Mayor Gaston the Griffon raced across the ballroom, his cravat hanging loose from his neck, and his stylish poufy sleeves wafting in the wind. He walked down the length of the buffet table, rapping his talons across the surface as he went. The hot foods were safe in their foil containers, the cold foods were chilling on ice, and the punch was ready to go. Across the hall, atop the small stage, a quartet of ponies were setting up their instruments. Piano, cello, harp… tuba? Whatever the brass instrument was. Nothing at the level Sweetie Belle would have been, but—
Applejack snorted as she watched Gaston blunder about the room, his eyes wide and his breath short. She reached a hoof out and snagged the tip of his wing. “What’s got you in such a hustle? Everythin’ set up right.”
“We were going to have Sweetie Belle here.” Gaston turned to her with a look of horror. “She was going to be the linchpin, the certain something special to entice the crowds to act on their generosity. Now, not only do I not have the singer, I just learned that Andean Ursagryph and Queen Chrysalis the Second are going to attend! The most famous world leader besides Celestia and the new ruler of the most famous monsters in the world! I was not prepared for any of this!”
Applejack quirked her mouth to the side. “So your gold medal wasn’t in party plannin’, huh?”
Gaston squawked as several servers strode past, pushing the model of Cloudsdale he’d commissioned. It was as elegant as it was simple, swirling clouds and drizzling rainbows. Each district, each shopping center, each stretch of homes was laid out in minimal detail yet exact location. He glanced at the model and, for the briefest of instances, hope entered his eyes. That hope was banished just as quickly when a pony at the entrance of the ballroom hollered at the top of their lungs.
“H’announcing: Prince Blueblood, Princess Fleur de Lis, and Princess Jadeite Jasmine!”
Prince Blueblood and his wife walked hoof-in-hoof, their daughter riding atop her father’s back. Blueblood waved to the griffon. “Ahoy, Gaston! The missus and I decided to arrive fashionably early. How goes the preparations?”
“Let us not mince words, husband,” Fleur said, her words heavy with a flowery air granted by her Fancy accent. “We wish to leave before the changelings arrive.”
Applejack tilted her hat back. “Blue, Fleur. Good tah see yah in good health.”
Fleur smiled bright. “Lady Applejack, it is always a pleasure.” She greeted Applejack with a kiss on each cheek. “How is ze family back home?”
“Oh, Apple Bloom’s gettin’ into her usual trouble. Big Mac and Cheerilee have their hooves full with Cinnamon.” Applejack shrugged, tilting one ear down. “Grandpere Pear is holdin’ on to life as firm as he can. Says he’s squeezin’ out every last drop.”
“Sounds just like him.” Fleur covered her giggle with a demure hoof. “Tell him ze family in Baltimare wish him well.”
“First words outta my mouth next time I see him.”
“Cuss!”
All eyes turned to the small filly on Blueblood’s back. The father tried to shush her, but she shouted all the louder. “Cuss!”
“Jade.” Fleur picked the filly off of Blueblood’s back and cradled her close to the chest. “We should be polite when speaking to Applejack and Gaston. Can you say a nice word?”
Blueblood muttered darkly to Gaston. “I swear, if she says ‘rut,’ I’m going to have a heart attack.”
“Applesauce!” Jade reached out to cup Applejack’s cheeks with her hooves. “Applesauce!”
Fleur winked. “Her favorite food, ironically enough.”
Applejack felt her heart melt into a sweet buttery mess. She bumped her nose against Jade’s and rubbed back and forth. “Ain’t you just the sugariest little blossom I ever did meet?”
Gaston cleared his throat. “As much as I’d love to stay and catch up, Blueblood, I’ve got a lot of work to get through.”
Blueblood tilted his head, pressing his lips together. “Indeed? I thought the gala was just about to start.”
“It is, yes, but there’ve been a lot of…” Gaston cringed from his talons to his wingtips. “Recent revelations and additions and I’m completely at a loss for a… I dunno… anything.”
Fleur turned to him with her brow furrowed. “Is there anything we can help with?”
