Finally. After the chaos and excitement surrounding the knighting and the trouble with Screwball and Mischief, the Guardians of Equestria could finally settle down in their new crystalline castle. To grow accustomed to the huge responsibility being the country's new protectors, Flurry called for a meeting in the throne room. She had seen her parents call meetings before, so she was very excited to call one of her own. No matter how hard she tried to be serious about this, the thrill of it sent her heart aflutter. As she sat on her throne, she counted those who were present in the room.
"Let's see…Mischief, Apple Butter, Skater, Roller, Blaze…Wait. Where's Nova?"
Suddenly, the doors flew open and Nova ran into the room.
She panted, "Sorry I'm late! I had to rearrange the books on my bookshelf since –" She glared at Blaze as she said "- somepony made a mess of them."
Blaze shrugged with an impish smile on his face.
Flurry assured, "All that matters is that you're here now. Don't worry about it."
As soon as Nova sat on her throne, the symbols on the seven thrones began to glow. To everyone's surprise, each symbol shot out a beam of light representing an Element of Harmony. When the rays of light coalesced on the dais, veins of crystal crawled from the thrones and converged in the middle. Then, a disk-like shape rose from the center and spun itself into a perfectly-polished table. Everyone gaped in awe over the holographic map the table now projected.
Skater uttered, "O…M…"
Apple Butter finished, "Goodness…"
Nova leaned forward as she said, "It's a map of all Equestria."
Mischief added, "And then some."
Just then, all seven Guardians felt their flanks vibrating. They looked back to see their cutie marks chiming and shimmering. Before anyone could speak, images of their cutie marks flew from their flanks and into the air. When six of the cutie marks began to circle around Flurry's cutie mark, they first hovered over Ponyville before jumping over to a picture of the Eiffoal Tower.
Nova said, "But if this is Ponyville, why are our cutie marks over in Prance?"
Flurry answered, "I don't know, but I think the map wants us to find out. The Tree, the crystals, this castle, and now the map. How can we not follow it?"
Roller smiled, "You know what? There might be a ton of room for dangerous adventure in Prance. Count me in!"
Skater agreed, "He's right! Who wouldn't want to go on a quest of epic proportions?"
Mischief grinned, "Are you kidding? I'm just itching to explore the world! I've been stuck in one place my entire life, so I'm in!"
Blaze raised his hoof and chimed, "Me, too!"
Nova followed suit, "Me, three!"
Flurry said, "I guess we're all in agreement, then." She held out her hoof over the table and the other ponies put their hooves on hers.
They all said in unison, "Guardians of Equestria, now and forever!"
The ride to Prance was long, but the ever-faithful train delivered the Guardians to their destination. They marveled at the beauty of the country's capital city of Maris. They took in the sights of the ornate cathedral of Notre Mare, the sparkling Rein River, and the ever-outstanding Eiffoal Tower.
Mischief – whose eyes were sparkling with wonder – said in breathless awe, "Wow…I only dreamt of being in Maris, but I never thought I would actually be here."
Flurry grinned, "Hold on. It gets even better. We're all going to the Palace of Versaddles!"
Nova and Mischief cried in delight, "No way!"
Blaze said smugly, "Yeah, way. Thanks to our new status as the Guardians of Equestria, we have been invited to stay at the king's royal palace!"
Nova smirked, "And this wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that most of us are royalty?"
Flurry said, "You and Mischief are just as important as the rest of us. Besides, who else but important guests get to ride in a stylish carriage?" She gestured to a fancy open carriage and two guards who were attached to it waiting for them on the street.
Mischief flung his arm over his beloved as he chuckled, "There's no better way to travel than with you."
Flurry giggled as she wrapped her wing over his back, "Ditto."
The Guardians climbed onto the carriage and the guards pulled the coach along the scenic views of Maris. Admittedly, none of the seven ponies had been to Maris before, let alone Prance. To them, it was wonderful seeing the glorious city for the very first time. Finally, they reached the Palace of Versaddles, which was so rich in design and detail that the ponies couldn't help but gape at its beauty.
Apple Butter marveled as she leaned forward in her seat, "It's so…breathtaking."
Nova agreed with her eyes shimmering with wonder, "So exquisite."
Roller waved his hoof nonchalantly and dismissed, "Eh. It's just another castle."
The other six ponies immediately turned to him and echoed in offense, "Just another castle?!"
Roller then chuckled, "I'm just kidding."
Skater muttered through her gritted teeth, "You better be."
When the carriage stopped in front of the palace entrance, the trumpet colts that were flanked on both sides of the red carpet gave a formal fanfare.
