Aces High: Losers Fly

by Ponyess

First published

Pinkie Pie is a great Pony and Party planner. She is knowing and wise, powerful and fast, smart and resourceful. What she is not, the Pony you like to cross, you most certainly don’t lie to her and break a promise.

Pinkie Pie, the Pony on the mind of the entire village of Ponyville. Throwing the parties and in general keeping the mood and morale at an all-time high.

Seemingly all-knowing and wise, she is the center of any and every party. She is fast and powerful.

What she isn’t is the Pony you cross or lie to.

What she doesn’t know, may not be worth knowing. On the other hoof, she had the tendency to let you know. Then she demonstrated just how wrong we all were.

The one thing she does forget, is her Birthday.

A Pink Prologue: 1

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Pinkie Pie, being a descendant of farmers, Rock farmers nonetheless, should not have been able to rise to the heights she currently is soaring on, right. Apparently, one couldn’t be more wrong.

Farming Rocks seem like the butt of a very mean joke, until you take into account, just what the Ponies are, and the specific requirements they have as magic wielding entities. In her case, she suffered from a massive overdose of inspiration at an early age, causing her to leap ahead. The first sign is merely the tip of an ice-berg; the party she threw for her very own family, which granted her the mark of the three balloons.

It is no secret that Pinkie Pie knows everyone in Ponyville, not just the Pony majority; throwing successful parties left and right, aside from working at the popular café, Sugar-Cube Corner keeps her dead center of attention. If she has a few friends here and there sounds reasonable, but if one claimed that she has friends throughout the entire Country and beyond. Tracing friends as far as to the Princesses; Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Twilight Sparkle, aside from a Yak Prince? Having her seen at the wedding, and the gala with her very own ticket does make it evident that she is important.

A Pony like Pinkie Pie is hard to make into an enemy, unless you are dumb enough to lie to her, or topping it all off by breaking the promise. Aside from being mean; that is. She is a very forgiving individual.

On the other hoof, she is also a wise, cunning and knowing Pony, who is more organised than the common Pony dare speculat. Only her very best and closest friends know of this side of her. Most just gape in amazement, when they see just how many friends she has and how she manages her parties.

The one Pony she managed to forget, is ironically enough herself.

I had just gone to the Crystal Empire with my bestest friends, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Fluttershy. Visiting Princess Cadence and Captain Shining Armour is a treat. The fact that Cadence is Twilly’s former foal sitter, and that Shiny is her brother should never be a problem, not to me. We are all friends. besides, I was organising the wedding and most of the other details around that event. Can’t blame me for the incident; the failed attempt to hijack the wedding and take over the entire city. I had nothing to do with that.

Once we arrive, Shiny meets us at the station, picking us up within minutes from when the train arrived in the large city. He is still the same positive stallion as he was at the wedding, the brother of Twilly. I guess that is a good sign.

As expected, his guards pick up our luggage and carry our belongings to the castle, to the rooms assigned to us since before we even set hoof on the train. He sure is one dependable Pony. Of course, you don’t get any important position, if you are any less than dependable, Pony or otherwise.

Of course Princess Cadence is one lucky mare. Aside from the Stallion of her life, who just so happen to have an important, influential position. Being the third known Alicorn Princess, living and ruling the Crystal Empire. If not for all the tedious formalities and boring, time-consuming paperwork, though could have been perfect. Now her friend Twilight Sparkle became the next, the fourth known Alicorn Princess. She and her friends certainly are good support.

Having friends over is always fun, the silver lining to any day of the week. If said friend happened to be a Royalty and Alicorn Princess, it only made it easier; even if it did add a few new complications to the situation.

When you invite Princess Twilight Sparkle, you incidentally invite her friends, right along with her. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. Not that this is to be regretted, they all are friendly and fun Ponies to have around. If worst came to worst, they were also incredibly reliable; something that only added to the advantage. Of course, where Twilight went, the little Dragon known as Spike was also sure to go. He certainly had picked up a good reputation, here in the Empire. that had actually turned into something of a cult of followers, not that it was any problem or bothersome.

Of course it is a fairly regular guest room, for a Royal palace in the Crystal Empire. A bed, and a night stand on the right and the wardrobe on the left. I could clearly see the window before me as I entered the room. In the Palace in the Empire, walls, ceiling and floor naturally are made out of the very same crystal the entire castle had been cut out of. I do enjoy the shiny, shimmering crystal, polished on a daily basis, as it is appropriate for a Royal castle.

I know Rarity was enjoying this quite royally, while Applejack was bothered by it, as the farmer she is. Twilight was used to the glamour, while the others merely was unsure and less used to it, but not really letting it get to them.

