Triumphant Return
As a young and impressionable filly, sheltered by the four walls of the cottage her family called home, she had always felt that Equestria was the perfect place. Everypony got along, nopony fought with each other, nopony would dream of harming Equestrian Royalty. As a grown mare and now a slightly seasoned paladin, Twilight Sparkle could safely conclude that her filly self had been extremely naive, and real life was rather different from the untarnished ideals of a filly. Right now, it was a wonder she was still standing. Her front right foreleg couldn't support her weight on that side. Her tail was almost non-existent, the relic of a thrown javelin. Her mane formed a fuzzy halo around her head, the cause of taking several lightning strikes and shaking them off. And, peeking out from the unruly mass of mane like a shy foal, was her left ear, its tip shorn off. Her right ear was missing entirely, cauterized so quickly it didn't even bleed. Running vertically across her right eye was a still fresh scar, puckered skin red and slightly inflamed. She had took an axe swipe that would have taken out the mare she was oathbound to protect. Had it not been for her helm, Twilight would have lost her eye completely.
Twilight's armor of office, once so lovingly cared for and gleaming like a gem, was almost as bad as her body. The chest piece had taken so many blows it had completely caved in right under the shoulders. Only the layer of magically compressed air between the thick plates and her undertunic had prevented metal from punching right through her lungs. And to think the blacksmith had believed such a failsafe was unnecessary! The armor on all four of her legs was dented thoroughly, as though a Timberwolf had been gnawing on them like a bone. Her hoofboots were the only part of her armor that was in decent shape, and even they had a fair number of dings. Her faithful longsword was notched all along its length, and the weapon managing to avoid snapping twain was a testimony to the skill of the weaponsmith. Lastly, the giant tower shield, the pinnacle of every paladin, was barely more than a rectangular lump of metal. The thing hardly fit into its clamps properly. The others had attempted to get her to leave it, but abandoning something that had saved her life more times than she could count felt wrong.
The most worrying thing, however, was the fact that her fellow paladins fared no better than she had. Granted, they understood what they had been chosen for. They all had. Even so, Twilight was directly responsible for the lives of the other three members of her fireteam. The moment that Twilight had discovered that their princess had been ponynapped and given immediate chase, her only three friends in the world followed their team lead. Any other paladin under Twilight's command would have balked; Celestia knows they did it enough during training sessions. Not even the threat of the King's only daughter being bodily harmed could have galvanised them to follow a unicorn paladin willingly. As this thought flitted across her weary mind, a small savage grin tugged at her lips. Twilight Sparkle had proven without a doubt that a unicorn could indeed be a paladin.
As the rescue party finally made it safely out of the Everfree Forest, Twilight couldn't help but imagine the strange sight they must have presented. First and foremost were the Misfits; Corporal Twilight Sparkle, followed by Privates Sunset Shimmer, Trixie Lulamoon, and Twinkleshine. Right on the hooves of the four paladins was none other than Princess Rarity Belle, a little scraped up and dirty, but otherwise completely unharmed. And next to the princess was Lady Fluttershy, the normally timid pegasus noble who quite literally chased after the Misfits to help rescue her childhood friend. Bringing up the rear were the two local Malitiaponies Applejack and Pinkie Pie. A shadow passed lazily overhead, and Twilight glanced up to see the Wonderbolt mercenary company still keeping overwatch. The multi hued mane of Rainbow Dash glinted cheerfully at the ground ponies as the pegasus commander flew lazy circles high above her lower altitude V formation subordinates. Some distance behind flew another flock of Wonderbolts, at Twilight’s insistence. She really didn’t want to deal with an unexpected attack while the ponies she was in charge of were weakened; scouts had reported an all clear when she had sent them out earlier, but after the harrowing time she’s had the unicorn wasn’t willing to take any chances.
The rescue party drew ever closer to the outskirts of the nearby village Ponyville. Sweet Apple Acres, the farm Applejack ran for a living loomed almost forebodingly upon the horizon. Twilight knew for a fact she was just being paranoid, and she struggled to at least tone down her apprehension. Even from this distance the Corporal could see an eagerly shifting mass of locals. Rolling her eyes slightly at yet another headache that needed navigated, Twilight cleared her partially dry throat to speak. “Helms up, paladins.”
There was a smattering of affirmatives from the rest of her fireteam before she heard the telltale click of full face helmets fastening into their armor brackets. Twilight lit up her horn, ignoring the sudden exhaustion and flickering magic haze to withdraw her own head protection from the saddlebags still bouncing along her flanks after all this time. She fitted the battleworn armor piece over her own head, using her magic to press it down until she heard it click. She hesitated for a moment, a forehoof raised, as she weathered a dizzy spell. She felt an oddly familiar warmth upon her side, and she turned to see Princess Rarity flashing her a dazzling smile. Twilight’s heart sped up uncontrollably and she blushed heavily, thankful that the helmet she had just put in managed to mask most of her reaction. Judging by the knowing smirk her princess shot her, the paladin was pretty sure Rarity knew exactly what had happened.