As the fanfare faded, the herald proclaimed, "Announcing His Royal Highness, King Dandy Grandeur!"
On cue, a posh yellow stallion clothed in lavish velvet and satin strode from the double doors the guards had just opened.
The king said merrily, "Welcome to lovely Maris, honored Guardians!"
Flurry – who had just stepped down from the carriage with the others – smiled, "Thank you. It's really beautiful."
After the Guardians and the king bowed in respect, Dandy said, "Yes, it is quite common for visitors to say that. We locals would say it too, but we're here every day!" He laughed at his own joke. When he took a breath from laughing, he said, "But if you want to see the true beauty of Maris, please come inside."
When the Guardians stepped inside the palace, they couldn't help but gasp in awe. Glittering crystals hung from the lanterns bolted to the walls, flower-filled vases and shiny statues of armor lined the hallway, and the ceiling was decorated with painted scenes of romance one would find in classical books!
Nova Rose said in wonder, "It's all so magnificent!"
Blaze smirked as his eyebrows twitched up and down, "Much like yours truly?"
Nova smiled and rolled her eyes.
Dandy told the group, "I'd love to offer you the most glamorous room in the palace – my bedroom – but unfortunately, it's been taken."
Roller whispered to his family and friends, "As it would."
"So, I shall offer the next best thing: the guest rooms! I'll have a servant assigned to each room so your visit can be a most pleasant one."
Flurry smiled, "You are very generous, Your Majesty."
Dandy held his hoof up and said, "Please. Just 'Dandy' will do."
When the Guardians reached their guest rooms, they were in awe of the splendor they saw before their own eyes. Along with two king-sized beds in each room, there were paintings of famous French ponies and a window overlooking the gardens. It had been agreed among the Guardians that the Marendelle cousins would take one room and the rest of them would take the other room.
When Apple Butter and the twins stepped inside their guest room, the Earth pony remarked, "Pretty posh digs!"
Roller jumped onto a bed and felt his hooves and body touch the soft blankets and mattress. He said in satisfaction, "The bed is really comfortable."
Skater grinned mischievously, "Yeah? Incoming!"
As she jumped onto the bed with him, her twin fell onto the velvet floor at the foot of the bed.
However, Roller was surprised by the softness of his landing and said, "And so is the floor."
Meanwhile, in the other guest room, Mischief asked in concern, "Are you sure sleeping in the same bed won't count as moving our relationship too fast?"
Flurry reassured him, "Mischief, we'll be sleeping side-by-side, not together. It's not like we'll be doing…" She then blushed and snickered in embarrassment, "…you know."
Blaze muttered, "I wish."
Just then, they heard voices down the hall. The four of them took a peek outside their room along with the Marendelle cousins. They saw three ponies talking close to where two hallways crossed. The first was a brown unicorn stallion with blond hair and glasses, the second was a light purple Earth mare with a silvery-blue mane and glasses like the first pony, and the third – a unicorn - seemed like a mixture of the two, although her body shape was more regal than the other two. She had a light blueish-violet coat, a yellow mane with brown streaks, and glasses framing her brilliant violet eyes.
Blaze squinted his eyes as he said, "Wait a minute. I think I know those two. I saw them in one of Aunt Pinkie Pie's scrapbooks. They're part of the Gaiti team they competed with during the Royal Olympics."
Flurry then realized something, "Gaiti? I remember the queen of Gaiti coming to the Crystal Gala. I think the pony with the yellow-and-brown mane might be related to her."
Blaze pointed to the other two ponies, "Or them."
As soon as those two ponies left the one with the regal features, the Guardians agreed to introduce themselves to her. The pony had been looking down until she looked up and gasped.
She apologized, "I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there!"
Flurry assured, "No worries. I'm Princess Flurry Heart…" She then gestured to the others with her, "…and this is Mischief, Nova Rose, Prince Blaze, Princess Skater, Prince Roller Blade, and Princess Apple Butter."
The mare nodded, "It's a pleasure meeting you all. I'm Princess Velvet Blue of Gaiti."
Blaze asked in a friendly tone, "So what brings you to Maris?"
She looked to the side in discomfort and explained, "I'm to wed Prince Feather Bangs soon."
The Guardians offered their congratulations before Nova noticed that Velvet seemed unhappy.
She asked, "Is there something wrong, Velvet?"
Velvet answered, "Well, the thing is…I'm not sure I want to marry him. I mean, sure he's Prance's most eligible bachelor, but I don't really love him all that much. I'd rather be his friend than his wife."
Roller asked, "Then why don't you just say so?"
"I don't think I can. My parents and grandmother and pretty much all of Gaiti is pressuring me to marry the prince of Prance. Everyone will be expecting it."
