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Bellosh

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Posts posted by Bellosh

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    Although Empress Yuè’s royal etiquette tutors from her childhood and her monastic mentors from her adolescence were in many respect worlds apart, there were two fundamental concepts they each stressed to the young girl. The first was refraining from acting with the intent to inflict humiliation or embarrassment upon somebody else. The other was that nobody likes a braggart; a qilin who possessed the Heart of the Dragon never takes credit for anything that can’t be dismissed out-of-hoof, or attributed to a group’s collective effort or mentor’s superior wisdom.


    Even though this meeting between the Empress and Medo could potentially be described as their first true face-to-face encounter, Yuè’s initial read of the mare in front of her was that... she had precisely the right sort of temperament to thrive in the Imperial Palace. Not everybody could get away with making splashes like Yuè’s brother, her personal attendant/bodyguard, or the Serpent King. As long as Medo’s competence remained top-notch, she had a long future waiting for her in the Household.


    .....It also went without saying that Empress Yuè felt relieved that her incomplete memory wasn't viewed as a slight upon Medo.


    “That’s not how my Father saw things,” Empress Yuè remarked after using a sagely pause to subtly shake her head; “Very few ponies in your situation would have had knowledge of the herbs needed to save my life that fateful day.....”

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    Ah yeah; Starswirl the Bearded exhibit, here they come! Sunset Shimmer was rather surprised that the Starswirl section wasn’t used as the finale portion of the whole Old Pillars experience, but museums did what museums do, the Equestrian girl rationalized. Like many magically-gifted unicorns, Sunset had idolized the Bearded Wizard since she was a little filly. So of course his exhibit will be Miss Shimmer’s most eagerly anticipated one.


    Twilight however was still feeling in a somewhat of a bad mood from all the prior interruptions, causing her to finally snap at a Pillar... at Starswirl, no less! Quickly snapping into action, Sunset jammed a hoof into Twilight’s mouth to silence it just before she could complete her sentence. “D-don’t mind Princess Twilight,” the embarrassed amber unicorn hastily excused her companion’s actions; “It’s just that you know, being the Princess of Friendship makes her feel she’s not able to perform her royal duties if she can’t feel like she’s being a good friend, eh heh. Twilight didn’t really mean what she said!”


    Sunset took her hoof out of Twilight’s mouth as she proceeded to respectfully nod towards the aged stallion; “I must say though... I can’t believe I’m actually meeting the legend himself in person. You can’t EVEN begin to imagine how much you inspired me as a filly!” Nervousness filled Sunset’s heart as she spoke those words, remembering how Twilight once recollected the cold reception she got from her idol after initially freeing the Six Pillars from Limbo.....

     

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    Sunset Shimmer jolted when she heard the surprise visitor, causing the mare to drop her ink quill as she turned around to face the interloper. V-Vice Headstallion!” Sunset stammered as she started glowing again... if you count the glow from blood flowing to a pony's cheeks, that is.


    The unicorn had backed up against the desk by now, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck; “I hope the sound of my uhh... singing, wasn’t disturbing you.” Sunset should have known that Sunburst liked using this time of the day to study arcane lore without distraction!

     

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    The soul mate of Princess Cadence instinctively knew what had triggered her eyes into watering up. Shiny could certainly read Cady like a book! “Sorry,” the mare bashfully produced a handkerchief seemingly out of nowhere and levitated it to wipe her eyes; “I just get carried away sometimes when I daydream..."


    Cadence’s eyes widened over the implication her mother made. The alicorn gasped out loud as she blushed furiously; “MAMA!” Cadence might be the Princess of Love, but even she was now discovering the inherent awkwardness of discussing such intimate subject matters in front of her very own mother.


    .....And although Mama didn’t intend to, her teasing over her daughter’s family planning begged an even larger question; one that has laid hidden in the shadows of Cadence’s mind for a long count of years, waiting for a moment like this one to come along so it could resurface in a most dramatic fashion.


    “You know...” Cadence asked hesitantly, having needed a couple moments beforehoof to gather up her courage; “This might not be the best time to ask you this Mama, but..." Only now did Cadence make eye contact with her mother, before she moved in close to whisper;


    “.....Chi è mio papà?”

