequently than any other Arm of Harmony.

“Is there a reason for that, Heart?”

‘Nothing specific to my knowledge. If I were to give my opinion, Mercy is regarded as the most difficult of the arms to wield. It requires significantly more self-sacrifice than any of the others to properly utilize its abilities. It could simply be a matter of its bearers being worn down more swiftly than the others.’

Jen quirked a little smile. “You’re still kinda depressing, Bleeding Heart, but it’s great to talk to you again.”

‘Hmph. I am not depressing, simply truthful! If thou dost not wish answers to thy questions I will simply begin making up mistruths. There was a pause. ‘Tis good to speak with thou again as well, Jennifer.’

“No, no, you don’t have to start lying to me. I’m a big girl, I can take it.” She was clothed again, courtesy of Discord. After the initial reunion with her friends, he conjured up some of her old stuff. It was all a bit tighter than she’d remembered—her jeans especially—but she was physically five years older now. Her sports bra wasn’t terribly tighter, much to her annoyance. With a grin she glanced down at her ratty old tennis shoes and sighed happily. One of her pink curls bounced into her frame of vision as well, and she coiled a finger around it bemusedly. “I just can’t get away from it, can I?”

‘T'would seem thou art destined to be pink no matter how much thou protests.’

She let the curl bounce back into place. “It doesn’t bother me much anymore. The blue eyes are a little weird though.” She was staring at her reflection in one of the empty cases. Her hands tucked into the pocket of her hoodie, Mercy in place on her left forearm where it always went. Now and again, her eyes drifted to the necklace around her neck, the Element of Laughter now shaped like the shield on her hips.

“A lot of history in this room, huh?”

‘Indeed. Each arm belonged to one of the core of the knighthood. ‘Tis troubling to see so many missing however. Celestia, Cadence, and Starswirl possess theirs still I presume, but that leaves many unaccounted for.’

She rested a hand against the empty case that should hold Abundance’s warhammer within. “We’ll find them, Heart. When this is all over, we’ll find all the lost Arms of Harmony. They belong here with the order.”

“You’re quite the optimist. I like that; already making plans for when this is over.”

Jen turned to see Starswirl approaching, Luna—or rather Moon Dancer now—at his side. She offered them both a faint smile. “If you’re not optimistic, you’re the opposite, and that’s no good for anypony.”

“Ha! Quite right! I do believe I like this filly. She’s got a good head on her shoulders.”

Moon Dancer only smiled faintly as she moved to Nightsinger’s case. “I took her under my wing for a reason after all.” Her horn shimmered warmly as she opened the case, slowly claiming the blades for her own. She frowned gently as she gazed at them however.

“What’s wrong?”

“My connection to Nightsinger is… diminished. It still exists, but I cannot access its powers. I do not understand...” She looked to Starswirl in confusion.

He stroked his beard as he quietly regarded the mare and her blades. “I believe you’re different enough now that the swords think you’re a different pony entirely. You’ll have to bond with them all over again I think.”

An indelicate snort was her response. “I journeyed to the heart of Zebrica last time to bond with them!”

Jen shrugged. “Just do the fasting deal I did to bond with Mercy. It wasn’t so bad.”

Moon Dancer eyed her traitorous blades with a baleful glare. “I suppose it would be the most expedient path.” She sheathed them at her flanks and fixed Jennifer with a careful look. “How are you feeling? Your mind is acclimating with Jubilant’s memories well?”

Now the woman nodded with a grin. “They are! It’s a little weird, but most of them are really nice. I really wanna get back to Ponyville and see mom.”

The mare quirked a brow at her casual use of the term toward Pinkie Pie, something she’d been rather vehemently against in the past. She wondered just how much of Jubilant lingered, and how much was Jennifer, but it was none of her business she supposed. “Well, it is not safe to reveal ourselves to any of the previous element bearers. The queen has spies watching them. How Discord managed to retrieve the elements themselves so easily is beyond me.”

Jen was moving slowly from case to case, studying the names beneath each weapon carefully. “I don’t think she trusts ponies to do much of anything. She probably didn’t tell them why they were watching the girls, just to do it. If her spies saw Discord come and go, they’d think nothing of it I bet.”

“I wonder if you’d indulge me in a favor Jennifer.”

Jennifer straightened up and turned to face her mentor. “Sure! What’ya need?”

Moon Dancer smiled faintly. “I would like to have a small practice bout outside. I am somewhat out of shape, and would like to see how much you have forgotten as well.”

“Oh! Well sure. Let’s do it. S’cuse us, Starswirl.”

The stallion stepped aside to allow the pair to pass. “Not at all! I was hoping to have a few words with Trixie anyhow. Have either of you seen her?”

Jen waved vaguely down the corridor. “Your lab. Said she wanted to study some stuff.” She walked with Moon Dancer at her side. “How’re you doing? Being a normal pony after being the immortal princess of the moon for so long must be tough.”

