That fateful day came that would completely transform Munstango Village and become the city as we now know it. The Chief, now much older and wiser, was on his way with a group of his followers to the home of the Scholar Unicorn, known as Bright Perl, that predicted their town’s future. He arrived a the entrance when his familiar Scout Pegasus friend, known as Feathercrest Windsor, or “Tight-lips”, shows up too.
“Oh hello Chief!” said Feathercrest to the Chief.
“Hi. What a coincidence. Here to see our Unicorn friend, too?”
“Yes. Just dropping off a little this, a little that of classified stuff.” vaguely explained his reason for the visit.
“Oh really? Like what?” wondered the Chief. The Scout quickly replied, “It’s classified.”
Bright hears their conversation outside, then opens his door to greet them both.
“Oh hello Chief, and every pony .. and shifty Tight-lips.”
The Scout Pegasus replies, “Here’s what you ordered.” He throws the tightly, securely packed classified box to the Unicorn.
“Ah, thanks. So Chief, what brings you here?”
Before the Chief can say a word, a sudden fanfare music filled the sky. A random Mustango passing by asked.
“What is that sound?”
It is a sound familiar to every pony from the east.
Bright recognizes the tune, “That sounds like ..”
A golden chariot hauled by two Pegasi Royal guard stallions in the front, followed by two guards stallions in the rear fly in and land on the middle of the main dirt road. Inside the chariot steps out two ponies, a prince and a princess, both Alicorns. They ask around, holding up a picture frame.
“Prince Beaming Arc! Princess Spectra!” says a random pony from the east as he kneels down, bowing his head.
The Royal Prince speaks, “Come now. No need for formalities. Besides, we are not even in Equestria.”
“Oh, right. Force of habit.” responds the nervous pony.
The Royal Princess speaks as she holds up a picture frame, “Have you seen this pony?”
He responds, “Yes. He lives right over there”, and points in the direction where the Scholar Unicorn, Scout Pegasus, and Chief are located.
“Oh. That was easy.” said Prince Beaming Arc. The Royals make their way to them.
“Your highness!” said Bright as he also kneels and bows his head. Feathercrest however does not change his relaxed position sitting on a fence post, one leg crossed over the other, and arms crossed on his chest.
“Have you no manners?” said the Unicorn to the Pegasus.
“You do realize we are not in Equestria, right?” responded Feathercrest.
“Still .. ”
Princess Spectra chuckles a bit. Then Prince Beaming Arc speaks, “It is good to see you.”
“If you mind me asking, why are you here? Surely you didn’t come just to check on me.” said Bright.
The stallion further explains their surprise visit, “That is part of the visit, which I’ll get to in a moment if you don’t mind inviting us in, for possibly some tea?” he suggested.
“Oh. Of course! Every pony come right in, make yourselves at home.”
They all got cozy as they could. The Scholar introduced the Royals, Prince Beaming Arc and Princess Spectra, to his friends, and vice versa before they all sat down. The Chief was staring for a while at the two Royals, he was wondering if his eyes were tricking him.
He said “A horn? .. and wings?” His ponies were just as confused, and amazed. He then added, “I did not know such a magnificent being exists.”
Bright in realization said, “Oh right! This is the first time you see an Alicorn, two of them.” The Chief was as impressed as when he saw cutiemarks on Equestrian ponies for the first time, for Mustangoes do not have those nor ever did in their history. They conversate a bit while Bright prepared tea. Feathercrest is a little too comfortable as he chose to sit on a cushioned chair, again with a comfortable, mellowed out posture and silent. A bit inconsiderate of him. There is a longer cushioned seat big enough for the two Royals. The Chief and his ponies sat on the floor, as so did the Scholar after he served everypony tea, including the two Royal guards inside the house, while the other two stand guard outside.
“I am sorry I don’t have enough chairs for every pony.” said the nervous Scholar.
“No worries about it.” said the Chief.
The Royal stallion and mare both take a sip of tea. “Mmm, this is good tea.” said the delighted stallion followed by a “Mhm.” from the mare.
He takes one more sip then sets it down on the table in front of him. He is now ready to conversate more.
