Chapter 1
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The Champions of Equestria

Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Danger on the Horizon

The sound of a ticking clock filled the private study/bedroom of High Lady Twilight Sparkle. However, this noise went ignored in factor of what was in front of her: the ancient tome on top of her desk. Like every book she had devoured on spellcraft since Princess Celestia’s announcement, it was older than any pony alive save the princesses, older than most of the cities that dotted Equestria’s landscape in fact. The arcane knowledge within it had been taken out of use since the creation of the prison Tartarus.

After she finished examining the construction of the ethereal cage spell, Twilight leaned up against her backrest and let out a loud sigh. Her mind drifted back to the path that had led her to where she was.

Three months. Three months had passed since she and the others had moved to Canterlot with the explosion the bombshell that Princess Celestia dropped rang in their ears and left all the mares in a daze. Three months of panicked days on worrying about becoming royalty, of learning about whole new libraries of magic to study, of tear-filled nights Twilight had spent crying over the news that Celestia and Luna weren’t going to be around forever…and worse, that she would be there to see them go.

It was the most hectic three months of Twilight Sparkle’s life, and filled with the most changes she had ever experienced. Some not so good, some perfect beyond her wildest dreams.

First and foremost were her studies. Unlike the others, the princesses had given Twilight free reign and left her to her own devices unless she asked for help in learning a particular spell or wanted to find a kind of magic to accomplish a particular goal. Since protecting her friends and future nation were the goals she had in mind, Twilight started off by learning several healing spells and defensive arts that would allow her to create special types of shields meant for specific tasks as well as magic to seal away the darker creatures Luna’s history lessons talked about.

The second biggest change was her new station as High Lady Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic, and Defender of the Realm. In theory, she possessed authority just below the Princesses themselves; but had thankfully not seen fit to use it. The title also came with her apartment in the royal wing of the castle, in the same hallway as all of her friends, with Luna and Celestia’s quarters on opposite ends of that same hallway.

Then there was…

A rush of air coming through her window interrupted Twilight’s thoughts, and a spell Rarity had built into each of their dormitories activated to surround anything that might get blown around by the wild wind with a light magical field. Three whole seconds passed before the unicorn felt a pair of familiar forelegs wrap around her, and a pair of wings blocked out Twilight’s peripheral vision.

“Hey Egghead, what’cha reading this time?” Rainbow Dash asked as she rested her head on the unicorn’s shoulder.

Although the pegasus was coated in a light sheen of sweat, Twilight found herself welcoming the embrace before she leaned her own head over to nuzzle against Rainbow’s. “Banishing spells,” she said. “I’m the only one of us that can deal with non-corporeal entities without a ritual’s worth of preparation like Rarity, so I thought I’d better study up.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at the explanation. “Don’t see why you don’t concentrate more on the cool stuff like throwing fire and lightning around.”

“Like you?” she asked with a smirk.

“Hey, I buck lightning and throw ice…okay, ice surrounded by a wind blade to keep the things form and provide maximum penetration,” she said, stopping Twilight from correcting her. “But still the same thing…basically.”

The completely dumbed down, bare bones explanation of Dash’s weather magic got a groan from Twilight. “Rainbow, it’s not-”

“So you ready for lunch?” the pegasus asked, cutting Twilight off.

Twilight looked up at the clock above her desk. It was still five minutes before the servants were scheduled to bring in her midday meal, and she hadn’t told them to add anything beyond her usual choices. “Um Rainbow, you might want to head down to the kitchens if-”

“Actually,” the pegasus drawled out before Twilight found herself yanked back and into the air. A second later, she found herself laying on her bed with her face looking up at the ceiling for a moment before Rainbow’s face filled her vision. “I was planning on eating out.”

The seductive tone and the way Rainbow was looking at her brought a blush to Twilight’s face before she gave a nod of approval, and the pegasus locked her lips with the unicorn’s. As the two mare’s became entwined, Twilight found herself thinking back to how this wonderful expansion on her friendship with the pegasus had occurred.

The news that Celestia was going to die one day had hit Twilight hard. After all, Celestia had always been there, for almost as long as there had been an Equestria, the sun goddess had provided a constant symbol of stability and the knowledge that nothing truly bad could ever happen. Even if it was decades, or centuries away, the thought that her mentor would one day be gone…it kept Twilight up on her best nights, and sent her crying into her pillow on her worst.

It was the later way in which Rainbow Dash had found her. With Princess Luna being the pegasus’s main teacher, Rainbow had started keeping late hours and would practice the pegasus weather magic of Aeromancy when the skies above Canterlot were empty. She had spotted a candlelight in Twilight’s room through the window, and flown to see what she had been up to.

Much to Twilight’s surprise, Rainbow had been very comforting and understanding of the unicorn’s fears. Apparently, the pegasus had lost her own mother when she was very young, and could empathize with Twilight. But she did more than simply hold Twilight as she cried. Thanks to Rainbow’s encouragement, Twilight had approached Celestia and spoke about her fears, something she would never have bothered the princess with before.

