Chapter 5: The Decree and The Challenge
The next day arrived and it was a perfectly beautiful day in Ponyville. The Mane Six and Spike woke up and they were feeling great. Being superheroes was a lot of fun and helping others in need made them happy. They could never imagine giving up their powers. They met up and talked with each other. They were still discussing all of their heroic deeds from the previous day.
"And then I cleared out the tornado." Rainbow Dash said proudly. "Gilda and Lightning Dust couldn't believe it."
"Ah still can't believe that Ah stopped that tree from fallin' on that pony." Applejack said.
"Or how I trapped that bear." Rarity added.
"I love being heroes!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
"Me too." Fluttershy agreed.
"This is a lot more fun than I thought it would be." Twilight Sparkle admitted.
"I still can't believe that I actually have powers." Spike said.
The group of seven kept chatting throughout the day. Little did they know that their time as heroes could soon come to an end.
Princess Celestia was being taken to Ponyville in her chariot. The Sun Goddess wasn't pleased with what she was about to do. Twilight Sparkle and her friends made excellent superheroes there was no doubt about that. And it wasn't like their powers were going to their heads. All seven of them were displaying normal and acceptable amounts of pride so they weren't becoming arrogant. Princess Celestia was just concerned that being superheroes was too big of a task for the group of seven. This led her to make a very unfortunate decision. The chariot landed in a field as The Sun Goddess walked through Ponyville. She needed to find Twilight Sparkle and her friends.
The Mane Six and Spike walked through the streets in Ponyville. All seven of them were in extremely high spirits. They walked and talked with each other. Being heroes was definitely a lot of fun for them. The huge amounts of praise that they were getting didn't hurt either. Rainbow Dash loved the attention that she got from the townsponies. While the others weren't as concerned about the praise they did appreciate it. They kept walking until they saw Princess Celestia. They quickly sank into a bow but The Sun Goddess said that she needed to talk to them.
The Sun Goddess had a strange look on her face as she began to speak.
"I know that you like being heroes." she began.
"It's awesome!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
"It's a ton of fun." Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
'Ah have ta say Ah like helping others." Applejack said.
"It is a very rewarding feeling." Rarity agreed.
"Plus it's cool having superpowers." Spike added.
"Even if it is a bit dangerous for us." Fluttershy muttered.
"I think we make great heroes." Twilight Sparkle finished.
Princess Celestia frowned at this statement. Breaking the news to them would be even more difficult than she had thought. The Sun Goddess knew they liked being heroes but she never knew that they were this enthusiastic about their responsibilities. That was going to make them take the news a lot harder.
"Are you sure that you are up to such a demanding task?" she asked them. "Being a hero is a lot of hard work."
"Nothing we can't handle." Rainbow Dash proudly declared.
"We can save anypony." Pinkie Pie cheered.
"Ah think that we can handle this Your Majesty." Applejack said.
"I agree with Applejack." Rarity stated. "I am quite certain that we are up to the task."
"Being a hero is a lot of work but we can do it." Fluttershy told Princess Celestia.
"Nothing's too dangerous for The Power Ponies." Spike said proudly.
"It's not as hard as it looks." Twilight Sparkle finished.
Princess Celestia frowned even more after this. The group of seven would definitely not take her news very well. She would be lucky if they were calm about it. Heaving a heavy sigh she spoke the words that she didn't want to say.
"I'm sorry." she said. "But I don't think you're ready to be heroes. I am afraid that you have to stop."
"What?" the seven friends said in unison.
"But we're awesome." Rainbow Dash said in disbelief.
"I was having so much fun." Pinkie Pie said sadly.
"Ah thought we were doing a good job." Applejack said in a confused tone.
"We were but I guess it wasn't good enough." Rarity replied.
"I can't believe this." Fluttershy whispered.
"And I just got my powers." Spike said in a disappointed tone.
"Princess Celestia why would you do this?" Twilight Sparkle asked.
The Sun Goddess sighed as she replied.
