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Pony POV Series Season Six: Dark World/Shining Armor

by Alex Warlorn

Chapter 87: Episode 144: (Shining Armor): sdaorssorC-Crossroads

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Pony POV Series
Shining Armor
Chapter 21 Part Two
tpircS eroM oN-No More Script

Cadence did indeed fill me in on what happened, both on ship and back at home. Neither was fun, and both were completely insane. I don't WANT TO think about or talk about what happened to Twiley when I wasn't there to help her or protect her. It was horrible enough hearing about it. I was just happy she was herself again.

Needless to say Ellis was dismayed when he learned what happened to his great-aunt and cousins. Not to mention what that thing did to my parents. And Cadence's parents. And everypony's parents, it's like the psychopath had been everywhere! My only comfort is the monster is back where he belongs... too bad the wolf can't eat him too! Nameless messed up the world to make himself look good, this guy was messing up the world to mess up the world! No point! No reason!

(Friend's Notes (Unicorn): It's worse than that, Shining. Discord did what he did for fun.)

PLEASE tell me he gets the 'and I must scream' type of petrification and not the 'peaceful zen' type.

(Friend's Notes (Pegasus): He gets the zen type, but to HIM, to the embodiment of chaos, it's ALSO the former because clarity and peace are his antithesis.)

Good. Then I can at least rest knowing he got what he deserved and the nightmare is over.

(Friend's Notes (Unicorn): And you don't know how proud I am that you can settle for that.)

Thanks...after Nameless, I'm proud of me too.

There was one thing I needed to ask.

"How many casualties?"

"... Zero reported so far. From what the reports said, Discord wanted ponies suffering, not dying. But there were many close calls. Lots of ponies in the hospital. But none dead."

That was one big relief, I'd had my fill of armageddons. In fact if there's another apocalypse armageddon I'm outta here!

(Friend's Notes (Pegasus): That was terrible.)

I don't why I asked, but I did, "What was on the postcard?"

"... a photograph of Twilight and the other Elements of Harmony... acting insane...well, her friends, Twilight was...broken...walking away broken."

I didn't need to hear that.

"It had written on it, 'Wish I could see the looks on your faces.' I felt almost like it was addressing me. I felt strange looking at it, but I didn't go insane like everypony else."

"T-the squad, what happened with them? Your Hoofmaidens? Are they all okay?"

"They're okay now... I think we're going to need some major down time for everypony... Ellis was talking like a robot, saying everything like facts and figures... and he didn't care what happened to Applejack at all. Thunderchild was scared out of his wits by any mare he saw, talked about how cute tiny wings were, and we had to save his records and guitar after he threw them overboard saying how he liked classical music now, I found him hiding under his bed before I cured him. Audience was ranting and raving how 'rules were for fools.' Garnet said she thought it was -funny- seeing the ponies get hurt. And Running Gag... his joke, HIS JOKES WERE FUNNY!"

"Truly the end times."

"And he didn't care what happened to Garnet.... Twinkle Shine was making everything dirty. Sunset was saying she hated the circus and we never paid any attention to her. And Minuette, she locked herself in the hoof maiden's room and refused to come out, we heard her arguing with herself."

"How did you help them?"

"It was a spell of mine meant to restore damaged bonds, I used it to help Garnet remember her feelings for Gag, but instead it completely cured her insanity. I actually used a song over the speakers to help stop the spread of the chaos onboard... I had to get past Hornblower... "

"How was he acting?"

"He kept talking about 'assuming direct control' and that 'the mission had gotten a lot more complicated' that we were fighting 'reapers' and kept claiming he was Shepard. He said I was likely 'Indoctrinated' like everypony else onboard. The insane part is that I could SEE his responses in front of him from a wheel menu, and he took forever to respond to anything I said, thankfully that let me cure him and then the rest of the ship."

"...And let me guess, the doctors got nailed too?"

"Yes...I'd hate to know what the monster would have done to you...or made me do to anypony else."

"Sorry I wasn't there to help Cadence."

"Don't be, you have no control over getting sick like that or driven mad doctors nearly killing you."

"I said I was sorry I couldn't help, I didn't say I blamed myself for it. Sounds like you saved the ship."

"Thank you Shining." She nuzzled me.

Personally? I was scared of what the draconequus would have made me do!

(Friend's Notes (Earth Pony): Don't worry Shining, we're not letting that nasty old Discord get his claws on you.)

(Friend's Notes (Pegasus): Over our dead bodies!)

(Friend's Notes (Unicorn): We promise Shining, we'll never let him touch you.)


+++

(Friend's Notes (Unicorn): Hello Cadence, you look distracted.)

It's nothing, it's just, being surrounded by madness for a day... It reminded me. I hadn't intended to use my magic to cure Garnet of Discord's geass, only help remind her that she loved Gag. Because the last time I had used it to try and cure somepony's sickness of the mind, it had completely backfired. I was scared the same thing would happen. But I couldn't do nothing to help my friends. Especially since, as far as I knew at the time, I was the only pony who could.

(Friend's Notes (Pegasus): What are you talking about?)

Oh. Shining didn't tell you did he? I don't blame him. I wouldn't want to talk about that place, or what happened either. It was back in Canterlot, the day after I had ordered him to take day off as a reward for being my shield with Auntie Luna.

The entire visit had been intended as a breather for all ponies involved, I think, no I'm as sure as Auntie's day that she remembers the way the world was before it was healed too. It explains why she randomly ordered us to visit two places that amounted to vacation spots.

So I was surprised when Sunset found me, "I've been looking for you all day Princess!"

"What's the matter Sunset?"

"I have an urgent note for you, it was supposed to be given to you at first opportunity once you were in Canterlot, but with the holiday we've all been taking, you not on a schedule for one day-"

"Sunset, what is the note?"


It wasn't a new war or some ancient evil... It was a request from a stallion in Ponyville. This stallion was, according to the letter, part of one of the founding families of Ponyville, and a highly respected and honorable business pony. That wasn't the part that got my attention. It read that he had made the same request of both my Aunties and both turned him down. I was his last hope. I wasn't keen on doing something both of my older, wiser, and stronger aunts had chosen not to do, but it mentioned how my magic, based on harmony, music, and temperance, was indeed the greatest hope he could cling to, for the sake of his beloved wife, who had been struck down by a crippling mental illness that had left her a danger to herself and those around her.

I was impressed. I was a princess. More than that, Auntie Celestia has groomed my image as the princess of the people. The one they could approach and trust when Celestia's image got to be too much for some to approach her. Whenever I had held court, I was bombarded by personal disputes, including many by composers and musicians. My aunties MUST HAVE given this letter priority, it was the only thing that made sense! I don't care how official this stallion could make his position sound.