From that night, two things grew: a special connection with the pegasus, and a new kind of relationship with Celestia herself. While still a teacher, Celestia had begun to take a more personal role in Twilight’s life than before, having a personal lunch with her once a week where they talked about anything and everything that came to mind. It wasn’t like a student and teacher, but not quite the mother-daughter relationship that some seemed to think she had with the goddess. Twilight would almost call Celestia something akin to a big sister…but, well…that was just a little bit scandalous.

As for Rainbow Dash…

At first, the pegasus had been her rock, somepony she could confide in and lean on. Then, as the days and weeks passed, Rainbow Dash began to change little by little. As it turned out, the pegasus’s talent for Aeromancy was an all-encompassing one that covered all aspects of what the pegasi were capable of. Luna had taken a great interest in Rainbow and some were referring to her as the night princess’s pupil, despite the fact Luna tutored them all. Although, she did spend more time with Rainbow thanks to the fact her athletic prowess and drive made the pegasus take to combat better than the others.

Of course Applejack had her place in combat as well, but with her Arbormancy revolving around life and nature. Such things were associated with the day, not the night. Celestia was the princess that handled most of her magical training.

It was actually thanks to that training that Rainbow Dash pursued a relationship with Twilight. Unlike the magic of a unicorn, which was grounded in formula and equations that were interwoven with incantations, the magic of a pegasus relied on raw passion and emotion. To truly master her mystical art, Rainbow had to get in touch with her deepest feelings. That in turn led to a whirlwind of romance directed at Twilight that still had her feeling as wonderful as their first night together in the palace.

What made it all the more exhilarating was lessons from Luna about Rainbow’s magic, and how an Aeromancer would never allow her passion to die. Rainbow would love Twilight as fiercely as she did now for the rest of their lives. And it was love, not a simple crush between friends, or just raw lust, practice with mental magic had shown her Rainbow’s love for Twilight burned as bright as Celestia’s sun.

While she didn’t share Rainbow’s intensity, the unicorn’s own feelings for the pegasus were as solid as any palace wall, as well thought out as the greatest theorems, and as irrefutable as the most basic of laws. Twilight loved Rainbow Dash. To her, it was a hard fact that could never be disproved in any way, shape, or form.

Twilight’s walk down memory lane ended when Rainbow shifted, and began to leave a trail of kisses down Twilight’s body. The unicorn’s attempts to think or remember anything were lost in the moment as her lover began to work her other kind of special magic.

A few minutes after a quarter past eleven, Rainbow Dash crawled up and laid down next to Twilight. As always, the purple mare allowed Dash to spread her wing down on the bed, then rolled into the embrace that only the lover of a pegasus could enjoy. Twilight kissed Rainbow on the nose, and gave her a goody egg headed grin. “I love you.”

“I know,” Rainbow replied with a slightly smaller smile before she let out a chuckle. “And now you’re all sweaty…and creamy.”

Twilight giggled. “Creamy? Really? Say that after you clean some of your lunch off your face.”

“So what’s on the old agenda for today?” Rainbow asked.

The question made Twilight roll her eyes. “I swear, I should just go back to turning my checklists into a poster for the walls of your obstacle courses. At least then you’d actually remember it more than ten minutes.”

Dash laughed nervously at the memory that brought up. Thanks to all the time they spent together, Twilight had figured out that the pegasus put a lot of effort into unconsciously memorizing her surroundings as she flew around and figured out a way to use that to make sure she understood the boring lessons given to her by the princesses. Not that she would mention it to anyone, except maybe Twilight, but before the unicorn had figured her out, Rainbow Dash had felt more than a little…stupid when compared to the rest of her friends.

“Yeah but, then all those snob ponies know where you’re going to be and get all up in your face going Lady Sparkle, Lady Sparkle…not to mention the paparazzi. Blegh, I used to like ponies taking pictures of me,” she grumbled at remembering those wackos who had actually managed to make being famous a bad thing. Rainbow Dash would hate them for the rest of her life.

Which makes me wonder…

“So uh…have you been able to talk to Celestia about this whole maybe we’ll be princesses in a hundred years thing?” Rainbow Dash asked. It was a question she had two months earlier, but Twilight hadn’t really been in the mood to talk about it at the time. Still, the thought of it had managed to stick with Rainbow Dash, as well as several of the others in their circle of friends.

Although, she wasn’t as all ‘aghast’ about it like Rarity and AJ. Rainbow could totally see where they were coming from. They had families after all, ponies that they would have to watch die if the time did come. Although it wasn’t quite the same, Rainbow had known much the same of that pain for years when her mother Firefly passed away. But Rainbow had handled it well, and they would too, being older than she had been at the time.