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    Welp... with Applejack showing approval for the change in music, Princess Cadence decided to wait out the squall by drinking the cider-full glass that Rainbow Dash offered. This was for the best, the alicorn reasoned; just chillax for a few minutes until the song ended, and then... it would be time to act, just as she promised. It’ll be a most welcome palate cleanser too!


    Once the cheesy song concluded, the princess flew up a distance off the ground; not too high, but just high enough that it would catch everyone's eye. “May I have your attention please!?” Cadence proclaimed in a commanding voice that was deliberately lower in bombast than the Royal Canterlot Voice; “If everybody can gather here for just a few moments, there's an important announcement you all need to hear!”


    It took about half a minute or so for the ball attendees to gather around in a circle. Shining Armor was among those up in front along with both Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who had supplied Cadence with cider only moments ago. Good, good... all the pieces were set.


    The Crystal Princess set herself back on the ground. “Now then... I do believe Rainbow Dash here has some remarks she'd like to present....?”

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    A regal voice commanded from the opposite side of the door; “Please enter.” The attendant opened the door into Empress Yuè’s private study, gesturing for Medo to come inside. As the Neighponese unicorn walked in, she would see the Empress calmly putting the finishing calligraphic touches on a document.


    “Have a seat.” Once Medo obeyed the command, the attendant closed the door, leaving the two mares alone. With the way the guest stools were crafted, Medo would feel as if the royal qilin she faced towered over her. By now, the Empress had finished writing and was now reaching for the Imperial Seal, the jade-carved heirloom used to signify an edict’s official endorsement.


    It was never easy to admit what she was about to say, but Yuè knew she needed to promptly get it over with. As she applied the seal, the qilin remarked without looking up; “...You were there at the Grand Galloping Gala, Medo.” A long pause followed. “.....I have brought dishonor upon myself for failing to recognize you for the pony you are..."

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    ". . . Although I’ve got tears in my eyes
    And I see rain clouds in the sky
    I can’t deny the light inside
    Because I’m not saying goodbye"
     🎵


    .....And that was a wrap for this experimental vocal run-through. As the dawn-like radiance emanating from Sunset Shimmer subsided, she felt confident that her latest melody concept would be liked by her pals in the Rainbooms, and would become the next tune in their repertoire! A quite, heartfelt piece would be a nice change of pace from their usual high-energy rock songs.


    Besides, this tune would also commemorate the inevitable day when the Rainbooms were destined to go their separate ways in life — which thanks to the structure of society Over There, was approaching all too soon. But that’s a post-graduation crisis for another day.


    It was the end of the school day at the School of Friendship, and Defense Against Dark Hearts had wrapped up about 30 minutes prior. With no creature around roaming the nearby halls, Sunset Shimmer often used this time to practice her vocal cords without expectation of being eavesdropped on by anybody. There was just something magical about the act of singing... and frequently in her case, quite literally so.


    That light Sunset just radiated a moment ago for example; that was very much a recent onset. Although her first study into the relationship between music and magic ended in an inconclusive bust, she had found time here and there to do some digging in this world. As it turned out, there IS a documented case in Equestria of a currently-active pop singer capable of involuntarily-triggered musical magic. Granted, it was just a single cutie mark lighting up, but it also meant that the magic that affected the Rainbooms wasn’t just some freak accident either.


    For that matter, a pony lighting up as if they were the Sun itself was not a sight new to Sunset. Indeed, the unicorn mare witnessed Princess Celestia herself emitting a shine on par with sunlight on a few occasions, although the alicorn was able to control whatever powers were at work there, which didn’t seem to come from the same arcane wellspring as the unicorn spellcasting Sunset was intimately familiar with. Some other force was clearly at play.


    Still, without any explanation for what was going on with her, Miss Shimmer thought it best to keep this latest “power” under wraps for the time being. In the meantime, the mare proceeded to move towards her desk, intending to scribble some notes onto a paper containing her song lyrics.....

     

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    Oh joy, the next room. Temy REALLY loved that one.....