"Sunset, I'll take this request, get Shining, looks like we'll be visiting Ponyville with or without Twilight Sparkle there. And send a reply to Mr. Filthy Rich, tell him that the princess of music will be on her way to visit him immediately."

"Yes Princess!"

Dear Shining seemed reluctant to leave Canterlot, it was his first time home since we started our world tour, and the first time since the world was restored to what it should have been...I honestly didn't mind knowing that Hooviets should have never lasted as long as they did, that reality as I knew it was a falsehood, and that Makarov didn't really exist, it gave me renewed faith in the world. The parts of reality I loved had been all very real.

I was at least able to make the visit a little more enjoyable for him by telling him we'd at least be able to see where Twilight lived now.

Filthy Rich requested we visit him while his daughter was at school, and we were able to comply. I think a part of him wanted his daughter to come home to her mother being herself again. Filthy Rich had asked 'for help, any help' in curing his wife. He, I, and Shining, entered the mental hospital on the far edge of Ponyville, effectively hidden from sight. A friend of his, a retired guard I remembered named Silver Axe, also accompanied Filthy for moral support. We met with Dr. Freudian Excuse, who explained to us in more clinical detail Mrs. Golden Tiara's illness, or 'Screwball' as the orderlies liked to call her.

That place. They treated the ponies there equinely from what I could tell. They weren't harmed or put on display as mad ponies once were, being pushed aside to stay out of society's way and kept like zoo animals. They were treated as patients, ill and in need of help. I'm proud of my little ponies for that.

But it didn't change the behavior of the patients, seeing things only they could, some acting like beasts, others lost in their own world. And then more who acted perfectly rational, and then burst into destructive manias. It was horrifying there to see ponies' minds reduced to this broken mess. Part of me...felt more scared than it should have, like it remembered being in their place. Begging the doctors to believe me, that I wasn't insane. Needing REAL therapy once they saw I wasn't so mad after after all. And the world ending the day I was finally going to reunite with my friend. ...It was like at the Friendship Gardens...only this time it scared me...

Shining Armor actually began sweating bullets when one of the patients 'Barking Mad' as she was nicknamed, began howling like a wolf. I almost did too.

I gave explicit instructions to everypony involved that my presence there or in Ponyville wasn't to be publicized and kept private. This was a family matter between ponies, this poor mare didn't deserve to be turned into a spectacle. Miss Golden Tiara was thankfully in one of her passive phases and responded positively to seeing me, but in particular her husband. But the way he looked at her, it was like he didn't recognize her as his wife. Considering what she had done to be put in here... I can't say if he was truly coldhearted or not, but if his wife was responsible for her own actions, she wouldn't be in here.

I cast the spell that restored the bonds between ponies between the two of them. For a beautiful, wonderful brief moment it worked. But then Golden Tiara's lucidity faded like a castle in the surf. Then I used the memory spell. The same one I'd dared to use on Garnet on the ship during the day of chaos with madness spreading among the crew.

Golden Tiara remembered... but it didn't cure her sickness. Snarling like a wild beast she attacked me with reckless abandon, she somehow kept her experience as a melee fighter in spite of her mania. I was thankful for being an Alicorn, or I might have left the hospital in a neckbrace. The orderlies descended on her like vultures, Shining contained her in a force field that ended any further chances for violence, the force field was made to bend or give where she tried to strike it to keep her from hurting herself. She had remembered what she had done to her daughter, but it had challenged her mania so completely, she had attacked me out of pure reaction. By the time she calmed down, she had simply buried the memory again under chains and black padlocks.

The doctors said in good conscience they would NOT allow me to try again on her as long as they were in charge of this hospital.

I asked of both Filthy Rich and of his wife, "Please," I, a princess, lowered my head and wings, "forgive me, for failing you."

Mr. Rich accepted my apology, and thanked me for at least trying, which he said was more than than my auntie had done. I was too shocked to argue his attitude, the spells I had been so proud of and had always been trusty to me before, had failed. It seemed even my magic wasn't strong enough to heal her sickness. It wasn't fair. I was an Alicorn of Harmony, what was the point of me if I couldn't even bring harmony to the mind of one mare whose family missed her?

I was relieved to leave that hospital.

(Friend's Notes (Pegasus): For what it's worth, Filthy still holds you in high regard for trying to help. He swears on your name.)

I wish I could say I deserved it.

Shining kept me company in my room that night, just being near me, I needed somepony close. I had an irrational fear that I'd fall asleep, and wake up in a mental ward myself, my entire life having been a delusion. At least I knew Shining was real. Shining didn't think it was odd, my maidens didn't joke. They simply gave me the company and kindness I needed. I had never been so relieved to wake up in my royal cabin.

++++

... three months after the day of chaos...

You talked with the rest of the crew didn't you? That's how so many of those who got infected by chaos managed to pull themselves together and get through what happened.

(Friend's Notes (Unicorn): It's part of our responsibility Shining, as much as being captain of the royal guard is yours.)

Thanks...and Twiley and her friends?

(Friend's Notes (Pegasus): We're helping them right now.)

Huh?

(Friend's Notes (Unicorn): Our past selves. We can't interact with them, but right now they're helping Twilight and her friends, and everypony else they can.)

Wow...talk about a busy life...

(Friend's Notes (Pegasus): But we couldn't do EVERYTHING for ALL them, even tweaking time and space, there's still only three of us.)

Don't you mean six?

(Friend's Notes (Pegasus): No, you're a special case. We can't just spam temporal duplicates, the more we interact with the world the more we bend the rules. We're only really allowed to do this because this is your present relative to ours. There's a reason why Celestia sent you professional help, what she could spare.)

I know the ship counselor has been working overtime these last three months. I still think the doctor I talked to in Mexicolt was a quack. I do not have obsessive fixations on Twiley to shield her from the world and need to learn to let her be her own mare.

(Friend's Notes (Unicorn): We never said you did. And we never agreed with him Shining.)

(Friend's Notes (Pegasus): He was right about you being oblivious to your own feelings though.)

Well... what do three weird voices in my head know about me being crazy.

(Friend's Notes (Earth Pony): Thank you for not mentioning us.)

No problem. Besides, having three ponies in my head isn't the most insane thing that's happened to me. Mexicolt's not the first place I'd expect us to enjoy ourselves. But at least everything has worked out for the best. Minuette and Audience are now dating. We met two more Commander Shepards: you're right, the world does have a lot of them.

(Friend's Notes (Unicorn): Well, Commander Shepard's universe is in a uniquely high level of quantum flux, so there are many versions of him/her, so when our world was used as a reward for his spirit...)

What?

(Friend's Notes (Unicorn): Please forget we said anything Shining.)