“Well…yes and no,” Twilight admitted before she shifted in the bed to look up at the ceiling. Rainbow didn’t mind, their intimate post sexual snuggle talk was over.

“Celestia hasn’t come out and said it, but I’ve done some research and…okay, you remember that theory about how since we were exposed to the Elements of Harmony, they would eventually bring about a transformation into alicorns? Well…I might have been a bit off,” Twilight admitted hesitantly. “I mean, there have been other alicorns besides the princesses. Remember when Princess Cadence stayed in Canterlot a few weeks ago before she had to go back west to negotiate the migration path with the dragon tribes?”

Rainbow nodded. It certainly had been a bit of a surprise seeing another alicorn around. Not to mention the fact that Twilight had apparently known her for years. “Yeah…cute dance by the way…especially when you shook your plot all around. That was awesome,” the pegasus chuckled. “But…what was up with all those questions she had for me when we told her we were a couple?”

For moment Twilight glared at her for the plot comment, but then she just rolled her eyes and looked back up at the ceiling. “It’s her thing, I think. Alicorn of Love. I don’t know how accurate her predictions are though. I mean, before her and Shinning were even dating, she predicted that her and my brother would get married and live in a crystal palace of all things. So…I’m not holding my breath. Hay, I don’t even know if they’re still together.

“Anyway…Cadence isn’t immoral. She’ll grow old and die like any other pony,” Twilight continued, getting back on track before Rainbow could pick up the subject of Twilight’s brother. “In fact, there’s been three other alicorns throughout the history of Equestria. The whole idea behind Hearts and Hooves Day revolves around one of them.

“Which led me to look at the only thing we share with the princesses that Cadence doesn’t,” she said before pausing for a moment. Being with a show mare like Dash had helped up Twilight’s flare for the dramatic quite a bit.

Rainbow Dash looked over to Twilight in confusion. “Oh-kay?”

“Well think about it,” Twilight challenged her, getting Rainbow Dash‘s undivided attention.

Apparently believing that was enough, Twilight let Rainbow Dash chew over that bit of information for a minute. The pegasus thought to herself for a moment. She hated the fact that Luna had gotten Twilight on this whole ‘have Rainbow figure it out for herself’ thing. What made her even more upset was the fact that Twilight always made it a contest, so Rainbow couldn’t just say she gave up. “Okay…so let’s see…alicorns don’t live forever, but Celestia and Luna apparently do…and what we share with the princesses that Cadence doesn’t have, but we do…but the sisters say their time is ending… so they have it don’t anymore.”

Rainbow Dash let out a sigh. “It’s the Elements, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Twilight conformed. “As far as I can tell, the Elements of Harmony are the purest form of magic in Equestria. I think…well, they might even be the source of all pony magic. But aside from the princesses, we’re the only ponies to ever use them. Hay, our connection to them is even greater than the princesses’…they remade themselves in the image of our cutie marks for crying out loud! When you put all of that together, well…I don’t think they’re going to let something as simple as old age get rid of the ponies that have been able to use them to their fullest capacity.”

The pegasus smiled at her little triumph of logic. Although, it was more due to the fact that Twilight now owed her a prize than the intellectual victory. “So, what do I win?”

Twilight giggled. “You know the rules,” she said with a smile. “Tonight, you’re in charge.”

As Rainbow’s mind raced with ideas of what to collect, she noticed the clock out of the corner of her eye. After turning her full attention on it, she let out a groan. “Ah geez, I’m supposed to sit in on afternoon court today and listen to all those idiots,” she said before getting up.

“Rainbow!” The unicorn calling her name made Dash come to halt. When she looked back, Twilight was pointing at her own muzzle. “You still got a little um…stuff, on your face.”

Reaching up where Twilight was indicating on her own mouth, the pegasus felt a familiar feeling, then looked over to the bathroom. “Uh…I don’t suppose Celestia will mind if I’m a little late.”

The diamond in her hooves was simply exquisite, an expertly grown and crafted gem whose every inch was in perfect alignment for the purpose it was about to be put to. With it, the last of the glamorous gowns she was preparing for her friends would be complete, and they would have no equal in all of Equestria!

At least until Rarity made her next set of dresses in order to surpass them. She was still refining her enchanting skills after all, and with every new creation, those skills grew by leaps and bounds.

“Enchanting,” Rarity sung to herself as she lifted the gem in her magic to begin embossing it with magical energy. When she was done, the pony that wore the gown this gem would belong to would have an immaculate sense of balance that only the greatest of acrobats could match.

It was a little depressing to Rarity when she found out the ‘lost art’ her magic was meant to be used for wasn’t all that lost at all. Many unicorns made their living by placing spells on objects all throughout Equestria. Still, the what was done by today’s unicorns seemed almost ghastly compared to the elegant methods shown to Rarity by Princess Celestia.

