Standing on her balcony, Princess Celestia looked down upon the city of Canterlot, Princess Luna standing beside her. Celestia was lowering the sun, sending it to other parts of the world. It had been an eventful day. Canterlot had been… changed.

“We shall have to reestablish the trains,” Luna said as the first few stars of the evening began to twinkle. Luna, wearing a grin that had been on her face since the alteration of Canterhorn, let out a laugh—all of this amused her a great deal. Canterlot was now a city accessible by pegasi, alicorns, or ponies with airships.

While not a window had been broken in the city, the powerlines and the watermains had all been severed, leaving the city without power or water. All of those would need to be rebuilt. All in all, Luna liked the changes, as she detested electric light bulbs a great deal. Candlelight was far better, had more atmosphere, and had a certain romance to it.

“Look at them, Luna… there is kindness in the streets. Look… they have lit lanterns… there… there… and there.” Celestia pointed with her hoof as she spoke. “Already one can feel the difference. It is as though a shadow has been lifted from the city.”

“I feel something, but you are far more attuned to these things than I am,” Luna replied as more stars twinkled to life overhead. Luna looked over to where Celestia had pointed. Ponies had hung paper lanterns over the street and an impromptu street party was happening. Faint music could be heard in the distance, it seemed that ponies were celebrating.

“Sister, the changes… things are getting better. The world has changed for the better. There is a sense of unity now, this feeling of belonging to something larger. The nations of the world want peace. The old hatreds and the mistrust is being put aside. Old enemies have become allies. It feels as though we stand upon the brink of greatness.” Princess Celestia smiled at her sister, extended a wing, placed it over Luna, and pulled Luna closer. “Luna, I think I shall go and celebrate with Twilight and her friends. Perhaps I can spoil Prince Beauregard.”

Luna paused, smacking her lips together, looking thoughtful. “You know, rather than be by myself, I think I shall join you. This is far too nice a night to be brooding all alone. We are winning, dearest Sister.”

“We have not yet won,” Celestia said.

“Oh, but I think we will… Twilight and Buckminster are the architects of our future and already, the future generation shapes up to be exceptional. At some point, we need to crown Sentinel as a prince and give him his knighthood.” Luna paused and her grin widened. “After he sweats through his punishment of course.”

“That little rascal is entirely too much like his father… he might as well be Buckminster’s flesh and blood colt. We are going to have nothing but trouble from him, but I do believe that he will be a loyal, dedicated, worthwhile servant for Princess Apple Bloom.” Celestia turned and stepped through the double doors, exiting the balcony.

Luna, following her sister, nodded in agreement. “Everything is going as planned. We will be able to step back and relax our rule over Equestria so we can focus instead upon the governance and fair rule of the world at large. We need a name for the intercontinental government that is forming.”

“We do, we do…”

Sitting on the porch, Bucky listened to frogs croaking as he watched his foals chasing fireflies in the yard. In the distance, many of the school foals were out as well, enjoying the pleasant spring evening. Sitting on a small wooden table beside Bucky there was a gin and tonic in a highball glass. He had drank enough that he was no longer miserable, but was in a decent enough mood.

On the grass, Derpy had spread out a quilt and was sitting with the newborns. Dinky was with her and the two were enjoying quiet time together, watching as Harper, Cadance, Sukari, and Peekaboo all ran after fireflies. Lugus was engaged in a game of darts with Boadicea and Yew Wood was watching both of the fierce competitors trying to outdo the other. Sentinel was having a quiet conversation with both Lyra and Bon Bon. Thistle was in the lake with Bell Heather.

Bucky turned and looked at Belisama beside him. The griffoness was a little drunk, having sipped some of Bucky’s gin and tonic, which was made with naval strength gin. She sat with her feathers fluffed out, looking pleased, her tail twitching from side to side.

“You look happy,” Bucky said to Belisama, ending his long held silence.