“I suppose it is rather disconcerting. I feel very diminished. I cannot feel the moon, which is… unpleasant. But everypony for over a millennia has made do without moving the moon about. I see no reason why I cannot either.”

Jennifer held the doors open for the mare to exit, following close behind. Casually she strode to the opposite side of the courtyard from the mare, shedding her hoodie and t-shirt, flexing her wings wide. She stretched her arms overhead and twisted back and forth, limbering up; Moon Dancer watching it all bemusedly.

“Whenever you’re ready.”

Jen snapped her blade from its sheath, and raised it to her forehead in a proper knight’s salute. A surprised Moon Dancer did the same. She barely had time to register the woman had vaulted forward in a lunge before she was upon her. Mercy’s gently glowing blade left a twinkling trail in its wake with each swing Jennifer leveled the mare’s way.

So surprised was the unicorn, that it was all she could do to scramble back and parry the ferocious barrage of thrusts and slashes. This was no inexperienced knight in training, she was a full-fledged swordswoman. Recovering from her shock quickly, Moon Dancer skipped several steps back and brought her blades into an offensive posture, each half of Nightsinger gripped in her magic; the twin scimitars began to weave their hypnotic dance in an attempt to distract the woman.

To Moon Dancer’s further surprise, Jennifer reversed her grip on Mercy and hurled the blade to the side, sending it spinning into a whirling dervish of flashing pink metal. Confused at first, the mare soon realized a green aura had surrounded Mercy and was arcing it around Nightsinger, towards her unprotected flank. She swung around, bringing both blades to bear, deflecting the incoming missile. She felt a momentary twinge of irritation at her foolishness, and was not at all surprised when she felt the shield half of Mercy collide solidly with the side of her muzzle, sending stars to dance before her eyes. The boot to her barrel—vaulting her off her hooves and through the air—only further hammered home the forgotten lesson.

A lesson Jennifer hadn’t forgotten. “‘Now… I suppose the most important and most basic lesson is to always keep your eyes on your opponent. Not just their weapon.’” The woman mimicked the first lesson Luna had ever taught her in swordplay.

With an angry snort, the former diarch rose to her hooves, charging forward and hurling first one, then the other blade of Nightsinger at her opponent. Jennifer deftly swatted the first from the air with her sword, and deflected the second with her shield. Moon Dancer wasn’t finished. With a shout, she leapt and flipped in midair, intending to deliver a heavy kick. She was met with only empty air as Jen rolled beneath her, the woman not bothering to rise, simply bucking her leg out and catching Moon Dancer in the rump, sending her skittering across the ground.

“‘Never lose your temper in battle. If you get angry you stop thinking, and if you stop thinking…’” She seemed to be taking great pleasure in repeating the basic lessons learned.

Snorting softly to herself, Moon Dancer recalled Nightsinger to her side. Eyeing the faintly grinning woman carefully, she began to circle. Far more cautious now, she darted in with a quick swipe. When it was blocked or parried, she’d try to strike with her other blade, only to find it too thwarted. Jennifer seemed content to defend now, blocking and parrying each strike with sure, steady motions. She moved as little as possible, the mare observed, conserving her energy no doubt for a finishing strike.

The unicorn’s horn glowed softly as she and her blades vanished. Jennifer was genuinely surprised. “I thought your bond was broken!”

Moon Dancer didn’t answer, delivering a flurry of strikes to Jennifer’s chest and stomach. She winced and yelped as a number of welts and bruises appeared in rapid succession. The smile was gone from her face as her eyes blazed with determination. Her own horn flared to life now, the green aura racing to Mercy’s blade. With a shout, she leapt into the air and brought the sword down, smashing it point first into the ground. A rolling wave of green magic was released, catching an alarmed Moon Dancer and flinging her into the air again.

Her invisibility broken now, Moon Dancer twisted in preparation to land, only to find a grimly determined Jennifer flying to meet her in the air. Howling a battle cry at the top of her lungs, the unicorn braced herself for the coming blow. At the last second, Jen dropped her sword and flicked the mare in the muzzle. “Gotcha.” She was grinning widely now as she snagged the pony in her arms, gently carrying her to the ground.

An astonished Moon Dancer stared at her for a moment, and then began to laugh. “You were most certainly busy in the other realm were you not?”

Jen shrugged, sheathing her blade and retrieving her clothes. “Not a whole lot to do up there. Once the old knights came out though, we did a ton of sparring. Apparently no weapons allowed in the Fields. They all kinda missed it.”

“You remember no specifics of your time, but your body recalls its training, hm? You have become quite skilled Jennifer. I am very proud to have been your first instructor.”

Blushing now, she huffed. “Oh stop. I’m sure if you were at your full strength it woulda been a lot different.”

She wasn’t so sure of that, but clearly all the praise was bothering the young woman. “We seem to have attracted a crowd.”

Blinking, Jen looked over her shoulder, mildly surprised to find her friends assembled by the doors, having watched the entire exchange. Echo and Lyra raced to her side. “That was amazing! You were… you were awesome, Jenny!”

