20: That I wish you saw - by SpinelStride & The Quiet Man.
That I wish you saw by SpinelStride & The Quiet Man... though for the most part I just drove ’im nuts.
Chapter published 9th Sept 2013
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Canterlot Castle
November AC1216
A Pinkie Pie Party was always an event to be reckoned with.
A Pinkie Pie Birthday Party was always a high point to anypony's year.
But a Pinkie Pie Birthday Party For Future Duchess Twilight Sparkle Held In The Palace With Princess Celestia's Backing? That was the social event of the decade.
Not just because Celestia was sponsoring the entire thing and lending her personal stamp of approval to it. Not just because it was going to be in the palace. No, this was also Twilight Sparkle’s official Ducal Presentation, there to let Equestria's nobility formally introduce themselves (and the services they could ~ahem~ provide) to her.
The ones who could get in, at any rate. Pinkie had that taken care of.
Her original plan was to invite everypony. Literally. Every pony in Equestria. Every. Single. One. But, the frizzy maned mare had been disappointed when her application for an exemption from Canterlot City’s fire code governing ‘indoor gatherings of a significant scale’ (code 13, subsection J) was denied. Almost as disappointed as she was when Princess Celestia - some would say quite wisely - declined to overrule the fire marshal's decision, instead telling the momentarily deflated mare that there must be another way to reach the masses before subtly pointing her in her sister’s direction.
Pinkie’s disappointment level however, had only been rivaled by the surprise her friends had displayed at the fact that, not only had Pinkie actually applied for an exemption in the first place, but she actually knew exactly how best go about it, which forms to fill in, and even which hooves to grease in order to get her request fast tracked through the capital city’s many many layers of bureaucracy and red tape.
But of course she’d applied for an exemption from the fire code! She was, after all, a party pony, no... she was THE party pony, and that included all the bits that weren't so much fun as decorating and baking and more decorating and handing out invitations and even actually having the party. She just didn't normally arrange parties with quite so much advance notice and such a large guest list (or budget). But, in any case, she did her paperwork, and when the request was turned down due to being ludicrously impractical - not to mention likely to make the castle topple over - she had found another solution, just as Princess Celestia had known that she would.
Princess Luna was glad to help of course. Equestria's very first ‘Trans-REM’ party was going to be one hundred percent amazastounding, even for the ponies who couldn't get those elusive tickets and would instead join the party from the comfort of their own beds.
And in the meantime, tickets to the physical party at Canterlot Castle itself were turning into the status symbol of the year. Everypony (or nigh on everypony) in Ponyville was invited automatically, then Twilight’s immediate family, then almost everypony else she knew, then a whole lot of ponies she didn’t know but probably should. Princess Celestia had helped Pinkie narrow down the guest list for the country’s nobles and elite along practical lines - the ones who'd behave themselves, those who could be useful to Twilight's future status as Duchess, and those who would be useful to Celestia's current political machinations immediately.
Prince Blueblood was notably not on any of those lists.
Being an especially special event the Elements of Harmony came back out of the vault to which they had so recently been returned. Rarity had hoofmade brand-new dresses for Twilight, her herdsisters, and all of her closest friends, plus a pair of matching custom-made tuxedos for Spike and Lero - all on the Crown's bit, no less. There were themes to follow of course. Everypony's outfit had to blend with their own colors and fit their personalities.
Applejack's outfit reflected the Apple clan's style, pretty to look at but with none of that dangling fluffery nonsense, which was just the way AJ liked it. Fluttershy's featured leaves and vines, subtle and elegant but with an undertone of strength held within. Rarity's own gown was a marvel of understated sophistication, crafted to draw the eye along the gentle curve of her back and then down across her flanks, promising much but in reality exposing very little, the ‘hidden’ quality designed to make the sight of a well turned ankle even more enticing. Even Pinkie's dress was slightly more subdued than her exuberant Gala number, being a solid blue top with white panels along the skirt, but still an explosion of pink delight everywhere else.
Rainbow Dash's dress was similar to her gala dress and included her trademark multicolored stripes - Rarity knew better than to suggest otherwise, and wouldn’t have dreamed of omitting them in any case - but this time rather than a simple bunch of grapes at her chest, she had a broad golden peytral similar to - though much smaller than - Princess Celestia’s, with the Element of Loyalty prominently standing out in the center with shoulder coverings in flowing lavender silk that flanked it on each side. She wore classical pegasine sandals in shimmering gold on all four legs, the long matching gold laces making their way almost to the top of each limb.
To finish off the outfit, her golden feathers, still the only pieces of jewellery she’d ever bought for herself, were deftly inserted alongside her own. Her every movement caused the shiny metal pieces to glint and shine from between her plumage, accentuating both the gold in her outfit and her own striking blue colouring. Altogether, it was a far more martial look than was usually seen at these kind of events, which suited Rainbow Dash well and was still quite acceptable for a Ducal Presentation. Especially considering the military history attached to many of those of Twilight’s status, a large number of which were in attendance tonight.
Lyra's outfit was, at her request, based loosely on the traditional formalwear of a Neighponese noblemare, with squared-off aqua chest, side, and flank panels, and lavender shoulders. The cut and arrangement of the cloth gave her an air of both severity and elegance, the many folds providing her a number of places to hide... something. What that something might be nopony wanted to ask. While she lacked an Element of Harmony to act as a centerpiece, she instead wore around her neck a miniature harp on a fine gold chain, a complex enchantment upon the custom-made piece allowing her to activate it to play any of a number of her favourite compositions with just the touch of a hoof.
Both Lero and Spike's tuxedo jackets were sparkling white - literally, thanks to crushed diamonds woven into the fabric, each tiny fragment held in place by magically-guided strands of silk. Lavender ruffled undershirts, bow ties, cummerbunds, and cuffs completed the ensemble for Spike. Lero’s outfit added a pair of matching white dress pants with a lavender stripe down the outside of each leg, and a pair of white shoes with a broad top reinforced with a hidden steel plate across the toes. He was going to have to dance with Twilight, after all, and the human liked to plan ahead.
Twilight's own dress was among the simplest in the room. A simple white affair - unruffled, unadorned and unenchanted, sweeping from her shoulders, across her back and into a short simple train which lay on the ground behind her. Tradition demanded that the Duchess-in-Waiting be presented for herself, with minimal decoration. Nopony argued with the tiara atop her head, the Element of Magic being accepted as an integral part of 'herself' despite the normal injunction against jewelry for the celebrant.
The Wonderbolts were performing as well as attending the party itself - and of course Pinkie made sure that Rainbow Dash was joining them as a guest-performer, weaving her rainbows in and out of their smoke trails and providing tonight’s conclusory rainboom.
There was no possible way that even the likes of Applejack, Big Mac, Granny Smith, and Apple Bloom all working together could make enough cider for the entirety of the festivities, but they were able to produce enough for the toasts, which still accounted for a whole heap’a cider. Enough to fuel an entire town of earth ponies according to Big Mac. They also broke out a keg of thirty-year-old Apple Reserve for the head table, though they did make sure to warn all who would be indulging in Sweet Apple Acres’ finest hooch just how potent it could be, something to which Princess Luna could easily (and fondly) attest.
All the preparations had left Spike and Lero with little to do, so they took to keeping out of the way by exploring Canterlot. Spike knew more of the city than Twilight, but his experience was still limited; he was, after all, a baby dragon, and his time outside of Twilight's supervision hadn't been terribly extensive when he had lived there before. The occasional wanderings with friendly guards and the running of errands were still more than Twilight had ever taken though.
Spike was impressed by how friendly all of those snooty Canterlot ponies had become all of a sudden. Previously he'd always been dismissed as a 'pet' at best, a half-tamed menace without a leash at worst, but suddenly it seemed like everypony was a long-lost friend, full of smiles and best wishes.
"Funny how attitudes change when they hear you get to make suggestions on the guest list, isn't it?" Lero had cheerfully noted to his young companion as he returned a wave to a pair of guardsmares that he thought he remembered from his time as nursemaid to the royal sisters.