The next instant, Twilight’s attention was torn away from her conflicted emotions as her heads-up spell activated. All around her were familiar friendly green dots representing her allies, new and old. Ahead of her and steadily closing were a bunch of blue dots, signifying non-hostile creatures. Yet, the most important thing was the distinct lack of red dots; Twilight released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Even though they weren’t quite out of the woods just yet, so to speak, they were drawing ever closer to their destination: Home. And then medical attention. Definitely medical attention. Just before their party hit the first of Sweet Apple Acre’s buildings, Twilight muttered out of the corner of her mouth, yet another cantrip activating to make sure she could be heard. “Applejack, Pinkie. Are you two going to follow us back to Canterlot?”
Twilight swore she could feel the farmer shrug. “Ah told ya we’d see you through ta Canterlot, Sugarcube. Our help can manage a few more days without me.”
“Yepperoni!” Pinkie chirped in agreement. Twilight felt as though the baker was entirely too chipper to be a part of any militia; however, after the events that had took place scant hours earlier, it did make sense.
“Rainbow Dash? Are you going to follow us?” Even as high up as she was, the pegasus heard the unicorn clearly.
“Yea, we’ve got you covered, paladin. Canterlot probably won’t take kindly to mercenaries in their airspace, but they can go buck themselves. We’re returning a valuable hostage. The least they can do is be grateful.”
“Thank you, commander,” Princess Rarity spoke up now, her voice smooth as silk. “I’ll make sure you’re properly paid.”
“Don’t sweat it too much, your highness. If we’d only done this for the payout we’d be no better than those thugs pretending to be mercenaries. Twilight was clearly outnumbered, and we evened the score. Goddess knows nopony else was going to help a unicorn paladin. Ponyist featherbrains.”
Twilight had to stifle a giggle at that, and once more a word rang clearly through her mind: Loyalty. It filled her with an unfamiliar warmth that wasn't entirely unwelcome. Further conversation halted as they began the trek through one of Sweet Apple Acre’s simple dirt paths. Twilight struggled hard to ignore the oppressive silence she was suddenly faced with; there was no sound from the townsponies, making the chink of heavy armor and crunch of boots unnaturally loud. Then all at once, everything exploded.
Twilight’s weakened magic was clenched around her sword and had it halfway out of its sheath before her mind caught up to what she was hearing: cheers. All around her was the excited cries and eager hoof stomps of what felt like every pony in Equestria. Twilight could feel herself inching ever closer to Princess Rarity, and her display confirmed that the other three paladins were doing the exact same thing. This was why she had ordered helmets; the unicorn knew her expression was anything but calm right now. As the group continued onward, Twilight Sparkle took note of the princess’ shadow. The royal unicorn had a hoof in the air, clearly waving to the still ecstatic crowd of ponies surrounding them. A distant part of the purple paladin wanted to chastise her ward for encouraging the masses; a more rational area of her mind argued that this was a good thing for Rarity’s (and to a lesser extent, her paladin’s) public image. She had just decided to roll with it when she caught sudden movement off to her right, shortly before her eyes in the sky reported the same.
“Unicorn stallion to the right, unarmed. Probably harmless.”
Half of Twilight’s thought processes took note of Dash’s warning, while the other half moved to intercept the young stallion, body marching sideways as she kept herself between his eager attempts to get to Rarity. “Let me through!” He cried indignantly. “That’s the mare I’m going to marry!”
Twilight felt herself bristle. If not for her armor, her coat would have been standing on end. Her teeth were bared before she had even realised her reaction to the proclamation. The sudden spike of adrenaline laced fury caused her to forget about her numerous injuries for the moment, and her sword was fully out of its sheath and resting by her side now. How dare he lay claim to what wasn’t his! Her stance lowered, fully prepared to duel this upstart for the affections of a mare newly dear to her heart. But then, Rarity laughed. It was a restrained, tinkling sound, not at all like the genuine laughter the paladin had heard before. Even so, just the sound of it broke her trance, leaving her slightly dazed and wondering what she was doing.
“I’m sorry, darling,” Princess Rarity began in that melodious voice of hers. “I’m already accounted for.”
