Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Ponies Unexpected: Chapter Eleven

Chapter 11:  Literature for Pinkie Unexpected

Twilight’s diverse group soon found themselves walking down an artistic pedestrian boulevard.  The boulevard was paved not in cobblestones like in Ponyville.  Instead, the boulevard was paved with brightly colored, rubber titles.  The easy on the hoof titles created large patterns depicting rain, flowers, and the waves of the sea.

Twilight thought of the many references she had found in the Dream Valley Republic about the sea and ocean-going ships.  She wondered why Dream Valley ships hadn’t sailed to her homeland.  In fact, on the airship voyage to Dream Valley, she had seen few ships on the ocean.

Twilight said, “Newsie, I’ve seen many references in the Dream Valley Republic about the sea and ocean-going ships.  So what is the reason why Dream Valley ships hadn’t sailed to Equestria?  In fact, on the airship voyage to Dream Valley, I had seen few ships on the ocean.”

Newsie, acting more like a tour guide than a journalist, replied, “Most Dream Valley ships don’t leave sight of land.  There are several reasons for this cautious approach to sailing, the most important reason is; oh, here are, at the Princess Platinum University and Library.  Not only did Panorama and I earn our journalism degrees here, this university is also the site of the Unicorn tribe’s royal castle.  But, since the University and Library have been rebuilt so many times there is very little of the original, above the ground structures remaining.  All the books that Princess Platinum saved in her cavern have been copied and published as either paper books or as electronic books.”

The University is protected by a wall that is ten ponies tall, with an ornate wrought iron, double gate.  The university itself is a series of white marble structures with much detail and statues of ponies befitting of a home for pony royalty, rather than as a home for classrooms and books.

Above the library’s ornate entrance gate is a stature of three Earth and three Unicorn ponies, raising the national flag of Dream Valley.  The flag is an image of a smiling Earth pony mare and a smiling Unicorn pony mare giving each other a happy brohoof.

Pointing with her hoof at the national flag, Twilight asked Newsie, “That’s the same image that’s on Dream Valley dollars.”

Newsie replied, “Yes.”

“I assume that the Dream Valley ponies built a university library around Princess Platinum’s book collection and that library has only become bigger over the many centuries since the Great Pony Migration?”

“Yes Twilight, we Dream Valley ponies have an uninterrupted history going back for seven thousand years.  When I was a journalism student, I spent my library time in the library’s Journalism section.  But, I’m sure that you can find a book on every topic that you can image.”

With wide eyes, Twilight replied, “Thanks for everything Newsie.  I’ll talk to you soon.  I’ve got many books to read, so goodbye for now.”  Twilight’s rush to get into the vast library was so fast that a rainbow with sparkles appeared behind her flowing tail and hind legs.

With a nonchalant tone in her voice, Pinkie told Panorama, “Well, there is nothing interesting for me here, Equestrian’s best party planner, in a dusty old library.”

Panorama replied, “Oh, really?  When I was planning my husband’s birthday party, I found an entire bookcase of books on party planning.”

That statement got Pinkie’s attention even more than the words all you can eat free cupcakes.  “There is an entire bookcase … on party planning … here in this library?”

Panorama replied, “I never counted those books.  But, I’d guess that this library has two or three hundred party planning books.”

“Wow!  This old library does have interesting books.”

Pinkie’s eyes get big and then she also dashes off through the library gatehouse.  Pinkie, without Twilight, walks down rows of bookshelves.  Pinkie checks her PDA automatic mapping feature while she walks.  Pinkie smiles when she sees that some of the Dream Valley student mares and stallions are wearing vests with many sophisticated Dream Valley electronics, making them appear like high technology versions of Hearth's Warming Eve Trees.


When Pinkie finds an entire bookcase filled with party planning books, her face takes on the same appearance as when she first saw Rainbow Dash’s Sonic Rainboom.  With one of the happiest faces to ever appear on the face of a pony, Pinkie said to herself, “I could spend years here reading about party planning.  The information in these books, combined with what I already know, means that I could become the most famous party planner in Dream Valley, the most famous party planner anywhere.”

My Little Pony:  Friendship is Magic, Copyright © 2010 Lauren Faust, Hasbro Studios, and DHX Media

No comments:

Post a Comment