…Good evening... And you are?
…Interviewers? Princess Gaia's permission? …Alright, then.
…You want to know how things work around here? To use a pyramid as a metaphorical vehicle, the top of the pyramid, the one to whom we are all inferior, is Princess Gaia. Element of Kindness, as I'm sure you already know. Yellow coat, pink mane and tail, horn on her forehead, big, beautiful butterfly wings, you know. She calls the shots around here. Within these walls, and within her fog, what she says goes, lest you face the wrath of an entire army of angry "armored ponies". Not that she gives us that command, of course. No, she would never ask us to attack anypony, regardless of her rules. Indeed, we enforce her rules of our own free will. The rules are fairly lax, of course; just don't attack or kidnap anyone or… Anything else you wouldn't do to a filly or colt, even outside of the castle walls. If it's against Princess Gaia's rules, it's against Celestia's rules, so don't even try anything that's against the law in Celestia's dominion unless you're certain it's not against Princess Gaia's rules, just to be safe.
Now, moving on. By contrast, the largest group, making up the "base" of the pyramid, is the common people, Princess Gaia's subjects. You see those little kids running around, enjoying eternal youth with nary a care in the world? Subjects. Don't be fooled, however: They retain certain necessary aspects of knowledge. For example, one of them used to be a nurse. A necessary occupation within any society, to be sure. She retains what memories she needs to heal injuries from minor bumps and scrapes to… Well, whatever. Former construction workers keep their architectural knowledge, just in case it is needed. It's like our own little society, right here in the castle. Though there are some occupations for which we have no need, which I would rather not detail in the presence of a filly. Those who used to have such occupations do not retain related knowledge, obviously.
Kids wearing armor? In a moment. I must first explain the other half of the next layer within the pyramid, to extend that metaphor. Princess Gaia's Knights, or just "the Knights". The only group which does not have some form of eternal life. Aside from a few… "Special cases"… They retain their full memories, and keep their own pain. The Knights as a whole have a few similarities between all individuals. All Knights wear armor, same as any other non-commoner. This armor is infused with Princess Gaia's magic, granting the gossamer butterfly wings all Knights share, and serve another purpose for certain individuals, specifically those who, as you have probably noticed, have a red gem on the breastplate of their armor. Like mine, yes. I'll get to the importance of those gems later. Lastly, it is the job of the Knights to protect and keep the peace between the commoners. As it is in outside societies, I presume.
And now, of course, we get to the "kids wearing armor". They are the Crusaders, or CMC or Cutie Mark Crusaders, formally, and are an apparent in-between for the Knights and the commoners, though they are equal in rank to the standard Knights, and share the same responsibilities. The Crusaders are, for all intents and purposes, Knights who exchanged their butterfly wings for eternal youth, as you may have noticed. Why they'd do such a thing is beyond me, though I suppose it makes sense for pegasi. The strange thing about them is, they are "led" by the Triad. What that means is, they have an extra layer of authority. Becoming a Knight is as easy as clearing a background check. Once you clear the background check, you're a Knight. To join the Crusaders, however, you must not only clear the princess's background check, you must also face the Triad, as whether you become a Crusader or not is entirely in their hooves. They're not too difficult to please, though. They are kids, after all. Who is in the Triad? A trio of young fillies who make up the "original" Cutie Mark Crusaders, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo.
The next step up also includes two groups, which are directly subordinate to Princess Gaia herself, and cannot be joined, as far as I am aware. First on the agenda is the Eternal Knights. The Eternal Knights are, as the name suggests, Knights who have been granted eternal life, as well as agelessness. There are eight of them, and they all have some importance to Princess Gaia, for reasons I don't know. Perhaps it's because most of them bear Elements of Harmony, like the princess? Anyway, they are the only group allowed to leave the castle or the immediate surrounding area, discounting Princess Gaia Day. Not that I'm complaining, of course. The eight Eternal Knights include an Earth Pony with a strong accent named Applejack, a pegasus who looks very similar to Princess Gaia known as Fluttercruel, a pink party pony named Pinkie Pie, a Wonderbolts-obsessed speed demon pegasus called Rainbow Dash, a fashion-obsessed dramatic unicorn named Rarity, a flashy show mare unicorn named Trixie, a magically powerful unicorn named Twilight Sparkle, and a young dragon named Spike. I hear tell that Fluttercruel shares a kind of mind link with Princess Gaia, but it hasn't been confirmed. It doesn't sound very likely to me, though.
Moving on, the last group is Princess Gaia's two Advisors. Like the Eternal Knights, the Advisors have eternal life and agelessness. Their role in society? Beyond the standard Knights' duties, they advise the princess. Not in standard, day-to-day activities, of course. No, they mainly advise her how to make her society the best it can be, without conflicting with certain rules. Aside from that, they're little more than glorified Knights. Who are they? Cheerilee and myself. Yes, you heard right, myself.
It's getting late. I should probably get some rest. I don't know that I have time for one more question… Oh, my name? Kitsune.