Prologue- Patron Saints
In her fillyhood, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza had been the most requested and successful foalsitter in all of Canterlot, serving the upper-class unicorn families in the city. With her special talent of understanding and giving love, the alicorn thrived at the task of watching little fillies for their parents.
But when it came to ruling her subjects as a princess, Cadance found herself not as up to the daily grind of politics.
"And so as you can see, your highness, it is my proposal that we re-negotiate both sides of our bartering with the Buffalo tribes," Bright Bramely, the orange earth pony who was Cadance's chancellor, whinnied. "It would be best for us to agree to raise our shipments of grain and rice, in exchange for a higher crop yield from the Buffalo."
"But why do we need so many of the Buffalo's crops in our trade agreements?" Cadance asked, puzzled.
"Because we are the only one of the kingdoms in Ponyland, my Princess, that shares a border with the Buffalo tribes." Bramely sighed, shaking her purple mane. "The rest of Ponyland barters with us to get the crops only the Buffalo can raise!"
"Why don't we just open trade with Dream Valley?" Cadance rested her head back against her red velvet throne. "Their kingdom has diplomatic contact with the tribes! Surely they-"
"I would not recommend that, Princess,” Bramely whinnied. "The other Ponyland kingdoms despise those outcasts. It is rumored that Dream Castle houses a Changeling clan, whom the Queen of Dream Valley uses as spies throughout Ponyland!"
"Let me make something clear to you, Bramely." Cadance leaned forward, narrowing her eyes at her Chancellor. "No pony would ever lower themselves to having one of those disgusting creatures live with other ponies, let alone use them as spies!"
Defiantly, Bramely spoke her mind. "My Princess, you're letting your personal sentiment against those shapeshifters blind you to-"
"Those monsters almost ruined my wedding! Their queen tried to steal my Shining Armor from me!" Cadance snorted angrily, waving her hoof in a dismissive manner. "I think we're done here for today, Bramely. You are dismissed for the evening."
The orange mare was about to protest, but then simply bowed. "As you wish, my Princess." She turned around, and trotting out of the room. Behind her, she left a frustrated alicorn standing at the window, fuming.
Can you believe the nerve of... how dare she?! Cadance thought to herself angrily. That does it, I need to get away for a while! And with that, Cadance yelled out to the guard that a certain pony should be summoned.
Misty Mountain fortress... A shining beacon of hope for a beleaguered race of equines that had little hope left to cling to. Situated among the peaks of the Purple Mountains, it was a final gift from Princess Luna to her niece, Princess Cadance. Overjoyed, the Alicorn ruled over the citadel and its pony population with her spouse, former captain of the guard Shining Armor. As the light of Equestria faded in the valleys below, many of the ponies who lived there took sanctuary in the mountaintop refuge before the final darkness came.
At the center the citadel stood Celebration Castle, royal home of the last alicorn princess. At that very moment she was looking out her window at the pony families in the courtyard below, smiling at the happiness of her subjects. Here they were safe and happy, well-protected from the chaos of the outside world, which had followed Celestia's death and Luna's disappearance. At that moment, Cadance was waiting for the arrival of the pony she had summoned.
Princess Cadance heard the door open behind her, and knew the soft hoof tread of the pony whom it belonged to.
“Mother,” the blue earth pony with the silver crown cutie mark called out to her. “You sent for me?”
The pink alicorn smiled at the sight of the mature young filly, Princess Silver Rain, so named for the silver streaks that ran through her purple mane. She was Cadance and Shining Armor’s youngest daughter, their precious treasure. The alicorn and her husband had lost the rest of their children in the wars that followed the fall of Equestria. Silver Rain was her heir, should anything foul befall Cadance.
“Silver Rain… I need to you to take over running things here for a while," she told the pony wearing the crystalline purple crown. “I’m going out for a flight over Ponyland.”
“Yes, mother.” Silver Rain bowed to her, as the alicorn trotted to the window. “Mother, is everything alright?”
The world-weary alicorn looked back over her shoulder, and softly smiled. “Yes, child… Do not worry, all will be well.”
With that, the pink mare spread her great wings, and took to the skies over what had once been Equestria.
…
The world's sole remaining alicorn rarely took flight these days. So when she was seen soaring over the skies of Ponyland, the eye of every equine was on the skies above them, pointing hooves and staring. Earth ponies looked up from their crops, and shielded their eyes from the burning sun. Unicorns looked up from their spell-books, and cast their gazes out the windows at the sight. Pegasi stared in awe as she passed them, amazed that such a magnificent creature still lived in this age. Her broad wings and graceful body were an out-of-place sight in the modern world, and a reminder to ponykind of better times.