Jen grinned at the gushing unicorn by her side, while Echo glomped her around the neck. “That’s my filly! …Or mare now, huh?”

Laughing, she kissed Echo on the nose. “I guess so. Feels kinda weird but I suppose I’m all grown up now, huh?”

“Indeed. You are quite the warrior, Jennifer Allen. I wonder if you would be willing to match blades with me? There are very few opportunities to test my sword against a fellow wielder of the blade.”

Jennifer blinked at the cultured tones of Prince Spinner as he descended from the cavern ceiling along a thin strand of webbing. Showing none of the trepidation her pony friends displayed, she grinned. “Sure thing your highness, it’d be an honor.”

Dropping smoothly to all eight legs, he raised to his full height, a good deal taller than Jennifer. “I would ask you keep the magic use to a minimum. I wish this to be a contest of martial skill. I am aware of how you bested my sister with your magic. No doubt it would make our duel simple for you to win.”

A faint frown found the cheerful woman’s face. “Right. I can’t apologize enough for hurting her like I did. I reacted more harshly than I should have. I probably could have subdued her with less force.”

To her surprise, he brushed her apology off. “It is my understanding that Umbra attacked you unprovoked. She is lucky you did not slay her, as you were well within your rights to do so. Her actions reflected poorly on our family, and on her behalf I apologize to you, and thank you for sparing my foolish sister’s life.”

“O— oh uh… Don’t mention it?” She smiled hesitantly.

With a simple nod, he took Moon Dancer’s place in the courtyard. “Very well. Shall we begin?”

Straightening her shoulders, Jennifer nodded, raising her blade.

Lyra had joined Echo, Fancy Pants, and Moon Dancer by the doors to watch the spectacle of the two non-pony creatures battling with their blades. “Miss Heartstrings? Could I borrow you for a moment?”

She turned to see Starswirl the Bearded standing in the entrance hall behind her, regarding her with a small smile. “Uhhh…” She seemed torn between watching the spectacle in the courtyard, and following the living legend. Heaving a sigh, she climbed to her hooves, following him inside and wincing at a particularly loud ‘ooooh’ from Echo behind her.

“I’m not in trouble or anything am I? Should I not be wearing the element of loyalty or something?”

The old stallion laughed and shook his head. “Not at all, Lyra. I have something for you is all.”

Now her curiosity was piqued further. “Oh yeah?”

“Two somethings in fact. A bit of an inheritance you could call them.”

Lyra’s ear flicked as she tilted her head. “Inheritance? From who?”

Leading the young mare toward the armory, he held the door for her. “How much do you know about your clan name?”

She blinked. “What? Heartstrings? I dunno. No more than anypony else knows about their own, I guess. I mean, my family has more or less been some form of musician for as long as we can remember.”

“For as long as your clan has existed in fact. I knew the patron of your clan.”

Lyra missed a step and face planted at the revelation. “Wh— what? You did!?”

“Of course. Sunshine was one of the original six of our Order. I’m not terribly surprised you were unaware of any relationship to him. We all thought it was a good idea to have clan names when we founded the order, and he came up with Heartstrings on a lark.”

“A— a lark!? That’s all the history there is to my clan name!?”

Starswirl shrugged casually. “I’d say maybe nine of every ten clan names originated much the same way. A pony thought of something they enjoyed doing, and stuck it on the end of their name. After a couple generations it just sticks.”

With a sigh, Lyra rubbed the back of her head in thought. “I uh… I guess that makes sense. So was he a big lyre player or something? A fan of string instruments?”

“Not exactly. His talent lay in his voice, but it was a common joke among us that he was capable of ‘plucking the heartstrings’ of any filly he had his eye on with just a few words. Your ancestor was an incorrigible tail chaser. Why, there’s a good chance you have a relation in every town and city in Equestria and don’t know it!” He had a hearty laugh at that.

A laugh the young mare did not share. “Wh— why are you telling me all this!?”

He sobered somewhat. “I ah… apologize, Miss Heartstrings. Having you here—all of you—is bringing back old memories. Memories of when the Citadel was full of light and laughter. Happier times and all. You very much remind me of Sunshine. Optimistic, driven, quick to share your heart with others. Though you’re a good deal more committed than he ever was. He said he couldn’t marry like our friends did.”

Lyra stared quietly. “Why not?”

“Mmm.” Starswirl resumed walking, leading her to one of the few occupied cases. “He said he couldn’t bear to watch a wife grow old and die while he remained eternally youthful.”

“Jen told me about the book, how the others opted to age normally again. Why didn’t he?”

The ancient mage’s smile turned sad. “He wouldn’t leave me. Said the others all had each other, but I’d be all alone if he left.”

Lyra looked down pawing at the floor with a hoof. “What happened to him?”

His smile vanished entirely now. “He stayed by my side until the end. Galaxia herself struck him down. She thought she’d slain me as well but…” He shrugged, looking away. “When a unicorn gets as much mana accumulated as I had, it’s not easy to kill us.” With a grunt, he shook his head. “If only the fool colt had paid more attention to his magic lessons…”

The mare allowed him his moment of silence and turned her attention to the case he’d lead her to. Held within was a gleaming rapier, resting against its ornate sheathe. Hymn was the name on the case, below that read Sunshine Heartstrings. “This was his.”