Twilight barely acknowledged the stallions blustering reply. She was staring straight ahead in shock, trying to piece together exactly what had just happened. That stallion had uttered that sentence, and then… she had reacted. Amidst her anger and internal outrage, she had been fully prepared to beat that civilian black and blue. She very nearly dropped her armament as the revelation hit her, and with now trembling magic she forced the unruly thing back into its scabbard. As she did so, she could feel another presence cautiously approaching her from behind.
“Corporal? Twi?” It was Sunset Shimmer. “Are you okay?”
Twilight considered those words for what felt like eternity, weighing them in her mind. “No.” Came her low reply. “No, I’m not. I don’t know if I’m ever going to be okay again. We’ve fought and bled on nothing more than my orders. I’ll be lucky if they decide to even let me keep my post, and if they wont court martial me for dragging you three with me, then they’ll certainly nail me for whatever this is between me and the Princess.”
There was a sharp staccato of hooves from behind. Twinkleshine blocked her commander with her body, and Twilight could feel the glare the other paladin was leveling at her. “For being such an intelligent pony, you’re not exactly bright sometimes, are you? You know none of what you said is going to happen. When we took the oath, we were sworn to keep her Highness safe. No matter the consequences. You were the acting officer on the scene, and we followed you gladly. You’ve done a lot of good during this fight, Corporal. You kept our charge safe, you earned the eternal gratitude of two Goddesses, and you reawakened six of the most powerful artifacts in Equestrian history. They’re not going to toss you aside for snap decisions that kept us alive. I mean, look at you. You’ve got so many wounds it’s a wonder you’re even standing. When I look at you, and see those signs of a battle, I see a hero. Don’t sell yourself short by second guessing actions.”
Twilight Sparkle stared at the younger unicorn for a long moment, before cracking a smile. “Yes, you’re right. Actions are so much more easy to criticize in hindsight, so they say. I’m not sure what I was thinking.”
As they started forward again, Trixie answered the rhetorical statement with her trademark bluntness. “You weren’t thinking. You’re exhausted. But you know, we’re in this together. That’s what we promised when we were still greenhorns. And it's not just us four now. It’s all of us. Princess Rarity. The Wonderbolts. Even Applejack and Pinkie Pie. I think… I think that’s what friends do. We stick together, like in training, but on a larger scale.”
Twilight could feel her heart warming. Despite everything that had happened, the paladin was glad events had brought her to these wonderful ponies. Her gait straightened despite her screaming muscles. Her head came up, held high. She was a Paladin of the Princess, and nothing was going to tear her down. However, her sense of accomplishment simmered away as her little army approached the Town Hall of Ponyville. Just as the greying Mayor Mare had promised, the portal she had set up before striking out into the Everfree was still right in front of the white steps leading into the building. To the left of the portal stood the equipment chest Twilight had set up, still magically locked. To the right stood Mayor Mare and all of her administrative staff. Her weary party halted a short distance from the portal, followed by landing pegasi mercenaries. Twilight continued on alone, swiftly undoing the lock on the equipment chest. Yanking her mangled shield from its clamps, she tossed the thing into the trunk before reaching in for her spare. This one had a few scratches and dings from practice sessions, but her cutie mark emblazoned across it was easily viewable. As she also grabbed a better longsword, she gestured her team to restock.
“Princess, are you up for a bit of cantering?” Twilight asked gently.
“I believe so, darling. Participating in some of my paladin’s training regime has already aided me more than I had expected.”
“Good. General plan, then: We’re going to go through this portal, and it’ll send us right to the outskirts of Canterlot. Sunset and myself shall take point, with Twinkleshine and Trixie behind us and to the left and right. We’re going in with fixed shields. You, princess, shall be in between Twinkleshine and Trixie; Lady Fluttershy, follow next to the princess, please. Applejack and Pinkie, I’d like you two to bring up the rear. Wonderbolts, I want you in the air keeping pegasi civilians away while we do the same for the unicorns and earth ponies.”
Rarity arched a single elegant eyebrow. “Corporal Twilight, do you honestly expect us to be attacked so far into our home?”
Twilight shook her head sharply. “I don't, but you of all ponies should know how civilians get whenever there’s a bunch of excitement going on. You’ve been gone for over a month, princess, and they’re going to instinctively want to crowd around you. If they box us in it’ll take us all day to reach the palace, and that’s with the Royal Guard trying to keep them back. All of us need medical attention, and the sooner we can get to the palace and debrief, the sooner our injuries can be taken care of. Any questions?”
A chorus of negatives assaulted her good ear. Twilight turned to Mayor Mare, still standing off to one side. “I appreciate all you’ve done to help us, Mayor. I’ll be sure to emphasis Ponyville’s involvement.”