But, after a whirlwind of activity - at times literal, as Pinkie had drafted Rainbow Dash to lend a hoof decorating the higher parts of the ballroom - the party was finally on.
Fluttershy had retreated to the gardens, trying with more patience this time to make some new little friends; Pinkie was gleefully leading a conga line at least a hundred ponies (and one baby dragon) long; Applejack had her fiddle out in one of the other ballrooms where she was causing a ruckus with some of the more ‘down to earth’ guests while DJ-Pon3 had the main dance hall for a show of a more ‘modern’ nature.
The main banquet hall, however, that belonged to Miss Octavia, where Lyra was taking a turn on stage with the well-respected earth mare’s classical ensemble. Princess Luna was in her own quarters, guiding the non-corporeal element of the event, holding court amid an untold number of revellers enjoying the party from deep within the realm of dreams.
And that left Princess Celestia unusually alone; the ponies in attendance were either noble enough to recognize that making a good impression on Twilight Sparkle was the order of the night, or common enough to shy away from 'bothering' the Princess. She didn't mind; it was in many ways a pleasant change of pace.
***************
The aerial display earlier in the evening had been every bit as spectacular as planned. The Wonderbolts’ display team attending today’s celebration, made up as it was of only their most accomplished members, had split up before the party, spreading themselves at equidistant intervals around Canterlot's city walls.
At the opening signal, they had launched themselves into the city’s airspace in a wide spiral pattern, steadily increasing their speed as they circled the castle, moving higher and higher with every rotation. Rainbow Dash (sans dress at the time) had waited for the six flyers to join up into two wings of three pegasi each, both groups circling the castle at breathtaking speed before launching herself from the roof of Princess Luna’s tower.
As she had powered directly upwards, the two sets of Wonderbolts converged around her, letting her take the lead through a series of loops, spins, and complicated aerial weaves. As the polychromaticly-maned speedstress had streaked through the sky, her trademark rainbow trail coloring the heavens behind her, the Wonderbolts had let loose with their own smoke trails, their spinning flight paths creating a number of helices around their guest performer’s multi-hued core.
Just as the sun began to set, the performance had moved into its finale. The two Wonderbolts who were able changed their trails from plain to lightning-charged smoke, the jolts of energy lighting up their trails from within as all seven flyers then began to orbit a large cloud that had been moved into position a few miles west of the city.
As they had pushed and pulled at the surface of the cloud, all the while weaving in and out of each other at great speed, their guest wrapping the cloud in rainbows the entire time, the cloud’s shape changed. Fluffy edges were gradually replaced with straight lines, gentle curves with sharp angles, until finally all seven performers had converged, flying together in unison so that their combined slipstreams had imparted a gentle spin on the mighty sculpture. As one, the pegasi in flight had sped away from their creation, leaving a building-sized three dimensional replica of the main star from the center of Twilight Sparkle’s cutie mark slowly rotating in the sky behind them, the pure white of the cloud contrasting splendidly with the many colors of the evening sunset on the western horizon far beyond. They even left five wisps of cloud they’d removed in the process scattered behind it.
One after another the six Wonderbolts had peeled away, leaving Rainbow alone in the sky as she arced back towards the main body of the castle. Starting at the very base of the lofty Royal Observatory, she looped around and around the tower, continuously accelerating as she wrapped it in her rainbow trail, getting ever higher until she passed the highest peak and continued on upward before heading up and over the sculpted cloud-star. The lone pegasus disappeared from view as her curved flight path took her behind the geometric creation. Seconds later the spreading ring of color from behind the sculpture had heralded a sonic rainboom, the polychromatic waves emanating from behind it highlighting the still spinning cloud in the sky rather than obliterating it, the backdrop of one of Princess Celestia’s most beautiful sunsets of recent weeks setting the entire display off to a T.
Gently gliding down towards the royal gardens, Rainbow had found the Wonderbolts waiting for her, as well as a large number of guests who’d signaled their appreciation with rapturous applause - exuberant stomping for the most part, with more reserved clopping from those ponies who considered themselves above that sort of thing. The sound had continued to echo in pegasus’s ears as she’d (reluctantly and with many apologies) made her exit and hurried off to get ready for the main party. She had to get dressed, after all.
And horror of horrors, Princess Celestia’s own personal maids were waiting with brushes...
***********
Rarity was helpfully chaperoning Twilight Sparkle through the meeting and greeting of various politically-useful ponies who'd wrangled invitations, keeping conversation light and introductory at all times while firmly but politely fending off those few who overstepped their bounds.
Thankfully the process was going far more smoothly than Twilight’s initial efforts to meet the ponies of Ponyville just a few years before. No sudden soakings, nopony gasping and running away, no flurries of uninterruptible questions about her draconic companion and certainly no insistence on the consumption of a gut-busting amount of apple based products.
At the same time, it was also going much worse. Twilight had no idea who almost any of the ponies she met were, all the faces, names, and titles were turning into a blur. She felt belated sympathy for all of her… well, she couldn’t really call them friends, but all of her acquaintances from her days back at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. She’d never understood how they could hate studying, how they could ever say all those lovely facts and figures and spells and theories all ran together after a while. But now, she got it. Oh, she soooo got it.
But at least textbooks didn’t make laughably transparent attempts to ask if her herd was looking to expand. At least Rarity had given her a good response for anypony who tried telling her what a ‘classical pegasus figure’ Rainbow Dash had; “Oh yes, she’s such a trendsetter, isn’t she? I’ve heard she’s single-hoofedly redefining pegasi styles. You ought to mention it to her.”
As yet another denizen of high society approached, Rarity subtly tapped her companion on the hoof in order to steer her attention towards her next social challenge.
“Lady Twilight Sparkle of Smaragdvea, Countess Argleblargle of Erblederble,” Rarity said, as far as Twilight’s over-socialized mind could follow. “Countess Argleblargle, Lady Twilight Sparkle, Duchess-in-Waiting.”
The probably-not-named-Argleblargle mare giving Twilight a friendly smile was probably about her parents’ age, though she looked rather good for it, the thin streaks of grey in her mane giving her a rakishly distinguished air. “Hello, my lady,” she said, the casual greeting welcome in Twilight’s ears after the rest of the day’s prim and proper salutations. “It’s so nice to finally meet you again. You might not recall me, but I'm an old friend of your sire's. My line has served the Smaragdveas for centuries from down under the falls, and it’s simply wonderful to know that our next Duchess is already such a heroine in her own right before even taking up the title.”
Twilight pushed a smile onto her face. Rarity had demanded she spend at least an hour a day on it for the last few weeks, and by now it felt like a mask to be slipped on and off as required. She’d heard variations on that greeting so many times already she couldn’t even get self-conscious about it anymore. About the Elements and being Princess Celestia’s personal student, at least.
“I’ve been fortunate to have good friends to stand by me whenever Equestria calls,” she recited. “When the time comes for me to serve Equestria as Duchess, I’m glad to know you’ll stand with me as well.” One of Princess Celestia’s private secretaries, Sharp Retort, had prepared a set of generic responses for her, and drilled her on delivering them until she could make them sound spontaneous.
The older mare laughed and leaned in. Rarity leaned in as well. “Good luck, Twilight,” Lady Argleblargle told her in a lowered tone. “My own Presentation Ball was a blur too, and I wasn’t holding mine at the palace. Chin up, keep breathing, don’t promise a single thing, and remember that everypony here wants you to succeed. Well, most of them. Oh, and lots of water. It’ll help with the hangover. Half the point of all the damnable toasts later is to get you completely smashed so we can see if you’re an angry drunk or not.”
That broke through the haze of society. Twilight laughed. “That may be the most useful advice I’ve had all week,” she said.
The Countess chuckled quietly. “Countess Far Call, of the Underfalls. As I said, we’ve had the honour of serving your line for centuries and, from what I’ve heard so far, I see no reason for that to change. If it pleases you, of course.” She winked. “Now, I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again in the future so I won’t hold you up any further.”
Bowing her head gracefully the Countess backed away, melding into the surrounding crowd with what must have been practised ease.
“You see, Twilight?” Rarity murmured to her. “You’re doing marvelously. How are you feeling?”
