> Pony POV: Princess Gaia's Rule
>  by RuBoo
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> Chapter 1
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…Good evening... And you are?

…Interviewers? Princess Gaia's permission? …Alright, then.

…You want to know how things work around here? To use a pyramid as a metaphorical vehicle, the top of the pyramid, the one to whom we are all inferior, is Princess Gaia. Element of Kindness, as I'm sure you already know. Yellow coat, pink mane and tail, horn on her forehead, big, beautiful butterfly wings, you know. She calls the shots around here. Within these walls, and within her fog, what she says goes, lest you face the wrath of an entire army of angry "armored ponies". Not that she gives us that command, of course. No, she would never ask us to attack anypony, regardless of her rules. Indeed, we enforce her rules of our own free will. The rules are fairly lax, of course; just don't attack or kidnap anyone or… Anything else you wouldn't do to a filly or colt, even outside of the castle walls. If it's against Princess Gaia's rules, it's against Celestia's rules, so don't even try anything that's against the law in Celestia's dominion unless you're certain it's not against Princess Gaia's rules, just to be safe.

Now, moving on. By contrast, the largest group, making up the "base" of the pyramid, is the common people, Princess Gaia's subjects. You see those little kids running around, enjoying eternal youth with nary a care in the world? Subjects. Don't be fooled, however: They retain certain necessary aspects of knowledge. For example, one of them used to be a nurse. A necessary occupation within any society, to be sure. She retains what memories she needs to heal injuries from minor bumps and scrapes to… Well, whatever. Former construction workers keep their architectural knowledge, just in case it is needed. It's like our own little society, right here in the castle. Though there are some occupations for which we have no need, which I would rather not detail in the presence of a filly. Those who used to have such occupations do not retain related knowledge, obviously.

Kids wearing armor? In a moment. I must first explain the other half of the next layer within the pyramid, to extend that metaphor. Princess Gaia's Knights, or  just "the Knights". The only group which does not have some form of eternal life. Aside from a few… "Special cases"… They retain their full memories, and keep their own pain. The Knights as a whole have a few similarities between all individuals. All Knights wear armor, same as any other non-commoner. This armor is infused with Princess Gaia's magic, granting the gossamer butterfly wings all Knights share, and serve another purpose for certain individuals, specifically those who, as you have probably noticed, have a red gem on the breastplate of their armor. Like mine, yes. I'll get to the importance of those gems later. Lastly, it is the job of the Knights to protect and keep the peace between the commoners. As it is in outside societies, I presume.

And now, of course, we get to the "kids wearing armor". They are the Crusaders, or CMC or Cutie Mark Crusaders, formally, and are an apparent in-between for the Knights and the commoners, though they are equal in rank to the standard Knights, and share the same responsibilities. The Crusaders are, for all intents and purposes, Knights who exchanged their butterfly wings for eternal youth, as you may have noticed. Why they'd do such a thing is beyond me, though I suppose it makes sense for pegasi. The strange thing about them is, they are "led" by the Triad. What that means is, they have an extra layer of authority. Becoming a Knight is as easy as clearing a background check. Once you clear the background check, you're a Knight. To join the Crusaders, however, you must not only clear the princess's background check, you must also face the Triad, as whether you become a Crusader or not is entirely in their hooves. They're not too difficult to please, though. They are kids, after all. Who is in the Triad? A trio of young fillies who make up the "original" Cutie Mark Crusaders, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo.

The next step up also includes two groups, which are directly subordinate to Princess Gaia herself, and cannot be joined, as far as I am aware. First on the agenda is the Eternal Knights. The Eternal Knights are, as the name suggests, Knights who have been granted eternal life, as well as agelessness. There are eight of them, and they all have some importance to Princess Gaia, for reasons I don't know. Perhaps it's because most of them bear Elements of Harmony, like the princess? Anyway, they are the only group allowed to leave the castle or the immediate surrounding area, discounting Princess Gaia Day. Not that I'm complaining, of course. The eight Eternal Knights include an Earth Pony with a strong accent named Applejack, a pegasus who looks very similar to Princess Gaia known as Fluttercruel, a pink party pony named Pinkie Pie, a Wonderbolts-obsessed speed demon pegasus called Rainbow Dash, a fashion-obsessed dramatic unicorn named Rarity, a flashy show mare unicorn named Trixie, a magically powerful unicorn named Twilight Sparkle, and a young dragon named Spike. I hear tell that Fluttercruel shares a kind of mind link with Princess Gaia, but it hasn't been confirmed. It doesn't sound very likely to me, though.

Moving on, the last group is Princess Gaia's two Advisors. Like the Eternal Knights, the Advisors have eternal life and agelessness. Their role in society? Beyond the standard Knights' duties, they advise the princess. Not in standard, day-to-day activities, of course. No, they mainly advise her how to make her society the best it can be, without conflicting with certain rules. Aside from that, they're little more than glorified Knights. Who are they? Cheerilee and myself. Yes, you heard right, myself.

