• Published 3rd Feb 2013
  • 11,278 Views, 465 Comments

Giving Love a Helping Hoof - Kroqgar



Since the creation of the Elements themselves, the bearers of Harmony have never found true happiness. After seeing so many generations of unfulfilled ponies, Princess Celestia decides to do something about it.

  • ...
21
 465
 11,278

Chapter 3

Giving Love a Helping Hoof
Chapter 3

My Faithful Student Twilight Sparkle,

I need you and your fellow Elements of Harmony to come to Canterlot as soon as possible. A situation has arisen that affects each of you more profoundly than I can currently foresee. I shall send a chariot for you and your friends, it should arrive within the hour.

With love,
Princess Celestia

Pulled by a pair of armoured pegasus, a golden chariot flew across the idyllic countryside of Equestria, the roaring winds kept at bay through enchantment. A group of fillies clustered around a purple unicorn upon it.

“Whatever do you think it could be, Twilight?” asked Rarity, looking askance at the scroll between the purple unicorn's hooves.

Twilight Sparkle had been almost silent since they had left Ponyville, lost in her own thoughts. Rarity waved a hoof in front of her friend’s face.

“Ugh, she's doing it again. Rainbow, darling?”

Taking in a deep breath, the pegasus screamed, “TWI-LIIIGHT!” a vein pulsing in her forehead.

The sonic assault broke Twilight's stupor, as her eyes focussed on Rarity's cringing visage. “Hm? You say something Rarity?”

“I said my dear, whatever do you think this could be about? Why do you think the Princess needs us?” The two pegasus soldiers pricked their ears, their curiosity piqued.

Twilight shook her head. “That's what I've been trying to figure out! I honestly have no idea.”

“It's more fun this way silly!” scoffed Pinkie, leaning dangerously far over the rail. “A surprise isn't a surprise if you know what it is!”

“Now... T'ain't no use in... In gettin' our manes in a tangle... Until we know what the Princess wants...” croaked a weak voice. The assembled ponies turned, and beheld Applejack.

The farmfilly was facing away from them, hanging her head over the rail with one hoof holding her hat on. Had she turned, they would have seen that her face was an alarming shade of green.

Rainbow Dash buzzed over, suppressing a snicker at her friend's predicament. Applejack hadn't said a word of protest when boarding the chariot, but it had all gone downhill from there. “I never knew you were so scared of flying, AJ.”

Applejack whirled, bringing her muzzle-to-muzzle with Rainbow. “I AIN'T SCARED!” A sudden lurch of the chariot caused her to groan and face back over the rail. “I'm an EARTH pony Rainbow Dash. And this ain't the earth. Woaaaahh Nelly...” Everyone visibly recoiled at a horrible splattering noise. The two escorts traded irritated looks; they'd have to clean that.

Pinkie raised her nose. “Does anyone smell apples?”

Fluttershy patted Applejack's shoulder and tried not to look disgusted as the earth pony retched once more. Gasping, she said, “Pinkie... please don't say apples... Can somepony try talkin' about somethin'? Make the time pass, an' all.”

“Oooh, I know! I know! I know!” Pinkie bounced on the spot, unable to contain herself. “I wanna hear about Dashie's date!”

“My date?” Rainbow Dash looked genuinely puzzled. “Why? I told you guys, it was boring.”

“Now Rainbow Dash,” said Rarity, “It can't have been that dull if you were as nervous as Fluttershy said you were. What was his name?”

“Skychaser. He went to the Junior Speedster flight camp as well, though he wasn't in any of my classes.” Nobody noticed the pegasus soldiers stiffen under their armour. “Back then he was one of the only ponies around who could push me, after I got my cutie mark. He even won sometimes! After the instructor called one of our races a draw, he came over and asked if I wanted to get together to talk about racing and the Wonderbolts, so I said ok. I didn't even realise until I got home that he meant it as a date.”

As Applejack focused on Rainbow Dash's story, she felt her sickness receding. Each of the ponies failed to notice the miles being eaten away beneath them.

“Alot of the rest you guys already know. I got...” Rainbow faltered for a moment. “I got a TEENSY bit nervous, and Fluttershy helped me get ready.” A warm smile let the Element of Kindness know how much she was appreciated. “I headed out, and met up with him at the Cloudiseum. His dad worked there, so we got to have a behind-the-scenes look at the whole place. We even got into the Wonderbolts dressing room, that was awesome! We went and had lunch at a cafe, then we just wandered around Cloudsdale for a while. It was like I said: boring. I'm built for speed, not for walkin' around. We both went home, and it never happened again. We were still friends, but that was it.” The pegasus filly shrugged. “I guess I just wasn't really all that into colts back then. If it had been a few years later, who knows?”

