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                         A New Age                         
                      -by Jay David-                       
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                      Morning Routine                      
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Morning Routine
When one entered this workshop, there were three things they could always expect to find. Scattered parts of machines not yet put together. A dinner from the previous night, left cold and unattended on a table to the side. And finally, a lone earth pony mare, sitting at her desk with her goggles on, focusing all her effort on her work. In this case, that work was getting the tiniest of screws into the proper hole of her current project. With her tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth, she held her breath as she carefully tightened the thing. Then, when it was finally in, she slowly moved the joint that had been constructed. No squeaks, no strain on the material, the movement was as smooth as butter, and she smiled at her efforts. "Finally." Lifting her goggles to the top of her head, she placed the joint to one side, then reached over to the far end of her desk, grabbing hold of a blueprint for what had to be the end point of this mysterious creation. "Just a few more tweaks, a few more parts, and it'll all come together."
However, her focus was then interrupted by the sudden creaking of the door of her workshop, and she turned to see what was, in this town, a unique sight. A dragon, similar to her in colour, standing in the doorway with a look of disapproval upon his face. Folding his arms, he tapped his foot upon the ground. "Let me guess, another all-nighter?"
A blush came to the mare's face. "What? No! Whatever gave you that idea?" Arching his eyebrow, the drake pointed to the side, to the aforementioned abandoned dinner, and his companion chuckled nervously. "Hehe, oh, that. Well, I guess I might have left it alone a bit longer than you wanted."
The new arrival sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose before stepping over to the nearby windows, opening the blinds and allowing the first rays of morning light into the workshop, illuminating the whole place. The mare briefly shielded her eyes, having been used to candlelight for some hours now, and after only a moment she grew used to the new brightness as her companion approached. "Twilight, how many times do I have to tell you not to get lost in 'the zone' like this?"
Twilight rolled her eyes before looking back to her blueprint. "Oh, I'm sure you'll tell me quite a few more times before you're done, Spike."
Now beside her, standing at a height maybe an inch taller than her, he looked down at her work, skepticism as clear as the daylight he'd just let in. "Your flying machine?"
Twilight turned to face him again, eagerly clapping her hooves together. "Imagine it, Spike! To soar through the air on wings I made with my very own hooves!"
Here at least Spike managed to crack a smile. "I know, I know. You've been talking about it for a while now. But, you know what they say. If earth ponies were meant to fly, they'd have been born as pegasi."
His friend seemed disappointed in that response. "Come on, Spike! You can't fly either. Haven't you ever dreamed of going up there? Feeling the rush of wind in your scales?"
Spike chuckled. "Well, funny thing about us earth dragons, Twilight. We tend to like things down here on terra firma." After a moment, he looked to the artificial wing with amusement. "Flying like a pegasus. Next you'll be telling me you'll try to replicate unicorn magic, and..." He paused, reflecting on his own words before slumping his shoulders. "You've already started trying to do that, haven't you?"
"Maaaaaaaybe," Twilight answered innocently.
Her adopted brother shook his head, having fully expected something like this. "For the record, let it be known that I told you so if things go south on all of that."
Twilight sighed to that. "Guess the loss is yours. I'll be sure to wave to you when I get up to the big, blue sky," she remarked with a smirk.
Spike nodded. "Uh-huh, sure you will. In the meantime, I'm going to get some groceries before I start helping out in town today. There's a lot to do and very little time to do it." Seeing Twilight blink to him, he continued. "The big visit? The princesses?"
Realisation came to her, and her head snapped in the direction of a nearby calendar on the wall, where a little crown had been drawn into today's date. "Wait, that's today?!"
Spike facepalmed. "I know you get lost in your work, but you can't have forgotten that. The royals visiting Ponyville for the first time? It's all anyone's talked about for weeks now!"
To that, Twilight face-planted herself right into her blueprints. "Ugh! But I have so much stuff to do!"
Reaching forward, Spike patted her on the back. "I know, but hey, that's the life you live when you're the towns' handymare."
Finally getting off her chair, Twilight took hold of her project and carefully carried it over to a large, open box, placing it inside before throwing a tarp over it. "Alright, what's the list?"
Spike started counting off his claws. "Well, the Mayor wants you to fix that street light outside the Town Hall. Then you need to go and help Bon-Bon with her guttering. And after that we've got Muffin's new oven that needs installing."
Twilight frowned. "All that and we need to prepare for the royals?" Taking a moment to calm herself, she glanced to her sibling with slyness. "Well, as long as you don't flirt with them when they get here, I'm sure it'll all work out."
Spike took on an almost offended look. "What? I'll have you know, Twilight, I don't get a crush on every visiting mare to the town. Heck, name three!"
Without missing a beat, Twilight granted his request. "Junebug, Avalon and Berry Frost."
"...Name three more."