“They’re all safe and secure… I feel happy,” Belisama replied. She swayed a little bit, her eyes blinking in a slow, drunken manner. “I love them all so much. I am a mother to four new little cubs.” Belisama paused, looking confused for a moment, and then she corrected herself. “Foals. Yes, foals. They are mine. I love them. They’re all so precious to me.”

The griffoness went quiet as Bittersweet went shooting past, running at a breakneck speed, and Ripple was hot on her heels, her tongue lolling out of her mouth and her wings sticking straight out from her sides.

“Ah, spring is in the air,” Derpy said as she watched Ripple running after Bittersweet. “Go Ripple!”

Belisama fell back in her chair with a squawk and a bit of a laugh. She scratched her stomach, kicked out her hind legs, and watched as Ripple ran after Bittersweet. Life was good. Her sharp eyes saw another set of figures out for a walk—Gofannon and Helia, along with Helia’s new colt, Cygnus. Gofannon was riding on Helia’s back and holding Cygnus in his forelegs. Belisama liked Cygnus, the pegasus colt was pure white with the exception of a splash of orange over his nose and muzzle. Belisama wondered what the other Raptors were up to. Princess Luna had plans for the Raptors and Belisama worried a great deal about the Raptors’ acceptance as an actual regiment. At some point, an inspection would happen, and they would be judged. Belisama hoped that for Ripple’s sake, the Raptors would prove worthy.

“We are becoming our own city,” Bucky said in a low voice to Belisama. “There are now well over a thousand living in this immediate area. Students, the teachers, instructors, the griffons, me and my family, our numbers keep growing. Violet is worried about our growth.” Bucky reached out his talons and picked up his highball glass, causing his ice cubes to clink.

“Some of the griffons have taken up residence in Ponyville,” Belisama replied.

“Very few. They’re clannish. They don’t want to be separated.” Bucky took a gulp of his gin and tonic. “I understand that many are still scared and do not wish to be apart from the others.” Bucky sighed, took another gulp of gin, and looked out at the school. “The school is growing larger… a whole new wing is being added. New students are coming with the spring. We need new dormitory towers. Parents from all over want to send their students here, to the Founder’s Forge. We show so much promise… but Violet worries about our growth. With this many residents, we will need governance.”

“From what I understand, Cheerilee manages the school quite well as your provost, but I can see Violet’s point, I think.” Belisama looked over at Bucky, her crest rising. “She is only one pony. She has a foal now… she might need some help.”

“Growing pains are good to have.” Bucky set his glass down on the table and watched as Belisama snatched it up. The griffoness tipped it back and poured some down her beak. She let out a contented sigh and then set the glass down. “Twilight is having them too as she tries to get her university going. Ponyville is becoming a town known for education, just as Mister Rich had envisioned.” Bucky’s brows furrowed and he looked troubled for a moment. “I wonder how Diamond Tiara is doing.”

“Bucky, you keep asking that… you should go to her.” Belisama sat up in her chair, her tail swishing, and she leaned over on the arm to get closer to Bucky. “We’ll be fine… you are just going to keep worrying so you might as well just go. Maybe Diamond Tiara needs you.”

“Maybe so,” Bucky agreed, “maybe so.” After speaking, he vanished, dissolving into wisps of shadow.

“Waste not, want not,” Belisama said as she picked up the highball glass and prepared to guzzle down the contents.

“Bon Bon?” Sentinel looked up at the earth pony mare, one of the many mares that he called ‘mother.’ He thought about the long nights together in the cramped room in the castle. Bon Bon and Lyra both had helped to educate him, they had been good to him, they had been kind to him, he loved them both more than words could say.

“What?” Bon Bon’s eyebrow raised.

