//------------------------------// // Tradition // Story: A World Above // by KidatHeart5 //------------------------------// Since the train ride to Maris offered breathtaking views on either side of the windows, it helped ease the nervous energy some of the royals had accumulated from sitting in their seats for a long time, particularly Rainbow Dash and the party couple.             Pinkie and Cheese jabbered as they zipped between windows on either side, “Look at that! Oh, look at that! Ooh, pretty! What’s that?! It’s gorgeous!”             Rainbow groaned in aggravation, “It never gets old. At this rate, we’ll get to Maris at nightfall.”             Sunset assured her sister, “Don’t worry. I checked the maps and the travel times. We should get there well before Mother lowers the sun.”             Timber Spruce wrapped his hoof around his wife and said suavely, “Then there’ll be some ooh-la-la for the both of us.”             “You said it,” she said before they locked lips.             Rarity said as she looked through a Maris brochure, “If you ask me, I’m very delighted to visit the palace again. On our earlier visits, Dandy Grandeur was on the throne. But now that his nephew’s ruling the kingdom, they say he’s made all of Prance a better place.”             Sunset asked, “I wonder how Dandy’s taking it?”             Applejack said, “If four years of not bein’ king is makin’ him crazy enough to send them Dark Riders out for who-knows-what, we’ll expose him faster than a rattlesnake with a mouthful of jalapeno peppers.”             Rarity shook her head, “You and your strange countryisms.”             Just then, the conductor stepped into the car and cleared his throat, “Ahem. Your Highnesses-“             He was blown away by Pinkie and Cheese shouting excitedly, “WE’RE HERE!!!”             The conductor got up and brushed himself off before he said in a slightly-perturbed tone, “Yes. Thank you, Your Highnesses.”             The train then pulled up to the train station before it stopped amid steam clouds. The Canterlot royals walked onto the platform before they saw Feather Bangs waiting for them. He was very different from the last time they saw him. He was still the dashing and charming stallion he was as a prince, but now he looked so regal in kingly robes.             He bowed in respect, “Your Highnesses. It’s so wonderful to see you again. How’s the fam?”             Sunset answered, “They’re great. We’re having a bit of a scare, but other than that, they’re okay.”             Feather Bangs sadly mentioned, “Yeah. Sorry about the kids. Hope the Guardians find them soon.”             Spike said, “I’m not surprised you have faith in them.”             “After everything they did four years ago, I wouldn’t ever give them a doubt.”             Rarity asked, “Your Majesty, since you’ve become king, have you been keeping any traditions of Dandy’s?”             He answered, “Honestly, I just dumped a lot of them because they seemed like overkill. But there is one greeting tradition I kept.”             Pinkie and Cheese asked hopefully, “The parade?”             The king chuckled, “The parade.”             The party couple gave a cheer of delight. Everyone but Pony Pan and Windy was in amazement as they saw the famous treehouse for the first time. It was just like in the books and more! They gazed up at the circular wooden structure with a leaf roof and a curtain of vines hanging under the railing like a skirt. Flurry breathed, “The Crow’s Nest.” Blaze said with wide eyes and an awed smile, “I never thought I’d get to see it in real life.” Skater said, “None of us did.” Pony Pan said confidently, “Well, lucky for you, I’ll give you a personal tour of the Crow’s Nest so you can get to know the real Pony Pan.” He walked towards a tall bush and pulled it back to reveal a basket large enough to carry ten grown ponies. “Why don’t you kids take a ride in it? After all, it’s for Lost Colts only.” The kids shouted in glee as they raced towards the basket, “Yeah!” When the small ponies and Gabby got into the basket, Pony Pan grabbed the rope with his wings and said, “Okay! Here we go!” As Pony Pan pulled on the rope, the basket rose higher and higher from the ground. Halfway between the jungle floor and the boardwalk sticking out of the hut, the famous legend began to pant in exhaustion. “Boy, lifting these kids is harder than it looks!” Windy said as she came up to him, “I’ll help.” Mischief offered, “Me, too.” With Windy using her wings and Mischief using his magic, the three of them pulled the rope until the basket almost reached the boardwalk. When the rim nearly kissed the edge of the boardwalk, the kids cheered as they jumped out and raced onto the boardwalk towards the hut. Skater remarked, “I have to admit, that is pretty clever. But how do we get up to the Crow’s Nest?” Pony Pan answered, “Well, it’s usually just Windy and me, since we have wings. Plus, having no stairs keeps the Crow’s Nest from being discovered.” Mischief said, “I can teleport us up there.” With a flash of green light from his antlers, the group found themselves in the Crow’s Nest. Despite the circular hut being almost bare, it seemed very homey. There were two hammocks arranged like bunk beds on one side, a fire pit with a food pantry on another side, and a telescope and other observational tools near a section of the railing. There was also a slightly-depressed round rug lying in the center of the hut and