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "You really wanna play that game with me, bro? Because I promise you, I can go all day."
After a while, Spike groaned in irritation. "Okay, fine, maybe I get a bit infatuated sometimes. I'll try and rein it in."
His sister nodded. "Good, because I'm pretty sure doing it with royalty is tantamount to treason anyway." Walking away, Twilight reached the door of her workshop, opening it up and looking out at the peaceful town of Ponyville beyond, causing her to smile. "Don't worry, Spike. We'll get the work done. Or my name's isn't Twilight Sprocket!"
Author's Note
Like many fans, I was eagerly awaiting any new information on what would eventually become the next generation of MLP. Leaks, news, concept art, you name it. And all sorts of stuff was floating about about whether the old cast would continue, whether it would be someone new, what animation style would be used, all that jazz. Eventually, we got A New Generation, and I want it on record that I really liked that movie.
However, I also really liked a lot of the ideas that came before, with alternate takes on the characters we knew and loved. Twilight as an earth pony inventor? Loved the idea, especially when the great art of the concept came out by professional MLP artist Imalou. So, I figured I'd try my hand at my own version of a new MLP generation, using not only ideas from the early concept, but also a few touches of my own 😊

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                        On the Road                        
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On the Road
Out in this part of the country it wasn't expected for there to be a lot of ponies around. But that trend was definitely being bucked today, as anypony wandering the road would be greeted by a truly awe-inspiring sight. A procession, numerous and just exuding authority, this was a royal entourage if ever there was one. Soldiers at the front and upon the flanks, standard-bearers, pages, labourers, you name it. One would look at this and assume that the entirety of the nation's nobility were travelling today. And speaking of whom, at the very centre of the column, amidst the most veteran-looking of their warriors, was a royal carriage, shining silver gleaming in the midday sun. Looking out of the side, a smile upon her face, was a pale unicorn mare, her mane a dark purple and her demeanour a regal one. She inhaled deeply through her nose before exhaling, satisfaction coming to her. "Ah! Is it not simply wonderous, sister? To be out of the capital and here to where the air is fresh?" When she received no answer, she arched an eyebrow, looking to her side before regaining her smile. "I realise such journeys are not your forte, but even so you could at least try to enjoy the splendid weather we're being graced with."
The one sitting beside her, another unicorn, continued to give no reply. Unlike her sibling, her overall look gave the distinct impression of one who did not enjoy being out and about, and certainly not among lots of other ponies. Nervousness was the order of the day, as every time one of the other ponies around them so much as glanced in her direction she'd look away. After a while, and after a long sigh on her part, she finally answered her sister, albeit in a hushed voice. "Rarity, I...I'm not sure if I can do this."
But Rarity seemed unconcerned, giving the other mare a pat on the shoulder. "But consider what an opportunity this is, Fluttershy! Our first time leading the annual royal tour of the nation. Perfect practice for when you one day assume your place upon the throne."
Those words led to a look of panic for her sister, who shook her head. "But you know how I am around others! Nopony wants to see a princess who can't even speak to them! You've had to do most of this so far!" Looking Rarity right in the eye, Fluttershy pointed to her. "Couldn't you be the one to do the meet-and-greets? You're so much better at this than I am!"
But Rarity simply gave a quick tut-tut before replying. "Now, now, sister. You know the rules. Such prominence is for the heir, not the spare."
Grabbing hold of her long, pink mane, Fluttershy proceeded to cover her face with it. "But I'm only older by three minutes!"
"Older is still older," Rarity continued. "And besides..." Reaching out again, she took hold of Fluttershy's hoof, causing the latter to peek out from her mane just in time to see her sister look to her with encouragement. "You know as well as I do that Mother would never send you out here unless she was certain you could do this."
There was silence from the timid mare for a time, but eventually she brought out her full face from under her mane, looking less fearful than before. "I...I know she wouldn't. It's just...I'm so much more comfortable back home, in the gardens, with my books."
Rarity, after patting her sister's hoof, gave her a nod. "I know. But, we must all step out of our comfort zones from time to time, and this is one of them. There will come a day, Fluttershy, when you will be queen of ponykind. The one who rises above it all," she said, making sure to add as much flair to her tone as she did so. "You will be the steadfast rock that gives all mares, stallions, colts and fillies that all-important feeling of inspiration. The one they all look to for leadership, for guidance, for resolve!" After a pause, she saw her sister start to breathe heavily, leading to an understandable degree of concern. "Oh my. Hold on now." She lit up her horn, and a moment later Fluttershy found a paper bag being levitated her way, which she promptly grabbed onto and began breathing into, much to Rarity's satisfaction. "I had a feeling packing those would come in handy."
Having finally gotten control of her breathing, Fluttershy looked to the bag that had been given to her. "Some queen I'll be. I'm not even that good at magic."