The group looked up to see the spires of Canterlot swelling before them. One of the pegasus guards turned.

“Welcome to Canterlot. Prepare for landing.” His voice cracked imperceptibly.

The two stallions gracefully brought the chariot around, setting it down gently upon one of Canterlot's landing strips. As the fillies disembarked, an armoured earth pony trotted up to them. Turning to Twilight, he asked, “Are you Miss Twilight Sparkle?”

The lavender unicorn responded in the affirmative. “Yes, we were summoned here by Princess Celestia.”

The large guard nodded. “The Princess has requested your presence in the throne room. If you'll please follow me.”

The eyes of the pegasus escorts tracked their passengers intently as they walked off, specifically the sky-blue pegasus filly among them.

One of the guards spoke up. “Chase... Was she...?”

The other cut him off. “Yeah, she was. I didn't recognise her, it was so long ago. I guess I just blocked the memories out. I was very fond of her...” He lapsed into silence, his gaze never wavering from her retreating form. “She's grown into a beautiful mare.”

“She sure has,” responded his companion. “So what's your problem? Go after her!”

“You kidding?” Skychaser said incredulously. “The General would have me grounded for months if I did that on duty. Besides...” He sighed. “You heard what she said. I had my shot. Come on, let's get this chariot cleaned up.”

Princess Celestia took several deep breaths and tried desperately to stop giggling. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she had laughed like this, it was intoxicating! But one of the palace guard had just informed her that Twilight and the others had landed, and she had a facade to maintain.

After a few minutes of doing her best impression of a giddy schoolfilly, Celestia managed to calm herself down. Breathe in, breathe out. As her attuned senses picked up the distant sound of hooves clopping on marble, the Alicorn levitated an open scroll in front of her and prepared to give the performance of her life.

...

The enormous doors of the throne room of Canterlot greeted the Elements of Harmony as their escort nodded to the two ponies standing guard. Each took a handle in their jaws and backed away, opening the magnificent portal. Their guide bowed courteously to them before gesturing inside.

“The Princess asked that she receive you in private. Good day, my ladies.”

With that, each of them trotted inside, and proceeded to crane their necks back... and back.

“It never fails,” breathed Rarity. “Even after the Gala, this place just seems so... enormous. And the guards, such manners!”

Inevitably, their gaze was drawn towards the end of the room, and the throne situated there. The Seat of Equestria was a wonder in its own right. Framed by tapestries, bordered by shrubbery, the sheer grandeur of it offset by the gentle splashing of the fountains at its base, all backlit by the wondrous majesty of Canterlot's benevolent monarch, Princess Celestia.

Or at least, it would have been, had her face not been buried in a scroll.

As the fillies neared the throne, they slowed their pace and took care to allow their hooves to clop noisily on the floor. When the princess did not look up, Twilight diplomatically cleared her throat. Still, the Alicorn did not respond. Rainbow nudged an elbow into Twilight's ribs.

The unicorn stepped forward. “Uhh... Princess?”

Celestia looked like she very nearly had a heart attack, leaping a foot out of her throne, her horn spearing clean through the parchment in her hooves. Her surprise in turn terrified the Ponyvillians, prompting Fluttershy to dive behind Applejack.

Holding a hoof to her heart, Princess Celestia looked down upon them and laughed. “My goodness girls, you startled me! It's a good thing Luna is handling the sun today, I haven't had a fright like that in years! I hope your all well?”

As the sextuplet bowed, Twilight said, “Very well your Majesty, though we are all very curious as to why you summoned us here.” As the librarian raised her gaze, she noticed something peculiar: there were scrolls everywhere. Stashed behind the throne, poking out of the pot plants, one even (her heart lurched) floating in the fountain. She realised she had a long way to go before she could study on par with her mentor.

Celestia nodded. “Yes, of course. My summons was rather vague.” The Alicorn rose, and moved to an open balcony, beckoning them to follow her. As the fillies stepped onto the terrace they were rewarded with a breathtaking view of Canterlot, the royal flags snapping crisply in the breeze.

Celestia gazed out over the kingdom with a smile on her face. Without looking back, she said, “Last night, the castle had some unexpected visitors requesting to see me. I almost denied them; it was late in the evening after all, and the night is the realm of my sister. However, I acquiesced.” She turned to regard them. “Before they even entered the throne room, I could tell that they were visitors of note. They were saturated with powerful magic, it was so strong I could almost smell it. Though, by the light of the sun, I couldn't tell what type of magic it was.”