“Now, to the reason why we are here: The word around Canterlot is that there is a new popular destination out to the west. Out of our borders and into ‘unknown’. Along with some stories and rumors. Something about castrated bandits, evil doers, monsters invading villages in the west, so on and so forth. Some of the rumors in details sound horrific. There were many made up stories and very little facts about them. And even those facts were questionable. So I dismissed those rumor as I thought they are nothing more. But, when I heard these ruthless bandits where from Equestria ... well. True or not, this is something I could no longer ignore. I then began looking for details in any new or old Equestrian newspapers, world articles, and other things like wanted post signs. This was not easy. I was doing this side investigation while doing my Royal duties. I was getting nothing solid, and going nowhere anytime soon. I talked with my wife about it, but she has heard of nothing at the time. I’ll let her tell what she knows ...”
Before the Royal mare tells her side of the story, she takes one more sip of tea and sets it on the table. The relaxed Feathercrest opened his eyes and looked at the Royals direction.
“ ... right. I have to tell it for a lot of decisions I made, my husband was unaware of. And I thought he had enough things in his mind with Royal duties, diplomatic issues, congregations of nations from other Royals, so on and forth. I had a bit less load, so I thought it was common sense for me to pursue with my own investigation, which at the time I did not mentioned to my husband for the reasons already stated. I did the same thing by reading newspapers, bulletin boards, wanted posted signs, and other things alike wherever, whenever I could in no particular order. Searching for possible leads yielded no evidence in continuing forward. So I decided to task two guards to take post somewhere North of Los Pegasus, and west of White Tail Woods. Not dressed as Royal guards, but regular citizens, and reside around that area in an inconspicuous way for many suns and moons. Surely, there has to be something, any bit of information we can learn from that side. They wrote down the number of outgoing and incoming ponies. Interestingly enough, there were a slight amount more of ponies going west than coming east. The next observation was a stroke of luck. My duties had me visit Manehattan, Baltimare, Dodge City, Appleloosa, and Los Pegasus. During my visit at Baltimare, there was a group of ponies that looked equipped for a long journey. One of them was wearing a big straw hat. Not sure why, but I made a mental note of that. When I visited Appleloosa, I saw the same group of ponies with the same gear on their backs, and same pony wearing that big straw hat. Coincidence? I would have thought so if I did not visited Los Pegasus, for I saw them there too, just as they were leaving to the west direction. Though our official Public Announcements discourages ponies to venture west past our Kingdom limits, ponies as far as Baltimare are doing it anyways. I had to know more what was going on that are making ponies go west. But what to do? My hooves are full with Royal responsibilities. And, Is not like I can sneak away out of Canterlot and go west to see for myself what was out there. Even if I could, that would be going against moral principle. Not a crime, but would not look good on any Royal. Of course, I would never do that. No Royal would .. but maybe some pony else better qualified for the task. That is when I hired him.”
She points her hoof to the Scout Pegasus. It was such a surprise to Bright, he choked on his tea.
“(cough) You?! Her? .. I mean, she is your boss?! Since when?”
The expression on the Feathercrest’s face does not change one bit, nor did he say anything.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt.” said the embarrassed Scholar.
Princess Spectra continues, “One time when I visited Cloudsdale. I took a look at the wanted post sign. That is when I saw Feathercrest standing there also looking at the sign writing on his notepad. So I stood next to him and said if he was looking for any pony in particular. He remained silent. I noticed he had a light camping sack on his back. So I then asked if he travels. Still writes in his notepad without saying a word. Then I said,
‘how would you like to work for me? You would only report if you find credible, circumstantial information I would need to be aware of that could affect every pony in Equestria. I’ll make sure you get compensated. What do you say?’
‘When, where, and how much?’ he replied.”
“Typical .. sorry.” said Bright.
Continuing with her story, “And so arrangements were made, and he went off to his adventures. Eventually, going west. Little that I knew, he was playing with me. He already knew what was going on and the information I wanted to hear when we first met. Maybe he had good reasons to not share it. At any rate, it was a few moons ago he decided to come forth. But, he only said enough to put my worries at ease. Do you remember what you told me?” asked the Royal mare to the Pegasus.
“Yeah. I said There WAS a threat out west. It has been taken cared of. That is all.”
“Geez, how vague of you. I’m not surprised.” said the Scholar.
“This pretty much brings us to the current moment. We knew as much as that. But still, there were ponies spreading rumors. Especially bandits, or something, that came from Equestria. So I told my husband we need to go west, and find out for ourselves.”