“There is something I need to say… I hope you will understand.” Sentinel cleared his throat and saw that both Bon Bon and Lyra were waiting. Sentinel had a hard time meeting Bon Bon’s gaze, feeling ashamed. He cleared his throat again and hoped that he would not squeak like a growing colt while he said something that he felt was important. Something that would show that he was capable of acting like a grownup. He took a deep breath and hoped that his voice did not crack. “I am not going to let you punish my sisters… I understand that spanking has been left on the table as an option—”

“Is that so?” Bon Bon asked, cutting Sentinel off, her eyes narrowing. The muscles in her forelegs quivered.

Sentinel no longer felt quite so grown up or brave. He swallowed, feeling afraid. He kept his eyes locked onto Bon Bon’s and found his voice again. “You can paddle me all you want. You can take your anger out on me and you can spank me until you feel better, but I am not going to allow”—Sentinel’s voice broke and became a squeak, but somehow, he found the courage to keep going—“you to spank my sisters because of something I did.”

“Sentinel… do you have any idea how much that would hurt your sisters, watching you get spanked for something they did?” Bon Bon asked.

Sentinel’s gaze fell, dropping down to the grass and his own front hooves. He had thought about this, but something about how Bon Bon had said it now had him reconsidering it. He felt a growing lump in his throat.

“Dinky and Piña both are good foals… this would hurt them like nothing else, watching you get punished for something they willingly took part in. They would want their share of the punishment—”

“Bonnie, we can’t do this,” Lyra said, her words a plaintive whimper.

“Lyra, we’ve discussed this—”

“No, you’ve discussed this and made all these reasons and I’ve said very little about the issue and now I’m saying something… we can’t do this… you spank bad foals… you just said that Dinky and Piña are good foals. They’ve done something stupid, they’ve done something rotten, but they’re not bad foals. Spanking is something you do when all else fails, when you can’t reach them any other way… and you just said that they were good. We just can’t do this to them.” Horn glowing, Lyra yanked Sentinel into her embrace and began to squeeze him. “If you and Berry spank them, I’ll not forgive you!”

“Lyra,” Bon Bon said, blinking, almost in shock. “Be reasonable—”

“I am being reasonable, and don’t you say otherwise… I don’t like this and I’m making my feelings known. We’ll find some other way of making them miserable. But if you try to spank them, I swear, I’ll whisk them away to someplace safe and you won’t find us.” Lyra redoubled her grip on Sentinel, squeezing him so hard that his eyes bulged.

“Fine, Lyra, we’ll try to find some other way. We still need to sort this out with the others though and see what they say. But I promise I’ll be on your side,” Bon Bon said, shaking her head, not expecting this from Lyra.

“You owe me, Sentinel… don’t think for one second that you’re off the hook… I plan to make you miserable… but I’m not going to let them resort to violent punishment.” Lyra buried her muzzle into Sentinel’s mane and kissed him between his ears.

“Okay,” Sentinel groaned as Lyra continued squeezing.

“I love you so much… you made me crazy… you made your father crazy. He had a breakdown and we had to slip him drugs in his food and his drink so we could deal with him. Sentinel, you made your father lose his mind… he was ranting and raving and truth be told I was almost at that point myself and I’m so angry with you!” Lyra squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “Right now, I want to zap you and there is a part of me that wants to spank you but I feel so conflicted and it feels wrong and all of this is tearing me apart and I think there is still a chance that I just might have that breakdown after all… and I hate you just a little bit for what you have done but I still love you so much… but you are a horrible, horrible little colt for what you did and you need to know that!”

Something warm and wet splashed on top of Sentinel’s head. He felt it. Lyra was crying now, and something about about her crying hurt him. Burning shame consumed him and he went limp in Lyra’s embrace. Truth be told, he would rather be spanked than endure this. This was awful. He felt her whole body trembling against him, he felt her barrel hitching as she sobbed, and her tears became a flood that soaked the top of his head as she buried her face into his mane.

At that moment, Sentinel loathed himself and wished that he had never been born.

Author's Notes:

So... who remembers who Prince Beauregard is?