The Lord of the Ponies: The Friendship of Equestria

                  Ch.38 An Alicorn's Goodbye

In the morning, the entire Fellowship, along with Princess Celestia, and her Royal Guard, journeyed to Neighagra Falls. North the unopposed group travelled, until they arrived at the massive waterfall, which was rarely vacant of honeymooners or world travelers. But today was different; complete secrecy was required for the departure of the small, but intrepid Fellowship, as the companionship pursued a path to the Smokey Mountain downriver.

While the many ponies, from Royal Guard to Cutie Mark Crusader, packed the boats with supplies to last the Fellowship their trip downriver, Swift Justice pulled his dear friend, Shining Armor aside, and dispensed the final words he would ever utter with the alabaster stallion, "Every league you travel south, the danger will increase. The Changelings hold the eastern shore surrounding the Foal Mountain, but the west fairs no better. My scouts have reported strange creatures, bearing the crescent moon of Nightmare Moon, moving at great speed in our direction. Changelings rarely journey in open sunlight, but these new enemies do."

Swift Justice held out his hoof, which Shining Armor graciously accepted. The two Guards pulled in close, and wrapped their other hoof around the other stallion's back. Such would be their last embrace.

"Good luck, my friend. May Celestia give you wings." departed Swift Justice.

"To you as well. May our paths cross once again." digressed Shining Armor, oblivious of what Fate held in store for the husband of Princess Cadence.

Shining Armor returned to the boats, and saw his friends entering the rickety ships. Shining noticed Spike, as the purple dragon stumbled into one of the three boats, seemingly apprehensive about being near water.

"I'm sorry, Rover, but I simply refuse to paddle. I could get myself wet." repined Rarity; the glimmering mare stepped into the same boat as Spike, the dragon forced to move to accommodate the beautiful Unicorn.

"Here, Spike. Come sit on my lap. There's no room for Rover if you don't." offered Rarity, to which Spike accepted, almost spontaneously. It was easily discernible to the Royal Guard the happiness which possessed the dragon's complexion, like that of a colt on Hearth's Warming Day.

Rover soon joined the obviously-in-love pair; the Diamond Dog mumbled some incomprehensible gibberish under his foul breath as he entered the boat, and took a paddle.

Shining followed suit, and joined Pinkie Pie, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle in another boat. The stallion immediately began to regret his choice: Pinkie Pie's unconstrained exuberance somewhat perturbed the patient Guard.

"I'm-on-a-boat! I'm-on-a-boat! I'm-on-a-boat! I've-never-been-on-a-boat!" jubilated the pink pony, which she followed by a jarred motion which set the boat off-kilter.

The two presiding fillies grabbed the edge of the rickety bucket.

"PINKIE!" yelled Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, antagonized by the excitable friend's actions.

"Sorry." apologized Pinkie Pie.

Rainbow Dash smiled at her zany friend's frivolity, but she did not laugh; too much had happened last night for the cyan Pegasus to be in a cheerful mood.

"Alright everypony, time to get moving." ordered Shining Armor. The massive stallion pushed off the shore, and sent his boat down south of the Neighagra Falls.

Rover and Rainbow Dash followed suit, and used their oars to push off the sandy beach, and send their boats after Shining Armor. But, of all the members of the Fellowship, only Rainbow Dah looked back. Standing there, on the beach, dressed in white silk from Princess Celestia's personal tailors, stood Fluttershy. The amber Pegasus was far off now, but Rainbow could still discern the red around the beautiful mare's eyes, the effect of many tears shed for her departing love. Rainbow couldn't bare to look at the alluring mare anymore; the cyan Pegasus' will be only so strong to keep her from abandoning her friends, and returning to Fluttershy.

***

The passage south was silent and unobstructed; so were the thoughts of the many members of the Fellowship, as they recalled Celestia's gifts for them earlier that day. Rarity was the first pony to receive a present.

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"My gift to you, Rarity, is the crown of Princess Platinum, your ancestor." Celestia gave Rarity the crown of the past leader of the Unicorns. The silver, five-spade symbol of authority, accented by violet jewels of the highest caliber, fit Rarity's head perfectly.

"Legend holds that the crown contains powerful magic, which it bestows upon its wearer. It will be useful in the days to come." finished the Royal Alicorn.

"Thank you, Princess Celestia." Rarity bowed before her Princess, and kissed the Alicorn's hoof. Princess Celestia bowed to Rarity as well, and then moved onto the next members of the Fellowship: Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

Celestia's horn glowed a golden aura, the effect of which brought to superbly crafted, and sheathed, daggers to the two Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"These are the daggers of the Alicorn. Luna and I have personally used these fine weapons on multiple occasions of battle." Celestia enjoyed the curiosity of the two ponies with their gifts; the two fillies unsheathed the blades and carefully examined the superior craftsmanship of the weapons: the gold-laced wooden handle, and the curved blade, seemingly sharp enough to slice through chitin like butter.