     

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    Sunset Shimmer followed as Tempest Shadow led the way into the next chamber. Right from the get-go, Sunset spotted the architectural impossibility of this room’s existence; there was no way a mere tower like the one they were in now could contain a vast column-lined hallway stretching out past their line of sight, far beyond the Tower’s actual width. But before the unicorn thought to pass a warning along to Tempest, a loud clamor arose from behind. An iron portcullis had slammed shut and sealed the two unicorns inside!


    “Blast it!” Miss Shimmer strained with her magic to levitate the grating upward, but it was no use! The grating was resistant to magic!!! Sunset portended; “...I have a bad feeling about this.....”


    Sure enough, a distant primal growl emanated from the void. As she heard ponderous thuds come closer, Sunset started to perceive what looked like a clump of distant nighttime stars grow in luminosity. One star near the top of the ceiling shone brightest of all, and for a moment, the amber unicorn thought she could see the Little Dipper itself. All the while, the growling grew angrier and more... ravenous.


    “Whatever this thing is Tempest,” Sunset drew up a game plan as she definitely stood her ground; “I need you to hit it with everything you’ve got!!!”


    ...No response. “.....Tempest?”
     

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    Cadence replied to Mama’s question in a heartfelt affirmative; “Sì.... all of it.” The power of True Love was indeed undeniable. Just look at Flurry Heart for proof!


    Speaking of... as the visage of the pink alicorn bride took up more of the screen, the Crystal Princess used this opportunity to gushingly point out to her daughter; “Look sweetie, there’s your mama! Didn- didn’t she and Daddy look lovely on their wedding day?“ Cadence’s eyes started glistening with moisture, as she just got hit with the realization that many moons from now when she was all grown up, Flurry may very well walk down the wedding aisle herself.....

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    “Eh heh, yeah...” Sunset barely held back a chuckle from Twilight’s joke as the two brought back their work product. Inconvenienced as the two mares were by their unexpected sidequest, it was hard to resent Mage Meadowbrook just from her congenial personality alone. And then there was her unique gift to top things off; herbal flora that grew only in this world.


    “I-I..." the amber unicorn struggled to articulate her gratitude; “I know I’m usually the one harping to my friends about the dangers of magic and wildlife from Equestria leaking into their world, but..... thank you very much, Mage Meadowbrook.” Sunset gave the earth pony a brief, appreciative hug. “I admit it DOES feels good to have a reminder of Home.....”

     

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    Almost as soon as Filthy Rich was awarded with a public display of affection from his wife, the good vibes ended as two other ponies threw their hat into the ring. The middle-aged stallion cringed internally; one of them didn’t even bother introducing herself, and the other... well, nopony knew who his name was until the end of his speech.


    And that was exactly the problem: name recognition.


    Ponyville may not exactly be small enough of a town anymore where everypony knew your name, but it was still a relatively close-knit place. So maybe this Strong Copper fellow knew a thing or two about public speaking. Too bad though Filthy knew nothing else about the guy: what his background was, his political personality, his skills, his occupation, his day-to-day personality, his ability to remain committed in the face of adversity, how well he actually understood the intricacies of Ponyville life. All these things mattered — and doubly so for new residents — even if Mrs. Rich wasn’t running, Mr. Rich in good conscience could never endorse the other two candidates... at least, not unless they proved themselves just as dedicated to Ponyville as much as those residents who’ve lived there for nearly their entire lives.


    Of course, what mattered right now was dealing with Spoiled Rich’s loss of composure. To everypony’s good fortune, one of Diamond Tiara’s newer friends swept to the rescue with a cloud-pleasing musical number. Yes, it was cheesy and immature... but sometimes, rolling with what kids decide to do was the polite thing to do. Plus Filthy couldn’t deny the sheer enthusiasm of youthful energy, which he expressed by joining in the applause.


    Regrettably, the wife was a different story as always. Not only did Spoiled break composure, but like a minotaur chasing after a matador’s cape, she responded to Strong Copper’s passive-aggressiveness with blatant sourness. Filthy wanted to facehoof, but thought better of that. Acting fast, he stepped in-between Copper and his wife, exhibiting his trademark good-ole’-boy charm. “The point,” Filthy flashed a gregarious smile towards the unicorn; “Is that we have a long election season ahead of us, and us townponies will need all that time to get to know each and every candidate better. Electing a mayor is not something to be taken lightly, you understand? For tonight though, let’s put that competitiveness aside in the spirit of Friendship for all.”