Already have, believe me. But seriously, Mexicolt was a surprisingly nice place. The food was great, but a bit spicy for my case. You will NOT believe this next part, not at all! Oh who am I kidding? Of course you won't be surprised. The two of them have been keeping to just the two of them in their off hours so much that it was inevitable. Sorry, I just have to keep building the dramatic tension.

Ranger and Sunset are now engaged. Yep. Why haven't they married on the ship you ask? Well, I imagine they want to make sure what they're feeling isn't just Sunset liking Ranger for trying to save her life when she got mistaken for a spy. And on a more practical note, Sunset wants Ranger to meet her family first before the wedding.

"You know, seeing Ranger and Sunset together," I spotted Twinkle Shine and Minuette gossiping, "I'm starting to think you and I are going to find Mr. Right before Captain Thick gets a clue."

"That or the universe will die of old age first."

"Are you saying I can't find a coltfriend?"

"Of course not. I'm just saying both happening first are becoming real possibilities."

It was strange, the maidens weren't playing their games as much, but it more like they were disappointed in me, not because I wasn't playing along with their games, but... like I was hurting somepony's feelings.

(Friend's Notes (Earth Pony): Shining... )

(Friend's Notes (Pegasus): You still don't remember.)

Remember what?

(Friend's Notes (Unicorn): So Shining! Please! How is our wonderful trip around the world going?)

The continent of Merdia was thankfully quiet like most of the rest of Gryffinia, which if I recall you didn't really bother covering in detail because nothing much happened until I got sick. How is it you guys decide what's important to share and what isn't?

(Friend's Notes (Pegasus): We're here for it all and we figure out the stuff that's most important to look into. We still keep the notes... )

Except when spirit dragons eat them. Really, the two eastern continents were pretty similar: A few nations was some unease, mostly the Griffons due to them being a bit more traditional and isolationist. The majority however were polite and welcoming, like the Griffins of Knossos and the like. About our biggest problems there was the amount of love for Luna, and the occasional small protest by (thankfully much more harmless) Nightmare Moon supporters.

Merdia was like that with Ponies, Donkeys, and Diamond Dogs. A few where there was a little tension, most were welcoming and polite. We had a few issues with local politics/devotion to Luna, Celestia, and to Cadence's surprise a large amount of respect for her in Santa Priscia. We sometimes had the NMM support occasionally replaced by or even accompanied by a hoof-full of radicals in some places, especially former World Greater Good Alliance nations.

In both continents we visited lands with some tensions between each other: Dalmasca/Rozaria and the Avian Empire, Maguadora and Santa Maya. We went to places where at least one pony found something to go nuts over - Ellis had steam engines in Lindblum much like he'd went nuts in train-and-cart obsessed Sodor, Garnet obsessed over the rock farming in Brayzil. Gag loved the diversity in Mega-Stratus, Thunderchild was impressed by weather control in Tropico, and so on.

(Friend's Notes (Pegasus): How about you, what did you obsess over?)

Come on, in Merdia? There was hoofball everywhere! The only continents to have even reached the final of the Hoofball World Cup are Merdia, Equrope, and Equestriana, only eight nations have ever won it - and the three of them from Merdia were pretty much right after each other on the trip, Brayzil (Five times), Maguadora, and San Marcos (twice each)...

(Friend's Notes (Earth Pony): Since yer gonna need to get it outta yer system where else has won it?)

Italiponia four times, Germaney three times, and one time each for Hisponia, Prance, Canterlot and Sto Plains. Yes, I know, Canterlot and the Sto Plains are in Equestria, but remember we have five different hoofball regions, Sto Plains is the third largest in terms of teams. Caledonia is second for teams and third for size, but West Coast and Deserts is largest for size, smallest for teams. Central or Canterlot region is biggest in teams and population. Last one is Emerald Isle before you ask.


But yeah, similar enough. Peaceful enough. The only fly in the ointment was Discord, but things being calm in Merdia helped recovery on top of our week's extra stay in Mexicolt. Sure, there was that other incident but, uh, we learned about that when it was over, and unlike Discord no one outside Equestria saw anything untoward with the exception of some buffalo...

Our last stop in Merdia was Caruba, a nation mostly populated by Diamond Dogs, Donkeys, and Earth Ponies. We were scheduled to arrive in Cuidad Caruba near lunch, so Hornblower had called some of us to have a meeting about their scheduled rainy season.

"We've been warned the Carubans have brought their rainy season forward a week. This means they'll be starting it tomorrow, unfortunately, so we may need to adjust plans for weather..." Bond began.

"Why'd they bring it forward?" Twinkle Shine wondered as Minuette grabbed her schedules to make changes.

"The way weather control normally works is reliant on the manastreams in the air, and they've been somewhat disrupted by recent events. That has knock-on effects on the weather. Mana flowing out of an area increases air pressure, flowing in lowers it. Low pressure causes storms. However, if two currents collide it starts a large buildup, a mana-eddy, and they can be bad because they reach a high enough amount of low pressure it sparks off wild weather. There's one forming over the capital right now, and if they don't start small storms under pegasus control now, they'll get a big storm you can't tame..." Thunderchild explained, then looked annoyed that everypony was still surprised to hear such things from him.

"It's actually a little worse, Staff Sergeant, they have eddies forming at four coastal locations as well," Hornblower noted.

"Wow, that's bad. Any one of those failing and starting a storm, well, that'll push out mana into the other eddies and spark a chain reaction... They need small storms to draw out the mana gently and rebalance the pressures in areas."

"So basically they make smaller storms in lots of places instead of risking huge ones they can't stop, like firebreaks?" Cadence wondered.

"Close enough I suppose. They need to be very precise though with this many eddies, anypony remember The Big Whoop?" Hornblower asked.

"I was about thirteen when it happened, studied it in school for my degree..." Thunderchild said.

(Friend's Notes (Pegasus): Didn't Thunderlane do a dissertation on the Big Whoop for his degree?)

(Friend's Notes (Unicorn): Yes, far too many weather ponies in Ponyville use it as a setup for terrible jokes. Not Rainbow Dash though, hers was on the Big Deal....)

"That was a very similar event to what could happen here. Eddies became too powerful and developed into storms. We Equestrians were lucky, we had a lot of Pegasi on hoof and even our Air Navy ships able to bleed off pressure with the engines, but there were still floods, fallen trees, and other accidents. I was on the HHS Candycane, I saw the Lollipop crash... This kind of weather event isn't to be taken lightly. It's possible we may be asked to lend volunteers from our ship's companies and from your bodyguard, Princess."

HHS Lollipop, a Treat-class frigate they built by conversion from an old sailing vessel. Lost control south of Manehattan in the storm, the ship's Captain, Rock Crunch, had his crew abandon ship and personally steered it down rather than let it hit the city. In fact, six of the last ten awarded Lunar Horseshoes were given out during the Big Whoop. It was a pretty nasty storm.