While Scootaloo relished her new gift, Sweetie Belle looked upon the weapon with curious apprehension. She had killed many Changelings in battle, yes, but she was in a blood-drunk rage at the time. The alabaster filly didn't know if she had the courage to do so again.

"Do not fear, Sweetie Belle," Princess Celestia addressed her subject's noticeable concern, which caused the Unicorn to look up on the dominating form of the Alicorn, "You will find your courage."

Princess Celestia departed the two fillies, and moved on to the dragon standing beside them.

"And for you, Spike, rope made of Alicorn hair." Princess Celestia presented the ring of rope to Spike; the rope shifted between all the colors of the rainbow, much like Celestia's flowing hair.

However, Spike was not satisfied. The dragon looked to his right, and discerned the daggers that were given to the two fillies.

"Have you run out of daggers?" questioned Spike. The Princess only smiled at the unsatisfied dragon; Spike lowered his head in shame.

"Thank you, Princess Celestia." apologized Spike.

Princess Celestia again moved down the line of the Fellowship, and came face-to-face with the kneeling form of Rover, the Diamond Dog. Rover did not look upon the face of Celestia as she stood before him.

"And what gift would a Diamond Dog ask of a Princess?" asked Celestia, unsure of what to bequeath on the Diamond Dog.

"Nothing." Rover's head raised to look upon the splendor of Celestia. Rover was in love.

"Except to look upon the Princess of Equestria one last time... for she is more fair than all the jewels beneath the Earth." continued Rover; his response drove both the Diamond Dog and Celestia to blush red in the cheeks.

Embarrassed with himself, Rover retreated from the presence of the Princess, but his conflicted thoughts forced him to return.

"Actually, there was one thing," addressed Rover, "No, no, I'm talking nonsense. It's quite impossible. Stupid to ask." The Diamond Dog mumbled on, and his gift from Celestia remained a mystery to his companions.

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Silently downriver the Fellowship continued, until Rover interjected, "I have taken the worst wound at this parting. Even more so than the slaughter of my kin in Moria, or the death of Applejack or Twilight. I have looked my last upon that which is fairest."

"What are you mumbling about, Rover?" asked Rarity, curious for what juicy tidbits the Diamond Dog was to reveal at the moment.

"Only the Princess shall I ever consider fair, but her gift to me only seconds the beauty of the Alicorn." revealed Rover.

"What was her gift?" asked Spike, curious like Rarity.

"I asked for a shining hair from her regal head... she gave me three." answered Rover.

"Rover loves the Princess! Rover loves the Princess!"  chanted Pinkie Pie.

"I do not love the Princess. She's an Alicorn and I'm a Diamond Dog. The notion of 'love' between us is perfectly absurd." defended the Diamond Dog, before he continued to mumble in hushed tones.

"Denial's the clincher." whispered Rarity to Spike.

Love: the thought brought Celestia's gift to Rainbow's mind...

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"I have nothing greater to give, than the love you and  Fluttershy share. But I can give you this," Princess Celestia handed a sheathed, curved dagger, the craftsmanship similar to the daggers presented to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, "May this gift ensure you survive to see Fluttershy again."

"Thank you, Princess." Rainbow Dash, like so many of her companions before her, bowed to Celestia.

"I do not desire the future queen of Equestria to bow before me. One day soon, you will learn to expect other ponies to bow before you." acknowledged the Princess.

Rainbow Dash raised herself from the floor, and looked upon the Princess again.

"I am not a coward, but I don't wish to take on such a hefty responsibility. Running kingdoms is for the likes of Alicorns, not Pegasi who wish to be Wonderbolts." defended Rainbow Dash.

"Such is the heavy toll of our bloodlines," Princess Celestia rested her hoof on Rainbow's shoulder, "While you may wish not to take up the throne when we leave, you must. You are the last of the Dashian bloodline, and so you are destined to take over the throne of Equestria. But your destiny leaves you with a choice: will you redeem the mistakes of your ancestors, and lead Equestria into harmony once again, or will you fall into the darkness like your many kin before you?"

The Princess' question boggled Rainbow's simple mind, and while the cyan Pegasus was occupied, the regal Alicon moved onto the last, and most important member of the Fellowship: Apple Bloom.

"To you I give the light of Helios: our most beloved star," Celestia handed Apple Bloom a transparent vial, filled with a clear liquid of some kind, "Let it be your light, when all other lights go out."

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Again, in silence, the Fellowship continued downriver, and hoped above all else that the river would allow them to outrun their foes.

They were sorely mistaken.