While modern unicorns slapped on magic like some kind of badge or sticker with a high amount of degradation and bulky magic field that severely limited just how many enchantments one could carry, Rarity had been taught to weave spells into her gems like a thread, putting them together bit by bit until she had a magnificent tapestry of magic equal to anything producible by Twilight herself while being compact as possible.

Even better, while Twilight created her magic on the spot, Rarity could prepare hers days and weeks in advance, conserving power and not having to waste time putting magic together for a spell when a simple mental command would throw up a shield, activate a teleportation, or construct an attack spell. Mana could even be stored inside wells she prepared to give her the extra stamina she needed if it came down to it.

As soon as she was done with the balance enchantment, Rarity trotted over to the ponyquin that held Twilight’s dress for the next major royal function. It was definitely the least immaculate of the group, but that was what her friend wanted, and Rarity was not one to say no to a friend.

Still, if Twilight was going to go trotting about on the dance floor with her fillyfriend, then Rarity was going to ensure that she didn’t make a fool of herself. This time, when Rainbow Dash started her aerial dances and pulled Twilight up with her, the unicorn would be able to turn and tumble instead of flail and scream.

Rarity raised the enchanted gem to the bright yellow dress, and stopped a second before placing the diamond in its proper place. She floated the gem away from the gown, and looked back to her design studio for a moment.

The room that Celestia had bequeathed to Rarity for her work was just as large as her inspiration room back at her boutique. The numerous bits and pieces of cloth that littered the floor would have confused anypony who simply walked in, but Rarity could see that nothing was even a single hair out of place.

She stepped over her mess and walked up to the fake wall before willing the secret door to open and reveal the hidden closet that held some of her finer creations. A display of gems that came up to her horn and ran a good teen feet across slid out, and she took a moment to admire her work.

None of the gems before her would be set into a gown meant for social occasions, or placed in jewelry for mere decoration. With all the horrors Celestia and Luna talked about that might one day visit Equestria, Rarity has found herself already making plans for a different kind of ensemble for her friends to wear. Instead of bringing out beauty and attracting attention, what she had planned would enable stealth and offer protection from anything that might threaten them. An enchantment that gave a pony perfect balance might allow for fabulous moves on the dance floor, but it would also allow that same clumsy pony to dodge, duck, and weave out of the way of danger.

“In you go then,” she told the gem before setting it into an empty slot, and then willing the display to slide back before the door closed.

With her work for the day done, Rarity looked up to the clock on the wall and sighed. The one thing she truly hated about enchantments was that they took so long to prepare, and they couldn’t be done one piece at a time like putting together an ensemble. Once Rarity started working her magic, she couldn’t stop until the enchantment was fully formed. That meant magic she started in the morning usually made her late for lunch.

“And today I’m meeting Fluttershy too,” she mumbled. The yellow pegasus really was her favorite mealtime partner, and thankfully, the most forgiving.

“She’s late again!”

“Do you think we should wait on her?”

For a moment, Applejack was a little put off by the fact the sun goddess was asking the farm pony if they should delay Princess Celestia’s court. Princess Celestia, who insisted on being called just Celestia by the Bearers despite the fact Applejack knew she would never be able to stop with the Princess part when it came to her thoughts, looked as regal and divine as ever in her fancy horseshoes and giant necklace.

It was a little unfair that the head of the nation got to wear practically nothing when her inferiors were decked out to the hullabaloo with so many colors and sashes that even Rarity had found her limits. The green vest and matching hat with the golden trim that Applejack had on wasn’t the most uncomfortable thing the farm pony had worn, but it did come in at a close second.

She gulped, then looked back at the door where more than a hundred ponies were probably waiting on an audience with the princess. It didn’t really seem fair to them to have to hold everything up just because Rainbow Dash couldn’t get to the throne room on time.

But then, if everypony saw Dash coming in late, that would probably undermine the pegasus’s standing in their eyes and lead to trouble down the line. She knew some of the more stuck up ponies would definitely see her tardiness as a personal insult.

“Princess,” Applejack said before she could stop herself. “Um…what do you suppose held her up?”

“I didn’t look for too long, but judging by her trajectory when she was coming back from her morning workout routine, I’m guessing it has something to do with a romantic liaison in Twilight’s bedroom,” the goddess told her with a tiny smile. “Why those two thought they could hide their relationship for more than a day when their rooms are on opposite ends of a half mile hallway and right outside our doors is beyond me.”

Why did I have to ask? Applejack wondered as she fought to clear the mental images of Rainbow on top of Twilight, giving her the shakes. She didn’t mind her friends being all touchy-feely like that with each other, it was their business after all, and Ponyville was one of the biggest filly-fooling towns in Equestria, so it stood to reason some of her friends would end up like that… But AJ much preferred the traditional relationship of a stallion and a mare. Or more than one mare, if they were into herding like the real old timers.