"It comes to every unicorn eventually, darling," Rarity assured her. "Focus not on your shortcomings, but on your strengths." When she saw Fluttershy give her a sceptical look, she elaborated. "I realise it may be cliché to say that, but the point still stands." Scooting over a bit, Rarity placed her hoof around her, holding her close. "And always remember, you're not in this alone. Whatever problems come your way, Mother and I will always be there to help you."
It took a moment, but Fluttershy did indeed ease into the embrace, smiling for the first time since this trip began. "Thank you, Rarity."
"It's quite alright, sister. Now then..." Moving away from her, Rarity used her magic again, bringing forth a parchment which she unrolled to reveal a map of their route. "We've already passed by a number of places, so next on our agenda will be..." Squinting her eyes, the younger princess smiled before placing her hoof square on one point of the map. "The village of Ponyville!"
Fluttershy looked to her with uncertainty. "I've...never heard of Ponyville before."
Rarity nodded. "Quite. It does indeed seem like an out-of-the-way sort of place. I don't think Mother has even mentioned it from any of her previous tours." Her smile widening, Rarity re-rolled the parchment before giving Fluttershy her full attention. "Well, think of it this way, we could be the first royals that little place has ever seen! Imagine all the joy we'd bring just from us being there! I mean, granted, it's not the most prestigious place we could be visiting, but even little dots on the map like Ponyville shouldn't be ignored."
Fluttershy, looking down to the rolled-up map, took another deep breath before putting on a smile for her sister. "Okay, I'll...I'll try to be the one to do this when we get there."
Looking softly, Rarity embraced her sister again. "I know you will."
Author's Note
Among some of the ideas being tossed around in the lead-up to the fifth generation was the notion of reinterpreting Fluttershy as being not only a unicorn, but the princess of the new main group. I decided to go along with that idea, as well as include one of my own. You seem, something of a recurring theme in the two recent generations has been that of contrasting royal siblings who aren't always on the same page. We had Celestia and Luna in FiM, as well as Zipp and Pipp in G5, so I figured Id continue the trend here. And since Rarity was the only other new unicorn in the proposed new roster, I decided she'd make a nice fit. The one who likes to stand out against the more timid and introverted one :twilightsmile: https://static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/twilightsmile.png

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                         Groceries                         
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Groceries
At this time of day, it was expected for Ponyville to be abuzz with activity. But with the approaching royal visit the place was even more frantic than usual. Mares and stallions alike, all rushing about trying to make their homes presentable, children on the streets excitedly speculating on what the oncoming royals might be like, it was all here. And amidst that sea of panic there was one island of calm, and that was Spike. With a home-made wicker basket in hand, he strolled through the village square, giving a smile and a nod of greeting to those neighbours with whom he had an acquaintance, but never stopping until he reached his destination. Said place was the local general store, a small wooden building that, from the looks of things, had been under a make-do-and-mend attitude, which gave the distinct impression of a locale that had been under the same family for generations. And speaking of whom, as soon as Spike entered through the open door, he was sure to give the due greeting. "Good morning, Mrs Smith. Lovely day today."
To his surprise though, the place appeared to be empty, save for all the items on display on the shelves around him. There was a sound of movement from behind the counter, and it took no time for the hidden one to reveal themselves. A mare, whose long, blonde made was tied into a single braid, and who smiled at the sight of her customer. "Well howdy, Spike. Nice to see ya."
While he might have been briefly taken aback, Spike too put on a smile. "Hey there, Applejack. You're running the shop today?"
A hearty nod from the mare preceded her response. "Yep. Granny's off visitin' kin in the next village over. So it's me at the counter today." Her gaze fell to the aforementioned basket, leading to a smirk on her part. "Come fer the usual shoppin'?"
Stepping forward, and placing the basket on the counter, Spike patted it quickly before answering. "Bingo. Got it in?"
Turning, Applejack got to work, heading to various shelves and boxes about the shop, all while Spike watched. "So, big party today, eh?"
"Yep. Everyone's pretty excited about the princesses. Plus, you know Ponyville loves a good celebration."
"Heh, I'll bet. Nice fer the high an' mighty city o' unicorns ta finally come on down and grace us little folk with their presence," she replied sarcastically. After seeing Spike look to her with slight concern, she elaborated. "Ah kid, but ah do wish they'd have visited us a bit sooner than this. Ain't nobody in these parts who even knows what the royal family looks like."
Spike shrugged. "Well, they're visiting now, and it'll be something for the history books at least."
Nodding in agreement, Applejack looked down to the basket, making sure everything was in there, and it was here that she looked to the dragon with some curiosity. "Anythin' you want today? Mac brought in a pretty good haul from the orchard earlier."
Though he smiled, Spike nevertheless shook his head. "Thanks for the offer, but I'll be catching my lunch later in the forest thanks."
Applejack smirked. "Think you'll finally catch yer nemesis?"
