//------------------------------//
// What Truly Matters 
// Story: Better than the Best 
// by BronyDad 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 6


What Truly Matters


"Honestly, Pinkie Pie," Applejack said as they walked along the path leading to the competition grounds, "I don't know how in tarnation you can eat all them sweets without havin' your teeth rotted clean through." 

"Good dental hygiene," Pinkie answered as she shoved an entire éclair into her mouth.

"Forget her teeth!" Rarity exclaimed.  "I am positively envious that she can eat all of that and not gain a single pound."  She gazed at the chocolate covered pastry in her friend's hoof for a moment before turning away.  "I'm afraid I'll gain five pounds just looking at it."

"It's because she's so active," Twilight said with amusement.  "She probably needs all those calories just to keep her body functioning correctly."

Fluttershy giggled.  "They do smell delicious though."  

"You want one, Fluttershy?" Pinkie offered.

"Well...if you don't mind."

Applejack rolled her eyes.  "Fluttershy, if she'd mind, do ya think she would have offered?"  When Fluttershy lowered her eyes to the ground uncertainly, Applejack placed a hoof under her chin and raised her head.  "Just say yes, sugar cube."

With a sheepish smile, Fluttershy glanced at Pinkie.  "Yes, please."

"Catch!" Pinkie cried as she launched the pastry at a startled Fluttershy.

Fluttershy quickly reared up and caught the éclair in her hooves.  "Thank you," she said softly as she took a small bite.  "Mmm, it is delicious."

"Mighty impressive reflexes ya got there, Fluttershy," Applejack stated.

Twilight caught the treat that Pinkie tossed her way with her magic and smiled as Fluttershy began to blush profusely.  Taking a bite, she said, "You're right, Fluttershy.  These are delicious."

"Gustav's really outdone himself this time!" Applejack heartily agreed as she chewed her own.     	

"I know, right!" Pinkie replied with a huge grin.  "I'm going back to his bakery this afternoon for more.  And he promised to have a special treat for me!"

"He certainly was pleasantly surprised to find us in his shop," Rarity told Twilight.  "He asked about you as well.  You really should pay him a visit before we return home."

Without warning, Pinkie suddenly shouted, "Hey, Rare!  Think fast!"

Rarity stumbled backward with a startled cry and caught the éclair with her magic mere inches from her face.  "Pinkie Pie!  Do you have any idea how long it would take me to get this goop out of my hair?"

"Hey, guys!  Did I miss anything?" Rainbow called as she swooped down to hover directly above them.

"Just some amazin' éclairs," Applejack answered.

Pinkie reared up and gripped an éclair with both hooves.  "Go long, Dashie!"

"You got it!"  

Rainbow flipped over and jetted several yards away as Pinkie hurled the pastry high into the air.  With a spectacular roll, Rainbow caught the treat and took a huge bite while her friends below cheered.  

"I got us registered," Rainbow said as she landed lightly beside Twilight.  "We're team TwiDash."

Applejack snorted.  "How creative.  Did ya come up with that all on your own?"

"It is a bit lacking in the imagination department," Rarity added.

As Rainbow scowled and started to turn away, Fluttershy stepped forward.  "I think it's cute."

Rainbow grimaced.  "I wasn't going for cute."

"Well, let's just be grateful that she didn't go with Rainbow Light," Rarity said.

"Oh!"  Pinkie began jumping up and down.  "What about Rainbow Brite?"

Simultaneously, the group of friends shuddered and voiced their distaste.

Applejack adjusted her hat.  "Y'all know what?  I reckon TwiDash ain't so bad after all."

"I think it's a great name, Dash."  Twilight smiled.

"Whatever," Rainbow replied, shifting her hooves and eyeing the others.  "Let's just get going, a lot of the other competitors are already there."

Without warning, they heard a loud belch behind them, and quickly turning around, they found Rarity standing very still with a hoof covering her mouth and a mortified expression on her face.  

"Pardon me," Rarity said in a meek voice. 

Twilight and the others erupted in laughter as Rarity hurriedly wiped the chocolate from her face with a small, pink handkerchief, and although she tried her best to look indignant, she soon joined in their mirth.   

For the next half hour, the six friends continued their trek to the competition grounds, talking and laughing as they went.  As they walked, Twilight stole several glances at Rainbow, and was relieved to see her smiling so much.    

