Celestia's Finest Side Quest: Moonrise Kingdom

[Miltonian]

Canterlot Palace, Two Days after the Wasteland Incident

Princess Celestia sets her tablet aside and beams at the four ponies in front of her. "Thank you, Harrier Squad. Though I do have all the official reports, and Capt. Red Tape was very thorough in them, having a first-hoof account of the action is always helpful." She clears her throat. "I also understand that I called you all in on what should, officially, be your leave time. So please, let's leave all this aside and head on down to the kitchen. My cooks have prepared an excellent lunch and I'd love to share it with you."

She smiles. "Also, if that isn't enough reason, the Elements are all assembled here today and there are three little fillies who would love to see their rescuers again."

[DigoDragon]

If the princess had not mentioned the keywords kitchen, cooks, prepared, lunch, and share, in that order, Rose might of used an excuse to get out of meeting the princess so soon. But as luck would have it, the right magic words compelled Rose to face the 'hardship' of sitting down for a meal with Celestia. Well, this will be the official line in her mind at any rate.

"Yes, thank you for inviting us so soon after the mission, your highness," Rose politely says as she follows.

[D.KnightSpider]

"It would be an honor, your highness."

Longshot says. He lowers his head respectfully.

It was awkward being here. But then, a battlefield was the only place to feel like home, so he was adapting to the feeling.

All that's necessary is for his mouth to stay shut, that he not make a scene and everything would be fine. He hopes.

[Elbeyon]

Love scratches her cheek in embarrassment and smiles real big when Princess Celestia smiles at the team for their work. "Thank you, Princess Celestia." She does a respectable professional nod for the work related stuff.

A loud noticeable grumble comes from Love's stomach. She puts her hoofs on the noise maker to calm herself. Love laughs, "I haven't eaten all day." She cheers, "I'm so hungry! I can't wait to stuff my stomach will a bunch of good stuff." She happily repeats her highness, "To the kitchen! I can't wait to meet your cooks and what they've made."

Her head snaps to a rap attention, "Everyone is here!? I'd love to see the fillies!" She would smile more if it were possible. Love will hurry along with the group. She wastes movement and the energy to speed along nosing about the palace as everyone walks. Even if it's not her first time here, the place is beautiful.

[Miltonian]

Celestia nods graciously. "I had hoped you all would accept. Though I do have a favor to ask. The fillies have been playing in the gardens while their sisters are in council with Luna. If you wouldn't mind going and collecting them, I'm sure they would be pleasantly surprised."

She draws a little ahead of the group. "We'll be eating in the kitchens. No need to be formal, I think. Silver Service would have to get out the nice spoons and insist on polishing them all afterwards. Let's spare her the trouble."

[DigoDragon]

Ah, a detour. Well, shouldn't be hard.

"Sure, we can go collect the... what they call themselves? Crusaders?"

[D.KnightSpider]

"Cutie Mark Crusaders, yes." Longshot answers Rose.

He returns to the original request. "I'm sure it will be a pleasant surprise as I wouldn't mind seeing them again. We'd be glad to collect them." And give you five minutes to find a quiet place to scream over our incompetence.

Longshot stops following Celestia.

[Elbeyon]

Longshot would remember their group name.

"Mind? I'll collect them right into a hug!" Love smiles. "Don't worry about it. We can go get them."

Love gives a quick nod. "I wouldn't want to hassle Silver Service. An informal kitchen lunch sounds great. It'll make unwinding easier." Silver Service's spoon collection. She might want to see that.

Love will give Celestia a respectable bow when/if they split up. She can show the group to the gardens if desired.

[Miltonian]

Celestia's smile remains serene. Whether or not she's screaming internally, no sign of it shows on her face. She's had years to perfect that now. "I will see all of you in the kitchen, then," she says brightly and departs from them for the moment.

Spoiler: Assuming Brazen is not joining.