It's getting late. I should probably get some rest. I don't know that I have time for one more question… Oh, my name? Kitsune.
> Chapter 2
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…Hm? Oh, good morning. And you are?

…Oh, that's right, we talked last night. And, you're back because…?

…Oh. Right. I shooed you out before you could finish. Sorry about that.

…You want to know how our Princess came so far? Well, I can only tell you what I know. First thing I know is that she was speaking with Cheerilee, I told you about her other Advisor, didn't I? …Yes, of course. She was speaking with Cheerilee about how to convince her subjects to follow her of their own free will, without forcing them to leave friends, family, and the like behind. I stupidly replied, "Give them a choice." At that time, it wasn't any of my business how she ruled her kingdom, I should have kept my big mouth shut. All it did was draw attention to myself, which I regretted almost immediately. You should have seen how startled they were at my… Unique appearance… Princess Gaia almost fainted, from the look in her eyes.

After a brief moment of recovery, with Cheerilee asking the Princess if she was okay, she stammered, "Yes, we already decided that." To paraphrase. I felt like smashing my head against one of the nearby trees, I felt so stupid. Until Princess Gaia chimed in. "He does seem like he wants to help." she said. "Maybe we should let him help." And so we, being Princess Gaia, Cheerilee and I, began laying the foundations for the Princess's rule. On some things, Cheerilee and I agreed with one another wholeheartedly. Others, not so much, though the Princess was there to help combine the two sides, though there were times when she had to simply reject one of our opinions in favor of the other's. Once again, each of those times, I felt like smashing my head against a tree… But, I digress. Eventually, we set up a system, a hierarchy with the Princess at the top, the "Eternal Knights", which included Cheerilee and I in addition to the current Eternal Knights, one level down, then the standard Knights, and finally the commoners. It was a rough framework, which would go through a bit of tweaking, obviously.

As is so now, the Eternal Knights all had other things to do, as did Cheerilee, leaving the Princess, myself, and a handful of otherwise-unoccupied Knights to repair the castle. However, Cheerilee, being a teacher, returned before the others, with a small group of students who would eventually become the Crusaders, including, of course, the ever-eager Triad. After a brief cheer of "Cutie Mark Crusaders castle repairers, yeah!" from the Triad and a couple of others, the group lent a helping hoof. After proving paramount to our efforts, and fixing a few mistakes made by Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom became the first of the Triad to earn her Cutie Mark. She was immediately congratulated for it by her classmates, Cheerilee, a few of the Knights, and even the Princess herself, and I believe Applejack congratulated her when she saw it, as well. I, myself, couldn't help but smile.

After the repairs were complete, we moved on to more important business: How Princess Gaia should gain followers. It was already established that force was out of the question, as the Princess had supposedly already tried that. As I was not around to bear witness to it, I asked about her prior ruling experience. I will not repeat what I heard. Suffice to say, even I was horrified. That said, I suggested something similar: Eternal youth for those who choose to follow her. She said something about shadows who… Something or other… Who would not like it if she did that without somepony to suffer for their happiness. She mentioned something about a red orb appearing as part of her true form the first time, stating that it was what held the pain and suffering of everypony she entranced, transferring it to her. When I suggested she retry that, I got a… Look. Let me tell you, you do not want to get on Cheerilee's bad side. I hastily explained my belief that the Princess should not take the pain on her own, that it be distributed evenly among the Knights. That idea was instantly rejected, but, before I could smash my head against one of the newly-rebuilt walls, it was said that my idea had some merit. By Cheerilee herself, no less. I still don't know why those Knights in particular are banned from taking any of the pain…

After it was decided that it was to be a choice, and that certain Knights be refused should they offer to take the pain, I stepped forward to offer to take some of the pain. The Triad did, as well, as did Pinkie Pie, Fluttercruel, Applejack, and Rarity of the Eternal Knights. Not very many of us, but, then again, it was little less than half of those of us who were allowed to take the pain, and she didn't have many followers to begin with, after all. Afterwards, the Triad appealed to the Princess to start a new group of Knights, an eternally young group of fillies and colts known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The Princess was worried what the shadows would think, so I suggested she remove the wings from those chosen to become the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Cheerilee exclaimed that she would have suggested the same thing. I guess great minds do think alike. Anyway, thus started the Crusaders.

Then Cheerilee and I broke off from the Eternal Knights, who were thenceforth granted permission to leave the castle grounds without explicit, advance permission from the Princess herself, something which the other Knights were thenceforth disallowed. I'm not complaining, I have nowhere else to be. And, little by little, the kingdom expanded to become what you see today; a thriving society consisting of fillies, colts, and the guards who protect them. Some of the guards carry a fragment of the pain with them every day, though none of us feel as much pain as Princess Gaia herself. I wish I could be of more help, but, alas, the Princess forced me to stop after I had taken too much pain. She said she was worried about my sanity. Hah!