The farmer looked back at the goddess and tried to think of something else to talk about, but her mind kept going back to the image of Twilight and Dash. “Pardon me for asking Princess, but…weren’t you a little…put off when you first found out?”

“At first,” Princess Celestia said evenly, getting a wide-eye look from Applejack. “Twilight was so loud during that first night, and she didn’t put up any sound wards to muffle her cries. So, of course thinking my student was in danger, I burst into their room draped fully in my power to find Rainbow Dash’s head between her legs, and well…you can imagine how awkward that was.”

Applejack’s whine from having that particular image put in her head went unnoticed as Princess Celestia continued. “Rainbow Dash’s terror at seeing me with a flaming mane and golden coat, ready to turn what I thought was a threat to Twilight’s life to ash…I am still trying to apologize to her for it,” she said while shaking her head. “They didn’t have sex in Twilight’s room for weeks afterwards.”

Why oh why did I have to ask? She shook her head and tried to clear her thoughts. “But, um…Princess, I thought mares of your…um…experience didn’t take too kindly to mares of that particular…alignment.” Her own Granny had kicked more than one family out of the clan over their choice of partners thanks to her status as oldest apple.

“Ugh, that rumor again?” Princess Celestia grumbled before she followed it up with a distasteful snort. “Why does every generation seem to get it into their heads that my sister and I are against mares bonding with mares. We invented homosexuality!”

“W-WHAT?” Applejack cried as she reared back in surprise.

Princess Celestia rolled her eyes. “Well not with each other!” she exclaimed. “But it was about three-thousand years ago when my loyal general and two of my hoof-maidens came into my bedchamber and confessed an ‘unnatural’ attraction to both Luna and myself. By the end of the night I had explored this new phenomenon and found it to be quite a bit more pleasing than the odd stallion I would take to satisfy my occasional cravings. They each knew just how to satisfy me in their own little ways, and I needed that many of my little ponies to make up for the difference in stamina. Since then I‘ve always tried to have a member of all the tribes with me when the need arises.”

Why couldn’t I have found something as big as my Stetson? Applejack asked herself as she tried to cover her face with her new hat.

A second later, Applejack could practically feel, the sun goddess’s eyes studying her. “You know Applejack, I’ve expressed interest in joining Twilight in her nightly pleasures, and you seem to be quite the fit little pony. Shall I take the three of you to my bed? Magic is not the only thing I know that’s been lost to the ages. Contrary to popular belief, the three-tribe-four-way was not made for a stallion to be pleasured by three different ponies at once. And I assure you, my partners walk away from my bed far more pleased than they believe possible. So, shall I inform them of the date for us to engage in coitus?”

Applejack repressed a whine as an inner turmoil began in her mind. On one hoof, she was definitely not into mares, and didn’t think too kindly of the mares that tried chasing after her. On the other hand, this was PRINCESS CELESTIA, Goddess of the Sun, Princess of the Day, Queen of Equestria in all but name! If she wanted some of Applejack’s sauce…

The farmer looked up to her goddess and gulped as Princess Celestia licked a hungry tongue across her lips. “Princess, if that’s what yer wantin…” she mumbled before looking Princess Celestia in the eye and seeing a slight twinkle. “…yer just joshin me, aint’cha?”

“Of course I am,” she said with a more amused smile before straightening her back and looking to the doors. “Honestly, Applejack, what kind of pony do you take me for? Pressuring my subjects into sex.”

“But, it…I…you,” Applejack managed to get out before her mouth shut down while her brain attempted a soft reset. When everything had cleared in her head, the farm pony glared at Celestia. “What was that fer?”

For her part, the sun goddess waved the pony off. “Just a bit of harmless fun. Nothing to hold against your lady and mistress. Creator of the sun and all ponies as well as the land of Equestria, bla bla bla,” she said before looking back down to Applejack. “Honestly, if you’re going to get miffed at your goddess, perhaps you should stop going to her church.”

So that’s what this is about, Applejack realized. “Princess…”

“Stop calling me that,” Celestia told her evenly. “In my eyes, we almost stand as equals. In a few years, that will be complete equals. But you continue to put me up on a pedestal of infallible divinity. It needs to stop.”

Applejack sighed and shook her head, resting her gaze on the floor. “Princess Celestia. I spent my whole life listening to and reading the solar scriptures. That kinda stuff just don’t get thrown out in a day.”

“It’s been three months,” Celestia reminded her. “And you should probably know that most of that gospel truth is made from second-hand stories and estimated guesses. Contrary to what those books say, I did not make the world from nothing, arrive out of the void, or create the magic of Harmony. I was born like any other foal, born an alicorn, but still born. I made mistakes, got spanked, and was even dumped by my coltfriend like any other filly; although I still think it was because I grew to be taller than him. The only real difference between you and I is I am just a few centuries older.”

The incomplete comparison made Applejack let out a grunt. “Not to mention a horn and those wings.”