And now Hornblower was telling us Caruba risked having one worse, because they didn't have as many pegasi.

After so much wonderful R&R, we were potentially about to be in the middle of the storm of the century...I have the weirdest life...

"Hopefully though we'll just have to worry about a bit of rain and some higher winds than we had expected, just need to get raincoats and umbrellas out," Bond added.

"Well, Princess, you do have that nice floral-pattern raincoat..." Twinkle Shine suddenly spoke up.

"Maybe it would be easier for Captain Sparkle to hold an umbrella for her?" Sunset giggled.

"We'll figure out what we do about the rain later, for now we need to figure out, er, what we're doing about the rain," Cadence confused everypony.

"I mean, what will we be doing to assist the Carubans in controlling the weather?"

"We're asking for volunteers with weather magic experience from the four ships, and as a precaution we're going to have the two corvettes landed while Invincible and Enterprise remain on standby so they can provide help with their engines if something goes really wrong. The Embassy guard is already reduced, most of their pegasi have volunteered to assist..." Hornblower responded.

"I'll ask for volunteers amongst my platoon," I added.

"Good. Well, I think we're as prepared as we can be."

With that, Commander Hornblower broke up the meeting, letting the Hoofmaidens scheme - Except one.

"Staff Sergeant, what did Commander Hornblower mean about the engines?" Sunset wondered.

"Ah, it's not very well known. Your weather control stuff was just high-school level, right?"

She nodded.

"Well, the engines on some airships have a lot of power, and they basically use weather magic to fly anyway. High power engines can be used to interfere with manastream, either pumping out or drawing in some energy. It does stop the engine from keeping the ship in the air though, so only larger ships with at least two engines do it," Thunderchild explained.

"Wait, if there are machines that can control weather, won't that put pegasi out of a job?!" Twinkle Shine realized.

"Not at all, doing that with the engines for too long causes damage. Plus it's just not cost-efficient. The engines need to be airborne to be in the mana stream and one engine costs as much as a whole weather team's pay for five years," Audience finally made the world feel sensible by being the one with the facts.

"Plus, engines suck at weather control. Even ones they build to observe and manipulate it specifically, like the one on Enterprise. If you use an engine to power a ship it's like twelve hundred horsepower for the ones aboard this one, but using it to try control weather you only get four hundred wingpower!" Thunderchild smirked.

"An' wingpower is the same as ground horsepower. Decades 'afore we even expect to be able ta cause anythin' more than slight adjustments to air pressure, an' they think it's pretty much impossible ta control weather without weather magic," Ellis agreed.

"Okay, so everything's fine then. Phew!" Twinkle Shine said.

"Easy for you to say, you don't need to reconsider the risk of rain for planning out a new itinerary..." Minuette grumbled.

"I could give you a hoof," Audience offered.

"We'd all best get prepared. Thunderchild, let's go find any volunteers we've got... Guessing you're first in line?"

"Yes, Sir!"


Who was it said 'if some darn thing can go wrong, that darn thing will pick the worst possible time to go wrong because that darn thing is a darn thing'? Because some darn thing has just gone wrong!

(Friend's Notes (Pegasus): Weather out of control?)

Very big yes. Some slip-up at the capital, some of the small storms were too big! Now there's a risk they'll merge and trigger the storm over the city, and they can't recall any of the weather ponies from the coastal eddies. I don't know all the details and I might not understand it right, but they were saying earlier making a big storm was bad right?

Guess what the plan is now that they've made their little storms too big?

(Friend's Notes (Pegasus): Oh crud... Look, it might sound crazy but...)

That's what Thunderchild is saying.

"...Run it by me again. Big storm bad, so they make little storms. Those are too big, and risk causing a huge storm beyond control. So their plan is to make bigger storms?!"

"It might sound crazy, Shining, but..."

See, told you that was what he was saying.

"...it's like this. Two paths, one marked certain death, the other the same but it's a question mark at the end. So it's like 'certain death' and 'certain death?', the question mark makes all the difference!"

"That is the least reassuring analogy I have ever heard since Twiley explained that being hit by a dragon's breath isn't like 'boiling away water, but burning away gas because you vaporize'."

"Okay, it's more like one direction, you'll be pelted with bricks for sure, but another, it's only bricks about three quarters of the time."

"No chance versus slim chance then. Okay, great..."

We were in the hangar waiting on the weather volunteers, which had now shifted to 'every pegasus and griffin we had to help the Carubans stop having an Extremely Big Whoop right over their capital city. Casualty estimates for this going wrong were horrifying. We'd gone from 'happy R&R' to 'save an entire city from the perfect storm.'

And it turned out that, with things currently out of the frying pan and hurtling towards the fire, even I counted as 'weather capable' since I could use shields and cast them on others. It could help if there was a heavy thundercloud risk, though it did mean I had to go outside in a light airship in what was already gale-force bad weather.

To my surprise, a number of civilians began to enter, mostly from Cadence's extended entourage but including Cadence herself, and Sunset.

"Princess, what..."

"We need all the ponies we can get, right? We're all helping too. And besides, it's my JOB as a Princess to protect innocents who need me, and that doesn't stop when we leave Equestria's borders."

I considered arguing, noting she included herself, but since when have I been able to talk her out of anything?

"...Fine, but have you ran this past Hornblower?"

A few moments later, she had, and the Earth Pony Commander had enlisted Ace to try and understand if it was safe.

"Shouldn't be too bad if we pair up a civvy with at least two military ponies, I suppose. Even if the civvies have experience before anypony protests, and we could use the help. Six wings are better than four, after all..."

"The Princess will have to remain aboard the light airship though," I quickly said.

Like hay I was going to let her get killed by a darn storm!

"Good idea. Actually, if she could sing over the radios..." Spanners noted.

"Maybe Garnet should be on the airship too with some other medics, in case... Minuette's already airsick just in this weather though," Sunset wondered.

Our medic agreed but I knew that like me, she had reservations about flying in this weather, even if we were going to be onboard a vehicle rather than out there ourselves.

We also received word that Celestia had tried to call in an old favor from Queen Tiamat and get some Weather Wyrms to help out the situation, but unfortunately the nearest ones were too far away to arrive in time and Bahamut was still checking up on all their children after Discord and couldn't be reached. We had all the help we could get.

Cadence soon got everyone's attention with the Royal Canterlot voice, explaining the plan. Sunset paired up with Ranger and Lance-Corporal Bendis. Adding Air Navy crew to it, plus our civvies, we were only able to give about two hundred extra wings total. But it meant the Carubans could divert some ponies and griffins to other places

We were heading towards an area south of the city, where the idea was we would make a storm, and drive it onto the plains. There it would hopefully start feeding off the dangerous buildups and balance out the pressure.

