Fifth Lesson- Trouble at the Royal Paradise
As the ship came to dock at the edge of the Jewel Sea, a princess and her six charges trotted across the gangplank onto dry land. Saying their farewells to the other passengers, they quickly trotted their way up the diamond way, towards the Royal Paradise.
"Say Twilight... is something wrong?" Applejack asked her friend in a worried tone. "You've been awfully quiet since last night."
"Don't worry about it, AJ." Twilight Snorted, scowling. "Everything is just... peachy!"
"Say, where did the guys get off to this time?" Firefly asked, looking back at the ship. "I didn't see them get off the ship with us!"
"Oh, they were asked tah handle securiteh detail, dahling!" Glory replied, elegantly tossing her mane as she spoke. "Ah do so luv a boyah in uniform!"
"Gee Glory, I think you're taking that lady training Truly gave you a bit too much to heart!" Surprise laughed, flying over head. "Ya really should loosen up a little!"
"Oh, now don't make fun of her, Surprise." Poesy chided her gently. "Glory's just trying to live up to what's expected of the element of generosity!"
Twilight seemed to bristle at that, but said nothing. Soon, the seven of them approached the Royal Paradise, and the large Topaz gates opened at their arrival.
"Oh wow, would ya look at the size of this place?" Applejack whinnied in awe, looking around at the massive Pink Palace. "It like there's a whole city in one big building!"
"Waow! That place makes the exteriah ah Dream Castle look like a bahrn!" Glory whinnied, admiring the dozens of turrets and endless sea of flags. "Ah would just lova ta live heyah!"
It was at that point, that Several small, insect-sized ponies came fluttering out of the Royal Paradise, and zipped up to the shocked fillies. Four little mares- with antennae and flutter wings, zipped around the harmony bearers, chatting and buzzing curiously.
"Oh wow! The harmony ponies!" A yellow one exclaimed, flying right up in front of Twilight. "We've been waiting for you to come! The princesses sent us to greet you!"
"It's so great to meet all of you! Wow, is this your natural mane color?" A pink one giggled, flying up and tugging on Surprise's mane. "There's no way you can be a natural blonde!"
"Hey! That is so my natural color!" Surprise squeaked angrily. "What the heck are these creepy little things? They look like ponies that shrunk in the dryer!"
"These are the breezies, Surprise. The pony of equivalent of the fair folk." Cadence replied, as several of the little winged ponies flew up and bowed to her. "You'll have to forgive them, they can be curious and nosy by nature."
"The breezies! Of course!" Twilight replied excitedly, remembering the little sprites from her fairy tale books. "They used to live in Breezie Blossom long ago, at the far edge of Ponyland. But the breezies came to dwell here at the Royal paradise when the dark times began."
"Yep! We're the Princess Ponies' ladies in waiting." The lead breezie exclaimed proudly, flying up to Twilight. "My name's Zipzee, and I'm here to lead you to the royal princesses!"
"Well, then, lead on!" Twilight smiled, trotting right in front of Princess Cadence to lead the other six fillies. Shocked at Twilight Shine's behavior, the alicorn fell silently in behind the rest of the entourage as they trotted over the drawbridge, and into the castle.
As they trotted into the central hall, the girls were amazed at the great barrel vaulted ceilings, and magnificent baroque paintings that decorated every wall. Columns made of solid gold lined the hallways, and marble statuary depicted the great heroes of Ponyland.
"Wow, would you just look at this place!" Poesy whinnied in awe, looking up at the silk curtains from Hoofkaido, and tapestries from Bright Valley. "It looks like somebody took the styles of each herd, and baked them into a big style pizza!"
"This place is decorated with tributes from all over the confederacy!" Zipzee explained, zipping around over their heads. "Those pretty statues come from Fort Dash, and the coquina shells inlaid in the walls are from one of the sea pony herds!"
Looking around at the various paintings, Surprise noticed one that depicted Ponyville from an earlier age.
"Hey, girls! I found a painting of Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash!" The white Pegasus exclaimed. "But why do they show Dash as an earth pony?"
"T-that's not who you think it is!" Firefly replied nervously, shooing Surprise along. "I-it's not something my family likes ta talk about!"
"Hey, I knew Pinkie Pie!" Zipzee exclaimed, flying around excitedly. "Aren't you supposed to be her kid or something, Surprise?"
"Wow, you knew Pinkie Pie?" Surprise exclaimed. "That is so cool! And yeah, she was my great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great-"
"Not the Pinkie Pie your thinking of, Surprise." Twilight explained, looking back at her. "But she's still probably an ancestor of yours."
"Remember naow, gals!" Glory exclaimed, batting her eyelashes. "We ah going before royalty heayah, be sure to be on your best behaviah!"
"Personally, I don't see why we should give a bunch of snooty, spoiled Princesses any extra respect than we give any other filly or mare!" Twilight snorted, glaring back at cadence angrily. "As I understand it, these brats running Ponyland into the ground is the reason we were brought together in the first place! These girls are nothing like Queen Majesty or our local rulers!"
The three girls came into a large, circular chamber. A large rotunda with a stain glass window- depicting the great horsemaster creating the first twelve ponies- hung high over the room. Far below the dome, stood a large fountain with the statues of five of the harmony bearers, all surrounding the statue of Twilight Sparkle... her graceful wings stretched in the pose of a alicorn.
