In the Valley of the Crystal Castle, things have gotten pretty quiet. Queen Lily Lightly has been travelling abroad with her entourage, leaving only a few trusted ponies to take care of the castle. Lady Wingsong, from the Kingdom of Song, is currently is residence to handle the day to day concerns of the kingdom.
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The Queen has sent word of her eminent return.
Butterscotch and Desert Blossom race around the castle to make everything perfect. There are dishes to be prepared, plants to be tended, beds to be made. A flurry of activity ensues.
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login"Breezie, can you at least make yourself useful if you are going to be in the way?" Desert Blossom is rarely prickly, but she is feeling a bit overwhelmed.
"I have to guard the entrance to the castle. I am being useful." Breezie is slightly indignant. Nearby, he hears Spring Parade snicker.
"What do you need, Desert Blossom? I can help." Spring Parade chokes back further snickering and goes into hero mode. He is always ready to help, well, impress others.
Desert Blossom takes a deep breath and starts listing her checklist.
It's Breezie's turn to snicker.
But far below the Crystal Castle, in the long forgotten catacombs, the rustling of disturbed stones and bones echoes. A mysterious pony picks her way as delicately as possible through the dark.
"I'm close." She whispers, her once beautiful voice now a croak. She slips, dislodging what she hopes is a large stone. It felt a bit light for a stone *shudder*. The catacombs fill with a glowing light.
"I knew it!"
The very name sake of the castle, left undisturbed until now. The mystery pony lets out a laugh of relief and joy that sounds suspiciously like a cackle.
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Restoring her former beauty!Chapter Two
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login"Thank you, Amberlocks. After such a long trip you are helping me feel ready to greet the castle properly." Amberlocks nodded happily, her curls bouncing.
"I have missed your hair. So long and lovely. And of course, I missed you too your majesty." She continued to devote herself to the queen's curls.
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Meanwhile....
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loginMystery Pony: "We have them! The Crystal Castle's legendary crystals." Oohs and aahs appropriately followed. Twinkle Twirl couldn't resist trying to touch them, but the mystery pony snapped at her.
"Don't even think about it Twirl! These are far too powerful for touching. We may only have one shot at this to restore my- I mean our former beauty!" Twinkle Twirl glanced at her mane. Oh how she missed her long silky locks of youth. She nodded shyly.
"Don't you think our hair will grow back over time?" Another pony among the misfits chimed in.
"Perhaps, perhaps. But time will not fix THIS!" With a dramatic flourish, the mystery pony removes her cloak.
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loginThe other ponies gasp in horror. Ribbon Wishes had not been seen in quite some time. She was remembered as a sweet pony, dedicated to making the wishes of other ponies come true. That Ribbon Wishes seemed a distant memory.
"I was once like THOSE ponies that live in their happy little castle. My only desire was to get a certain pony to notice me. He was too busy. It was a normal day when I was headed to town and saw a strange lamp seemly tossed aside. As I touched it, a magical genie appeared!"
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"I wish to be able to make Breezie's greatest wish come true!"
The tiny genie giggled and clicked her hooves together. "The best way to grant wishes....is to BECOME a genie yourself!" Suddenly, I felt my hair being pulled and to my horror, the lamp was trying to pull me inside! I ripped my hair to free myself and there was a loud burst and I ached all over. When I came to my senses, I felt....different. I had been cursed by the lamp. I no longer wanted to grant ANYONE a wish except myself. When I saw my reflection for the first time, I became quite ill. I want to go back to my former self!"
Ribbon Wishes grabbed a power crystal in her mouth without warning. The entire cave filled with an eerie blue light that grew to blinding.
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loginRibbon Wishes climbed to her feet. "It must have worked! I do not feel the curse anymore!" An eerie silence filled the cave as no one responded.
"What? What is it? Are you guys ok? Do we need to use the crystals to restore you too?" Gone was the cracked voice, her voice was lovely and strong.
"Um, Wishes," Royal Ribbon hesitantly cleared her throat.
"What?"
"You look....amazing really, but I do not think it's exactly what you had in mind...."
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Just then, a blue flash of lightning spread across the sky....
Part Three - Poll winner - kingdom turns black and white
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login"Ok guys, VERY funny." Butterscotch growled at his two troublemaker friends, Breezie and Spring Parade. I do not know how you did it, but my amazing dessert was perfect! And now it is.....grey and gross looking."
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"It must have happened slowly." Breezie frowned. "I didn't even realize the colors were gone."
"There is no color anywhere!" Spring Parade exclaimed.
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"How will I sell grey boring plants?" Desert Blossom expressed sorrowfully. She sent word to her distant cousin Daisy Jo who lived on the edge of the kingdom.
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"Let's head home," Autumn Crisp whispered to her husband, Applejack. "I do not like this at all." He agreed.
As reports came in from every corner of the kingdom, Queen Lily Lightly had the guards drag out and dust off an ancient mirror.
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"Mirror please and mirror dear, please show us what is happening here!"
With another magical flash, traces of color restored for a moment. Lightning bounced off of the mirror, the figure in the mirror, and the walls in a confusing blast. An exotic pony no one recognized was near a chest full of crystals.
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login"Oh no, oh no." The Queen seemed crestfallen. "This pony has the crystals.....they were supposed to be hidden safely away by my grandparents."
The other ponies were full of questions. "Please, let me think on this for a moment." She headed up to her chambers and shut the door.
As soon as the door shut, tears streamed down her face. She did not notice their bright blue color....
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It was evening when the Queen called her two trusted guards to her side.