Skater inquired, "What about Feather Bangs? Have you told him you don't love him?"
"He knows I don't, but his uncle Dandy and all of Prance want him to marry me, too."
Apple Butter remarked, "Yeesh. Caught between a rock and a hard place, huh?"
Velvet then gasped, "The parade! I almost forgot about the parade this afternoon! It'll be starting soon, so we better hurry!" She then caught herself and said sheepishly, "That is, if you guys want to come with me."
Flurry smiled, "We'd be delighted."
When Velvet and the Guardians told the king they were going to see the parade, Dandy suggested having Feather Bangs and the guards escort them. The ponies then arrived at the busy street packed with cheering onlookers on either side. Pennants waved in the air and confetti softly rained down from the sky as floats and dancing ponies made their way down the street. The Guardians and even Velvet were amazed to see such a spectacle.
Feather Bangs then whispered with a knowing smile to his fiancée, "I know you're here for his surprise. He told me what it is."
Velvet asked with genuine interest, "What? Tell me."
FB responded playfully, "It should coming up...right about…now."
Velvet gasped in awe as a giant version of herself slowly trotted by the crowd. Although the replica of her was made of stone, it had coats of paint to make it look exactly like her. The only difference was the deep ridges in its limbs that served to connect parts of each leg together.
The unicorn put her hooves to her grinning mouth and remarked, "He did all that work…for me?"
Feather Bangs nodded, "Yep." When his eyes fell on what was behind the stone Velvet, he frowned and said, "And Uncle Dandy, too."
The ponies saw that a giant stone replica of King Dandy trotted behind the giant Velvet.
FB explained, "Every year, Dandy commissions for his likeness to be made for the parade in a majestic manner. When the usual artist got sick, I suggested hiring Chipcutter for the job."
Skater asked, "Chipcutter?"
"An old friend of mine. He can make really good sculptures in really short time. I kid you not. One time, I dared him to sculpt a statue of Don Quillxote in a minute. He did it in ten seconds."
Mischief remarked in wonder, "Wow. He must be wicked good, then."
"I can take you to his warehouse after the parade. What do you say?"
The ponies agreed and watched the rest of the parade before following Feather Bangs to Chip's warehouse.
The prince knocked on the wooden double doors and said in a mock-gravelly voice, "Little Chip, Little Chip, let me in!"
A gleeful voice then called out, "Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin!"
Feather Bangs readied himself in front of the doors and continued with a smile on his face, "Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your little doors down!" He took a huge breath before blowing it on the doors, which opened at that moment. FB stood upright again and chuckled, "Never fails."
A gray Pegasus then walked outside as he smiled, "I see you've been working on that super breath of yours."
The prince chuckled, "Chip, you know I can't blow down buildings like I thought I could as a kid, but I know you still do it to lift my spirits up."
"And that's a fact."
Chip then noticed the other ponies with him, especially Velvet Blue. His heart fluttered when he saw her face. The same thing happened with Velvet when she saw him. Even though Velvet and her family had only been in Maris for a week, she and Chip felt like they had known each other for a long time.
Chip eyed the Guardians and said, "Hey, looks like we got some newbies here. I'm Chipcutter, a favorite sculptor of the prince."
Feather Bangs joked, "All right, let's not get too vain. You wouldn't want to end up like my uncle, would you?"
The two friends laughed at that.
Flurry introduced, "We are the Guardians of Equestria, and we're here on a mission."
Chip inquired, "A mission?"
Mischief explained, "We don't know what it is yet, but we have a pretty good idea."
Apple Butter said, "In the meantime, we're taking a tour of Maris. We watched the parade and saw your giant stone statues walking down the street."
Chip looked confused and asked, "Statues?" He then remembered and said, "Oh, you mean the golems."
Some of the ponies asked in bewilderment, "Golems?"
Just then, they felt the earth trembling beneath their hooves and heard giant thuds behind them. They turned to see the stone replicas of Velvet Blue and Dandy Grandeur marching towards the warehouse.
Chip waved his hoof and greeted, "Hey, guys! I'll get the side door open." He rushed inside and flew towards a rope with its end lying on the floor. He grabbed the rope and asked his guests, "Do you think you can help me with this?"
Blaze nodded, "No problem."
He, Chip, Skater, and Mischief all grunted as they pulled the rope. The pulley at the top of the warehouse spun as the rope on the other side of the wheel lifted the large drawbridge door situated on the side of the building.
When the huge door almost touched the ceiling, Chip tied the rope to a nook as he said, "Thanks, guys. It's always hard to open that thing."
Skater smiled, "That's what we Guardians are for."