My place was to be on the light airship that was our flying emergency tent/musical morale booster, and use shields if we needed them. The experienced troops and weather manipulators gave quick pointers to the less-knowledgeable volunteers. We waited by the airship for our pilots.

"I hope we have sane pilots," I muttered.

Thankfully, we did: Ace was going outside himself with his own wings, and The Lord Flashheart didn't trust himself with cargo airships. It turned out the three ponies that did board were Pilot Officer Level-Headed, Pilot Officer Smooth Sailing, and Airpony First Class Dasher, the crew chief.

(Friend's Notes (Unicorn): Reindeer?)

Reindeer. Smart idea, really, they have weather magic too.

"Olive over on Falcon is going to help with the emergency search-and-rescue team they're assembling," Dasher told us.

"Olive?" Garnet wondered.

"The other reindeer," Cadence clarified.

"Baw, bug and hum!"

"...Gag, shouldn't you be getting ready with your team?" I sighed.

"Er, yes, sir, but, uh... Just wanted to..."

"I'll be fine, Running. Just be careful yourself, all right?"

He nodded as his marefriend gave him a nuzzle through the open side door.

"Are they always like that, Captain?" Dasher asked.

"Pretty much."

"How did they stop Big Whoop eventually?"

"Captain Guybrush Tripwool!" I said.

"Dear, I'm pretty sure his name was Guybrush Threepwood IX I think."

"Huh?" Dasher wondered.

(Friend's Notes (Unicorn): Wait, did Cadence just...?)

"Didn't his ancestor discover the secret of Monkey Island?" Garnet interrupted.

"What is the secret of Monkey Island?" Dasher asked.

Garnet began, "Oh that's easy, it's-"

Confusion was halted by an announcement.

"All hooves, this is Lieutenant Commander Bond. We are nearing the storm zone. Weather teams prepare for takeoff, shipboard crew to action stations. The ship is at red alert, I repeat, this ship is at red alert..."

"Good luck with changing the bulbs, Kryten..." Smooth Sailing noted.

Moments later, we were heading into the maelstrom...


I wish I could be there with them, but magical wings aren't a spell a normal unicorn can cast, and they're as fragile as glass.

(Friend's Notes (Earth Pony): You could just use your force field as stepping stones and a wind shield.)

I don't think that's a safe idea. And putting myself in harms way might need someone to risk their lives saving me...and you should know how I feel about THAT.

"That's not good, that river down there is already swollen. There's going to be flooding no matter what," Dasher said.

I looked out the window, seeing the two larger airships shifting to their positions, and our swarm of pegasi encountering the Carubans that were staying in the area to help us build the storm. They had a few light airships of their own, but they were being used to hold a single-engined Corvette in the sky. It looked like a seriously dangerous setup to me, but they were desperate and I don't blame them. As a result, the Protectora was held aloft by Neighponese-built Type-0 Rocket Carriers and Prench-built Dauphin transports.

Even from here I could see rainclouds over the city, and the looming black shapes of other storms threatening to form in the distance. It was bad enough up here in the sky, but if this went wrong, that city getting a soaking right now would be a lot worse off. It did not look built for big storms. Hundreds of thousands living there, few decent places for storm shelter.

Not to mention the risk the storm could become larger still and swamp most of the country. If that happened, all we could do is let it run the course and help in the aftermath. We were here as diplomats, and if this went wrong we'd be staying as equinitarian assistance for a while. Not too mention the projected death toll.

A few pegasi began to push rainclouds together, the thunder-specialists amongst them tackling any that looked risky. As we circled and wind howled, the weather teams began to assemble a massive block of rain. I could actually feel the amount of mana in the streams in my horn.

And we could see other clouds starting to flow in by themselves. The teams rushed out to make sure they weren't going to turn the whole thing into a thunderhead. Cadence and Dasher used their own weather magic to gently guide a few clouds around, our reindeer issuing warnings over the radio about suspect clouds - aboard the light airship, we were protected from the howling wind drowning us out, so teams outside had no chance of warning each other properly without use of hoof and wing signals, or small magic pulses. It meant she had to keep interrupting Cadence's song, but still...

I found myself useful after fifteen minutes, putting shields around a group tackling a large bank of thunderclouds trying to join our main cloud. With my help they could handle the numbers, bursting them to release the lighting within, and then pushing the new rainclouds into place.

"Weather Teams, this is Invincible, prepare to move the cloud towards the plains, southeast. Stand by..."

"That's the easy bit over, now we move this cloud without it collapsing," Dasher said worried.

I gave the ad-hoc Caruban weather control platform a glance. It wasn't on fire, which was a good sign, but we'd seen that being hauled by sky-tugs, it simply wasn't fast or agile.

"We can't even know if everypony is okay out there, can we?" Garnet fretted.

"If anypony needs a medic they're meant to knock on the door."

"Assuming they can still fly..."

"Gag will be fine, Garnet. He might not be good with weather but he's careful. Besides, he knows if he gets himself killed you'll murder him," I tried to reassure her. And myself.

"Yeah, I just hope everypony else out there knows they need to come back too..."

All three of our airborne engines moved around in a triangle, or rather, our two moved and the Caruban floating island drifted carefully to move. Slowly the push began, circling teams watching out for further clouds and dealing with them by type.

I looked back at the city, and saw the beams of sunlight breaking through cloud over it. It was already working!

"I wonder if Celestia can see through clouds?" I found myself saying for no apparent reason.

(Friend's Notes (Unicorn): If she's looking that direction, sure. As long as some sunlight gets through.)

Suddenly, there was a knock at the side door. One brief bout of cursing, and it was opened and closed.

"Jenkins, what's wrong?"

"Sir, Sergeant Thunderchild told me to have you warn everypony there seems to be some ball lightning on the loose out there."

"That's all we need... that means every thundercloud out there might shoot out a ball!"

I didn't understand it, but if the weather experts were worried, we had to give the warning. I managed to arrange a private channel with Audience back on board Invincible while he looked it up. Jenkins was already back outside.

"Ball Lighting is usually formed when the lightning adheres to a small mana-eddy, but other formation routes are known. Basic issue though is that it seems to almost have a mind of its own, and it's completely unpredictable. Pegasi have swore ones they've tried to block or catch have anticipated their moves and dodged them, usually going for the largest source of metal nearby, or most intense source of magic, or just bashing into the head and stomach of a random pegasi like it was having a hoof-fight with them. Harper swore he heard one giggle as it stuck him in the rear. It might phase through the wall of an airship and float down the corridor, it might go right through a cloud house - or it might go nuts and bounce off everything, or blow a hole in the airship...or a Pegasus... The one saving grace is that they don't live for long."

"Wait, metal and..."

I threw a shield around our airship.