Celestia looked down at the other pony. “Yes. Well, that may be changing before long.”

Applejack swerved her head around to look back up at the princess. “W-WHAT?”

“It is still something that I am debating but…” she stopped for a moment and looked up at the ceiling. “When I first found Twilight Sparkle and saw her cutie mark, I knew that she would wield the Element of Magic. I also mistakenly thought she would wield Laughter, Kindness, Generosity, Loyalty, and Honesty as well. I thought she was destined to be my successor. So I began grooming her to take my place at an early age. When I told her to make friends in Ponyville, I only did so because I needed her to understand the facets of friendship to use the Elements…I was a fool not to see how Rainbow Dash’s feat of the Sonic Rainboom connected her to Twilight, and all of your destinies. When it was not just her, but all of you who bonded with the Elements, I needed to reconsider my plans.”

She looked back down to the farm pony and smiled. “Tell me Applejack, if you had met Twilight as an alicorn, what would your reaction have been?”

As she tried to imagine the image in her head, Applejack remembered what had happened when she first met Twilight. “Well…I don’t think it would have gone off the way it did, that’s fer sure.”

“And if she were to become one now?” Celestia asked. “Would you still be such great friends?”

Applejack frowned back at the princess. “Of course I would!”

“Really?” Celestia asked. “Even though she would be put above you? Even though she would be given more authority and power than you? Oh, I doubt that she would wield such power in such a way unless absolutely necessary, but it tilts the scales in her favor…and how can ponies be friends if they do not stand as equals? After all, is that not your problem with my offer of friendship? A goddess, offering a lowly apple farmer a hoof to shake? That just ain’t right, I tell ya what.”

The question made Applejack’s mind race. She had to admit, Celestia had a point. Such a problem had been posed to her plenty of times in a different way, with the way each of the tribes used to see each other. But with the tribes, one wasn’t superior to the other, they were just different. However, with alicorns, the addition of power from the two other tribes did tip the scales quite a bit. “So…what yer sayin is…” Hay, I’m not quite sure what she’s sayin.

“Must I deny Twilight her destiny?” Celestia asked. “After all, the Elements of Harmony are fed by your friendship. An imbalance would cause…problems.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow as she managed to find a little hole in Celestia’s logic. “But Twilight’s always been our leader Princess. We’ve always supported her.”

“As she has you, my little pony,” Celestia told her. “But a first among equals is a different breed than a princess. One is chosen, and the other simply is. One can be called out for her mistakes, while the other isn’t ever seen to make any. But we both know all too well that a princess is far from infallible.”

A shiver ran down her spine as Applejack grasped a tiny bit of the complexity of all the problems that had to have been running through Celestia’s mind. If that was the type of thought the Princess of the Day was willing to share, AJ didn’t want to know the things that were kept from her.

“What’s the solution then, give us all wings and one of them horns?” Applejack asked.

Celestia shrugged. “Perhaps…I could see you as a leader of ponies in such a way, as well as Rarity if she was guided properly…Luna and Rainbow Dash seem to be cut from the same cloth if half of what my sister says is true… But, could you honestly see Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie trusted with such a position? Standing on their own against a herd of ponies that needs to be directed instead of falling in with them?”

Although she couldn’t quite see herself attending balls or the like, Applejack knew she had a good head on her shoulders, Rarity would be right at home in Canterlot, and while the thought of a Princess Rainbow Dash scared the living daylights out of her, Applejack had to admit she’d seen the pegasus do some pretty amazing things with her weather team. The others…well, Pinkie could organize and plan parties like nopony’s business, and Fluttershy had plenty of good points…when it came to something important like matters of state, dealing with the nobles, or leading an army to protect Equestria…

“…guess you have a point there,” Applejack mumbled.

Celestia sighed and shook her head. “But then, what do I know? I’m just an old, overgrown pony with too much in the way of tribal inheritance. After all, are not you all destined to rule?”

Before Applejack could ask the older pony if this was just a roundabout way of lowering that divine pedestal Celestia was standing on, a prismatic blur flew in from one of the open windows to hover in front of the two Equestrians. “Hey AJ, hey Tia, what’d I miss?”

“Nothing much Dash,” the princess replied. “We were just about to let them in.”

The Canterlot Royal Gardens were considered one of the most beautiful places in all of Equestria. Not only were the hedges sculpted by the most masterful craftsmen gardeners, but the flowers included some of the most exotic in all of Equestria, and the animals that wandered its grounds were a mini-menagerie. It was without a doubt Fluttershy’s favorite place to have lunch in Canterlot, and she always picked it as her destination when it was her turn to chose.

“And then I was all like, I‘M ALL FIRED UP NOW! And it was Boom! POW! WHAM! GARP!” Pinkie said as she jumped on top of her chair for the added dramatic effect, “and that’s how me and Batmare stopped the Questionnaire!”