“I may be losing sensation in my face, I have no idea who anypony is I’ve talked to in the last hour, and I’m wondering if it might be worth talking Discord into reverting just so we can run out of the party and capture him again*, as long as we’ve already got the Elements on,” Twilight muttered back. “Other than that, just peachy.”
“Oh, Lord Fancy Pants!” Rarity said brightly, causing Twilight’s mask to resurface. “It’s always such a pleasure to see you again. And you know Twilight, of course.”
The white stallion gleamed a smile at the two mares. “Lady Smaragdvea, Lady Rarity, you both look simply enchanting. Rarity, really, what you can do with even a simple Presentation gown is nothing short of stunning.” He held his hoof out horizontally in front of him; Rarity giggled and set a forehoof across his fetlock, her cheeks twitching at the corners of her mouth as he kissed it with a regal flourish. “But, of course, a gown’s truest beauty depends on the mare wearing it, does it not?”
Twilight was extraordinarily grateful for a chance to stay quiet for a few minutes. Letting Rarity take the conversation gave her poor throat a chance to rest, and at least she knew Fancy Pants already so she didn’t have to scramble for his name. He really was very good at navigating the many ins and outs of a high society party, she noted. He kept his barrel aligned toward her even as he spoke to Rarity, giving off a display of intent on the highest-ranking mare (and didn’t that sound odd even in her own head still) regardless of who he was actually conversing with. It took her a second round of double-checking her thoughts just to be sure, but she realized that he was deliberately not talking with her while being in no way obvious about it, and that Rarity was cooperating; they were giving her the moment’s respite intentionally, under the guise of polite flirting.
She thought it was polite flirting, anyhow. That bit about a gown’s truest beauty reminded her of a line Lyra had once pulled out while she was under the influence of a little too much moonshine. But, unlike Lyra, Fancy Pants hadn’t followed it up with “I wonder how it would look on my floor” so it was either an innocent compliment or she hadn’t caught the right implications. Rarity wasn’t blushing, so probably innocent compliment.
After a few more minutes of light banter - and also light flirting - between the two spotlessly-white and more socially-adroit unicorns, the conversation came to a natural close. Fancy Pants gave Twilight a most elaborate bow, not quite as deeply as he would for the Princesses, but not so far off either. “As always, a delight to see you, Lady Smaragdvea,” he said. “I would love to monopolize you for the evening, but it would be most impolite of me to keep you from your own ball, would it not?”
Twilight had a genuine smile for him, if a little lopsided. “Technically, maybe,” she agreed. “It might not be a bad idea, though.”
He laughed and nodded his head to her. “Chin up, my lady.” He leaned in closer and whispered to her, “A small piece of advice to help the more... tedious greetings pass more smoothly? Try to guess what sort of curse everypony you meet would receive should they fall afoul of some Poison Joke. Half of the unicorns here are still too caught up in Canterlot politics to have even heard of the stuff.”
And then he smoothly slipped away leaving Twilight gaping after him. Imagine what effect Poison Joke would have? Not the kind of advice she would have expected from one of the most important ponies on Canterlot’s social scene.
Then it came to her. It was more than a game to stave off tedium; to make a good guess, she’d have to pay more attention to whoever she was talking to, to get a feel for their personality instead of just a list of names and titles. Fancy Pants really was a clever pony.
***************
Once she’d been kitted out in her party frock (as Pinkie insisted on calling it) and returned to the ball, which by then was in full swing, Rainbow Dash had taken the earliest opportunity to spend as much time as ponily possible with her heroes. But it hadn’t taken long for an unusual situation to crop up. Well, two unusual situations.
The first one was fans, which she knew how to deal with, but the unusual part was how many of them were unicorns in fancy frou-frou outfits who kept wanting to talk about classic action figures or something. She figured there was some kind of unicorn custom, or maybe they thought she was already in the Wonderbolts and wanted to get their hooves on a new Rainbow Dash toy before everypony else did. She was totally going to keep the first one off the production line for herself when that happened.
But in the meantime, she had the other unusual situation to deal with, in that she had an actual Wonderbolt champing at the bit to meet her! Healing Touch, the team's medic, hadn’t been part of the opening demonstration. She was, however, the author of a book entitled 'Boomers: Hurricane and Rainbow, A Comparison.' She reminded Rainbow Dash of a grown-up Scootaloo. If Scootaloo was more of a history buff and did a lot more research... and was on the Wonderbolts support staff and a substitute flyer.
"I've interviewed most of your Flight School classmates, and almost all of them agree you were the best flier in the school. Your instructors agree, but your class records don't bear that out. Just what happened, ma'am?" the palomino pegasus asked, her face much like Twilight’s at the arrival of a new shipment of books.
Rainbow Dash thought for a moment about taking off. Even if she was surrounded by Wonderbolts, she could still outpace everypony there. But that'd be ditching Twilight on a really big day for her. It wasn't like she hadn't dealt with fans before, but usually she could sign a few autographs, pose a bit, show off a few tricks, and move on to the next. None of those were options right now, or not good options. Plus, the other Wonderbolts were watching... and she was sure one of them was smirking at her as her ‘new best friend’ leaned in ever closer.
Reluctantly, she answered. "I was bored, okay? I had a really bad habit back then of blowing stuff off, like tests. Or showing off. I left because it wasn't doing me any good, and if the instructors hadn't agreed they could have put up a lot more resistance. It drove me nuts waiting for everypony else to kick one cloud into two ragged bits in the time I could clear the whole sky, but they didn't exactly have a school stunt team."
"So why'd you go to Ponyville?" Healing Touch pressed. She had that shine to her eyes that said the questions weren't ever going to end. "The speculation is that you wanted to go someplace where you wouldn't have much on-site supervisory structure, or that you were looking to take on the challenge of the Everfree Anomaly, or that you were following your friend Fluttershy. Which one was it? Or something else?"
"Personal reasons," Rainbow said. "I don't like to talk about that." It hadn’t been as much following Fluttershy as it was needing a place to stay after she’d left home. Not a lot of towns were looking to take a chance on a pegasus without either a weather-team certification or Flight School diploma. She'd been sure if she could just get an interview she'd show them what she could do, but they wouldn't even give her that much of a chance; not until Flutters had introduced her to the Ponyville weather coordinator. And if she'd ever looked back after that, it was only to wave to her old friend.
"Listen, maybe we can talk history later?" Rainbow suggested, hoping, praying that her new admirer would take the hint. "I mean, yeah, I'm awesome, but I'm supposed to be meeting ponies and stuff. This is Twilight's party and there's all this noble expectations thing I'm supposed to do. Like anypony’s ever going to mistake me for a real noble."
Mercifully, Rapidfire intervened. "Lady Rainbow Dash has a point, Touch," he said. His Wonderbolts uniform was all the dressing up he needed, and Rainbow couldn't deny that the tight outfit did really amazing things to his appearance. Deep deep down in her heart she even admitted to herself that he totally carried the look better than even Lero did. "This is a Ducal Presentation, not a regular show." He flashed Rainbow Dash a teasing smile. "Maybe we'll schedule in a full day of questioning at the next tryout. We'll call it a patience test."
"I'm gonna tell you right up front, patience is so very not my strong suit," Rainbow pointed out.
"Which just means it's that much more important to test you on it, milady,” Rapidfire beamed, swinging one forehoof in front of the other as he gave Rainbow a playful bow, the action leaving the mare unable to decide whether to growl or growl. "You know that being a Wonderbolt isn't all racing and stunt flying, right? We put on the show for a lot of important ponies and then they expect us to stick around to talk. You have to be able to put up with few questions and acting like some kind of trophy for a while, not just sign autographs and pose for pictures."
"Huh." Rainbow Dash had to think about that for a moment. It made sense. Anypony who could get the Wonderbolts to put on a show would want them to hang around and chat to show off how awesome they were, but a lot of the ponies who could get the Wonderbolts to put on a show were rich or powerful and probably not all that interesting themselves. "If I've gotta, then I've gotta. But not tonight, okay? I'm gonna have enough testing of my patience just trying to put up with all this fancy-prancy organised dancing stuff later. And if everypony keeps calling me ‘lady’ then I’m going to sprout a horn or something."