At that moment, the golems slowly entered the warehouse and took their places alongside the wall opposite to the large door. The Guardians soon noticed that there was another deep ridge just below the head and one more that was quite hidden by the painted neckline. Chip flew up to the Velvet golem and leaned into its ear. He held out his hooves and grabbed the pony who squeezed his way through the opening. Once he set him on the ground, Chip went to retrieve the pony who was getting out of the Dandy golem.
After Chip landed with the stallion in his arms, Roller asked, "So what's with these guys?"
Chip explained, "These are the ponies who controlled the golems during the parade. Thanks to Dr. Maud Pie's guidebook on rocks, I ordered some magical stones so you can move the golem just by being inside the head."
Velvet breathed in awe, "That's really amazing, Chip." She wanted to deny it, but she couldn't help but feel admiration towards the colt.
Chip blushed and smiled, "Thanks. I'm glad you like it."
Feather Bangs knew in his heart that Velvet and Chip were meant for each other. He wanted them to build their growing bond some more, so he suggested, "Say, I've got an idea. Why don't Chip, Uncle Dandy, and I take you around Maris? The nightlife here is pretty electric."
The ponies nodded their heads and agreed. For Feather Bangs, he hoped the tour would be an opportunity for two things: for Chip and Velvet to fall more in love, and for Dandy to see that his nephew needn't marry the Gaiti princess.
At dusk, the Guardians, Dandy, Feather Bangs, Chip, and Velvet all stepped out of the palace wearing their finest clothes.
Blaze sang happily, "Maris!"
Nova sang gleefully, "Ooh la la. Ha-ha!"
Dandy sang, "Welcome, my friends, to Maris…Here, have a flower on me…Forget where you're from…You're in Prance…Ponies, come…I'll show you that French joie de vivre…"
Feather Bangs sang as the group strolled down the streets of the city, "Maris holds the key to your heart…and all of Maris plays a part…"
Two male passersby sang, "You stroll to Padu…"
A mare sang, "Down what we call la rue…"
FB sang, "And soon all Maris will be singing to you…"
The Marisian citizens danced and vocalized, "Ooh la la! Ooh la la! Ooh la la!"
Mischief held his beloved as he sang suavely, "Maris holds the key to l'amour…"
Flurry giggled before she sang, "And not even we know the cure…"
Skater flew up as she sang, "There's love in the air…"
Apple Butter sang as she saw a circus mare in a leotard, "At the Fillies Beargères…"
Roller sang as he stared at the circus pony in awe, "The French have it down to an art…"
Skater then flew down with a scowl on her face and jabbed his side with her elbow.
Feather Bangs, not noticing this, sang with the Marisian crowd, "Maris holds the key to your heart…"
The group sang, "Ooh la la!"
Feather Bangs then sang, "When you're feeling blue…come to Les Moolins…When your heart says 'Don't'…the French say 'Do'…"
As the group of royals and Guardians made their way through a square where everypony was partying, a group of can-can dancers sang, "When you think you can't…you'll find you can-can…Everyone can can-can…"
Dandy sang, "You can can-can, too…"
After the can-can dancers did their bit, the strings of lights above the scene dimmed into soft colors of maroon. Chip took this as his cue and offered his hoof to Velvet. She gladly accepted and walked with him to a group of dancing ponies.
As his friends began to dance, Feather Bangs sang softly to the Guardians, "This is where romance can amass…Yes, my friends…they've found love at last…"
Dandy knew that Velvet took a liking to the young sculptor, but he did not see this love as a good thing. If anything, it was a threat to a potential alliance with Gaiti. He sang to his guards with a deep scowl on his face, "No more pretend…He'll be gone…That's the end…"
After the dance was over, the group once again took off on their tour. Feather Bangs sang with the Marisian citizens, "Maris holds the key to your heart…"
At one point, the ponies got fitted for new outfits. The tailor sang, "You'll be trés joli and so smart…"
After the group left the boutique, Nova grabbed Blaze as she sang, "Come dance through the night…"
Roller sang as he wrapped his arm around his twin sister, "And forget all your woes…"
Flurry sang in glee, "The city of lights…"
To her happy surprise, Mischief procured a rose as he sang, "Where a rose is a rose…"
The group then sang as they rode up the Eiffoal Tower, "And one never knows where to start…" When they got to the top, they all sang, "Maris…holds the key…"
Chip and Velvet gazed at each other lovingly and sang as they drew close for a kiss, "To your…"
As the couple kissed for the very first time, the rest of the group and the citizens of Maris finished, "Heart…Ooh la la! Ooh la la!"
Fireworks then burst into the air as if in response to Velvet and Chip's kiss.