“Bless your heart, paladin. Our community doesn’t need much in the way of a reward. We’re just glad our princess is back with us.” Twilight nodded again before turning back to her assembled ponies.
“Paladins, lock shields.” The din of ratcheting metal was deafening. After one last look, Twilight took a steadying breath and stepped through the portal. The usual array of color blindsided her. It wasn’t really bright, just a never ending stream of colors as she sped past the exits to other portals within Equestria’s military portal network. Experience had long taught her not to attempt to focus on any of the exits, as that would result in nausea. Instead she kept her gaze forward and unseeing. She had just enough time to wonder if she should have warned the Wonderbolts and militiaponies about the side effects of portal travel before, with a sudden jerk, she stopped.
The first thing Twilight noticed was the high pitched hum of several other portals. She had landed right in the middle of the portalwork field on the outskirts of the capital, just like she had planned. Several startled cries and grunts erupted behind her as other ponies came through the portal she had just vacated. Not for the first time, Twilight was glad that the magic had sense enough to not dump ponies on top of other ponies. Also fortunately for her, none of her charges were throwing up, although a few were wobbling shakily, Applejack in particular. Just as she was prepared to order them into formation, the first cry rent the air.
Her paladins reacted instantly. Sunset Shimmer darted to Twilight’s right side, aiming to shore up her commander’s bad eye. Twinkleshine took up the left and Trixie the right, quickly motioning Princess Rarity and Lady Fluttershy to follow. A flurry of beating wings signaled both seven pegasi squadrons of Wonderbolts taking to the air, adapting the usual V formations. Applejack and Pinkie fell in from behind, the orange farmer almost reaching for the giant hammer strapped across her back at the sudden noise. Even as fast as they were, they almost didn’t make it out of that field in time. Twilight had thought Ponyville had been bad, Canterlot was far worse. There was a sea of ponies as far as the eye could see, occasionally broken by the tall, bipedal form of a griffon or the antlers of a deer. The small contingent of Royal Guards that normally patrolled this area suddenly found themselves overwhelmed by the deafening populace, startled by the sudden appearance of their missing royalty in the midst.
Twilight lead them right up Canterlot’s main street, moving at as quick of a canter as her bruised body would allow. Thankfully, even though the masses of creatures were swarming towards the group, the four paladins in full battle armor and fixed shields seemed to be enough to deter them from getting too close. This left a nice little bubble around the princess, even as the Wonderbolts had to gently discourage several adventurous pegasi from hovering right overhead. Any type of small talk was pretty much out of the question; even with the speech amplifying cantrip nopony would be able to hear anything but the roar.
The thunder of armored hooves was almost as loud as the crowd, rolling off the buildings and drowning out the lighter hoofsteps of the others. Twilight could almost pick out individual questions and statements, but trying to focus on the perceived words was impossible. As they drew ever closer to the palace, they were joined by more Royal Guard, who were forming a two pony deep line around the princess’ location. A few Royal Air Corps attempted to chase off the Wonderbolts from their positions above, but the hardened mercenaries responded in kind by shoving the interlopers back into their own airspace. Dash barked an order lost to Twilight's ears, and her mercs abandoned their V formations to instead form columns of seven on the right and left sides. Dash settled down on point between the two columns, and Twilight could sense the pegasus glaring at RAC members who still lingered.
Twilight and Sunset executed a sharp right turn, boots shrieking on cobblestone as the two paladins fought to keep their hooves under them with the abrupt change of momentum. A few seconds later the same cry of metal on stone sounded from the other two paladins, and the ruckus reminded Twilight of the night all of this began. In fact, many of this struck a sense of deja vu; minus the sense of panic as she tore after the shadowy creatures who had grabbed Princess Rarity, this scene was almost identical to that fateful night.
Canterlot Palace was directly ahead now, and as they approached the yawning archway leading into the courtyard, Twilight signalled her exhausted party to slow to a more sedate pace. Sides heaving and her breath whistling through her lungs, Twilight again took point as everyone else fell into step behind. The guardsponies took up a blockade at the entrance, keeping the citizens at bay. Inside the courtyard, however, were a vast majority of Canterlot’s nobles; these ponies were decidedly more dangerous than the crowds outside. Even as the Misfits led the way, Twilight could hear the whispers and mutterings, even if she couldn’t tell exactly what they were saying. Calling upon her last reserves of energy, Twilight pulled herself to her full height, head held high. It didn’t matter that her party had just returned from a brutal campaign. She was not going to tarnish the image of her Highness. The soft fluttering of wings heralded the arrival of her mercenary allies, light pegasi bodies setting gently down upon the cobblestone. More than one noble actually wrinkled their noses at this development and leaned away from the battle weary Wonderbolts, but just as many actually leaned forward almost eagerly, intrigued by these soldiers cut from a different cloth.