"Oh? So the rumors are true?" Healing Touch eagerly asked. "I heard, but I didn't believe it. You're really all going from herd to full-on marriage? And you're doing a commitment display?"
Rainbow Dash blinked. "Um, yes to the marriage, and probably on the commitment thing? I didn't pay too much attention to what Twilight called it, just what we're supposed to do. It's this unicorn dance and I have to keep my wings down the whole time. Sooooo boring..."
Rapidfire laughed. "Just think of it as a low-altitude formation display," he advised. "You showed tonight that you can stay in formation with a team of experts just fine, and that’s what we were looking for. After all, you've always been a solo flier every time we’ve seen you before."
Rainbow swallowed. "That was a test? Oh crud... I mean... I did totally awesome, right? I didn't mess it up?"
Leaning forward to pat her shoulder with a forehoof, Rapidfire gave her a supportive smile that, had she not already been working her way up to a mild panic, probably would have left her weak at the knees. "I bet you know what I'm going to say next, don't you?"
She looked at him as she shook her head, trying desperately to keep from looking around the ballroom for answers like a filly called up to the teacher. "Um... no?"
He smiled widely. "What, you haven't heard 'passed with flying colors' so often it makes your eyes roll? I'd have thought you'd be sick of it by now."
She laughed. "There's not a lot of tests on a weather team," she pointed out, tension falling from her shoulders.
Rapidfire winked. "Then get used to hearing it until you do get sick of it. Wonderbolts do a lot more performance reviews."
That percolated, and then Rainbow Dash had to keep from squee-ing. "You think I'm gonna make it?"
All around the giddy pegasus, half a dozen Wonderbolts laughed at once.
"Make it? The only pegasus alive who can rainboom, and pull it off at will?" Healing Touch sputtered out.
"With pie-saving reflexes?" Soarin chimed in.
"Married to the Duchess Smaragdvea and the only non-pony honorary Wonderbolt and the only two living viceroys, wearing an Element of Harmony, directly elevated to nobility in her own right, and a personal friend to both Princesses?" Spitfire added.
"Hey! Those have nothing to do with being in the Wonderbolts," Dash insisted, wings bristling as she drew herself up. "I don't want anypony going easy on me because of who I hang with or whatever fancy titles I’ve been given. If I can't get in on my own, I don't deserve to be in at all!"
"Easy, easy," Rapidfire soothed. "There’s more than just athletic talent to being in the Wonderbolts. We already know you’ve got the right moves, and the personal history thing makes a decent case for you having the right attitude as well. Spitfire's just saying you keep impressive company, and you're impressive enough to match up with them, right, Sis?"
Spitfire coughed. "Right. Of course. Nopony gets into the Wonderbolts who can't keep up."
"Nopony?" asked Rainbow Dash, her good mood returning as quickly as it had taken its leave. "How about nohuman?"
"Fastest human in Equestria, isn't he?" Spitfire retorted. "Besides, 'honorary' doesn't count. Unless you've got..." She stopped at the sudden gleam in Rainbow Dash's eyes. "No. Stop that. Even if you have any big ideas on how you can get him involved in a show with you, it’s not happening. He hasn't passed the flight exams."
"Awwww," Rainbow Dash said.
Rapidfire noted the cyan pegasus’ mischievous grin. “Sis, I think you’ve created a monster.”
********
As she settled her clàrsach into its case, nestling it into place just-so with her hooves, Lyra reflected on how the evening had gone so far. She hadn’t touched so much as a single string with her magic all night. There were some compositions she couldn’t play by hoof, true, but none of those had been on tonight’s program, and she felt that it would have been bad form to take the stage next to the Octavia Philharmonica and her highly esteemed earth pony ensemble and then play in the hooves-free unicorn-style. She’d received the impression that Miss Octavia had approved, though they hadn’t had a chance to talk when Lyra had left the stage.
“Lady Heartstrings?” an unfamiliar mare’s voice asked from somewhere off to her left.
Lyra closed the lid of her case. “Just Lyra Heartstrings,” she corrected. “Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash are both ladies. Officially. I’m just a humble musician.” She turned around. A silver-coated unicorn mare with a golden ‘scales of justice’ cutie mark was standing there, with a gold-coated unicorn mare with a black cage-door cutie mark beside her.
The silver mare laughed gently. “Oh, dear, a technicality! You’ll no doubt have a title of your own for the asking once the marriage is formalized.”
The gold-coated mare coughed politely. “And, it might be noted, a viceroy, former or otherwise, can hardly be reduced from the ranks of the nobility without direct order, might it not?”
The silver mare nodded her head. “An excellent point! And so, I repeat, now without the interrogatory, Lady Heartstrings, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Might I introduce my companion, the Lady Sanmerci, of the Second District Court?”
Lady Sanmerci inclined her head as well. “And I in turn should like to introduce mine, the Lady Balanced Scales, of the First District Court.”
“Nice to meet you,” Lyra said. “I’ll stick with just ‘Lyra,’ though. I never did get formally elevated, and there was always at least one Princess on the throne the entire time.”
“Such humility!” Lady Balanced Scales gushed.
“Perhaps you’d accept ‘Grandmaster’ instead?” Lady Sanmerci suggested. “There’s nopony who would question your right to that title.”
“You’ve done your homework,” Lyra commented.
Lady Sanmerci smiled thinly. “I am far from a master, but I do find the Still Way an excellent means of retaining one’s poise on the bench.”
“It does help with sitting,” Lyra agreed.
The two judges laughed, Balanced Scales more vigorously than her gold-coated companion.
“I have been intrigued for some time now, Grandmaster Heartstrings,” Lady Sanmerci said, “Is your own favoured posture for repose an outgrowth of your skills? Or perhaps a habit acquired from your mysterious stallion?”
Lyra laughed. “You’ve really done your homework, haven’t you? No, that’s just me. Some pegasi like to settle into trees instead of clouds, I like to sit with my spine upright instead of laying on my side. If it’s had any effect on me then I’d say it’s been to give me a greater appreciation for balance.”
“Forever falling,” murmured Lady Sanmerci. “Indeed.”
“And you can hardly blame us for paying some attention to a future wife of our future Duchess,” Balanced Scales admitted. “It’s common sense, don’t you think?”
“Scales, shush,” Lady Sanmerci murmured quietly.
“She has a good point,” Lyra noted, waving her hoof. “Personally, I’d rather deal with ponies being upfront about what they want. I grew up in Canterlot, but we’ve already established my lack of nobility. These social games are not my forte.”
“You’ll learn them soon enough, Grandmaster,” Lady Sanmerci said with certainty. “If you should care to discuss the conventions when they begin to involve you, we would be more than happy to provide you any aid we might have to offer.”
“In the meantime, we’ll wander off and let you escape from two social-climbing old biddies,” Balanced Scales cheerfully added, before pecking Sanmerci on the cheek. “Come on, dear, ask for her autograph and we’ll be on our way.”
The gold-coated unicorn’s cheeks flushed. “Ah. Perhaps not how I would have phrased the matter?”
Lyra grinned, hovering a pen out of her bag as she telekinetically snagged an unused napkin from one of the banquet tables across the room. It was cloth, but she used it anyway. ‘To Lady Sanmerci, my biggest fan, Grandmaster Lyra Heartstrings,’ she signed it before passing the finished item to the blushing judge. The two quickly made their farewells and departed.
Lyra settled her harp’s case onto her back, then migrated in the direction of the banquet tables. She might not have been singing tonight, but the lights were bright up on stage and she was feeling the need for some punch.
Then, in front of the banquet table, a pale blue unicorn stallion who had previously had his back to her turned around, and she suddenly felt the need for some kick to go with that punch. He caught sight of her at the same time and sprayed a copious amount of punch out of his mouth. Fortunately nopony had been close enough to have found themselves on the receiving end of an impromptu shower, though the next party guest who fancied to pick from that display of horse d’oeuvres might have to watch their step.
“Harpflank?” he sputtered, quickly depositing his glass on the table so he could wipe the last of his errant refreshment from his chin. “Ah, fancy meeting you here?”
