//------------------------------// // Preparations // Story: Flying High // by arglefumph //------------------------------// Under normal circumstances, the fight between Princess Celestia and Princess Sunset would have been national news. Magical duelers would have documented the battle in painstaking detail, investigators would have been sent to figure out where Princess Sunset came from, and everypony would have talked about it for months. However, Princess Celestia was no fool. She knew there would be a widespread panic, if her citizens learned of the impending alicorn invasion. In order to help prevent the news from spreading beyond Ponyville, Celestia declared that the Royal Coronation of Princess Scootaloo would take place that Friday. This proved to be the greatest distraction of the past hundred years, as all of the ponies in Equestria went crazy with joy, over the prospect of a new princess. Tens of thousands of ponies flooded into Canterlot, so they could attend the coronation. Publicity pictures of Scootaloo were distributed everywhere, and Scootaloo-related merchandise couldn't be made quickly enough to match with demand. The only pony who was unhappy with Scootaloo's coronation, as it turned out, was Scootaloo herself. She was temporarily moved to Canterlot Castle for security reasons, and she didn't like being away from all of her Ponyville friends. She quickly started acting out, much to the disappointment of the ponies who now had to clean up after her messes. "Got ya, you little punk!" Shining Armor said. "Let me go! It's no fair!" Scootaloo said, kicking and screaming against Shining Armor's telekinetic grip. "Ohhhh no," Shining Armor said, brushing a hoof against a coffee stain on his uniform. "I've been chasing you for ten minutes now. You're going straight to Princess Celestia." "NO NO NO NO NO!" Scootaloo shouted, but Shining Armor did not relinquish his hold on Scootaloo. He marched down a flight of stairs and through two hallways until he was at the throne room. Princess Celestia was going through paperwork for the coronation ceremony, trying to figure out where all the various dignitaries would be staying. When she heard somepony shouting about booger-brained barbarians, Celestia looked up and sighed. "I'll be right back," Celestia told the other ponies. She flew the short distance across the throne room, landing in front of Scootaloo and Shining Armor with her wings spread wide. "This is the third time today you have interrupted my meetings. What is the problem this time?" "Nothing!" Scootaloo said. "No problems here!" "Young Scootaloo here just knocked the ambassador from Prance into a four-story cake," Shining Armor said. "Do you know the punishment for attacking ambassadors?" "Look, whatever that mare with the silly accent says is a lie! I didn't do anything!" Scootaloo said. "I was just playing on my scooter like always!" "I confiscated your scooter two days ago!" Shining Armor said. "That thing is a dangerous weapon in your hooves!" "Yeah, well, I got it back!" Scootaloo said. "You're not the boss of me, Shining Dumber! I'm a princess, so I get to do whatever I want!" "I can assure you that's not true," a kind voice said. Both Scootaloo and Shining Armor stopped fighting and turned their heads around to see a beautiful pink alicorn standing at the entranceway to the throne room. "Cadance," Celestia said, happy for the distraction. "I was expecting you a little later." "The train left early today," Princess Cadance said. "I wanted to ask which room I'm going to stay in, but it looks like you're, um, busy." "Oh, no, not at all," Celestia said, with a smile. "We're just taking care of a minor dispute. The Assistant Captain of the Royal Guard here tells me that Scootaloo has been getting into trouble lately." "What, this adorable little angel?" Cadance asked. Scootaloo beamed at her. "I think there's only one way to teach you two how to get along," Celestia said. "Shining Armor, I am officially making you Scootaloo's personal bodyguard. Your job is to protect her all the time." "WHAT?" Scootaloo shouted. "No way!" Shining Armor said. "Nuh-uh. I qui—" "I could help watch over Scootaloo, too," Princess Cadance offered. "I've done foal-sitting in the past." "—I accept the job offer!" Shining Armor said quickly. "That's very generous of both of you," Celestia said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a coronation to plan, which means no more frivolous interruptions." The Princess of the Sun gave a harsh warning glare to Scootaloo and Shining Armor, then she turned tail and flew back to her throne. Over in Ponyville, the Elements of Harmony were preparing for the upcoming battle against Nightmare Moon and Suspended Sunset. The group of ponies was once again at the library, where Trixie read to them from The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide. "'There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known...When the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed.' I don't understand this part. What is this spark? How do the five other Elements create the Element of Magic? Whoever wrote this—hey, are you listening to me?" As it turned out, nopony was listening to Trixie. They were busy admiring their new necklaces, which