"Recruits," began Commander Hurricane, speaking to the dozens of pegasus soldiers lined up before him, "I must take my leave. Today I embark on a journey to find a new land, uninhabited by the unicorns and the earth ponies." Some of the soldiers whooped, but a loud "Atten-tion!" from their commander was enough to silence them. "Save your celebration until I'm done, or I'll never finish!" He cleared his throat and continued. "I do not know where I'm going, or how long I'll be gone. I cannot promise when I'll return, only that I will. I'm Commander Hurricane, after all," he smirked, and a chuckle spread throughout the soldiers. "You may be wondering who will be joining me. Unfortunately, due to lack of rations, it would be best if the scouting crew remains small. As such, only my adviser and I will be going. Once we find the new land and ensure we can survive there, we shall return to begin our emigration. At ease."
The cadets dispersed, heading toward their morning tasks. Private Wings looked at Private Pansy, their eyes meeting as she walked by. Wings smirked, and Pansy blushed, embarrassed, and walked faster away from her toward the administration building. She knew what Gossamer was thinking, and she knew that heading toward Hurricane's office was only going to provide more fodder for her incessant teasing. Yet, somewhat ironically, Hurricane's office was still one of the few places left in the compound where she felt the farthest from Gossip's eye.
She turned the first corner into the hallway, and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Her wings had been tense since Gossip's eyes had met hers, and were starting to feel sore as they finally relaxed. She walked to Hurricane's office, standing outside the door in wait for him.
Soon, Commander Hurricane appeared at the end of the hall. Pansy held her salute from the moment she saw him.
"At ease, soldier."
She lowered her hoof and followed him into his office. "Permission to speak freely, Sir?"
"Permission granted, Private."
"When will we be going, Sir?"
"As soon as we can. I don't want to stay in this land of unicorn snobs and earthy foals any longer than I have to. We'll gather a week's worth of rations for the both of us before we go."
"If it takes longer than that, Sir, we'll have to scavenge or barter."
"Mighty warriors do not scavenge!"
"We can't be mighty warriors if we have no food. And we won't be leaving as mighty warriors. You said it yourself at roll call this morning, Commander: we'll be going as scouts. If we go as mighty warriors, we'll be seen as intruders."
There was a pause, then Commander Hurricane broke the silence, his voice slightly softened. "Once we've left our territory, there's something I want to talk to you about."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Princess Platinum and Clover the Clever traveled through the snow away from her father's castle, passing through the trees, which become more densely packed the farther in they walked.
"This is taking forever," Princess Platinum complained. "Ouch. My hooves are killing me."
"That's probably because you galloped all the way back to your father's castle from the summit last night."
"How long have we been walking, Clover?"
"About five minutes, Your Highness. You can still see the castle behind us."
The princess turned her head. "Oh. You're right. Well, I can't just keep walking on sore hooves the whole time. I need to rest up for a bit." The grey princess's head turned toward her purple assistant. "Say, I don't suppose I could ride on your back for a while?"
Sweet Celestia, she's actually being serious right now, isn't she? I thought the whole "Princess Platinum rides Clover the Clever" thing was just something that was added to the Hearth's Warming story to add some humor. "Fine," the purple alicorn replied, "just give me a minute to make sure you'll be comfortable. I really hope she won't feel my wings. Hmm, this could work. Twilight rummaged through one of the over-packed saddlebags and took a spare blanket out of it, folding it neatly over her back. She knelt down, letting Platinum sit atop her (sitting sideways, her hind legs draped over one side as any proper lady sits on a horse), and struggled to stand back up.
"Oh, you're struggling," Platinum noticed. "I'm not overweight, am I?"
"Not at all, Your Majesty. It's just that I've never carried anything heavier than a foal before." Spike weighed about as much as a foal, right? "I'll adjust." Twilight cast a quick spell to temporarily increase her strength and endurance, and started walking again.
"Looks like I got on your back just in time. Monokere forbid I chance soiling my robes in that river."