Prince Beaming Arc then steps in, “Honestly, we did not know what to expect. So we had to mention that to the Congregation of Royals, and our friends to the North who are so kind to keep a watchful eye on Canterlot.”
A moment of silence. The laid back Pegasus shuts his eyes again.
Bright Perl then breaks the silence, “So ... now that you are both here, what now?”
Then the Prince continues, “To the second order of business ... ” He then turns to the Chief. “... you did say you are the Chief of this village, correct?”
The Chief replies, “Yes.”
“Is it true? Was your village destroyed by those who came from the east?”
The Chief’s memory goes back to that terrifying day.
“Our village experiences a fair amount of problems. But that day .. that day ..” he vividly remembers those moments. His followers reassure him everything is alright. That is over and in history. “It was the darkest day in our village, ever.” And the last memories he thinks of is those of his comrade, The First Chief of Arms. He then snaps out of it. “Oh. Don’t mind me. I guess the mind wonders as you get older.”
Both Royals stand up and face squarely towards the Chief. Then, they both kneel and bow their heads completely until their muzzles touched the floor. Bright, and the guards, are completely shocked. They have never seen two Royals kneel and bow their heads to the point their muzzles touch the floor. This is their way of showing great respect and sincerity to the Chief, as if they are not worthy of being in his presence.
The Royal stallion continues, “I cannot express enough how deeply sorry for what we, what I have caused to your ponies.” This gets Feathercrest’s attention as he opens his eyes and looks at the bowed Royals. “Though I was not in power at the time, I witnessed my father cast away a sizeable group of bad ponies. It is in our laws that ..”
The Chief interrupts. “Now now. Rise your head and sit down young ones. There is no need for all of that. We are all friends here, yes?” The young prince struggles to hold back tears. The princess is equally emotional, for they both can’t believe the level of virtue this old pone is displaying. They both sit on the ground facing the Chief. “Besides, if you’re going to tell another story, I rather you not say it to the ground. Furthermore, I have bad ears don’t you know?” They both let out a brief chuckle. “Now, you were saying?”
The Prince continues, “These group of ponies were charged with aiding another, stronger group of ponies that conspired AND attempted to overthrow our regime. The ones that did carried out this act were sent to Tartarus, permanently. The ones that were associated, or had anything to do with that failed coup, we seeked counsel for the appropriate punishment for them. According to our laws, it would be Detention for many many many moons, followed by banning them from Equestria. But where? Not north, not south, not east. For all of those directions we would not want them introduced to our friends’ local society. We felt it just wasn’t right. Our only choice was to cast them west, hopefully to bother no pony or creature. We never heard of them ever again .. well, until now. And for that, we are deeply, deeply sorry.”
The Chief replies, “I see. You all seem to have a well established civilization, I see that from ponies visiting. And from the looks of it, you have ponies with a heart of gold. So don’t worry about it. A few bad ponies should not sour the sweet rest. Your regime has done an excellent job fostering great ponies.”
Both Royals are relieved to hear that coming from the Chief's own mouth.
“Thank you.” said Spectra.
“Thank you so much Chief.” said Beaming Arc.
“I am glad to hear that. I still can’t believe not one, not a single one out of them changed for the better. Was the punishment not enough? Were they so far gone to begin with? ugh.”
The mare puts her hoof on her husband’s shoulder and saids, “I do not know, honey. I don’t think we will ever know.”
“Wait ...” saids the puzzled Scholar as he faces the Scout and saids, “You didn’t tell the Princess about the Neutrals, did you?”
There was a pause, then she asks, “Neutrals?”
Feathercrest goes back to his laid back posture and closes his eyes. Bright puts his hoof on his forehead in disbelief.
“Of course you didn’t.” Then faces the Royal mare and saids, “Your highness, not all of them were bad. In fact, there was a bunch whom saw the error of their ways. The Neutrals ended up separating away from the baddies. They even established their own settlement. You should both visit them. I’m sure they will be pleased to hear your side of the story.”
Beaming Arc breathes a sigh of relief. Spectra replies, “I’m very glad to hear that. I think we will visit them on our way back to Canterlot.”
Followed by Beaming Arc asking, “Why are we just now hearing about this? For that matter, why have you not told us about this village, and its ponies. Hay, about all of this? How long were we ‘out-of-the-loop’? You are my student under my wing after all. And I am kind’ve responsible of your well-being.”
The Scout also asks, rather in a jesterly way, “Yeah, why didn’t you mention any of this to the Royals?”