had been custom-made for them. "I've always wanted a necklace shaped like my cutie mark," Fluttershy said happily. "And all our necklaces match!" Rarity said. "We should go out together as a group and all wear these! We'll get so many compliments!" "Hey, what's with the extra one?" Rainbow Dash asked, holding up a necklace with a flower engraved on it. "Ooo! Ooo!" Pinkie Pie said. "That's Cheerilee's cutie mark! Is she going to be one of the Elements of Harmony?" "She's an emergency replacement, in case one of us gets sick," Trixie said. Trixie had asked for a back-up pony, because she suspected that Fluttershy would get scared and run away. "That's good!" Pinkie Pie said. "I might be too busy to help you girls out, because my family is coming to visit me next week!" Rainbow Dash suddenly had a vision of four pink ponies, bouncing around Ponyville and squealing in high-pitched voices. She shuddered slightly. "Your...family?" "Uh huh!" Pinkie Pie said happily. "At first they weren't gonna show up, but Dad was super impressed when I told him that I'm on a first-name basis with Princess Celestia! So now they're all gonna show up for the Summer Sun Celebration, and it'll be more fun than a barrel of monkeys! Which reminds me, I should get some monkeys for the party!" "Pinkie, there isn't going to be a Summer Sun Celebration, if you don't help us defeat Nightmare Moon," Trixie said sternly. "Now stop goofing around. We need to practice." "Trixie's right," Applejack said. "We gotta figure out how to use the element doohickeys. Is there a hidden button or something?" "Well, the necklace is shaped like my cutie mark," Rarity said. "Perhaps that means I have to cast my gem-finding spell in order to activate it." "Um, maybe we have to use our element powers," Fluttershy suggested. "I know! They're the Elements of Harmony, right?" Pinkie Pie asked. "So we need to sing a song, in six-part harmony!" On the other side of the room, Spike was sitting at one of the tables in the library. He was supposed to be working on his homework, but instead, he was busy trying to stare at Rarity without getting caught. When he saw the ponies debating how to use the Elements of Harmony, Spike got out of his chair and waddled over to them. "Are you serious?" Spike asked. "You don't know what to do?" "The Great and Powerful Trixie is the greatest magician in all of Equestria, but she is unfamiliar with this particular brand of ancient magic," Trixie said. "Don't you girls read any comic books?" Spike said. "This is exactly what happened in Issue #19! These two aliens came from outer space to destroy the world, and the Z-Fighters had to work together in order to stop them!" "How?" Pinkie asked. "With super-cool poses, duh!" Spike said. "And matching costumes, and... other superhero stuff!" "Ah!" Trixie said, jumping up with pleasure. She didn't know much about ancient magic, but she did know a lot about looking impressive in front of a crowd. "I know a couple of group poses we can try out!" "We're not gonna stop Nightmare Moon by doing poses," Rainbow Dash scoffed. "We should try some group attack patterns! That's what the Wonderbolts use against rogue dragons and stuff." Trixie scowled a bit at Rainbow Dash. "We can try both techniques," she said. On the moon, the two alicorns were also making preparations. "So it's agreed," Nightmare Moon said. "You'll help me conquer the world, and in return, we will switch from eternal night to eternal dusk, every other month." "Yes!" her purple cohort said. "Soon, Equestria will know the wrath of The Dark Princesses, Nightmare Moon and Suspended Sunset!" "Eurgh," Nightmare Moon groaned. "How many times do I have to tell you? Your name is still Twilight Sparkle! Growing a horn doesn't change your name at all!" "Do I at least get to be a princess?" Twilight asked. "NO!" "That's not fair!" Twilight said. "Little Orphan Pony gets to be a princess, and I get banished to the freaking moon! I swear, I can't wait to kill Celestia." "Celestia is mine," Nightmare Moon said. "Your job is to fight the Elements of Harmony." "Hmph," Twilight snorted. She was hoping for a rematch against Celestia, not a fight with the Ponyville Amateur Hour. "You can't fool me. I studied up on the elements, when I was working for Fat Flank. I know that there's no way to beat them in a fair fight." "Those are all lies, my faithful student," Nightmare Moon said, putting a guiding hoof on the smaller alicorn's back. "A thousand years ago, somepony used dark magic to prevent the Bearers from using the Elements of Harmony." "Who?" Twilight asked. "His name was Discord," Nightmare Moon said. "And I can teach you his method for turning ponies dull and gray." After all, it's almost the same technique I used to turn you evil... The situation with Scootaloo and Shining Armor was tense for about three-quarters of a day, until they got onto the topic of cutie marks. Shining told Scootaloo about some of Twilight's failed attempts to get a cutie mark, and Scootaloo ended up laughing so hard that she fell over and sprained her wing. Scootaloo got along best with Princess Cadance, who certainly lived up to her reputation of being "the greatest foal-sitter ever". Cadance was able to sympathize with Scootaloo more