Twilight finally stopped paying attention to her surroundings when she noticed who exactly awaited their arrival at the top of the steps leading to the great palace doors. King Magnum (otherwise known as Hondo Flanks to those who were privy to his real name) was the first the purple paladin noticed. He was dressed simply in a silvery grey tunic and slacks that merged magnificently with his off-white coat. His black cloak of office trailed a little way behind him, and his long chocolate mane was braided down his back. His crown rested jauntily upon his head, burnished silver and amethyst. His wife Queen Cookie Crumbles stood right next to him. Her rather pink fur was an odd contrast to her husband’s color, and unlike her husband she hadn’t bothered to dress properly. A simple red nightgown had been donned hastily, and her two-tone blue and dark blue mane was out if its customary bun. Both had been doing quite a bit of crying lately if their slightly red eyes were anything to go by, and they both looked like they had been missing sleep, too.
Time seemed to slow as Twilight came ever closer. The first warning she had was Rarity’s little sobbing gasp. This warning was more than enough for Twilight and Sunset to hurriedly flank their princess as she went dashing towards the King and Queen. The two paladins matched Rarity step for step, and then right before they reached the Royals the two paladins whirled about and moved to either side, letting Rarity close the last of the distance herself. Trixie and Twinkleshine mirrored the first two paladins a moment later, whirling to face the crowd slightly in front of and below their commander. The Wonderbolts quickly shifted into rows of three, and the two malitiaponies flanked the body of pegasi on either side. As Rarity collapsed sobbing into her father’s arms, Twilight cleared her throat gently and declared: “Paladin Corporal Twilight Sparkle and her allies have successfully completed their mission: Her Royal Highness, Princess Rarity Belle, has been brought home.”
The nobles seemed to all hold their breath. There was a few moments of almost complete silence before King Magnum finally cried in a voice choked with emotion. “My daughter has been returned!”
At this, the courtyard erupted. Every single noblepony below them started a raucous cheer. Twilight finally let herself sag a bit, exhaustion telegraphed through her entire body. She knew her friends were every bit as tired, but she dared not leave until she had been excused. Fortunately, Rarity came to her rescue. “Twilight, you and the rest need to get to medical. You can be debriefed after you can stand without nearly falling over.”
“Are you sure, your highness?”
“Quite sure, darling. I'm afraid you'll have to place your trust in the countless soldiers my father has on standby to keep me from further harm.”
It took all of Twilight's formidable willpower to not snort and release a scathing remark. “And what of the Wonderbolts?”
There was a brief flash of respect across the princess’ face. “I keep my words. They shall be given an unused guard barracks, and will likewise be offered the best medical attention I can offer. Applejack and Pinkie Pie will receive the same treatment. But you, you can stop worrying about them. Rest, and heal, so that you may return to your post.”
Twilight bowed low, one of the few times she's ever done so instead of saluting. Conscious of the eyes of the King and Queen, Twilight Sparkle turned smartly, gestured her battered paladins to follow her, and headed for the infirmary. The trip was made in relative silence, nothing more than the clank of armor and the steady staccato of hoofboots. The purple paladin considered heading to their quarters first, to divest themselves of their equipment, but ultimately decided against it. Her armor especially felt as though it was fused to her body in some places, and if the doctors had to literally cut it off her she wanted to be heavily sedated.
The palace doctors and nurses meet her in the corridor leading to the massive infirmary. Nurse Sweetheart was in the lead, and Twilight couldn’t stop a tired grin. “I'm back, Sweetheart.”
The nurse snorted lightly, her own muzzle curling into a smile. “I seem to remember telling the lot of you I'd refuse to help you the next time you ended up in one of my beds. Guess this time I get to eat my own words.”
Sunset chuckled. “Well we're not exactly here by choice. It just kind of happened.”
“Your sisters in Ponyville say hi, by the way.” Trixie cut in. “They miss their elder sibling.”
Sweetheart shook her head. “I swear, you'd think you four were quadruplets or something. And I miss them too. I'll have to visit sometime soon.” The paladins were herded into beds gently. As she finally sat down, Twilight felt her magic had recovered enough to send her saddlebags to their secured quarters; she'd rather not leave that powerful artifact unattended.
Sweetheart was replaced by a unicorn mare with a shiny white coat, shockingly blue eyes, and singleton straw yellow mane and tail cut into a nice, short cropped pixie bob and a simple long flowing tail, and a cutiemark of a silver star with a lightning bolt coming out of it. “My name is Azure Lily, but just call me Lily. I'll be your biomancer today.” Lily’s voice held a hint of a Germane accent despite near perfect Equestrian.
