It had been quite a time with everyone as of late. Even with all of this seemingly cooling pastime ever since getting back from Sector 7, that didn't mean nothing really big had happened. They may not have the Warp Pads made for them nowadays, but with the Keys in their possession it sure did feel like the old days again. They were more free to go back and forth, messages didn't come by as often as they used to be, but even so, things still were a bit different. Garnet was still acting off-putting, the Cutie Map was still something worth exploring since the tree was apparently gone, Pink Diamond was still in their company after the Diamonds' latest visit … all these things they had to juggle around, and in the form of a letter, all informed at one time.
Within the throne room of Canterlot Castle, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna both had been given a good set up in the form of a letter since their last visit to Ponyville. Sure, they've stopped by once or twice, but Twilight had to run off to the Dragon Lands, and their visit to Trixie's apology tour didn't give them much time to really say much on it. But with this information of the Tree of Harmony now a map, and some slight note of Garnet's behavior as of late, this was … quick to take in. Celestia and Luna sure had some catching up to do in both the Gems and Ponies.
"A Cutie Map? What do you make of it?" asked Luna, seeing the letter from right next to her sister. Celestia thought it over for a moment, rolling back up the scroll, and lending it to one of their royal guards.
"Well, it is new. Perhaps we should visit Ponyville more often," Celestia sighed, walking over to the window of her castle to see Ponyville from her view. So much had been going on over there, and now her student no longer lived there anymore. It was a bit daunting how much had happened already, and so quickly too. Celestia just sighed, thinking back on it. White diamond swooped in, got every single member of the Elements of Harmony and then some, and she still couldn't go in to stop her (or even to keep Twilight's home in tact now that she thought of it).
"Easy sister, nopony's going to blame you for any of this. No one saw any of this coming," Luna reassured her.
"I know, but how could it happen? It just happened so fast, and so abruptly! … What if it happens again? What if nopony's here to stop it next time? I know Beach City has done their best on the matter, but -" Celestia stopped herself as her mind started to think of the possibilities. The idea of seeing any of the civilizations of Equestria just be taken from right under her nose was scary to think about, but the idea it can ACTUALLY happen for real was beyond scary. The images flew through her mind: Manehatten, Ponyville, Canterlot, and lord knows what else, just suddenly being taken by the mighty hands of White Diamond and held in her palms like the almighty god she was.
It left Celestia in a cold sweat, a gulp escaping her throat. The guards rarely saw Celestia like this, but that didn't make it a foreign thing. Luna could especially see the trouble, and went up to Celestia.
"Sister? Sister!" Luna tried to bring Celestia around, but it wasn't working. Luna sighed, and -
"CELESTIA!"
Nothing like the ground-shaking power of the Royal Canterlot voice to bring somepony back around. Celestia froze up, blinking once or twice before shaking her head, brought back from her freak out.
"Sister, you're panicking again. Listen, everypony may be looking to you as a ruler of all Equestria, but nopony's expecting you to do everything," Luna reassured.
"I beg to differ."
Now, who said that? Luna looked back in a cold glare, thinking it might be one of the royal guards, but none of them were saying a word. In fact, several of the guards aimed a hoof over towards the door. If they didn't get their attention, the following knock on the door did, and both princesses turned to see who had decided to just show up like this.
Standing over by the door was a pony, Unicorn to be exact. Unicorns were a common sight in Canterlot, but this one didn't have the same sort of appearance as a Canterlot Unicorn would, at least not too much. The Unicorn was of orange fur, and ginger mane and tail, with his mane short and tied back in a tiny ponytail (no pun intended), and his hair parting around his horn in a circular fashion. Distinctive features include ginger side burns connecting to a tuff of hair on his chin, and lime green eyes. The outfit this pony had was a simpler one: a green suit with a light green tie, and white "horse shoes" on both front and back hooves, opening at the front of the hoof. The Cutie Mark on his flank was mainly that of a golden balance.
Now, there was two details that made this one a bit of a different pony. 1.) he just walked right into Canterlot Castle on his own accord, and 2.) he didn't look too pleased to see the princesses that much. At least not enough to bow in their presence on sight, anyway. He didn't waste much time walking in, saddlebags resting on him with his supplies.
"Oh! Uh, can we help you?" Luna questioned. The unicorn began to march right up to both princesses.
"Celestia, Luna. I am Savvy Sagacious. I'm sure you've heard of me," Savvy introduced. Both alicorns turned to him.
"Savvy Sagacious. Oh, of course: the official advisor for those within royalty. I believe we've met one of your ancestors way back when," Luna noted. Savvy rolled his eyes.
"Course you would," he sighed, walking right passed Luna and right to Celestia. He needed to get the ball moving before the two alicorns could barricade him. "I'd imagine you would be busy, so let's just cut to the chase. I believe you owe me a competence test."
"Excuse me?" Celestia questioned, eyebrow raised, as Savvy Sagacious pulled out a rolled up scroll from his bags. This one was distinguished from the others thanks to a crown on top of the main message. Savvy though got the word in on the subject for them.
"My line has been, for generations, responsible for the proper and cooperative process of anypony put in place of leadership, and or royalty. We are -"
"The tutors for those underneath a kingdom's royalty to be sure they're ready for the upcoming throne, I know. But, what does that have to do with me?" Celestia asked, legitimately curious. She had enough on her mind, she didn't need anymore of it. But Savvy didn't see it that way, and looked over the dotted lines of the position.
"Frankly, ever since that one time meeting, there hasn't been a follow-up. Not. One," Savvy stated, his hoof tapping the paper as he levitated it in the air. He rolled it back up and put it away as he explained "And given the fact that it's been THOUSANDS of years, I believe it's time for a new one."
"W-what? Now, not that I'm not fully ready for something like this," Celestia said nervously, "But is now really the best time?"
"How do you mean?" Savvy questioned, his reddish eyebrow raised in suspicion.
"We've been going through a bit lately. Perhaps another time when the state of Equestria isn't so … troubled," Luna suggested. Savvy though wasn't convinced, and brought out another record.