"Wow, this is so cool!" Firefly exclaimed, striking the same pose as the statue of Rainbow Dash. "I really do look almost like her!"
"Oh wow, this is so lovely!" Poesy exclaimed, staring up at the statue of Fluttershy, with water coming out of it's towering base. "I bet Twilight wishes she had a coin to make a wish!"
But Twilight was preoccupied, staring at the alicorn statue angrily. "Well, it seems the artist favored fiction over fact." The pink unicorn snorted angrily. "I can't believe artwork here in the capital continues to favor that alicorn myth!"
"Oh come on, Twi! Aren't you the one who is such and fan of fairy tales and wishing?" Applejack sighed. "Besides, how do we know she really didn't become an alicorn?"
"You don't see me with wings and a horn, do you?" The pink unicorn snorted angrily. "Besides, the great horsemaster decreed there are never again to be any more alicorns born- Princess Cadence is the last of her kind!"
"The prophet Zorypontha may have said there will be no more winged unicorns born in the present, but that doesn't mean there weren’t more in the past!" Cadence burst out angrily, finally speaking up at Twilight's sarcasm. "There's nothing wrong with ponies glorifying her as an alicorn."
"Funny you should mention it, Aunt Cadence... since you were there" Twilight growled at her. "My ancestors being an alicorn, the identity of the harmony bearer's spouses, all those gaps in Equestia's history.... Tornado told me there are many things you should be able to answer about the Equestrian age that our historians don't know... yet you don't!"
"Young lady, there are many things those few of us who survived the Grogar wars were sworn to secrecy on.... things we shall carry to our graves... while others amongst us have simply had our memories fade over the long lives we lead." She shot a quick glance at Applejack, that the others failed to catch. "The records of those events were carefully eliminated... and trust me, there are many things the herds are better off not knowning."
"Ummm, excuse me?" Zipzee asked, cutting the tension between the two female ponies. "But the Princesses will see the Harmony Candidates now. It would be best if Princess Cadence waits here."
Glaring at the alicorn, Twilight Shine led the other five into through the vaulted doorway, into the golden throne room where the six princess ponies alighted their magnificent, high-backed thrones, each bearing one of the symbols of the elements of Harmony.
There were six of them... three descended from princess Celestia, and three from Princess Luna... born of the bloodline of the original two princess ponies. Unlike their ancestors, four of them were earth ponies, with one Pegasus and one Unicorn. It was they, who were the keepers of the elements of Harmony-which were stored in the heart of Ponyland gemstone, deep beneath the royal palace, and channeled through their six wands.
"Greetings and salutations, Harmony Bearer candidates." Princess Tiffany, the white Pegasus who was their leader, greeted them. "We are the Princess Ponies- rulers of the Ponyland Confederacy, and guardians of the elements of harmony."
"Thank you, your majesties." Twilight Shine replied, bowing to the six royals. "My name is Twilight Shine, and these are my friends Firefly, Poesy, Surprise, Glory and Applejack."
"So these are the fillies of the six bloodlines Cadence has gathered." Princess Starburst, the yellow earth pony, snorted in contempt. "It's hard to believe that this rabble is meant to take our magic wands."
"Hey, we've proven ourselves!" Firefly snapped back. "Since me and my buds have gotten together, we've saved Ponyland several times over!"
"So we should just hand the elements over to the six of you?." Princess Amethyst, the lavender-colored unicorn, replied. "You might be descended from previous harmony bearers, but so are we!."
"Oh dear, I'm so sorry if you felt we shouldn't take the elements from you," Poesy whinnied apologetically. "you can all keep them if you want."
"Still, you did go through all the trouble of coming here," Princess Royal Blue, the earth mare with the pink mane, said thoughtfully. "perhaps a contest of some sort... to determine who would be best to wield the elements?."
"Ohhh, a game for the elements of harmony?" Surprise giggled. "We'd so be up for that!"
"So be it then, we shall each challenge one of you, for the right to become guardian of the wands." Princess Primrose, the pink earth pony with a blue mane, told them proudly. "Should you best each of us at a given element, we shall surrender our powers unto you."
"Whatever challenge your majesties wanna throw at us..." Applejack snorted. "we'll be ready for it!"
"So be it then." Princess Serena, the blue pony with a blonde mane, replied. "Princess Amethyst will Face Twilight in a contest of magic, Princess Tiffany shall face Firefly in a contest of Loyalty, Princess Primrose shall face Posey in a test of kindness, Princess Starburst shall compete with Surprise for laughter, And Royal blue and Applejack will prove who is the most honest pony."
."An y'all and ah will tango ovah generositeh." Glory snorted, looking back at her friend. "What y'all think, Twailaight?"
"I think I've had enough of snooty royals who think they know everything," Twilight snorted, glaring at the spoiled princesses. "you're on!"
As the Rest of the girls turned to leave, Princess Royal Blue motioned Applejack to come back.
"Everything ok, AJ?" Firefly asked, as the orange earth pony moved to stay behind.
"I'll be okay, girls." Applejack motioned the others on with her hoof. "You five go ahead, I'll catch up later."
"Lady Applejack... there will be no contest between us over the element of Honesty." Royal Blue told her, after the others had departed. "If the others win, I will simply surrender this wand to you. You are far more worthy to hold this power than I."
"The pony I once was is nothing more that a memory now, your highness." Applejack told her, shaking her mane. "Wither they win or lose, I will stand by my friends, and compete for the elements of Harmony just as they do."