Twilight arched an eyebrow as she disengaged her helmet and removed it. Biomancy was an incredibly complex and intensive school of magic. The fact that the Crown was willing to get one in here was a testament of how grateful the royal family was. She finished her thoughts as Lily was studying the four paladins before her.
“Please hold still. I need to get a sense of how bad these injuries are.” Her horn lit and her eyes closed. Twilight felt unfamiliar magic probe her, and it took all of her training to remind herself that this was not some sort of attack. As quickly as it came the uncomfortable feeling passed, and the purple paladin assumed the biomancer was taking a look at her squad mates.
“Interesting. Well, good news is, your affinity to Celestia und her holy flame allowed your magic to heal enough of the damage to prevent you from dying.”
While Twilight was happy to hear this, something else required her attention. “What's interesting?”
“Celestia’s blessing isn't the only one you carry. All four of you are carrying a second blessing; one that's shadow und ice.”
“It must be Luna’s.” Twinkleshine supplied.
Lily's eyes visibly widened. “So it's true, then? You guys seriously brought back Goddess Luna?”
Twilight hesitated for a moment. Technically, she wasn't allowed to divulge such information until she had been debriefed; not to mention she had no idea what the Crown planned to tell the general populace. But the it dawned on the paladin that everyone would know what had happened sooner or later. “It's true. We cleansed her of the taint calling itself Nightmare Moon, and returned Luna to her true self.”
“Wow. Sometime you'll have to tell me the entire tale. For now, you can rest. The injuries you have sustained are numerous, und quite a few are severe. I recommend you allow us to put you to sleep und sedate you. Is that okay?”
“It would be preferred.” Sunset broke in.
“We could use the nap,” Twinkleshine added.
“You also have our permission to cut away our armor if it is needed.” Trixie sounded as though she was already half asleep.
Lily glanced between the four ponies before her. “Okay, I agree with Sweetheart. That is kind of creepy.”
Twilight managed a quiet chuckle. “I do have one request, though. I want my eye fixed, but could you keep the scar there? I want itas as a reminder of my trials.”
“I think I can do that.” Lily turned to a coal black doctor. “Can you hit them with a sleep spell? I'd really rather not use up my small mana pool before I have time to operate.”
The last thing Twilight remembered wondering was how small Lily’s magical pool had to be if the biomancer couldn't manage a simple sleep spell.
<<((*))>>
Comforting warmth. For the first time since that harrowing night, Twilight was relaxed. She slowly came to, realizing with distant surprise she didn't ache any more. Her hearing was clear, signifying her poor ears had been restored. Her breath was no longer wheezing through bruised lungs. And as she finally opened her eyes, her vision was no longer blurry on the one side. Whoever that biomancer was, she was very good at her job. As the corporal’s eyes roamed over her surroundings, she realized that she was not alone.
King Magnum sat directly across from her, watching her with those piercingly perceptive eyes of his. It took her a solid ten seconds for her hazy mind to realize who she was looking at. When it finally registered, Twilight struggled to sit up and salute, or bow, or anything. “Easy, Corporal Sparkle. Please, there’s no need to make yourself uncomfortable for a bit of formality. Lily promised me a quite dire talking to if I managed to upset her patients.”
Twilight quit trying to get her lethargic muscles to listen to her mental commands. “How long have I been out, my King?” She coughed as soon as she forced the sentence out, her voice scratchy. Magnum summoned a glass of water and handed it to the unicorn, who proceeded to drink it slowly.
“Almost a week. It took all of Lily’s bodily mana to heal you four, and managed to completely drain her reserve pools. She will recover in time. While we’ve been feeding you liquefied food, I imagine you’ll need some real sustenance soon, so I’m going to cut directly to the reason for my visit here: I need you to tell me your story. There have been an abundance of rumors flying about, made worse by that month of no sun. Your team awoke before you, and I’ve already heard their versions in addition to those of the Wonderbolts. Now I want to hear it from you, as the commanding officer. Start from the attack upon the capitol.”
Twilight dutifully nodded her head and began her story. She told of the shadows that had descended upon Canterlot. She told of the fight in the courtyard, the sudden premonition that led her to believe her Princess was in danger. She told of the race to the Royal Quarters, only to discover that the door to the Princess’ chamber was sealed. She told of the door breech, followed by the running jump out of the four story window to give chase. She told everything that happened in that month, from finding themselves lost in Ponyville, to Mayor Mare’s aid, to the trail eventually leading to the Everfree Forest and the Castle of the Twin Sisters. Whenever her voice started to get raspy with speech, her King would summon another glass of water for her to sip on.