"First off, Equestria looks pretty fine to me. Secondly, you said that the last time I came by here. I only let you off because it actually was a problem."
"I know, but -"
"Celestia?" Savvy stated. Celestia felt her nerves come up a little bit, but she didn't want to freak out in front of Savvy Sagacious.
"Alright," Celestia stated. Savvy nodded in agreement.
"Glad you're feeling up to it. Now, we've gone over this before so I'm not gonna repeat myself. I'll be in town for the next few days to see how well you do, and if you don't come to standard, well … may I suggest a different day job." That last part sounded a bit overly scary, and Celestia could feel herself crumbling, ears tucked back and sweat down her face.
Before he could leave, Luna got in his way.
"Why just her? Why not me? You are aware I'm the princess of Equestria as well!"
"What about it?" Savvy spat, "You're the younger sister. And to the rules of hierarchy, you're not in charge. Besides, didn't your records say you disappeared for a thousand years at one point?" They all felt a cold breeze go by on that statement. This pony sure was being bold for who he was talking to, and apparently, the rules of hierarchy were all that mattered in this case. But the point was still made, and in a way, it wasn't wrong: Celestia had more duties than her sister did when all was said and done, even more so during her banishment to the moon.
"... I think it's time you leave." was all Luna could say.
"I was going anyway. See you tomorrow, Celestia. Hope you're ready." and with that, Savvy Sagacious made his leave. The entire throne room was left kinda quiet, and eyes looked to Celestia, who looked … well, terrified, more than usual.
"Sister?"
"PHEW! Boy, I-is it getting hot in here? I, uh, I got something to do." And suddenly, Celestia flew out, right through the door, and out of sight. Only Luna had seen Celestia act like this before, and with so much already going on, well who could blame her?
She'll need help for this.
…….
"Teacup! … TEACUP! … Come on, TEACUP!"
Well as Canterlot was getting itself ready for Celestia's "big test", Ponyville had it's own brand of training going on. In particular, it was Trixie's turn to give her magic a go. Her magic show was pretty good, but she needed (or wanted rather) actual, proper magic in order to better herself for next time. Starlight wasn't always gonna be there for the next performance of "rise of the Equine Phoenix", and even then it was by the skins of their teeth that Trixie wasn't too badly burned from the act. This little bit of testing was done just outside Ponyville, and nearby some of the Gems were keeping an eye on things as well (Jasper, Lapis, Steven and Amethyst specifically), and the main lesson here was a transformation spell practiced on a lonely apple sitting on a log. … It wasn't the best time ever.
"Why are we here again?" Jasper bored, bored out of her wit.
"We're just keeping an eye in case something goes out of hand. This is Trixie's first time," Lapis reminded.
"And what's the "out of hand" part? Her screaming her head off?"
"TEACUP!" Trixie shouted again, as if to prove her point. A screeching filly in the middle of nowhere was not as dangerous (or as interesting). The more she tried, the more frustrated she got, and it was getting nowhere! Other Unicorns and Alicorns make it look SO EASY.
"UGH! Starlight, I can't put something in my act that doesn't work!"
"There's a bit more to it than just screaming "teacup" over and over again, you know," Starlight pointed out.
"Oh. … Really?"
"Think about what your Teacup looks like. What color is it? what shape? how big? And focus THAT onto the apple," Starlight advised, stepping back and letting Trixie try again. The blue Unicorn focused hard on what kind of teacup she would want out of the apple. Her horn slowly began to glow more prominently, and soon she shot out a single beam of magic right on the object. Next thing they knew, there was now a small purple teacup sitting on the log. Trixie needed a minute, and she was sure pleased.
"WOOO! Starlight, I did it!" Trixie said in glee, bucking and hopping in place, as happy as Pinkie would be.
"Congratulations, Starlight - what're you doing?"
Trixie got a little caught up in the moment again. Seeing she can actually get this spell right, her horn glowed, and she started firing at anything close by! The group tried to keep some distance, as Trixie was basically shooting at a trigger-happy level: a leaf turned into a teacup, a rock turned to a teacup, the log turned into a teacup, a branch turned into a teacup -
*ahem*
AND there was Luna with a Teacup on her head instead of a crown. Luna was trying to find them, and what a time to show up during a Trixie shooting spree. Her unamused look on her face basically said it all. Trixie may have been glee, but she didn't want to cause trouble for the princesses, no matter the case.
"Eh. Oops," Trixie simply said. Luna had more on her mind than just stopping by though, her magic moving the cup off of her head, before she moved out to the others.
"Luna," Steven gasped, jumping up and heading over to her.
"Hello Steven. Everyone. I hope I'm not intruding," Luna said.
"Nah, you're fine. We're just training," Jasper said, glancing back to Trixie.
"And it's working wonders!" Trixie said with a big grin. All Luna needed to do was change her "teacup" back to a crown to humble Trixie again. Luna had more on her mind though, so she didn't push it.
"So I've noted. But, actually, I was hoping you wouldn't be busy anyway," Luna said, "Some unexpected business had come up I'm hoping you'd help in."
"Us? What's wrong?! Is there a threat against Equestria again?" Lapis asked.
"Preferably," Amethyst commented through gritting teeth.
"No, but it's just as foreboding as any attack on the well-being of Equestria. … Savvy Sagacious is staying with us for the week," Luna said, lowering her gaze. Silence hung the air, but admittedly it didn't sound that bad.
"Don't tell me: distant family issues?" Amethyst concluded.
"We're not related, trust me," Luna made clear. She needed to get right to the point, but looking to the group, they all weren't there. "Where's the rest of you? The Crystal Gems, the Elements of Harmony?"
"Half of our group's still in space for all we know, and as for Twilight and company, no idea," Jasper said.
"Well, wherever they are, I need you to talk to them too. I'll need every creature's aid in this endeavor. I'll explain when everyone's here."
…….
"SHE'LL LOSE HER ROYALTY?!"