a map hanging above a wooden chest at a section of the circular wall. Flurry remarked in an awed tone, “I can’t believe we’re seeing all this for the first time!” Roller added with a smile, “I can’t believe we’re actually seeing Pony Pan and everything that was in the books!” Nova Rose nodded, “This is an experience I’ll remember forever.” Blaze said, “Hey, Pony Pan’s lucky he has forever to live the dream. He’s the colt who never grew up, remember?” Zealot asked Pony Pan, “By the way, how have you stayed young all this time?” The famous legend answered, “Well, I would tell you, but you know the saying: heroes never reveal their secrets.” Nova said in confusion, “Wait, isn’t it supposed to be-?” She was cut off by a sudden scream. The group turned to see a hole where the rug once was. The ponies looked down the hole to see Jamboree lying on top of the rug, which now covered a pile of papers. Flurry asked in concern, “Jam, are you okay?” Suddenly, Pony Pan swooped down towards the colt and said quickly as he grabbed him, “Yep, he’s just fine!” When he came up with Jam again, he told him, “You gotta always watch where you step with that rug.” He gave a nervous chuckle before he continued, “You could fall.” Blaze said as he peered down into the secret room again, “Where? What is this place?” Pony Pan said with undertones of anxiety creeping in his face and voice, “Oh, that’s just my…think room! Yeah! Heroes like Pony Pan always have a think room!” Zealot asked, “But why would you keep a think room under a rug?” The hero tried to answer, “Well…” He looked to Windy, who shook her head with a nervous expression on her face. He sighed, “Looks like the jig is up.” Skater asked suspiciously, “What jig?” “Mischief, can you do your…teleportation thing?” Mischief complied and in a green flash, everyone was in the secret room, which was admittedly dark save for the light that leaked through the hole. Pony Pan pulled the chain on a metal dragon statuette and flames sprung from its mouth, making their way across the circle of candle holders bolted to the wall around the room. The kids uttered sounds of awe at both this fantastic feat and how large the room seemed now, even though there were papers, books, and trinkets strewn all over the place. Nova said, “I admire the engineering genius behind the dragon and candles, but shouldn’t we worry about the papers and books accidentally catching fire?” Pony Pan replied, “Nah. One of the previous Pony Pans made sure no accidents would happen.” This caught the adults off-guard. Mischief asked in surprise, “Previous Pony Pans?” Blaze also asked in a shocked tone, “You mean there was more than one?” Roller remarked, “Dude. Mind. Blown.” The kids looked up at Pony Pan and Turquoise asked, “So, you’re not the real Pony Pan?” Pony Pan waved his hooves and explained, “Oh, no, no, no, no! What I’m saying is that I’m the current Pony Pan, not the first one.” Oddball said in confusion, “I don’t get it.” Blaze teased, “Oh, my! The grandson of the lord of chaos is confused? Wow, I did not see that coming!” Nova harshly tapped his arm as she admonished, “Knock it off.” Gabby stepped forth and said to Pony Pan, “So you’re telling us that there was a Pony Pan before you, who in turn had a Pony Pan before him, right?” The Pegasus smiled, “Got it in one, kiddo.” He walked towards a desk and began to dig through the mass of papers and books on it. He explained as he was searching for something, “You see, there were lots of Pony Pans before me, and I mean lots. The legend of Pony Pan has been around for, like, centuries. The original Pony Pan existed about 700 years ago. Before he got too old, he taught one of his Lost Colts to be the next Pony Pan. Since then, each Pony Pan would be taught by a Pony Pan before him and in turn would teach a new Pony Pan to take his place.” He then groaned in frustration, “Oh, come on! Where is that picture of me with-?” Windy interrupted him, “It’s over here, under the blue vial.” Pony Pan went over to her and pulled out a colored photograph of a young version of him with a middle-aged Pegasus. He turned to the group and pointed to the older stallion, “This is Whip Hornet, the guy who was the Pony Pan before I took his place. He was a great mentor and he actually wanted to keep going, but he had a condition that stopped him. When I came along, he saw this as a chance to hand the torch – or hat - to someone younger. Everything I know came from him as well as the teachings of past Pony Pans.” Skater asked, “So if you’re not actually Pony Pan, then who are you?” The stallion answered, “My name is Sky Stinger.” He gestured to Windy, “This is Vapor Trail. We both came from Stratusburg before we came to Paraddock.” Flurry asked, “Why were you beamed up to Paraddock? Were you in danger?” Vapor Trail explained, “Oh, we weren’t in any danger, I think. Besides, Sky was the only one who was beamed up. I couldn’t sleep, so I looked out my window and I saw him and Paraddock. I decided to follow him up the beam, but what happened next was really strange. One minute, I was trailing after Sky towards the blue light, but the next, I woke up in a field of flowers in broad daylight like I had just fallen asleep the night before. I searched for a way off Paraddock, but Sky wanted to explore everything.” Sky Stinger continued, “We went into the jungle and got caught in a net. That’s how we met Whip Hornet. Of course, we thought he was actually Pony Pan