As she soared out over the peak of Misty Mountain, the wide fields and valleys of Ponyland spread out before her. Cadance had known these lands since she was a filly, these mountains and hills which were once part of a place called Equestria, once home to the great cities of Manehattan and Trottingham, of Fillydelphia and Stalliongrad. Oh, how she remembered that wonderful land... A place where ponykind could live in peace.
First, the alicorn passed over Rainbow Valley. Below her rose the high and mighty walls of Fort Rainbow Dash, its Greco-Roman marble-columned buildings glistening in the sun. She could see several earth pony hoplites standing guard, protecting Rainbow Crystal Castle at the citadel's center. A patrol of pegasus centurions saluted the alicorn as she flew by, showing the reverence and respect they felt was owed to this living relic.
As Cadance neared the edge of the valley, she spotted the citadel’s colossal statue of Rainbow Dash. Crafted from the indestructible crystal of the Jewel Sea, this 150-meter tall behemoth had been a goodwill gift from the ice ogres to ponykind. As she soared around the head of the statue, Cadance remembered the blue pegasus who had performed a Sonic Rainboom at her wedding.
***
"Cadance, this is Rainbow Dash, she is the bravest Pegasus you'll ever meet!"
"Why hello Miss Dash, Twilight Sparkle has told me all about you."
"Really, your highness? Cool! I can't wait to perform at your wedding. I promise it'll be my most awesome Sonic Rainboom ever!"
***
"You would've loved the statue they made of you, Dash. You always did enjoy being big and loud." Cadance said with a smile, before veering off to the west.
It wasn't long before the princess was soaring over the town of Bright Valley. The sounds of the cars and trotting ponies in the streets below filled Cadance's ears. Passing overhead, she stared down at the neat rows of Victorian houses, which sat side-by-side with theaters, restaurants, and other places for ponies to party and amuse themselves. In the cliffs above the town, the massive battery of cannons that protected the Greyvale pass sat silent, awaiting any threat that invaded Ponyland's northern border.
In the town square of Bright Valley, Cadance saw the modest-sized statue of Pinkie Pie, the pony most admired by the town’s all-earth pony population. Being that the Bright Valley ponies worked so hard, it only made sense that they would value recreation and leisure a great deal, and thus view the party pony as their patron.
“A town that celebrates your parties and cannons, Pinkie." Cadance said quietly. "It would have made you smile, smile, smile!!"
***
"C'mon, Princess! This is how you do the wedding dance!" Pinkie Pie squealed with delight, prancing across the room.
"This is so much fun!" Cadance giggled, copying her movements. "And I love the party decorations and songs you picked out!"
"Aw, you're just being nice, your highness!" Pinkie replied with a giggle. "But I am the pony who knows how to PARTY!"
***
Leaving Bright Valley behind her, Cadance flew on towards the south. It wasn't long before she was flying high over the mighty fortress of Hoofkaido, its pagoda rooftops and torii gates stretching towards the skyline. In the courtyards below, Cadance could make out a unit of samurai stallions training with their katanas, while an elegant group of kimono-clad mares listened to a poetry reading in a zen garden. Any of the oriental ponies who looked skyward and saw her bowed in humble reverence, as was the honorable Hoofkaido way.
Near the center of the palace complex gardens, she spied the statue of Rarity, the pony Hoofkaido viewed as its sacred defender. Her elegance and sophistication made her the perfect champion of all the Hoofkaidians stood for, the refinement and manners they felt everypony should strive to achieve.
"They do you proud, Rarity..." Princess Cadance sighed. "Their honor and dignity is worthy of your name."
***
"How do you like the wedding dress, darling?" the white unicorn asked Cadance. "Go ahead, be brutal."
"Brutal? I love it!" Cadance replied with a great big grin, looking at the gown in the mirror. "You're a remarkable dressmaker, Rarity. Thank you so much!"
"Oh, you are far too kind," Rarity replied gratefully, internally squealing in delight. “I was most happy to work on such a fine dress, for such a distinguished pony!"
***
As the alicorn veered off southward, she flew over Flutter Valley, the tropical paradise that was home to the Flutter ponies. This shining kingdom basked in the warm glow of the sunstone, and never knew the freezing cold of winter. The Flutter ponies looked up from their tree houses, scowling at the passing alicorn with hateful glances. They were the most xenophobic of the equine tribes, hating the rest of ponykind for some long-forgotten grudge. There was not another pony in the history of Equestria that these spiteful ponies with insect wings would ever like...