Luna got the company together after a long day, but as the afternoon rolled over to sunset, the whole team from both sides came up together for Luna's word (Garnet being the exception). Not often they all would get together for a problem, but if it was something with the princesses, then it was something big. Losing a status as a princess was surely something BIG! They got together over by Twilight's Tower for this exchange, even if it was closer to Canterlot Castle than Luna might've liked. Saying the consequences up front though, might've been the wrong idea, as the mere idea was terrifying to Twilight as much as it probably did Celestia.
"I know it's shocking to hear, but if she doesn't pass this competence test, then she won't be given the authority to rule anymore," Luna explained.
"Time out! Why does this "Savvy Sagacious" get to make that call and Celestia doesn't? You and her both founded Equestria, or something, right? I mean, you raise the Moon and Sun, for stars sake!" Fulgurite asked. Luna though shook her head.
"Our positions don't mean we have authority over every single placement in Equestria, as fun of an idea as that sounds. Different associations all over Equus, the EEA for instance, we don't have any say in on terms of operation. In other words, our say won't effect the results of the test," Luna explained, unfortunately, her gaze lowered to her front hooves.
"That's ridiculous! Celestia's a great leader - possibly the best!" Twilight insisted. Though, she quickly realized that Luna, a fellow princess, was also there. "Er, uh, not saying you're not, princess Luna, I-I just mean Celestia doesn't deserve to be, uh, unaccredited."
Luna didn't bother to comment.
"And why does this one pony's opinion matter so much anyway?" Lapis asked, "I've heard so much about the good you and your sister had done already to even start Equestria. Isn't that good enough?"
Luna sighed, and walked over to Twilight's window, seeing it was about sunset.
"I really want it to be. You see, everyone, the royalty advisor is more than just a simple judge over who can be apart of royalty. Everypony may have their opinions on what a leader is, and who would be best suited to fill in the role, but these advisors studied in these roles, and it's their job to be absolutely sure that it's the right choice."
In Luna's explanation, some of the group could actually see Celestia up on the castle balcony, lowering the sun as she did every night. It was just a silhouette of her, but they knew her all the same. Luna didn't want her to know she was gone, so her horn began to glow, and as if she was there already, she began to raise the moon in time with her. Celestia simply stood there, and then started to head in for the night. Luna kept watch to be sure she did so.
"Ponies in the same line of duty like Savvy Sagacious have the final word in if a line is worth continuing. And as Celestia has ruled for thousands of years, he stated that it was time for a follow-up test."
"Now, hold on a minute. So yer sayin that saving Equestria dozens of times and keeping harmony doesn't make you two royalty-approved?" Applejack questioned, not believing her ears.
"Keeping harmony is just one part of bring a ruler and leader: there's taking care of your followers, to keep a brave face that others look up to, solving conflicts amongst your people, making sure it isn't you who starts said conflicts. And that's NOT including the appearances and smaller ideologies you'd have to work with."
"Well that sounds familiar."
The others paused and turned to Jasper.
"You know what it's like then," Luna stated.
"I was apart of a war that lasted for at least a thousand years. Everyone considered me "the perfect quartz", and even if I wasn't made to be leader, many of the other quartzes would come to me. … But then again, all I really have to do was show how strong I am so they could follow me."
"Well, there's more to it than just strength," said Steven.
"I know that. And I know it far more now than I ever did back then," Jasper admitted. It wasn't the same, but Luna found it good someone sympathized in some way.
"Yes, you all had some idea on what it must be like." Luna then smiled. "And that's just why I brought you here: You can help Celestia pass her test!"
"What?! Help the princess of the sun pass the test?" Peridot said, surprised.
"But wouldn't that be cheating?" Steven asked. Luna shook her head.
"No, no, I'm not asking for you to help directly. In fact, it would be best if you didn't help her directly."
"... Say what?" Amethyst asked.
"So do you want us to help her, or not?" Peridot questioned.
"I do, I really do. But it would make it even harder if Savvy Sagacious saw you all just telling Celestia what to do throughout this during the testing."
"Luna's right," Twilight said, after FINALLY calming down. "The whole point of a test is to imply what you've learned and experienced. If somepony else does it for you, then what does that say about the pony that's supposed to do it?"
"Exactly!" agreed Luna, "But there is something you all can do without Savvy Sagacious finding it out."
"And what's that?" Lapis asked.
"The power of instigation!" Luna announced, wings spread, and up on her back hooves. Probably a good thing she didn't go full Canterlot voice mode in the statement, but it was still loud.
"Instigation?" Rainbow asked.
"Wait. … OOOHHH, I get it! We'll just act out what parts of the test there is for her, so she'll come in and pass for Savvy Sagacious!" confirmed Twilight.
"Yeah, that's perfect! I'll be right back," Fulgurite said, about ready to rush off. However, Luna was one step ahead of her, and even with her lightning speed, Fulgurite was stop cold with Luna teleporting in her way, hooves out stretched to pin herself to the door rims.
"NO!"
"Wait, what? I was gonna tell Celestia," Fulgurite said. Luna though got herself together.
"You can't do that."
"Excuse me?" AJ questioned.
"I know it doesn't sound right to leave Celestia out of it, but if she knew what we were doing, then that would have an effect on her entire performance. Something I'm sure Savvy Sagacious would catch. … This is also why I called on you. I can't intervene myself because I'm Celestia's sister. Savvy would catch me immediately if he saw me out there …"
"Don't worry about a thing, princess Luna. We'll be sure that Celestia passes through with flying colors," Twilight promised, hoof on Luna's shoulder.
"Sure. How hard can it be?" added Lapis Lazuli. Luna looked to much of the group with a smile.
"I knew I could count on all of you. Now, as Savvy starts tomorrow morning, it would be best to go over what's on the competence test."
"Lead the way, Luna," said Twilight. Much of the group began to head off.
But not all.
~~~~~~
The next morning came earlier than Celestia would like, even if she waited a few more minutes before raising the sun up for that said morning. Celestia and Savvy Sagacious met up over within Canterlot for this presentation to begin, and while a normal day would have Celestia going through town on her carriage for some of the public appearances, Savvy suggested actual walking to get things started. With the locals looking on, Celestia tried to keep better appearances for herself as she went along with Savvy by her side, and while it would appear like your typical walk, Celestia was struggling.