Gaston lifted his talons to the sky. “Not unless you can hire a popular singer on the cheap, or produce some sort of buffet that caters to griffon and-or changeling diets.”
“Aw, cool your jets, Gaston.” Applejack reached up to give Gaston’s shoulder a friendly smack. “It ain’t all bad. You still got the best musicians in the area, and the best eats Canterlot can supply. You got a huge guest list, dozens of celebrities included. And it’s all in the name of one of the best darn causes we have available in Equestria; the restoration of Cloudsdale!”
She smirked and leaned on one pair of legs. “Far as I’m concerned, you can’t lose.”
“Lady Applejack is correct, old bean.” Blueblood’s horn lit up to snag a tiny shrimp from a passing server’s plate. He slipped the morsel into his mouth and bit down with a relishing chuckle. “Cloudsdale is in good hands… hooves… talons… etcetera.”
Applejack walked into the center of the ballroom and took in the atmosphere. There were two levels of the ballroom. The one on the ground level contained the dance floor, doorways, and the music stage. The second level circled around the cylindrical room as an open balcony, connected by four equally spaced staircases. Tables and chairs sat ready for diners, drinkers, and gossipers. Beside the entryway, across from the herald, lay a small table with pledge cards awaiting the guests.
Magilights of blue, red, green, gold, and silver illuminated the dance floor. The sun set behind glistening curtains of clouds to the west. The east held the heavenly dew of starlight. The quartet tuned their instruments carefully and precisely, a simple melody forming as their scales mingled.
She watched Gaston’s muscles unknot one by one, his wings carrying him a few feet in the air, a relief-filled breath exiting his lungs.
“H’announcing: King Andean Ursagryph of Felaccia!”
Gaston plummeted from the sky and landed with stiff legs. His wings folded tight against his back as he trotted towards the entrance of the ballroom. He tugged at his collar with a shivering claw. “Y-your G-Grace. It is a-an honor to finally meet you.”
Applejack caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Fleur de Lis tucked Jadeite close to her chest and shrunk from the entryway, her eyes wide. Applejack figured it must’ve been her first time seeing the griffon king up close. She couldn’t really blame her for the reaction.
Blueblood straightened himself up and rested a hoof across his wife’s back. He shot her a reassuring smile, one that didn’t quite match the twitch in his ears.
Andean Ursagryph squeezed through the double-doorway, his wings opening once they’d passed the door frame. The scabbard of his enormous broadsword scraped against the floor as his hindquarters slid in. Five griffon soldiers followed him in, then quickly spread throughout the room, covering every possible corner. Andean ran a talon through his beard of black and white feathers. “Lord Mayor Gaston. It is an honor to once again assist Cloudsdale in its time of need.”
“Yes.” Gaston drummed his clawtips on the floor for lack of anything better to do. “I heard you did a great thing for us, flying to our defense during the Incident.”
“Incident?” Andean wrinkled his forehead. “It was a battle, Lord Mayor. To call it any less is disingenuous.”
Having no ready response, Gaston merely nodded.
“Your name suggests that you are a native of Griffonstone, correct?” Andean reached out with a long foreleg to grab an hors d’oeuvre tray from a hapless servant. “The, ah, Equestrian protectorate?”
“Griffonstone prefers to think of itself as an independent state, but…” Gaston laughed humorlessly and shrugged. “It didn’t take much to emigrate.”
“Hmm.” Andean nibbled away at the morsels on his plate A kebab’s worth of various meats and veggies disappeared in a single gulp. “No government, no standing army, no respect for its history… I say you did well to pursue politics in Equestria, as milquetoast as they are.”
Gaston’s feathers along his neck bristled as his tail slid its way between his hind legs. “I would never badmouth my old home, of course. It’s sti—”
“Of course you wouldn’t.” Andean passed the tray to another young servant and retrieved a second tray, this one piled high with desserts. “That’s why the voters love you so much.”
His beak snapped down on a pastry. “I admit I’m in the mood to reminisce a bit. Where were you during the Battle of Cloudsdale, a year and a half ago?”
