//------------------------------// // Chapter One: Princesses Can't Do Everything // Story: An Upgrade in Harmony // by Moon-Chan //------------------------------// Princess Celestia paced around the throne room in the Canterlot Palace, her expression one of worry. Her younger sister, Princess Luna, stood nearby, watching with concern, her midnight blue wings ruffled against her body. Both of Equestria's greatest and most well-known royalty were very tense. "Where is my most faithful student?" Princess Celestia asked her sister dully. "I sent that letter half an hour ago. Did not she read it? Was it sent to the wrong pony?" The princess of the moon sighed. "Dear sister, we art sure the train is just a little late. Do not fret." The taller alicorn continued to pace. "We need Twilight and her friends as quickly as possible. This issue cannot wait to be addressed." "Relax, 'Tia," Luna attempted to reassure her. "The Elements of Harmony will come. We are both prepared well." Celestia's naturally flowing mane was tangled and unkempt from stress. "Will the plan work?" She asked hoarsely. Princess Luna nodded. Her horn started to emit a turquoise aura, and what looked like an old, weathered scroll levitated over to the pair, the same turquoise aura surrounding it. The scroll was set down on a table in the middle of the room. Luna trotted rather quickly over to it, standing over the scroll; it looked so innocent lying rolled up. The younger mare beckoned the other over to the table, using her hooves to unravel the old scroll-like parchment. The princess of the sun stared at the parchment, looking it over with interest, although she had at least a hundred times before. The two rulers of Equestria had revised their plan many times before coming to a conclusive agreement. Once Twilight Sparkle and her trustworthy friends had arrived at Canterlot Palace, they could explain it to them. This by far was going to be one of Twilight's most difficult assignments... and it did not include studying. The paper was covered in ink marks, but the mares could clearly make out words and complicated drawings. At the top, it read: The Power Ponies of Harmoony. A reluctant Celestia had agreed to that name, as her sister would be doing the most work between them both. "Okay," Luna stated, "a few last-minute checks. Just to make sure we have everything ready," she added, seeing Princess Celestia's annoyed expression. "We will be doing the training. Thou will be keeping watch over Equestria to check for any signs of trouble from our foes." The taller, white coated princess nodded. "Got the morphers ready?" Luna called to her; Celestia had wandered off, looking at a nearby shelf on a bookcase. "All set. They have all been tested by our most experienced royal guards, pegasi, unicorns, and Earth ponies alike." A box was surrounded by a golden glow, and Princess Celestia returned to the table, setting the box down. It seemed to be made of crystal. Luna nodded her approval. "Good. Spell-proof crystal from the Crystal Empire, we see. We are ready." As if by coincidence, the doors to the throne room opened right as the princess of the night finished speaking. A violet coated unicorn was running up to the royal Equestrian Princesses, accompanied by another unicorn, two pegasi, and two Earth ponies. All were mares. "I'm so sorry I'm late, Princess! The Cloudsdale weather team accidentally lost control of a water tornado, and it decided to make its way towards Ponyville..." The violet mare seemed out of breath. Princess Celestia held up a hoof. Her pure white coat shone like silver in the sunlight. Behind her, Princess Luna had opened the spell-proof crystal box. Laid out in front of her on the center table were six bracelets. All had a black gemstone in the middle. The gemstones seemed to contain mist inside them. "It's quite alright, Twilight. You and your friends arrived at just the right time," Celestia assured them. "We have called you here to inform you there are new villains in Equestria." Twilight Sparkle gaped at her. The others gasped. Luna walked over to them, her hoof steps echoing throughout the palace throne room. The older princess inclined her head. Princess Luna looked at the group of six. "It all started a few months after Queen Chrysalis was defeated by Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. Equestria grew greatly, in both size and population. As thy know, we have a new city that was constructed about a month ago, solely for Equestria: Coltland." The cyan blue pegasus everypony claimed as Rainbow Dash nodded. "Is it a successful new place?" Both sisters gave a small smile. "Yes, surprisingly it is," the princess of the sun answered. "Well, if it's running successfully, I don't really see a problem here, Princess Luna," Twilight said, tilting her head ever so slightly in wonder. "The problem is not with the city itself, it is the ponies who decided to move there," Princess Celestia explained. She glanced over at one of the six, a pink Earth pony by the name of Pinkie Pie. Pinkie was lounging out on a black arm chair, eating over-buttered popcorn with colorful sprinkles over-flowing the round popcorn bowl. Her friends stared at her. Where