“You are one to talk!” replies the Unicorn to the Pegasus, then answers to his superior, “Well see. The thing is .. as ridiculous as this may sound, I sworn to secrecy. In fact, we both did. Mainly out of respect for the Neutrals because that is what they wanted. They felt so bad, so ashamed of what they have done in the past, they truly did not want to bother any pony. So they remained a hidden village. And I thought, all of this," Bright Perl implies all of their efforts in building the village and restoring Mustangoes civilization back to a settled, steady state. "is part of their affairs in one way or another. Only a few ponies know about their settlement, mainly the two villages east from here.”
A short silence passes. Then, “Aren’t you forgetting something?” asked the Feathercrest.
“Eh? I hope not.” replied Bright. Tight-lips, for once, talks.
“He is not the only one keeping all of this a secret. As much as I wanted to tell the world I faced against an army of Shadow-lers … Shadow-ings .. Shadow .. whatevers, and totally whipped their butts all the way 'til Kingdom come ...”
The expression on Bright’s face is priceless, as he rolled his eyes.
“... they insisted every pony who was there to keep their mouths shut and tell no pony else.”
“Well .. until today … surprise ~~”, said the Unicorn as he nervously faded his voice.
“Wait! You are his teacher?!” randomly asks the Pegasus breaking his relaxed posture.
“Wow. Delayed reaction much?” mocks Bright to Feathercrest.
“Yes. He is my student.” replied Beaming Arc.
“Heh, we both ended up working directly for the Prince and Princess. That has got to be .. Wait, How dare you keep this from me.” replies Feathercrest to Bright, though tough to tell if he is jestering or being serious.
The Scholar replies back at him, “How dare you not be more informative when and where it counts!”
Beaming Arc joins in, “How dare you both keep all of this a secret from us!”
Spectra steps in to be the more reasonable pony, “To be fair, we have been keeping secrets too .. mainly me. And besides, would you have let him go west if he had asked you?”
Beaming Arc admits, “Okay, I see your point.” The Prince insists under his own breath “Still, I am responsible of his well-being.”
“Furthermore ..” saids the Princess, as she furthers another big reason for their visit, “ .. he demonstrated he is well equipped and capable of taking care of himself and helping other ponies. I’ve been saying it for quite some time. But if now is not a good of time as any, then it will never be.”
The stallion teacher then confesses, “I know, I know ..” a brief sigh before he continues “He is like the son I never had, and reminds me of myself .. which makes it that much harder to let go.”
The mare is confused, “You are both about the same age range.” she said.
Then he adds, “Age is just a number, my dear. He will always be my son no matter what stage he is in the pony life cycle.”
Blank stares all around after that comment.
“O-kay.” said the Unicorn before continuing. “But wait. ” Bright looks at Spectra, “When you said ‘if now is not a good of time as any’..” then looks at his teacher, “then you said ‘harder to let go’. What do you both mean by that?”
The stallion teacher replies, “I have taught you all you need to know. You have graduated, in that sense. We still have an official ceremony, but that will come later.” Bright’s mouth opens wide. He is speechless. “I was also going to say you needed to come back to Canterlot for the arrangements, but I see you have your hooves full of work .. and books. So instead, I’m here to ask you this: Do you want to come back to Canterlot? Or do you want to stay here and hold the ceremony at a more suited time?”
Still speechless, but then he replies, “Wow! To be honest, my heart is still here where much work needs to be done. These ponies need me, right?”
Unsure of himself as he looks at Chief. “Of course!” the Chief replied.
“What is it that you do again?” asked the forgetful Feathercrest. “I mean I kind’ve sort’ve get what you do,”
“No you don’t.” quickly said Bright.
“but is there like an official title or something?”
“Eehh .. actually I’m not so sure myself.” Bright responded while looking towards his teacher.
Beaming Arc then fills in the gap, “He is studying to become a Peacemaker, at a Scholar level, as well as official Representative and Ambassador of Equestria.”
“Oooh .. sounds boring. I’m going back to sleep.” And Feathercrest does that.
The Unicorn’s field of studies and what he is pursuing catches the attention of the Chief. “But I guess, he can be a representative of sorts for Mustangoes, of course if the Chief approves. What do you say Chief?” Asks the Prince to the Chief.
