The Ordinary Ponies

Chapter 18: Princess’s Three Visits

After the rise of Discord, the reform of the Royal Guards became a top priority. Before that, it was necessary for Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to listen to Shining Armor and reflect on whether they had done their best during the period of Discord’s destruction.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sat on thrones on the steps, while Shining Armor stood alone at the foot of the steps, with helmets resting on his hooves. There were two rows of guards at the back of the main hall, standing guard while constantly glancing towards Shining Armor.

“From the beginning, I said that Discord was about to escape,” said Princess Luna solemnly. “That's why I sent extra guards to the sculpture garden, and I also made some reforms; but it turned out that the changes were not enough, so royal guards must undergo a complete transformation.”

“Your Royal Highness, I don't think it's their fault.” Shining Armor, this white pony with a blue mane was sweating like rain. “Not being able to respond to the crisis in a timely manner is my dereliction duty. If you want to punish someone, please just punish me.”

“Punish? I guess you're overthinking,” Princess Celestia smiled. “No one will be punished. I called you here just to discuss reform affairs. As my sister said, the guards must undergo drastic reforms in order to better cope with future crises.”

“I...got it,” Shining Armor’s expression softened.

“So I want to know, what are your training contents now?” asked Princess Celestia. “Before ago, I never asked about these things because I thought you could do them well; but now, I think I have to meddle it.”

“The training contents include three major aspects: etiquette, loyalty, and physical fitness. Among them, etiquette is the most time-consuming part, and we have to rehearse for all holiday celebrations to ensure the best results.”

“Uh...did you miss something?” Princess Luna raised her eyebrows and asked.

“Miss something? I'm pretty sure not. The training contents of the royal guards are these three major aspects, and the specific training subjects belong to the upper three.”

“You have practiced physical fitness, but what about the specific combat?” asked Princess Celestia. “For example, formations, tactics, commands, martial arts...at least a long time ago, Flash Magnus and his team would have practiced these.”

“Uh...” Shining Armor scratched his head. “We will use simpler tactics and formations so that we don't have to spend too much time rehearsing etiquette.”

“Simpler tactics and formations?!” exclaimed the two princesses in unison. “Is it to take the essence and eliminate the dross, or is it simply to simplify?”

“In fact, we are picking simple tactics from the legacy, and we don't have the opportunity to argue in details which ones are practical and which ones are not, because there are no combat targets.”

“So...are you just compressing combat training to free up time for rehearsing etiquette content? How simple are your tactics?” asked Princess Celestia.

“If the enemies are strong, we will charge collectively; if they are evenly matched, we will charge in batches; if they are weaker, we will encircle both wings...Well, that's it. I think it's completely sufficient,” Shining Armor said honestly.

The two princesses exchanged a glance, speechless. Their furrowed brows already indicated concern.

“What is the joint operation of pegasuses and earth ponies like?”

“It’s of course charge together.”

“What is the joint operation of pegasuses and unicorns like?”

“It’s of course charge together.”

“What is the joint operation of unicorns and earth ponies like?”

“It’s of course charge together.”

“I guess the joint operation of three kinds of ponies is the same - charging together, right?” said Princess Luna half sarcastically.

“That's right, our joint operations are all certainly about charging together, that's why we call them ‘joint operations’.”

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna looked at each other again, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes. Princess Luna covered her face with her hooves and said, “So, after charging, how do you attack?”

“Usually, we use bodies to knock down the opponents, or use our hooves to smash or kick.”

“Are unicorns and pegasuses like this too?”

“Of course. As guards, no matter what kind of ponies we are, we’re all equal.”

Princess Celestia couldn't help but cover her face with her hoof. “Shining armor, equality is not like that.”

“It seems that the reform can’t rely solely on you, Shining Armor. We need to hire another expert,” said Princess Luna. She looked at his expression and saw that he was hesitant to speak. “Are you unwilling?”

“I would certainly welcome the real expert, but...I'm afraid we might invite some pony without real skills,” Shining Armor said sincerely.

In a sense, this is indeed the case. Equestria lived a peaceful life for a long, long time, and 99.9% of the ponies knew nothing about combat, such as Shining Armor, which was already “quite good”.

