Harry Potter & the Ponies of Atlantis

by ColtKit Productions


Chapter 3: In a Cozy Amount of Trouble

Celestia had Twilight shamefully face the corner, as Raven let in RD and a small pink filly. The girl was young, yet had already earn her cutie mark of a chess piece.

"Presenting Lady Rainbow Dash." Raven announced, "And Miss Cozy Glow."

RD's ears twitched, and turned to the sobbing Twilight. The rest of her head whipped towards the sound... the sight of which caused her to immediately burst out laughing.

"Golly!" The little filly declared. "Maybe we should come back later, Lady Dash."

Celestia looked down disapprovingly, as Rainbow laughed harder. "If you would like to join her, I'm sure I could open up my schedule."

RD instantly stopped laughing. Her eyes wide, "Y-You can-can't do that!!! Princess or not."

"Oh really," Celestia eyed her.

"Y-yeah!"

"Last I checked, you weren't 30." Celestia commented.

"W-well y-yeah," Being too young was the very reason she couldn't join the Wonderbolts. She could have, if she had finished secondary school (where ponies learn how to control their racial magics)... but it had all seemed so trivial and boring.

Rainbow Dash wanted to do a bunch of awesome stunts, not learn about wing mechanics and the history of Cloudsdale.

So she dropped out... which had been the worst mistake of her life... She hadn't realized a Secondary School education was mandatory, for early entry into any branch of the military... while not the royal guard. As it was a less dangerous branch, Colts could apprentice for it, while in Secondary school. Dashed suppose it made sense, for the more dangerous branches, that they require finishing Secondary school, instead of just attending it. As along with all the boring stuff, they teach foals how to manipulate their racial magics...

Without a diploma from Flight Camp... RD had to wait until she was 25, just to join the reserve Wonderbolts... she needed a job until then, so she went to work on the Weather Team at Ponyville.

Her grandmother had left her a house, in the cloud district, so it just seemed like a sensible place to move... besides... Fluttershy had gotten a job working as the local animal ranger (though for some reason she started adopting out animals that she healed and couldn't release back into the wild). So it made double sense to move to Ponyville.

They were also looking for a new weather pony, at the time. So it was pretty easy to get a job... that she didn't care about in the slightest. From then on, Rainbow was free to do whatever she wanted. The Mayor didn't even complain. Cuz while Dash spent most of the day lazing about, or training for the Wonderbolts, it only took her a few seconds to do the work. 10 seconds at most, to be precise.

It been a long time sense anypony threatened to SPANK her, despite her still being young enough for that.

"B-but you still need permission from my parents, to-to do that." Rainbow Dash insisted, blushing. "You might be a Princess, but it's not like your MY mentor!!!"

Mentors were often employed, by parents that could afford it, to teach their apprentice their trade. That, combined with schooling, looked very good on a resume. You had to be certified, and that required it's own special education. Near 2 years of formal schooling.

The matriarch of Ponykind, looked back at Rainbow Dash, "Do you think I have you write me letters for no reason. Nor why I came down to Ponyville, so often, to go over the nature of Politics and control of the powers the elements grant you."

Rainbow gaped. Was it possible she had a mentor and didn't know about it?

Celestia continued, "After you, and your friends, proved yourselves worthy of the Elements of Harmony, I spoke to your parents."

Dash's ears flattened, knowing it was coming, but not for the life of her understanding how it was possible. Why hadn't she been told! It made sense, NOW, why a Princess would spend so much time with commoners. Rainbow thought she just wanted to make sure the new element bearers knew what they were doing... which, if that was the case, it would make even more sense that Celestia would request to be all the girls mentors.

Celestia was studying Dash closely, seeing her reaction as she explained what should have already been explained to the filly. "I granted you a seat of nobility, and a sizable stipend, before your parents would allow me to train you for so dangerous a field, as champion of Equestria. I then, extended the benefits for you, to the others."

"... Stipend?" Dash tilted her head. A little puzzled Celestia was paying her, for being her apprentice... and wondering where that money was.

Celestia sighed, then cast a disapproving eye at Twilight. "I take it you never gave your friends the legal documentation?"

Rainbow suddenly exclaimed, "What the buck Twilight!?"

The filly gasped, while Celestia raised an eyebrow.

RD blushed, "errrr... I mean... Golly?" Following the filly's lead.

"We will have a talk about your choice of language later," Celestia informed. Before turning back to Twilight. "I expect an answer, young lady."

The purple Alicorn gulped, "I errrrrr..." she had no defense, "I'm sure I did." she sniffled, not taking her eyes off the corner.

She did her best to think on it... knowing she was already in a lot of trouble. This certainly couldn't help. Celestia sent the scrolls, the filly's second week of her stay in Ponyville. After getting legal rights to train the Element Bearers. Celestia had worked hard to secure their noble status, as Governesses of Ponyville... and the stipend that went with it. Twilight, as the most experienced apprentice, was suppose to help the girls understand their role in politics... which she had been doing... but she never... actually... explained why, or even what, she was teaching them...

Applebuck season had happened around then, and the town was in disarray all week. What with Applejack running errands, causing a mess of everything, while trying to harvest all the apples herself (as Big Mac was injured and couldn't help). Twilight simply forgot to formally inform her friends of their role, and just got to training them. She hesitantly explained all that.