“I just realized we have been the ones doing all the talking, when we really do want to hear more of you and your ponies. We are sorry Chief. We are not being good guests.” said the guilt feeling Princess.
“Neigh neigh, think nothing of it. Besides, I have enjoyed listening to you Royals and subordinates so far. For once, it is nice to be the listener.” His ponies sitting besides him shake their heads in agreement. “Now to answer your question, I think I have a bigger proposition for your pony student he may not refuse.”
“Huh?” naturally comes out of the Bright’s mouth.
“When you came here for the first time, you used your magic and helped us defeat those cursed Shadowlings. Do you remember what you said to me the day you departed?”
“Umm .. if I remember it was something like:”
“I have to say, even though I am not a Shadowling, knowing that they came from Equestria makes me feel kind’ve responsible, and ashamed what our society has produced. So I want to make things right by helping you all rebuild your village.”
“And after ponies voiced their same thoughts:”
“Looks like your village will soon become a popular destination place.”
“I really hope I’m not forgetting anything this time.” said Bright.
“How much did you believe in those words?” asked the Chief.
The Scholar paused, as if he wants to choose his words carefully. Then he proceeds.
“I must admit, a part of me said all that in-the-spur-of-the moment. But, I was sincere when I said it. And, when I thought about it afterwards, I thought to myself; you ponies have been through the absolute worse ordeal ever in your village history. Your village was destroyed, Nature around you was suffering, and your kind almost were extinct. It seemed hopeless. But that night when we camped out in what was the remnants of the village, you Mustangoes told your good times, your bad times, and your epic war story as if I were experiencing it myself. All of it. From before when the village was alive and vibrant, to when Nature was not always kind to you, to when each and every Mustango sworn to an oath to always be on Nature’s side and love her unconditionally as much as She loves you, to the moments leading up to the battle, to the actual battle and the long struggle to a force, other than Nature, bigger than yourselves, to when you all remembered the oath you all have taken with Nature and the strength of Her love, to when your ponies raved and rejoiced when you Chief” he points his hoof at the Chief, “turned into a divine giant, to the moments when it looked like it was the end, yet never ever forsaken Nature, though it seemed like She had forsaken you all .. I can’t help but feel moved by all of it that night, even now! I thought, this place, this land can only get better! It has to, it must! Some pony has to help and preserve history after experiencing what you all went through. So I, along with other good hearted, honest, hard working ponies, are willing and wanting to help.”
The Royals are silent, but you can tell by the look on their faces they are proud, especially his teacher.
The Chief then speaks, “Just about the answer I’d expect from a great Scholar under the wing of a true leader. You will make a great Chief for this new village. How about it?” Bright’s mouth opens, wider than before, a bit of wonder if he heard right what just came out of the Chief's mouth.
The Royals both “Oooo ..” Beaming Arc added, “That is quite the title to behold. Are you up for it?”
The Unicorn then thinks and speaks, “Wait a moment wait a moment. Hypothetically speaking, If I’m Chief, what would happen to you Chief?” Spectra remembers another important order for their visit, “Oh dear. I just remembered the other order of business why we are here.”
Beaming Arc also remembers now, in a long list of Royal duties, “Oh right. That.”
Spectra continues, “We are here to meet the leader of this kingdom .. or tribe I guess, and hopefully agree in allying together.”
The Chief then continues with what is in his thoughts.
“Oh. I think things will be more clear after you hear me out. I don’t know how else to say it so I will just say it. In that battle, I learned something from the Shadows. I realized something that made them strong. In their ranks were Earth, Pegasi, and Unicorns. I learned that if our ponies are going to fend of enemies like those Shadows, we need Earth, Pegasi, and Unicorns too.. To be exact, more Pegasi and more Unicorns. And so we have them in our society, and I am very happy that we do. But there is so much more to it, to this outside world that I do not understand that has been brought into this village. A lot of our ponies seem to have adapted to what the outside world has brought to us. So much so that they are teaching me about it. Things like Equestrian culture, Manehattan style of living, Appleloosan festivities, so on. I have done the best I could to learn it all, as well as some of the Mustangoes like these beside me. But it is just too much for me, for us. And if I’m to be honest with myself, I enjoy the simpler things more. When me and my ponies went west to see the other destroyed villages. Nature took over some of the ruins. That is when we felt in-touch again. As if we were talking to Nature again, so I was wondering if She wanted us to be there. We rebuilt one village to near half of its original state. Then, Nature answered us in the most beautiful way. We saw woodland critters coming out of and greeting us. They were welcoming us back. We also saw a small field of red, blue, and purple roses complimented by newly formed greenery amidst the rubble. And as cloudy as it was that day, a ray of sunshine was casted over us, feeling Nature’s warmth. That was the moment She answered us. What I am trying to say is, I will be moving back to the wild along with any Mustangoes - no, along with any pony else, Mustango or not. If Nature calls to them, I am sure they will answer Her.”
