The Princess Ponies' UK Comic Origins

[Al-1701]

I was reading on LadyMoondancer's Tumblr that we got a little blurb the Princess Ponies use to live with Prince High and Mighty in the Dismal Desert.  Can anyone provide anymore detail on that?

[Deep Purple Crystal]

Hmmm...

The Princess Ponies are one of the few sets whose origin is never really explained in the comics. Basically, their 'introduction' was just them showing up in one issue, then Majesty telling the readers at the back of the comic that they were the Princess Ponies and they had come to live in Dream Castle with her. No explanation of any origin.

The Prince High and Mighty thing was the only insight of the Princess Ponies' origins we ever got. This information appears in the 1988 annual, in a story basically concerning the Princess Ponies commissioning Gingerbread to make gingerbread biscuits for Prince High and Mighty, who is visiting Ponyland from the Dismal Desert, but she winds up serving him ones that 'squeak'. They mention the Princess Ponies' past here...
'"Prince High and Mighty wants to visit all his friends, especially the Princess ponies". "They used to live in the Dismal Desert with him" remembered Baby Applejack."'
How does Baby Applejack know this?  Did the Princess ponies tell the babies, or does everyone's favourite orange baby pony know more than she's saying...

Strange that they never elaborate on the Princess Ponies' origin. Of all the sets not to explain... Personally, I see their origin this way:

The Princess Ponies were six ordinary nomadic ponies who were found by Prince High and Mighty, who recognized their kindness and honesty and gave them the title of princesses, gaining six dragon attendees. However, they objected to some of PHAM's decisions, and he traded them to the Jewel Wizard as slaves, where they worked in the deeper parts of his mine along with the blinded Twinkle-Eye ponies. However, a week later (they hadn't lost their sight at that point like the Twinkle Eyes had) Applejack defeats the Jewel Wizard, with jewels from the throne sticking in the eyes of the Twinkle-Eyes, however the Princess Ponies were facing the opposite way and jewels stuck to their flanks, giving them their jeweled symbols (the dragons don't have these because the jewels bounced off their tough scales). After the Jewel Wizard was defeated, they escaped the cavern, hoping to find Applejack, but she was gone. They then just kind of wandered around Ponyland for a year until finally coming across Majesty, who took them and their dragon attendants in.

[Al-1701]

Okay.  Thanks.

I was thinking perhaps the Dismal Desert is so named for its gunmetal gray appearance caused by high levels of iron-nickle alloy.  Prince High and Mighty strip mines the ore to sell for precious metals and jewels to decorate his palace.  One day, six young ponies ended up in his domain and he took them in.  He decided to let them stay in his palace, and had them magically transformed with their symbols turned into jeweled medallions and locks of their manes and tails given a metallic sheen.  He called them princesses and saw to their every need.  However, forbid them to leave his balance.  They were now a part of his collection of pretty things, and prisoners in a gilded cage (and gilded themselves).

Word of their presence makes its way to Majesty, and she sends some ponies to the Dismal Desert to explain things to PHAM.  We learn is actual given name is Hank, but no one would listen to Prince Hank, so he uses a stage name.  Realizing what he just got himself into, PHAM relents and lets the Princess Ponies go.  Majesty offers them a home in Dream Castle as her ladies in waiting, and Spike's six broodmates become their attendants.

And the dragon brood goes:
-Spike (the first to hatch and leader of the septuplets, Majesty's pageboy)
-Spiny (the second, but rather clumsy and not all that confident, attendant to always helpful Amethyst)
-Sparks (the third and most patient of the seven, attendant to the ever impatient Ruby)
-Fiery (the fourth and the most aggressive of the seven, especially when defending his delicate princess, Pearl)
-Flash (the fifth and the deadpan snarker of the group, attendant to dedicated Amber)
-Prickles (the sixth and the most pragmatic of the seven, looks after the daydreaming Aquamarine)
-Smokey (the last to hatch and runt of the brood, put under the care of the wise Sapphire, the oldest and leader of the Princess Ponies)

[Leave a Whisper]

Sounds neat.

[Artemesia's Garden]

I love this thread.  I have nothing to contribute though except my favourite things so far are 'ordinary nomadic ponies' and 'dismal desert'

[Al-1701]

I seem to remember once seeing a story about a snobbish prince and squeaking gingerbread on heckyeahponyscans.  Though, I'm not sure.

Doesn't look like it, but she does have several other culinary escapades posted.

[Leave a Whisper]

Why did the gingerbread squeak?

[Al-1701]

Why did the gingerbread squeak?

Because Gingerbread had some really odd recipes, and she sometimes follows them by accident.

[Deep Purple Crystal]

Why did the gingerbread squeak?

Because Gingerbread had some really odd recipes, and she sometimes follows them by accident.

This, and also because she taught the baby ponies to make them as a joke, but there has some kind of mishap.
Anyway, the biscuits squeaked when they were bitten into. I'll have to check my copy of the 1987 annual for more details.
Also, the story has actually never been posted on heckyeahponyscans, sadly (I'll have to request it). The first instance I heard about the story was in Gingerbread's profile on Taffet'a Scrapbook, although the brief reference mentioned nothing about Prince High and Mighty or the Princess Ponies in any way.

[Leave a Whisper]

Why did the gingerbread squeak?

Because Gingerbread had some really odd recipes, and she sometimes follows them by accident.

This, and also because she taught the baby ponies to make them as a joke, but there has some kind of mishap.
Anyway, the biscuits squeaked when they were bitten into. I'll have to check my copy of the 1987 annual for more details.
Also, the story has actually never been posted on heckyeahponyscans, sadly (I'll have to request it). The first instance I heard about the story was in Gingerbread's profile on Taffet'a Scrapbook, although the brief reference mentioned nothing about Prince High and Mighty or the Princess Ponies in any way.

Ha! That kinda reminds me of the Gingerbread Man from Shrek.

[Aurora]

Why did the gingerbread squeak?

Because Gingerbread had some really odd recipes, and she sometimes follows them by accident.

This, and also because she taught the baby ponies to make them as a joke, but there has some kind of mishap.
Anyway, the biscuits squeaked when they were bitten into. I'll have to check my copy of the 1987 annual for more details.
Also, the story has actually never been posted on heckyeahponyscans, sadly (I'll have to request it). The first instance I heard about the story was in Gingerbread's profile on Taffet'a Scrapbook, although the brief reference mentioned nothing about Prince High and Mighty or the Princess Ponies in any way.

Ha! That kinda reminds me of the Gingerbread Man from Shrek.

There's an episode of The Tick where they are all attacked by Gingerbread Men, but then the cookies go stale.
Cheese squeaks when it's really fresh. Maybe there's something in the recipe for fresh cheese?

[Ponyfan]

I like both Al-1701 and Deep Purple Crystal's ideas about Prince High and Mighty and the Princess Ponies. It's too bad the US didn't get the comics.


Ponyfan

[Al-1701]

I also prefer the U.K.'s approach to the princess ponies.  The baby dragon attendants are much better than bushwoolies.  I liked their birthstone naming scheme.  The comic and fact file were also able to develop their individual characters more than the single episode the cartoon could afford them.