“Sweet Tooth, how... unexpected to see you.” the minty mare said calmly. Nice and calmly, finding her center with practiced ease, letting the raging hurricanes of emotion swirl around her. Old Lyra... Bad Lyra would be caught up in those. Grandmaster Lyra could say things calmly, with poise and elegance. And she would certainly not commit equicide in the middle of the castle’s main banqueting hall.
“I saw you up on stage earlier,” the stallion weakly offered. “So you’re touring with Octavia now? That’s... great... Well done. Things seem to have worked out for you pretty well, all things considered?”
Lyra might have been implying by omission to the judges earlier. Canterlot’s social games weren’t her forte, this was true. Conversational battle however, that was part and parcel of the upper echelons of the Still Way. She considered her options the same way she would consider a physical battle; looking for every possibility, considering every counteraction, planning so many steps ahead that the outcome of the altercation could be predicted with confidence before nary a move had been made. Best, she decided, to let him overextend himself and then decide exactly how to end him when the moment arrived.
“You could say that,” she said, her face still, voice neutral.
“Look… Harpflank… I know it was a completely rotten thing I did,” Sweet Tooth awkwardly said, then fell silent, taking great interest in his cufflinks.
Lyra could do silent too. She waited very well, in fact.
“You have to understand, we were both just dumb foals, right?” the stallion eventually said. “We didn’t know what we were getting into.”
“You certainly did,” Lyra said evenly. “Quite a number of times as I remember.”
His face flushed. “You know what I mean. We weren’t planning on making a life together, just having some fun! So, when…” He trailed off again.
Lyra waited. She’d fantasized a number of times about this event, back before, even back when she was still just starting her journey along the Still Way, about how the many ways this little reunion could go. Letting him talk had never featured in any of those fantasies; various things snapping, popping, or violently breaking off in her bare hooves, those had all been very prominent. But now she knew a better way than before. She was a better pony than before.
But, she was enjoying watching him squirm.
“Neither of us was ready for a foal. We were barely past being foals ourselves.” He sighed. “How… how did it work out?”
“Just a scare,” she said, then added nothing more. If she’d been devastated to learn that ‘her stallion’ had run off, abandoning her to face utter ruin all alone, to suffer unsupported the slings and arrows of the consequences of their actions… well, he didn’t deserve to know about that.
His head drooped as he let out a sigh of relief years in the making. “Oh thank Celestia. Listen, Harpflank, I know I never told you about this, but… there never could have been anything between us. My father was Lord Sugar Cube. He’d, well, he'd have had my tail pinned to the wall if I’d started a herd with a mare, even a thoroughbred, who wasn’t a good social match. You know how it is?”
“Was?” Lyra asked as she entertained a brief thought of dropping him on the spot anyway, just to see how she’d feel about it. It’d be enjoyable, that was for sure, but somehow not as satisfying as making him do all the talking.
“He died two years ago,” Sweet Tooth said. “So… yes, I am technically Lord Sweet Tooth now, you see? I came into a lot of money.”
“Among other things,” she deadpanned. His face went delightfully red.
“I probably deserved that,” he said with some strain, then swallowed. “Listen. Harpflank. I know I was a terrible pony, but I’ve done a lot of growing up. I’m sure you’ll never forgive and forget, but maybe I might do something to help you out? Introduce you to some of the other ponies of means here in Canterlot, maybe? You might find a patron who wants to take you on full time, perhaps even join his herd some day? You’re really good with your harp, and The Artisan knows far less likely herds form all the time.”
Lyra only kept a straight face by letting her various urges to start laughing hysterically each bounce harmlessly off of one another. “Clàrsach,” she corrected him.
He blinked. “Sorry?”
“It’s a clàrsach,” she said slowly. “Not a harp.”
“I… suppose that would make ‘Harpflank’ not such a good nickname these days, then,” Sweet Tooth said hesitantly. “You never minded it before though. Erm… In that case, what is your real name? When we first met you always called yourself ‘Harpflank’, and after that, well I guess the right moment to ask never really came up.”
“Considering how the majority of our interactions ended up, I suppose you have a point.” Lyra smiled at him. “Well, my students call me ‘Grandmaster’ or ‘Sensei,’ most of the ponies at this party are calling me ‘Lady Heartstrings,’ while my friends generally just stick with ‘Lyra.’ Duchess-in-Waiting Twilight Sparkle, Lady Rainbow Dash, and Viceroy Bellerophon Michaelides, however, refer to me as their wife-to-be.”
The stallion’s eyes were huge and his muscles were frozen in place. Lyra leaned in close and whispered softly in his ear.
“And you’re very right, Sweets. I don’t forgive you, and I probably never will. But Ican forget you, because I have learned to let some things find their moment in the past so they can stop bothering the present.”
Leaning even closer, her lips gently brushed against the male’s ear. To anypony who might have been watching, the looked like nothing more than an affectionate couple. Her whisper was sweet enough to make even Pinkie Pie’s teeth ache.
“But if I hear so much as the smallest rumor that you’ve ever left some other mare to raise your unclaimed foal alone, or that you’ve even so much as thought about cheating on your herd, then I’m going to ask my meat-eating stallion for some tasty testicle recipes and give carnivorism a try.”
With that, she took a fresh glass of punch from the table and casually strolled away. The sound of a small whimper and then the thump of a fainting stallion hitting the ground behind her was sweeter than the crack of bone any day.
Making her way out of the room, ‘Enigmatic Smile Number Three’ freshly settled in place across her features, Lyra headed off in search of the rest of her herd.
*********
Lero sat alone, at least for the moment. A friendly face among the palace staff had given him a rundown of how his evening would most likely progress. At first, he'd be primarily ignored, as the noble ponies demonstrated themselves to their future Duchess; next, a few of the more daring (read: desperate) noble sorts would 'notice' Twilight's stallion and make an overt display of their admiration, in his case also trying to be quick to show how open-minded they were, et cetera, et cetera. Then he'd have a mob of his own wanting to not be left behind, to have him well-disposed toward them, all trying to be that most important of all things in politics: memorable.
But that was yet to come. And so there was an uncomfortable pairing at the head table with Twilight's mentor seated on one side of her empty seat, and her stallion on the other.
Celestia had muted her hair for Lero's sake, planning to let it lay artfully arranged across her shoulders for the entirety of the festivities; pink manes were no doubt due to be a booming fashion in the morning. While he appreciated the gesture, much as she also respected her leadership (most of the time) and honored her as Twilight's teacher, the human still couldn't quite shake either the tight knot in his throat or the uneasy feeling in his chest when he was around her.
"We could hoof-wrestle," Celestia suggested all of a sudden.
Lero blinked. "... What?"
Celestia gave a half-resigned, half-amused quiet chuckle. "I fear I may be running low on ways to reduce the tension, Lero."
Lero looked down at his hands and tried to laugh back. It didn't come out well. "You don't have to do anything, Princess. This is a night for Twilight, and with everything you and your sister have done so far you’ve made it something truly incredible."
The alicorn of the day smiled fondly over at her protege. Not so long ago, the lavender unicorn would have been hiding under the table at just the idea of meeting so many ponies all at once. Now, with Rarity helping, she was making her way through introduction after introduction without so much as frizzing. "I am only helping other ponies take part. Twilight and her friends are making it something truly incredible. They are truly very special ponies."
"That they are, " Lero agreed as he took a sip of his drink. The cider wasn't from the special keg - that'd be for the toasts later - but it was sweet and delicious all the same. Celestia's horn glowed briefly as she topped off his glass for him. He raised an eyebrow, but said "Thank you" all the same.
"I won't stop, you know," Celestia commented. When Lero didn't respond she continued. "I am not in the habit of leaving my wrongs un-righted."
"You did what you felt you had to, for the safety of your subjects," Lero said stiffly. "I understand that, and I have already forgiven you."
To the princess’s ears, the human’s words sounded cold, mechanical. As if he was reading from a script, reciting to her the words that he believed she wanted to hear. She pushed that feeling down. That he could still love anypony after what he had endured was remarkable. That he had more trouble forgiving her was understandable. Still...
