Tales of Another Ponyville

by Paradise Oasis

Soul Searching

"Are you sure this is the right way, Mocha? I think we passed those ferns three times."

"I dunno, Wysteria, I-I've never been in this part of the jungle before..."

Two mares have entered my jungle.

I know both of these ponies, two mares who are trying to run away from their problems. One is a Princess, the ruler of a town that feels she had been unappreciated at her job. Another is one of my own Pegasus subjects, the daughter of an overprotective mother who feels she has no room to spread her wings and fly. Both entered this sacred place to find answers to what is troubling to them... precious answers that are like treasurers hidden among the foliage.

...and that, is where I come in.

My name is Hidden Treasures... king of Butterfly Island, lover of hidden treasures, husband of Star Catcher, and master of scavenger hunts. Whereas my beloved wife prefers to rule our subjects as a visible monarch, I tend to remain here in the shadows. I love to find great and fantastic treasures of all kinds and types, and then bury and hide them for other ponies to find. But I am not just talking about physical treasures, like gold and silver, but also the nuggets and pearls of wisdom I have acquired over the course of my long life.

It is this wisdom that I wish to share with them.

"This doesn't seem like a friendly place, Mocha. I think I wanna go back!"

"Hey, there isn't an inch of this island that isn't friendly! Honestly, you earth ponies are scared of your own-"

"You are indeed correct, young Mochanaut." I tell the Pegasus mare, emerging from the foliage as if from nowhere. "This island holds no threat or danger to the ponies or live or visit here."

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!" Wysteria screamed loudly, at the top of her lungs. "Mocha, who in the heck is THAT!?"

"Ow, those are a serious set of pipes you've got on you, Princess." I groan, clutching my head with my hooves in pain. "I do believe my ears will be ringing from here until the next Spring Promenade!"

I admit, surprising two already-frightened mares maybe wasn't exactly the best idea. A tall Pegasus with a pink coat and mane, coming out of the darkness all of a sudden.... yeah, I really didn't think that one through.

"Oh, King Treasure!" The Pegasus apologized, recognizing me from my jeweled star cutie mark and pink crown. "I'm so sorry, we didn't realize that it was you!"

"King Hidden Treasure?! The ruler of Butterfly island?!" The startled Wysteria suddenly bowed. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry I hurt your ears like that!"

"Oh. that's quite all right, I should have approached you two more openly." I told the two of them, apologizing for my own actions. "But I do notice there are things troubling the two of you, and I thought that I might be able to give you some advice that may help."

"Wait, you know about our problems, how could you-" Wysteria shook her head. "Of course you know what's bothering us, you're a royal magical Pegasus pony, you know everything."

"Actually, you'd be amazed at what we Pegasus royals don't know." I tell her, walking over to stand beside Wysteria and Mocha. "We have to do a lot of our ruling by trying to interpret and figure out what our subjects want, rather than simply knowing it. It's rather like flying blind."

"Wow, I can really sympathize with that." Wysteria sighed, shaking her head sadly. "I can't even begin to figure out what my earth pony subjects want. To tell the truth, I always wished I'd never picked up that stupid flower and become a princess."

"Yeah, and I wish I wasn't the daughter of an extremely paranoid control freak. Thistle Whistle has never been anything bu a pain in the flank to me." Mochanaut sighed, flexing her wings. "I wish I was the daughter of a normal mare; y'know, one who would let me go out and have a little fun sometimes."

"So basically, you each wish you were somebody else, and you would choose to be someone else if you had a choice." I trot between the two of them, putting a wing over the shoulder of each of the mares. "One wants to be a normal old pony, while another wishes she had another pony for a mother."

"Well, yes, actually."

"Yeah, I really would."

"There was a time that I wished the same thing, not wanting to be the ruler of Butterfly Island." I told them, as all three of us trotted towards my large treasure chest at the end of the jungle maze. "I was a colt who loved searching out and digging up the treasurers pony pirates had buried along our beaches for centuries." I rolled my eyes. "I was an an adventurous pony, and just because I was marrying Starcatcher, didn't mean I wanted to give up that freedom to be a king!"

"But you did give up that freedom, and chose to do something you didn't want to do." Wysteria commented with a frown. "You willing gave up being the pony you wanted to be, and became something you weren't to make other ponies happy."

"How could you sacrifice what made you happy, to fill a role you never wanted in the first place?" A confused Mochanaut asked me. "Doesn't that fly in the face of everything we've been taught about ponies freedom to choose their own path?"

Smiling at them both, I trot open to the treasure chesty and open it. Reaching inside the chest, I pull out a large gemstone.

"See this emerald, how brightly it glows, and how beautifully it shines?" I gaze deep into the jewel. "Nature made this gem to be an emerald, to grace the world with all it's beauty as an emerald. But if this emerald tried to be a ruby or sapphire- if it wanted to be something other than an emerald- it would forever be striving for something it cannot achieve, forever unhappy." I had the jewel over to the two mares. "But if it accepts it is an emerald, if it embraces it's destiny and becomes the best that it can be- then it will shine brighter than any other gem in this treasure. It's not what we want to be that defines us, but who B'zekre made us to be, who we are."

And when the two look up, I am gone... I leave the two mares to think about what I have told them, with a silent hope that the small gem of an idea I gave them, will guide the two to a treasure trove of wisdom all their own.

Comments

[FleetlordAvatar]

7107320 I will probably be corrected for this but, according to Tornado, B'zerke is the pony god whorshipped in this time period.

[Paradise Oasis]

7107457

B'zekre is taken from Bonnie Zacherle's name, yes.