...Save one.
In a small grove in the western half of Flutter Valley, stood a lovely park filled with trees and bushes, all surrounding a modest-sized gazebo. In the center stood a fountain, with the likeness of a pegasus caring lovingly for tiny squirrels and small birds. Fluttershy's gentleness and kind nature touched the cold hearts of the Flutter ponies, and she had become something of a patron saint to the Flutters.
***
"U-um, Princess Cadance? This is the song I'd like the birds to play at your w-wedding," Fluttershy whispered to the alicorn timidly. "I-if that's alright with you, of course..."
"The song is amazing, Fluttershy," Cadance replied, as several of the birds landed on her hoof. "I'm sure it will sound wonderful!"
"T-thank you very much, Princess!" The shy little pony smiled, grateful for the bride-to-be's praise.
***
Pushing on towards the south, Cadance few over the now-empty Equestria Valley. The alicorn princess soared around the peak of Canterlot Mountain, where the once-great capital was now little more than a broken down set of crumbling ruins. The alicorn could not bring herself to linger here for long; too many ghosts of the past, too many memories. It was best that Cadance moved on, before these echoes of the past drowned her.
As she flew on towards what had once been the Everfree forest, Cadance spotted a small pink castle, nestled at a bend at the Rainbow River. Dream Valley had never been part of Equestria proper, and its ponies were always a bit different than their Equestrian cousins. They were the fiercest of fighters, for whom friendship took a back seat to survival. The ponies of Dream Castle had been cut off from the rest of ponykind for centuries, as its ambassadors had been turned away by every other royal court in Ponyland.
It was here, that the harmony bearer that Princess Cadance missed the most was honored and admired for her intelligence and ingenuity. The alicorn had to fight back tears, even as she thought of the little filly she used to foal-sit.
***
"I want my Smarty Pants!" the baby Twilight Sparkle screamed, tears streaming from her eyes. "I want big brother!" It was clear the little foal did not like this new filly watching her.
"Calm down, little one, please!" Princess Cadance whinnied soothingly, and began to recite a rhyme her own mother had told her as a foal.
"Sunshine, Sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves, and do a little shake!"
Twilight stopped crying, and began to giggle at the smiling Cadance. "Hee hee! You funny filly!" The little purple foal giggled at her. Cadance smiled, and nuzzled her new charge.
***
No, Cadance thought to herself, best not to remember that little foal, which you loved so dearly. Don't remember that she grew into an old mare, while you stayed unaging, forever young. Best to forget that she went into the cold, cold ground centuries ago, leaving you alone with your memories.
Finally, the princess then flew on towards the Jewel Sea, at the very heart of Ponyland. There, at the very center of the shifting waves of crystal, stood the Royal Paradise; the oasis home of the six Princess ponies, the inheritors of Celestia and Luna's power and authority over all of Ponykind.
As the alicorn passed overhead, Cadance could hear an argument coming from one of the tower windows.
"Eyaaah! I chipped my hoof polish. This is all your fault!"
"Yeah! You left that stupid shoe of yours out, where anybody could have tripped over it!"
"Me?! Well, she should have watched where she was going!"
"Why, I ought to get my wand, and use the Element of Kindness to teach you a lesson!"
Cadance shook her mane in disgust. How could these six royal brats be descended from Luna and Celestia, and how could they be the current harmony bearers, successors to six mares who were by far their superiors? The Princess soared around to the front of the castle, and stared up at the statues of Luna and Celestia. The two alicorns' likenesses stood on either side of the castle entrance, like lions guarding a gate.
Aunt Celestia... Aunt Luna... How could you let this happen? Cadance thought to herself. Oh, there were things she could have done to prevent this. Time and again, Luna had offered the young alicorn and Shining Armor the throne, before the lunar princess had disappeared. And time and again Cadance had turned it down, not desiring to rule anything more than her own lands.
There were many times I could have acted, but chose not to, the alicorn thought to herself. I could've stepped in when those brats’ families received the crown, but I didn't. I could have said something when the capital was moved out here, and Canterlot was abandoned, but I remained silent. I didn't even raise a hoof when the Princess Ponies did away with currency and established the barter system over Ponyland. What kind of princess am I, to see ponykind reduced to this dreadful state?
It was then, that an idea struck in Cadance's brain... A way to give back the love to her subjects, that she had so long denied them. If the harmony bearers had been the saviors of ponykind before, then perhaps a new generation could be so again! Racing back to Misty Mountain, Cadance flew into the castle window with a rush of air.