After listening, Princess Celestia comforted him proactively and said, “You don't need to worry about this. We will definitely consult with real expert. As for now...I think you can discuss the wedding date with Princess Cadance.”

But Shining Armor completely misunderstood the meaning and exclaimed in shock, “You...you want to fire me?”

“Fire you? No! Just to give you a good rest,” Princess Celestia shook her head helplessly. “Don't overthink it, you'll have to cooperate with the full implementation of the reform plan once it's out.”

Shining Armor finally calmed down a little and then left.

After he left, Princess Luna said to Princess Celestia, "I guess the expert you mentioned is Mr. Miracle.”

Princess Celestia nodded and said, "When faced with Discord, he showed enough astonishing calmness and wisdom. I think he must have some good ideas for the reform.”

“Then let's go quickly,” Princess Luna yawned and was about to get up. But Princess Celestia held her down and said, "Just let me go. You've been working hard lately, and you should have a good rest.”

“But –”

“No but. I already believe in you; and now, please believe in me,” said Princess Celestia gently.

“Fine.” The Princess Luna had to agree and went back to her room to sleep. Princess Celestia watched her enter the house and flew out of the Royal Palace, heading straight for Ponyville. She flew while imagining the scene ahead, thinking about how they would have a conversation.

It wasn't until she saw a thatched tent on the outskirts of the town that she realized her idea was wrong from the beginning. She never imagined that such a wise pony would live in the outskirts.

This thatched tent had only one layer, made of hay, thatch, and sturdy canvas. It was simple, but not rudimentary, rather had a warm feeling.

She stood in front of the door and saw strange words pasted on both sides, above, and in the center. Even as a knowledgeable alicorn, she didn't know what kind of words they were. Mr. Miracle must be some kind of wise hermit.

She hesitated for a moment and slowly knocked on the door, but there was no response inside. She knocked second time, but still no response. She had to politely call out loud, but in the end, there was still silence.

“Not at home?” She wanted to knock again, but Pinkie bounced past from behind. “Good morning, Princess Celestia!” Pinkie smiled and squinted her eyes, still jumping forward, but then she suddenly opened her eyes and jumped back directly. “Your Royal Highness! Why are you here?”

Princess Celestia turned around and said awkwardly, “Hmm...Hi, I want to meet Mr. Miracle. But it seems he's not at home...Speaking of which, is this really his home?”

“It is his home, it was just a small shabby tent at the beginning,” Pinkie said while dancing and gesturing wildly. “Later, it was CMC and us who helped intermittently that it became what it is now. In the future, he will expend it.”

“Do you know where he went?”

“Of course I know!” Pinkie blurted out. “He is trying some new activities with Cutie Mark Crusaders to find his gifts and obtain the cutie mark. He may have to try all day, so you should come back tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? This...” Princess Celestia was a bit embarrassed - she didn't expect this situation. If she returned just like this, she might disappoint her sister, after all, it was she who said “please believe me”; But if she continued to wait here, it would waste her time. She still had a lot of affairs to deal with.

“I'll wait a little longer. If he really doesn't come back today, I'll find him the next day,” said Princess Celestia.

“If you have some urgent affairs to find him, I can take you there,” suggested Pinkie. “My Pinkie Sense is supper effective!”

“Well, thank you, but I don't want to bother his happy time.”

“Okay, it's all up to you, boss!” Pinkie made a small joke and continued bouncing away with a smile. Princess Celestia watched her leave and paced back and forth at the entrance of this small house. Occasionally, passing ponies greeted her, and she could only keep smiling, which made her face stiff.

After waiting for two hours, Mr. Miracle had no any intention of returning, so she had to go back to Canterlot. At night, Princess Luna was not disappointed when she heard of this, but only comforted her sister slightly.

Of course, Princess Luna could go directly to his dream to find Mr. Miracle at night, but this would delay her duty of patrolling the ponies’ dreams. On the other hoof, she felt that this should be done by her sister.

The next day, Princess Celestia went to Ponyville early in the morning again. She knocked on the door, but when it opened, she found that there was no Mr. Miracle, but a female zebra with pointed mane and several gold collars around her neck.

“Sorry, I thought Mr. Miracle was at home...May I ask who you are?”

“Your Highness Princess Celestia, I’m a zebra from afar, living under Everfree Forest near the star, and my name is Zecora.” Zecora carried out her speech characteristics and must rhyme whatever she said.

