//------------------------------// // Twilight's Kingdom // Story: Two Background Ponies Revisit Season Four // by Piccolo Sky //------------------------------// Twilight’s Kingdom The wedding reception wasn't exactly as "happy-looking" as one would think. The decorations that hadn't been ruined or transformed were in tatters. Most of the guests...in fact, pretty much all of them...were still looking rather messed up, haggard, and a bit distraught. The reception looked hastily rebuilt, and half of the entertainment still hadn't shown up, as well as the photographers. As a result, the wedding party up front seemed a bit "shell-shocked". Among them were the stallion and mare of the hour, both of whom had hastily readjusted their own clothing and were trying their best to smile and forget what had delayed the entire ceremony for about six hours...and the best stallion nearby who was looking rather composed. They were only slowly eating the now-cold dinner that had been prepared. As the groom, a certain blue-colored stallion, slowly picked at his food, and a certain green one sat nearby waiting on the dessert cookies, no one said anything for a bit. Finally, the groom exhaled. "A Canterlot wedding... Once in a lifetime event... The one favor that Princess Celestia owed us..." He paused, and exhaled. "...On the one day some demon crossed with a centaur comes into town, sucking out pony essence." He paused, then suddenly quivered in a bit of anger as his voice rose. "I've never even grown a crop in my entire life!!" Dawn, the bride, quickly leaned over and tried to calm Sam down. As for Carl, he could only give a shrug. "...I don't want to say I told you so about being overdue for a disaster, Sam..." "You said overdue for a disaster in Ponyville!" "Well, you should have known weddings and Canterlot don't mix! Besides, at least we aren't those poor bastards who went to the Saturday morning story reading at the Golden Oak Library! They're still trying to find pieces of half of the fillies alone..." "Carl, shut up about the remains of kids at my wedding reception. And how come you don't look as bad as the rest of us? Didn't that thing try to siphon your energy out of you too?" "...Yeah, but when he started uncontrolably asking questions about how ponies put on ties in Canterlot and how Prince Blueblood is related to Princess Celestia and Luna, he said I could have it." "Lucky bastard..." "Are you kidding?! Do you want to know how he gave it back? It wasn't a rainbow shockwave, I'll tell you that. More like he bent over and-" "Shut up... Carl, just...shut up...and let's enjoy what's left of my reception." The green stallion went quiet after that. Time passed a bit longer. The two finished their dinner, and out came the cookies. Again, ponies tried to look more upbeat. After all, the day was saved. And once the musicians were rounded up, hopefully they could finally get the first dance out of the way and the party really going. As the plate came down, both friends grabbed a cookie and started to eat. Both were still quiet as they finished their first. Sam, wanting more sugar today, quickly grabbed another one. Carl did too, but didn't start to eat it right away. A moment passed. He paused, and finaly looked up to his friend. "...That was totally the Cell Saga, by the way." Sam groaned and slammed his cookie down. He began to rub the bridge of his nose with a hoof. "...It wasn't the Cell Saga." "A villain has been hiding in the shadows for a long time going around absorbing ponies in order to get strong enough to take over the world..." "Carl..." "He's driven to absorb the power of the strongest individuals in Equestria to make his power 'complete'..." "Carl, I don't want to hear it..." "He changes form with the more power he absorbs..." "Just because..." "Ultimately he challenges the hero of the world to a fight for supremacy and they blow up the landscape knocking each other into the ground and mountains..." "It's similar, I'll admit that, but..." "He threatens to kill the hero's friends and ultimately that leads to his downfall..." "Carl, for my wedding present, could you just-" "She almost loses because she intervenes to save a former villain who says he's 'sorry' for the first time in his life." "..." "Princess Twilight Sparkle went Super Pony-Jin along with her friends, Sam." "Look...Just because an alicorn princess and her friends unlock a source of new power doesn't mean-" "Sam...a guy who is a big, daring hunk tried to take out the villain only to get smacked down with one hit." Sam went silent. Carl stared at him in response, not saying any more. Time slowly passed. Finally, Sam sighed and thunked his head on the table. "...That was the Cell Saga." Carl gave a shrug. "Well...I guess it doesn't really matter. At least everyone has their power back now, the infernal symbol is back in Tartarus or Hell or whatnot, and when we get back to Ponyville we'll be officially in the feudal system...which...I guess is alright... I wonder where that castle sprung up?" --- Many miles away in Ponyville...the remains of Carl's apartment continued to burn as firefighter ponies in vain tried to put it out...the end result of sunlight being focused from the massive crystaline sparkle at the top of Princess Twilight Sparkle's new castle like an oversized magnifying glass. Meanwhile, far below, in the actual main throne room of the castle, a certain six ponies, a baby dragon, and a dracoequis were heard singing a song... "We're knights of the round spark-le," "In an order mat-ri-arch-al," "We do routines and chorus scenes with hoofwork that is art-ful," "It's a busy life in Ponyville..." Then a deep bass: "I have to pay the phone-y bill." Farther away, on the outskirts of town, a gang of armored Equestrian knights turned away from the shadow of the castle and began head back to the country. "On second thought, let's not go to Ponyville. It is a silly place..." --- And there you have it! Season Four in a nutshell! I can’t believe it took us six months to do all of this… Feel up for Season Five, Carl? Maybe if the author develops a sense of humor, Sam… Let’s just hope next season’s quickies aren’t a bunch of jumps over sharks… After that season finale, Carl? It’s going to have to be that or we get a homosexual pony in town… And you at home thought Derpy was controversial! Goodnight, everypony!