Gaston’s ears fell. His beak moved wordlessly, helplessly. “The Capitol Building was the second target to be hit. Once I dug my way out of the wreckage, I spend the next three days searching for what was left of my staff.”
Applejack clomped up beside Gaston and tipped her hat to the griffon king. “Andean, Your Grace. Been a while, ain’t it?”
Gaston mouthed a silent “Thank you.”
“Indeed, Lord Mayor Applejack.” Andean smiled lightly. He offered her a dessert from the tray, and of course she selected an apple fritter. “Though we do keep running into each other at these functions. Perhaps it’s fate.”
“Fate’s got a funny way of goin’ about its business.” Applejack twirled her fritter, indicating those who had already arrived to the gala. “I was just talkin’ with the folks about how nice it’ll be to have Cloudsdale back on its feet, so to speak. Finally wipe away the last little stain Hurricane left behind. Send the refugees home. That sorta stuff. You got cloud cities back in Felaccia?”
“I’m afraid not.” Andean glanced to Gaston, preventing the mayor from sneaking away undetected. “Griffons never had much of a knack for weather manipulation. We make our homes among the cliffs of the coast, or on the floating mountains of Roc.”
“H’announcing: High Princess Luna of Equestria!”
Andean glanced over his shoulder. “I shall leave you to your guests, Mayor Gaston. I suspect Celestia invited me more as a conversation piece than as a guest.”
As Gaston turned to greet Luna, Andean stopped him with a clawtip. “Lord Mayor,” Andean said, “keep up the good fight.”
“I will, Your Grace.” Gaston bobbed his head before running for all he was worth.
“I suspect there’s more to him than his bluster.” Andean extended a wing over Applejack’s head. “I see it in the company he keeps.”
“He and I get along fine.” Applejack quirked her mouth up as she savored her fritter. “Him and Fancy Pants are the mayors I’m least likely to wanna punch in the mouth.”
Fleur raised her head at Blueblood’s approach. “The donation is prepared, husband?”
“Indubitably.” He leveled his blue bowtie with a glimmer of magic. He kissed his wife on the cheek and his daughter on the forehead. “And since Luna’s arrived, I suspect the changelings will not be far behind.”
“Yes.” Fleur sent a wary look to the entryway which, to her relief, was still solely occupied by Luna. “The less time spent thinking about my night in their… their would-be coffins, the better.”
Applejack gave her a light hug. “Don’t fret too much, y’all. I seen the changelings change once. I’ll bet they can change again.”
“Indeed.” Blueblood huffed lightly, doing his best to ignore the massive griffon behind Applejack. “And subsequently change right back.”
Applejack watched the Blueblood family leave through the doorway. They passed a quick farewell to Luna, then vanished. Applejack adjusted her hat to sit more comfortably between her ears. “What’s your take on the changelings, Andean? Ain’t heard you weigh in.”
Andean Ursagryph sat near the edge of the ballroom, between two large pillars that nearly hid him from view. He cradled the dessert tray, selecting the items most interesting to him. “I believe they could be powerful allies. Or dangerous enemies. Much like the griffons themselves. Or the ponies, for that matter.”
He rested his talon on the pommel stone of his blade; a ruby-red gem, brimming with magical power. “It is a situation to be handled with extreme caution. The utmost care. I’m surprised they returned at all after the Changeling Civil War between Chrysalis and Thorax.”
Applejack finished the last of her fritter and picked a new treat from the plate, this one some sort of chocolate mousse. “Maybe this is our chance to find out what happened to Thorax.”
“Unlikely, as I believe these changelings are the remnants of Chrysalis the Tyrant’s new brood.” Andean checked the position of his Blitzwings, one of whom had made their way to the upper level. “Though the war ended with Chrysalis’ death, I suspect bad blood remains between the two shattered halves of the whole.”
“I hear you there.” Applejack tipped her hat to a new arrival; one of Rarity’s friends if she remembered correctly. “But I’ve also seen the irreconcilable reconciled. Lots of times.”