“Oh. I see.” said Bright in sadness.
The Chief puts his hoof on the Unicorn’s shoulder and saids, “Do not feel sad. And don’t you dare feel guilty either. I won’t allow it” said the Chief as he smiled. “You will be an excellent Chief .. prince .. leader. Whatever title you give yourself, I know you will always think with this” he touches the Unicorn’s forehead implying his brain, “and feel with this” then touches his chest implying his heart. “And should there be a great conflict that requires the use of force, I know you will use this” touches his horn, most likely implying his magic “for good .. for Nature, not evil.” Then pats his shoulder.
The Unicorn can’t help but shed a tear, “I will Chief.”
“It was nice meeting you Royals.”
Spectra replies as she and Beaming Arc bow their heads, “It has been a great privilege and a great honor meeting you Chief of Mustangoes.”
“Fancy seeing you too 'Tight lips'.”
Feathercrest is fast asleep, “ZZZzzz ..”
“You all know where to find me if you ever need words of counsel, encouragement and wisdom. Feel free to stop by my home anytime. See ya’ later. May Nature be with you all.” where the final, exiting words from the Chief of Mustangoes, Doha Dakota.
The Royal guard opened the door for the Chief and his ponies to exit out of the Scholar’s new home, then closes it after they all exited.
“Congratulations! You are now the leader of your kingd .. your tribu .. you are a Leader!” said the Royal mare. She also adds, “A Unicorn leader. How about that.”
It is too much too soon for the poor Scholar, “Oh my gosh ... oh my gosh ...”
And then … “(GASP) Oh my gosh! There is so much to do so little time I’m sure this village will need some written laws written on scroll though I’m sure all my mellow fellow little pony citizens know what is right what is wrong but still it is not official if its not written on scroll and one can never be too careful we will need a whole bunch of scrolls poor trees wait I can use recycled newspapers there is always unread newspaper laying around or collected in packs no trees will be harmed or shaken FOREST SAVED wait what if no pony knows how to read that is crazy talk but it could be possible we will need schools yes schools gotta think about the little fillies and colts they need quality education and THEY WILL GET IT anything less is completely UNACCEPTABLE and once they grow into young mares and stallions they will need specialty schools for their specialty needs that IS if hopefully at that time they already have their cutie marks it would IT SHOULD be easier for them to have a better understanding about themselves and make a better decision what they will do with their lives WAIT what if they grow up and still no cutie marks on their flanks THAT WOULD BE HORRIBLE wait even worse what if there is not enough work or no work at all for them to do and end up doing something they are not destined to do OH MY GOSH I cannot even begin to think how that will feel like they will probably need to see a board certified therapist to deal with their hidden traumas but that would probably be too costly for them especially if they are young and repaying their debt they would just add more salt to their already severely injured wallet and have no bits for like ever ever ever ever that is like fourevers OH NOOOO BITS BITS BITS BITS BITS BITS BITS even though this village is thriving it is a fairly young village it would be mean for me to tax my fellow mellow jello little ponies especially the young who are repaying their debt from attending specialty school but I see no other feasible option to pay our contractors accountants yes we need accountants because let’s face it I am Nooo good with numbers especially when it comes to bits I REALLY REALLY REALLY wish I had more bits just take a look at my bank account BANKS oh my gosh do we even have one bank in this village this is a disaster waiting to happen how did we even ... "
the Royals have a disinterested look on their faces and wonder how long this propelled mouth of his will go on, they are probably thinking this was a premature move handing over such responsibility to this Unicorn
"... no leader from another village from another town from another city from another region in their kingdom in their rightful mind will do business with us they will just take a look at our bank then they will ask me “where is your bank” and I will say hehhehhehhehheeh what bank then they will ask “where do you keep your bits” then I will say I HAVE NO IDEA then they will look at me all funny and tell me “I need to use the restroom I will be right back” but they would not be fooling me I would run away from me too I DO IT ALL THE TIME especially if I found out I do not have a bank I would probably have to do something silly like run west in search for gold or crystals or diamonds or both or all three because let’s face it I am gonna need