Twilight looked ahead. There certainly was a river, not a tiny stream as the Hearth's Warming pageant had suggested. It made sense, after all; a tiny stream would have frozen over weeks ago. Here, though, only the edges were iced over and the rest flowed too quickly to freeze.
"Okay, we have three options." Flying is a fourth option, but one that's out of the question right now for several reasons. "First, we could find another way around, like a bridge or a section where the bank on either side is closer to each other."
"No. that may take too long, and we already have a head start on the other tribes" Platinum protests.
I... can neither confirm nor deny that. "Second, I could try to jump across. I think I can make it."
"And risk dropping me? I think not!"
"I didn't think you'd like that idea."
"What's the third option?"
"The fastest option: I teleport us across. Have you ever teleported before?"
"Heavens, no. That's a very advanced spell. Only you and Star Swirl are known to be able to cast it."
"It's a spell that requires a lot of concentration and energy. The distance a pony can travel depends on how much energy they have available, so it's not a useful spell to use very soon after using other spells or if a unicorn isn't very magically gifted in the first place. As the distance traveled increases linearly, the amount of concentration increases exponentially in order to teleport accurately. I've known how to teleport for years, though, so you're in good hooves. Ready?"
"Not really. What does teleporting feel like?"
"It's a strange feeling, neither pleasant nor unpleasant. More like a sudden tingle that eventually dissipates. You get used to it the more you teleport."
Platinum wrapped her forelegs around Twilight's neck. "Do it quickly, before I change my mind."
Twilight nodded, her horn glowing, and teleported them across. Instantly they landed on the other side. Platinum still held onto Twilight, her eyes shut tight. Twilight tapped the mare's hoof, causing her to open her eyes.
"It happened already? I didn't feel anything."
Twilight giggled. "I think you were too tense to feel anything else, Your Highness."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Relief?" Chancellor Puddinghead's voice rolled out over the mountainside, continuing a conversation about an upside-down map and whether or not up and down were what everypony said they were that they'd been having for several minutes. The vanilla-coated mare turned to face her tan companion, an expression of anger on her face. "You don't need relief! If anypony needs relief around here, it's me! I'm a chancellor, a big shot! You're just my..." At this her face and voice softened, realizing what she was about to say. "Um..."
Smart Cookie cocked an eyebrow. "Your what?" she challenged the chancellor.
"I was going to say secretary, but that's not at all just what you are. You're my friend."
The two continued on in silence for several more minutes. Cookie looked at her friend. Any other pony might have thought nothing was wrong, but Cookie knew her friend better than that. Behind Puddinghead's firm, neutral expression, her eyes betrayed her actions. Like the night before in the Chancellor's Mansion, Puddinghead was in serious thought, and like the night before, Cookie didn't pressure her into speaking until she was ready to. When she finally did, her voice was softer than usual.
"Cookie, how did I get elected?"
Puddinghead had asked Smart Cookie this same question several times since her election. Sometimes she had asked with the same softened voice. "The vast majority of earth ponies who chose to vote in the election voted for you." That answer had always satisfied the chancellor in the past.
"Well, yeah, that's how. You've told me that before. But why was I elected?"
Uh-oh. "What do you mean, Chancellor?"
"I've heard what some ponies have said about me. I've been called silly, foalish, a marechild, and more. I always thought they were joking, but after what Princess Platinum said at the summit and what I was just about to say to you... they weren't joking, were they?"
Smart Cookie sighed. "I'm afraid not, Puddin'."
"So how did I get elected?"
"Your poll numbers were always lower than the other candidates. You were called silly, foalish, and other things. A lot of them also thought you weren't actually lookin' to get elected, but simply lookin' for attention."
"Of course I was, but that was just part of it. What pony receives more attention than the leader of all of them?"