The Elements traded glances uneasily. The monarch of the realm, a goddess in her own right, could not recognise magic? The somewhat irritated look on Celestia's face didn't help matters.

“Now, you girls know I've been watching over the ponies of Equestria for over a thousand years. I can't even clearly recall the last time I learnt something new concerning magic. Ever since I talked with my guests, I've been spending all my time in the archives, going over the scrolls we have on magic. I even asked Luna to assist me.” The Alicorn smiled slyly, sensing the fillies unease. “Some of the scrolls down there are even older than we are!”

The well-placed joke did wonders for the mood of the group, and the sounds of their mirth echoed around the throne room, dancing in the sunlight streaming through the high, arching windows.

Celestia unfurled her wings, stretching them out. “As soon as I received word that you were on your way, I gathered the closest scrolls, and brought them up here to continue reading,” she said, waving a hoof towards the motley assortment of literature cluttering her throne. “And so far, nothing. Not a single mention of anything even remotely similar to what I felt from these ponies.”

“Uhhh... Your Hahness?”

The princess turned, smiling. “Yes Applejack, what is it?”

Slightly cowed at the prospect of being on a first-name basis with a millennia old princess, the earth pony continued, undeterred. “Well, beggin' your pardon, and Ah might not fully understand, but... Magic is magic, ain't it?”

Celestia nodded indulgently. “To a point, yes, magic is all the same. However it can be a bit more subtle than that. It... is difficult to explain to someone who does not wield it themselves. Just believe me, this particular type of magic was different, and strong.”

Applejack bowed. “Ah'm mighty sorry for interruptin', your majesty...”

“That's quite alright dear! I want all of you to fully understand the situation, if you have any questions, please ask them! In any case...” The Alicorn turned, and led them back inside. “I had an audience with these ponies, and had a long talk with them, where I noted that they were not the origin of the magical efflux I had detected, merely soaked in its after-effects. I'm now convinced that, while they are certainly... peculiar... they are in no way a threat to Equestria. The magic surrounding them, while powerful, was not malevolent.”

Applejack subtly leaned over to Rarity. “Malevowhat?” she whispered.

“It means 'of evil intent'!” was the whispered response.

“Your Highness, while this is all fascinating,” said Twilight, almost salivating over the prospect of heretofore undiscovered magic, “what does it have to do with us? Why did you call us here?”

Celestia regarded her pupil warmly. “From what I have seen, I believe that each of you will have a... shall we say, special connection? With these ponies.”

Pinkie Pie gasped humongously. “A special connection! You mean we're going to become the absolute bestest of best friends?!”

The princess laughed at her exuberance. “I certainly hope so Pinkie! But to be honest, I really have no idea what it might be. I just know there is a connection.”

Rarity tossed her mane. “Well, I for one have grown quite curious about this whole ordeal. Your Majesty, where might we find these ponies? I rather wish to meet with them, and see just what all the fuss is about. Though perhaps not as learned in the ways of magic as Twilight, you've certainly piqued my interest with this talk of 'magical saturation'.”

“Of course Rarity,” said Celestia, nodding. “I'd hoped you'd all wish to to meet them for yourselves anyway.”

Applejack stepped forward. “All this talk o' magic and 'connections' has sure got my saddle in a twist.”

“Yay! A chance to meet new friends! We should HAVE A PART-” Pinkie was cut off by a cyan hoof being jammed in her mouth.

“I've said it before and I'll say it again Pinkie,” deadpanned Rainbow Dash. “A simple nod will do.”

Fluttershy spoke up from the back of the group. “Well, if you want us to meet them your Highness, then I suppose we'll do what we can...”

Twilight Sparkle rounded off the group with a determined nod. “Anything we can to assist you Princess.”

Princess Celestia smiled. “Splendid! In that case, follow me, I shall take you to them now. They're in the banquet hall with Luna.” The Alicorn laughed. “She always did eat breakfast late.”

The short trot to Princess Luna provided ample opportunity to admire the great castle of Canterlot by the light of the sun. Though often the most poised and proper of the group, Rarity could not keep from gazing around in slack-jawed wonderment as Celestia explained this artefact or that tapestry. For her part the princess seemed more than happy to play tour guide to the fillies, happily giving them a truncated tour of her castle. Though Twilight, more attuned to the mannerism's of Celestia than the others, couldn't help but notice the barest of halts in her speech, an almost non-existent sheen over her eyes.