“Hm?” Starswirl blinked out of his contemplations. “Oh! Oh yes why I brought you here. Yes this is Hymn, Sunshine’s blade. It’s yours now.”

Sputtering, Lyra looked from the sword to the stallion. “Wh— what!? Mine!? A sword!? One of those… those… Arms of Harmony things? But aren’t those only for the uh…”

He raised a brow. “The Knights of Harmony? Yes Lyra. Technically I’m still commander of the order, and within my rights to offer anypony I wish a chance to enter. Of course, Hymn has to accept you before we can go any further.”

The poor mare was beginning to look a little woozy, and Starswirl hastily drug a cushion over for her to sit on. “Y— you must be joking. You’re joking right? Me? A knight? Like… like Jen? Like Princess Celestia? Ahahaha! That’s a good one, really. You are a funny guy.”

“If it’s such a ridiculous idea, then take up Hymn. When it rejects you, you’ll know this is all just an old stallion’s crazy rambling.”

“I… well… fine. Just to prove you’re crazy.” She opened the case with a flick of her head, seizing the glass in her horn and sliding the door open. She’d seen what happened when somepony tried to touch Jen’s Mercy, and fully expected a shock from the rapier. Needless to say, she was more than a little surprised when she lowered it into her hooves and felt only a warm tingle run along the blade’s hilt through her forelegs. She looked up at a smiling Starswirl questioningly.

“Well I suppose that settles that. Welcome to the order.”

“I… that is I…” Lyra frowned down at the sword in her hooves. She switched to holding it with her magic, lifting it in the air. “I’m just a musician.”

“Sunshine was a cook’s apprentice, Abundance was just a cook. Bleeding Heart a nurse, Luna, Celestia, Jennifer. They were displaced creatures from another world. Luna was Jennifer’s age when she received Nightsinger. Being a member of the order isn’t about who you were, it’s about who you’re willing to be. Who are you willing to be, Miss Heartstrings?”

Lyra held the slim blade horizontally before herself, gazing at her reflection in the metal.

Jennifer rose shakily, sheathing Mercy and flashing her sparring partner a smile. The prince of the spiderkin didn’t smile back, but he too sheathed his blades, giving her a simple nod. “Thank you; it was a most enjoyable experience.”

Both were sweating more than a little, though Jen was certainly breathing harder than he was. “It’s a lot trickier when your opponent is twice your size, but it was fun! I learned a lot.” Her smile was back in full force.

“If you will excuse me, I believe I will return to the web. The queen gets… fretful when I am away for long periods. I look forward to speaking with you again.” He bowed once to the woman before departing, vanishing into the gloom of the tunnels.

Dinky and Fancy rose to their hooves as Jen approached, toweling her forehead with her hoodie. “Where’s Echo?”

The unicorns exchanged a look before shrugging. “That’s a good question. Haven’t seen her in a bit Jenny. She’s probably in the Citadel somewhere.”

Fancy rubbed his monocle against his coat. “She’s quite taken with it. I was just about to delve into it a bit myself.”

Jen rubbed the back of her head, looking into the Citadel behind them. “I was hoping to talk to her. I think she’s been dodging out of talking to me one-on-one.”

Dinky brushed up against Jen’s side comfortingly. “I’m sure she’s not ducking you! She’s probably just excited and trying to figure out what to say!”

Ruffling the mare’s mane Jen nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. Alright then everypony, let’s check the place out huh? I read about it enough. I kinda wanna go see the heart.”

“Actually, would you lot mind following me for a few moments? I have something important I wanted to discuss.”

The three turned to find Starswirl at the top of the stairs, Lyra at his side with a contemplative look on her face. None of them failed to take note of the sword belted around her flank. Jen answered for the group. “Sure thing sir. Lead the way?”

Nodding, he turned and cantered casually down the hall. Lyra lingered behind him to walk with her friends. “Lyra is that Hymn?”

She nodded to her human friend. “It is. I guess uh, Sunshine was like my great—times a hundred—grand-dad. Starswirl said nopony else ever touched the sword, but he’d want someone from his clan to take i,t so I guess that’s me.”

“Lyra that’s awesome! I sparred with Sunshine a ton too, so I can show you all sorts of little tips and stuff I picked up watching him fight! This is gonna be so much fun!”

The mare smiled wanly back up at her excited friend. “Yeah. I mean… it’s kinda heavy stuff. I feel like yesterday I was some bum mooching off my fillyfriend, and now I’m supposed to be this big deal knight? The princesses are all knights, Jen! Does that mean that like, I have to call them by their names and stuff now?”

Jen’s grin didn’t dim. “I don’t plan on calling Princess Celestia anything else unless she tells me otherwise. Cadence and Luna both told me to drop the title when we first met though. Remember, they’re just like anypony else only… bigger. And magic-ier. Heck, Cadence is only a few years older than me, and she was human too.”

