//------------------------------// // Party Crashers // Story: A World Above // by KidatHeart5 //------------------------------// Guests were coming in for the pre-wedding dinner. Among them were the changeling king Thorax, Dragon Lord Ember, Jet Set and Upper Crust - the husband and wife duo of Canterlot’s Elite - and several other members of Equestria’s nobility. There was even a guest from Maretania. Although she had a shimmering silver mane, she was fairly young and beautiful for a middle-aged pony. Twilight bowed her head in respect and greeted, “Welcome to the Crystal Empire, Princess Glass Slipper.” The unicorn smiled and replied in a haughty voice, “My pleasure, I’m sure. Your niece has quite a…surprising taste in colts.” Twilight tried to correct her, “Actually, it’s –“ Glass Slipper interrupted, “I, however, married a prince, and a charming one at that. I’m here representing him, considering he’s no longer allowed to…” Despite her jovial expression, she couldn’t help but let a hint of bitterness slip in her voice. “…attend festivities involving the Canterlot family.” “Really? I don’t…” Twilight then remembered who was banned from Canterlot activities. Shock surged through her body as she tried to process everything Glass Slipper had just said. She asked with an undertone of surprise in her voice, “Wait. Do you mean Prince Blueblood?” Glass Slipper nodded, “Yes. He’s everything ponies could want in a prince: regal, diplomatic, and most certainly charismatic.” Twilight rolled her eyes and thought, That’s for sure. “I am simply here on his behalf. My son would be here with me too, but he had a…previous engagement.” Twilight asked in a voice that was a mix of disbelief and surprise, “Your son? With Blueblood?” Glass Slipper nodded and replied in semi-indignation, “Yes, my son with Blueblood. His name is Silver Tongue. Darling thing, really.” Twilight put on a phony smile and said, “Oh, it’s a shame he’s not here, then. I would’ve loved to meet him.” The unicorn nodded, “I’m sure you would’ve.” After Glass Slipper left Twilight, the alicorn’s smile fell and she thought in disgust, Not. Just then, a crystal pony servant received a message from a courier of Prance’s royal court. She went over to the head of the table where Their Highnesses were sitting and handed the message to Princess Skyla. “Oh, dear, Flurry won’t like this.” Cadance inquired, “What is it, sweetie?” “It says the King of Prance won’t be able to attend Flurry and Mischief’s wedding and sends his regrets.” “Make sure you give that to your sister when she gets down here,” said Shining Armor. Skyla suggested, “Or better yet, I’ll give it to her straightaway.” She stood up as she added, “Besides, it’s getting kind of boring waiting for all of the guests to arrive.” As Skyla was about to leave, Cadance asked, “Oh, sweetheart? Could you also maybe find your younger cousins?” She said in confusion, “Yes, but aren’t they all in the playroom?” Shining Armor and Cadance exchanged cringes as he said, “Well, not all of them…”   “Take that! And that!” Cufflink cried as he tried to “defeat” Ruffle. Cufflink and Ruffle – or Cuff and Ruff, as they were more commonly called – were Gemstone and Seam’s twin colts. Since they were preschool-age, they always seemed to make so much trouble. They had cream-and-gray manes, blue eyes, and their mother’s coat. Even though they were virtually identical, there was one major difference: Cuff was a unicorn and Ruff was an Earth pony. Nevertheless, the twins were inseparable. They always had many adventures together, whether it was real or not. This time, they were playing “Pony Pan” in the laundry room, with Ruff being Pony Pan and Cuff being Captain Hoof. Ruff said defiantly, “You never catch me before, and you won’t catch me now!” Cuff grunted, “I wouldn’t be so sure!” Just then, Gustave le Grand stepped into the laundry room and asked in surprise, “Your Highnesses! What are you doing in ze laundry room?” However, he didn’t wait for a response and started searching through the nearest bin. Cuff smiled, “Oh, hello, Goostop.” Ruff – still playing – growled to his twin, “You old bilge rat.” Gustave, taken aback by such a comment, uttered, “Wha-wha-what?” He turned to the colts and wagged his finger, “Now, see here, young prince…” Cuff explained, “Oh, not you, Goostop. You see, he’s Pony Pan.” Ruff added, “And Cuff’s Captain Hoof.” Gustave