all the help I can get if I am going to fund my own village and make it grow WOOOAAAHHH I CAN’T EVEN THINK ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW what if we become too big to handle we would need to build on top of each other on top of each other etc etc stories high until everypony has a suitable place to live but then if we have no bits to pay for quality material and skilled craftponies then WHAT hire cheap materials and uneducated unskilled bums to build high rises THAT DOES NOT SOUND SUITABLE TO ME then the entire structure would be questioned and would be a hard pressed sale to pitch to the building inspector or to the commissioner or to the head of public housing and safety committee OHH that is IF there is even any structure left at all after it KAPLUFFS hard to the ground YIKES THAT IS A TRAGEDY I WILL NOT ALLOW NO HIGH RISES oh who am I kidding we would all need to go back to living in huts poor fillies and colts would not have a sound structured school to attend I WILL DONATE MY OWN HOUSE TO THE SCHOOL IF NEED BE anything for those poor little fillies and colts but in seriousness we would need to use our precious BRAINS our creative minds to do some SERIOUS creative thinking and come up with out own patent pending materials and tools and revolutionize current ideas it is either that or locate the nearest cave and take shelter there MOUNT MUNSTAGO THAT IS PERFECT or do something silly like live in the sky I do not know how the Pegasi in Cloudsdale do it what is up with that only Pegasus can walk on cloud give me a break it is a wonder why any pony visits there AT ALL but back to the expansion issue not every pony will be on board with it for it is a huge train wreck waiting to happen HAY the train is not even on its rightful tracks it is already crashing because of obvious reasons we would need to expand to further west where there is ...” The Unicorn stops.
Utter silence. You can probably hear a hay strand drop from a far if you listen closely enough.
Arc whispers to Spectra, “I think we need to bring back the Chief of Mustangoes.”
“Do you think he is done? Or is he recharging for another round?” She whispered back.
“I don’t know.” he answered. The Scholar faces his kitchen window when he stopped, directly west. Then his teacher asks, “Are you okay? (please say yes, please say yes, please say yes),” said the teacher to his student, then whispering to himself what he hopes to hear.
A shorter pause followed before Bright snapping out of his deep thought and breaks his stare to the west looking at the trees. He realized he just had a nervous breakdown. His face turned a tint of pink-red as he turned around.
“Eh Heh, sorry. I guess I needed to get that out of me.”
“Did you get all of it?” asked Princess Spectra in a rather rhetorical manner.
“I know exactly what my first order of business is.” said Bright Perl in a complete attitude change from extremely low self-esteem highly charged mental meltdown to a super confident business, I-will-sell-you-this-product-you-will-buy-it-and-love-it-even-if-this-will-do-nothing-for-you, type of pony.
“And what is that?” both Royals said in synchronicity.
Bright Perl looks back out of his kitchen window to the west at the trees and said, “Effective immediately, west of our village limit belongs to the Mustangoes, as well as Mount Mustango. This will be a Nature preserve area and historic site where the traditional Mustangoes can live, or come and go as they please. Any builder, any pony for that matter who does not have the consent from the tribe’s Chief or equivocal authority, they will answer to me.”
Both Royals’ worries about their Unicorn student has been quelled.
“I do want this village to grow. But we need to respect the land, most importantly, respect Nature. This is why I want to adopt the ‘Law of the Land & Keepers of Nature’ into our own constitution.”
Prince Beaming Arc is curious, “It sounds like you already decided what kind of kingdom you want to build on this new land. I’m sorry, I keep saying kingdom out of habit. What kind of system do YOU have in mind?”
Bright answers, “Well .. an Alicorn I am not .. so that idea is off the table.”
“Oh, right.” replied the teacher.
“When the time comes, I want a system in place where the citizens can have a say in the decision making process. I will be sure to write it down. For now, it is too early for that. We need leaders that represent our ponies right away. We already have two. I’m sure I can find a third with the help of the Chief’s counsel.”
“Sounds interesting. You said three leaders? You are the first in command, and you said you will find a third. Who is the second?” wondered his teacher. The Scholar raises his hoof and hesitates for a moment, almost embarrassed of revealing his choice, but he is completely confident on his second in command, as he firmly points his hoof to the sleeping Pegasus.
