She shifted her hooves through the cut leaves. The glowing scissors snip away small twigs. The mare leaned in, focusing through her glasses at the bush she constantly changed. At last, she removed her hood and stood back to see the result of her work.
"This looks terrible."
Aware of the small leaf piles behind her, she raised her scissors and machete she used earlier when she heard a light step crunch. Quickly, she took aim and saw one of the Canterlot royal guards behind her.
"Woah, easy!"
With a small smirk, she lowered her tools down.
"Huh, not so scary especially when you flew into one of my designed Venus Fly-Trap, huh," she remarked.
"I'm still a pegasus! I can get some pony to set a thunderstorm on your plants!"
"Oh yes, Shield. You can totally ruin Princess Celestia's garden. She'd like that. But, why are you here?"
There the guard parted to reveal the princess herself, showing a warm smile as she walked to approach the mare.
"I see some familiarity with some of my guards, eh?" said Celestia. "I love what you've done with the plants, Firnelma! If you don't mind, I'll have a word with you inside."
Ceasing her conversation, Firnelma followed Princess Celestia inside. She watched as Shield returned into his original stance, guarding the entrance to the gardens.
Princess Celestia then folded up her wings. She paused at the art that showed the most recent princess. The wings were stretched and magic glowed on her horn. Firnelma could remember some things about the new princess, like her picture, and something about the Elements of Harmony.
"I'm very thankful for your work here in Canterlot. The plants are beautiful, and the trees prove to be magical! Even new species of them! Many subjects compliment them. You've done a lot here, so I think it is time to move your work to the Princess Twilight's new kingdom! So, do you feel you can do it?"
Firnelma didn't know how to react at first. She just stood there, moving her glasses and just looking over her coat for any dirt. Another kingdom? It's not like she doesn't want to go, but she only knew Canterlot. She was totally going, but what if it was totally different like a desert or something? It still takes time to adjust. She saw Celestia still waiting for her answer.
"I..uh..umm. I want to go just...why there?" Firnelma managed to ask.
"The kingdom just started, they still need a bit of help. And the Everfree Forest needs some maintaining too."
"A whole forest?" exclaimed Firnelma.
"Actually just near the kingdom, but you can do the forest if you can manage."
"I think I can do it. What if I need some help with something? I don't really know that many ponies."
"Don't worry," assured Celestia, "the six rulers of the kingdom will be expecting your arrival and will be of help. You could like it there."
"Okay, I'll leave in a few days."
"Thank you, Firnelma."
Then they departed, and Princess Celestia exited the corridor casually as she found her way to her sleeping quarters.
As she arrived at her door, Princess Celestia looked around before magically shutting the door behind her. The princess searched for her robe before properly settling herself right on her bed. She let a few candles light and got a quill and scroll. She started writing.
Dear Princess Twilight.....
Firnelma looked up from her quarters. Princess Luna had just begun setting up the moon. Soon the sun disappeared, and a new light shone. This only came from the moon with the occasional stars twinkling beside it.
She looked down and found her work glowing from the moon. There were a few trees she'd made, the leaves using the moon as "solar" or in this case, "lunar" power to emanate brighter than the regular trees with each leaf its own light. Not only that, but she also made the branches light and dropped down to sway by the wind. Those trees were made for more visual aesthetics though despite being completely natural. She enhanced the other majority to more useful purposes like drought resistance or a magic repellant to insects.
With plants, she usually just cut them to prevent over growing, check the soil, just really anything that is needed to let the bushes grow healthy. Despite that, she had more difficulty in general to maintain the shrubs and flowers than the trees. The trees just seem easier. Somehow, it felt more natural to look up to thick bark twisting up to the sky than the grass blades that sprawl up from the ground.
If she had to choose, she would just love being around trees all the time. She had to do it less and less in Princess Celestia's gardens, since most of them are practically self-sustaining anyway.
Firnelma began to feel a bit more positive about the trip, maybe she could go through with going..
Firnelma's eyes snapped open. Did she almost sleep leaning against her window? Leaving in a few days with her back stiff, she'd definently like that. The scene below her still stay the same as ever. She closed the windows and set them with a magical lock so that no one can look in. She released her ponytail and set down her glasses. With one final move, she threw away her coat and stretched every joint she could. She snuggled in the covers and finally relaxed, with a vivid image of Redwoods towering above her...