Andean smiled lightly. He dropped a few chocolate-covered blueberries into his beak and snapped it shut. “I am forced to agree, as there are a great deal more bright spots in this life than I had at first imagined. The unity between the ponies and the griffons has become… quite dear to me. I constantly surprise myself with how much we can rely on each other these days.”
Applejack eyed the griffon king. He sat at ease, despite his apparent lack of cohesion with the room’s decor, atmosphere, and other guests. He regarded Luna with a solemn nod, and was then happy to return his full attention to his plate.
She caught sight of Rainbow Dash reaching the entrance. She stood up and tipped her hat to Andean. “Well, it’s been a right pleasure speaking with you, Your Grace. Hope we can talk again later.”
“I imagine we will.” Andean eased his wings against his back and ran a talon through his white-black speckled beard. “Lord Mayor Applejack, kroota kiicha.”
“Crooda kitcha yourself.”
Applejack trotted towards the front doors, a laugh bubbling up from her chest. Rainbow Dash was dressed up nice as could be, same as Applejack, but there was still a solid touch of sass in her split dress, her wild manestyle, and her overall bull-headed demeanor. She clomped past the herald without so much as a how-do-you-do and grasped forelegs with her friend. “Rainbow Dash, you don’t look a day over ninety-nine!”
“Applejack, you finally got the straw out of your hair!” With their right forelegs still gripped, they swung their other legs around each other’s necks, completing the strong embrace. She leaned her mouth close to Applejack’s ear. “B’sides, ixnay on the irthday-bay. Keeping things on the down-low. Folks are here for Cloudsdale, not me.”
“I’ll keep a cork in it.” Applejack released Dash and walked alongside her, ignoring the herald’s belated announcement.
“H’announcing: Captain Rainbow Dash of the Wonderbolts!”
“Booyah,” Rainbow Dash whispered.
Applejack nudged her friend hard in the shoulder. “So what’re you up to now? Twenty-six?”
“Twenty-seven, actually. Prime of my life.” Rainbow hopped a few inches off the ground to hover. She surveyed the buffet table, but took a detour when she noticed some off-season cider amongst the drinks. “Much younger than you, ya geezer.”
“I ain’t yet thirty, ya dork.” Applejack made a face as Rainbow poured herself a drink. “Y’all are gonna give yourself a bellyache with that frozen concentrate garbage.”
“I’m a desperate mare, Applejack.” Rainbow Dash threw the glass back and let out a satisfied sigh. “Authentic or imitation, it’s all apples.”
“It ain’t so and you know it.”
Rainbow Dash answered with a trademark devil-may-care grin. She swooped to the center of the dance floor, spinning to take in the ballroom. She turned her eyes upward, a touch of low tones entering her voice. “I half expect Fluttershy to rampage through here with a horde of terrified critters.”
“Ha. Twelve years since the so-called best night ever.” Applejack stood beside her, her ears twitching in time with the soft song the quartet was playing. Memories flooded in from years gone by, disasters and triumphs both. The sun set fully beyond the horizon, allowing the overhead lamps to have full control over the mood. “So many things have changed.”
“Yeah.” Rainbow Dash landed with a thump and wrapped a wing around Applejack’s shoulders. She pointed to the entrance as a certain fabulously familiar unicorn mare entered. “But just as many things have stayed the same.”
“H’announcing: Lady Rarity!”
Rarity waved a hoof frantically, her eyes lighting up like her trademark gemstones. “Girls! Hello there! It’s so good to see you again!”
Applejack leveled her eyebrows. The glow was there, genuine as always. Rarity never sparkled without meaning to. But beneath the surface, Applejack could feel it; a billowing black hole of sadness at the corners of her eyes. A tightness in her voice. She knew about Sweetie Belle. Good. It saved Applejack the trouble of explaining—
Her breath stopped short. Her head twisted Rainbow Dash’s way. The pegasus slurped up another glass of cut-rate cider, not a care in the world. Had anybody told her about the kidnapping? She’d been spending a lot of time in Cloudsdale, so there wasn’t much chance to visit.