“zzzZZZzzz.”
“Hah! Good one.” naturally said Beaming Arc. The Unicorn keeps the serious look on his eyes and firm hoof still pointing at Feathercrest.
Beaming Arc then said, “Seriously? Come on. I taught you better than that. Guess I gave you too much credit when it comes to choosing your inner circle.”
Spectra replies in a nag, “Honey.”
“He may not look it, but he is quite the trooper. He is a great Scout. For all of his shenaning and uncouthness, he is a loyal friend, true to his word, and has never turned his back on me. Though I wish he was not so tight lipped all the time, but I guess that’s what makes him unique.” Bright Perl reassured to the Royals.
“zzzZZZzzz”
“He sure isn’t tight lipped now” said the teacher, as he gets elbowed by his wife.
The Unicorn, again, reassures them, “And besides .. the ponies can vote for another Pegasus should it come to that.”
“Sounds like you have this. And I am sure you, the sleeper, and whoever your third is will make great leaders of this new land, known as … ” Spectra pauses for she does not recall hearing a name of the new land. “If we are going to be allies, we need to know your land’s name. Have you thought of one?”
This is quite sudden for the Scholar. He looks again outside of his kitchen window to the west, hopefully to be inspired with a name. But nothing. That is until he heard a neigh sound from a Mustango as he gallops into the woods. Then a name comes to him.
“How about, Bron-co-nia. To capture the spirit of the untamed wild in the west. What do you think?”
“I think having that window in the kitchen is paying off” replied the Royal mare.
The Scholar then asked, “Is it that obvious?”
“Mhmm” both Royals replied in synchronicity.
“I think it is a wonderful, fitting name. Furthermore, the land is short not of inspirational ideas.” said Spectra.
“This village has become a hot spot for many travelers, and many that stay. It has returned to somewhat normal. But it is clear, normal for us isn’t necessarily normal for them.” Bright implied about Mustangoes either adapting to the changing, evolving village, or completely sticking to their prehistoric traditional way of life. “Still, it feels like this village attracted trots of all life, and will continue to do so. I think a proper name ought to be made.”
“I am sure you already thought of one and will tell us what it is.” said the Prince anxiously waiting for the answer.
“Flockland Village.” Bright Perl reveals to the Prince and Princess.
Then Prince Beaming Arc holds his right hoof in front, for he initiates an in house informal enactment. More of a toast than an enactment, and said,
“To Flockland Village!”
Then Princess Spectra holds her right hoof over her husband’s hoof and saids,
“To Bronconia!”
And finally, the Scholar Bright Perl puts his right hoof over all of theirs and said,
“To our alliance, and our ponies!”
Thus Bronconia was born. The rest is history. First nation of its kind, first republic leaders of the new land, first nation to have three top leaders that represent Earth, Unicorn, and Pegasus, so on and so forth.
Fast forwarding to the current-future time when this story began. When it comes to the long line of descendants of Mustangoes and Flockland Villagers, more like Flockland City and its citizens, they have done a good job maintaining the first President’s order of preserving their first national forest, Mustango National Forest of Wildlife & Preservation, as well as the historic site of “Last Stand” and Mount Mustango, and basin, which has long dried up.
The true stone wall that used to be at the basin’s edge has been removed and substituted by a replica. The real stone wall with the original “Law of the Land & Keepers of Nature”, what is left of it anyway, has been moved to a secured vault for preservation, where qualified experts can review it should they need to conduct further examination. And, the first President kept true to his word by adopting the Mustango law into their constitution.
The city and its much larger population, has evolved much more sophisticated, and way more complex than what the First and Second Chief of Arms could ever imagine in their wildest dreams. Some things in the city resembles human innovations and technologies, while still maintaining relics of the past, like the original dirt roads the Mustangoes used to travel from village to village. Those roads still exist while the builders have erected bridges and overpasses in necessary locations, as well as developed their first highway system to meet the pony’s transportation needs. Speaking of transportation, Bronconia and Equestria have linked their railways so ponies from as far as Baltimare wanting to travel west can do so by train. The list goes on.
To sum it all up. The foundation has been set and seeds for the future planted by the Mustangoes and Equestrian ponies. Now in the current-future, we see the tree of life has grown, and all who help nurture it can enjoy the fruits of their labor.