Celestia sighed softly; with the music playing, only Lero could hear her. "That may be true. But I was wrong, and I hurt you. I hurt you in a way I could not imagine, and now I fear that I am unable to put that right."
"They say time heals all wounds," was the best Lero could come up with, and their conversation faded back into uncomfortable silence.
When the next song started, the alicorn turned on her large cushion and gestured at her barrel with a wingtip. "Touch my side, Lero. Please, just here. Press through the fur."
Lero rose from his own human-style chair, and then settled himself onto Twilight’s empty seat, his rear sinking into the low armless chair’s opulent cushioning. Leaning over, he did as the princess asked, looking only at her side, not letting himself see her horn, its long spearlike shaft and vicious point.
He'd touched all three of the princesses often enough while he was tending to them during the outbreak of the Blank Plague earlier in the year. He’d cleaned them, brushed them, groomed them, but he’d never thought to check under their coats. Running his fingertips to where Celestia had indicated, he found hard lines across her skin, well hidden by that magnificent alabaster coat. Three parallel lines that, now he knew what to look for, traversed the length of the alicorn’s side from her hip almost to the shoulder, the grain of the hair above them disturbed wherever they travelled. Each one was almost the length of Lero’s entire arm.
"The minotaurs were once our enemies," she said quietly. "But so were the griffins. And when I was still a unicorn, we made common cause with a tribe of minotaurs. They rode on our backs, bearing shields and spears, defending us from the griffins who closed upon us from the sky while we cast our spells at them. We won the day, though brave Moo-Lon who rode upon my back was slain before the battle was even halfway done. But that tribe and mine were never enemies again after that. To do battle together is to forge a different kind of bond than friendship, but a strong one."
"I'm not much of a fighter,' Lero replied, drawing his hand away carefully. "And Equestria's not going to war, is it?"
The princess shook her head, mindfully rotating around her horn rather than swinging it from side to side. "Not unless some new ancient threat returns, and in that case I have every confidence in Twilight Sparkle and her friends."
"If that ever happens," Lero said, turning back to his refreshment, “I should be at her side.”
"I very much know the feeling," the alicorn murmured.
And then an up-and-coming unicorn mare by the name of Charity Ball came by to pay them both her respects, and their moment of privacy was ended.
**************
As the lights faded all around the ballroom every conversation ended on the spot. Princess Celestia stepped out onto the Grand Balcony overlooking the ballroom. The lights had been dimmed, the room below her now filled with darkness and shadows. Up the balcony, sunlight bathed the alicorn, bright light revealing her and her alone, gleaming from every part of her regalia, though the ceiling had no skylights and by this hour the sky outside only held her sister’s moon and stars. Her mane shone in brilliant pink, trailing regally along her back before elegantly draping down across one wing.
A single beam of light shone from the tip of her horn to a large crystal hanging from the center of the ceiling, which in turn lit up and cast a bright white light down towards the western end of the ballroom. A tight pool of light formed around the aquamarine form of Grandmaster Lyra Heartstrings standing alone on the dance floor, the rest of the evening’s guests remaining in the darkness that pervaded the edges of the huge room. The unicorn mare bowed her head gracefully to the Princess, and Celestia regally nodded back.
The next refracted sunbeam brought the bright hues of Lady Rainbow Dash into view on the opposite side of the room, her mane simply but artfully styled, gold shining from between her feathers, the Element of Loyalty proudly highlighted against her chest. As the pegasus turned to look out across the crowd a number of breaths were drawn. Of course everypony had seen her before this evening, and she’d been quite visible throughout the party in that dress, but now, standing in Princess Celestia’s own light, alone? The unicorns of Canterlot would never call her a beauty, but that night they understood why pegasi of old would follow a fine mare like that into the depths of Tartarus and back. In the darkness at the back of the room, lined up in parade formation, every Wonderbolt present saluted.
Another ray came forth from the solar princess’s horn, the ceiling crystal illuminating a third figure. The stallion at the southern end of the room, the last to be presented before the night’s honoree, as age-old tradition demanded. That alien shape, bowing, bending double at the middle with uncanny balance and agility, veritably aglow in his outfit of white and lavender, drew every eye in the room. And then he just... unfolded, as smoothly as an artiste in motion as he rose to his full height. At that moment, and even though his eyes were small, his ears immobile, his tail entirely absent, there wasn’t a pony there who didn’t see the love in the way he looked toward the room’s remaining wall.
And then, at the northern end of the room, the lady of the evening herself, the Duchess-in-Waiting, the Lady Twilight Sparkle, was bathed in bright sunlight direct from the horn of the Princess herself. The Element of Magic glittered and shone atop her head, throwing waves of purple light all around the ballroom. She smiled to her herdmates, her future wives and husband, then knelt toward Celestia.
“Doctor Twilight Amaranth Guinevere Sparkle,” Celestia’s voice rang out across the entire room, warmth and pride in every syllable. “Heiress to the Duchy Smaragdvea, Bearer of the Element of Magic, Lady in your own right, my faithful student, my little pony. You stand here tonight as a mage of great renown, a steadfast companion to those who accept your friendship, beloved of your herd, and a true hero of Equestria. I can think of no pony in all the land better suited than you to be be named as a future Duchess. But to rule is never easy, and never forced upon any pony. So I ask you, Lady Twilight Sparkle, will you accept your sire’s domain when the time comes?”
“I will,” Twilight said, her voice carrying across the otherwise silent room..
“And should it ever come, will you answer the call to govern my little ponies honestly and nobly, as well as you are able, in peace and in danger, in plenty and in want, either for as long as you shall be required or until the end of your days?”
“I will,” Twilight affirmed.
“Is it your desire to rule, Lady Twilight Sparkle?”
That was the one question without a single answer. Duchies had been lost by trying to manipulate a response with half truths, or by full truths which unwittingly revealed an unworthy heart.
“It is not, Princess Celestia,” Twilight said with hesitation “But if it is my duty, I will embrace it and carry it out to the best of my ability.”
Celestia nodded. “Then let it be known in all Equestria! That Lady Twilight Sparkle, on this, the celebration of her twenty-fifth birthday, is accepted and acclaimed as true and worthy heir to the Duchy Smaragdvea. Step forth, Duchess-in-Waiting, and join your herd.”
Each of the four members of herd Bellerophon stepped forward at the same time, their own personal beams of light following as they moved. Twelve hooves and two feet struck sharp clicks from the ballroom floor with every step; Lero’s shoes were reinforced to withstand errant hooves tonight.
They met at the centre of the room, Twilight Sparkle and Lyra bowed their heads, horns not quite touching. Rainbow Dash turned sideways, extending a wing to match. Lero adopted the pegasus form as well, turning sideways and reaching in with an arm.
From up on the balcony, Miss Octavia’s bow drew slowly across the strings of her cello, marking the beginning of the traditional commitment performance. Both Twilight and Lyra’s horns glowed along their entire lengths; dimly at first, then bright as a dawning sun, a lavender orb the size of an apple formed between the two points. Both unicorns slowly lifted their heads, the orb growing to the size of a hoofball as they backed slowly away from each other, circling counterclockwise around their two non-unicorn herdmates in the center to end up directly facing each other from the east and west positions.
As their horned wives-to-be moved around them, Lero and Rainbow Dash stepped in a smaller clockwise circle to take their own places, the pegasus moving to take up the southern position while Lero took the northern, both turning to face the orb directly before stepping backwards to create a single ring around the orb with all four bodies. As if instructed by an voice heard only to them, each herd member simultaneously turned clockwise in place to face the crowd surrounding them from the darkness. The light from Celestia’s horn faded away, leaving the glow from the herd-guarded ball of magic as the only illumination in the room.
The orb ebbed back to the size of an apple, its light dimming almost to nothing before it suddenly swelled, expanding outwards in a dazzling burst of lavender light, encompassing all four herd members as it did so. Once large enough to envelop the herd entirely it stopped growing, just large enough that, as she stretched it out in front of her as far as she could, Rainbow Dash’s wingtip could just brush against it with a single feather, spitting a large shower of magical sparks out into the ballroom around it. Lero’s outstretched hand rested against the other side of the shield, five fingers each tracing an individual shower of their own, the energetic spray of sparks illuminating the edge of the crowd. The particles of light fell to the floor by the hooves of the first rank of onlookers before slowly fading away.