"My grandparents protected the magic of the land by instilling it in the crystals and hiding them. They are the only ones who know how to restore them."
Breezie cleared his throat a bit awkwardly. "Um, my Queen, did they not....pass on?"
"Yes, years ago." Lily Lightly said easily. She handed them a basket and a sword. "I just need to talk to them for a few minutes."
Breezie and Spring Parade eyed one another skeptically. Spring Parade took the sword and Breezie took the basket.
"Now, we need two things for this to work. I need you to fetch them for me, well, for all of us."
The boys nodded.
"I need you to go to where my grandparents were laid to rest, in the garden pastures on the outskirts of this kingdom, where we border the Kingdom of Song. There are plants growing on their resting place, please bring me a bit of each. Also, in the middle of the garden is a stone statue of a pony. It is actually a summoning stone. No one must know what it can do, you must keep this completely secret."
"We swear."
"Good, please hurry. And when we have finished, I will need you to sneak the stone right back where it was, understood?"
They nodded and set out.
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loginSpring Parade and Breezie returned the following afternoon. That evening, the trio slipped out of the busy castle. Lily Lightly combined the ingredients, touched them with her horn, and began to hum.
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loginThere was no bright flash this time. Instead, two softer glows began to materialize into two of Lily Lightly's grandparents. The hint of color they brought with them nearly overwhelmed the other ponies.
"Lily." Glory said warmly. Lily had spent many days with her grandmother Glory, learning about the natural world and her role in it. Moondancer nodded sagely, never one for too many words.
"Something has happened and I'm not sure what to do. A thief has stolen the hidden crystals and used them to transform herself. The moment she did, there was a flash of light and the color started fading away everywhere."
The unicorns were silent, almost as if speaking to one another without words. Moondancer gave a slight nod.
"Lily, as you know, the magic of the Crystal Kingdom, like all pony kingdoms, is based in love. This other pony used their power for selfish gain and that is why they have broken."
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login"But truly, it is not only this that has caused the break. We were wrong to hide the crystals. We thought we were protecting them, but we caused the message of love and power that they represent to become a distant memory. You have been away some time in your tour of the kingdoms, and in your absence, some things have changed."
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login"There are misfits now, ponies who have been forgotten and neglected. Bitterness and resentment are outside these castle walls."
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login"Your 'villain' is truly a hurting young pony. And there are others with her."
To restore the crystals power and the color of the kingdom, you must restore those that have been lost. "
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"We were unwise in what we did with this magic. You must make better choices. We are very proud of you."
Their voices softly trailed off in the darkness.
Chapter Five
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Gigglebean, as usual, could barely contain her nervous laughter. "Humor brings every pony together. We could have an improv night."
The others ponies groaned. "We want them to come here, not drive them away darling." Fluttershy's soft voice cushioned her words.
"Everyone loves music, why not put on a huge concert?" Another voice chimed in.
"Yes, but they do not all love the same music." Spring Parade countered. There were a few frustrated sighs.
"The ponies do not all feel welcomed here. Some have endured hardship and have enduring scars. How can we let them know they are wanted? It does not matter how many hair colors they have in their manes, we need to let the old ways go." Lily Lightly spoke with conviction. For as long as anyone could remember, a pony's level of royalty could be seen in the number of colors in their hair. Lily herself was graced with an almost unheard of five bands of color.
Strawberry Swirl perked up. She loved her pink curls, but on occasion had gotten a cool shoulder with some of her more colorful counterparts. "Yes! It has gotten so much better, but that stuff still gets looked down on. That is NOT what the Crystal Castle is about!" Cheers bounced off the walls.
"We need a way to take all of those things out. One nice thing about the color being gone (maybe the only nice thing) is that there is less difference between us." Sew n Sew spoke up with a distinguished tone. He continued, "what about a masquerade ball? Everyone in costume allowed to mingle freely."
"That sounds like a security nightmare." Spring Parade mumbled.
"I LOVE it!" Lily Lightly happily proclaimed. "We will open the castle to EVERYONE. Food, costumes, music, dancing. It will be the biggest party ever!"
Around the corner, Butterscotch's heart jumped into his throat. Having the queen's entourage back at the castle was great, but it was hard to keep up with cooking, cleaning, and dishes for them. How would he possibly pull off such a large gathering?
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"Thank you, this will get us started." She blushed at his gratitude.
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"What the-?!"
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login"Hush, good constable. I only need a moment of your time." As Spring Parade began to struggle, Sew n Sew sighed. He was going to need to call in a legend to get everything done on time.
"By royal decree of Queen Lily Lightly and council, every member of the kingdom is hereby invited to attend a grand True Colors Masquerade Ball. There will be incredible food, music, and it cannot be missed! See Sew n Sew if you need costume assistance. The event will be in two weeks, at sunset, in the Crystal Castle. Haircuts, permanent marker, and nail polish stains welcome!"
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"You have to see this!" She galloped into the cave and thrust the poster in Lightning Wishes' face.
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Sew n Sew was going to have to pull in a lot of favors. The Ball was worth it. If only he could convince the legendary seamstress and fashionista Frilly Frocks to come. He started writing letters to many of his contacts in Flora Luna, the kingdom of the flower moon, and home to all the most glamorous celebrities.
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loginThe last time this much food was prepared was for the wedding of Autumn Crisp and Applejack. Butterscotch went to Autumn Crisp to see if she had any ideas. It was her cousin, Port o Bella, who had prepared the large and sumptuous feast. She had left years ago to attend culinary school in Flora Luna and had become one of the most in demand chefs in the world.
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To Be Continued.....the Final Episode!
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