//------------------------------// // Chapter One // Story: For Her Happiness, or Yours? // by Relagen //------------------------------// Chapter One Stratus looked up when he felt the train coming to a stop. Hearing the porter announce the arrival at Canterlot’s station, he quickly stashed his book back into his saddlebag before hefting them up onto his flanks. A glance out the window allowed him to spot the group of mares accompanied by an adolescent dragon whom he assumed would be greeting him and possibly offering a tour around town, or of Canterlot Castle, if not both. Taking a deep breath to still his nerves, he held his head high as he trotted down the ramp onto the platform. He did not get a chance to look around before his senses became utterly overwhelmed with pink. There appeared to be a very hyper mare bouncing around with him confetti and streamers. Stratus barely heard an entirely too cheerful voice squealing something akin to “Welcome to Canterlot!” Beyond that, whatever she was saying, or singing as it seemed, was uttered far too rapidly and punctuated with too much giggling for him to make out any words. “The Element of Laughter, I presume?” It seemed that his educated guess was indeed accurate, for the mare miraculously stood still for a few seconds upon him saying it. “You got it, ambassador! The name’s Pinkie Pie! What’s yours?” “My name is Stratus Swirl,” he replied, giving her a polite grin. He then turned his attention to the other five mares, who were just now catching up to their friend. Fortunately, it appeared that the other Elements of Harmony were far more sedate than the bouncing ball of giggling cotton candy he had already met. That would make it easier to keep an eye on the dragon that seemed to be all but clinging to the tall purple alicorn. Princess Twilight Sparkle now stood as tall as Princess Luna. She practically dwarfed all her friends by comparison, except for Spike. The young dragon was just as tall as his surrogate mother, with enough formidable muscle to intimidate a minotaur. Stratus himself was a head taller than most Equestrian ponies, yet even if he stretched, he only just came up to Spike’s broad chest. As the Princess introduced herself and her friends, Stratus did his best not to stare at Spike. Evidently, he still gawked more than Equestria’s social norms dictated. Twilight caught onto his discomfort and in an effort to alleviate it, she introduced the dragon. “And lastly, this is Spike, my adopted son and number one assistant.” Well, that explained why he stuck so close to her. “He might look ferocious, but as long as you don’t take any gems from him, you’ll have nothing to fear.” “A dragon makes quite the impressive bodyguard, even for a princess,” Stratus observed. “I daresay nopony would think of laying a hoof on you or your friends with him around.” That was when Spike spoke up in a gravelly voice that sounded even more mature than he looked, “Oh, she’s much scarier than I am when threatened. That’s why she became an alicorn.” Stratus’s ears perked up at that little piece of information. “Do you mean to say that Her Highness was not born an alicorn?” “Oh no,” Twilight answered. “I used to be just a regular unicorn.” “Darling, you were hardly ever a regular unicorn,” her ivory companion interjected. “You were Celestia’s prized pupil for a reason.” “That sounds like a story I’d be interested in hearing over dinner,” Stratus said pointedly. Pinkie Pie gasped so loudly it sounded painful. “Girls! Where are our manners? We need to get some food in this stallion's stomach, stat!” What Stratus was least expecting was for her to latch onto one of his hooves and practically drag him through town. He experienced the strange feeling of reality warping around him as the peculiar mare all but tore a hole in the universe and yanked him through it to the other side of town in an instant. He even felt a strange buzz of magic tingling through his feathers. “Whoa!” he gasped, trying to hide his alarm. “What did you just--?” “Come on!” She interrupted, already pronking towards the restaurant she had picked with her friends following at a more relaxed trot. Stratus had no choice but to follow them. Judging by how nonchalantly they accepted it, he had to assume that Pinkie Pie was not an ordinary earth pony, just as much as Twilight had never been an ordinary unicorn. Inside the restaurant, Twilight was asking for a table for eight on the balcony. A waiter grabbed menus for them and led the group to the terrace, seating them at the centermost table with a clear view overlooking an artificial lake with a gorgeous marble fountain in its center. It was clearly a table that was kept free for high profile customers. Pinkie and Rarity directed Stratus to sit between Twilight and Rarity. Spike sat to Twilight’s other side next to Rainbow. Pinkie sat between Rainbow and Applejack. Fluttershy sat on Rarity’s other side next to Applejack. Once everypony was seated, they started skimming through the menus. Stratus, momentarily forgetting his interest in hearing about Twilight’s studies under Princess Celestia before her ascension, looked out over the water to admire the fountain. If he was to guess, this particular spot was likely a favorite hangout for the Elements, as well as plenty of other high class ponies. The atmosphere was sophisticated enough. At the same time, though, the cool breeze off the lake made the whole place seem less like a stuffy snob attractor and more like a relaxed venue for anypony with a few bits to their name. “You’ve hardly looked at your menu, darling,” Rarity observed, her suave accent shaking him from his reverie. “Ah, I was merely admiring the scenery,” he replied, picking up the menu with his wings. Not that he recognized most of the items on it. Still, flowers and hay were simple enough to understand. If he made assumptions based on the pricing and