    Whew; crisis maybe averted? Even though Filthy engineered things to make Strong Copper look like the bad guy if he kept baiting his opponent, Spoiled especially needed to take her husband’s words to heart if she really wanted to win. Filthy knew one thing however; first thing tomorrow, he was taking the morning train to Manehattan in order to hire a campaign manager for Mrs. Rich. Because there was ABSOLUTELY NO WAY he was going to handle damage-control for this entire election season!

    • Hearthoof 1
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    Filthy Rich was shocked as anypony to hear the news of Mayor Mare’s retirement. The mare had represented Ponyville for just about a generation, and she had served well as a public servant. Under Mare’s watch, Mr. Rich had been able to do well for himself while the town his family lived in prospered as a community worth raising his precious daughter in. And for his part, Filthy counted the Mayor as a personal friend of his.


    But nothing lasts forever. Just as Princess Celestia no longer ruled Equestria, Ponyville would have to get used to life without Mayor Mare. It only took Filthy a mere instant to realize what would ensue in the coming days; he always knew his wife Spoiled loved to involve herself in civic affairs, and few ponies possessed the drive to aim high and succeed like she had. Once glance at Spoiled, and Filthy could already see the subtle facial cues indicating that the misses was up to something.


    Sure enough, the first chance she got, Mrs. Rich took the podium. What struck Filthy was how... uncharacteristically gracious his wife conducted herself. Behind closed doors, Spoiled was ALWAYS ranting about how Princess Twilight and her naive friends were filling their daughter with rubbish pie-in-the-sky ideas, and how much of an eyesore that tacky Friendship tree castle was... which admittedly, she had a good point. Why couldn’t they regrow the beloved Golden Oaks library tree that Filthy fondly remembered from his youth?


    Getting back to the topic; to Filthy’s surprise — or lack thereof — Spoiled declared her candidacy for mayor. For the husband, it was news both joyful and also potentially frightening. Mr. Rich was happy for the new opportunity coming his darling wife’s way, but if running an election campaign was anything like planning a wedding... oh Celestia, Filthy still had nightmares of that terrible ordeal, and the monster that said ordeal created.....


    For everypony’s sake — and for his household’s own — Filthy mentally prayed that Spoiled would run unopposed. Fortunately, that was a very real possibility, as everypony else lacked both the clout AND the raw civic ambition to take on Mrs. Rich in an election fight and win.


    As for this moment, Filthy Rich knew what familial duty required him to do. As husband of the mayoral candidate, he would be expected to act as Mrs. Rich’s most devoted surrogate... because anything less would end up with him getting an earful! Making his way up to the podium so he could join his wife, Mr. Rich boldly smiled towards the assembled townspoines as he declared; I, for one, can’t think of anypony else more qualified to succeed Mayor Mare than my beloved wife. For years, Spoiled and our Mayor have worked as partners in growing Ponyville to the great town we live in today. That ALONE is a resume that nopony else in Ponyville can beat!”


    Mr. Rich spoke with confidence, yes, but a hawk-eyed observer might also notice a drop of sweat on his head, or the way the edges of his smile artificially curled in a way that suggested the existence of a twinge of fear.....

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    Yù Yuè paused for a moment as she contemplated how to answer Àilóng’s question. The qilin mare knew the long would chastise her (but probably only in a playful way) if she revealed the truth: that she hardly did anything at all to celebrate the occasion. If only Yuè had one grain of truth she could cling to which could be spun as festive.....


    After several moments, something DID come to Yuè’s mind. “...I make a habit of writing my mother each year during the First Moon. Not just standard pleasantries either; I always compose a verse of poetry for her to read.” It had been one of many subjects the qilin learned during her spiritual training at Fenghuang Monastery. “...My work is but a pale imitation of the Great Masters, but my mother enjoys my compositions nonetheless.”


    Yuè noticed Àilóng’s hoof coming in contact with her own, but she made no effort to move it away. “Although we live far apart, my mother and I are keenly aware that when you strip away the festivities and the clamor..." Yuè’s gaze finally turned towards her counterpart; “The First Moon is, at its very heart, a time meant to express how you cherish your loved ones.....”