The traditional dance required only a basic ring of light, well within the abilities of any unicorn. Using the rarer shield form had been Princess Celestia’s suggestion, a subtle reminder to certain of her nobleponies. Twilight could have cast that shield in her sleep. The hard part was what came next. A half-turn clockwise so they were once again facing each other, then slow steps sideways, heads held high, eyes directly forward, until they each ended up exactly where they’d started from. Thankfully their timing was perfect and, even though they couldn't turn their heads to check the others’ movements, at no point did they even come close to colliding.
Then came the trickier steps. The new Duchess-in-Waiting was to step back, while her stallion stood in front of her. Had she been Duke-in-Waiting, then it would have been the lead mare across instead, or the first wife if she wasn’t also the lead mare. Lyra and Rainbow Dash stood on either side of Lero, stepping back, as though guarding his flanks while he knelt to his mare, then she back to him.
But that wasn’t the tricky part, that was just the setup. The tricky part was the dance. Four days of practice hadn’t done Twilight a single bit of good, and the Music of Harmony was being very uncooperative about kicking in at the last moment to show her how to move properly. Tradition insisted that letting a dance master guide her steps remotely would be thoroughly unacceptable, but Lero had reminded them all once again just how good humans could be at compensating for their lack of magic, harmonious or otherwise. Plus, his large size and bipedal nature was about to come in very... handy.
As Lero and Twilight stepped towards each other, the purple mare reared up onto her hind legs, resting her forehooves on her stallion’s shoulders as each of his hands came to rest against opposite sides of her ribcage. The crowd’s reaction was mixed. The attendees from Ponyville chuckled knowingly. The Canterlot natives gasped in appreciation of the bold display. Only the most confident, talented couples could balance so well together as to dance upright.
That was where the shoes came in. If Lero had been a pony, Twilight could have put her forehooves right up against his to dance on all fours, but standing upright the audience couldn’t see that the mare’s rear hooves were standing atop the human’s protruding feet. To make it even harder to see that Twilight’s formal horseshoes had settled into place on the hidden plates of her mate’s shoes, Rarity had made sure to cut the train of Twilight’s gown to just the right shape and length to conceal both pairs of feet while leaving them full freedom of movement. Twilight needed only to hold onto her stallion and keep her hindlegs directly under her, and even she could more or less manage that.
And so, slowly and carefully, Lero danced with his wife-to-be at her very own Ducal Presentation ball, their two herd mates dancing along in precise synchronicity out by their sides. The purple unicorn was completely lost within the first four steps as to what was coming next, but she just had to let Lero show her the way, which he did with more than a modicum of style. As they moved, swinging and gliding around the ballroom, the magical shield expanded to encompass the whole room, illuminating the crowd as it moved harmlessly through them out beyond the castle’s walls**.
As the lavender glow passed beyond the ballroom, Princess Celestia’s own light returned. Behind her Miss Octavia subtly nodded to her ensemble, prompting each of her fellow musicians to raise their instruments and join her as the song into the full ‘commitment dance’ phase.
Rainbow Dash and Lyra flowed like silk at Lero’s sides. If the pegasus would have rather raced through a window and filled the sky with a circle of color again, there was no sign of it; her wings stayed at her sides without so much as a flutter and, despite the slow movements, tiny rainbows flickered in her wake like fires set in the air by her mane. On the human’s other side the tip of Lyra’s horn left a similar trail of sparkles in the air behind her as she moved. A very few of the more martial-minded ponies who were watching saw the way those two mares looked at their herdmates, how every turn, every spin was focused and controlled to perfection; and they knew that those ‘guard’ positions in the dance would bode very, very ill for any pony who threatened their stallion - or their mares.
In dreams all across the magical land of Equestria, and even beyond, ponies watched them dance.
Only the three mares on the floor could hear Lero singing quietly, a message of love meant only for them.
Have I told you lately that I love you?
Have I told you lately that there’s no one else above you?
Fill my heart with gladness,
take away all my sadness,
ease my troubles, that’s what you do.
For the morning sun in all its glory
greets the day with hope and comfort too.
You fill my life with laughter,
always you make it better,
ease my troubles, that’s what you do.
There’s a love that’s divine,
and it’s ours all the time,
like the sun,
and at the end of the night,
we’ll have love and delight,
all as one, all as one.
Have I told you lately that I love you?
Have I told you lately that there’s no one else above you?
Fill my heart with gladness,
take away all my sadness,
ease my troubles, that’s what you do.
*It wouldn't have worked anyhow; Discord was having a wonderful time with a section of the dream-ball under his command, and a surprisingly large number of ponies were actually enjoying his creative efforts.
**Except for one unlucky infiltrator in the hallway outside the ballroom posing as a Royal Guard. When the shield went by she’d ended up a nasty green spot on the wall.
The Quiet Man: I thoroughly enjoyed working on this chapter, though I’m sure Spinel will agree that we drove each other nuts almost the entire time. While each of us has drastically different approaches when it comes to our work, I think we’ve come up with something pretty darn special.
SpinelStride: If TQM thinks this was driving him nuts, just wait until we write the six-million-word afterparty clop scene involving every single pony in Equestria except for Prince Blueblood and Honeydew all sharing a wild orgy under the joint direction of Princess Luna and Discord. Oxford commas everywhere and so many discreet hints left to be delicately interpreted... I did mention that was the natural aftermath of this story, right?* But, seriously, yes, this did turn into something quite a bit more meaningful than the original “Celestia shares a secret from her past to try to connect with Lero” one-shot once TQM got involved. 
*TQM: What? Well, shiiiiiit. We’d best get writing then. 
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What was Celestia apologizing for?
3181074 In the original story it turned out that shortly after Leeeeeeeeeeero arrived in Equestria she got in his face a bit to see if he was a threat (and by a bit I mean she threatened to teleport him into deep space to see if would provoke him to violence). Not her finest moment. Also her mane subconsciously reminds him of the unspecified but very scary critters that he escaped from.
It was kind of a trust-breaker, you might say. She's trying to make up for it by saying sorry a lot.
3181074
From the original Xenophilia, when Celestia first met Lero, she tried to make him angry and afraid, to see how he'd react. She apologized and explained when she was done, and she thought that was the end of it, but learned later thanks to a letter from Twilight that she had struck far deeper than she intended; Lero has been reflexively afraid of her ever since. Her usual mane coloration particularly reduces him to near-paralyzed terror, related to the not-shown-on-screen events that brought him to Equestria. She used a spell to remove his fear at one point, but the spell failed when Celestia was afflicted with the Blank Plague. Lero has not had her re-cast the spell on himself so as to hopefully one day overcome the fear rather than simply have it suppressed, and Celestia still feels guilty over terrorizing him so badly when she can't fix it.
Ah yes.
When I read that part of Xenophilia, I hated it. I found it egregiously overdone and just plain-out wrong. The author's attempt to clarify it still rubbed me the wrong way and I always thought it was the low point of Xenophilia ...
But the way the side stories have used it, the way it's painted Celestia as NOT an all-knowing, ever planning puppet master, the way it's been bent and refocused into a plot point for the two of them ... it's growing on me. Not as it was written in the beginning but as it stands now. Kudos to the authors.
I don't think it has ever been fully told what she did or what happened with Lero when he first showed up in Equestria, it might never even be told.
Dang Lyra, you really cleaned house on that guy.
3181074
read the original xenophilia to find out
Why. Can't. I. Thumb. More. Than. Once!! *clicks on thumbs up button frantically*
There is something I do not understand: So many friends and nobles were invited, but not Twilight's own family? This chapter made no mention of her mother, father, and their herd, which is odd considering that the entire purpose of the event is as a coronation into a title that she inherited on her father's side.