To that, Spike clenched his claw into a fist and held it in front of his face. "I swear to you, the white rabbit can't escape me forever. It has taunted me with its quickness for too long!"
A chuckle from the mare. "Well, good luck to ya."
Relaxing a bit, Spike cast her an appreciative look before picking up the basket. But when he turned, he noticed something odd. The door of the store was almost closed, despite him being certain that he'd left it wide open. Then, understanding came to him, leading to a sigh of resignation. "Okay...let's get this over with."
With a single push of the door, Spike stepped outside, and immediately he was rewarded for his action with a bucket of water falling onto his head, utterly drenching him from head to toe. Another long sigh from the drake was followed by the familiar sound of giggling, and after he finally removed said bucket he now found himself looking into the enthusiastic eyes of a pink pegasus mare, whose short but fluffy wings were flapping rapidly to match her excitement and joy. "Admit it, I totally got out there, Spikey!"
In spite of that, Spike couldn't help but smile to her. "Yeah, you sure did, Pinkie. Bucket atop an ajar door. Always a classic."
Unfortunately, the store's current owner did not appreciate it quite so much. "Pinkie! How many time have ah gotta tell ya not to do that?!"
But Pinkie waved her off. "Oh come on, AJ! Where's your sense of humour?"
The orange mare pointed to her most recent customer. "Ah leave it behind when mah patrons get soaked by the local comedian!"
"Good to see your mood is as sunny as ever," called a new voice. All turned in its direction, but all they got was a multicoloured blur that sped past Pinkie and started swirling around Spike, much like a tornado. Though he was momentarily disturbed by this, Spike soon found that he had been blown dry by the newcomer, much to his satisfaction. And as soon as the blur came to a halt, all saw that it was another pegasus mare, cyan in her fur and with wings far larger and more impressive than Pinkie's. She had a look of confidence about her, and she took a step closer to Spike before speaking in that same husky voice as before. "You're welcome, buddy."
Placing one hand upon his hip, Spike shook his head. "You know, Rainbow, if you want people to take you seriously as the best flier in the land, you might want to try encouraging Pinkie to not be so gung-ho about pranks."
But Rainbow merely snorted to that. "Pfft! I'm the one who suggested it to her in the first place."
Naturally, Spike facepalmed to this. "Of course you were."
Applejack, who had taken out a mop to soak up the remainder of the water that was now adorning the ground outside her shop's door, looked to her two pegasi friends with exasperation. "Honestly, y'all better keep all that in line when the princesses get here!" She then turned her gaze to Spike. "And you'd better make sure Twilight gets all the work done fer today."
Thinking on that, Spike shrugged. "Don't worry, this is Twilight we're talking about. That mare fixes stuff as easily as the rest of us breathe."
Author's Note
And with the new main cast now established, I'll be getting back to my Solaris fic next week, and then alternate between the two after that. And for those who need a better idea of what these new ponies look like, the artist who created the story's cover art also did a line-up pic for them, which can be found here (https://twitter.com/ImalouArt/status/1506333120613822465/photo/1) :twilightsmile: https://static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/twilightsmile.png

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                      Finished Chores                      
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Finished Chores
If there was one thing Twilight was known for getting incredibly involved with, it was her to-do lists. Walking through town, she was quite unlike her brother, for when other ponies would wave or smile to her, her response was to keep her eyes on the parchment in front of her, as though it was her entire world. In fact, the only time she'd even bother to look up from it was when she arrived at some particular place mentioned upon it, complete with a quiet muttering to herself. "Road patched up? Check. Fence repaired? Check. Lamps re-bulbed? Check." On and on this went, and after a while she eventually broke out into a small smile, wrapping up the scroll and giving a hearty nod. "Well, that's my chores done." She sighed. "All I need now is for those royals to get here and I can finally get my inventions noticed."
"All according to plan, eh Twilight?" a familiar voice said to her from behind.
Her smile widening, Twilight turned to see her brother walking up to her. "You know it, Spike. I've been hoping the things I make will get adopted for official use for years, and now, with the actual royal family coming here, I might at last get my chance!" Once Spike was finally beside her, Twilight glanced down to his grocery basket, seeing not only the food he was getting but also a rolled-up newspaper. At this, she looked to him with some curiosity. "Anything good happening in the world?"
Shrugging, Spike reached into the basket to hold out the paper in question. "Nothing spectacular besides the talk of the princesses coming along. Some grumblings from the griffons to the north, a few sightings of dragons in the skies above the capital..." He arched an eyebrow afterwards. "Oh, and it seems some fishers out at sea spotted a familiar fin or two in the waters."
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Spike, you know as well as I do that the fourth tribe haven't wanted anything to do with us for generations. They're not going to start now."
Spike placed the newspaper back into the basket before chuckling. "Hey, we live in hope."
