Trixie had never felt more larger than life than as she stood, gown and all, before the grand doors to the ballroom. She heard the mass of adoring ponies on the other side, awaiting her remarkable arrival. On her left stood Princess Cadance. On her right, her faithful bodyguard. Behind them, there stood a carefully-selected group of both Canterlot and Crystal Guards—all lead by Flash Sentry.
Her time had come, she wasn't going to wait any longer.
“Your Queen is ready,” she said, her voice loud. “Open the doors.”
A pair of stallions were up to the task. Slowly, they pulled the crystal doors open. A hush fell over the crowd as Trixie began her slow, graceful walk down the crimson carpet. She was surrounded by exquisite costumes and masks, yet all eyes were on her. And she had to admit, Rarity did an absolutely wonderful job on her outfit.
Her gown existed in various shades of light blue—mostly in the layers of the bottom half that rode high on her flank. The trim was a little darker, and her shoes were silver in color. But, amongst the sea of jesters, cats, and demons, she wore a plain white mask over her eyes, for she didn't need feathers or sequins obscuring her glorious, regal face.
She basked in the attention, and the multicolored lights hanging in delicate strands alongside the crystal chandelier. She took her time in reaching the makeshift throne set on the opposite end of the chamber. Silence reigned supreme until she made herself comfortable. Then, she cleared her throat. “Ladies and gentlecolts of the Crystal Empire, your Great and Powerful Queen thanks you for being here on this historic day,” she said. “Despite all the bumps in the road, she managed to put her all into this celebration! As such, she will not keep you waiting any longer! Let the masquerade begin! Dance, talk, eat, enjoy yourselves!”
With the wave of her hoof, the orchestra began to play.
The stillness of the crowd shattered in an instant. Ponies flocked to the various amenities the party provided. A long table set along one of the walls, its surface packed with diverse food, morsels, and drinks. The carpet was removed from the floor to provide plenty of room for dance. The orchestra attracted the most attention, it seemed, for many small groups of revelers were gathered before the stage.
Pinkie Pie did a great job here, Twilight thought in amusement as she popped an apple fritter into her mouth. There was no party in the entire universe comparable to her brother's wedding, however, but she was willing to count this a close second. And that was even in spite of what was at stake.
At least Spike snagged an outfit for her to wear. If Rarity were present, and if the situation weren't so terrible, she would have congratulated her friend on all her hard work. The gown she wore was exquisite. It was sleek and golden, with a canary mask. It would have clashed with her true colors. On the other hoof, a more fitting color eluded her for Beryl Prose.
And, as of now, Beryl Prose was single anonymous pony floating in a sea of nearly a hundred, more concealed than ever.
In theory, it wouldn't be hard to catch Trixie by surprise. The only thing keeping Twilight from doing it right now was the presence of Shining Armor and Cadance. With them so close to Trixie, she couldn't gauge whether or not the power-mad unicorn would act quickly enough to use them as either leverage or shields against her. She would never forgive herself if something happened like that happened.
She shot a glance at said unicorn. Trixie sat, smiling, and her body swayed back and forth to the mellow melody being played. Something about her smile sparked anger in Twilight. In her mind, she imagined the same smile, the same grin, on her face when Trixie exiled her to the brutal snow to freeze, when treated her friends and family like slaves...
Her nostrils flared and for a second, Twilight saw red. It was a flame she quickly snuffed. Her target was in sight. She had to keep her composure. When the chance came for her to strike the Alicorn Amulet, she wanted to be ready for it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Ugh... I can't believe you dragged us to this stupid thing.”
“Oh, hush up. I didn't wear my hooves down to the bone to miss my creations in action!”
“Yeah, because you have such a fantastic view here.”
Rarity's face flushed red, her hoof dropping the tablecloth. “Well, I certainly don't want to get caught!” she snapped. “Who knows what Trixie would do if she caught us under here!”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “What, so all her 'loyal' subjects will see her for the psychopath she is? As if.” Besides, she wouldn't put it past Trixie to let them stay at the party just so they saw her coronation—saw her win. The thought alone made her seethe in silence.