After their encounter with Gilda and Lightning Dust, Rainbow had been furious, and their practice had suffered for it.  Every time that Twilight had attempted a maneuver, Rainbow had stopped her and corrected her for errors that she hadn't been mentioning before.  Even her back flips, which Rainbow had declared were perfect back in Ponyville, were no longer measuring up to her new standards.

Equally frustrating for Twilight was her friend's sudden one-track mind.  Once Twilight had begun practicing, she had felt a tremendous difference in her wings; the pain was completely gone, and the way the air flowed through her feathers had felt wonderful.  She had also found that she could climb higher and fly faster with less effort.  All of these changes had thrilled her, but when she had brought them to Rainbow's attention, she had simply shrugged and urged her to keep practicing. 

By the time that they had joined the others in their room, Twilight had been so angry with Rainbow that she had gone to bed early just to get away from the incensed Pegasus.  She had woken and eaten breakfast without a single word to her friend, and when Rainbow had suggested that she fly ahead and get them registered for the competition early, Twilight hadn't offered any opposition.

But as she watched Rainbow laughing with her friends now, Twilight began to feel ashamed of her anger.

She still remembered how undignified she had felt when Trixie had returned to Ponyville blaming her for all of her recent hardships.  Rainbow had every right to be mad, and Twilight realized that she should have been more sympathetic toward her instead of getting angry when she had turned her frustration on her.   	     	

"Looks like we're here," Applejack announced as they stepped out of the trees and onto the sunlit clearing.

Several small groups of ponies and Griffons were spread sporadically across the field, while overhead, several Pegasi were busy placing large, fluffy clouds around the outer edge of the field.  On the far side of the field, high in the air opposite of the bleachers, were several weather ponies at work forming an enormous cloud into what appeared to be a table.

"That's gonna be the judging panel," Rainbow told her.  

"Really?" Twilight replied.  "I would have thought that they'd be judging from the ground."

Rainbow shook her head.  "It's easier to spot mistakes in wing strokes and maneuvers when you're near the same altitude.  That's why I was always in the sky with you during your training."

"Wing strokes?" Applejack repeated.  "Are the judges really gonna be worryin' bout how y'all flap your wings?" 

"I dunno," Rainbow said with a shrug.  "I really don't remember too much about the judging, other than how they were all raving about how great I was for my age."  She straightened her back, raised her head, and gave them all a self-satisfied smile.  "That was when I first realized that my dreams of becoming a Wonderbolt could actually come true."

Suddenly, Twilight felt something tugging at her wing.  Glancing down, she found a little Griffon staring up at her with wide eyes.

"Well, hello there, little one."  Twilight smiled.

"Are you a princess?" she asked, her face aglow with wonder and excitement.

"I am."  Twilight nodded.  "My name is—"

"She is a princess!"  The little Griffon began to jump up and down enthusiastically.  "Look, Daddy!  A real live Equestrian Princess!"

Just then, a Griffon rushed forward and hurriedly pulled the child away.  Once she was behind him, he quickly dropped to a bow.  "I'm very sorry for the intrusion, Your Highness."

"Please," Twilight said as others around the field began to take notice of her, "there's no need for formalities."  She favored him with an amiable smile as he straightened.  "And there's no need to apologize."

"See?" the little Griffon said from behind her father.  "She's nice."

"That doesn't matter," he scolded.  "You should show proper respect when you approach an Equestrian Princess.  You would never tug on Prince Zephyr's wing, would you?"

The little Griffon rose up, landed on her father's back, and made a face.  "But Prince Zephyr is a dumb old boy.  Princesses are nice and pretty.  Like Princess...um..."  She cocked her head.  "What was your name again?"

Twilight laughed.  "I'm Twilight Sparkle.  And what's your name?"

"Krystle," she answered, beaming brightly.

"And I'm Nasir," her father said.  "It is a delight to meet you, Princess Twilight Sparkle.  We've traveled from The Griffon Nation to—"

"We rode on a boat!" Krystle exclaimed excitedly.  "It was super awesome!  I've never seen so much water!"

"We traveled here to enter The Annual Flying Pairs Competition," Nasir finished.  "We've heard stories of the competition and Krystle has always wanted to enter, and now that she is older, I thought that it'd be fun."

Krystle hopped off of Nasir's back.  "I also always wanted to meet an Equestrian Princess!  Daddy said that we probably wouldn't see one, but he was wrong."  She stuck her tongue out at him.  "See?  You're not always right."

