CHAPTER TEN
Some time later, Queen Celestia and Luna were busy trying to create a towering house of cards. Standing over five feet tall, the cards looked ready to fall if a mistake was made. Celestia uses her magic to take the last card.
"Easy, sister..." said Luna, a little nervous at this. Celestia takes the card and CAREFULLY sets the final piece on top. The two sisters clenched their lips, hoping the tower doesn't fall. After a few seconds, nothing happened.
Both queens sighed with relief, until Sombra slams open the door, causing the house of cards to fall.
"Your highnesses, I finally found a solution to the problem with your princess" said Sombra as he approaches with Meowth.
"Meow!" mewed Meowth.
"Oh, really?" said Luna.
"What have you discovered?", Celestia asked. Sombra unrolls a scroll and reads from it.
"Right here. "If the princess has not chosen a husband by the appointed time, then the King or Queen shall choose for her".
"But Lexi hates all those suitors!" said Luna as Celestia tries to stuff another treat into Meowth's mouth. But he backs away. Celestia absentmindedly pulls the treat back.
"How can we choose someone she'll only hate?" asked Celestia.
"Not to worry, my queen. There is more" said Sombra. Meowth was relieved, but Celestia quickly stuffs the treat in his mouth.
Sombra continues reading from the scroll.
"If, in the event a suitable prince cannot be found, a princess then must wed to"...Hmm...interesting".
"What? Who?" asked Celestia.
"The royal vizier! Why, that would be...ME!" smiled Sombra, pretending to be surprised at the discovery.
"Why, I thought the law says only a prince can marry a princess", Celestia wondered.
"That can't be right. We've never heard of this law at all" said Luna.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures, my queens" said Sombra. Once again, he uses his hypnotic spell on them. Celestia and Luna are under his trance again.
"Yes...desperate measures..." said Celestia in trance.
"You will order the princess to marry me" ordered Sombra.
"We...will order...the princess...to-" said Luna in trance. But the spell breaks momentarily. They looked at Sombra with concern.
"But you look so DARK!" said Luna.
"The princess WILL marry me!" growled Sombra, making his hypnotic spell stronger, putting the sisters back into trance.
"The princess will marry..." said Celestia in trance. But the spells breaks off both of them, this time by a trumpeting fanfare.
"What is that sound?", Celestia wondered.
"It's coming from outside" said Luna. The alicorns hurried outside to the palace balcony. Looking over the palace walls, they see a large parade advancing towards the palace. They both smiled delightfully.
"Sombra! You must come see this!" smiled Luna.
In the parade, the genie Hobbes leads the parade dressed as a Major. The crowd suddenly turns to them, excited. The parade goes into a song.
MARCHERS AND SWORDSMEN
Make way for Prince Ali!
Say hey! It's Prince Ali!
HOBBES
Hey, clear the way in the old bazaar
Hey you, let us through, it's a bright new star
Now come, be the first on your block to meet his eye!
Make way, here he comes,
Ring the bells, bang the drums
You're gonna love this guy!
Hobbes mingles amongst different crowd members as he sings to them.
HOBBES
Prince Ali, fabulous he, Ali Ababwa!
Genuflect, show some respect!
Down on one knee
Spike as a full grown dragon marches through town, with Tyler, under the name Prince Ali Ababwa, rides on his back. He smiles to the crowd. Hobbes sees some krogan guards not bowing and pulls the rug out from under them, causing them to fall on one knee.
HOBBES
Now try your best to stay calm
Brush up your Sunday Salaam
And come and meet his spectacular coterie
Celestia and Luna smiles, enjoying the entertainment. Meowth was dancing to the music, but stops immediately when Sombra glares at him. Hobbes "wheelbarrows" six ponies up onto Spike's large head. They stand on each other's shoulders as Tyler shakes their hooves.
HOBBES
Prince Ali, fabulous he, Ali Ababwa!
Strong as ten regular men, definitely
He faced a galloping hordes
A hundred bad guys with swords
Who sent those goons to their lords, why Prince Ali!
The pile of ponies on Spike's head collapses on Tyler, but Hobbes's ™ brand lightning bolt zaps the pile and Tyler ends up holding them all up in an acrobactic wheel formation. Hobbes turns into an old pony, then a colt and speaks the last two lines to the crowd. Princess Lexi appears on her balcony, watching what has been going on there.
CHORUS OF STALLIONS
He's got seventy-five golden camels!
Hobbes pops in as a male commentator
"Don't they look lovely, June?".
CHORUS OF MARES
Purple peacocks, he's got fifty-three!
Hobbes pops in again as a female commentator
"Fabulous, Harry, I love the feathers!".
HOBBES
When it comes to exotic-type mammals
Has got a zoo, I'm telling you
It's a world class menagerie!