then. After he set us free, he told us about how he was trying to capture a flying badger so it could take him to the Crystal Fairies.” Nova asked, “Why did he want to get to the Crystal Fairies?” “So he could be healed of his condition. Unfortunately, we were attacked by Captain Hoof and his dirty crew. During the onslaught, the flying badger escaped, never to be seen again. After that, Whip said that he wanted to train me in the ways of Pony Pan. Vapor and I sent messages home to our families, saying we were okay on Paraddock and telling them everything about our adventure with Pony Pan. After some years, Whip told us his real name the night before he left Paraddock for good. The next day, it was just Vapor and me, destined to play the roles many kept alive for centuries.” Nova opened a few of the books with her magic and pointed out, “That would explain why the Pony Pan stories are slightly different from each other. See? This illustration of Pony Pan has a hat and the other doesn’t. Is having different Pony Pans why sometimes Windy comes from Fillydelphia and sometimes from Baltimare? Why the names and species of the Lost Colts vary? Even why Nicker Bell appears in some stories and not others?” Sky and Vapor said simultaneously, “Yes, yes, and yes.” Vapor Trail said, “I can tell you why there are different Windys and why the character doesn’t appear in all of the stories. Sometimes, whoever’s Pony Pan gets interested in a marefriend or a mare pal, so he wants to take her as his Windy. Only a few of those ponies have ever said ‘no’ to Pony Pan.” Sky chuckled, “Not you, though. You said ‘yes’ right away.” She shrugged happily, “Well, you were my best friend until you became my coltfriend. Now, you’re my husband.” The other ponies and Gabby cried, “Husband?!” Blaze pointed to the couple, “You two are married?!” Vapor Trail explained, “Only a few Pony Pans and Windys ever get married. Usually, Pony Pan and Windy are either best friends or attracted to each other. Sky and I are lucky to be perfect for each other.” Her husband smiled, “Who else would I want to share my adventures with?” They both wrapped their arms around each other and kissed. Roller said, “Okay, romance aside, we need to find a flying badger that can take us to the Crystal Fairies. They might know what’s happening to Paraddock.” Sky sighed, “It’s not easy, I’ll tell you. It took Whip a long time to find one…” He continued in a grudged tone, “…before Captain Hoof ruined everything.” Just then, they heard a skittering sound above. They looked up and to their amazement, they saw a badger with wings peering over the rim of the hole! Sky’s eyes widened in surprise and he immediately breathed, “A flying badger!” Before her husband could fully leave the ground to catch the badger, Vapor quickly grabbed him. “Shh! You don’t want to scare it!” Flurry said, “Vapor’s right. We have to be very careful.” Blaze suggested, “Maybe Oddball can talk to it. His grandma’s good with animals.” Oddball lit up, “That’s right!” He flew up to the creature, who took a few cautious steps away from him. He spoke to it, “Hi there. I’m Oddball. I wanna be friends with you.” To everyone’s surprise, the winged badger nuzzled against Oddball’s body. The mix-matched colt giggled, “I think he likes me!” Nova asked, “Can you ask him if he can lead us to the Crystal Fairies?” As if he understood her, the creature skittered to the railing and pointed to the jungle. Oddball shouted down to the group in the secret room, “He knows where the fairies are! And he wants us to follow him!” Vapor smiled, “That’s wonderful!” Mischief said, “So as soon as we get the supplies, we can follow the badger!” Sky Stinger said with a raised brow, “You do realize what you just said is both ridiculous and true at the same time?” After everyone’s supply bags were packed to the brim, the flying badger led them deeper into the jungle. The group was all lined up in twos, with Sky and Vapor in the front, then Flurry and Gabby, Mischief and Oddball, Skater with Cuff, Roller with Ruff, Apple Butter with Turquoise, Nova and Opulence, Blaze and Corona, and finally Zealot with Jamboree. To pass the time, the group sang a tune. “Following the badger, the badger, the badger…We're following the badger…wherever he may go…Tee dum, tee dee, a teedleee do tee day…Tee dum, tee dee, it's part of the game we play…Tee dum, tee dee, the words are easy to say…Just a teedleeedum a teedleee do tee day… “Tee dum, tee dee, a teedleee do tee dum…We're one for all, and all of us out for fun…We march in line and follow the other one…with a teedleee do a teedleee do tee dum…” They whistled for a while before they resumed singing in the meadow, “Following the badger, the badger, the badger…We're following the badger…wherever he may go…We're out to find the fairies, the fairies, the fairies…We're out to find the fairies…because only he knows…Tee dum, tee dee, a teedleee do tee day…We march along and these are the words we say: Tee dum, tee dee, a teedle de dumdee-day…Oh, a teedleeedum a teedleee do tee day…Oh, a teedleeedum a teedleee-do-tee-day…” “Duck!” Sky suddenly shouted as he stopped in his tracks. Following his command, the group scurried to find hiding places amidst the bushes and trees lining the seashore. Sky slightly poked his head out from behind the tree and whispered, “Do you see that?” The kids whispered, “The Polly Roger.” “Yep.” His eyes slit in anger as he continued, “Captain Hoof’s ship.”