Rarity joined them, her mane coiffed just so and her eyelashes exactly this long and her makeup applied over the course of several hours. “Oh, but I do enjoy seeing friendly faces again. After all that’s happened the past few days, I was afraid I wouldn’t be—” She coughed, her smile faltering, her ears drooping. She perked up in an instant, otherwise undeterred. “—able to attend.”
“Really?” Rainbow Dash elevated to a comfortable altitude for her. “What gives? Trouble with the boutique?”
Applejack sprung into action, placing a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder before her aghast expression could register in Rainbow Dash’s mind. “I think the three of us should save the heavy stuff for supper afterwards. Wanna head to a nice quiet restaurant? My treat?”
“Yeah, sure, I’m free.” Rainbow Dash snagged a cookie off of a passing trolley and ate it in a single bite. “Dunno how much I’m gonna be eating after this smorgasbord, but I’m up for chit-chat and that. Heh.”
“Yeah.” Applejack gave Rarity a forceful glare. “And there we can talk about all the drama in our lives and let the gala go smooth-like. Right?”
Rarity allowed her smoldering grimace to die off, replacing it with neutral bemusement. “Your social prowess astounds me, Applejack. Very well, I shall renege my rant for the sake of the gala.”
Rainbow Dash’s ears drooped as she worried her lower lip. “It’s that bad, huh?”
“Don’t even worry about it,” Applejack said, giving Rainbow’s and Rarity’s hooves a squeeze. “We got the best ponies available on the case. Trust me.”
***
“H’announcing: A.K. Yearling, Author of Daring Do!”
Daring Do rolled her eyes as the gathered crowd of ponies and various other rich creatures looked her way. A blue-coated pegasus near the back of the room hopped up and waved her forelegs like crazy. Daring smirked at the sight. “Rainbow Dash and her enthusiasm. Gotta love it.”
She walked in, flanked by Blankety Blank to the left and Martial Paw to the right. Blank’s white hair was overlaid with a red sash, and Martial wore a sharp, blue button-up coat. Daring herself wore her favorite “disguise” of a long shawl, oversized glasses, and a stupid pink hat.
Martial cleared his throat. His rapier—its sheath hemmed in gold—rattled at his side as he stopped. He rubbed a button with his talons, his throat bobbing.
Blankety Blank spun his head around, his nose twitching. “Whoa. S-somebody’s excited.”
Daring laughed as Martial’s cheeks blushed bright enough to be a traffic signal. She waved at him, giving him a soft punt in the hindquarters. “Go on and ask her to dance, featherbrain. Life ain’t gonna wait for you to drum up the courage, so hop to it!”
“Ah, hum—” Martial blathered a moment longer before launching himself towards Rainbow Dash.
Daring tugged Blankety along, bustling past any questions ponies tried to shoot her way. “I’m gonna find some dark table in the corner to sulk in. You can go ahead and mingle, or eat, or whatever you want. Heck, bring me a plate if you feel like it.”
“Sounds good.” Blankety raised his head as high as it would go to examine the faces surrounding them. “Care’s part of our expedition, right? She’ll be here tonight?”
“All signs point to ‘yes.’” Daring felt a twinge in her wing and stretched it out to remove the slight pain. The ambrosia seemed to be doing its work, because the joint hinged without protest. “Send her my way when she gets here. Or heck, the three of us can have a talk together. I wanna catch up, you know?”
“L-likewise.” Blankety took another glance around, then bobbed his head in farewell. “See you soon.”
He vanished into the crowd like smoke into thin air.
“Now that is freaking cool,” Daring muttered before being surrounded by various high-society ponies. They prattled on and on about when her next book was coming out, what she thinks of the film adaptations, where she gets her inspiration. It was all just so much noise.
“I can answer all your questions with two words,” she said, her voice as dull and uninspired as she could possibly make it. “Nondisclosure agreement.”
While they tried to figure out just what a legal document had to do with her film-related opinions, she ducked out of the sudden circle and took a quick trot upstairs to the second level. Most ponies were down near the dance-floor, their interest that evening more towards being seen than donating to the relief fund. A few private conversations muttered around her as she passed by tables and chairs, and two pegasi couples were dancing in midair just off the edge of the balcony.