what the other ponies at the table ordered, he was likely to find something enjoyable. In the end, he ordered a simple daisy and daffodil sandwich, exactly the same as the princess. Some quiet small talk ensued until the waiter returned with their meals. After everypony had a few bites and silently smiled or nodded their approval, Stratus remembered what he had wanted to hear whilst they dined. “Your Highness--” “Please, just call me Twilight. Equestria isn’t exactly particular about such formalities.” Stratus hesitated, then continued, “If it’s not too much to ask, would you mind telling me more about how you became an alicorn?” Twilight nodded, quickly swallowing before she began an abbreviated version of her story. “It started with the first time I got to attend the Summer Sun Celebration in Canterlot as a little filly. I was fascinated by Princess Celestia’s display of magic, and I wanted to learn more. Luckily, my parents were eager to help me do just that. “I picked up magic very quickly, and it wasn’t long before my parents decided to put in an application to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. The hardest part about getting enrolled was the entry exam. In my case, the school board asked me to trigger a dragon egg to hatch. Normally, dragons hatch their eggs with their magic fire breath. A powerful unicorn can hatch one by simply pouring enough magic into it. It was more a test of power than knowledge, but I didn’t know that at the time. “Anyways, thanks to Rainbow Dash creating an explosion of pegasus flight magic--” “It’s called a Sonic Rainboom,” Dash interrupted, spewing a few crumbs onto the table. “Eww!” Rarity levitated Rainbow’s napkin to brush away the crumbs. “Sorry,” the pegasus said after she swallowed. Twilight continued, “I experienced a burst of magic much like newborn unicorn foals do. I didn’t just hatch the egg. I made the baby dragon as big as an adult, turned my parents into plants...it was pretty scary, actually. “Princess Celestia saw it happen from outside. She came in and calmed me down. That was how I got my cutie mark, and the reason she made me her personal student. “I poured everything I had into learning everything there was to learn about magic. Sadly, it became an obsession that stopped me from socializing. Even into my late teenage years, I shrugged off almost every opportunity I had to spend time with friends. “Celestia knew I needed to get out and make some real, close friends. So she sent me to Ponyville to oversee the preparations for another Summer Sun Celebration. That’s how I met these girls,” she gestured around the table. “Her plan worked, and she stationed me in Ponyville to learn about the magic of friendship. A couple years later, I was able to finish a spell your ancestor Starswirl the Bearded had been developing. Completing the spell was the last step to becoming an alicorn, the Princess of Friendship.” Stratus pushed his empty plate aside and took a sip of his drink. “That’s very interesting. Nopony in Faroan knew the real story of where you came from. It was like a new princess just popped up out of nowhere. I guess that’s actually more or less true. I’m certain our historians will be very pleased to know the full backstory, though.” Twilight nodded, “I’m always happy to help ponies learn, no matter what they’re learning about. Feel free to ask me anything else you or your nation’s citizens might like to know about. If Equestria has answers, I’m happy to share.” “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.” He glanced at Spike. “I’m presuming you adopted the dragon hatchling after your entry exam?” Twilight nodded, “Spike remained fairly infantile physically a lot longer than he would have liked, but he did experience a few growth spurts, starting a few years after my ascension. I think his body has more or less caught up with his mental development by now. At least I hope so. He was growing up too fast for my taste for a while.” Spike brushed some emerald dust off his face, “It seems like that’s the only way a dragon can grow. At least this time, I didn’t go an a hoarding rampage and kidnap Rarity. I’d say as long as that doesn’t happen, I’m growing up at exactly the right pace.” “It sounds like there are quite a few stories you’ll have to tell me,” Stratus pointed out. “Yes, darling, but that will have to wait for some other time.” Rarity levitated a pile of bits onto the table as a tip while the waiter cleared away their dishes. “I believe it’s high time we give you a proper tour of Canterlot. Won’t that be fun?” “Actually, isn’t it about time to check up on Stratus’ hotel room?” Rainbow asked, pointed a hoof at the sun high overhead. “Dashie’s right!” Pinkie hopped up onto the table. “We can’t let them give his room to somepony else!” Twilight nodded, “Rarity, perhaps you’d like to give him the tour while the rest of us check in with the hotel and go over a few things with the other princesses?” “Oh, why certainly, Twilight,” Rarity agreed. “Thank you, Rarity. Stratus, I hope you’re ok with this, too?” “I have no argument,” Stratus shrugged with his wings. “I trust you will only leave me in good hooves. Besides, Rarity seems like just the type of pony who’s used to socializing with ponies more important than myself. I’m sure I’ll be quite at home exploring town with such a sophisticated mare.” “In that case, I’ll see you at the hotel later.” Twilight said, standing up to depart. Stratus also stood and gave her a slight bow. Once the others had gone, Rarity gave Stratus a charming smile, “Come along, dear. There is much to see in Canterlot, and it simply wouldn’t do to lose time that could be better spent.” Thus, Stratus made his way back into town to do some sightseeing. Fortunately, he found Rarity’s company quite agreeable, making for a most pleasant afternoon on the town before they made their way back to the hotel.