Dinky—quiet ‘til now—piped up. “What d’you think he wants all of us for?”

Jen shrugged. “Dunno, but looks like we’re here.”

Starswirl entered a large pair of double doors. Within was what appeared to be some sort of meeting room. A very large circular table dominated the center, with thirteen seat cushions going around it. Moon Dancer was already sitting comfortably in one, a nervous looking Trixie on the seat next to her.

“This was the meeting room for the Order of Harmony. It was rare when all thirteen of us were together; more often than not, we were off alone or with a number of the squires taking care of all manner of world-shattering business. Once a year however, we would return without fail to refresh the bonding ceremony and keep our spirits in synch with harmony. That day is today.”

With the exception of Moon Dancer, everypony was looking to one another, confused and nervous. Jen frowned up at Starswirl. “Are you saying you want us—all of us—to be in the ceremony? To be the new Order of Harmony?”

“Of course. You need a minimum of six to start the rite. One for each element of harmony. And I don’t mean the necklaces you’re sporting; I mean the intangible elements of harmony. The ideals the physical elements embody. It’s been quite some time since six ponies who had already formed a bond with one another came to this place. Though honesty seems to be missing once again.”

Slowly, Jennifer lowered herself into the seat opposite Moon Dancer at the table. Lyra took the cushion to her right, and Fancy to her left. Dinky seemed significantly more hesitant to join them. The young mare only stared at the imposing ponies already seated. Even if she was littler, Moon Dancer was still Princess Luna. Trixie terrifying Ponyville with the alicorn amulet was still a raw memory in her young mind. Jennifer she’d seen wielding her blade to spectacular effect. Fancy Pants was one of the wealthiest ponies in the whole wide world, and Lyra while just a musician, had one of the arms of harmony strapped to her side.

Glancing quickly around the table, Jen looked back to the hesitating Dinky. “C’mon Dinky, let’s go find Echo and drag her flank in here. We’ll be back soon everypony.”

Eager to be away from the room, Dinky nodded and hastily followed Jen out. “… y’okay?”

She laughed nervously, looking up at Jen. “Am I ok!? You’re kidding right!? D— did you hear what he wants me to do? Me?”

Jen shrugged, activating her find it spell to lead them to Echo. “Why’s that so nuts? I mean, we’re a pretty lame bunch, Dinky. My big claim to fame is I can draw pretty good. Fancy’s a nice rich dude, Lyra’s a lazy musician, Trixie is an over-the-top showmare. The only one of us who really fits in the ideal of knighthood is Moon Dancer. But I mean, that’s kinda the whole idea behind the Order, remember? It’s not about being wealthy, powerful, or noble. It’s about wanting to help your fellow pony.”

The blond mare gave a little snort. “Well of course I wanna help! But to do what you do? I dreamed about it when I was a filly but…”

“But nothing. Do you still want to do it?”

“I… I guess so. It’s kinda scary though, huh? It sounds like a lot of responsibility.”

“It is. And if you don’t want to do it, I’d understand. We can get Cadence to be our spark of kindness. I don’t wanna do this without her anyway. I figure we’ll get Echo, and send her back for Cadence since my bum of an uncle went and disappeared on us.”

Dinky eyed the necklace dangling from her throat. “Still can’t believe this thing worked for me...”

“Don’t be crazy. Besides Aunt Fluttershy, you’re like the nicest pony in the world. Who else would it go to?”

Dinky Doo smiled suddenly up at Jen. “I really missed you, Jenny. It’s… it’s really nice to see you again.”

Jen knelt down, gathering Dinky up in a tight hug. “It’s great to see you again too, Dinky. When this stuff is done, we’re gonna have to have a nice sit down. Maybe all of us. A picnic! Me you, Fancy, Echo, and Lyra. We’ll get Luna back to her big self. Mom and Aunt Fluttershy of course, and all their friends. Everypony happy and smiling again. There’s been waaaaay too much gloom and doom if you ask me.”

Wiping a happy tear away, Dinky nodded. “Maybe mom and her friend’ll wanna come too.”

The woman’s smiled faded just a tad as she stood with a nod. “Yeah, maybe.” Ditzy Doo’s mysterious stallion friend. That was a pony Jen definitely wanted to have a long talk with. Her horn was pulsing quicker, meaning Echo was close. Tilting her head, she nudged open the armory doors, eyes widening at the sight.

Echo had the daggers out of their case, Stinger was their name. She was tossing one into the air with a hoof and catching it, before flinging its twin up in a constant motion. “E— Echo!”

With a yelp, the night pony jumped, letting the daggers clang to the floor. “Ack! B— busted huh? Am I uh… in trouble?”

Slowly, Jen approached eyeing the nearest half of Stinger curiously. She reached out to pick it up, but it sent a firm jolt along her hand when she touched it. Yanking the throbbing appendage away, she shook it, glaring balefully at the dagger. “There’s never been a knight who wasn’t a unicorn. Or uh… alicorn I guess.”