"Alright, Celestia, nice of you to come by after all. Now, as we're out, what is it you do on a typical day? Best to start with that," Savvy said, readying his notes. Celestia may have calmed down a bit, but she still needed to keep her wits about her.
"Oh, well, I'll have you know I have a very valued to-do list I'm given each day," Celestia said, actualy levitating a scroll for him to see. At first it didn't appear all too much, but the minute she unraveled it, it ended up about a good yard long! Savvy felt a little taken aback by this, as he was given the list to see.
"This is yesterday's to-do list, but I can assure you, they're usually this long," Celestia said, as Savvy took a closer look at what this list even had in mind. However ...
"Cut the ribbon for the opening of the Saddlebag sauna? Judge the plants at the flower contest? Smile for a field trip photo? Celestia, this isn't being a leader, this is being popular!" Savvy scolded, actually shoving the list in Celestia's face. Celestia started to roll it back up again, chuckling nervously.
"Well, when you're the princess, you are known to being adored. I try my best to make sure everypony's happy," Celestia explained. Savvy stroked his beard in thought, as in thought as Starswirl the Bearded.
"Well, that is true. But, there's a lot more important things to keep in mind aside from "contests" and "openings". ANYPONY could do any of those things," Savvy advised, writing it down in his notes before trotting on. Celestia always thought that was plenty good, but Savvy did have his points.
"Uh, yes, naturally! B-But not everyday there's a crisis that effects the entire world!"
"No, but there's still problems a leader has to address. Being popular and being a leader are two different for two different kinds of ponies. And a ruler doesn't focus on the former."
"Uh … O-Of course! Yes, hehehe - Luna, where're you? - hehehe … heh …"
As Celestia and Savvy Sagacious were going along their way, Celestia wondering where her sister had been since this morning, the very sister in question was keeping a calm eye on her close by. She had a cloak to keep her invisible, courtesy of Starlight Glimmer. Neither had noticed them just yet (how could they when they're invisible?) and when both of them felt ready, The cloak was removed, and Luna began to trot over, Starlight Glimmer keeping just out of sight.
"Morning sister," Luna called, going over to them. Celestia and Savvy Sagacious turned to see her, and Luna could already tell that Celestia felt uneasy.
"Ah, Luna, good to see you. You're up early this morning," Celestia noted. But then something else was brought to their attention: a rolled up scroll.
"I tried to get this to you earlier, but when I got to your room, you were already gone. Here's today's to-do list," Luna said, giving the list to Celestia. A bit on short notice, something Savvy was quizzically questioning in his own head. Luckily, Luna had that covered.
"I know it's a bit late, but we've been given some last-minute notifications that we had to put in. That's why it didn't come straight away," Luna explained.
"Fair enough. What do we have here?" Savvy asked, as Celestia began to look over what problems needed to be handled for the day. There was some typical errands just like yesterday, but there was some parts of this list in particular that did catch their eye. Celestia smiled.
"Well, look at that. It appears I have a meeting to attend to discuss matters amongst the Human race. Sounds pretty interesting, don't you think?"
"The what race?" Savvy questioned.
"It's a race outside of Equus we've befriended over the years, Savvy Sagacious. And we've been doing fairly well in our relationship between kingdoms," Celestia said, feeling confident. Savvy paused, and went to his notes, writing down what he had heard. Celestia hoped that it would be a good start to this test of his.
"Well, let's see … OH, look at that, I'll have to go address the problems concerning Timberwolves in -" Celestia stopped herself when she actually saw what was said. "... Ponyville?"
Well sure they're a bit scary, but Timberwolves weren't the most common sight to be found in Ponyville as of late. Luna shrugged when Celestia glanced her way. But then again, weirder things had happened, and Timberwolves were at least a familiar problem to work with.
"Well, nothing I can't handle. Coming, Savvy?"
"I'll meet you there," Savvy said. Celestia rolled up the to-do list and flew off on her way, as Savvy Sagacious disappeared in a teleport. Luna sighed in relief, hoof brushing her forehead, as she turned over to Starlight, giving a wink. Starlight nodded and disappeared in her own teleporting magic, and Luna flew off herself. The ball was rolling, though she could only hope it rolled in the right direction.
…….
And in Ponyville, things were getting a bit busy in getting all this worked out for the presentation to come to play. Celestia would be coming by any moment to handle the Timberwolves, but there was no Timberwolves around to handle. They wouldn't lure any Timberwolves into Ponyville for the sake of presentation, but they did have plenty of firewood and a few notable magic users to make the "Timberwolf" problem a bit more of a reality. Some of the group (AJ, Steven, Peridot, and Fluttershy)
"Twilight? I know y'all wanna help Celestia pass this test of hers, but shouldn't we at least try to talk to her about this?" Applejack asked.
"You heard Luna, she can't figure it out. As soon as we go through this, and if it all works out, Equestria will still have two rulers to watch over it," Twilight explained, as she got the Timberwolf together and in place.
"We know, but this is a bit risky."
"Tell us something we don't know," Fulgurite said, "Luna said we'd be cheating if Celestia was in on the act."
"But aren't we cheating anyway? Making stuff happen for Celestia isn't exactly the same thing as stuff happening for … happening," Steven said.
"It doesn't count of nobody gets caught," Fulgurite stated, a bit of her hair tapping Steven on the head, as she got back to finishing up the model.
"Guys, come on. We don't have to act like this is some two-bit, covert mission. We've met Celestia before - many times," Applejack stated.
"Yes, and that's why we should help her. She'll be devastated if she loses her royalty, and what kind of friends would we be if we just stood by and watch her lose her crown?! She's amazing, a wonderful ruler."
"She's your mentor," Peridot noted, "I think you're acting a bit bias."
"Says the Gem who thought Diamonds were the most perfect flawless beings in the galaxy," Rainbow said smugly.
"Hey! That ideology was shared on every Gem on Homeworld, not just me! And I don't even think that anymore!" Peridot snapped. This was something way long ago (her limb enhancer days), and Rainbow couldn't forget if she tried just how many times Peridot would blabber on during her "little time" watching her.