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    “SHHHHHHH, NOT OUT LOUD!!!” Sunset hastily interrupted Tempest’s tale just as she was just about to speak about finding the Nameless Wizard’s L_____y-word; You’re gonna ruin the SURPRISE for Twilight!

     

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    It took a ton of magical effort, but Sunset Shimmer did her part to open the gate. And no sooner had they trotted inside that the Tower was already trying to kill them! Thankfully, the ballista bolt had been aimed at somepony with the instinct to duck down, because Sunset basically stood there gasping in shock when she first heard those gears grind.


    The amber unicorn dared not move a leg. “Okaaaay,” Sunset gathered her wits as she looked impatiently towards Tempest; “You’re our resident tomb raider here Tempest... so HOW do we get through this booby-trapped dungeon?”
     

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    “Nah, it’s fine Twi,” Sunset reassured her friend with the sort of raised defensive tone that indicated that things were NOT completely fine; “Seeing you’ll be princess of all the land soon, you might as well start getting used to having your free-time endlessly interrupted.....”


    And yet still after her day took this unforeseen detour, Sunset Shimmer continued to do her best to serve the ailing ponies. In between patients however, she couldn’t help but grumble; You’d think Mage Meadowbrook would have interns to do this sort of thing.....”

     

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    For a split second after the titles disappeared, Princess Cadence felt a twinge of anxiety as she wondered whether the projectionist remembered to fetch the right reel. See, there were two other reels of footage that were filmed that day; one of them depicted scenes of horror and chaos, the other showed naught but a luxurious bedroom. .....Neither of them were appropriate viewing material for little fillies or old mares.


    But as the screen finally showed moving Magicolor images of the Hall of Harmony — filled to the breams with sharply-dressed onlookers — Cadence breathed a sigh of relief. There was Twily at the front of the room standing besides her older brother, who didn’t look stoned out of his mind. This was indeed the right wedding reel! Squeeeeeee!!!!!


    Most ponies of Equestria would have likely seen bits and pieces of Royal Wedding footage from newsreel highlights. Here though was the source of all those clips; the master reel that documented the entire marriage ceremony and the reception afterward. It was a vitally important piece of history, both for ponykind as a whole and for this family in particular.


    Knowing the scenes that were about to transpire, Cadence reentered fangirl mode.....

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    Although hushed griping and water-cooler talk are far from being accurate sources of information, there was a grain of truth to the claims that General Pummel was indeed more griffon than pony. One of the more significant ways in which his outlook resembled those of a griffon involved a hefty dose of cynicism. Back when he was a foreign exchange student in Talonpolis, the pegasus picked up much of the Aquellian’s skeptical attitudes towards political and bureaucratic figures. And frankly, his cunning Razorclaw hosts seemed to love nothing better than gloat about the virtues of realpolitik, and bombarding the rabble with endless propaganda.


    .....It was almost a miracle that Pummel made it into adulthood with an unshakable patriotic spirit and absolute loyalty to Princess Celestia.


    Unfortunately, another of the general’s Aquellian-esque attributes was a vehement dislike of getting called out, so it was no surprise when Pummel’s face flushed upon Shining Armor telling him he was out of line. That unicorn may have married his way into royalty, but in Pummel’s eyes, Prince Shining would forever be a Captain of the Guard; a subordinate position required to show deference to the higher ranks.


    Yet for all his internal lividness, Pummel was nothing if not a professional. Maintaining his cool as best as he could, the aging general responded with a succinct (if slightly ominous) counter; “Your Highness... you should know as well as anypony here that Equestrian history isn’t entirely sunshine and rainbows..... and that the Defense Forces and the Weather Service didn’t become the professional organizations they are today overnight. It took trial and error to get to where we are today, and we may have to endure more trial and error in the years to come.....”