When Twilight reached the battle of Nightmare Moon, the King finally interrupted her. “You took on a Goddess?”
Twilight nodded a tad sheepishly. “She had Rarity. I was going to bring our Princess home or die trying in the process.”
“Was this before or after you discovered the Elements of Harmony?”
At those words, Twilight had another bit of a freak out. “The Elements! Are they still safe?”
“The Elements of Harmony are indeed safe, locked inside your own secure quarters. No one has been down that hall since your return.”
Twilight heaved a sigh of relief. “Well, this was a little before we discovered the Elements. Those didn’t come in until a little later…”
Twilight resumed her tale, realizing as she did so this must be some form of debriefing. Even so, she left nothing out-- except one thing, that is. Twilight didn’t think it was a very good idea at all to tell her King that she now had a crush on his only daughter. When she finished her story, King Magnum was silent for several long moments, apparently deep in thought. When he did finally speak, he did so as he snapped his gaze back to Twilight’s own. “You have done this Kingdom a great service, Corporal Twilight Sparkle, a greater service than most others ever manage to accomplish. Rarity Belle is my one and only daughter, and her mother and I would have been devastated had she never returned to us. The Elements of Harmony, gaining the personal favor of Celestia and Luna… those are all simply icing on the cake.”
“Honestly, your majesty, I wasn’t even thinking about any of that. There were several times I almost let the fear win. Without my new friends, I’m not so sure I would have even made it back home, let alone with the Princess in tow.”
“And yet, the fact that you are here now is a testament to your character. You did not let your fear win. Even when on the verge of death, you still fought. And for that, you have my eternal gratitude. However, the evening is getting late. I imagine you are quite hungry. I expect to see you at the feast in another couple of hours.” And with those words, her King stood up and was gone. But before he had fully disappeared out the doorway, Twilight Sparkle caught the glimmer of tears upon his cheeks.
Twilight had spent the remaining hours until the feast lightly resting, and now she was glad she had. Most of the feast had been a hectic blur or reuniting with her friends and stuffing her face as full as she could. Even as King Magnum stood to make a final speech at the end of the night, the paladin was barely paying attention, laughing and joking with her friends where they sat near Princess Rarity. The Misfits, the Wonderbolts, Applejack and Pinkie Pie, they were all there in a loose ring surrounding their Princess. However, as the first of the King’s words echoed through the dining hall, all conversation ceased.
“Ladies and gentlecolts. I know I’ve made quite a few speeches tonight, but bear with me for a moment. This will be my last one, I promise.” There was a smattering of laughter before the King continued.
“Over the past week, I’ve been partaking in quite a few discussions with my family over our ordeal. Naturally, these discussions turned towards rewarding those brave ponies who brought my daughter back to me, at the cost of their own blood and sweat.”
The hall was so silent one could hear a pin drop. “Would the Ponyville Militiaponies Applejack Apple and Pinkamena Diane Pie, step forward.”
The two earth ponies did so, looking oddly self conscious of their lack of formal attire. Or at least, Applejack did. Pinkie looked as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
“From what I gather, the two of you were among the very first volunteers to join in the hunt for my missing daughter. Even though you had jobs that needed to be kept done, you were willing to drop everything and go partake in what might have ended up as a wild goose chase. Therefore, I hereby endorse both Sweet Apple Acres and Sugarcube Corner. In addition to the regular benefits an endorsement by the Crown pertains to, you can also expect free expansions into new cities and towns.”
There was a hefty amount of applause, and both earth ponies bowed low in thanks before resuming their seats. Even Pinkie looked more exuberant than usual, and Applejack looked as though she was about to fall over.
“Next, we have the Wonderbolt Mercenaries.” Magnum gestured towards Twilight’s group (which contained the two squads that had been on duty) and along the dining room walls, where the rest of the mercenaries stayed. “Commander Rainbow Dash. I am under the impression that you pledged yourself and your soldiers to Twilight’s cause after discovering she had no available allies beyond her paladins. Is this correct?”
Rainbow Dash stood and offered a smart salute. “Yes, milord.” Quite a few nobleponies frowned at the lack of what they deemed protocol, but Magnum looked slightly delighted at the thought of a pony not using some variation of a ‘kingly title’.
“Then let it be known that the Wonderbolt Mercenaries are hereby contracted by the Crown until such a time comes that the Crown terminates said contract. You will have access to the best supplies that can be offered like any other branch of the military. You are within your rights to accept other temporary contracts, but your primary duty shall be to the contract with the Crown. Further details can be discussed later, of course. Is this agreeable?”
Rainbow Dash hesitated only for a moment. She glanced at Rarity, and then at Twilight. “Yes. The Wonderbolts shall accept.”