"ANYWAY," AJ cut in, "Y'all know that telling the truth's an important part of friendship."
"And also is helping a friend in a time of need. Celestia's done so much of Equestria for hundreds of moons, the least we can do is help her go through her competence follow-up test without a hitch," Twilight said. It was still a bit iffy, but by the time that was finished, the group got together their Timberwolf pack. It did look a bit sketchy, even for a Timberwolf, but it appeared convincing enough.
"How's it look?" Twilight asked, presenting it to the others for some approval.
"Looks good to me. Now, how're we gonna get them to move?" Lapis wondered. They've seen Timberwolves before. And heck, they tried replicating it before, but it's gonna take a lot more than some strings and a good puppeteer to get this to work.
"Just use your magic," Jasper stated.
"Timberwolves don't have an aura around them," Twilight retorted. There was a bit of hurtles to go through for this to work. They couldn't use water manipulation by Lapis, since air's only found between the wood, and it wasn't metal for Peridot to manipulate either. Plus, none of them were big enough to just act out the part in costume (they'll see the bodies in the outfit anyway). Fluttershy tapped Twilight on the shoulder.
"Um, Twilight. I know you and the others want to help, but maybe we should try something besides intervening," Fluttershy suggested.
"Are the Timberwolves ready?"
Before Twilight could even answer, Starlight Glimmer was rushing over to them, skidding to a stop.
"We're trying to figure out how to make them move properly, but yes we just got done," Twilight answered. Starlight saw the Timberwolves present, and as there was only three, it looked pretty convincing for a decent-sized Timberwolf pack.
"Ok, great, I'll get it."
"Did you not hear us? We can't move them!" Fulgurite reminded. Starlight knew they didn't have time for it, so with a quick flashing of her horn, and rather quickly, she shot a spell at the model's heads. Suddenly, like robots, the eyes suddenly started to glow, and this pack was suddenly up and alive! The first one shook off the sawdust, as the other two stretched and readied for their hunt.
"The heck, Starlight?" Steven said, a little worried.
"It's only for a while. Besides, Celestia can handle them, no problem. Just you watch," Starlight reassured. That wasn't reassuring. At all. Especially when the three revived Timberwolves began to howl, and rush off towards Ponyville! This … was not a good plan.
The Timberwolves were quick to rush off into Ponyville, ponies scared and bolting for cover as the trio of wolves started to see the place. They weren't there to actually hurt anyone, but more like to scare them to bits. And BOY was it working! The trio of Timberwolves howled and roared, making plenty of ponies rush about for cover from such beasts. And what timing for these wolves to be doing so. For not too far off in the sky, a particular Alicorn had just arrived on the scene. And when she saw the trio of wolves running amok in town, she didn't hesitate to fly right on in, landing not too far away.
Celestia arrived well enough on seeing this horde of Timberwolves arrive, and the trio soon saw their new adversary come up, one of the Timberwolves actually holding a cart in its teeth. Celestia had her wings spread in aggression, but the trio of Timberwolves began to feel a little humbled at first, barking at her like guard dogs. Eventually, one of them jumped at her, and Celestia responded with a blast of magical beams to shatter the Timberwolf with ease, nothing but splinters. The other two Timberwolves quickly began to worry over seeing this happen, whimpering a little bit. Celestia simply needed a glare of her own before the wolves turned tail and ran for it. Starlight didn't program them to go too far in the fight, if any fight, as to show Celestia's superiority. The ponies of Ponyville cheered on her victory, Celestia feeling good about it. Though it was surprisingly easy.
Though, when Celestia looked and noted Savvy Sagacious off nearby, noting the event of bravery into his notes with a satisfied grin, Celestia knew it was good. And same thing could be said for the others who sent the wolves out in the first place. Speaking of, the other two Timberwolves stopped running when they got back to Starlight, who used her magic to "deactivate" the fake wolves, turning them back to wood again.
"There, see? That's that," Starlight said.
"That could've ended bad … VERY. BAD," Applejack made clear.
"Hey, it worked, look. Mr. judge's giving Celestia's good props," Fulgurite said, pointing to Savvy Sagacious. Well, much of the group felt alright, but for those few who still felt like this was just cheating, it wasn't sitting well.
And this was just the first part.
~~~~~~
It felt rather questionable from then on. Time from there was similar to before, but luckily for the well-being of Ponyville not as dangerous. The tasks the to-do list Celestia had on hoof got her going off back and forth from place to place, Equus or Earth all depending, all the while Savvy Sagacious followed her in step to be sure she knew what she was doing. Just as he was, the others of Gem and Pony, were helping in the best ways they could without completely giving themselves away, though with the exception of a few who found it a trouble to do all itself.
Amongst the many things Celestia had done aside from the "Timberwolf incident" included, but not limited to: a visit to discuss with mayor Nanefua about some magical threats against Beach City, handling conflict amongst some of the ponies of Manehatten, putting in presentation for the Dragon committee, and so on. Each one of these events that many of the others tried to contribute and steady along in some way to Celestia, mainly to try and make the princess of the sun a better ruler in the eyes of Savvy Sagacious.
The talk with Nanefua was pretty straightforward: just a meeting with president Nanefua and a few other Gems of some tips and tricks of how to better protect Beach City from any future attacks by either mythical animals, or some sort of Gem emergency. They may have gone over a bit already before, but it wasn't a bother to get some aid from Equestria as well. Those involved on the Gem side were mainly just supporting Celestia's ideas like she was top-notch.
For the conflict with Manehatten, the actual conflict was pre-planned, and the argument was brought on with Rarity and a few of the locals over the possible idea that a warship had been spotted off the shores of the city, suspiciously like a Diamond ship. Thanks to Celestia (seemingly), it really turned out to just be some clouds that had been put the wrong way by some trickster Pegasi.
The meeting with princess Ember was a little bit harder though, but that was mainly thanks to Spike that things went along smoothly, and the main discussion between Ember and Celestia was over the Dragon Lands, and some bit of boundary lines between the two. It was really with aid of Spike and Twilight for that part that agreements were brought together (after a good four hours … time flies by that way).