…Well? I've told you all I can, at least all you'd find interesting. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a princess to advise.
> Chapter 3
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…Hm? Oh, it's you three again. What is it this time?

…Princess Gaia Day? Yes, that's tomorrow.

…That's not it? …You want to learn more about it? Where have you been the last several years?

…Fine, I'll tell you. But only because Princess Gaia wants me to answer any and all questions you present to me.

Princess Gaia Day… Well, it starts with the fog, which is normally magically contained within and around the castle, spreading throughout Equestria. The fog is not like normal fog, though; Anyone it touches has the option to become an innocent young filly or colt again, until the day's end. Some choose to take up the offer, adding their pain to the burden we share. Those who decline are unaffected in any way. A few are offered temporary Knighthood; Again, those who accept become a Knight for a day, while those who decline remain unaffected. As for the other Knights, well… They are allowed to freely travel within the fog. For most, it is the only time they can leave the castle. Of course, they are not relieved of their duty. Indeed, this day is one where the Knights actually work more than usual. Somepony has to keep an eye on all the young foals, after all.

I recall a current member of the Crusaders, by the name of… Ditzy Doo, I believe? Yes, she was often one of the few temporary Knights, and particularly kept an eye on her daughter. Not too difficult for her, I suppose, given her "condition"… What? Can't a guy crack a joke from time to time? I don't joke often, I'll have you know! Probably only a few times a year! …*sigh* I digress. Anyway, at some point, she and her daughter, Dinky… Was it Dinky? I think so… Well, she and her daughter decided to become permanent members of our little society. Crusaders, of course. And Ditzy refused to allow her daughter to accept some of our pain. She took twice her recommended amount to make up for it. That was a big mistake, as she found out the next time Princess Gaia Day came along. She spent the whole Day writhing in pain, screaming for it to stop. Needless to say, it was a harrowing experience for little Dinky. I actually feel a little sorry for the poor girl… The day after the next, I'll explain why in a bit, she asked Princess Gaia take back some of the pain. Being the kind Princess she is, she refused to refuse, taking half of the mother's pain. Of course, unbeknownst to either of them, I took it for myself. The following Princess Gaia Day actually stung a little.

…Alright, I was almost writhing in pain myself, but only because I took as much of the pain as I could before the Princess forced me to stop, back when I first took some of the pain. Still, it just added a little sting compared to the previous.

Another recurring peculiarity of Princess Gaia Day, Pinkie Pie, who is normally bouncing around everywhere throwing parties and such and being an all-around annoying pony… She becomes calm. She mostly stays in the castle for the entire Day, simply trotting around, looking slightly… Depressed. She still smiles back when somepony smiles at her, but… There's no real joy in it. It's like she's a completely different pony. Seeing her like that… Even I get depressed, sometimes. And then I really do start writhing in pain. Not the best thing to think about when you're carrying a fraction of Equestria's burden on your shoulders. And that's just a fraction! I cannot bear to think what pain the Princess is in every single day.

…Right… Well, that's about everything there is to know about day one. Day two… Is far less eventful, normally.

Princess Gaia disguises herself as a pony greatly resembling Fluttercruel. She says it's her original form, and she takes it because the previous day's events drained all her power, but I know that's at least partially a lie. She still has a fair bit of magic left. She then chooses a seemingly random town, city, rural area, wherever she feels, and, together with myself, Cheerilee, and the Eternal Knights, heads there. Why? To give a speech. I was told she hates giving speeches, but… This one day, it seems to be an exception. The first few times it was about how she was sorry that the first time didn't turn out as well as she'd wanted, how she was a naïve pony with no guidance, and stuff like that. Several times, some of the gathered ponies tossed rocks at her, ranging in size from tiny pebbles to small rocks. I feigned catching them with my magic each time, it was actually her snatching it out of the air before dropping it for Cheerilee to stomp on. Crushes it to a fine powder, too. Never anger an earth pony. And she continues her speech as normal while all this is going on.

Anyway, eventually, the rock-throwing died down, and the Princess, at some point, decided to change her speech into something… Happier. She often focused on the happy things that happened on the previous day to those in the audience at the time. At times she mentioned family members who were away who enjoyed the day, or, rarely, included the name of one of the Knights or Crusaders who enjoyed some happy time with a local family member or two. Or, in Apple Bloom's case, three or four. Then, when the speech was over, she enjoyed a chat with her friends, who were often accompanied by a small, white filly with a sunflower cutie mark. I couldn't put my hoof on it, but I could feel something familiar about the little filly… Almost everypony knew not to interrupt this chat, of course; It seemed to be her favorite time of the year, every single year. Cheerilee sometimes joined in with the group, me, I just listened, occasionally throwing in my two bits about something unimportant. They rarely discussed important matters, just a group of friends casually chatting the remainder of the day away.

And, that's it. What, did you expect more? Go ask Princess Gaia if you want to learn more. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some mental preparations to make. I fear this year will be especially taxing.