His sister patted him on the shoulder before speaking up again. "Indeed we do, and I hope that today's big event will finally see my work get appreciated for all the good it can do." She frowned as she turned away from him. "All my life I've heard the same things over and over. That my inventions have no use. That they're pipe dreams. That I should focus my efforts on more important things." Her smile returned. "Well today will change all that. Today, the princesses will see what can be done when ponykind truly tries to innovate and change things! Today, my creations won't just be dismissed as fantasies!"
For a while, Spike watched her, so passionate, so sure that what she was planning was going to be something amazing. It was hard not to get caught up in the sentiment, at least a little bit. But, being the kind of drake he was, other thoughts began to surface, and instead of sharing Twilight's enthusiasm, he began to grow concerned. After scratching the back of his neck, he stepped forward, gently placing his clawed hand upon her shoulder, gaining her attention. "Twilight, I realise you put a lot of love into the things you make. But I want you to stop and think for a moment. I..." He paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I don't want you to build yourself up if there's a chance something might not go right. I don't want to see you put yourself out there and risk disappointment. You might feel that your inventions will be seen by others as something worthwhile, but that doesn't mean they will. I just..." Another sigh. "I don't want to see you get hurt by this again."
Twilight had been standing quietly, listening carefully to every word her brother had said to her. And during that silence, Spike began to worry if his concerns had been absorbed in a bad way. That Twilight would hear him and instead interpret it as him having no faith in either her or her work. Instead, he found her smiling to him, moving forward and, in a move that took him aback, hugged him. With her eyes closed, Twilight spoke, her tone soft and loving. "Thank you, Spike. I'm grateful you're worried about me." Though Spike had been surprised by her gesture, he soon found himself returning the embrace, making sure to put his basket down before doing so of course. After staying together for a minute or two, they parted, with Twilight looking him in the eye before continuing. "And you're right. There's no guarantee this will be any more of a success for me than it's been before. No way to tell if the princesses will have any higher opinion of what I've made than what I've heard a thousand times over." She paused, looking around the village. "But, you know what Mom and Dad always said, right?"
Spike smiled again, giving a small nod. "Yeah...you never know unless you try."
Again, sister and brother looked to one another, and again they hugged, this one lasting only a few moments before they moved away in earnest. "Right you are, brother," Twilight remarked. "And I'd rather try to get the powers-that-be to notice, and fail...than play it safe and spend the rest of my life wondering if this could have been my moment."
Another nod from Spike. "Yeah...I guess it'd drive me crazy too." He looked up, to the hill and the windmill that the two of them called home. "I guess you'll be heading back to get your wings prepped?"
She gave him an enthusiastic wink. "You know it!"
Spike laughed, then picked up the basket to hand over to her. "In that case, would you mind taking this back for me? Since you're heading there anyway?"
Twilight gladly accepted the task, taking hold of the basket and turning to begin her trek back home. Before she got too far away though, she halted, looking back to Spike. "Keep your eyes on the skies, brother. Before today is over you'll see me up there showing everyone that nothing is impossible when you put your mind to it!"
Her draconic sibling's smile widened as he saw her happily gallop back to the windmill, and after a while he exhaled deeply, turning to see most of the local Ponyville crowd begin to head to the edge of the village. "Good luck, Twilight. You deserve all you hope for."
Author's Note
I was a little nervous about writing Spike's concerns for Twilight, mostly because of the chance of his worry coming across as lacking confidence in her doing what she set out to do. Hopefully I got the balance right :twilightsmile: https://static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/twilightsmile.png

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                   The Princesses Arrive                   
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The Princesses Arrive
Spike had expected a lot of crowds over by the edge of the village, but it really did seem like every pony here was gathered for this event, as well as ponies from surrounding locales. Squinting, he couldn't see anyone coming over the hill where their visitors were going to be heading from, but he could definitely make out a cloud of dust no doubt being kicked up by their approach. Thankfully, he was soon given a good spot from which to see it all when Applejack spotted him, waving to him and stepping to one side so as to give a gap in the rows of ponies. Spike smiled and nodded to her in thanks, and soon he was into the fray, right between her and Pinkie. Rainbow, naturally, was hovering above them all, and ahead of the group, pacing up and down in her usual worried manner, was the mayor, an older mare with spectacles who was clearly letting the stress of the visit get to her, as evidenced by the sweat pouring down her face. Eventually though, everyone's wait paid off, and the first figures could be seen coming over the aforementioned hill. Chatter grew louder among the crowd, and Spike gave a quick chuckle. "Well, here we go."