"I heard what they were sayin'. I saw what their words were gonna do to you if they kept talkin', so I decided to help you with your campaign. Your ratings rose as the public saw a mare that loved fun but was also highly intelligent." Puddinghead looked at Cookie, a pained expression in her eyes. "I didn't mean you weren't intelligent, Chancellor. I've known you long enough to know that your intelligence just tends to be expressed differently than other ponies'. Like you say, you think outside the box, which allows you to think inside the chimney. I don't know anypony else who would think of that. What I'm saying is that the other ponies saw goofiness where I saw intelligence, and after I joined your campaign I worked to bring out that intelligence, as well as addin' more than a few tidbits of my own to help you along."
"Why didn't you run for Chancellor, Cookie? You're probably better at it than I am anyway."
"Regardless of how good I am at it, I'm not that interested in politics. You're my friend, and I'd rather help you with your interests. Besides, working alongside you these past couple years has been fun. Ain't that what matters?"
Puddinghead smiled.
Some time later
The two princesses traversed side by side across an open plain. They had long left the snowy landscapes many miles behind them. Ahead of them, a wide stretch of mountains spread across the horizon, a jagged border between green grass and blue sky. The sun glinted off the mountains, causing cascades of faint rainbows to spread across the land.
"I don't think that's fair at all," said Princess Platinum, breaking a silence that had settled comfortably between them not long ago.
"What's not fair?"
"That mountain range is shining. Stone isn't supposed to sparkle like that! Alas, my cutie mark remains dull like pewter."
"It may not remain dull forever, Princess."
"What do you mean?"
"The light we see when we receive our cutie marks isn't the only time they glow. It's incredibly rare, but I've seen them glow when a pony rediscovers who they're meant to be. When they let the magic in their hearts stay true." Seeing Rara's cutie mark shine during her performance that night at the Helping Hooves festival forever placed that event as one of her favorites, and though she didn't see it for herself, Diamond Tiara's cutie mark glowed not long before that.
Twilight had seen Platinum's cutie mark once, a rare occurrence since she always wore her robes or another formal gown. It reminded Twilight of the cutie mark on Diamond Tiara's flank, a five-pointed crown, though Platinum's was a dark gray over the light gray of her coat. Wow I just realized how similar Princess Platinum's colors are to Silver Spoon's. They're almost exactly the same. I'm sure it's just coincidence, though. There can only be so many color combinations in a thousand years, after all.
Twilight looked at the mountain range ahead of them. Sure enough, it was sparkling in the midday sun. Squinting her eyes, she saw why: the mountains were covered in gems. "The mountains appear to be covered in jewels, Your Majesty." Wait, I recognize the shape of these mountains. That's Unicorn Range! Mom and Dad brought Shining Armor and me here once when I was a filly. There weren't any gems there back then. They must have all been mined out over the next thousand years.
Platinum's eyes immediately shone as bright as the mountains. "Jewels? What are we waiting for, Clover?"
They hurried toward the mountains. Once they reached the bottom, they climbed and jumped from ledge to ledge until they were about halfway up. Platinum's eyes glazed over more than once during the trek as she reveled in the sight.
"Oh, I've never seen such jewels!" She pressed her hooves against the exposed gems and gazed at them for a while, as if at her own reflection. She cleared her throat and placed all four hooves on the stony ledge. "Clover, I have made a decision. This is the land we have been searching for. These jewels shall become the centerpiece of the new unicorn society. As my first act as princess of our new land, I hereby declare this mountain range and its surrounding areas to be called 'Unicornia'!"
This was the part of the pageant where the three tribes realized they'd all discovered the same land. Twilight's eyes scanned the ground at the foot of the mountains. Sure enough, she saw two earth ponies inspecting the ground. She looked up and saw two armored pegasi, one of whom was looking down at them.
"Uh, Princess? You might want to look at the ground and to the clouds. You may not like what you're going to see."
"Why? What --" Her words halted when she saw the ridiculous outfit of the Earth Chancellor, and though she didn't want to, she looked up, seeing two armored pegasi looking down on them from the edge of a cloud. "Oh, for goodness's sake!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Permission to speak freely, Sir?"
"Yes, Private. And again, you don't have to ask when it's just us."
"Sorry, Sir. You said there was something you wanted to talk to me about."