the hay had she gotten an arm chair? "Anyways," Princess Luna chimed in, breaking both the silence and the awkwardness, "Some of thy ponies who moved into Coltland act very strangely. The nights we visit our new city, many of thy citizens of the territory are still awake. The lights are still on in the last parts of the beautiful night, and we have heard whispers all over the fair city." Since the Nightmare Night incident, the six Elements of Harmony had gotten used to the night princess' love of the use of the old Equestrian language. Twilight thought she caught her mentor rolling her eyes, but she couldn't be sure. It would make sense, however, as she had to put up with her younger sister's speech all her life; that did not count as the one thousand years Luna had been banished to the moon for. "Oh, Ah understand, you want us to go an' investigate for ya," the orange coated cowgirl pony Applejack theorized. "Well, not exactly 'investigate'... Luna, please bring me them," Celestia called to her sister. Luna trotted off, coming back with the crystal box levitating beside her. She had put the bracelet-like morphers back into the box to prevent meddling, just in case something should happen. Twilight seemed rather interested. "Spell-proof crystal, if I'm correct?" she asked her teacher. "Correct, dear Twilight. Luna, please open it and explain." "Certainly, 'Tia," the shorter sister replied, setting the box down on a nearby table. The ponies all gathered around it. Luna opened the box. Inside lay six striking silver bracelets. The mist-like gemstones were actually giving off fog, as if they could sense the mares' presence. The six shorter mares gaped at them. Finally, the other pegasus pony, Fluttershy, broke the silence. "W-what are those?" she stammered. "These are your morphers. You will need them to level up to Ultimate form," Princess Celestia stated, as though it was as easy to understand as a simple first grade math problem. Receiving blank stares and confused head tilts, she added, "You are going to be greater heroes than Equestria has ever laid eyes upon. You will be battling for peace in the midst of war." Rainbow Dash opened her cyan blue wings, flying up to the Princess; she stared at the alicorn with rose colored eyes. "Wait... so we'll be just, like, fighting the evil in the middle of a normal town?" Both Princesses nodded. Twilight Sparkle walked over to them, her straight indigo mane bobbing slightly with every step she took. It seemed like years of dead silence-except for the magical unicorn's echoing hoof steps-until she reached them. When she did, she looked up at the night princess with unblinking amethyst eyes; there was no feeling in them, nor her expression. Just blank, beautiful purple eyes. "How often would we need to fight?" Twilight asked, her expression still blank and her voice flat, as though she expected it to take a few days at the most. "About once every day and a half, I would say," Celestia answered simply. Arguments broke out almost immediately. "But what about my weather duties?" "Ah can't slack off on mah farm work. The apples need to be bucked! Ah'm not usin' battlin' as an excuse to not work." "The a-animals will b-be so l-lonely without me!" "I have a very tight schedule; a dozen of my new dresses are due in Manehatten by Thursday! Besides, I am not the type you would call on for fighting." "Fighting will only make everypony sad! I thought I was here to bring smiles to their faces, not let them down?" "And what about my studying, my magic, my tests?" Princess Luna held up a hoof. So did Princess Celestia. The objections subsided into silence. "You will all continue your normal daily basis," Luna began. "You will just take regular breaks to battle. We completely understand your reasons for not wanting to help Equestria; we will understand still if you do not wish to do this." Celestia bowed her head. The six silver bracelets sat gleaming innocently on the table-yet the bracelets held the mares' fates. Both princesses looked at the heroes of Equestria. "Please make your decision." The messy rainbow-maned pegasus in the group hesitated for a moment, then flew down to the table in front of the princesses. They smiled down at her. Rainbow Dash held out her left foreleg; a golden aura surrounded one of the six bracelets and slipped easily onto it. There was only confidence and bravery in her expression. One by one, the other heroes stepped up to Celestia, walking back with a striking silver bracelet on their left foreleg-until only Twilight Sparkle was left. Reluctantly, she walked up to the princesses. She nodded, and the last foggy-jeweled bracelet was slipped onto her foreleg. She walked back to her friends, then, to everypony's surprise, smiled. Turning back to the princesses of the sun and moon, day and night, she questioned, "When do we begin?" Princess Celestia, beaming along with Luna, explained, "You will begin next week, unless a problem arises; in that case, I will send a letter. Your training will start in two days." Princess Luna and Celestia looked at the six mares whom bared the Elements of Harmony. "Are you ready, my little ponies?" They nodded, almost in unison. "Ready."