Show

Brazen, unfortunately, has to bow out. Seafire already invited him to a Wonderbolt show. She won't be performing, but she will be watching and wanted him to come along for it.

The three ponies head on down to the castle gardens, which are known not only for their many life-like statues (some of which have odd, terrified or maniacal expressions that looks quite out of place in the otherwise serene garden) and its award-winning flora and fauna, but also the world's sturdiest tool shed. Sod Green, the Royal Gardener to which all other gardeners revere as the greatest of their kind to ever live, made it out of alchemically treated wood reinforced with the magical strength of earth ponies (supposedly siphoned off from her own over the course of five years) and embedded the frames into the ground for a good ten meters. Over the years, ponies had questioned if she was just paranoid about someone taking her tools or if she was secretly keeping a some horrible New Mareland beast inside, a place she was known to have a fondness for. After her death, the discovery of a rare Winged Owlbear inside answered that. The creature had been removed, the replacement gardener nursed back to health, and the shed occasionally used as an extra cell when the actual prisons got too full.

And while I'm sure that's all fascinating, the point is that, after a little searching, our three heroes hear familiar voices whispering inside.

[DigoDragon]

Rose walks over to the shed, but feigns not actually hearing the CMC. Instead she pretends to look around,, as if she can't find them.

[D.KnightSpider]

The amount of thought put into the origin of the shed is quite impressive. And good to know for future reference.

Longshot feels a strange kinship with the statues. Must be his imagination.

Subvocal Comm.: "Going to do some scouting. Don't let on that I'm here."

Putting his Stealth skills to work, Longshot disappears and make his way around the back of the shed, where, hopefully, he can eavesdrop on the trio.

[Elbeyon]

Love approves of this mighty shed. It might be over engineered by almost every standard in existence, but it's nature is overly awesome so she gives it a pass. Alright, she'll admit that it's impressive.

Let the games begin!

Love comms, "Roger!"

She tries to make friends with the fauna and even the flora. Love always did have a thing for sculptures. She examines them as she walks around and gives Longshot his moment.

[Miltonian]

The statues are...eclectic. There's a dragon who's a bit on the small side (for a dragon) with a sneer on his face and a raised eyebrow, looking at something in the sky. There are several ponies with wide-eyed expressions of surprise, shock, and maybe a little fear. There is an entire collection on one wing labeled 'The Blueblood Lineage'. All the ponies there have smug, superior expressions and look a little bored. All told, they are...a little creepy, to be honest. The animals are much friendlier and used to ponies, so they can easily be pet.

Sniper sneaks up on the back of that shed and overhears a whispered conversation not meant for anypony else. "Are ya sure this'll work?" Apple Bloom asks, sounding skeptical.

"It might now," Sweetie Belle admits, "But it won't hurt anything to see what it does, right?"

"What is it?" Scootaloo asks, "It's shiny."

"And where did ya get it?" Apple Bloom asks.

"From Twilight!"

The three of them see Rose round the corner. Quick as a wink, a little crystal disappears behind Sweetie Belle. The three of them stand up and look to see who it is. Their expressions brighten. "Rose!"

[DigoDragon]

"Hi girls! Long time no see, huh? So what have you been up to since last time?"

[D.KnightSpider]

Subvocal Comm.: "Love, you have Princess Twilight's number, correct? Can you contact her and verify that she gave a small crystal to the Crusaders and that they haven't been helping themselves to improvements again?"

Longshot flies up to the roof of the shed, unseen of course, and lays wait in ambush.

[Elbeyon]

Love finds a bird to put on her head and walks around as she talks about art to it.

She radios Scope, "I'll text her." She starts writing the message as she moves out from the statues and closer to the CMC and Rose.

Text to Torch, "Hey, Torch. I'm in the garden. Did you give a small crystal to the CMC? They might have found something of yours."

Love happily waves as she sees the kids. "Hey, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle." She smiles real big at them.

[Miltonian]

"Not much," Apple Bloom says, "Learnin' a lot of new names of family, extended family, an' distant relations. There's a lot."