Behind her, Applejack glared. “Can't y'all jabber a little more quiet-like, please?” she groaned. “Bad enough with all those ponies out there partyin' their heads off.”
Pulling the blanket over her shoulders, Rarity sighed. “Sorry, darling, we'll try to let you sleep.”
Applejack only grumbled as she tilted her hat over her face. She missed the moment when Spike slipped underneath the table to join them, his arms full of cupcakes. “Anypony want a snack?” he questioned. He handed them out, with the exception of the napping farmer.
“Thank you, Spike.” Rarity took a tiny bite out of the treat. Her face scrunched up.
Rainbow glanced at her. “Something wrong, Rares?”
The fashionista held the offending sweet treat away from her. A greenish tint blossomed on her cheeks. “I think... I think there's mayonnaise in this cupcake!”
“Wait, what?”
Arching a brow, Spike chomped half of his cupcake away. “Weird,” he said, his mouth full. “This one is fine. Chocolate.”
The pegasus followed his lead. “Yeah, this one's good, too. Gimme another.”
Spike rolled his eyes as he handed her another pastry, which she immediately scarfed down. After a pause, she shrugged. “Eh, carrot,” she said. “You really struck out, Rarity.”
Dumbstruck, Rarity tossed the cupcake at her. It missed, rolling out of sight. “How can you say that?” she scolded in a hushed growl. “Honestly, Rainbow, who puts mayonnaise in a cupcake!? Why, you act like you and Pinkie are out on one of your pra—” Her teeth clicked as she bit her sentence to an end.
Her friend seemed to reach the same conclusion, for she grew a large, sinister grin from ear to ear. “Oh, yeah! This party just got awesome!”
Despite her attempts to repress the urge, Rarity's smile grew just as wicked. “Yes, I believe we're in for quite a show.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As the tempo of the music picked up, ponies moved to the dance floor. Twilight, while relieved for the extra space, took it as an opportunity to move a bit closer to Trixie. The other unicorn was currently preoccupied picking an hors d'oeuvre off a servant's tray as she crept. Twilight wanted to get close enough to her without rousing suspicion.
Then, somepony grabbed her hoof and, before she could wrap her head around it, she was dragged into the dancing mass. “Uh, excuse me,” she said, her voice barely audible above the orchestra. The suited stallion turned, expressionless. His face was concealed by a plain gray mask, but she didn't have to see his face to see he wasn't a crystal pony. His coat was a solid orange, much like—
“Flash Sentry?” she whispered.
His stoic facade was cracked by a grin. “Only in body,” he replied.
Then, his eyes flashed green, and Twilight's heart skyrocketed into her throat. “S-Sombra?” she squeaked.
“The one and only.”
“What in the world are you doing?”
“I'm afraid I needed another alternative. My other form drains my magic more quickly than I recall.”
“Then, where's—?”
“He's asleep in a closet. He'll slumber through this afternoon's events, I assure you.” He took her hoof into his own. “Now, Beryl Prose, shall we dance?”
“Wait, S—Flash, I'm not much of a dancer.”
“Just follow my lead.”
And so she did, albeit for reasons unknown to her. There was no time for this, yet Sombra's slow, fluid waltz was hypnotizing. Despite her normally-inept coordination, she managed to imitate him with ease. She briefly contemplated asking him where he learned. What came out was, “Why are we dancing?”
Again, the stallion smiled. “Well, we're blending in more than anything. The so-called Queen ordered everypony to have a good time, didn't she?”
Twilight felt a tinge of pink on her cheeks. “She's not the Queen,” she grumbled. A glimpse of Trixie out of the corner of her eye set a fire in her heart. “She won't be Queen, and I need you to do something for me before I can stop her.”
“Tell me what you need, my friend. I'll do what I can.”
Twilight was more than prepared to do just that, until the floor suddenly shifted beneath her hooves. There was no containing a startled yelp as, though she were on ice, her legs buckled—initiating the consequential topple into her dance partner. They both ended up on the floor, she atop of him.