Nasir rolled his eyes.  "I never said that I'm always right.  I said that you should always mind me."

With a devilish grin, Krystle leaned in closer to Twilight and whispered, "He doesn't like it when he's wrong."

"I heard that," Nasir stated as Twilight and Krystle began to giggle.

Twilight held a hoof to her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laugh.  "It's a pleasure to meet the two of you as well."  She indicated the others.  "And these are my best friends."

After Twilight finished introducing her friends, Krystle studied them for a moment and then asked, "Are any of you going to enter the tournament?"

"Me and Twilight here are entering," Rainbow stated, throwing her foreleg around Twilight's neck.  "We're team TwiDash.

"That's a silly name," Krystle giggled, causing Applejack to burst out laughing.

As Rainbow threw Applejack a scathing look, Nasir turned to Twilight.  "Wouldn't it be unfair to the other contestants to have a princess participating?"

Although Twilight could see that Nasir meant no ill will by the question, she couldn't help but feel a little annoyed that the subject had come up again.  "I'm not here as a princess, I'm here as a pony who wants to compete with her best friend.  I want to be judged by my flying skills, not my stature."

"Do you think that will be possible?"

Twilight sighed.  "I don't know...I hope so."

Rarity stepped forward.  "If it's any consolation to you, Governor Gideon has added a fourth judge to the panel to ensure Mt. Aerie's neutrality."

"Ah.  That is very pleasing to hear."  He smiled and held out his talon.  "In that case, I look forward to competing with you."

"Thank you, Nasir," Twilight said with relief as she lifted her hoof and allowed him to grasp and shake it.

"Grandpa!" Krystle suddenly shouted and then dashed away.

Startled, Twilight turned around to find Hans, his golden armor glistening in the early morning light, beaming brightly as he caught Krystle and spun her in the air before hugging her tightly. 

"You're getting so big!" Hans exclaimed.  "How old are you now?"

"Ten!" Krystle squeaked.

Hans cocked an eyebrow.  "Are you sure?"

"Well..."  Krystle looked at the ground and kicked a rock.  "Actually I'm eight."  Then she perked up.  "But I'm almost ten!"

Hans laughed and ruffled the feathers on her head.  "You'll be there before you know it.  Now, where's your father..."  He trailed off as he caught sight of Twilight, and immediately straightened his stance and held his head up higher.  

"Look, Grandpa!"  Krystle pointed at Twilight and began to jump up and down.  "It's an Equestrian Princess!"

Hans turned his back to Twilight.  "I know, sweetie, I met her yesterday." 

"Isn't she pretty?"

"Well, uh..."  Hans glanced over at Twilight, then quickly looked away.  "Yes, I suppose..."

"And she's nice too!"

"She does seem nice.  But—"

"And she wants to enter the competition!"  Krystle frowned.  "But Daddy thinks she won't be treated like everyone else because she's a princess."

"Your father is absolutely right, sweetie.  You see—"

"But she told Daddy that she doesn't want to be treated differently." 

"Well, the problem is—"

"I think it's wrong to treat her differently just because she's a princess."  Krystle looked up at him expectantly.  "Don't you think it's wrong too?"

"But sweetie, wouldn't you be sad if you lost to her just because she's a princess?"

"I guess..."  

"And the other contestants would be sad too."

"But I wouldn't be sad for long because I got to come here and see you!"

"Awww," Twilight heard Fluttershy say as Krystle hugged her grandfather around the neck.  

"She is just so precious," Rarity said.

"I guess now we know why Hans was givin' Twilight such a hard time over enterin' the competition."  Applejack grimaced as she realized that Nasir was still standing right next to her.  "Ah, I mean...uh...oh shoot."

Nasir smiled at Applejack before turning to Twilight.  "However he may have wronged you, I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive him.  Hans absolutely adores Krystle.  She is everything to him, and he knows how excited she was about this competition.  I'm sure that whatever he has done, it was in Krystle's best interest."

Twilight glanced back at Hans and found him beaming with pride as Krystle began to perform a couple of basic flips in the air.  As he applauded and cheered her on, Twilight found it difficult to believe that this was the same Griffon that had been so rude to her the day before.    	

"I'll admit that I was angry with the way he treated us," Twilight said.  "It was wrong of him to act the way he did, but now that I've met Krystle and seen what she means to him, I can't stay angry with him."

