The Crystal Empire at it's newest heights (roughly at the close of Season 3- WPony) :
"And tonight, we begin the closing ceremonies for this year's Equestrian Games- our official farewell to everypony who has come in the spirit of friendship and competition, well-played and well done!"
Settled comfortably in the Royal Box above the Stadia Crystalleria, seven ponies and two alicorns watched Princess Cadence wrapping up the sixteen days of athletes and celebration.
"OUR NIECE HAS DEVELOPED A PROPER SPEAKING VOICE, MY SIST-"
"Indoors voice, Luna."
The black and blue alicorn looked properly chastened as the glasses on the nearby refreshments table began to stop vibrating in time with her words.
"WE ARE- I mean, I'm so proud of our niece, Tia! The Empire's ponies love her, she's gotten most of the world to visit and managed to introduce the modern age to her subjects in the process. And she uses the Royal Voice so well-"
"That's the stadium's amplification spells, Luna.".
A slightly sheepish Luna looked down her snout at her Celestial Radiance, Princess Celestia, She Who Raises the Sun (and Moon on sick days), Ruler of Equestria and Bane of Alfalfa, then stuck out her tongue and blew her sister a raspberry. At the other end of the line of seats, a pink earth pony couldn't resist giggling at the sight.
"Oh my gosh this has been the BIGGEST PARTY EVEEEEEER!". The pony didn't so much speak as vocally explode. A hail of colorful streamers flew across the room (and the audience) from seemingly nowhere. "It's superspenderlifcallyduperdelicioussuh-WHEET!"
Carefully crawling out from under the chairs rattling under Pinkie Pie's bouncing hooves, the tips of two yellow wings could be seen sneaking for the exit...only to have the door to the Royal Box pop open in a streak of color.
"Fluttershy, that is an AWESOME idea! We can see the whole stadium from up there, cause there's got to be half a MILLION ponies out there, easy! Let's go!"
"Um, Rainbow....I'm kinda afraid of heights and all the crowds on the clouds make me really nervous so if I could just kinda go get a drink of water and maybe come back after it's all over? P-please?"
"Hey, girls- you know we're the fancy-prancy guests here- even if y'all wanted to stretch yer wings, we're kinda stuck being the guests of honor in this here stall fer a little while longer.". Four orange legs that resembled small tree trunks rather than mere pony propellent trotted their owner over to the refreshments, where she snagged a mug full of water and passed it to the still shivering Fluttershy.
"Settle down now and ree-lax while they get Pinkie off the ceiling."
*POPPOPpopPOP!* marked Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor's successful separation of pony from suction-cup horseshoes, levitating the sugar-rush filly back to her place of honor with only minimal bouncing in place. Applejack guided the mug firmly into Fluttershy's keeping, leaning a shoulder into herding the pegasus back to the front. Following along with a disappointed slink, Rainbow Dash hooked two mugs of cider on her wings and resumed watching the festivities.
"Pinkie, can I have another of those straws?"
"Ooh! I have a triple loopy quadruple bendy six-footer just for you!" squeaked Pinkie as it slithered out from her saddlebag.
"Yeah! Thanks Pinkie!"
Sticking the two looped ends into each mug, Dash threaded the bendy third part into her mouth and sucked on it expectantly.
Oh, yeah. Double cider rain, boom. Cloud Nine seat and all the popcorn you can hoof, almost forget about that. Immobilized by her fermented juice pacifier, Dash's tail flopped against the cumulus cloud cushions.
Meanwhile, the two siblings FINALLY could get back to watching their wife and sister-in-law making history.
"Did you ever think we'd be watching the Games anywhere but Canterlot, Shining?"
Twilight Sparkle's older brother barely shook his head and made cute little nose marks on the glass trying to get a closer look at his wife. He'd wanted to be down there, but someone had to host the Sisters and since the Princess was speaking, that meant the Consort Royal, Sir Shining Armor, Knight of The Crystal Heart and the Solar Kingdom was going to have to get his nuzzle time in later rather than sooner. At least they'd made the last event of the year the javelin toss...
...wait, what was that noise? Something shrieking...
Leaving a smear on the window, Shining Armor's nose jerked up to see thin white spears of wisp streaking into the pegasus seating, glimmers of blue-white peeking from each. Whinnies and screams fell from the heights, followed by a mane-flattening wind as thousands of wings suddenly began flapping in an effort to be somewhere, ANYWHERE but where those wisps were.
The Royal Guard sprang into action...and began raining down from the sky as ice-coated pegasicles, their spears having no effect against the intruders. A small grey unicorn filly looked up as a magenta glow caught a stray spear inches over her head, then a purple one snatched it's frozen bearer seconds before he would have shattered on the stands. Two words got out as her bubble-flanked mother snatched her away to fly in an erratic line for the train station, adding to the stampede beginning to melt away at the stadium population.
"Mommy, WINDIGOS!"