Before long the gathered ponies could see a host that at least matched the size of their village, if not more so. They all knew that there was a bit more to the city than there was to be found out here in the countryside, but seeing it was something else altogether. Soldiers of gleaming armour, royal attendants of every stripe, and at the centre of it all was the shining silver carriage, the very focus of everyone's attention. The soldiers all made an orderly row, as if they were a living wall dividing the carriage from Ponyville, and in the centre of their line was an older stallion, unclad in armour, who stepped forward and cleared his throat before addressing the crowd. "Citizens of Ponyville! Rejoice! For the jewels of our domain have come before you today! The daughters of her royal Highness, Queen Majesty. Princess Fluttershy and Princess Rarity!"
That did the trick, as all of Ponyville, with the obvious exception of Spike, began to stamp their hooves on the ground to mimic the sound of clapping. Within the carriage, a single eye could be seen poking out from the open door, and within it there was a single intake of breath before a hushed and timid voice finally spoke. "Alright...I can do this."
All eyes were on her as she set out from the carriage, the wind blowing at just the right moment to give her mane the exact windswept look one always imagined followed royalty. That, coupled with a convenient shaft of sunlight pouring down from a parting in the clouds above, created the image of a mare that all should look upon with awe. And indeed they did. Mares and stallions, fillies and colts, all looked to her with near sparkles in their eyes. Here, before them, was the heir to the throne. The one who would one day reign over all ponies. Here, at the doorstep of their own home, was the one who would eventually become the most important pony of them all. Of course, with such grandeur upon her, it was no surprise that her sister did not get the same kind of attention as she exited their transport. Although, to her credit, she was not put off by this, instead looking to the now-regal figure of her sister and smiling. "Well now, that's more like it!"
With nervous step after nervous step, the elder sister made her way towards the rear of the row of guards that barred her path from Ponyville, and upon her approach those warriors instinctively stepped aside in the centre of the line, allowing her passage. It was a motion Fluttershy had no doubt seen them display towards her mother many times, but having it be done for her sort to took her aback, as shown by the near back-step she took. Though her knowledge that she needed to keep up the proper appearance kept her from actually going ahead with that step, instead putting on a small, if wobbly, smile and giving a slight nod to the guards who'd let her pass. They, of course, said nothing, remaining as stoic as ever, and so the princess moved past them, with all of Ponyville watching her every move. Had they been closer, they'd have definitely noticed the sweat coming down her forehead over this, as every inch closer made Fluttershy increasingly unsure about the situation. But, eventually, she made her way to the appropriate distance from the crowd, and after pausing for a moment, she recited in her mind everything she knew she'd have to say, before finally speaking. "Ponyville...I greet you all on this pleasant day. I am honoured to be welcomed here, and I am pleased to look upon your village and know that it is well."
To Fluttershy's eternal relief, the initial greeting seemed to go over well, as the ponies of Ponyville repeated their earlier jubilation of her. The mayor, who was clearly waiting for her part in all this, finally trotted up to the princess, with the latter's guards keeping a watchful eye on her. Once there, she bowed, as was expected, and her rise saw her smiling for the first time today. "Princess Fluttershy, I cannot even begin to express our gratitude to you for wanting to come to our humble, little corner of the country. I promise you, your visit here will be one to remember."
With the two leaders having exchanged words, several of the unicorn guards began to change their formation, with a squad of ten lining up and igniting their horns, while the previous speaker for the royals called out once more. "In the name of the princess, ten unicorn salute!"
The order given, the unicorn guards shot off their magic into the sky, much to the delight of the other ponies, many of whom had likely never seen magic before. It was an impressive display of many coloured lights as the spells shot off into the blue, but Princess Rarity, who had finally walked beside her sister, narrowed her eyes at something far off in the distance. "Oh my, that poor little bird over there is right in the line of fire."
Her tone might not have had much urgency to it, but it was nevertheless one of genuine concern, and it was one that triggered curiosity in Spike, whose hearing was good enough to have picked up her words across the assembled noises of the other ponies. Looking over his shoulder, he did indeed see some flying dot in the sky where the fired spells were heading. Only a moment passed after that before his expression became one of horror, and he spun around instantly to look upon what was happening. "That's...THAT'S NOT A BIRD!!!"

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                        Final Test                         
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Final Test
"Okay, Twilight. You gotta keep it together now. You've done everything anyone can expect. Your calculations are on-point, the wind is exactly what you need it to be, all adjustments are made. Nothing...nothing should go wrong here." Her words were, of course, meant to calm and reassure her, but even in the face of that it was hard to feel anything but nervous, especially given her current circumstances. Standing atop the roof of her home, Twilight's great invention, her pony-made wings, were strapped to her back, with goggles upon her face. This was a mare who was ready to cross that threshold and prove that what she'd made was not just fantasy, but a new step forward for ponykind. However, there was the natural concern of being on the literal edge, looking down and feeling, just for a moment, that a single mistake on her part could spell a pretty bad end for her. But then, her eyes drifted upwards, to the far edge of the village, and what she saw galvanised her certainty of what she must do. The royal procession was here, as was the whole village. All eyes were gathered, and her creation was ready to be seen. Taking a deep breath, she spoke to herself one last time. "Well, you know what they say...fortune favours the bold."