Sweetie Belle looks down. "Rarity's...not quite like I remember. But I'm not supposed to tell anyone about it."

Scootaloo sighs. "Dash isn't either. She's got all sorts of...metal bits now. And she looks out the windows, sad-like, when she thinks I'm not looking." The two of them look down. Apple Bloom clears her throat.

"But we got a great idea to cheer them up!" she says.

They wave and grin as Love appears. However, a frantic message from Twilight comes back in response. "No! Do not let them have that! Actually, get it back from them as soon as possible! I've been looking for that all morning!"

[DigoDragon]

Rose taps her shin, thinking out loud with the CMC. "Well, it's been a while since they had you around; probably an adjustment period. A lot of things changed in Equestria since the 'old days' you're all from. Sometimes we grownups sit and look out the window, thinking back. I'm sure they'll come around."

She nods at Love's arrival.

[Elbeyon]

She scomms Longshot, "Torch says the stone has been missing all morning. That the CMC shouldn't have the stone. And, that we should get it back as soon as possible." The message relayed, she adds, "Hah! They found something precious!"

Love shows up while feeding seeds to the bird out of her hoof. She sets the pet back on her head so she can try to glomp the girls. Scootaloo can get a head rub instead if so desired (or both). "I'm so exhilarated to see you! It feels like forever since we've seen each other! I missed you so much!"

She says to Rose, "I see you found everypony!"

Love happily chuckles, "What's the great idea?" She seems positively curious, "What are the three of you planning?" Love wants in on trying to cheer up the Elements.

[DigoDragon]

She says to Rose, "I see you found everypony!"

Rose nods, but is humble about it. Wasn't anything special Rose thinks. She too wants to hear this plan of the CMC.

[Miltonian]

Cheeps the Birb looses his perch for a moment when Love goes in for the glomp, but quickly settles back on it, ruffling his feathers with good grace.

The Crusaders grin. "We're gonna sing them a song!" Apple Bloom declares.

"But it's gotta be something really special," Scootaloo adds.

"So we got this!" Sweetie Belle pulls out a crystal with her magic and levitates it, just out of reach. "It's some sort of magic item and we're going to figure out what it does so we can use it in the show! Twilight won't miss it. It was stuck in a whole pile of them."

[D.KnightSpider]

Hmm... Well...

Longshot adjusts his perch and then calls upon his acting skills to modulate his voice's pitch. And-- he sighs. His impending course of action was an emotional decision, not a rational one. And any time he let his emotions dictate a decision there was usually Tartarus to pay.

Impending 'haunting' discarded, he rolls off the roof, silently hits the ground and circles about to the shed's entrance.

"Hello?" The call goes out to the CMC.

[DigoDragon]

Rose takes a look at the crystal without touching it. (Thaumatology (3d6)[13] vs. 15

"Well, maybe it would have been best to ask permission before you took something of Twilight's, even if she has a few?"

[Elbeyon]

Love squeezes the girls in her hoofs.

She pays attention to Cheeps and very quietly whispers to him, "Sorry." She gives him a little head/cheek rub and puts some feed on her head for him.

Love swings back and forth, while trying to keep her head still, "Singing them a song is an amazing idea! A special song is an even better idea!"

Longshot grabs her attention for a moment.

She stares straight at the small crystal with fascination. "Oo! That's pretty." Her stare gets half-interrupted, "It's magic?!" Uh oh. A magic item Torch doesn't want the girls to have could be dangerous. Love reports to the girls, "Twilight is already missing the crystal. She has been looking for it all morning." Love playfully rubs Scoot's head. Now, Love is even more curious about the stone.

[Miltonian]

The Crusaders wave as Longshot approaches, though they are currently wrapped in an argument and not exactly ready to run over and give him a hug.

"Ah told ya'll it was a bad idea!" Apple Bloom says.

"Well, maybe she lost something else?" Sweetie Belle proposes, floating it a little closer to her.