"Has anypony warned the Carubans? Their airships are sitting ducks for this stuff..." Cadence realised.

And that was when some hit us. My shield took it, but there was a distressing amount of sparks from the radio Dasher and Cadence had been operating.

"Are we okay?!" I shouted to the pilots.

"...The engines are fine, but some of the instruments are shot. Good thing that shield was up, without it we'd have been in big trouble. Captain, I think we need to land and get onto another Firefly, this one is gonna need some repairs," Level Headed calmly reported.

"No! Shining, we need to get closer to the Carubans, if ball lighting starts hitting them unshielded..."

My mind's eye pictured some of their light-airship tugs exploding as lighting bounced off them, causing the corvette they held aloft to be at the mercy of gravity - Over a hundred Caruban skysailors plummeting to the ground, deploying their emergency balloon useless as the wind would rip it open...

"Dang it. You're right... Take us close to them."

We moved over, seeing the Caruban corvette. Dasher tried to get her radio to work.

"Protectora, Protectora, this is Stormwatch, be advised there is a ball lightning threat, advise engaging your engines to move to a safe distance. If you are receiving please respond with a green signal flare, over."

"Will they even understand Equestrian?" Garnet fretted, no doubt wishing her coltfriend was here for multiple reasons.

Another knock on the roof. Of course, the music had stopped!

Ranger, Sunset and Bendis all dropped into the airship. We explained the situation fast.

"Dang. Bendis had our radio, but, uh..."

The Lance-Corporal looked a little frazzled. Garnet was checking him over.

I sighed and looked out the window as Dasher repeated her message in the vain hope it was working somehow. Ranger and Sunset went back outside, heading towards the Carubans to try and warn them face to face and let them know I was going to shield them: Sudden glowing around your ship in weather like this can cause panic...

"Hey, wait, there's a flare!" Cadence said, and sure enough, there was a glow...

...slamming into one of the light airships.

I pushed my magic to shield around the Carubans, the ball starting to slam off shields before vanishing. The one it had hit hard began to wobble, and a gout of flame spat out from an engine. I saw Sunset and Ranger flap their wings and race on as fast as they could. The stricken airship was thankfully one of the single-crewed rocket carriers, meaning only one life at risk, and not much loss of power to the whole sum keeping the Protectora aloft.

And then it tumbled downwards, the shield around it bouncing off the shielded ship below. It held in place, and our two pegasi were already there, helping the pilot get out from the cockpit. A shape was guided to the deck below.

"They got the pilot..." Cadence breathed a sigh of relief.

I released a breath I didn't know I'd been holding myself.

OH BUCK.

(Friend's Notes (Unicorn): What?!)

A lightning ball just came out of a cloud, the light airship just exploded, somepony was hit by debris! It dropped my shields, I can't see them properly and... gha, that feedback... Am I seeing spots or is there a lot of lightning?

Oh hay, that feedback, I can't hear the wind....

(Friend's Notes (Unicorn): Shining!)

...Cadence is screaming.


I couldn't see it. I couldn't stop it. The ball lightning disrupted my mana for a few seconds, and that's all it needed for this to all go so wrong.

(Friend's Notes (Pegasus): Shining...)

Ranger had been hit by some of the debris and fell. Sunset had seen him fall, the Caruban pilot had been forced to only watch, and so had Cadence.

Sunset dived after him, dodging the falling debris like nothing according to the Caruban pilot, grabbing him in mid-air, she did an loop-de-loop to cause two ball lighting to crash into each other, the performance of her life to save Ranger's. She flew straight through a hole in one large piece of debris in the split second opening she had. To save the stallion she loved more than anything. She twirled and spun in the air not wasting a single motion, moving with the wind. She was the skill and grace of her family. She was laying her life on the line to save his.

...And then there was a lighting bolt right into her back. It arches from pieces of metal debris around her, and through her again, and again. Like a spider's web, no chance to catch it, no chance to redirect it, no chance to grab it, no chance to block it, not blind sided from every direction at once.

Seconds. That's all it took. One second we breathed sighs of relief and then five seconds later, we'd lost them.

We're sure they didn't suffer, at least. We can't know how much or if the lightning went past a pegasus' natural resistance to being fatally electrocuted instead of knocking her out (not that it matter immediately after). The best guess was the mana surges supercharged it or there was just too much hitting her at once, but if they were alive they weren't conscious when the next part happened...


Celestia, how did this happen.

(Friend's Notes (Earth Pony): Shiny...I'm so sorry...)

Thanks, filly...They saved the pilot at least. We stopped the storm at least. But why doesn't that make it feel any better? They saved that Caruban earth pony. They helped save hundreds or thousands of lives from a bigger storm.

So why does it still feel like we paid far too high a price?

...Can you tell me one thing? If...If I didn't exist...

(Friend's Notes (Unicorn): No, your existence did not cause this. If anything, your existence bought them time that Cool Sun and Athena couldn't have, Shining...This timeline was kinder to them than the one where you don't exist. That is all I can tell you.)

Thanks...I wish that made it feel better too.


The Carubans thank us for what we did, and they understand why we're leaving already. We're taking them home. It shouldn't have been this way. It's not supposed to happen like this. They were... When we got back Sunset was going to take Ranger to her parents, we were going to Prance next, it was obvious what they planned to do.

I'm sorry guys. I think I need to go talk to Cadence alone. See how her and Minuette and Twinkle Shine are. I hope you don't mind.


"Is... 'S is buckin' horseapples," Running sobs.

"I know..."

It doesn't feel like I ever want to let go, of Gag... of our friends.

Nothing we could do... I'm a medic. I want to be a doctor. I know that I can't save them all, but... I just can't help but think there was something. I should have warned them to be careful or something...Maybe if I was a pegasus I could've caught them and saved them before they...

(Interviewer's Notes (Unicorn): Don't blame yourself. You know it's nopony's fault.)

Yeah. Doesn't change the fact I'm here hugging my drunk coltfriend for dear life while we're crying our eyes out...or that two of our friends are never coming home...


"Bendis hasn't spoken a word since the accident, Sarge."

"I know. Nothing we can do, Captive. He's quite normally..."

We're doing what we can, but we can't force it on those of us suffering most. The Princess, The Captain, The Hoofmaidens, The Platoon... Heck, even the guys that accused Sunset of being a spy! Ranger and Sunset and them, they became friends after it. They joked they introduced the two of them...

Buck. Cadence is gonna have to write the letter to Sunset's parents isn't she?

(Interviewer's Notes (Unicorn): A senior officer and NCO are taking it to them.)

"Ya know, fellas, this is like the first time ever Ah regret havin' Apple family resistance ta salt. 'Cos Ah bucking wish Ah could get blitzed and wake up and it's all just some dang nightmare," Ellis sighed.

"Don't we all."