If they weren't the only ones fallen prey to the slick crystal tiles, she would've been embarrassed beyond words.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Shining Armor's eyes narrowed as he watched the scene unfold. “Uh, Your Highness, something's happening over there,” he said.
Swallowing what remained of her snack, Trixie shot a disinterested look at the dance floor. “Oh, calm down,” she said. “They haven't danced in—what, a thousand years or so? They'll get the hang of it eventually.” To her left, somepony giggled. When she turned her head, she found herself unintentionally looking into a pair of abnormally-large blue eyes, which gazed at her from behind a fuzzy, moth-shaped mask. She recoiled. “Pinkie Pie, what are you doing?” she demanded in a hushed voice.
Pinkie's ear twitched. “Oh, I was just checking up on Your Majesty!” she exclaimed. “Are you having a good time?”
“Actually, yes, your Queen is enjoying herself. You've done well, Royal Party Planner.”
“Really? Even with the entertainment?”
“Your Queen appreciates the music. It's classy, like her.”
It was at that moment the party pony took on the unsettling countenance of somepony with a dirty secret. Slowly, she leaned close to the unicorn's ear and whispered, “That's not what I meant, silly.”
Trixie's spine tingled with a chill. “What...? What do you mean?”
At the flip of a metaphorical switch, Pinkie's uncannily foreboding visage melted away. “Oh, I hid a few extra surprises around here,” she said, still speaking softly. Again, to Trixie's discomfort, she closed in on her personal space. “Like the very, very, very, very, very thin layer of slippery polish on the floor!”
And the young matriarch didn't know what to make of this new development. Anger was the first logical emotion to come to mind, as the thought of anypony messing with the greatest party in recent history made her feel. Yet, as she looked among the smiling and giggling victims of Pinkie's antics, she instead came to feel a sense of amusement. “Are all your 'surprises' equally as harmless?” she questioned—an obvious edge to her voice.
The other mare beamed. “Oh, yeah, don't worry! Everypony will laugh their non-existent pants off, they're so awesomely-fantastical!”
“Alright. Your Queen dismisses you.” As soon as Pinkie vanished from sight, the tautness in her muscles melted away, and she reclined to watch her guests in peace. Whilst some of them began playfully sliding across the floor, she couldn't help but feel a sliver of envy. The celebration was off to a fantastic start, and yet she felt as though she was missing out.
At least, until one of the cakes exploded into a glittering cloud of confetti. The crowd broke into a mess of dissonant cheers. Not too long after, a small group of unsuspecting individuals broke into a sneezing fit from sniffing the crystal bouquets. The punch then turned ponies' tongues a myriad of colors. While there was laughter amongst the chaos, it was just one prank after the other in what seemed to be a never-ending stream of nonsense.
Her ire rose, for she suspected her subjects were more in love with the pranks than her, which was, of course, completely unacceptable.
When Pinkie shown brightly at the heart of the ballroom with her crazy dance moves, Trixie reached the end of her patience. “Enough of this!” she bellowed. In a crimson blink, she appeared before the Party Planner, and the masquerade came to a grinding halt. “Your Queen commands you to stop, right this instant!”
Pinkie Pie blinked. “What's wrong, Your Highness?”
“You are ruining my coronation party, that's what's wrong!” She stomped a hoof. “You assured the Great and Powerful Queen Trixie your tomfoolery was harmless, but it's stealing attention away from her regal-ness!”
“What? But, everypony is having such a good time!”
There was a wave of whispers in favor of the pink mare, fueling the unicorn's anger. “How can they enjoy themselves if the insanity of a peasant overshadows their magnificent Queen?”
And, somewhere, a stallion possessed the answer. “How can anypony enjoy themselves when a party-pooper like yourself sours their fun?”
“Who said that?!” she demanded. “Who dares speak negatively of Queen Trixie?!”
On stage, the orchestra erupted into outcries as, like a party popper, somepony somersaulted out of one of their drums in a burst of streamers. His landing was perfect, as was the manner in which his poncho swayed on the absent breeze. The cowpony hat kept his eyes hidden. “That would be me, little filly,” he retorted, puffing on the party favor dangling from his bottom lip.