"It's Twahlight. She never loses an eraser, much less a magical crystal doohickey." Apple Bloom levels a look at her friend.

"I...kinda agree with Bloom on this one," Scootaloo says, "We should give it back. Come up with something else."

Sweetie Belle huffs. "But that will ruin the surprise!"

Apple Bloom makes a grab for it. Instinctively, Sweetie Belle jerks it away and it strikes Scootaloo in the chest. "Hey!" the pegasus calls out indignantly. The crystal glows suddenly.

"Well that's not--" Apple Bloom begins before a flash envelops the entire shed.

For the record, the sound crossing between dimensions makes is 'Glorp'.

Spoiler: Once Upon a Time...

Show

...In the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn. The younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balanced for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies.

But as time went on, the elder sister grew proud and haughty. She began to look down on her little sister and the night, thinking in her heart that the world would be much improved if it were gone forever. Then one day, she refused to lower the sun and make room for twilight. The younger sister tried to reason with her, but her arrogance took hold and transformed her into the a ravenous creature of fire and flame: Daybreaker. She vowed that never again would the land be hidden away in darkness but bask forever in the eternal light and warmth of her glory. In return, she demanded that all creatures, pony, griffon, dragon, and the like, kneel down and worship her as their god and empress.

Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony. But the elder could not be defeated so easily. Though they dealt her a grievous blow, they only forced her to retreat, they did not vanquish her. And thus, war has raged between the two sisters for over a thousand years...

The sounds of battle reach their ears before the blinding flash fully clears from their eyes. The shed is, surprisingly, still in one piece, though the interior has been re-arranged a little. Yet something is not quite right about the battle. The ponies swear they can hear the ring of steel on steel along with cries of "Have at ye, sun-lover!" and "For the Empress!" among others.

The immediate area is clear and the crystal lies inert in front of Scootaloo. The pegasus looks up and soundly smacks both her friends in the back of their heads. They wince, but don't protest.

Cheeps looks unperturbed by this turn of events, though he blinks a little to clear the spots from his eyes.

[DigoDragon]

"I heard a 'glorp'. That sound is never good," Rose says. She looks around to see what direction the battle is coming from.

[D.KnightSpider]

Longshot darts over to snatch up the crystal. Whatever it was that thing had done, they very well might need said thing to undo... That sounded clearer in his head.

He takes up a defensive position in front of the Crusaders and devoutly wishes that all of their equipment was present.

"Love, did Princess Twilight tell you what that thing did?"

[Elbeyon]

Love holds the girls tight. Some feed falls out of her mane.

"No, I didn't ask. Torch didn't say. She just asked me to get it back."

[DigoDragon]

"That request might be slightly more difficult now."

[Miltonian]

The sounds of battle come from all around. Every so often, the loud report of a cannon echoes through the background. From what they can gather in the shed, the shouts in support of the 'Empress' are slowly dying off and the amount of 'Hail the Night!'s are rising steadily. It sounds like one side is winning.

Longshot grabs the crystal, which remains lifeless and colorless for now. The Crusaders protest being scooped up like that, but don't try to push themselves free.

Then, as if in answer to unspoken prayers, Twilight comes crashing through the wall, garbed in strange armor and wearing a cape that is definitely very un-Twilight like. She lays on the ground, stunned for a moment, before letting out a whinny and leaping to her hooves. A purple shield covers her and the other ponies in the shed right before a golden beam of magic explodes against it with all the fury and power of a wildfire.

"You're always so quick to cower behind your shield spell, Twilight Sparkler," a sneering voice calls from above. In the very large gap in the shed, another alicorn appears, one with a golden pelt and mane a fiery mix of red and yellow. Her horn glows as she readies another blow.

Twilight's horn flashes and she teleports away. "What?!" the strange alicorn cries before a beam of purple sends her hurtling sideways and out of view.

The Crusaders blink in unison. "Coooooool!" they chorus.