The applause was a little more subdued this time; trying to get nobility used to the idea of mercenaries being hired by the Crown would take a while.
“And lastly, we have the four paladins instrumental to the successful return of our Princess. Twinkleshine, Trixie Lulamoon, Sunset Shimmer… And Twilight Sparkle. Effective immediately, you four are being promoted. Twinkeshine, Trixie, and Sunset shall hold the rank of ‘captain’, and likewise will be in charge of the larger security detail I plan on helping my daughter construct for herself. Twilight shall hold the rank of ‘major’, and will oversee said security detail. Furthermore, all four paladins and their immediate family are to be given baronies and shall be considered Upper Nobility, with places upon my personal council.”
The cheering and hoofstomps was nearly deafening this time, but Twilight Sparkle heard none of it. She was too busy staring straight ahead in shock.
<<((*))>>
“Milady, was this your plan all along?!” Major Twilight Sparkle demanded in a harsh whisper. She wasn’t even sure why she was whispering, considering there was nopony else around.
“Whatever do you mean, darling?”
“Having your father make me nobility so we can keep whatever it is we have going on!” Twilight was practically shouting at this point. She had cornered Rarity in the Princess’ quarters sometime after the King’s final announcement. It had taken a long time for the young unicorn to come to her senses, but when she did she discovered the dining hall was almost completely empty and servants had arrived to start their clean up duty.
Rarity sighed now. “Look, Twilight dear, this wasn’t my plan at all. Father came up with this all on his own. I just never bothered to suggest anything else. And after I told him about us, he had pretty much made up his mind long before the celebratory feast.”
Twilight grew very still. “You told him… about… us?”
“Of course I did, Twilight. I can’t keep a secret from my Father of all ponies. He really didn’t have a problem with it, and I quote: ‘That mare could ask me for my crown and I would be tempted to give it to her.’”
“That’s not funny, Rarity.” Twilight had to try really hard not to use her pet name for the marshmallow mare.
“It's not meant to be, Twi. That is very literally what he said. Bringing him his daughter alive and well was the single most impressive thing you could have done for my Father, Twilight Sparkle.”
“But what about us?” Twilight sounded as though she was on the verge of tears.
“What about us?” Rarity echoed. “I’m not sure what you mean, sweetheart. I mean, I realize we’re both really new to this, but I’m not sure why you’re hung up on that part.”
“Look, Rares, I shouldn’t be with you! Okay? I shouldn’t even be thinking of you that way. I’m just a paladin, and you… you’re the Princess of an entire Kingdom. You can find someone better. I’m not your knight in shining armor.”
Rarity let out a startling whinny-growl, causing the purple mare to glance up in shock. “Now you listen here, Twilight Sparkle, and you listen well. You. Are. More. Than. Just. A. Paladin.”
The princess punctuated each syllable with a half step towards her mare, until she was almost nose to nose with Twilight. “How many times did you almost die out there? How many times did you get right back up and tell death to go buck itself? You are a very remarkable mare, Twilight Sparkle, and you will eventually accept this fact, even if I must beat it into you myself.” Rarity suddenly whirled away from Twilight, ears suddenly drooping.
The paladin took several steps, unsure what to say or do, but Rarity continued. “And ‘knight in shining armor’? Is that what you’re still hung up on? Let me tell you something, Twilight. I’ve done a lot of growing up this past month. The world isn’t nearly so simple as I had believed for most of my life. The night I cuddled with you, and realized that the mare curled against me had swept me off my hooves, I came to an interesting conclusion: I don’t need, nor want, a Knight in Shining Armor. Why? Why would I want a champion like that? A Knight whose armor is unblemished, gleaming in the sun, the very picture of perfect is a Knight who has done nothing with her career. Her armor is unsullied by the vigor of war, unstained from innocence lost so other's don't have to lose theirs.” Here Rarity paused, as though mulling over her next words carefully.
“A Knight in Dented Armor, however, is an entirely different story. A Knight whose armor is unpolished, nicked and scraped, dented and dinged, is a Knight who has done much with her life. She has fought for what she holds dear. She has faced numerous foes in the name of protecting innocence. She is not afraid to fight the battles for loved ones, nor is she above letting those same loved ones fight her battles. You, Twilight Sparkle, are my Knight. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now, stop this nonsense and kiss your princess.”
This wasn’t okay. There was no way in Equestria any of this was okay. And yet, maybe it was. Perhaps it was time to stop worrying about every little thing and just enjoy the moments that popped up from time to time. And as Twilight Sparkle gently pressed her lips to her new marefriend, she was still filled with an undeniable joy.
Yes. She thought giddily. I am her Knight in Dented Armor.