said distractedly as he searched through the rest of the bin, “Oui, oui, of course.” After he closed the bin, he asked the twins, “Have you seen my apron?” Cuff asked in confusion, “Ay-prone?” “Oui, it is a…” Gustave thought about how to exactly describe the apron in words the colts would understand. He then continued, “…thin white cloth with strings.” As Gustave resumed searching for his apron, Cuff whispered to Ruff, “I think he’s talking about the treasure map. Do you know where it is?” Ruff replied, “It got lost.” At that moment, Gustave pulled aside a few sheets before his eyes bulged and he cried out, “Zut alors! My apron!” Ruff cheered as he hopped towards Gustave, “Hooray! You found it! You found it!” Gustave said as he tied the top straps of the apron around his neck while he hovered above the ground, “Oui, so I have. And hereafter…” When the colts grabbed the loose part of the apron, Gustave chastised, “Do not pull on it! Zis is my last clean –“ He was cut off when he abruptly fell backwards to the floor. When the bottom part of the apron folded onto his face, he was stunned to find drawings on it! He gulped, “No...” After a few more moments of shock, he flattened the apron against his body as he cried out in anguish, “NO!” Skyla then entered the laundry room and found Gustave lying on the floor with the twins standing over him. She asked, “Chef le Grand? I thought you’d be in the kitchen right now.” Gustave grasped the bottom part of the apron and pointed to it as he said, “Princess, look!” When she saw the drawings, she immediately suspected who the culprits were. She turned to the colts and said, “Boys…” Ruff pointed out, “It’s only chalk, Skyla.” Gustave scoffed as he hovered in mid-air again, “’Only chalk’. ‘Only chalk’. Feh! Because of these childish drawings, my last clean apron is soiled! SOILED!” Skyla shook her head in amusement of Gustave’s melodramatic freak-out. She magically took a cloth and said as she wiped his apron clean, “Now, chef, really. It comes right off.” Gustave humphed, “Hmph! Zat’s no excuse for princes to draw on aprons.” Just then, Rarity and Fancy Pants walked into the laundry room. Fancy Pants said, “Cufflink, Ruffle, why are you here instead of the playroom?” Rarity put her hoof to her heart as she said, “Honestly, you almost gave us a heart attack!” He said with a smile, “Come along, boys. Come along.” Cuff and Ruff said simultaneously, “Yes, Grandpa.” As Rarity led the twins out, Fancy whispered to Skyla, “Bundles of energy, they are.” Skyla smiled back, “No duh.” Meanwhile, up in his guest room, Mischief was getting dressed in a dinner jacket and Blaze did the same. As the unicorn was putting on his tie, he grumbled. “This is definitely one of the things I hate about being a prince…” Mischief inquired, “Why do you say that?” “You have to stand around a room in an uncomfortable suit, and events like this always tend to drag on.” Discord popped up a tuxedo with tails and a top hat to wear as he commented, “I must concur. When I first married Fluttershy, it was nothing but boring parties and delegations. Duty demanded us to participate as we were royalty.” Mischief started to grow concerned, “Gosh…I didn’t think getting married to a princess would be so much work…I thought it was just us getting married and then living happily-ever-after…” Discord let out a huge guffaw and wiped away a tear, “Sorry to break the news, kiddo, but ‘happily-ever-after’ is just a term used in storybooks as a way to end the story. You’re living the real world. You have to make commitments and take responsibilities. And as such, your first commitment is to the mare you love.” Mischief nervously chuckled, “You make it sound like I’m going to be chained down…” Discord motioned, “Well, you will be!” Mischief squeaked, “What…?” But before Discord could say anything else, a knock came at the door and a voice called out, “Sir Mischief! Everyone is waiting in the dining hall and your presence is required!” He called back, “Yeah! I’ll be there!” Discord pointed, “See? It’s starting already.” Mischief muttered, “Oh, joy…” The dining hall was filled with many nobles and the extended royal family. The children had a separate table to themselves while the grownups sat at the long, large table. Mischief sat next to Flurry at the head of the table. As they were eating, Flurry noticed a strange look on her fiancé’s