//------------------------------// // Riddles, Sisters, and Seeing the World // Story: Legacy of Illumination // by Metool Bard //------------------------------// Here's a riddle for you Firefly: What occurs twice in a week, once in a year, but never in a day? A riddle, huh? Well, at least it's not you being obsessed with flightless birds. The answer is the letter E. Yeah, I may be old, but my mind is still as sharp as a tack. What does your sister do? Medley? Oh, she's a singer, and a damn fine one at that. You can usually find her at any given theater hall entertaining ponies with that melodious voice of hers. Even now, she continues to be an Equestria-wide sensation, and I couldn't be happier for her. In fact, I suppose you could say she's part of the reason I formed the Wonderbolts. See, although we're sisters, Medley and I couldn't be more different if we tried. I was willing to put my life on the line to defend our nation; Medley has always detested violence of any kind. I was a star flyer in Flight Camp; Medley dropped out due to lack of interest. I flew circles around Scylla; Medley could barely fly one lap around Cloudsdale without getting winded. Of course, there's plenty of stuff she can do that I can't. For instance, I couldn't sing even if my life depended on it (thank Celestia it never did). In a perfect world, there would be nothing wrong with that. However, we didn't live in a perfect world. Back when we were growing up, most ponies in Cloudsdale tended to fall into one of three camps: Athletes, weather engineers, or soldiers. Medley didn't fall into any of those categories. Not to say she was the only pegasus in Cloudsdale who felt that way; I'm sure there were others. But that didn't change the fact that she had a lot of difficulty fitting in. Oh, she had a few friends, but even they thought she was a bit of an odd duck. Actually, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't feel that way about her from time to time. But as I got older and began opening my mind to different ideas, I started to question this sort of thing. My parents always taught us that we shouldn't feel pressured to fall into the stereotypes of pre-unification times. In fact, they encouraged Medley to follow her dreams of being a singer, despite what some close-minded schmucks thought. So she spent her time singing to birds instead of making rainclouds or fighting monsters. Was that really such a bad thing? I certainly never loved her any less. But what really got on my case was when some particularly cynical dock-hole would claim that she wasn't really a pegasus. That has never made sense to me. Medley still had wings like the rest of us. She could still walk on clouds like the rest of us. She could still fly like the rest of us. What makes her any less of a pegasus than a pony like me? The fact that she has different interests? The fact that she's not a walking stereotype from the old days? If that's how you define what a pony is, then I think somepony is due for a major reality check. Medley was living proof that pegasi could be more than just proud warriors or meteorologists. And when I formed the Wonderbolts, I wanted us to broadcast that message to every corner of Equestria. So far, I think we've been doing a bang-up job. Though to be fair, we'd probably be struggling with that if it wasn't for Medley's help. I mentioned before that I'm a military pony. I was trying to promote the Wonderbolts as something more than a branch of the EUP; specifically as stunt flyers and performers. However, while my special talent is inspiring others, I had very little knowledge about being an entertainer. I didn't know the ins and outs of booking venues or selling our act or anything of that nature. Luckily, Medley wanted the Wonderbolts to succeed just as much as I did. She and Star Catcher took it upon themselves to teach me everything I needed to know about working in the entertainment industry, and I'm very grateful that they did. But Medley's influence didn't stop there. Because she was a famous singer, she was in contact with some pretty famous ponies. The most noteworthy example I can think of is when she introduced me to the famous fashion designer, Flaire de Mare. She thought that our uniforms needed a massive update to fit the current fashion trends. Seeing as I never followed such things, well, ever, I just decided to take her word for it. Besides, I will admit that I had been getting complaints about our uniforms being itchy and uncomfortable. Mostly from Star Catcher. Lieutenant de Mare now serves the Wonderbolts as our tailor and PR pony. While I doubt she will ever see any combat, I'm very grateful for her service. And I wouldn't have met her if it wasn't for my dear sister Medley. ... Wait, what was the question again? Oh, just what Medley does. Sorry about that, Mr. Book. I got a bit lost in my nostalgia for a second there. I hope that's not a problem. It seems you've done a lot of traveling. Where else have you gone in the world? How was it different from your home? Did you like it? Well, of course I've done a lot of traveling. I live in Cloudsdale, which is a mobile city by design. Heck, any pegasus who lives here can claim that they've seen every corner of Equestria, and they're probably right. I can't say with full certainty that I've seen everything Equestria has to offer, but it sure does feel like it. And it's not just because of Cloudsdale, either. During peacetime, the Wonderbolts have been known to tour Equestria, performing stunt shows all across the nation. I've been to Manehattan, Canterlot, Norneigh, Prance, and plenty of other cities besides. Of course, none of them were like Cloudsdale. For one, you can only live in Cloudsdale if you're a pegasus. No other city in Equestria has that problem. Because of this, I see ponies of all different tribes and all different walks of life living side-by-side. It's a breath of fresh air, honestly. Like I said, you really can't get that kind of diversity in Cloudsdale, and it always brings a smile to my face when I see that sort of thing. The only other major difference is the culture, I suppose. Some town were founded by Earth Ponies; others by unicorns. And more often than not, the city tends to reflect its roots. I always found it quite enriching that we're all so different, yet we still stand under the same banner. But the most noteworthy place I've been to actually wasn't in Equestria at all. It was the prestigious city of Griffonstone. I mentioned before how Commander Hurricane and my grandfather used to fight against the Griffon Hoards back in the day. Well, back then, griffons weren't united like they are today. They valued gold over all else, and they would do anything to get it. But then, King Grover discovered a treasure known as the Idol of Boreas. This idol united the hoards into a single kingdom, and the griffons became a proud and honorable culture as a result. At least, that's how they tell it. And it must be said that Griffonstone is as prestigious as they claim. Manehattan may have its brownstone buildings, and Prance may have some of the most stunning architecture I've ever seen. But nopony can deny that Griffonstone has a certain majesty that no other city in Equestria has been able to capture. Maybe it's the noble statues standing outside their prized library, or perhaps it's the quaint straw huts that serve as a sharp contrast to the great castle overlooking the entire kingdom. Or maybe it's just those delicious griffon scones they love to sell. Either way, there's not much bad I could say about that place. Well, okay. One thing. Everywhere we went, we couldn't get anything done unless we paid someone with bits. Now, I don't have problem with paying for stuff, but there's a point where it just gets ridiculous. Paying for room and board? Perfectly acceptable. Paying to ask for directions? A bit strange, but okay. Paying the guard just to get into the castle? And then paying another guard to be let into the throne room? And then paying another guard just to have the privilege to speak to the king? I'm sorry, that's just excessive. By the time we had left, we were flat broke! They really should do something about that custom. I can't imagine it being good for tourism. Then again, I'm not a griffon. It's really not my place to judge how they run things. Heck, I'm sure griffons find us strange because we don't charge money for every little thing. Did your military career ever take you to a frozen tundra? Did you meet any penguins? I hear they're extremely psychotic. And we're back to the flightless bird thing again. If you're referring to the Frozen North, yes, I have been there. You actually need to travel through that area in order to get to Griffonstone. Like the Everfree Forest, the weather engineers in Cloudsdale have never been able to control what goes on there. It always snows no matter what. And the worst part is that you can't tell how severe the weather is going to be up there until you're in the thick of it. Because of this, most pegasi treat the Frozen North as a no-fly zone. The trip to Griffonstone was actually one of the few times we took the train instead of just flying out to the city. We didn't meet any penguins, though. Sorry, Mr. Book.