"My father is a very proud Griffon," Nasir explained.  "He is old fashioned, very strict, and set in his ways, but he is ultimately good.  I have no doubt that, if the two of you can come to an understanding, you would become good friends."

Suddenly, Krystle dashed toward them with a huge grin.  "Daddy, the cotton candy vendor is setting up over there!  Grandpa gave me money!  Let's go get some!"

"All right, honey, in just a second," Nasir replied.

Hans approached and held out his talon.  "It's great to see you, son."

"You too, dad," Nasir said as he grasped his father's claw.  "I've missed you."       

"Come on, come on, come on!" Krystle urged as she took to the air and began zigzagging impatiently.

Hans chuckled.  "You'd better go get her what she wants.  I'll see you tonight, Nasir."

Nasir nodded, and taking his daughter's talon, led her toward the vendor on the far side of the field.

Once they were a good distance away, Hans turned a scathing look on Twilight.  "It was very low of you to try and use my granddaughter against me as you did."

Stunned by the accusation, Twilight took a step back and tried to gather her thoughts, but before she could retort, Rainbow was suddenly standing in front of her.

"Now, hold it right there, buddy," Rainbow barked.  "How could she have possibly known who your granddaughter was?"

Applejack lowered her head.  "Maybe if ya stopped makin' all these crazy accusations and just tried to get to know Twilight, you might like her."

"That's enough, girls," Twilight said before turning her attention back to Hans.  "It's clear that Krystle is very precious to you, and I know that you want to make sure that she has a fair chance of winning.  That is perfectly understandable, as is your anger toward me, but I hope that we will be able to find a way passed this and come to respect one another."

Hans's eyes narrowed.  "You're asking for my respect?  You don't ask for respect, you earn it."  He stepped closer to Applejack and looked her straight in the eyes.  "You want me to get to know her?  Why?  Is she only likeable after you've befriended her?"

Applejack gritted her teeth as she glared back at him, but said nothing.  After a moment, Hans turned his gaze back to Twilight.  "I don't know what the Governor and Overwatch see in you, but I'll tell you what I see.  I see a common Unicorn that managed to become Princess Celestia's pet, and rode coattails to the throne."

"Coattails?!" Pinkie brayed.

Hans rounded on Pinkie.  "Did her brother not marry into royalty?"

"That's got nothing to do with it."  Rainbow snorted, her ears flat against her head as her hoof began stomping the ground.  "She earned her crown through lots of study and hard work."

"Hard work, you say?"  Hans puffed out his chest and beat a clawed fist against his golden breastplate.  "I didn't achieve the rank of Grand Admiral of The Griffon Nation's Air Forces by sitting around with my beak in a book.  I proved myself time and time again on the battlefield and rose through the ranks."  He raised his head high and stared down his beak at Twilight.  "Twenty years it took me to attain that stature.  Twenty years.  And when the wild bird clans of the north threatened, I was by Prince Zephyr's side, and together we quelled their thirst for conquest.  I earned my title through blood, sweat, and dedication."  Hans smirked at Rainbow.  "Hard work, indeed."  

"Princess Twilight has accomplished many great deeds," Rarity stated with a scowl.  "She defeated Discord, restored the Crystal Empire, and saved the Tree of Harmony to name just a few."

"Yes."  Hans rolled his eyes.  "And I've heard the stories that Griffons tell of Prince Zephyr.  And as great and powerful as he is, he isn't nearly as great and powerful as the stories claim.  I'm sure the same is true for Twilight."  He turned his back to them.  "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some judges I need to speak with."

Unsure of what to say, Twilight simply stared as Hans took to the air.  

Could Hans possibly be right?  What had she done that was so great that she deserved her title?  Sure, she had accomplished the tasks that Rarity had mentioned, but Star Swirl the Bearded had accomplished feats just as difficult, and he was never made a prince.  

"Don't you listen to him none, Twilight," Applejack said.  "He has no idea what he's talkin' bout.  We all saw ya complete that spell and what happened after.  We all know that you earned your place."

Twilight hung her head.  "I'm not so sure..."		              

"But what about all those things Rarity just said?" Pinkie asked.  "And Princess Celestia is the one that sent you that book.  She believes that you deserve it."

"Princess Celestia has always been especially fond of me."  Twilight shook her head.  "How do we know that her fondness hasn't caused her to make a mistake?" 