The sun was crawling up the sky. The castle in what used to be Ponyville, had its castle doors opened, with a purple alicorn just quietly slipping in. Her walk was slow, and her eyes still observing its walls which were glistening from the morning light.
"Our kingdom," Twilight whispered, still astounded of the castle. Further inside were throne rooms that contain the six thrones according to each of the Elements of Harmony. There wasn't much difference from each throne which were facing each other, except at the top where a symbol from each of their cutie marks resides.
Twilight's mind flickered to the last great battle in Equestria, the one with Tirek and her friends. Tirek absorbed most if not all of the magic in Equestria, stealing even the princesses' magic. Only with her friends did she.....
There was a hard thud in the window outside. Numerous voices of ponies swarmed the silence in what sounded like questions or complaints. Twilight could see silhouettes of their heads past the colored glass. Only with a bright rainbow mane that repeatedly hit against the door and yelled "Twilight!" did she managed to persuade herself to teleport outside. What she faced was only what she expected.
"Princess Twilight! I have something I would-"
"Princess Twilight, I need some help with-"
Twilight's friend, Rainbow Dash flew up from the crowd and hovered slightly higher than Twilight. Quickly being overwhelmed by the visitors, Rainbow Dash inhaled and yelled.
"Hey! I helped save the world too, you know. Where's my questions?"
Far in the back, there was some pony who asked something about muffins but stopped. There was a sudden quietness. Twilight felt relieved with Rainbow's intervention, but still kept a worrying look at her friend's look of
annoyance with the other ponies. A young colt as young as the school ponies stepped forward to meet Rainbow Dash's gaze.
"I have a problem, too. But I want Princess Twilight to help me."
The last part dropped to almost a mutter. The colt dropped its head as it walked backwards toward the crowd. Some of the ponies agreed with short nods, followed by some whispers.
Twilight then responded.
"Look, I know all of you have some important concerns, but I simply don't have time for every single one of your problems. But as the Princess of Friendship, I strongly suggest that you all might find a solution if you try to work it out with each other."
The crowd of ponies began talking in a normal voice and started to dissipate. Twilight began to look apologetically to Rainbow Dash.
"Sorry for that. I didn't think the ponies here would honestly do that. Maybe it's still just adjusting to all of this."
"It's fine Twilight. I think it's really all just princess stuff. Anyways, about the crowd....Can we talk inside?"
There was a bright purple flash, then both of them were inside the crystal wall at once. Rainbow Dash dropped all of her hooves on the floor.
No one knows why, but there was never any quiet! Lately, I've kept on missing my daily naps!"
"What! Rainbow, why do I only know that today?" Twilight questioned.
"Me an the others tried to handle it, Celestia knows HOW many sample stands AJ have to make. And Pinkie tried hosting a party but it made the crowds even worse!"
"And no one has a clue why former Ponyville is so rowdy lately?"
"Nope. It's all just so convenient how EVERYBODY has some kind of problem right now."
"How would Celestia handle this?" Twilight wondered.
Through the window, jumbled masses of shadows approached the castle, followed by more shouting to both of their displeasure.
"Convenient, isn't it," uttered a smooth voice. The pony strode around, the light settled in speckled areas around her mane. "If it all centered with one source, any pony would pick the right suspects then be done with it."
"Just give the flower-lovers dead flowers, the home-builders no tools.."
"Make chaos for the princess to take care of," finished the mare.
Both of them took notice of a light grey hoof drag when it was lifted. Unwaveringly, a pegasus walked towards the both of them.
"What were you going to do?" asked the pegasus.
The mare only turned to him, dropping a quick smile when she spoke. Her voice was higher this time, but only slightly.
"Me and my brother were just going over the plans for this."
"But why were you saying-"
"It's going to be a bit risky, but in order to make the biggest impact from our goal, we must do what we're both planning. We are just wanting to do what your friend wanted. What was it? 'Equality' or something like that?"
"Yes, but how far is this going to take?"
"Well, you managed to convince 'oh great Celestia' to send you to the new kingdom right?"
"Not really convinced, I just-"
"Just keep on doing whatever you did there."
"Fine."
"I'll be expecting our meeting again soon. Meet you there."
The pegasus watched the stare of both of the ponies. After about a minute, he walked back into the entrance. The mare caught a sigh, from the closing door.
The pegasus took notice of a tugging feeling in his gut while walking in the hallway. Why was she talking about "chaos for the princess?" he thought.