And so, with all the boldness she could muster, Twilight shut her eyes tightly and took that step. She could feel it going on around her, the wind rushing past her mane, the sense of nothing underneath her to catch her. Her heart raced, and in this moment of adrenaline, she felt that fear again, the doubt that something would go wrong and that this decision would lead to no good. But in the end, that dreaded impact never came, even when she knew enough time would have passed for her to reach the ground. Slowly, she cracked one eye open, and then the other. Her eyes were not deceiving her. This was no dream. She was actually suspended in mid-air. Her head darted all over, especially to over her shoulder, where her wooden wings were flapping with all their might, creating the exact same motion that genuine pegasi wings would to keep their owners up and hovering. Her breathing was erratic, as one would expect, but through all that, she actually managed to smile, looking ahead at the sky, which at long last was hers to be a part of. "I...I did it." Her smile widened to one of utter joy. "I DID IT!!!"
With the excitement of youth, she actually did something she'd been hoping to do with this invention for a while now. She did a flip. Granted, it was wobbly and led to a great deal of creaking on the part of her wings, but she did it all the same, resulting in a happy laugh from her. "This is...this is the most mazing thing ever! I'm flying! Really, truly flying! Oh, I can't wait to show Spike and everyone else..." Her words trailed off, and she realised that, in her excitement, she'd completely forgotten what she was going to do once her wings were shown to work. Looking ahead, she again laid eyes on the massive crowd, and her smile returned. "Alright...time to show them then." With a great flap of her new artificial appendages, she launched herself forward, her ears almost deafened by the loud sound of wind from the effort. It was definitely a gusty day, which was exactly what she needed, and it worked in her favour as it took no time whatsoever for her to bring herself more-or-less to where she knew the other ponies could see her. "I can't wait to see the looks on their faces!"
Squinting her eyes, she looked through what she could make out of the crowd, and after a while she spotted two mares in the distance, surrounded by soldiers, who looked like exactly who she needed to meet. "Ah, those must be the two prince...sses?" Her words had trailed off when something new caught her eye. A light of many colours, that only when it was too late did she realise was magic. Some sort of shot that, whether known or not, had been fired by those on the ground straight towards her. Utterly caught off-guard by this, Twilight tried with all effort to turn herself and her contraption to avoid beign struck, but her actions were in vain. The blast hit her, though thankfully not on any flesh. Only her wings were hit, but even that was small comfort when, as expected, this caused them to suddenly malfunction, flapping in uneven ways and sending her hurling off in the wrong direction. And if that wasn't bad enough, it was at that exact moment when the weather turned, bringing a massive gust her way that caused her to veer off-course.
"Oh no...oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!" Her words were the exact same thing, over and over again, but up here and in this situation, there was no chance of any real help. To make matters worse, the movements of her wings had become so random and erratic that she was spinning all over the place, becoming dizzy as her sight struggled to get a grip on what was up or down. Her ears, however, picked up panic in the crowd she had seen, as her being there had no doubt caused a ruckus, especially with this incident. On and on she spun, and after a while only one thing filled her field of vision. A vast amount of green, which immediately caused worry in her. Falling was one thing, but if she was going to land where she thought she was, it was going to be even worse for her. But fall she did, and her attention was drawn to a number of whacks all across her body and face as she collided with numerous tree branches on the way down.
And when that ground finally approached hard and fast, the only thing she could make out was a singe sound. A call from the village being made in a familiar voice. "TWILIGHT!!!"

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                        The Rescue                         
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The Rescue
"TWILIGHT!!!" Spike screamed, rushing ahead of the crowd of gathered ponies to see his beloved sister fall from the sky. All eyes were on her as she plummeted, and horror gripped them as she saw that her destination was the Great Forest. Panic swept the ponies all around and murmurs were abound, but for Spike, his only feeling now, the only thing capable of superseding his worry for Twilight, was anger. He spun around, eyes narrowing at the recently-arrived royal procession, and he barged past many of his neighbors to get closer to them. "What in Helheim were you thinking?! What's wrong with you?!"
Princess Fluttershy, naturally, took a step back, with Rarity placing her hoof upon her shoulder for comfort. As for their soldiers, they immediately put themselves between them and the approaching Spike, with the eldest stallion stepping forward to bar his path personally. "Stay where you are, dragon! This was no fault of the princesses!"
Spike pointed to him angrily. "You shot down my sister!"
"I have no idea what she was doing up there," the stallion continued. "But we had no idea this would happen."
"I don't care!" Spike responded. "Are you going to help her or not?!"
"Our duties are the protection of the princesses. Not to go into unknown territory to save some eccentric inventor."