“So you are Zecora, it's my pleasure to meet you!” smiled Princess Celestia. “Twilight mentioned about you in the letter, and I heard that you are a master of potions.”

“I dare not live up to reputation, all I gain is hesitation. I just make some ordinary potion, and I’m honor to draw your attention.”

“Uh...you do have a unique way of speaking,” said Princess Celestia awkwardly. “Excuse me, may I ask where Mr. Miracle go? I have something important to discuss with him. By the way, why are you in his room?”

“He was about to give me some herbs, but today he has an urgent work. With his permission I come to take here, and seeing you much pleasure. He won’t be back until finish Rarity’s order, maybe you can come visit later.”

“Urgent work? Oh my…I'm going to return without outcome again,” sighed Princess Celestia, but she didn't immediately turn around and leave, instead asked Zecora.

“Although you live in Everfree Forest, you should also know how much trouble Discord had caused. I just hope that some wise pony can give us some advices to make the Royal Guards play a greater role. Twilight said you are very wise, maybe you can help us?”

After hearing this, Zecora smiled and said, “Marching and fighting are not my taste, and either my expertise doesn’t suit. Your Highness, don't be discouraged, perhaps you can meet him in another visit.

“You’re right, I'll leave a letter for him,” said Princess Celestia, using magic to manipulate a pen and paper to write a note. The font on it was graceful and the written test flowed smoothly, revealing a unique temperament between the lines.

Dear Mr. Miracle: This letter is written by a decision maker who yearns for methods to a wise gentlecolt, and more importantly, by a friend who yearns for advice to another friend.

As you can see, the Royal Guards have significant institutional loopholes, both in training and in actual combat. I hope the guards can protect entire Equestria, but it has been proven that without reform, it is impossible.

Your performance in the rise of Discord has proven your wisdom and insight, and you are unique among many ponies. I truly admire your courage and knowledge, and sincerely seek your advice.

Therefore, my two visits have unfortunately been unsuccessful. I sincerely hope that you can give me some advice and guidance, and I will be happy to accept your ideas and teaching. Your sincere, Celestia.

Princess Celestia subsequently signed her name, omitting the word “princess” to indicate her sincerity. Perhaps the previous two empty visits were some kinds of “tests” or “tasks”, to see if she was humble enough.

She wanted to prove her attitude with practice. Afterwards, she bid farewell to Zecora and returned to Canterlot to continue handling official business.

On the third day, she spent the morning dealing with official business and then headed straight to Ponyville. Now even Princess Luna was moved by her and wanted to come along.

Luna was glad that her sister agreed with her, and it was also time for another "sisters’ action".

Arriving at the familiar thatched cottage, Princess Celestia was about to knock on the door when she heard several sounds coming from inside.

“You are now facing nine bandit ponies, none of whom look easy to deal with. They must know the whereabouts of 'the Great Mage's Staff', but obviously they won't tell you unless they’re defeated. What are you planning to do?” said Spike.

“Miracle, what should we do?” A young girl’s voice came out, and the two princesses speculated that she was Apple Bloom.

“Apple Tarry, you are now the leader of the team. Think about what I have been teaching you all along,” Mr. Miracle said calmly. “You just need to apply them.”

After a moment of silence, Apple Bloom said, “Shadow Loo, I would like you to fly into the air and use your bow to attack. This way, you have an aerial advantage and are more likely to hit. If you choose to sneak, there are nine ponies here, and they can probably discover you.”

“Understood!” The other girl said decisively, inferring from her voice that she was Scootaloo.

“Sweetie Beck, your spells had been used up. I suggest you don't take the risk of attacking, but play the banjo. We will need your inspirational buff.”

“Understood!” said a young girl in a childish voice. That must be Sweetie Belle.

“Littlegun, there are nine opponents in front of you, and I want you to attract the vast majority to create a suitable long-range output environment for us. Once you are seriously injured, be sure to drink the potion at any time.”

“Yep.” This energetic voice definitely belonged to Big Mac.

“Miracle, I would like to ask you to activate the ‘Kai’ and attack them from the right side. As long as you can knock down the archers, we have a great chance of winning.”

“No problem!” said Mr. Miracle.