Rainbow quickly exclaimed "I thought all that work was to help YOU study!!!" she wailed.

Celestia sighed, knowing she had more to talk about, with her apprentice, then just misplacing important, possibly world ending, artifacts.

Celestia looked at the foal, "I believe you had something to tell me?"

"Well..." The pink filly's ears pinned against her head. She suddenly found the floor very interesting. As she made circles with her hoof. "I don't want to get anypony in trouble."

Dash interrupted, "She told me she saw Twilight leave her element on a park bench."

"WHAT!?" Twilight yelped. "I didn't even go outside yesterday!!!"

Rainbow glared, "Yes you did! I saw you!"

The pink filly looked over at her, "You were really distracted last night, but surely you remember going outside? Reading your book, taking off your crown thingy? I don't think you even noticed when you left it on the bench."

Twilight's eyes glazed over for a moment, suddenly remembering going outside to read... but that can't be right. She could have sworn she was so tired, after the meeting, that she went straight to bed. No, she clearly remembered picking up a random book, from her rooms, and going to read by the light of the Crystal Heart... but she couldn't remember what she read...

Dash continued, filling in what the purple princess now remembered. "You were carrying a book! Then you sat at the bench, by the Crystal Heart, for HOURS. Lots of ponies saw you. Cozy Glow even saw you walk off, nose still in the book, and the crown on the bench! Then a dragon caught sight of it, and made off with it!!!"

Celestia sucked in a breath. Before turning to the filly, "Is this true, Miss Glow?"

"Yes your Highness, Ma'am." Cozy nervously nodded, "I thought the dragon was going to return it to lost and found. I only knew he hadn't, when I saw the guards panicking this morning. I'll swear it in front of Lady Applejack!"

Celestia forced a disarming smile. Though her mind was going a mile a minute. "That won't be necessary. Raven-" she turned to her Assistant, who had been quietly standing at the side. "Please inform Dragon Lord Torch I wish to speak to him, urgently. We need to find the dragon that took the Element of magic, before he attempts to eat it."

###

Sunset groaned, waking up to the sound of ringing, as her two way mirror buzzed. This was almost immediately followed by a yelp, as her roomates threw pillows at her, demanding she "shut that alarm off".

Sunset cast a silencing charm around herself, if only to avoid getting hit by anymore pillows. Then flipped the compact open, "rrr- Hello Cozy?" she groaned looking at the image, her mind still a bit foggy.

"Please tell me your not still asleep." Came the sickly sweet reply.

Sunset groaned more. "Humans don't keep a 20 day, 10 hour night, universal schedule. There are more 'Time Zones' then I care to know. Due to the position of the sun, and bureaucracy."

"I don't need a lecture!" Cozy glared. "I just wanted to tell you it's done. While you were catching on your beauty sleep. I WAS RISKING MY LIFE!!!"

Sunset sighed, "Well, since you aren't dead, I assumed the plan worked."

Cozy huffed, "Yeah, the princess fell for it. Chrysalis had one of the other changeling Queens, with purple magic, personally impersonate Twilight, and read at outside for a few hours, while the real Twilight was kept under a sleeping spell. She even had the Queen leave a fake crown behind, and another changeling, disguised as a dragon tourist, took it. If any creature thinks to question the story, there will be dozens of witnesses backing me up.

"I even hypnotized Twilight, to make her think that's what actually happened. I burried the suggestion pretty deep, so she won't know her memories aren't real. Not even the element of honesty could see through it."

"Now every creature in the castle is hunting for 'the dragon'. I'm surprised your plan actually worked. I was sure I was on my way to the moon. Regardless, I resent you having me impersonate a foal. My ponies get enough crud for the way we look!"

Cozy Glow was part of a pony subspecies called "Kender Pony". They never grew to be any bigger then a foal, and always maintained their youthful appearance... they were also known for being extremely stealthy... and blatant con artist, with their very magic assisting them in such skills. They didn't even need to sing to activate their persuasion magics... but when they did... it was more like a true sirens call then the simple ability ponies had to make others more open to the conversation... They could practically brainwash any creature... the fact they had light hooves, and always seemed to find other creatures' things in their pockets, didn't help their reputation...

There were theories that Kender ponies really were as innocent as young foals. That they legitimately had lesser reasoning skills and couldn't judge right from wrong, so shouldn't be held to the same standard of the law...

Upon meeting Cozy, Sunset was sure, that was just Kender ponies using their natural charms, and appearance, to their full use. They knew exactly what they were doing... but their culture was just a symptom of a greater issue... no pony took a Kender pony seriously. No pony was willing to hire a Kender pony. They grew up knowing no other way to survive... because of Celestia... because she wasn't willing to put the senate in their place and actually help the subponies

"Cozy..." Sunset looked at her sincerely, "I'm sorry for that, but now we have the crown, and thanks to you, no one will think of where it really is... soon your ponies will have the same privileges and rights the mundanes take for granted... all subponies will."

Cozy eyed her suspiciously, "I don't have the same level of idealism as you... I'll settle for burning Equestria to the ground."

"Be patient, and you will get your vengeance against the Senate, and take your rightful place on the new one."