With her familiar cocky grin, Echo scooped the daggers back up, deftly tossing them into the air and catching them in the sheaths she’d secured around her forelegs. “Oh yeah? So I’m a trendsetter, huh?”

“More I think it’s that they’re made with unicorns in mind, I dunno if you can use any of their abilities.”

“Hmph.” The night pony glanced down at either weapon she had strapped to her legs. “Well they’re awesome, and I like em, so I’m keepin’ em.”

Now Jen was grinning. “As long as Starswirl doesn’t get his beard in a knot. Though he does want you there for the bonding ceremony, so I guess he shouldn’t mind if you already have one of the arms.”

“Whaaat? So we get to be super powerful and immortal and stuff too?!”

Jen shrugged. “Guess so. I mean, I’m already super powerful, but younormal ponies get to see what it’s like to be as amazing as me.” Before Echo could give a smart comment back, Jen raised a hand, cutting her off. “I need you to go get Cadence. She should be here for this. But do it quick alright? I think we’ve been sitting on our butts long enough with this.”

Echo snapped her mouth closed and nodded once, taking off like a rocket from the room. “Wow. She got a lot faster.”

Jen could only nod along with Dinky’s summation.

Seven ponies sat in the meeting room, waiting for Echo to return with the princess. Jen had shed her human form, and returned to the young alicorn mare they’d all seen when she’d first been reborn. “Never tried the ritual with a human before. Never tried it with a non-unicorn or alicorn for that matter, and I think your friend Echo will throw enough variables into the mix; the fewer we have the better.”

Jen laughed at Starswirls apology. “It’s not a big deal. Really, either one feels totally natural. I do have a question though. Why only thirteen? Why not make like, a whole buncha super knights so we can kick Galaxia’s flank easy peasy?”

The bearded stallion had elected to remain standing from the table. He leaned against the wall, considering her question. “Any more than that, and you’ll begin to put a strain on harmony itself. It’s already being diverted to the ponies the ritual is being performed on. The further you get from one another, the more it strains. Putting too much stress on it could cause irreparable damage. In fact, I always exacted a pledge from a new member of the core of the knighthood to never exceed this limit. I expect all of you to give me your word that you will never have more than thirteen at a time.”

Without hesitation, the assembled ponies nodded. Most had taken to talking softly amongst themselves, save Trixie who sat apart. Jen cantered over settling on the cushion beside her. “Hey Trixie. Been awhile huh?”

The other mare smiled thinly, removing her hat and letting it rest on the table. “It has. It’s lovely to see you again, Jen. I’m sure Umbra and Tak will be delighted too.”

“Glad to hear you guys are still together. Everypony doing well?”

“Oh yes. Tak and I were wed a few years ago.” She lifted her foreleg to display the promise bracelet it bore. Platinum with a black opal inlaid. “Umbra didn’t understand a wedding of course, but eventually she decided she wanted one too. Mostly at her sister’s constant prodding. Neela’s really wonderful; I hope you meet her soon.”

Jen grinned. “Well congratulations! I wish I coulda been there. Was there any crazy changeling stuff?”

Trixie laughed nervously. “Ah… you could call it that. I’ll have to tell you the story sometime; it’s funny after the fact.”

“I’d like that.” They sat in silence for a few moments. “You don’t have to sit over here by yourself. You can join the rest of us.”

“Oh no. I’d hate to intrude.”

“Mmm. You know what you’re getting into here, right? This bond deal? You’re going to be stuck with the lot of us until like, you decide it’s time to break away from the order and pass on. Gonna be kinda awkward if you spend all that time avoiding everypony.”

Trixie only huffed softly. “I’m only doing this because that old codger talked me into it. I don’t belong here with all of you.”

Jen rolled her eyes. “Alright I’m not giving this pep talk again. If you didn’t belong here Trixie, you wouldn’t be here. You might have a checkered past, but you want to make up for it. You’re a good mare, Trixie Lulamoon. Anypony willing to do what we’re about to do has to be. This isn’t about getting super magic’d up, this is about laying our lives down for the good of all of Equestria.”

“Yes. You’re right of course. I’m sure everypony has regrets, maybe not as great as mine but still, nopony’s perfect are they? Thank you Jennifer.”

With a cheery smirk, Jen lifted Trixie’s hat onto her own head. “The great and powerful Jubilant didn’t forget you promised to let her join you in your show sometime! She fully intends to hold you to that!”

Snorting huffily, Trixie snatched her hat back, settling it upon her head again. “Well good. Because when Celestia is back on the throne, I’m saying goodbye to caves and tunnels forever. Umbra’s family are a decent lot, but ponies aren’t meant to live underground.”

“I can’t disagree with that. I’ve only been down here a day and I’m already antsy.”

The frenzied flapping of wings interrupted the conversations as Echo returned. “Got her!”