It was all fun and good, but as each of these things were going on, AJ and her little group of doubters still felt that this was, questionably, a bad idea. They've tried, but they were met with a no to sum it up. And that similar idea still continued on as it began to draw along the afternoon, and they were going over what they've been going along so far at the Ponyville café.
"Alright, does anypony else think that this is a bad idea?" Applejack asked.
"It's is a bit precarious at best. I know they mean well, but let's be real; she's bound to find them out eventually," Peridot agreed, finding this kinda silly herself. In any mission or test, help is only assigned if it's required, not worked into behind one's back.
"Well, maybe she won't find out. They've been doing good so far: solving minor conflicts amongst ponies, reaching resolutions with outside kingdoms, and protect citizens from threats," Steven said, counting it out on his fingers.
"Those Timberwolves were from us, remember?" Peridot reminded.
"AND they were hexed into giving up before the princess," added Applejack, "Even Savvy would've seen that them givin' up so fast was a bit off."
"Welcome to the Ponyville Café. Tell me how may I serve you," said a calming voice.
Garnet? … As a waitress for the café. Steven raised his hand to question it, but Fluttershy quietly shook her head, her hoof slowly lowering his hand. What was the point anymore?
"Oh, hi Garnet. Just some waters, thank you," Fluttershy said. Garnet nodded, and took a short bit to get some cups, and a pitcher of water in little time at all.
"You four seem a bit troubled today," Garnet noted.
"It's Celestia. Apparently there's this pony visiting named Savvy Sagacious who's questioning the sun princess's position as ruler of Equestria, and the rest of our group's stuck trying to "make it easier" for her," Peridot explained, quoting her "make it easier" statement with her fingers. Garnet paused.
"... Really."
"Well, sure, but what can we do now? We're already through most of the list Luna told us about, and who knows what state Celestia's in right now?" Fluttershy brought up. It was a bit of a peculiar situation to be caught up in, and with many of the group still caught up in making this work, it was a bit hard to place an exact answer in for just the four to agree on. As they were trying to think though, Peridot noted that the same unicorn judge, Savvy Sagacious, was actually still in town, getting a few new quills.
"Savvy! Garnet, any of your visions say we should talk to him?" Fluttershy asked. Garnet grew troubled, oddly enough.
"Eh, your call."
"Yes?"
"Don't ask me, tell me," Garnet insisted through gritted teeth.
"Why wait? Come on," Peridot decided, getting up and heading over to him. AJ, Flutters and Steven did the same thing, Garnet left to her other job and it didn't take long until Savvy himself took note of them coming over by the sound of their hooves and feet. They'll get to Garnet when they have time for it, but for now, it was one step at a time, though none of them notice Garnet leaving ...
"Oh? You all were from that "Nanefua" meeting, right? What're you doing here?" Savvy asked, putting the quill in his saddlebags.
"We heard that Celestia was going through a sort of, uh, "test", and we were just wondering how well she was. You know. Doing?" Steven asked, trying not to make it sound too prying in.
"Don't know why you're concerned," Savvy said, starting to walk away. AJ trotted over to his side.
"We're just closer friends to the princess, as all."
"Oh. Well, is that so. I'm not exactly allowed to give the results to just anypony."
"You don't have to. Just a … estimate?" Fluttershy asked, smiling meekly. Savvy thought it over, and admittedly it couldn't hurt. After all, it was just the first day. He got out his notes and looked them over.
"Well, given Celestia's progress as a leader of her kingdom, and her means of compromise do put her fairly well."
That news made them feel good.
"But I'm yet to be convinced."
AND, their smiles were gone.
"Pardon me?" Peridot asked, quizzically.
"The events today were interesting, but handled well. Surprisingly well … as if it was pre-meditated."
"What? No. what makes you think that?" Steven asked nervously. This pony was smarter than he looked.
"Not just that: it's her previous exploits. It's not exactly good enough, if you ask me."
"Beg your pardon, sugarcube? Celestia's been doing a lot for Equestria: defeating Tirek, Sombra, Chrysalis, Nightmare Moon, and -"
"AND," interrupted Savvy, getting right into AJ's face, "How many of those exact threats had just shown back up, tried again, and nearly clobbered Celestia in her own horse shoes?! Any real leader knows well that you can't handle problems by simply pushing them aside and forgetting about them, like she did time and time again. Friendship and harmony is one thing, but pacifism is something else."
And with that remark, Savvy Sagacious trotted off on his way, leaving the four with a bit of a cold shoulder, and a bit of food for thought. Any leader would show mercy, yeah, but Savvy seemingly didn't see strictly mercy as a good thing. And it reminded Steven of some acts one other leader had to do for her cause …
…….
"What do you mean he isn't gonna let her pass?!" Rainbow gasped. This information was quick to get over back to the others.
"Just that: he's not convinced that she's even worth leaving as leader."
"But what for?! Didn't he see all the stuff she had did all day? She had good terms with Dragons, for stars sake!" Lapis pointed out.
"We know, but apparently it's less about what she did today, and more of what she did thousands of years ago," Steven said. "Something with her just pushing problems aside just for them to come back later."
Well, this wasn't sitting well, and Twilight began to feel a bit worried, cold sweat down her face as her mind started to wander a bit, pacing off back and forth, as the others looked on.
"Ok then! We tried, and tried, and tried, but we gotta face facts: Savvy won't pass Celestia this way. So there's only one thing to do!"
"Tell her the truth finally?" AJ asked.
"NO!" Twilight snapped. A groan escaped the four on the remark.
"Come on, this is Celestia! If you tell her -"
"Then everything will go wrong!" Twilight said, almost freaking out.
"We're almost done anyway. Let's just get through this final part, and then we'll be good," Jasper suggested.
"But it doesn't even matter, according to Savvy Sagacious! That, and he … he …" Steven kinda clammed up, but they were thinking of what he had to say.
"Oh, don't tell me," Fulgurite said.