Hobbes pops in as a leopard, then a goat, and speaks the last two lines to Fluttershy and Marianna from the earlier chapters of this story. Hobbes appears at the balcony as a harlem girl, joined by the Ortiz sisters. (The lines in parenthesis are the girls singing in counterpoint with Hobbes)
HOBBES AND THE ORTIZ SISTERS
Prince Ali, fabulous he, Ali Ababwa!
(There's no question this Ali's alluring)
That physique, how can I speak?
(Never ordinary, never boring)
Weak at the knee
(Everything about the pony just plain impresses)
Well, get on out in that square
(He's a wonder, he's a whiz, a wonder)
Adjust your veil and prepare
(He's about to pull my heart asunder)
To gawk and grovel and stare at Prince Ali!
(And I absolutely love the way he dresses!)
Tyler flexes his muscles for the girls, and Hobbes zaps him, making him too bulky. Tyler then blows a kiss for the girls, and they faint. Princess Lexi humphs it off and leaves.
CHORUS
He's got ninety-five white Persian monkeys!
(He's got the monkeys, let's see the monkeys)
And to view them, he charges no fee!
(He's generous, so generous)
He's got slaves, he's got servants and flunkies!
(Proud to work for him)
They bow to his whim, love serving him
They're just lousy with loyalty to Ali!
Prince Ali!
Tyler tosses gold coins out to the citiens, who rush over to collect them. Spike and the parade march up the steps of the palace and inside. Celestia and Luna rushed back inside to the main palace doors. They were about to open them, but Sombra stands in front of the door. Suddenly, it bursts open, with Spike leading the way, and crushing Sombra and Meowth behind the door.
HOBBES WITH CHORUS
Prince Ali!
Amorous he! Ali Ababwa!
Heard your princess was a sight lovely to see!
And that, good ponies, is why
He got dolled up and dropped by
With sixty elephants, llamas galore
With his bears and lions
A brass band and more
With his forty fakirs, his cooks, his bakers
His birds that warble on key
Make way for Prince Ali!
More and more fanfare build up until Hobbes went back into the lamp, that is hidden in Tyler's prince robes. He flies off Spike on Latias and flies down to Queen Celestia and Queen Luna. Sombra uses his magic to push the parade out the doors and slams them shut. The queens applaud happily.
"Splendid!", Celestia said, clapping her hooves.
"Absolutely marvelous!" smiled Luna. Tyler approaches and bows to them, taking on a deeper voice to keep his identity a secret.
"Ahem, your majesties, I am Prince Ali Ababwa. I have journeyed from afar to seek Princess Lexi's hoof in marriage" said Tyler.
"Me and my sister are delighted to meet you" smiled Celestia.
"This is our royal vizier, Sombra. He's delighted as well" said Luna, introducing him to Sombra.
"Ecstatic", Sombra said, extremely dryly. He approaches Tyler.
"I'm afraid, Prince Abooboo-" said Sombra.
"-Ababwa!", Tyler corrected him.
"Whatever. You cannot just parade in here uninvited and expect to-" said Sombra.
"Oh my, is this one known as Latias?" asked Luna about Tyler's pokemon.
"Yes, your highness" said Tyler.
"Remarkable! Usually, Latias are always in pairs with Latios" smiled Luna.
"Just where did you say you were from?" asked Sombra to Tyler.
"Oh, much farther than you've traveled, I'm sure" said Tyler. He smiles. Sombra does not.
"TRY ME", Sombra said with a serious look.
"Oh, let him be, Sombra. This one had a long journey to get here. There's no need for him answering your questions", Luna assured.
"This is an impressive young dragon pony. And a prince as well" said Celestia. She whispered to Sombra.
"If we're lucky, you won't have to marry Lexi after all", Celestia whispered to him.
"I don't trust him, my queen" said Sombra.
"Nonsense. One thing I take in pride myself on, Sombra, I'm an excellent judge of character" smiled Celestia.
As they were discussing about Tyler, Princess Lexi was entering the room, and listens in on their conversation.
"Lexi will like this one!", Luna smiled.
"And I'm pretty sure I'll like Princess Lexi!" smiled Tyler.
"Your highnesses, no! I must intercede on Lexi's behalf!" said Sombra.
Lexi hears this and she gets furious.
"This dragon is no different than the others. What makes you both think he is worthy of the princess?!" said Sombra, facing Tyler with a glare.
"Your majesty, I am Prince Ali Ababwa", Tyler smiles. He flicks Sombra's nose.
"Just let her meet me. I will win her heart".
"How dare you!" yelled Lexi to them. They all looked at her surprised.
"All of you, standing around deciding my future? I am not a prize to be won!" yelled Lexi angrily. She storms out in anger. Celestia sighs deeply.
"Oh dear. Don't worry, Prince Ali. Just give my daughter time to cool down" said Celestia. She and Luna exited the room with Tyler.
Sombra was now all alone again, pissed-off now that this "Prince Ali" is in the way of his plan.
"I think it's time to say goodbye to Prince Abooboo" growled Sombra.