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    General Pummel’s face slightly convoluted again as Shining Armor expressed his latest concern. This time however, the grim pegasus got flustered because the topic of rogue veterans had never once been brought up by the Suntrot Commission, making it somewhat of a minor embarrassment that Pummel had no definitive recommendation to provide. All he could do was come up with a solution on the spot; “...Assuming our armed forces are sufficiently expanded, it would not then be unreasonable to expect that civilian law enforcement agencies and reserve forces will receive sufficient military backup if dealing with veterans that engage in criminal activities.....”

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    General Pummel was 100% behind both putting a spotlight on valorous serviceponies and vastly increasing the financial incentives of enlisting. While it was probable that individual reforms — in conjunction with changes to the education system — would have to be rolled out in waves over the course of the next decade, at least there would be the bits to see everything through. There wasn’t much Pummel felt like he needed to do to express his support other than nod at the appropriate moments.


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    For what it was worth, the general believed that Prince Shining’s instincts on how to currently deal with the Whitescar Civil War were spot-on. There were other practical considerations to point out; “In any event, I do not advise initiating any offensive operations against caribou rebels until we’ve built up our forces to the point where they’re ready to take them on. Frankly, our soldiers aren’t at that level yet, as recent events have shown.....”


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    Staying on message, Shining Armor reemphasized a general need for restraint concerning employing new tactics. Pummel saw the need to clarify one point; “Well obviously, our field commanders will have much latitude in choosing which tactical maneuver is best suited for a particular situation. There will be instances where equine waves are the only good option we got, but there will also be times when more flexible maneuvers are more prudent. Ideally, REA officers will be skilled at knowing when to use what.”


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    Although infamous for his intense advocacy for military revitalization, there were certain ideas that General Pummel inherently distrusted. On top of that list were the resurrection of battlemancy and OWC; proposals which Princess Twilight championed, but didn’t fit neatly into Pummel’s vision of a modernized defense force. As demonstrated earlier, it had been the biggest policy divide between the two ponies.


    Shining Armor didn’t seem so enthusiastic about the ramifications of his royal sister’s proposal; Pummel speculated he could have swung the other way too, given his advocacy for cultivating “hero units”. When the prince yielded the floor, Pummel added his thoughts; “This line of reform was also evaluated by the Suntrot Commission. Although we only have speculation to go on..... there is scattered, but convincing historical evidence, to suggest that those who underwent the process of Battle Empowerment developed, how do I put this..... psychiatric issues. In what few recorded documents our analysts were able to dig up about the actual battlemages and specialists themselves, nearly all of them exhibited signs of battle fatigue, an inability to adapt to civilian life, or the development of sociopathic tendencies.


    .....And those are the ones who avoided becoming complete lunatics. While the number of known turncoat rogues is fairly small, even one is enough to do a lot of damage. The last time a bout of empowered insanity happened eight-hundred years ago, the turncoat battlemage wiped out a town and half a legion before being put down by Princess Celestia and every specialist she was able to muster. THAT... was why the Ban was put in place.”


    The grizzled pegasus gave a long weary sigh; “.....All that being said, I am open to initiating an experimental trial program for reintroducing Battle Empowerment, as well as rigorous psychiatric evaluations of each candidate throughout the entire process. I should also stress that even in a best-case scenario where Empowerment can’t be linked to psychological changes, offensive specialists will be costly to train, and extremely hard to replace during a protracted conflict. 


    Overall, it will be a more efficient — and less riskier use of our resources — to better condition all recruits during basic training to take lethal action towards the Enemy. It doesn’t take any hocus-pocus magic rituals to give a unicorn or pegasus a killer instinct. And by the way Madam Princess... whichever flunky from the Weather Service that fed you those lightning fatality statistics is full of bull. EVERYPONY who’s been through Basic or the Academy learns there’s no such thing as a non-lethal weapon or spell. I’d have every reason to suspect that the earliest weather overseers covered up fatal incidents to prevent interracial tensions from flaring up.....”

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    The implanted mental image of Twilight Sparkle using her body as a pillow made Sunset Shimmer blush furiously. Loathe as she was to admit it, similar thoughts along those lines surfaced in the unicorn mare’s mind from time to time... which she chalked up to hormones acting up, and nothing more. After all, everybody possessed a silly fantasy of their own to daydream about. The wielder of Empathy knew this for a fact.