"I just don't think you can handle this." she said. "I'm sorry but my decision is final. There is nothing you can do about this. You just have to stop being heroes."
The group of seven looked down towards the ground. They had loved being heroes and now they had to give it up. Why was Princess Celestia doing this? What did they do to deserve this? All of a sudden Fluttershy's head perked up. It looked like she had been struck by an idea.
"Umm Your Majesty?" she began tentatively. "Is it against the law for us to be heroes?"
"Well no." Princess Celestia admitted. "It's just a decree not a law."
Fluttershy looked at her disheartened friends and then she turned back to The Sun Goddess.
"Then you're wrong." she said. "There is something we can do about this."
The rest of The Power Ponies looked at Fluttershy in shock. It wasn't like her to stand up to others. It was even more unexpected that she was standing up to Princess Celestia. A crowd had begun to form around the group of eight and everypony in it was muttering about what they were seeing.
"And what would that be?" Princess Celestia asked in a curious tone. She hadn't heard of a way that anypony could counter a Princess' decree.
Fluttershy looked The Sun Goddess right in the eyes as she responded.
"Princess Celestia." she said in a loud, clear, firm, and determined voice. "I challenge you to a Judgement Duel."
Instantly the crowd gasped in surprise. Fluttershy was challenging Princess Celestia. This sudden outburst was completely unexpected. Maybe if it were Rainbow Dash or even Applejack it would be more understandable since they were competitive. Fluttershy however was the absolute last of the group that anypony would expect to challenge anypony, especially Princess Celestia.
"Uhhh Twi." Rainbow Dash began. "What's a Judgement Duel?"
"A Judgement Duel is when somepony can challenge another for anything." Twilight Sparkle replied. "It's the only way to overrule a punishment or even a Princess' decree."
Princess Celestia's eyes widened. She had forgotten about that. Nopony had used a Judgement Duel for centuries so she had never expected this. However she recovered herself and spoke to Fluttershy.
"And what are the terms of this duel?" she asked.
"We fight." Fluttershy said. "If I win then The Power Ponies stay."
Princess Celestia looked thoughtful for a moment.
"And if you lose?" she asked.
Fluttershy bit her lip as she thought about what she would do. She would have to do something drastic to get Princess Celestia to even consider agreeing to this duel.
"If I lose then I'll go into exile in the Everfree Forest." she said firmly.
This drew a collective gasp from the crowd, The Power Ponies, and even Princess Celestia. The Everfree Forest might not be as bad as it used to be but it was still a creepy and unsettling place. Fluttershy was terrified of even going in there let alone living in that forest.
"Fluttershy are you serious?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"You can't live in the Everfree Forest." Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
"Ah know that we like being heroes but isn't this a tad too much?" Applejack asked.
"Fluttershy dear reconsider this bet." Rarity pleaded.
"Yeah I mean you hate going in there." Spike said.
"Fluttershy are you sure you want to do this?" Twilight Sparkle asked.
Fluttershy nodded. She wasn't going to back down. She knew that her friends liked being heroes and she hated the idea of them having to give that up. Being The Power Ponies not only brought them joy but it also united them in a much closer way than before. Even though they were friends they didn't have much in common. Being superheroes gave them something to share. Now Fluttershy was challenging The Sun Goddess herself just to let her friends keep something they liked so dearly. The yellow pegasus stared firmly into the eyes of Princess Celestia. The Sun Goddess looked uncertain for a moment. She hadn't expected this to happen. When she spoke her voice was clear and firm.
"I accept your challenge." she said.
Everypony gasped at this. Fluttershy and Princess Celestia would battle soon. The duo worked out an agreement and decided that their duel would take place in a week's time. They would fight inside of the stadium that Rainbow Dash and Gilda had used for their performance two months ago. The Sun Goddess walked away and then she got into her chariot and departed.
"What have I done?" Fluttershy asked herself.
The crowd disbanded and now Fluttershy was alone with her six friends. In a week's time the yellow pegasus would duel against Princess Celestia. How would things turn out in the end?