face and wondered what could be wrong. Flurry asked in concern, “Hey, Mischief? Are you okay?” Mischief uttered, “Huh?” When he turned his head, all fear and worry melted away the moment he gazed into her innocent blue eyes. He couldn’t let her down. Not now. He tried to summon a confident smile as he said, “Oh, yeah, yeah. I’m fine. I’m just thinking about the big day tomorrow.” Flurry grinned, “I know. It’s going to be wonderful.” She entwined her arm with his and laid her head against his shoulder. “Our dreams are finally going to come true.” Mischief nervously chuckled, “Oh, I’m sure they will.” In his mind, he wondered if it was actually true. Cauldron Bubbles – his adopted mother – smiled, “What are you talking about? Of course they will! You have everything a stallion could wish for: a princess for a wife, adoration from all across Equestria, and being a hero to all ponies and creatures.” Mischief thought to himself, Yeah, but is it everything I want? In the middle of the table, Twilight and her sisters were feeling uncomfortable sitting across from Glass Slipper, who seemed unaware of the uneasy expressions they were trying to hide. Rainbow Dash whispered, “Prince Blueblood? She married Prince Blueblood?” Twilight whispered back, “Yes. That’s what she told me.” Rarity said to them in a low voice, “I also can’t believe they have a son together.” Applejack sneered, “I’ll bet he’s spoiled and self-centered like his pa.” Pinkie Pie nodded, “Yeah, he and his dad would’ve been real party poopers.” The six sisters chuckled at that. Sunset suggested, “But what if he’s nothing like his dad? I mean, maybe we should give him a chance.” Twilight contemplated on it for a few moments before she said, “All right. If we do meet Silver Tongue, we’ll promise to give him a chance.” At first, it seemed like the other sisters were going to protest, but then they grumbled in agreement. Upper Crust, who was sitting a few seats from the engaged couple, asked Mischief with a faux smile, “So, Sir Mischief, just what exactly are you going to do to help make Equestria a better place?” Mischief choked on his soup for a bit before he replied with a stammer, “Well, um, I haven’t exactly planned that far in advance…” Jet Set mentioned, “You do realize that you’re going to have to start planning ahead from now on, don’t you?” Mischief gulped, “And why do you say that?” Upper Crust pointed, “Well, as a prince of Equestria, you’re going to have to think fast on your hooves should a crisis happen, and it might be up to you to solve the problem.” Mischief’s head started spinning, and it wasn’t because he was using too much of his powers. He actually felt dizzy from all that he was told about what becoming a prince meant. Discord’s words echoed in his head. Flurry saw how Mischief turned an actual shade of green and he quickly said, “Excuse me. I suddenly don’t feel so good.” He ran out of the room, causing talk to go around the table. Flurry wanted to go after him, but protocol demanded for her to stay. She hoped Mischief was all right. Mischief was on the Crystal Palace’s balcony catching some air. He slowly felt better, but a part of him still felt sick. He had no idea that marrying Flurry would cause quite a commotion in his life. Before he met his true love, he was living a simple and private life. Now that was all going to change at the wedding tomorrow. He could run, but he didn’t want to abandon Flurry at the altar. Still, if he did go through with the wedding, what kind of life would he and Flurry have if he was too much of a coward to perform a prince’s duties? “Tell the truth, lose the princess…Keep the princess, live a lie…” He sang, “I know that I was a louse and a loafer...You won't get a fight, I agree…I was a goldbrick, a goof-off, no good...So, how did this happen to me? “Proud of your boy...I hope you're proud of your boy... cause I don't feel any taller or smarter or handsome or wise...And now, I know what I have to do...How can I be a prince when it isn't true? So, I will try to try hard to make you...Proud of your boy...” He leaned over the railing and felt like he was going to drown in his sorrows. Just then, his ears perked up as they heard a faint sound. He looked all around. Where was it coming from? Who was making it? Clang! Thump! Crash! The sort of commotion was coming from all around the kingdom. Mischief couldn’t see who