    Nonetheless, the fact that Tempest Shadow managed to pinpoint this weak spot of Sunset’s was... disconcerting. “Ugggggh,” the grumbling mare rolled her eyes; “You’re just lucky we needed each other’s bodily warmth to survive out there.....”

     

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    Ignoring Tempest’s talent at finding morbidity in any sort of sentimental moment, Sunset could smell the spirit of teamwork brewing in the air! Following her partner’s example, the amber unicorn let magic surge from her horn and she focused her efforts on opening her half of the gate.....
     

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    “...Same here,” Princess Cadence commented while the castle projectionist prepared the reel; “It feels so odd not having her around here anymore.” The alicorn might have gotten more into detail about her complicated feelings, but she didn’t want to remind Mama about how Auntie played such a huge role in Cadence’s formative years. And thus, the pivot; “Twilight... will never be Celestia, but the same is true of anypony. I’ve known Twily for many years, and you’ll never find a pony as friendly, smart, and driven to succeed at what she sets out to do as her!”


    The lights in the theater dimmed as the curtains rolled back, signaling the start of the show; “Shhhh everypony, it’s about to begin.” Shortly after Cadence took her seat in between Mama and Shining Armor, the screen came to life as it displayed the opening titles:


    ROYAL HOUSEHOLD OF CANTERLOT
    STATE EVENT DOCUMENTATION SERVICE
    REEL #226
    4/21/1002 MME


    No rousing soundtrack, no fancy graphic design; just plain ole’ boring text on a black background without any sort of indication what the content will be. Nonetheless, Cadence’s starstruck eyes literally glowed with hearts as she devolved into fangirlism: “OHOHOHTHISNEVERGETSOLD!!!”

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    .....It was not easy for Sunset Shimmer taking in these sorts of heart-felt confessions. Perhaps the only thing in the Multiverse that could have been even more awkward would be if Twilight Sparkle for some nonsensical reason revealed out of the blue she was desperately in love with the amber unicorn. Because for all the friendships she was blessed with today, a subconscious yet fundamental part of Sunset still believed herself not worth somepony sacrificing their life over. After all, it wasn’t like the Equestrian girl was a princess or anything like that.


    After a few moments however, Miss Shimmer’s unsure gulps transformed back into a warm smile as she buried her uneasiness away. “Friendship involves sacrifice in some instances,” Sunset sagaciously said; “...But it’s also about sticking with your pal til’ the end of the line. There’s no way I was EVER going to abandon you, Temy.” That was a creed the amber unicorn could comfortably live by.


    Sunset Shimmer offered her resting friend an eager hoof. “Come on girl; we’re almost to the end. Let’s grab what we came here for and head home!” Giving Tempest Shadow the time she needed to pull herself up (with help), Sunset eventually coughed up an afterthought as she smirked; “Oh just to let you know Tempest... if I lose you now, I won’t have the wilderness skills to make it back to Equestria. Not that I wanna’ put too much pressure on you staying in one piece or anything.....”

     

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    In her rush to capture photographic memories, Princess Cadence almost missed the indication that her Mama was ready to head out. “Oh oh, right, of course,” Cadence put away her camera; “Time to show you the Castle, Mama.....”


    ----------


    *SOME TIME LATER*


    “. . . Princess Twilight has royal duties to attend to today, but she promises to spend some time with us when she’s done for the day.” The Crystal Royal Family walked through the grand halls of Canterlot Castle; castle staff had already been directed to bring Barbera Red’s luggage over to her guestroom, allowing Cadence’s Mama to be shown the grounds without having to worry about all her belongings.


    “. . . This room we’re walking was once a cloakroom, but over the past year, it’s been converted into the Royal Projector Theater. Here, princesses and their friends and family can watch moving picture shows... and in sound too!” The ponies walking inside would see that the room’s interior indeed look like a miniaturized version of the stereotypical projector theater, including a big curtained screen up front, comfortable theater seating, and a projectionist's booth in the back.


    “As a matter of fact, I’ve got a special moving picture I want to show you Mama... and YOU TOO, you cutie Flurry Heart you.” Taking a brief moment to ruffle her adorable daughter’s mane, Cadence ushered the group inside the private auditorium; “So come on in everypony and take a seat....!”

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