Then there seemed to be the sound of rolling dices, and the shouting inside kept coming and going, as if engaging in a very intense activity.

“Sister, it seems like they are conducting some kind of strategic simulation.”

“It sounds true...He indeed some kind of wise pony!”

The two princesses quietly pressed their ears against the door, attentively listening to the movements inside. It seemed that the situation was very intense, and the tactics used were also impressive to the princesses - pegasus attacked from the air, earth pony resisted pressure in front, unicorn supported from the side, and there was also soldier attacked from the back side. This tactic was really unbelievable when it came from a little girl’s mouth.

Then there were a few strange noises, both excited and scared.

“I heard something about the 'great success' at 20? What is this?” asked Princess Luna.

Princess Celestia shook her head and said, “I don’t know either. Could this be a term used in their game?”

They listened for two hours, listening to the ponies playing the role of adventures that went deep into the forest, defeated the bandit gang, brought them to justice, and finally successfully obtained the “the Great Mage’s staff” and gave it to “Lord Celestia”, thus receiving another commendation.

“'Lord Celestia'...poof...” Princess Luna covered her mouth with her hoof, trying not to laugh, tears welling up in her eyes. “It seems that their game is still based on Equestria.”

“Just laugh, maybe there will be a ‘Sir Luna’ in the future.”

During their eavesdropping period, many ponies passed by behind them. They wanted to say hello, but seeing the two princesses so focused, they didn't dare to disturb them.

They just looked at them with strange eyes and left.

The adventure inside seemed to have come to an end, and everyone was collecting things while reviewing what just happened. At this moment, Twilight hurriedly ran behind the two princesses, and Princess Celestia immediately turned her head and called out to her. “Twilight? What a coincidence!”

“Princess? Princess?! Princess Celestia!” Twilight's expression was very strange, looking a bit neurotic. “Why are you here?”

“I'm here to find Mr. Miracle. Do you also want to find him?” asked Princess Celestia.

“Yes, um...no. I have something else to do!” Twilight suddenly put on a strange expression and ran away in a flash. “Please forgive me for being so hurried~~” Her farewell gradually faded away.

“She looks strange today, what happened?” asked the Princess Luna.

“I don't know, I hope she's okay.” Princess Celestia frowned.

Perhaps upon hearing the commotion outside, the door of the thatched cottage suddenly opened, and CMC, Spike, Big Mac, and Mr. Miracle beside the door were shocked that the two princesses were standing outside the door.

“Oh my goddess, your Royal Highnesses! How long have you two been standing outside?!” Mr. Miracle apologized quickly. “We were playing games too enthusiastically, I'm sorry we didn't notice.”

“There's no need to apologize, really.” Princess Celestia smiled. “After all, we didn't knock on the door either.”

Mr. Miracle welcomed the two princesses in and they had a friendly exchange. The class at Ponyville Schoolhouse ended early today, so they came with lunch to play Ogres & Oubliettes with Mr. Miracle, Spike, and Big Mac.

Although “Guy's Night” was a well-known secret that should be kept confidential, since there are two highly respected princesses, there was no problem on being honest with them.

The two princesses showed strong interests in this novel game, so Spike and Mr. Miracle briefly introduced the gameplay, mechanism, and central idea.

“By the way, Spike,” Princess Celestia suddenly asked. “I just saw Twilight leave with a strange expression on her face. What happened?”

“Did you see her?” Spike's eyes suddenly became wandering. “Well...she's...she's going to have a picnic with her friends, yes, a picnic.”

“Alright then,” Princess Celestia half believed and half doubted, but in the end, she still didn't doubt his existence. “Mr. Miracle, have you read the letter I left yesterday?”

“Did you come yesterday?” Mr. Miracle appeared extremely shocked. “I have no idea at all!”

“Actually, I came the day before yesterday too, but you weren't at home both times,” Princess Celestia added.

Mr. Miracle quickly searched the table and found that the letter written by Princess Celestia had been turned over as a calculation paper. “I'm really sorry, I didn't see it...should I read it now?”

“No, it's better not.” Princess Celestia stopped. “It would be a bit awkward to read that letter in front of me. I think it's better to tell you in person.”