Once my clothes are securely stuffed away in the wardrobe, I slipped into what I figured should be fitting attire for a mare and guest of the Princess. Shortly after that, a guard came, escorting me to the dining hall. I found my friends gathered already, or coming in. Cadence had the royal Chef prepare a meal for us. A rather fancy dinner, unless you as Cadence herself. Naturally, she had grown accustomed to the fancy, from her time as Princess.

“Welcome to the Empire, Pinkie Pie!” Cadence greeted me as I bounced merrily into the great dining hall.

“Thanks, Cadence!” I responded.

“I am so glad to have you all here with me!” she merely responded.

“It is fun to be here. I guess Ponyville can make it without me for a few days!” I suggested with a sly smile over my face, and a slight giggle to my voice.

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Experience of Horn Envy: 2

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Princess Cadence had instructed her subjects to smile, as they passed me by; any time they were in close proximity to me. She had also let on that they should be laughing, while I was there. I guess that wasn’t too hard. I had seen smiles most of the day, and I knew the Ponies were happy, not because she had told them to smile, but I just had that feeling from them.

It isn’t as if I had never seen the Crystal Heart before. We had helped them install it, when we saved the Empire from their former King, Sombra. That is also when we saw how it was supposed to work.

Now, as I was approaching the heart, happily bouncing in the direction where it was, I had this one strange feeling. Maybe I can’t quite put a hoof on exactly what the feeling was, but there is nothing new about that. I had the same problem pinning down most every feeling and hunch I had. I trust the instincts, knowing they lead me true to what is.

Just as I was a few feet from the crystal, something changed. I could feel it, pulling me in a new direction. I suddenly stood before the heart, as if I had had an audience with our beloved Princess. With all hooves firmly on the ground, I stand still, looking before me. Now my forehead is a mere inch from the object.

The arcane magic is commonly known to be reserved for Unicorns; even with the exception of the few known Alicorns, they can wield it too, only with greater ease and control than any common Unicorn. Of course, this isn’t technically quite correct, considering that I have been seen using levitation, and a few other arcane tricks.

Weather magic, channeled through the wings is likewise commonly known to be reserved for our Pegasi; once again, the exception of the Alicorns. Of course, as of yet, no Alicorn has managed the feats of Rainbow Dash, even if one may be a fast flyer, in the specific case.

We Earth type Ponies are known to tend to the land, to work farms all across the nation of Equestria, which is also true, up to a point. Not all of us are working these farms. I was, up until I threw my first party. On the other hoof, channeling magic through; mane, tail and hooves is not as easy as one may expect.

Now we come to delicious part, Twilly did see me fly unaided, with my tail instead of the non-existing wings I never was born with. Her friend Minuet saw me too; since she was practically under me at the time.

There is a sudden flash of blue light. The sign of what was to come, and from where it came; I do recognize the colour of my very own eyes. I sure have seen more than enough of them, for the instant recognition. Forgetting isn’t exactly my strong suit, as opposed to forgiving.

As the flash of blue passed, the heart light up; just brighter than it had, when I last saw it. That was when it was reinitialised. Sombra will never return, as the King he was at the time.

A vibration is felt throughout the entire city, just before the spire came alight. I guess this was less than expected. Then it hit me, the castle does kind of look like a Unicorn's horn, if you can ignore the twisted perspective and the way out of proportion size.

If you go by size, when measuring the capability of a Unicorn performing Arcane Magic, then I guess I have the upper hoof here. Of course, the shape also play into the game. Then there is the small matter of available magical potential present at the instant of casting. Aside from that, there is another detail to contend with, your focus, and skill. At the later, I do best most every one of them. Possibly with the exception of Twilly.

The irony is that none in the city ever realized what was happening. You can’t really see what happens, unless you are on a safe distance from where the spell is cast.

What they may see, is a blue light, but it feels more like as if the city is fully lit up, not as if a spell is cast. If you see me, you instinctively know I can’t cast any Arcane Spell, knowing that I am no Unicorn, but an Earth type Pony.

What came next is a red shift as the spell took effect in the form of a shield all over the city. I guess it is no small feat, but I am not a little filly, or at a loss of focus or available potential magic at my disposal.

From what I have seen, all shields are seen as a slight change into the red; when you are looking through it. I may not have seen every type of shied there is, but I have seen a few, by now. Just don’t you forget that now.

What may have come as an utter surprise is when it started to rain confetti and streamers, as if from puffy white summer clouds. After that, the sky filled with colourful balloons, like flocks of merry birds. The entire spectacle in the hues of the rainbow Dashie was known to handle, and spread across the sky.

I know of what happened only from passing glances. I had been at the eye of the storm, whipping up the spellS in the instant of inspiration, not knowing what I did, more than when my tail was hinting towards a falling object.

Once the spell was cast and I had been out of it, I could see the confetti and streamers as they slowly covered the ground, before evaporating as if they were snow falling on a hot rock. Yet, Ponies had already caught on, and the spirits of a party could be sensed flying free in the air.

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