Hurricane sighed. "Pansy..." he said, quieter and softer than his usual tone. His yellow companion looked at him. He rarely called her by her given name, and she'd never heard him speak so gently. He cleared his throat and began again.
"Private, do you know why I made you my adviser?"
"No, Sir."
"Have you ever wondered why?"
"Only when the other Privates in my barrack tease me about us."
"Us?"
"Oh! Um, Private Wings sometimes teases me, saying we have a relationship, especially after meetings that go until sundown."
"I had no idea. I'll have to speak to Private Wings about her conduct. However, she's... not completely wrong."
"Sir?"
"When I chose you as my adviser, I didn't care what my adviser would look like. I didn't care how much knowledge or might my adviser might know about the military or war strategy. In short, I didn't want somepony who would be like me. I chose a Private because of their lack of knowledge. Fresh eyes, as it were. And I chose you because you avoided confrontation.
"I'd watched the new classes of recruits many times after I'd decided to take on an adviser. They were all fine soldier material, eager to fight any opponent they encountered. I found few who preferred to avoid conflict, fewer still who would admit it.
"When I watched your class, there was only you who fit my criteria. You were the first recruit to openly admit to being a pacifist. Why, then, did you enlist in the military?"
"I enlisted because my mother wanted me to. She thought I would get over my foolishness if I was confronted with it every day. She wanted me to be like her, Sir. Lance Corporal Schmuckadilly, Sir."
"Schmuckadilly is your mother?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Did you know she's the reason we have some of our... stranger policies? In any case, Pegasus and Pegase prepared your path here. Don't change who you are, Private, just because somepony doesn't like it."
"Even my mother?"
"Especially your mother. Parents tend to be narrow-minded when thinking of their children's futures, especially when they couldn't or wouldn't live up to their potential when they should have." He paused a moment. "What were we talking about before we were talking about your mother?"
"Why you chose me as your adviser, Sir."
"Ah, yes. I chose you because, as a pacifist, you have no business in the military. I wanted somepony calm to offset my brashness. I wanted somepony who used their brains more often than their brawn. Over the last few years, I've become more aware of the dead end of responding with battle and have worked to stop resorting to violence so soon. So I chose you.
"It was after you started advising me that I realized how lucky I'd gotten. You're not just a pacifist; you're a tactician. You don't just want to avoid conflict; you're smart about how to do so. And over time, I came to realize that you're a beautiful mare in all aspects."
Pansy felt her cheeks grow warmer. "Sir, are you saying --"
"That I'm attracted to you? Yes. I've never been very comfortable expressing myself."
"Maybe not, but the way you said it was poetic."
"You think so? Maybe because I've been practicing how to say it for weeks. I realize the scandal this could cause, a private in a relationship with her superior officer --"
"I'm afraid I can't feel the same way, Commander," Private Pansy interrupted. Hurricane slowed, and Pansy continued. "You're right about how I avoid conflict. Right now, the best way to prevent any future complications is to say it now and avoid any chance of a scandal. You're big, strong, smart, and wise. You're firm but gentle when you need to be. But I'm unable to view you as anything other than my commanding officer. That doesn't mean I never will, though. Maybe one day when our militaristic society is no longer as necessary we can think about this again, but nopony knows how long that might be."
The two flew in silence for about a minute before Commander Hurricane broke the silence. "Thank you for being direct, Private, and you're absolutely right."
"You hid it well, though."
Hurricane smirked. "Years of practice while I rose the in rank. Say, Private Pansy, what do you see around us?"
"Forests, green grass. A very tall mountain ahead and to the left and probably up ahead as well."
"What does that tell you?"
It took a moment, but Pansy soon understood what he was talking about. "Trees! Grass! No clouds or snow!"
"Bank left, Private. We're going to take up scouting positions on the clouds surrounding the mountaintop up ahead."
The two landed and separated, walking near the edge of the clouds in opposite directions to cover more ground quickly. They looked for movement, finding none. They looked for farmlands, finding plenty. Soon, they were able to see each other around the mountaintop again.