Fluttershy blinked, then looked over to Rarity in confusion as the white unicorn tapped her shoulder. “Do you have any idea what she’s talking about? I came in at the middle of this little story.”

“I just asked if her soup tasted good,” Fluttershy replied before looking back to Pinkie with a bewildered expression. However, that only lasted a few seconds before she found something to gaze at over Pinkie’s shoulder.

Thanks to the magic Princess Celestia was showing her how to use, Fluttershy's Empathy talents had reached a whole new level that sometimes scared even her. Which was a little silly as she had been using it ever since her cutie mark appeared in limited doses.

In its most basic state, the magic Fluttershy was attuned to allowed her to commune with the animals around her. She could talk with the animals, walk with the animals, squawk and squeal and…all that other stuff. With the help of Princess Luna, she had learned to do the same with ponies, giving her an understanding of ponies without a word passing between them. She could tell when they were happy, sad, angry, going to throw a haymaker with their right hoof, dodge left, or easily call a feint. At its most powerful, Fluttershy’s magic could influence emotions. Like she had done when they faced that dragon, her Stare could freeze even the largest dragon with fear and make it reconsider it actions. While she had been able to use the two extremes, Luna had shown her how to control the magic to do more than simply make another creature afraid of her until she cowed it into submission, which the pegasus was grateful for. Rainbow, Twilight and Applejack might have been learning the more…destructive types of magic, Fluttershy was just glad she could help protect her friends without actually hurting anypony.

However…when Fluttershy looked at Pinkie…well, the vibe she got from the pink party pony was just a tad bit on the extreme side of crazy.

“Well, I think you’ll both be happy to know that I’ll be done with your dresses in plenty of time for the Spring Sensational Ball,” Rarity told them.

Fluttershy nodded to the enchantress in thanks. “Oh Rarity, that sounds wonderful.” Ever since spring had sprung a few weeks ago, the parties had all been held outdoors and Fluttershy had been able to meet so many of the birds that called the trees of Canterlot home. It had helped her adapt to only having a few squirrels, a trio of ducks, ten mice, four pidgins, a pair of raccoons, five salamanders, eight snakes, six spiders, and Angel Bunny to take care of. Of course Princess Celestia was also kind enough to introduce her to all the other animals in the garden, but her friends from home were truly special.

“Is this just another one of those fancy pants parties? Or is Fancy Pants going to be hosting?” Pinkie asked. “Cause his are the only good ones, all those other fancy pants are just…blech!”

The fact that both of the ponies knew exactly what Pinkie was talking about was something Fluttershy found just the tiniest bit disturbing. While she mentally kicked herself for thinking that way about a friend, Rarity continued the conversation.

“No, it’s being held by Jetset and Upper Crust.”

After hearing the news, Pinkie’s mane deflated just a little and she lowered her head to rest on the table. “Awww! Then I’m going to be bored again!”

Always one to lend a hoof to her friends in whatever way they needed, Fluttershy lowered her head close to the pink mare and offered a suggestion. “Well Pinkie, you could always decline the invitation.”

Pinkie’s head shot up from the table immediately, and she looked over to Fluttershy with a cocked eyebrow that seemed to ask ‘are you crazy’. “I can’t not go to a party I’ve been invited to! They’d take away my party pony license!”

“Well dear, I do believe that the only reason we’re getting all these things is that the nobility finds us the easiest route to the princesses,” Rarity told her. “Celestia knows, if I get approached by some Lady or little Lordling with a new plan for tax reform or pet project, I might just scream. While we’ve all been given those high lady titles that say Princess in everything name, Princess Celestia’s asked us to hold off for a year when it comes to decision making in order to get a feel for the political climate, and I for one agree with her judgment.”

The galloping of heavy hooves caught the attention of the three friends, and they turned to look at the incoming guard. “My Ladies,” he shouted before finally making it to the group. “My Ladies, your presence has been called by Princess Celestia!”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Oh my, I didn’t think we were supposed to be sitting in court today.”

“My apologies High Lady Fluttershy,” the guard said. “I wasn’t specific. You are to meet her highness in the Castle’s third basement.”

Although the clarification put all three of the mares on alert, the unicorn was the one who spoke. “But that’s the war room.”

Luna let out another yawn as the guard led her down the second flight of steps and deeper in the under caverns of Canterlot. She much preferred the palace to these tunnels, but the Princess of the Moon didn’t want to get into another argument with her sister about castle décor. At least she could see the need for these fortifications. The pure red and gold color scheme of every bucking room in Canterlot Palace on the other hand…

A force of will pushed such thoughts aside, as they always were the start of other things, like how the ponies had seemingly forgotten more than half of her duties during the time of her exile, or that despite the fact Celestia had said they would rule together Luna’s role was even less now than what it had been before her abandonment led to madness, or that a mere year after her return, she had found out from Celestia that they were condemned to wither away and die like…like mortals!