"Eh … ok, I won't."
Like he needed to anyway. If Savvy Sagacious was already suspecting this, then what was the point of any of their efforts? This part finally drove Twilight overboard, and she gave a loud groan.
"Oh, just great. Not only did we spent all that time making things easier for Celestia, but we did all of that and Savvy Sagacious still caught us, and he's now no longer convinced she's even worth being a leader! Anybody got any idea to fix this, because I'd love to hear it right now," Twilight said, frustrated in it all. However, the group suddenly turned awfully quiet after that, their gaze focused somewhere.
"I think we did more than enough," Fluttershy finally said.
"WHAT? Fluttershy, this is -" Twilight was stopped when Fluttershy actually pointed behind her. Twilight saw that their gaze was a bit more on the surprised side, and when Twilight turned around to see, her heart almost stopped. There, standing just in the clearing, was Princess Celestia herself! With a saddened, surprised look on her face as well, this princess had heard more than enough from everyone there. She had heard everything.
"P-Princess Celestia! Oh my stars, uh, I-"
"Twilight. If you and the others were doing all this, why didn't you tell me?" Celestia stated, her voice as surprised as the others were. Twilight knew she couldn't hide it any more, and fell into a bow to the sun princess.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to intervene in your test, I just got so scared that you were going to lose your throne! … but that's no excuse. You have every right to be upset with me."
Now, typically that would be a good apology, but Celestia didn't look too moved by it, more quizzical than anything aside from anger. She actually felt … betrayed, almost.
"So I'm to understand that all of what happened today: the Timberwolves, the meetings, the dragon negotiation, all of that you all set up because none of you wanted to see me lose the test?"
"Well … um … yes," Fluttershy said.
"B-But with good intentions! I mean, we don't want you gone from the throne. Yes, you're mad because of the test, but we swear we'll fix it," said Rainbow. However, that wasn't good enough for her, her scoffing even.
"I'm not upset just because you intervened with the test."
"You're not?" Twilight asked. Celestia, for the first time since the Gems had seen her, glared down at her former student. And what she said next summed up all the fear Applejack, Peridot, Fluttershy, and Steven were worrying would happen, and broke the others down hard.
"I'm upset, Twilight. Because in all the time we've known eachother. I thought I taught you about the importance of friendship, trust and honesty!"
Celestia, before anyone could explain, then took to the skies and flew away! It didn't matter what was to become of the test anymore, not now knowing that most of what she did today was from a group that didn't think she could handle it herself.
They had to fix this. And Applejack knew just what to do.
"Alright everyone, we got some amendments to make."
"Oh, Applejack. I'm so sorry, I -"
"Twilight, I get it. Y'all just wanted to help, I know, and I understand. Now, why don't you go and fix things with Celestia, while we try to turn things around with Savvy Sagacious," Applejack decided. There was no arguments this time.
~~~~~~
After a good half an hour of flying, Celestia herself had gone off a good well away from the outskirts of Ponyville, and off further into untouched skies and wilderness. Not exactly the first spot where she would go, but if she were to just go to Ponyville she would be found in no time. If she flew back to Canterlot, then the Alicorn would be found by Savvy Sagacious again, and she was in no mood to actually get involved with that for now. Celestia flew along the wind, wings spread for a calm glide across the world. But, regardless of where she was flying, she still felt that this time of solitude wouldn't last for too long. And she was right.
"Princess Celestia! Can we talk?!"
"I'm afraid there's nothing to say, Twilight," Celestia made clear, before flying further ahead. Twilight, out of all of the group, felt the worst of them all. How rare it was that Celestia would actually be upset at Twilight for anything. Celestia looked down and found a solitary perch over by a small pond, Twilight not too far behind.
"Alright, just listen," Twilight said, sorrowfully, "You've guided me since I was just a filly. You've given me knowledge, advice, friendship! … Just once, I wanted to be able to return the favor. To give something back to you."
Celestia glanced back, but didn't feel too convinced. Twilight slowly moved up towards her, though Celestia could hear her friends not too far behind as well. Not all of them, but still a few.
"Did you now?" Celestia questioned.
"Yes! … Celestia, I know what we've been doing was wrong. But I promised to help you keep your position as the princess of Equestria, I had to make it work. Nothing could make me feel worse than knowing I've disappointed you."
"And who did this promise come from?"
"From me."
From the crowd, Luna herself stepped forward, only then Celestia turning around to see her guilty sister.
"Luna?"
"I saw how worried you were last night, sister. That, and I never wanted to see you fail either … that's why I asked them to do this for you. But I was wrong … I'm so sorry," Luna revealed, looking back to the others nearby. It was only about five of them (Steven, Fluttershy, Rainbow, Peridot and Rarity), but the point was still there. Luna still felt a bit guilty herself, her head lowered to her own sister. Celestia frowned, but less anger this time, and just sighed.
"You all had good intentions. But you know that the truth is always better than a well-meant lie," Celestia reminded. Something that a few of the group had been trying to make clear all day. Celestia went over to Twilight, her gentle wing wrapped around her.
"Didn't they remind you?"
"Only a hundred times. And now, because we didn't listen, Equestria will be without one princess …"
…
*arf**arf**arooo*
The silence was broken by a newcomer.
"What was that?" Peridot asked.
"I-I'm not sure. Don't worry, maybe it's just some Timberwolf passing by," Applejack reassured, but the howl did shake her up too. It did not sound any familiar to her at all. Timberwolves had their own kind of howl, but this one sounded awfully low-pitched for any Timberwolf to do.
It took a bit, but eventually they began to see something come up from the other side of the lake. It looked like some sort of canid, though none that any of them had seen before. It was fairly large, dark-furred, and trotting around the lake towards them. And it was not alone either: joined by several other hunters. They looked small at first, but as they came closer, their true size towered even over Celestia, the size of a full grown thoroughbred horse from Steven's world rather than the pony world. Any predator the size of horses is a force to not be trifled with.
"Eh, are those Equestrian creatures?" Steven asked meekly. Celestia spread her wings to try and threaten the hounds, but unlike the Timberwolves before, these huge canines weren't intimidated in the slightest. It was then one of the hounds actually spoke.