"Silver Rain! Go get the royal archivist. Tell her to look up all the current descendants of the harmony bearers in each kingdom!" Cadance told her daughter excitedly. "Tell them to send out invites to the six most directly descended fillies. Tell them Princess Cadance wishes to hold a gala in their honor!"
"As you wish, mother," Princess Silver replied, bewildered at the sudden activity. "But what are you going to do?"
"Train a new generation of defenders for Ponyland; ones who could wield the Elements of Harmony far better than those spoiled Princess Ponies on the council ever could!" Cadance replied, staring out the window. "Trust me dear, by the time I get through, this land will finally be restored to harmony!"
---
"Glory! Could you stop trying on dresses, and come down here? A letter just came for you from Princess Cadenza. She wants you to attend some kind of celebration!"
---
"Posey, could you please stop talking to those potted plants, and come in here? You've been invited to an event at Misty Mountain Fortress!"
---
"Firefly, you need to stop being so rough, and act more like a lady! That's why I want you to attend this social event being hosted by Princess Cadance... And don't make that face at me, young filly!"
---
"Well, I suppose you’re a descendant of Applejack, given your name and how you look. I'll just give this invite to you, and you just go with it, ok?"
---
"Surprise, honey? Could you please stop walking on the ceiling, and come down here? You have an invite to a party at Misty Mountain. And please stop painting the cat purple!"
---
"Twilight, would you please get your nose out of that book, and get down here this instant! I have a letter here from Princess Cadance, an old family friend that we haven't spoken to in generations, and it involves you!”
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Just by the picture I just have to read that story. I didn't even look at the description and yet I'm wasting time in the comments to let you know how excited I am....Let me finish "Twilight then, Twilight now" before I move on....
I'll be back.
generation 1 FTW eh pretty cool but rarity used to be called "sparkler" not glory...
I
it! MOAR! 
This will be interesting to read. If I find it again in my sea of fictions to read
i really wish more people would post fics revolving around Surprise, Firefly, and the others
Interesting. Lamarckian and species-deterministic, uncomfortably so, but still interesting.
I liked this fic for the storytelling, but I have to hate it on the principle of the world going gen 4 ==> gen 1, it's as depressing as H.G Wells morlocks.
Ah, my. I wonder if AJ will end up using the accent she "didn't" have.
Can't wait to read more!
it x10!
Great!
Just one comment... please capitalize magnificent in your title. It just will draw people away from the story to have a typo.
...and instead of restoring harmony, they end up finding Megan?
Looking good! Faving! I like the patron idea, and you conveyed the emotions well.
ALL OF MY YES!!!
Please continue this.
Quick question....why doesn't Princess Candance know of Applejack's "problem ?"
What I mean is why doesn't she reveal herself to her and show her that her plan may set up to fail in someway ?
866899
I respect your opinion, but I despise the idea of G1 becoming G4. To each their own I suppose. :)
dis gon' b gud
faved
Ooooh, an interesting start to this story, with Princess Cadence inviting the G1 Mane Six to the "Gala". Though, I wonder who were the six other speakers who alerted the six about the invitations...
I re-read this first chapter like 4 times.
2 of those times listening to some background music. I could not decide which one was more fitting, so I'll put up both:
First one:
Second:
I like this story. I'll give it a read-later and see how this goes.
Aagh over 3,000 words?
Gimme an hour or two to read this. Just by the picture, I'm sure it's gonna be great.
Intrigued by the premise of this. Bookmarking and saving for when it's not 1:30 AM.
Finally made it to this fic. This was the one you wanted me to read next, right? I like the setup. It does ease into the world that you use to merge the two generations together. I'm not too excited by the end of the chapter though. It feels so rushed with little feeling or back story or anything to connect with the new Mane 6. However, that aside, it was a nice piece of reference for how the world is set up.
Oh, this is gonna be a disaster...
'It's from an old family friend we haven't talked to in centuries.'
Seems Legit.
...Interesting. I'm hooked. Good job!
Seeing the world go from G4 and Equestria to G1 and Pony land reminds me a lot of the collapse of the Roman Empire. Western Europe collapsed into chaos and darkness. Going from having currency to bartering is a similar step backwards.
Exactly what I imagine a Pegasus Pinkie Pie would do.
Man, im untterly pathetic if i cant go through the first chapter without tearing up.
No Im utterly pathetic im tearing up over imaginary characters...Im a screw up.
8807737
Awww, I hope you keep reading, but I'm sorry to hear it made you so sad!