It was a few moments before an exhausted looking Cadence appeared, chest heaving for breath. Shining Armor was at her side, looking much better off than his wife. Both focused on the other alicorn in the room, Cadence smiling grandly. “So it… worked? It really worked?”

Eyes wide, Jen levitated a glass of water to the gasping princess. “Holy cow... maybe you should sit down, huh? Not doing a lot of exercise leading the revolution.”

Shining chuckled, and made his way to the young mare’s side, ruffling her mane. “It’s great to see you, kiddo. And Cadence mostly sticks to the planning side of things. We can’t risk her being spotted and captured.”

The princess set her empty glass aside, giving her husband a grumpy huff. “What he means, is he won’t let me so much as poke my nose ten feet from the tunnels.”

Jen offered her fellow alicorn a faint smile. “He’s not entirely wrong though, right? I mean, you’re probably this huge figurehead for the resistance. Without you I bet it’d fall apart pretty quickly.”

Cadence’s retort was cut off by Starswirl clearing his throat gently. “Princess Cadenza… may I see Convalescence?”

The youngest princess jumped in surprise at the appearance of the legendary unicorn. “O— of course sir.” She touched the gem at her breast and called her own arm of harmony to her side; the slim scepter appeared and hovered in the air before him.

He couldn’t touch it of course, but he just stared at it silently. “It’s been… such a long time since I’ve seen anything of hers. Thank you miss.” He blinked and looked away from the scepter. “Well! Now that everypony’s here, let’s get this started.”

“Jubilant Surprise, I am formally passing command of the Order of Harmony to you. In addition to being responsible for pretty much everything that has to do with the order, you’ll also have final decision on who joins the core thirteen of the knighthood. The only requirement is that they firmly embody one of the tenants of harmony, and that all six are represented at the time of casting the ritual.”

Jen’s ears splayed at this. “Wh— what? Me? No, no. You mean like… Luna, right? Or Cadence? Or uh… Celestia! I can go get her! Maybe…”

“The princesses each have their own duties that demand most of their attention. Command of the order must come first and foremost in the commander’s mind. While any of them would make fine commanders, you can’t expect them to lay down the duties they already tend to. You’ve the same strength of will and good character they possess, even if you don’t quite see it yet. Your cutie mark certainly does.”

Jen shifted her attention to the shield bearing the altered standard of the order on her flank. “I… I guess that’s probably what it means, huh?”

“There’s never been a core member who wasn’t a unicorn. I don’t know if you’ll be able to use Stinger’s runes, Miss Echo, but the blades didn’t reject you when you helped yourself to them. That means they’re yours for as long as you wish to remain with the order.”

Having at least enough good grace to off an apologetic smile for taking the daggers without permission, Echo turned her focus to Jen. As long as her special somepony was here, she’d be here. “I understand.”

“Well then!” The old unicorn took up his staff in his silvery aura, and unceremoniously tossed it Trixie’s way. The surprised mare fumbled with it in her hooves before she settled it on the ground beside herself. “My however-many-greats granddaughter here will perform the ritual. I made sure she knows the important bits. You lot have fun now. I’ve some business of my own to attend to. Good luck!”

Everypony jumped in their seats as the doors boomed shut, staring at the departing archmage for a time before looking to a nervous Trixie. “Can you cast it?”

Delicately, as if expecting it to come to life and bite her, Trixie lifted the staff, resting it against her shoulder. “Technically. I’m capable of casting the spell; he showed me the proper diagrams and such. After they’re drawn out, it’s actually a very simple spell.

Taking a deep breath, Jennifer looked over the table at the ponies before her. “Right then! So this is it. Anypony who wants to back out, now’s the time. Once it’s done, you’re stuck until at least Celestia is returned to her throne, I think.”

The more she looked, the more she could… feel which tenant of harmony everypony embodied. Most were obvious, what with the elements hanging from their necks. But Cadence, Trixie, and Shining Armor had no indicators. Jen could just feel kindness, magic, and loyalty almost radiating from them. “Shining, you’re more than welcome as well. I mean, you’ve pretty much been a knight forever anyway, right?”

He looked surprised, but pleasantly so. “I guess you could say that, yeah. And I’d be honored, Commander Jubilant, to join your Order’s ranks.”

Everypony got a good laugh at the discomfort on Jen’s face at the formality of his words. Cadence less than the rest however. “You should get used to it, Jennifer. It’s not quite as bad as Princess, but you’re still stepping into a position of authority.”

Another deep breath, and the verdant pony nodded. “Right! I’ll just pretend you lot are my foals at the daycare. Shouldn’t be too different for most of you.” Her good natured smile had them laughing again.

Trixie rose, and with her magic began drawing nine circles upon the ground. Nopony needed prodding to take their places; they just knew where to step. Starswirl’s staff, Spell Nexus drifted along behind her. “Alright everypony. Brace yourselves. I have no idea what to expect, other than that our spirits are about to find perfect harmony.”