Sidling over to the Alicorn and trying to angle herself so that the others wouldn't notice her speaking, Twilight murmured, “Princess, are you alright?”

Celestia grinned internally. This was going marvelously! She had even fooled Twilight! Granted, so far she had almost pulled a facial muscle struggling not to crack into a big smile, but if she could pull the wool over the mare that had known her since foalhood then surely she had the others wrapped around her hoof! Stretching out her wings to block the other's view of them, Celestia leaned down to her pupil's level and said, “To be honest Twilight, I am a little concerned over exactly what might happen when you all meet... these ponies.” The Alicorn frowned.

Twilight paused. “Are they really that... unusual?”

The princess smiled, genuine humour on her visage. “Oh, you could most definitely say that. I can't even think of how to go about introducing you all in the least problematic way. I certainly hope Luna has an idea.”

At a quiet question from Fluttershy, Celestia turned, leaving Twilight to her thoughts. The unicorn's hooves worked on auto-pilot as she processed what she had just heard.

These ponies...” she thought to herself, “...they must really be something.”

In short order the great doors of the banquet hall loomed before the group. Celestia's horn glowed for a moment before she said, “Wait here for a moment girls, Luna is coming out to meet us.”

A moment later one of the doors creaked outward, the slight form of Princess Luna squeezing through the gap. An almost inaudible hum of conversation sneaked out with her, before the door was shut firmly again.

The fillies customarily bowed, prompting Luna to smile uneasily, a blush on her cheeks. “Please girls, rise! There is no need to bow before me. How have you all been? I haven't seen any of you since... Well, since Nightmare Night.” Luna's gaze shifted for a moment, clearly uncomfortable.

Celestia came to her sister's rescue. With a benevolent smile, she said, “Well, in your defence Luna, you DO have a thousand years of Equestrian history to catch up on.”

Everypony laughed, not expecting the princess to be such a jokester. Luna leaned up against her briefly.

After a moment, Celestia said, “Now, Luna, I felt that you had a suggestion as to how we could handle our... situation?”

“Oh, yes Tia! I think the whole process might go smoother if we introduce them in pairs.” Nobody missed the emphasis on 'pairs'.

Celestia smiled. “Excellent idea Luna. Girls? Please follow me.” With a quick wink towards Luna (who was a surprisingly good actor), the princess led the group into a small side chamber, with a door on the other side. “This is one of the rooms used by castle staff during banquets, it connects to several others.” Her horn pulsed. “Luna has assembled the colts two rooms over. One by one, you will each meet in the middle, then wait in the banquet hall for everypony else. Twilight, why don't you go first?”

At that the princess abruptly started ushering her towards the door. Twilight sputtered for a moment, caught off-guard at the sudden turn of events. She voiced the question on everyone's mind. “'Colts'?” she said. “You mean these ponies are all stallions?”

Celestia's eyes widened. “Oh dear, I might have said too much. Come on Twilight, in you go.”

Twilight Sparkle began to sweat, seeing the door before her begin to swing open, guided by Celestia's magic. A gap just large enough for her to squeeze through was all the princess allowed, doubtless to prevent the others from seeing anything. She turned to face her mentor, still backing into the room. She noticed all her friends watching, wide-eyed.

“Princess Celestia,” she began, “Don't you think I should go in with somepony else? Or maybe you could even come in with me?”

As the unicorn backed fully into the room, Celestia merely smiled through the small gap in the doorway, saying, “No Twilight Sparkle, I think this is a job best handled by you and you alone.”

The door clicked shut as Twilight continued to speak, yelling to be heard through the thick oak. “And what did you mean by 'colts'?!”

As she strained to listen for an answering shout, she heard the sound of a door opening behind her. Her heart leapt into her throat. She whirled around.

A pair of purple legs were backing into the room from the opposite doorway.

A very male pair of legs.

Hooves clopping on the polished floor, the other pony backed into the room, slowly revealing a toned flank and broad shoulders. Twilight heard the pony's deeper voice as the door swung shut and it finally registered with her that it was most definitely a colt.

“'Fillies'? What do you mean, 'fillies'?!”

Her brain stalled. All at once everything she had seen of the colt's appearance and every little hint that Celestia had dropped all came together. Unable to stop herself, she gasped.

The colt spun, searching for the source of the noise. His gaze locked on her. Two violet eyes met. All doubt vanished as two ponies instinctively examined each other's identical cutie marks.

The colt and the filly expressed themselves as best they knew how.

“Holy buck.”