Snorting, Spike again turned, stomping away before speaking back to them one last time. "Fae take you then!" With a great leap, the young dragon jumped all the way over the crowd of Ponyvillians, landing on all fours before charging, heading straight for the forest, no doubt to go after his sister himself.
Instantly, Rainbow flew to follow him. "Hey! Wait up! If anypony is gonna be an awesome, heroic rescuer, it's gonna be me!"
Pinkie, seeing her fellow pegasi go after him, squealed with delight. "Ooh! A super-special rescue mission in the dark and spooky woods? Count me in!"
Seeing all of her friends go off like that, Applejack gave herself a facehoof. "Oh fer the love of..." She groaned. "Ugh! Hold up, y'all!"
All watched as the three mares and dragon sped off together, heading for one of the most dangerous places in their land on this joint venture. As for the royal guards, they began to re-surround the carriage and the princesses, with the leading stallion speaking to them in his most professional tone. "Ma'am. I do apologise for this turn of events, but I believe it is time for us to make haste and depart."
Fluttershy, who had clearly been shaken by the whole debacle, looked to him with stunned disbelief. "You...you mean...we just leave that poor mare there?"
The stallion sighed. "As I said, we're here for your protection, not the protection of this Twilight person. Our priority now must be to see you safely back to the capital and to the Queen. It is unfortunate what happened to her, but our duty is clear."
Rarity, who was certainly as uncomfortable with that declaration as her sister was, nevertheless looked to Fluttershy with softness. "Sister, I realise this is difficult, but perhaps leaving is the best thing we can do right now. Whatever hope we might have had for this being a morale-boosting visit is clearly over now."
Fluttershy stayed silent for a time, first looking to her sister, then again to the ponies of Ponyville. All of them were chatting over what happened, and in that moment Fluttershy looked up, to the forest where Twilight had fallen. And it was here that something happened in her. Some urge or instinct that she had never felt in herself before. A feeling of what was needed and what was right. With her knees still as wobbly as they had been during her earlier speech, she turned to her eldest guard, and spoke with all the firmness she could muster. "Captain...we are going to help her."
The stallion, as well as everypony within earshot, seemed taken aback by that. "My...my lady?"
Raising a hoof, Fluttershy pointed to the forest. "Whether intentional or not, this incident has been caused by us and our actions, and as such we have a responsibility to make it right. That mare is in trouble. A citizen of our kingdom, and we must do all in our power to bring her home safely."
The Captain glanced to the forest. "Princess...we know nothing of that place, or what's in it. For all we know that mare didn't even survive the fall."
"Maybe not," Fluttershy conceded. "But what do you want ponies to think of us? That we harm our own and leave without a word? That we care not for the lives of every mare, stallion and foal within our borders? That we royals think our own safety more important than theirs? I say no. We will stay, we will save that mare if she still lives and we will show the ponies of Ponyville that when mistakes are made, our house will do what is right!"
Rarity, for her part, couldn't believe what she was hearing. True, she had definitely hoped that her pep talk from the prior carriage ride would have helped her elder sibling, but to see this level of confidence, this authority, was truly a thing unknown to her. But as the moments passed, as she continued to see Fluttershy stand her ground on the matter, her surprised expression became a smile, and pride filled her chest. Here, she thought, was truly a queen in the making, and so her eyes turned to the still-unsure stallion. "Captain, putting aside all of my sister's points, do you really want to be the one to tell our mother that your soldiers potentially caused grievous harm to one of her subjects without cause?"
If Fluttershy's words hadn't convinced the Captain, that prospect certainly pushed him over the edge. Looking again to the forest, the older stallion cleared his throat, then looked to his troops. "Alright then, guards of the royal family! You heard your princess! We have a mare to save! I want you all to spread out in standard search and rescue formation and stay in contact with your fellows at all times!"
A collective salute was seen from the other soldiers, and while Rarity was satisfied with this, Fluttershy clearly had more to say, as she took a single step forward. "And as heir to the throne, I say now that I, Princess Fluttershy, shall lead the rescue personally!"
Of course, a declaration such as that caused all to look to her with utter shock, none more so than Rarity, who saw instantly that Fluttershy had taken on a look of regret concerning this new announcement. So, slowly, she stepped closer to her, keeping her voice to a whisper, at least at first. "Um...sister, dear? Pardon me for asking, but...WHAT?!?!"
Author's Note
And there, I think I will leave the story as it is. While I did initially want to do a whole show's worth of story for this AU version of FiM, I think I'm more satisfied having it end here. Have it be sort of a part one to a show's two-part opener, giving an introduction to all of our main cast while giving them a cause to come together for, in this case rescuing Twilight. A banding together that would precede the "to be continued" before the credits. Apologies if this is a disappointment to those who've been reading it, but it's where I'm comfortable leaving off :twilightsmile: https://static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/twilightsmile.png