The others exchanged worried looks but remained silent; none of them knowing what to say to their friend.  As she watched them struggle to find a way to help her, Twilight remembered what she had told Hans the day before.

I owe everything I have to them.  In fact, I wouldn't even be a princess if it weren't for them.

They were the reason she'd made it this far.  All of her past accomplishments were due to their love and dedication to her.  Why had she ascended to an Alicorn while they remained the same?  Why had she received a crown and title in place of them?  What kind of princess could only face her trials if her friends were by her side?

Finally, Rainbow stepped forward.  "Look, we can't answer that right now, but you know what?  I don't need an answer."  She poked Twilight in the chest.  "I know that you totally deserve it.   But even if Celestia did make a mistake, you still prove on a day to day basis that you deserve it."

Twilight cocked an eyebrow.  "How so?"

"It's in the strength you show every day," Rainbow replied.  "The way you deal with how differently ponies treat you now, your determination to learn to fly, but most importantly of all, it's the way you always put everypony ahead of yourself."  Rainbow flashed her a grin.  "Now, I don't know too much about royalty, but that's gotta count for something."

Maybe Rainbow was right.  Even if her becoming a princess had been a mistake, she could still prove herself worthy through hard work and dedication. 

Not wanting her friends to worry about her anymore, Twilight smiled and nuzzled Rainbow.  "Thanks, Rainbow."	

Rainbow nuzzled her back.  "Anytime."  

Without warning, a voice from above shouted, "Why don't you two get a room?" 

Twilight looked up to find Lightning Dust making kissy faces at the two of them.  Before she could react, Rainbow roughly shoved her away and yelled up at Lightning, "Why don't you mind your own business?"

Caught off guard, Twilight stumbled but managed to keep her balance as she heard Lightning say, "Wow, I get doing whatever it takes to win, but isn't that going a bit too far?"

"Shut up!" Rainbow shouted.

Lightning laughed as she flipped around and soared to the far end of the field.   

"Don't listen to her, Rainbow," Twilight said as she placed a hoof on her shoulder.  "She has no idea what it's like to have such a close friend."

Rainbow brushed off her hoof and turned away.  "Whatever."

Anger flashed through Twilight as she glared at the back of her friend's head.  She understood why Rainbow felt so humiliated, but didn't care.  Her friend's words had meant a lot, and she had thought that they were sharing something special.  How could Rainbow let Lightning Dust ruin such a moment so easily?     	  

"You're going to have to make a choice, Dash," Twilight finally said, struggling to keep her voice even.  "If we're going to compete today, then you need to decide which is more important; our friendship or your reputation." 

"Seriously?!"  Rainbow rounded on her.  "So, I'm the bad guy now, huh?"

"Well...you sure aren't acting like my friend."

Rainbow's ears flattened against her head.  "What the hay do you mean by that?"

Her ears flattening as well, Twilight lowered her head.  "It means that I won't stand for being shoved to the curb the moment our friendship embarrasses you."

"Fine!"  Rainbow ran a hoof through her mane in frustration.  "I'm sorry I pushed you, all right?  But what was I supposed to do?  You heard Lightning Dust.  The last thing I need is to have her running around telling everypony that I'm being mushy with the princess."

"What does that matter?" Twilight demanded.  "We're best friends!  Of course we're going to act sentimental toward one another from time to time."

"It matters a lot," Rainbow retorted.  "I'm in the Wonderbolt Reserves now.  Ponies are going to start hearing about me, and my reputation is going to be more important now than it ever has before."

Twilight had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from saying something that she would regret later.  She was so sick and tired of hearing about how Rainbow was in the Wonderbolt Reserves and how important she thought her stupid reputation was, and she was sick and tired of her friend's selfishness.

"All right."  Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  "I'll accept your apology for now, but if we get out there and you do something like that again, I'm finished."

"You'd quit?"  Rainbow blinked.  "You wouldn't."

"I'll stand up for myself, Rainbow Dash, and if quitting is the only way to get through to you, then yes, I will."

She turned and walked away, leaving Rainbow to think on her words.  She felt absolutely miserable for having told her that she'd quit, but it was the only thing she could think of that would sink into that mare's thick skull.  

Twilight frowned up at the sky as Gilda rocketed by overhead.  As long as those two were competing, Rainbow wasn't going to be herself.  She just hoped that her friend could discern what was truly important to her before she let her pride ruin the competition.