There are a HUNDRED ways you could have saved them if you accepted my knowledge and wisdom!

Shut up.

Those who do nothing to stop something are the same as those who cause it to happen!

Shut up!

I have sought to bring order to a universe with none! THIS IS THE PRICE your world pays for rejecting order! Except THEY paid it, not you! How does that feel?

I SAID SHUT UP!

Does your precious identity and moral integrity feel so important now?! Perhaps those two appreciate it!

SHUTUP!SHUTUP!SHUTUP!

You can't hold me foreveeeeee-

I shut the fob watch in the trunk, knowing if I throw it overboard it'll just wind up in my dress pocket somehow. I went out... to talk with Audience. I needed somepony who knew how to deal with somepony they cared about dying before their eyes. Maybe I should have gone to Shining... no, Cadence needs him right now more than I do. Audience, how do you endure what you have to see, without losing your heart? HIS memories, he reveled in death. He has no heart. He's soaked in blood and feels no remorse at all. This settled more than anything, that I was not him.

"Audience? Can we talk for a while?"

"Yes, Minuette, you can take as many whiles as you wish."


An empty bed. Three clean beds. No, two clean beds and another bed that won't be slept in by its owner ever again. I had a friend who became a garbage pony, that argued being dirty was the natural way for places to be where ponies lived. I felt cleaning however took effort for a place that you lived. When no one lives there, there is nopony to clean anything, dust settles, mold grows, rust spreads, it's us ponies who make there be a 'clean' to begin with.

Sunset, I just wish I could get a chance to see your acrobatics one last time. Maybe see you actually perform some of your family tricks with them some day. You and Ranger. Well... maybe... maybe it's a good thing you went together? You don't have to live without each other now... right? That's... a kindness right? Sunset I'm so sorry. You didn't even get your wedding day. That isn't fair. That's not fair at all. No, it's not unfair...

"It's a cheat!" I snapped.

I broke down crying. Minuette had Audience. Cadence had Shining. Ranger and Sunset had had each other. Now? Suddenly, I feel alone. I wish Lemon Hearts, or Lyra, Moondancer, heck, Amethyst Star were here. I did the only thing I could think of, and began writing some long long letters, I didn't care if we'd be back in Equestria soon, I needed to trap these thoughts and feelings on paper while I still could.


Dear Twinkleshine

I'm so sorry Twinkle. I can't imagine how you feel right now. I wish I could be there for you and Minuette right now. Like friends should be. I know Lemon Hearts feels the same way. I...I just don't know what else I can say. I'm here for you if you need me, I promise I am. I promise if you need me, just send another letter and we can talk some more.

I'm sorry I can't be there.

Moondancer.


I am a princess. I am a goddess. I am music. I am harmony. But I still can't bring back the dead. Sunset... and Ranger... Is this what it means? Is this what I'm destined for? To just say goodbye? Again, and again? Mom? Dad? Minuette? Twinkle Shine? Spitfire? Euphie? Twilight? Dear Shining? Just to get to know them, learn to love, and then just to have to say goodbye?

Auntie Celestia, Auntie Luna, how do you endure it? Shining please, don't leave me too soon!


We missed Twiley and her friends again. This time, of all things, they were in Dodge Junction. What was with frontier towns and them keeping me from seeing my sister? Ellis told me it turned out Applejack, after expecting to bring home the gold in Canterlot's National Rodeo, had earned more ribbons than any other pony there, but not one first place, and so had ran off to earn the money she had promised to bring home the old fashioned way. Her friends came and had brought her home anyway. No, they didn't need to search for Applejack, she left an address, she TOLD THEM why she wasn't coming home, and uh, no Rarity and Pinkie Pie didn't get lost alone in the desert, what makes you say all that?

...But I guess maybe it's for the best the first time in so long that Twiley would see me and Cadence would be with us...in this condition. It'd be selfish to come looking to her to be our shoulder to cry on at a time like this...but that doesn't change how much I wish I could see her.

It's crazy. After Nameless was gone, I thought we were done with this. It thought this wasn't supposed to happen. Ponies die, that's life, but this, it was so bucking MEANINGLESS! We could have saved everypony without anypony dying! We could have but we didn't! This wasn't some sick 'either/or' trap, this was a disaster that hit us out of nowhere... And Sunset and Ranger were the only ones to die. Why couldn't Sunset be alive at least?! It's the boyfriend who dies in story, not his girlfriend too!

The worst part? There's nopony to blame. Nopony to hate. Nopony to punish. Nopony to take out our anger on. Sometimes I think ponies think of fate just so they can have somepony to blame. Should I blame a mindless thunder storm? Should I try and figure out some complex conspiracy theory on how Discord's escape caused this? Should I blame dancing bits of electricity less intelligent than parasprites? Should I try to figure out some crazy butterfly affect that lays all the blame on me for just existing?

Ranger's family (what little he had) came from Cloudsdale, Sunset's came from where their circus had been at the time, I didn't ask. All I know is that Celestia ordered a private squad of pegasi who had been bred to be faster than fast (who had apparently help carry Twiley to Hoofington to help one of Discord's victims) bring them both to Canterlot as soon as possible.

There was a conflict with Ranger and Sunset's families, Ranger's father wanted his body cremated to dust as was tradition with pegasi, while Sunset's family wanted him buried alongside Sunset, which made Ranger's family wonder why they were following the 'earth pony' tradition of burying the dead (these days days there were unicorns and pegasi who buried their dead and there were earth ponies now who preferred cremation). They took it Celestia. She shocked everypony by having their remains placed in the royal catacombs with the bones of Equestria's greatest heroes. She even commissioned a statue for the two of them! Ranger was given the Lunar Horseshoe, and Sunset the Solar Horseshoe.

"Not all ponies who give their lives for others do so in battle, these two ponies gave their lives saving countless others, and they shall be remembered as such!"

And that settled that. And I agreed. Their sacrifice was going to be remembered. They would be remembered. That at least made us feel better. That their sacrifice would never be forgotten.

Minuette and Twinkle Shine said how they had both met Sunset when they came to work for Cadence. And they had been happy to meet her, how she was a wall flower sometimes, but in the air that uncertain melted away. Cadence said how she'd never have a messenger, or a friend like Sunset ever again. Then Running Gag and Ellis said their piece, Ranger's diligence, and how he had always wanted to be a hero.

I was shocked when I saw the same pink pony I remember popping up at every one of our weekly birthday parties, in a mourning gown all but covering her, I couldn't see her whole face. This time she didn't vanish like a fairy when I got close. "What are you doing here?" I whispered.

She looked at me. There was no clown here. She was sobbing, her voice distorted. "... I... I'm sorry for your loss. They were both wonderful ponies. I wish I had gotten to know them better. I'm sorry. I'm really really sorry. You've all gones through so much, you don't deserve to go through more. This was all so stupid! I... please just be happy for them here, since they can't be!"