than anypony else, seeing as Cadance was also born as an orphan and became a princess unexpectedly. Cadance helped teach Scootaloo how to deal with all the strange ponies she had never met before. She explained what it meant to be a princess, and she even taught Scootaloo a special breathing technique that helped with relaxation. On the day of the coronation ceremony, Princess Cadance was the one who helped Scootaloo prepare in her bedroom. Shining Armor wanted to be there—he made a special effort to be close by whenever Cadance was visiting—but Scootaloo's room was a girls-only zone that day. They forced him to stand guard outside. "You're going to look fantastic!" Cadance said, as she brushed Scootaloo's mane. "I don't like wearing dresses," Scootaloo complained, as she tugged on the side of her purple outfit. "Me neither, but sometimes part of being a princess is dressing up," Cadance said. "You need to look nice for everypony." "Is everypony in the kingdom going to be there?" Scootaloo asked. "Almost everypony," Cadance said. "I have to say, I enjoyed meeting your mother at breakfast. It's very nice that she came all the way to be with you today." "I guess," Scootaloo said. She sighed and looked at her shoes. Princess Cadance stopped brushing Scootaloo's mane. "What's wrong?" she asked. "I dunno," Scootaloo said. "It's just...Mom is the only one in my family who's coming." "Oh. Right," Princess Cadance said, putting her hoof to her mouth. Scootaloo's father, Blueblood, would not be attending the ceremony. He still had a broken leg, after being attacked by the alicorn Twilight Sparkle. Worse yet, he had a broken mind. Not long after he lost his royal title and privileges, Blueblood had a complete mental breakdown. He ran through town, screaming and yelling and crying, until he was eventually arrested by the Royal Guard. Princess Celestia, who was fond of poetic justice, sent him to the mental hospital for a month for recuperation. It was the same punishment Blueblood had tried to impose upon Twilight. Celestia did show him some mercy, in that she undid the spell which switched his head and his hindquarters. "It must be difficult for you not to have your father around," Princess Cadance said compassionately. "It's not just Dad," Scootaloo said. "It's my big sister, Twilight." Cadance closed her eyes. She had spoken briefly with Celestia about Twilight Sparkle. Celestia had been extremely reluctant to reveal any details about the purple pegasus-turned-alicorn. "She only got to be my big sister for a little bit, and now she's gone forever!" Scootaloo complained. "All I have left is her cranky older brother! It's not fair! I want her back!" "Oh, Sweetheart," Cadance said. "I'm sorry that you miss your sister, but sometimes bad things happen to the ponies we love. That's just how life is." "But why?" Scootaloo asked. "You told me that love makes everything better! Why doesn't it help me and my sister?" Cadance sighed. As the Princess of Love, she was often confronted by angry, broken-hearted ponies. She never liked explaining about the more unpleasant aspects of love. "Love is...complicated," Cadance said. "It is the most powerful thing in the world, but sometimes it can be misused. For example, unrequited love often parades as true love in situations where the beloved's love is—" "What?" Scootaloo asked. Cadance reminded herself that Scootaloo was only ten years old, at most. "Let me try again," Cadance said. "Do you know what love is, Scootaloo?" "Love is...um...a feeling?" Scootaloo guessed. "No," Cadance said. "Love involves feelings, but it's much more than that. Feelings can change, while love stays the same." Scootaloo scratched her head. "You mean, like how I still love my sister, even though she's mean and nasty now?" "Exactly," Cadance said. "Love isn't about you, Scootaloo. It's about the pony you love. It lifts you up, outside of yourself, and settles you down on your beloved." Scootaloo didn't quite understand this. "So why doesn't love help my sister?" she asked. "I don't know what's wrong with your sister," Cadance said. "But I can promise you that, deep down, she still loves you. And that's never going to change, no matter how mean she is, or how much you two fight." "I hope so..." Scootaloo said. "I just want her back, that's all." Cadance hugged Scootaloo from behind. "I'm sure that everything is going to work out in the end. Now come on, let's go make you a Princess." Princess Celestia wasn't crazy enough to put Scootaloo in charge of any part of the government, so her coronation was more ceremonial than functional. Nonetheless, it was a huge success. The crowds cheered as Scootaloo was given a crown and officially adopted as Princess Celestia's niece. The celebration lasted the entire three-day weekend (Monday being a holiday). The problems started when Trixie returned to Ponyville. There were only two days left to prepare, and to be honest, the Elements of Harmony weren't working yet. Maybe it was because some of the ponies were assigned to the wrong elements. Maybe it was because half of the necklaces didn't come from the Harmony Stones. Most likely, though, the Elements of Harmony weren't working because the ponies themselves weren't working. Trixie was trying