Trixie had never seen the stallion before in her life. “Who are you?” she hissed. “How did you get into Queen Trixie's empire?”
He chuckled. “Don't worry your pretty little head over those details, Your Highness.”
“Then, what are you doing here? Tell the Queen now!”
Tipping his hat back, he shot her a narrowed emerald glare. “Any party planner worth their salt can sense when a shindig’s in the works. Yours in particular called my name, so I answered.” He looked out upon the crowd. “Imagine my surprise when I stumbled across not only a party in need of my help, but another party pony as well.”
Trixie glanced at where Pinkie Pie once stood, only to find the mare gone. No matter. “So, you aided with Queen Trixie's coronation party. Congratulations, but I believe your services are no longer required.” The Alicorn Amulet glistened. “Now, leave.”
To her agitation, he grinned. “You're mistaken,” he said. “There's still one more thing I can do to make this the greatest party anypony's ever seen!”
“Humph. You think so?”
Spitting out the party favor, he smiled wide enough to show teeth. “Oh, I don't think so...” Including as much flair as possible, he discarded his clothing, leaving nothing on but a flower-print shirt. “I know so!” he exclaimed. He pulled an accordion out of thin air, singing at the top of his lungs. “The super-duper party pony—that pony is me! You'll never meet another pony quite like Cheese!” He paused. “That's the name, by the way. Cheese. Cheese Sandwich. Nice to make your acquaintance!”
Trixie's jaw dropped. Stunned as she was, she was helpless to stop him from bouncing and dancing all around the ballroom.
“Come on, ponies! Who here likes to party?”
The uproar was deafening, rattling the magician to her core. Of course, seeing Cheese land from a backflip in front of her was more than enough to reignite her rage. “Oh, when I throw a Cheese party, be sure to not be lame!” he sang. “You'll miss my pie fights, wacky kites, and streamers in your mane!”
The artifact around her neck flashed. “Stop him!” it snarled.
In a single act of will, said streamers burst into flames before they landed atop her head. The inferno threw the offender off his groove. He dropped his accordion, which she promptly stomped into pieces with a single hoof. With the other, she seized Cheese by the collar. “If you sing a single additional line, I'll turn you into a snail,” she growled.
The stallion blinked.
She was certain she finally scared him speechless, until she spotted that stupid grin once again plastered on his stupid face.
Then, he slipped out of her grasp like it was nothing. One cartwheel later, he was a few hooves away. “Well, silly, you'll have to catch me first!” he announced, sticking out his tongue.
“Guards!” she commanded in a roar. “Get him! Seize him! DO SOMETHING NOW!”
All available hooves scrambled to chase after Cheese Sandwich. Even Shining Armor joined the search. At this point, however, Trixie didn't care. The more guards after the intruder, the better. There remained a party for her to further enjoy, and she wasn't going to let anything or anyone keep her from enjoying it!
“Cadance!” she snapped. She kicked a wooden piece of Cheese's accordion. “Get this garbage cleaned up!”
She then began the return to her throne. “Your Queen apologizes,” she yelled. “It was not her wish to use such violence.” She turned to retake her seat. “But, now the masquerade can continue without—”
She sat down, and a long, inappropriate noise vibrated from under her posterior. Her face grew hot as the sound reverberated off the walls. As it lapsed into silence, she finally forced herself to move. Shifting, she used her magic to pull the object off her throne. The giggles began—soon followed by full-blown laughter.
It was a whoopee cushion.
Of course, Pinkie Pie chose then and there to pop up out of nowhere. “Oh, so that's where that went!” she chirped. She snatched it out of Trixie's magic. “Bad whoopee cushion! You were for later!”
The Queen's vision turned red; her furor finally reached its boiling point. All that time spent planning and preparing... She was the Queen! How dare they laugh! How dare she embarrass me?!
Without hesitation, she snatched Pinkie up in her magic and threw her to the floor. The laughter ceased in a unified gasp. Unfortunately, nothing was capable of calming Trixie. Shrieking loudly enough to curdle blood, she threw herself at the source of her humiliation.
And a single mare charged from the frozen crowd. “PINKIE!”