"Private, report findings."
"I have detected no sign of hostiles, Sir, and plenty of healthy trees and acres of grass."
"I've found the same, Private." Hurricane grinned. "Pansy, this is it! This is the land we've been looking for! What do you think we should call it?" Pansy shrugged. "Why don't we pay homage to our ancestors, then? Pegasopalis!"
"That sounds like a wonderful name, Sir." Pansy looked across the rolling hills beneath them. Her gaze fell on a particularly high hill. "Ooh, that hill looks nice. I bet a house would have a lovely view from there."
"Which hill?" Pansy pointed her hoof at at it, and Hurricane's gaze followed where she was pointing. Hurricane saw the hill in question, but his eyes also caught movement on the ground and on the side of the mountain range up ahead. Looking closer, he recognized the outfits of two of the individuals: Chancellor Puddinghead and Princess Platinum had avoided detection and were inspecting the land he'd just claimed.
"I don't believe it."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two earth pony mares wandered, seemingly aimlessly, across the land. They had long since left the snow of their former land behind. Chancellor Puddinghead was bouncing across the ground, landing every few feet or so. Smart Cookie followed close behind, walking normally.
Bounce. "No." Bounce. "No." Bounce. "No." Bounce. "Yes!" She marked the ground before continuing on. Bounce. "No."
Smart Cookie dug at the ground where the chancellor had marked it. She found very fertile soil where her friend had marked it, but stopped digging after Puddinghead had said "no" a few more times.
"It's been too long since we've done this, Cookie."
"You're right, Puddin'. We haven't done this since we were lookin' for treasure in the forest behind our houses when we were fillies."
Puddinghead continued bouncing away from the forest, farther into the treeless plains. "No. No. Yes. No. Yes. Yes. Yes! Cookie, that's three in a row!"
Smart Cookie smiled. "I know! Keep goin'."
They continued on toward the middle of the plains, bouncing and running faster, the white mare chanting "yes" with every bounce. She finally stopped bouncing at the top of a hillock, paused, and started to dig, exposing the perfect loam underneath.
"This dirt is the dirtiest dirt in the whole dirt world!"
Smart Cookie chuckled, picking up a hoof full of the loam. She rummaged through one of her saddlebags until she found a seed. It didn't matter what kind of seed it was, just that it was sturdy enough to survive being tossed around a full saddlebag. It was a characteristic held by most seeds, in fact. She packed the seed into the soil and rubbed the ball of dirt between her hooves. Soon, a tiny, bright green sapling spurted from the dirt.
"Wow," she said, gazing at the tiny growth, "this soil's really fertile too. I don't think I've ever seen a seed grow so quick. It's perfect for growin' a lot of food in a short amount of time."
"Smart Cookie, this is where we'll make our new home. Right here on this little hill!"
"I advise you to reconsider, Puddin'. This mound is the best soil I've ever seen. It would be a shame to make it unusable by buildin' a buildin' on top of it."
"Hmm, you're right. We'll start building Dirtville over there!" she said, pointing at the edge of the forest they'd just left.
Smart Cookie eyebrow raised. "Dirtville?"
"Yeah, that'll be the name of the city that'll be here in a few weeks. The capital of our new country!"
"Sounds all right, but what about the name of the new country?"
"Umm... I got nothing."
"Then it's a good thing I've got two ideas. We could honor our ancestors Equo and Equa and call it somethin' like Equus, or we could just go simple and name it after our tribe: Earth."
"Earth," Puddinghead pondered. "That rolls off the tongue nicely. Let's call it that!"
At about this moment, Smart Cookie heard something above and far from them. She put her hoof to her eyes and squinted, scanning the landscape. It didn't take long for her to find the source of the sound: on the side of the mountains ahead of them, she saw a blue armor-clad pegasus talking to a regal gray-coated unicorn. The unicorn held a purple unicorn in a simple cloak between the two tribe leaders, a unicorn that Smart Cookie recognized immediately.
"What the hay is goin' on up there?"