And just like that. She was gone.

After we sealed the casket, and gathered for our final farewell (I saw pink appearing here and there saying she was sorry to everypony). I was shocked when Twinkle Shine grabbed me and dragged me off into a hallway. I didn't say it, but the black dress she was wearing made her normal bright colors look downright ghostly!

"Ranger and Sunset got engaged but didn't even get their happily ever after! But at least they were together and knew it!"

"Twinkle Shine... are you okay?" She'd been crying of course.

"You... you... you idiot!" She snarled. "Can't you just realize you're in love?! Cadence has! You're the bravest stallion she knows! You're what makes her happy! She fears for you every time you risk yourself for her! You'd die for her! You'd kill for her! You'd suffer for her! Her approval is what makes you happy! Just BEING with her makes you happy! Can't you just realize you're in love already!?"

She was crying again. "I... I can't stand it... ponies aren't supposed to hide or be ashamed of their feelings... So please! Stop it! Just stop! Just confusing loving for duty!"

She trotted off, still crying, I was speechless. And I saw it. It At the end of the hall. IT was looking at me, it was... it snorted at me, and moved off. I shook my head. Had I really seen it? If so, why did it leave? Did it not want to make Cadence hurt more by taking me from her too? Is it that smart?

By stupid blind luck, the Invincible was due for crew rotation. Some of the crew were rotated for other duties, and new ponies put in their place to take up the mantle, others felt after what happened, that they had been away from Equestria for too long and requested reassignment.

Whatever happened next, we'd face it, whatever life threw at us, we'd take it. We had to. That was how life worked. Even if we lost two of our friends, two of our family, we still had the rest of the world to see, Cadence had a duty, and I would be besides her to help each hoof-step of the way.


The insertion who held the stolen light could hold off for another day. There were greater priorities.

Imagination's wayward spawn had left holes for vermin to sneak in before it was dealt with, distracting the wolf from its duty and allowing them to take root where it'd have snuffed them out early on.

Blasted things. Immature those-who-make, thinking themselves true creators, when they were still unwittingly just making unchallengeable mouth-pieces for themselves or invincible titans to become their hero without bothering to create their own world.

Some went further, and did not even bother to create their own pony! These creatures in their own way were the worst. They would possess an already existing pony, remove all their 'flaws' or 'weaknesses' and turn them into bloated 'perfect' beings who could never be meaningfully wrong or meaningfully lose or EVER suffer humiliation or be talked down to without revenge. It pounced upon the third shapeless one that had tried to possess Music in her sealed away state and a second one that had tried to possess Night in her weakened state.

It had already devoured ones that had tried to infest each of The Elements of Harmony's chosen, their immediate friends, some of their enemies, and Canterlot and Ponyville locals. They were almost as disgusting as the ones who'd infest ponies merely to turn them into parodies Chaos would be proud of. The wolf took pride in devouring them all. And as long as it was in Canterlot, it stopped by Chaos' statue prison, lifted up its hind leg, and left its own opinion on the concept before continuing its purpose.


"Hello Sunset... Hello Ranger... my name is Starlight. It's a pleasure to meet both of you. I welcome you both... Come, you have wedding preparations to arrange do you not? I have friends who would be delight to help you. They have experience with weddings. Love Herself shall perform the ceremony if you wish it... "

"...Princess and the others...are they..."

"They're fine. They survived. Don't worry, you will see them again some day. And the pilot who your sacrifice saved survived as well."

"But...I never got to introduce Ranger to my parents..."

"And yet they wanted you to be together. They demanded you be laid to rest together."

Sunset gave a sad smile. "Thanks...mom and dad..."

"And Ranger...you both were given a hero's funeral by Princess Celestia herself. Your sacrifice will always be remembered."

Ranger smiled lightly. "Thank you...Why tell us all this?"

"It's my job as an angel of death to help the souls of good ponies pass on peacefully. Letting you know your last wishes were fulfilled is part of that duty."

"...Thank you, Miss Starlight..."

"Welcome little pony. Now come, and finally have the wedding your deserve to have."

The lovers intertwined their wings and trotted off to finally have their big day.

Author's Notes:

Story Arc written by LZ0291 lz0291.deviantart.com/
This chapter was written by me (Alex Warlorn) and (mostly) LZ.

Shining Armor is given a two year tour of the world to be the captain of Princess Cadence's body guard. Yeah. That's all. That's everything Yep. Nothing what so ever else. *AJ's Liar face*

Previous: http://alexwarlorn.deviantart.com/art/Pony-POV-Series-Shining-Armor-chapter-21-1-of-2-426340161

Next Chapter: alexwarlorn.deviantart.com/art/Pony-POV-Series-Shining-Armor-No-More-Script-426815828

First Chapter: http://alexwarlorn.deviantart.com/art/Pony-POV-Series-Fluttershy-FlutterCruel-Pearls-260092460

"Time is an ocean in a storm."

This storyline runs PARALLEL to the events in the Dark World storyline narrative wise.

Please help the trope http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/PonyPOVSeries
And recap pages. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/PonyPOVSeries (please?)

Check out the recursive fanfiction and fanart of the Pony POV Series! http://alexwarlorn.deviantart.com/journal/MLP-FiM-PonyPOVSeriesFanworks-audio-adaption-2013-349281264 Many of it approved by me as canon.

Be sure to join our Group for a TON of recursive works, many a part of optional canon!!! http://mlp-pony-pov-series.deviantart.com/

AND! Be sure to check season zero and season one's fanlabor pages! PLEASE! THey need lots of work! As does our recap page on TVTropes! Please! Help people who are new to the series get caught up with updating the recap page!!
http://mlpfanart.wikia.com/wiki/Pony_POV_Series_Season_Zero:_Discorded_Ponies
http://mlpfanart.wikia.com/wiki/Pony_POV_Series_Season_One:_Reharmonization

MLP: FiM is copyright of Hasbro

Cover Image By Atomic Chincilla http://atomic-chinchilla.deviantart.com/art/Commission-Shining-Who-430481392


Soundtrack Recommendations
Into The Maelstrom
The World Looks To The Skies, Ben Foster, Torchwood: Children of Earth
Ball Lightning
Retreat And Reveille, Lorne Balfe, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Aftermath
Requiem For The Fallen, Ben Foster, Torchwood: Children of Earth
Funeral
Life Among The Distant Stars, Murray Gold, Doctor Who Series 4
Ranger and Sunset's Duet
Guide You Home (I Would Die for You), Gabriel Mann and Rebecca Kneubuhl, Legend of Spyro Dawn of the Dragon

Next Chapter: Episode 145: (Shining Armor): No More Script Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 27 Minutes
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