3181587
It's entirely possible that Star Sparkle was placed somewhere with a copious amount of gin and definitely no contact with her stressed-enough-already daughter. The rest probably had an uneventful "What a nice party, dear" greeting near the beginning and then had their own sycophants to deal with. It's the celebration of the next Duchess in line for a lifetime rank, so it'd be a trifle morbid for the current officeholder to have a significant role in the tradition. That or they just didn't do anything interesting enough to merit screen time.
And even more back story for Lyra. This whole chapter was phenomenal! Was that a reference to the Moonshine Run chapter that hasn't been published yet about Lyra hitting on Twilight before they were a herd? Really looking forward for more excellent chapters. Please, please, PLEASE keep them coming!
what did you just smash your fist on the keyboard for that?
I really enjoyed this chapter, especially Lyra administering a verbal beatdown and the solution to Twilight's dancing...er..."skills".
I only had one problem with it, and it has nothing to do with the content. Could you please replace the *s as footnote markers with something a little more searchable ([1] and [2] would be ideal)? It's hard to get to the footnote and back into place when the marker is one of 115 results (or 52, for the second note).
3181587 In the begining about guest list I'm sure I saw that there was as well Twilights family invited. It was simply not described in the story what they were doing.
Nice chapter. I really liked it even if I have problems with imagining how this dance in the end actually looked like, thank you poor english of mine and 03:18 in the morning.
Hmm...what else. I like Celestia-Lero bonding. Even if awkward as hell I really hoped that they try hoof/hand-wrestling :P Actually I'm looking forward for more stuff like it ;]
What's wrong with Oxford commas?
And that, ladies and gents, is how you verbally ROFLPWN a deadbeat douchebag. dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Lyra_smile.png
3182175
Probably.
Oh, look - there's even video footage of it!
3182800 I will say that maybe Lyra treated him a tad too harsh, particularly at the end threatening to sic Lero on him (Who wouldn't be impressed I'm sure.) The stallion was indeed remorseful and could have avoided her. He apologized, accepted that it might not be accepted and showed humility. While I wouldn't expect Lyra to forgive him I would think she'd encourage him to improve further, not try and scare the wits out of him.
Also, why not invite Blueblood? It was mentioned in The Blank Plague that he had been trying to improve himself after the events of Best night Ever. Having the metaphorical door slammed in his face isn't going to help much.
Other then that, very good chapter.
Vivisection With Words by Professor Lyra Heartstrings
"Class, be seated."
Great work. Glad to see this expanded. I loved every moment. Also, I now want "Flying Colors" to be the name of one of Dash's children.
3182351
A hoofwrestling match would be awesome, maybe in the after-party chapter when libations are plentiful and the social hesitations scarce?
At least it's not a punch to the face like TD did.
3183280
If you google "That I wish you saw" you'll find the name of the song that lyric comes from, and the original title in the One-Shots thread was "Some don't fade" (which is not a song lyric but refers to the same thing as well as a line about old soldiers). The ball is Twilight's night to look to the future. For her mentor and the her herd, the past has left its mark on them in different ways. Maybe Lyra will forgive Sweet Tooth one day. But seeing him for the first time since he abandoned her, she's not ready, and it hit her a lot harder than it hit him.
As for not inviting Blueblood, he got to come to the dream-party like most of Equestria. He rose to the occasion during the Blank Plague, and he's trying to be a better pony, but he's not yet at the point where he could be entirely trusted to behave. Also, since Rarity would be around Twilight much of the evening, and if Blueblood was in attendance he would have to greet her, it would be very likely to have a disruption with Rarity and Blueblood in close proximity. Also, he's not immediately useful to Celestia's political machinations, and if you assume from Magical Mystery Cure (as many do) that Celestia wanted Twilight to be a princess and was planning her ascension all along, then Blueblood wouldn't be very useful to a future Princess Twilight either. So, he fails to meet any of the three criteria for Canterlot nobleponies to get a ticket, and attends the dream party instead.
3188152 On Sweet Tooth, maybe but you'd still think a Still Way Grandmaster would maintain a bit more control and tact.
As for Blueblood, why would he not be useful? I'm not sure what his role in life in the Xenophillia Verse is, but it would still work to the advantage of all ponies involved to have Twilight and Blueblood start off on the right hoof, as well as giving him a prime opportunity to apologize to Rairty in person.
3191847
Considering her initial motivations, and the level of betrayal he gave her, giving him a threat she most likely never intended to carry out that was focused on correcting his behavior? That's pretty restrained, really. Besides, she's not made of stone, Grandmaster or no. Also, the implication here is his betrayal of her was one of the things that put her on the path of the Grandmaster, desiring power to crush him. All things considered, she's pretty mellow here.
3193270 The threat was still to sick her boyfriend on him by implying she'd convince him to eat the guy.
Still a bit far, and I doubt Lero would approve much.
The scene with Lyra and her 'esteemed ex' had me in stitches. xD
Loved the end of the chapter as well, very beautiful.
Is this just me, or Discord's tricks, or chapters are indeed a bit disordered?
ah, or... it could be just an outdated ToC =/
3194103
No, the statement was that she would ask Lero for advice on how Lyra would eat Sweet Tooth's jigglies. She said she herself would give carnivorism a try, not that she'd ask her carnivore herdmate to eat him.
Lyra Heartstrings, you're my hero.
I envision that moment like this: Dash walks in and is horrified to find the maids, poised in battle stances, with brushes held aloft in hooves and magic. The head maid looks Rainbow straight in the eye and deadpans, "Don't fight it dearie, you'll thank us later."
.....Well done sir.
3184815 I was thinking Sunburst!
Fantastic doesn't even begin to cover it.
This chapter has got to be one of the best in this story so far.
And the paragraph:
was so totally awesome that I darn near screamed in delight!
3181147 i forgot about the part in the blank plague thanks
Ow, my head. The pun. The pain. The pun.
Lyra is best Xenophillia pony.
Extremely late comment, Im late to the party, but NOT ONE OF YOU RECOGNIZED BUCKING FORMAL STEEL-TOE!!!
Uh-huh.
What are they offering, an endless supply of irritation and brown-nosing?
Pinkie, I'm pretty sure the Canterlot Castle cannot, in fact, hold the entire country inside it.
Bet you Cheese Sandwich could have done it.
Yeah, that's right, Honey clan - buck you.
So, half of Ponyville?
Lyra ... is wearing an MP3 player and speaker to the castle. ... Legit.
I wish I had brought a book, Celestia thought, for the third time since the party began. I could be halfway through Power Ponies Omnibus #3 right now.
Because Smaregdvea sounds any better.
Don't get Twi angry. Just don't.
Twi, this is Discord you're talking about. If you wanted him to disrupt the party, he'd be on his best behavior to ensure it went off without a hitch, just to screw with you.
That seems surprisingly clumsy of Lyra. Almost as though she'd been taking adorkable lessons from Twi.
... I can see Fancy Pants literally pulling this as some kind of Nightmare Night prank, with a whole cauldron of antidote set aside. Smear poison joke on the toasting glasses, or something.
*groan*
Yeah, but he's also the ugliest, so it evens out.
NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast.
This isn't going to end well. For him. Also, comma after you.
"Outside in a secluded corner of the garden was another matter."
And, uh, how does your bank feel about that?
I do hope you're properly laundering it afterwards.
Extremely cold blooded, Lyra. I like it. But fix your spacing.
"Uh, Lyra, I've only heard of them ever being eaten deep fried. And never felt the urge to try them myself."
"Tic-tac-toe?" "Nah, Princess, how about we just sneak off to wherever you keep the board games. Bet I can beat you in Battleship."
"Do I have to?" "... Yes." "*huff* Fine."
Period after hesitation.
He went to the ball in steel-toed dress shoes? Damn, Rarity.
"Twilight, you're alarm's going off. Twilight? Uh, Twi, can you hear me in there? No? Huh, guess Spike gets second breakfast this morning."
Hah! Called it!
You know, I'm genuinely surprised that anyone is defending Sweet Tooth in the comments. First he ditches the young mare he (thought he) knocked up, and now 'apologizes' to her by offering to hook her up - as if she isn't good enough to get a stallion on her own. This guy is an embodiment of everything wrong with the nobility, I know, let's call him Blueblood 2.0!