The group set their hooves; some with eyes clenched tightly, some shining in anticipation. Trixie’s aura raced along the staff’s frame and intensified nearly fivefold, blinding those who were looking. Everypony could see light racing from their circle to one of the others. Colored the same as the lights that were conjured in Jennifer’s resurrection. Shining’s red, Cadence’s pink, and Trixie’s purple joined the other six as a line went from every circle to join the others. A dizzying array of color linked each pony to one another, as one by one they were lifted from their hooves to hang in the air. The light intensified, brightly flowing into the assembled group. Little fanfare or fuss was made when the ritual ended. They just unceremoniously clopped back to their hooves.

“I feel… the same.” Cadence glanced around to the others.

Her husband could only shake his head. “Not me. I feel like… I don’t know, like everything’s been muffled and now my eyes and ears are clear. Everything smells better no less.”

Most of the group seemed in agreement with Shining Armor. Moon Dancer looked from a perplexed Jennifer to an equally confused Cadence. “As alicorns, you two were already in perfect harmony. Your bodies are comprised of the three tribe’s attributes. The only way for that to happen is if harmony already rests within you. It was the same for Tia and myself.”

Both Princess and Commander didn’t bother to hide their disappointment. Soft ‘ohs’ from both brought little smiles and shared glances to the pair. Jennifer stood tall and cleared her throat. “Alright everypony. Let’s uh… get some rest. Lyra and Echo, maybe play with your weapons a little. I should probably talk to Cadence and Shining some. Get a feel for what’s going on, and what we should be doing. I know Starswirl said I’m apparently the Commander of the order, but honestly I’d have no idea where to begin outside of ‘charge and beat everypony up.’”

Another round of laughs came at her frank honesty. They began to disperse throughout the citadel. Fancy paused at Jen’s side. “Come see me when this is over, would you? We need to contact Rarity again. If she doesn’t hear from us daily, she may very well alert the guard.”

“Oh, good call. Lemme talk to these guys and I’ll come running.”

“Good show Jubilant.” His smile turned playful. “My apologies. Good show, ‘Commander Jubilant’.”

He darted from her swatting hooves, laughing cheerfully and leaving Commander, Prince, and Princess alone. The royal couple sat together, offering her warm smiles. “It’s great to see you again kid, really.”

Grinning herself, Jen plopped down next to them. “Likewise, guys. So! I guess I need to be filled in on some stuff. I know as much as Jubilant knew which uh, isn’t too much.”

Cadence took a deep breath, and with a heavy heart began to fill Jennifer in on the past five years.

Lyra had Hymn out, giving it a few practice swishes and thrusts in the air. She eyed Echo, who was clumsily trying to wield Stinger in either her mouth or her hooves. “Am I the only one who feels kinda dumb standing here, swinging at nothing?”

With a grunt, Echo spat the dagger onto the ground. “At least you can use yours right. Maybe I should just tie them to my hooves or…?”

Her musings were interrupted by the sound of hooves. A lot of hooves. Confused, she flew above the Citadel’s walls. Eyes widening at the sight of dozens of ponies streaming in the tunnels. Discord and Umbra at their head. She darted to the familiar pair. “What’s going on!?”

Umbra looked grim. “The Lich’s forces found us. These are the only ones who managed to escape, and his forces are very likely closing on us fast.”

There were nearly three hundred ponies that she knew of, and it seemed like less than a hundred were staggering into the cavern. Jaw set, she turned and winged for the Citadel meeting room. It looked like her new Commander wouldn’t have much time to settle into the role...

Comments

[The Serpent Mage]

So if Alicorns are both immortal AND in perfect harmony, then what happened to the rest of them? Is Moon Dancer Luna again?

Im confused

[pchn00]

2570968
Basically Luna ditched her humanity/alicornhood up on the moon to sneak away without her mom noticing. The alicorns don't age due to all the uber mana they absorb, it keeps them alive perpetually, they just keep getting bigger rather than older.

[LostUmbrella]

I see what you did here, pretty neat trick I must say

[pchn00]

2571838
:o What'd I do? lol

[pchn00]

2572257
Well it's revealed who Galaxia is at the end of Settling In, part 2 of the story. :x It was the big 'gasp' reveal at the end of it haha. Galaxia's Equestria is the third part of Jubilant/Jennifer's story.

[LostUmbrella]

2572030

Trixie, Echo and Shining weren't immortal and now they are

[pchn00]

2576716
Oh :o

[gwojo]

you killed surprise

[MidnightRain]

4055869 Technically, Surprise still lives. She and Jennifer were one and the same. TECHNICALITY OVERRULE!

[Prismmirror]

Well, at least Luna still gets to keep her immortality. I wish this story wasn't so long. I know you never finished the next one, and I saw its synopsis was more warfare. I really miss the days of 'Jennifer the human girl with wanderlust'. I'm sad she's now anchored by all these knightly commitments, because now we'll never get to read about her exploration of the world. Reading a fic about the exploits of a human-hybrid exploring the world with a 'quest help' spell and a magic sword'n'shield combo sounds most excellent. With all the Doctor Who references, I was hoping for that 'random adventure' kind of story format.