"Well, look who wandered too far from home," the wolf growled, his tongue licked his sharp teeth. They weren't sure if these creatures were hungry or if this was territorial, but either way, Celestia wasn't taking any chances, considering they weren't at full strength. Someone like Lapis or Jasper could easily handle the issue. One of the hounds suddenly moved forward, its teeth almost biting Celestia's horn off!
"Hey, nobody hurts the princess of Equestria!" Rainbow warned, flying right in front of the dog's face. While brave, not too intimidating with a small pony to a horse-sized wolf.
"We don't care who you are - GET LOST!" warned one of the hounds.
"Go back to the town, where you belong!" said another.
"Everyone, stay close," Celestia advised, the others following instruction, but armed and ready for any of the large dogs to charge in. They were pretty much surrounded at this point, any attempt to just bolt away no longer an option without getting torn to pieces. One of the hounds began to take note of some of the figures within the crowd, sniffing the air.
"O-Oh my," Fluttershy murmured, but when she turned she suddenly found one of them right in her face, eyes locked onto her. Fluttershy stumbled back a bit, the animal sniffing her along with some of the others, taking in their scents. However, it stopped when it got to Peridot and Amethyst, looking kinda puzzled. It took a deep breath, but oddly still nothing too much on the surface.
"Oi, come and look at this. These two don't have any smell," the hound said, as another wolf went over to them and took a few whiffs herself.
"Yeah. what're they, uh … Golems? Elementals? Homunculi maybe?" Another one nudged roughly against the other two.
"Who cares? Stop negotiating with your food! And as for you, get your carcasses out of here. This is our territory now," one of the hounds said to the group, snarling at them as primal warning. That didn't sound correct though, as they weren't but at least two football fields away from Ponyville. Heck, they could see the town hall from the lake's edge. Regardless, being called food did not sit well with any of them.
"I didn't come here to fight you, but I can not allow you to stay here if you're going to attack my ponies. I have to ask you all to find your hunting grounds elsewhere!"
"Ok then, why don't we eat you?" compromised a wolf, ready to jump at her.
"You can't eat her!!" shouted Steven, just for one of the wolves to jump at them! Celestia, in instinctive response, summoned a shield around them to stay safe. Two of the wolves tried biting into the forcefield, but with no luck. Steven still got up a bubble shield around them, just in case.
"Give us one good reason why not? In the wild, we all have to take what we can get," hissed a female wolf, even licking the surface of the forcefield.
"You hurt a hair on Celestia, and the only thing you'll eat is my fist!" Amethyst warned.
"She's the princess of Equestria, everyone needs her!"
"Come on. What'll happen if we eat her, will day and night just stop altogether or something?" one of the hounds asked jokingly.
"EXACTLY!" they all gasped. Clearly these hounds, whatever they are, weren't convinced at all of these tiny ponies, humans, and what have you.
"Oh gag!" one of the hungry wolves snapped, "Someone find a way in there!"
About four of the wolves started to circle around the shields both sides were keeping up. some tested the shield with their paws, some tried biting into it with their teeth. One even jumped on top of the forcefield, the weight and claws digging in straining them to keep both shields up. After five minutes of trying, they concluded there was no way in.
"They're sealed tight," confirmed one of them. The head wolf snarled: a perfect meal, and it was right in front of her, but impossible to reach. not even tortoise shells were that resilient.
"Oh, fine. There's a lot more to find in this new world. Come on," the wolf instructed. There's no point in wasting energy on something they can't break. That, and any good predator knows that a good meal is a weak one, and none of them looked the part here. As the pack started to go, one of the hounds paused, just to give the forcefield a power-filled back kick in frustration, actually making the whole thing move from force alone, before going off on its way. Celestia kept a sharp eye on the pack, and while Steven brought his bubble shield down, Celestia didn't remove hers until she was sure that the pack had indeed moved away. Celestia sighed, and lowered her shield before turning back to the group there.
"... I think we should head back home now," Celestia decided. This wasn't a safe place to keep their company around in, though there was some thought in what the wolf had said. What were they talking about for this being a new world? Wasn't Equestria the main place of Equus? If not, then where'd it come from?
… This wasn't on focus of Savvy Sagacious though, who was busily taking note of Celestia's behavior here.
…….
"Can you sit down, already? Pacing back and forth will not make this any easier," said Fulgurite.
A few days went by since this little venture, and Celestia had continued her own bit of work through each one, this time without being intervened by the others, as much as they wanted to help her. As the day had come around though, Celestia still was a little bit nervous on the end results from Savvy Sagacious. Whenever that may be. The group had gathered up at the castle for this one, which was where Celestia kept going back and forth waiting for the answer.
"I'm sorry. Savvy Sagacious has been quiet, I don't know what's going to happen," Celestia admitted. It was like seeing Twilight just after test day on an exam. Eventually though, they heard the door open up. Celestia spun around, but rather than Savvy Sagacious, instead came in one of Celestia's guards, levitating a letter.
"Here's your results, princess," said the guard, bowing as Celestia quickly took the letter in her own magic. That was all they needed to hear, and Steven opened it up to read it.
"Well? what's it say?" asked Lapis. Steven cleared his throat.
on behalf of the royal advisors' committee, I -
"Uh, we don't need the accent," Luna cut in.
"Oh, sorry," Steven said, trying again.
On behalf of the royal advisors' committee, I will say the Celestia is more of a countrywide celebrity than a true princess.
Celestia blushed a little, as Steven continued.
Still, after some rather interesting events, she does still hold an honorable code to protecting those she cares over, in facing old threats or new. The score has been cut down drastically due to the previous attempts on getting rid of the adversaries, but she still has proven care is a powerful quality.
Final score: 63% C+
Right at the middle. Not too low, but not too high according to Savvy. They weren't sure of the exact system of what a ruler needs to have to keep her place, but eventually Celestia's expression slowly turned into one of relief and joy. She began to laugh, and actually started to prance around in joy!
She had passed.