was responsible for the noise until he heard something like trotting from one of the crystalline streets. His eyes turned towards the sound and he saw an antlered figure in dark armor running towards the palace. He heard more trotting and found that more silhouettes with antlers and armor were headed in the same direction. His heart dropped as he realized what it was: an invasion. He quickly teleported himself to the dining hall and warned, “Antlered soldiers have invaded the Crystal Empire!” The dreadful news elicited gasps from the crowd. Just a few seconds later, a Crystal guard burst into the room and proclaimed, “Your Highnesses! Antlered soldiers have invaded the Crystal Empire!” Apple Butter pointed to Mischief and said, “But that’s what he just said.” The guard apologized, “Oh, my apologies, Your Highness.” Suddenly, a thin hind hoof kicked the guard’s cheek and knocked him out. The attendees barely had time to register that before a group of lean soldiers entered and ran all around the room. They were so swift that nopony could tell what the soldiers were. Even if someone could make out the fleeting shapes, they would see that the soldiers’ black armor covered every part of their body. No trace of a mane or tail was even in sight. All that was prominent about the soldiers were the antlers sticking out of their helmets. Needless to say, the guests were so afraid that they didn’t bother to look closely at the soldiers. While some of them ducked under the table, others screamed and ran for their lives. For the few ponies who trotted out of the dining hall, they encountered a few more of the soldiers running past them, which frightened the ponies some more. Flurry held close to her beloved as she asked, “What are they even doing?” Blaze said, “I don’t think they’re trying to harm or rob anypony.” Roller Blade scowled, “Well, whatever they’re doing, they need to be stopped.” Just then, Discord came up to them while blowing some of the black-armored soldiers away with a huge leaf blower. He said, “I’m doing everything I can, but some of them are pretty elusive.” Skater asked, “Can’t you just snap your fingers to make them go away?” “I would, but there’s too much craziness for me to concentrate.” Roller remarked, “Well, that’s a first for a creature of chaos.” Discord scoffed, “Funny. I don’t see you doing anything to help.” Flurry explained, “We don’t even know what they’re doing. They’re not hurting other ponies or stealing from them.” Nova nodded, “Yeah. It looks like they may be…looking for something?” Discord scratched his head, “Then why are they running around in circles instead of searching through every nook and cranny?” Just then, Mischief’s eyes caught an antlered figure with spiky armor at the entrance of the dining hall. He knew from the unique design of the soldier’s armor that he – or she – was the leader of the group. Mischief said, “I’ll bet that one knows.” As soon as the leader leapt down the hall outside the room, Mischief teleported to a corner and waited for the antlered soldier to come close. When Mischief heard the trotting of light hooves, he stepped in front of the leader, causing the armored figure to skid to a stop. Mischief smirked, “Going somewhere?” The leader’s masculine voice warned as his visible eyes narrowed through the visor on his helmet, “Stay out of the way, colt, and you won’t get hurt.” The soldier then lunged at Mischief with his antlers angled towards him. In response, Mischief locked his antlers onto the leader’s. The armored figure grunted, “Foal! You don’t stand a chance against the Dark Riders!” Mischief likewise grunted, “Oh, yeah? Well, you’re dealing with the Guardians of Equestria!” A burst of green magic from Mischief’s antlers sent the leader flying until he hit the floor. When the antlered soldier regained his senses, he glared at Mischief. He was about to get up to attack again, but suddenly, his comrade shouted through the visor on his own helmet, “Sir! There are small children cowering underneath the table!” Mischief could see the shock in the leader’s eyes before the armored figure stood up and ordered his subordinate, “Let’s go!” As the leader ran down the hallway, he shouted, “Move out!” To everypony’s surprise, the antlered soldiers followed their leader and ran out of the palace and the Crystal Empire. They then disappeared in the darkening blanket of night.