The alicorns were to be eternal! Unending!

Yet she was to make way to be replaced by…foals?

While Luna was eternally grateful to the children who had saved her, both for their deeds and the companionship that they offered when all others shied away from Nightmare Moon, the thought of such ponies actually ruling the nation she and Celestia had hammered into being with their own two hooves was simply preposterous!

An annoying creek assaulted her ears, and Luna looked up to find that she had been so distracted that she hadn’t noticed that they had arrived at the location. After following her escort inside, she looked around the room.

Luna found it no surprise that she was the last to arrive, having taken her time upon waking. The rest of the girls were seated around a conference table that had an outer circle of stone displaying each of their cutie marks while a large diamond made up the center of the table with an enchantment written into it that could display all manner of illusions. Apart from the table, the room had no other major decoration, just several light orbs to provide more than adequate levels of illumination.

The beast standing off to the side of the door did surprise her. During the time when she helped rule Equestria with her sister, the buffalo had been an annoyance, creatures that skirted the edges of the realm with little regard for the growing pony population’s need to expand.

So, it’s presence made Luna wonder just what was going on. Are we being invaded by grass eaters now? the Princess of the Night asked herself as she took her seat between her sister and her loyal student Rainbow Dash.

“Sister,” Celestia greeted the alicorn with a nod before turning to the overgrown land cow. “Now that we have all gathered. Allow me to introduce Chief Thunderhooves of the Plains Tribe. He is a dear friend and close confidant of mine, as was his father before him, and his father before him.”

And yet, Luna noted that she had never heard a single word of this close friend in all the talks she had with her sister since her return.

“So uh…about that thing you went and mentioned in the throne room,” Applejack said to the buffalo.

After clearing his throat, Chief Thunderhooves began to speed in the deep voice that was the norm for his race. “Yes, as I mentioned earlier Celestia, I believe that the task you entrusted to my tribe has placed us all in great danger. The Tree of Unity has finally attracted the kind of attention you believed it one day would.”

Luna frowned in confusion, and a quick glance soon told her that she was not the only one. All around the table, the little ponies were giving the buffalo odd looks. Although, she doubted that their bewilderment could match her own.

She knew of the Tree of Harmony, the source of the Elements and…as some of the earlier mystical scholars believed, the reason both she and Celestia had been born alicorns. However, this Tree of…Unity, she had never heard of.

“Pray tell Sister, of what does the buffalo speak?” Luna asked. If he would not grace her sister with proper title, then Luna saw no need to even grant the wooly cow name.

In response, Celestia sighed and hung her head. “I am afraid that the Tree of Unity is…a mistake of my youth Luna. And if its magic has been coerced by dark forces, then I fear for the fate of all my little ponies.”

-Break-

The six figures of varying races stood atop the cliff overlooking the Forest of Leota and its massive canopy of varying shades of green.

“So, Mom hid the tree in there did she?” the unicorn mumbled more to herself than her companions. “Makes sense, I guess…using a forest to hide a tree. And you’re sure she doesn’t know its exact location?”

Beside her, the slightly smaller bat-pony shook his head. “No. She would have talked if that were the case. No one can resist my magic when its at its peak,” the lunar pegasus said. “She’s of no more use to us.”

Hearing those words, the black teenage dragon that made up the third member of their group walked away from the others and looked down at the young female buffalo before a quick slash across the neck both removed her ability to speak, and eventually brought an end to her life.

“So, what now?” the vibrating words of the group’s changeling asked the unicorn.

The unicorn tossed her red hair away from her eyes with a flick of her head. “The fliers will head out and search the forest. From what I read when I lived in the castle, the area around the Tree of Unity will have an oddity about it,” she told the changeling, although in truth she as addressing all her companions.

“Heh, as if I need help looking. I’ll search this whole place in under a minute,” the group’s fifth member, a light green pegasus told them in a cocky tone.

“Pony being stupid,” the group’s final member, a large diamond dog that stood three times the height of the others except the black dragon, of whom he was comparable height with, said as he stepped toward. “Not see what special about the trees from above, only roots can tell real difference”

Before a fight could break out, a wave of magical energy washed over the two creatures that left both of their coats a little singed. “Lightning Dust, Rover!” she barked. “Be silent, the both of you.”

“Yes Ma’am,” the two creatures said before backing down from the unicorn and her blazing glare.

With the infighting taken care of before it could even begin, Sunset Shimmer turned to the rest of the group. “Nightwing, Lightning Dust, and Venom will spread out in a search pattern and look for our target from above while Rover, and myself will search as a pair from within the forest. Shifter will follow us from above to make rendezvousing easier once the tree has been located,” she said to the bat-pony, pegasus and the black dragon as well as her diamond dog and changeling allies.

“And once we have it, all of our desires shall at last be fulfilled,” Sunset Shimmer assured her companions