her hardest as the leader, but she couldn't fill Twilight's hooves. Her friendship with the other ponies, especially Rainbow Dash, was somewhat strained, and this hurt their ability to work as a team. A new problem developed, when Trixie called for another practice session. They all chatted about Scootaloo's coronation, until Pinkie Pie showed up, five minutes late. The normally happy pony looked like someone just cancelled her birthday party. "Um...I'm sorry, but I can't help with the Elements of Harmony on Monday," Pinkie said, sadly. "I'm not even allowed to be here right now." "What?" all the ponies asked. "What's wrong, Pinkie?" Fluttershy asked. "Dad grounded me," Pinkie said. "He said I eat too many sweets." The various ponies let out cries of surprise and sympathy, all except for Rainbow Dash. "Wait, hold on a sec. You invited your family to come visit for the holiday, and your dad grounded you? You're not a little filly anymore!" Pinkie's hair seemed to deflate slightly. "Why does it matter? It's not like we've been able to use the elements anyway." "That's going to change!" Trixie said happily. "I talked with Princess Celestia, while I was in Canterlot for the coronation. She's used the Elements of Harmony before, so she taught me how to use them!" "Really?" Applejack asked. "What have we been doin' wrong?" "We just need to concentrate on our particular elements," Trixie said. "Focus on what you represent, and think about how it brings harmony and friendship to the world." "I don't think that will work," Pinkie Pie said, kicking the ground with her hoof. "Anyway, I have to go now. If Dad finds out that I left my room, I'll be super grounded! He might even take Gummy away from me!" "But Pinkie, we can't do this without you!" Trixie said. "You're our Element of Laughter!" "And besides, you're our friend!" Applejack said. "You can have Cheerilee replace me," Pinkie said. "No way!" Rainbow Dash said. "We've been practicing with you!" "Nopony else brings such...enthusiasm to our meetings," Rarity said. "And besides, your cutie mark necklace would look horrible on Cheerilee." After some begging, Pinkie agreed to stay for another five minutes, so they could at least try the new technique that Trixie learned. The ponies got into formation, and they started focusing on the power of friendship. The new method wasn't as effective as possible, but it worked better than anything else they had tried. A tiny rainbow came out of the element necklaces, connecting all five of them. The rainbow's ends were loose, until they hesitantly went into Trixie's necklace. The rainbow then disappeared. "It stopped!" Rarity said. Trixie turned to the other ponies. "We made more progress than we previously—" The other ponies screamed in terror. Trixie's necklace was glowing, and her pupils had disappeared completely. As the ponies watched, Trixie's blank eyes were slowly filled with swirling rainbow colors. Only Rainbow Dash could stand to look at it. "What? What's happening?" Trixie cried. "Trixie can't see anything! Trixie is blind!" "Somepony call a doctor!" "No, a magical expert!" "Get some water, pronto!" "Spandex!" Pinkie cried. "I need spandex!" The mild panic was interrupted when the door to the library flew open. Pinkie's stern father stomped into the room, anger written all over his face. "Pinkamena Diane Pie!" he shouted. "What are you doing, young lady?" Pinkie grabbed Fluttershy's long pink mane and tried to hide behind it. "Nothing, Daddy!" Mr. Pie started scolding his daughter. "I told you that you can't play with your friends, after you—" Trixie turned towards the sound of the disturbance, at the same moment she blinked. A rainbow-colored beam of light shot out of Trixie's eyes and hit Mr. Pie directly in the face. He was flung against the wall, and he collapsed on the ground. "NO!" Pinkie cried. "My eyes!" Trixie said, blinking a few times. "I can see again! What did—what happened to him?" Pinkie's father slowly stood up. His entire mane, including his sizeable sideburns, had turned pink. A goofy grin covered his face, and he started bouncing. "Hey, is this a party? Why wasn't I invited? I wanna play with everypony! Let's try singing and dancing! Ooo, your necklaces are pretty!" "Dad?" Pinkie asked. "Are you okay?" Mr. Pie ran up to his daughter. "Hey, you look just like me!" he said. "My name is Pinkie Pie! I'm the most partyriffic pony in all of Equestria! Let's have a twins party! We're going to be best friends! Best twins forever, Pinkie Pie and Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie put her arm around her father, stopping him from bouncing around. "You hurt your head, and now you're acting weird," she said. "I'm going to take you home, okay?" "Why? Is there a party there?" Mr. Pie asked. "Hey, do you want to hear the party song? P-A-R-T-Y! Party, party, me, oh my! I wanna party every day!" Pinkie Pie led her deluded father out of the library. The other Elements of Harmony were left behind, and they were quite stunned at what just happened. "Do...do we call that a success?" Trixie asked. "The Elements of Harmony did turn a mean pony nice...kind of." "I think I'd rather deal with Nightmare Moon than turn her into Pinkie Pie," Rainbow Dash said, speaking for everypony.