Mr. Miracle knew that something was extraordinary. So he asked the three girls, Spike, and Big Mac to go home early and said they would play again next time.

Although the three were a bit unhappy, they could understand – no kidding, he had to discuss with the two princesses, who wouldn't understand?

Spike's short legs destined him to be the last one to leave. As he walked up to the door, Mr. Miracle whispered to him, “Tell Twilight - 'The weekly journal is not urgent, Princess Celestia doesn't have to receive a weekly journal every week. The most important thing is sincerity.'”

Spike was a little surprised, after all, he had never mentioned Twilight's situation today; But soon he felt relieved, after all, he was speaking with Mr. Miracle, whom could foresee the future. It was not surprising at all.

Then, Mr. Miracle, Princess Luna, and Princess Celestia began to discuss the reform of the Royal Guards. Mr. Miracle listened to their general background and current situation, pondered for a moment, and then began to share his own insights.

With his speech, the two princesses gradually became attracted to the grand vision - if the reform could go smoothly as expected, then no matter what crisis they encountered, Equestria would have enough power to delay time, so that Twilight and the others could comfortably use the Elements of Harmony.

He pointed out that the most important defense force of Equestria was the elements, because it was the most powerful magic.

Therefore, as long as Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy fought side by side and could stimulate the elements, there would be no unbeatable villain.

Thus, the main responsibility of the guards was to delay the time, evacuated the public, and dealt with other issues that might hinder them.

Professionalization of the military didn’t mean abandoning etiquette. On the contrary, specialized division was aimed at better performing different tasks.

He suggested that the current teams responsible for various festivals be drawn out to form an honor team, dedicated to rehearsing various ceremonies; And the other guard team would be reorganized separately.

He envisioned the formation of three corps responsible for combat - a ground corps dedicated to land combat, a sky corps dedicated to air combat, and an amphibious corps dedicated to various complex terrain operations.

The name of the legions hadn’t been decided yet. The initial idea was that each legion will be composed of earth ponies, pegasuses, and unicorns, forming a joint combat unit with different focuses.

For example, the main force of the ground legion was earth ponies, with pegasuses and unicorns as strategic support; The main force of the sky legion consisted of pegasuses, earth ponies, and unicorns as logistical and follow-up support; The amphibious legion had no clear distinction between primary and secondary, and could flexibly decide based on the situation.

The subdivision of the legions was not the end, but the beginning, because this subdivision must be accompanied by an upgrade of the command system.

He had initially designed various command structures and systems, and the specific choice still needed to be proven through practice.

……

Mr. Miracle's knowledge far exceeded the imagination of the two princesses. They did live for a long time, but their profound knowledge mainly focused on magic. Now hearing these military-knowledge, they were enlightened, intoxicated, and even involuntarily applauded.

“What you said is really great!” Princess Celestia clapped her hooves and exclaimed sincerely. “If you are willing, we would like to invite you to serve as a royal advisor.”

“Oh, I'm so flattered!” Mr. Miracle smiled. But then he looked at his flank and politely declined, “Please forgive my rudeness...I’m still an honorary member of CMC, and I have to work hard to find talents and obtain my cutie mark.”

“Well, that's a pity,” sighed the Princess Luna. “But our proposals always work. If you change your mind in the future, you are always welcomed to come to Canterlot.”

“No problem. But don't worry, although I won't serve as a royal advisor, if you have any questions, feel free to come over anytime, and I will definitely speak up.”

“I don't think it's 'anytime,'" joked Princess Celestia. “After all, you were not at home the first two times.”

“So you will help us achieve the reform of the guards this time, right?” Princess Luna asked eagerly.

“Of course. After all, I proposed this plan. I will have a good talk with Shining Armor...Um, how about this weekend?”

“Great! Twilight's birthday is also at that time. You can come over together then.”

Just as they were chatting vigorously, there was suddenly a commotion outside the door. Princess Celestia pushed open the door and saw Big Mac holding a toy donkey, running away with red hearts in his eyes. Behind him was a group of equally passionate ponies.

“What's going on?” Princess Celestia and Princess Luna immediately flew out. Mr. Miracle covered his eyes and didn't see the toy donkey. He shook his head only after they had all left, indicating that Twilight ultimately didn't listen to his advice.

Or perhaps it was Spike who didn't tell her in time?