She leaned on the railing, watching the couples swoop and bow, their wingbeats carefully timed, their bodies close together. The music was softer this high up, more background noise than a song to dance to. It was a gentle tune, with a slow rhythm. A waltz.
Something strange caught on the edge of her subconscious. Her ear twitched as her eye narrowed in on something on the far side of the second floor. There was a griffon standing in the shadows, roughly Martial’s age and build. He carried a strange angled weapon she’d only seen in news reports from Felaccia: the new volleygun model. The badge on his chest of a winged lightning bolt cinched it; he was a Blitzwing, a Kretchwaugh, a member of King Andean Ursagryph’s elite flyers.
Her heart plummeted. Why hadn’t she realized it when Andean himself met with her and Celestia? She was so busy getting to Ponyville and back. She should have known the griffon king would be in attendance. “Oh, horseapples. Marty.”
She cast a glance downward in an effort to pick Martial Paw out of the crowd. “Of all the times for you to freaking blend in.” She should have at least been able to see Rainbow Dash. She could count on one hoof the ponies she knew of with a rainbow-hued mane.
It was useless to go back down to hunt for him on the ground floor. She’d just be mobbed by fans again. She couldn’t contact Blank until he found her. Martial was alone.
She unfurled her wings and brought them back in. He wasn’t quite alone. He’d have Rainbow Dash if things got dicey. And Daring Do would leap to his side the instant she could get a straight shot at him. He’d have support. He’d have friends.
She spotted King Andean Ursagryph situated between two thick pillars beneath the balcony. He was eating dessert, chatting with anybody brave enough to ask him a question. He seemed friendly. Happy, even. Maybe he’d mellowed out over the years. Maybe things wouldn’t dissolve into shouting again.
“Maybe I’ll just stick a volleygun in my mouth and get it over with.” Daring Do grunted and pulled up a chair, ready to wait the night out like the ticking time bomb it was. “Yeah. That sounds like a reasonable response.”
***
“Happy birthday, Rainbow Dash.”
Martial Paw held one talon up as he stood a meter away from the rainbow-maned mare. He made a fist and clutched it to his chest, bending down for a chivalrous bow. “I must say, this is the most pleasant of unexpected sur—”
“Marty!” Rainbow Dash flew into a backflip out of her chair. She snagged his neck with a powerful foreleg and noogied his headfeathers with her free hoof. “You old air pirate, it’s great to see you! I thought you were up north with Dar—! Uh, I mean, Yearling.”
Martial squawked. He laughed and pried Dash’s embrace away from his head, giving himself some measure of breathing space. “Circumstances changed. I can’t say they’re all good, but they’ve led to this moment at the least.”
Rainbow dragged him to the table and gestured to the two other mares seated there. “Hay, guys. You know Marty, right?”
Applejack nodded, her feigned polite interest belying a knowing smirk. “Martial Paw. Nice to see you still up and kickin’. Gonna stay in Ponyville long enough to pay taxes this time?”
“Well—” Martial scratched the back of his neck. “Well, my work takes me all around the world. I cannot say whether I shall be here one day or gone the next, but—”
“I’m pullin’ your drumsticks, Martial.” Applejack crossed her forelegs to lean on the table. She sent him a wink. “Keep up the good work.”
“Now I’m sure you two are well enough acquainted…” Rarity placed a hoof on her chest and fluttered her eyelashes. “But I don’t believe I recall meeting such a dashing young griffon gentleman.”
“’Dashing’ is right,” Rainbow Dash said, shoving Martial’s shoulder. “Dashing right away from tumbling boulders! Martial Paw is Daring Do—aaaaah A.K. Yearling’s research assistant. We’ve seen some wild adventures, huh?”
Martial smiled at Rainbow Dash’s easy laughter. The world seemed to dim around the mare by sheer contrast with the color in both her mane and personality. He found his heart skipping a beat each time she flapped her wings. “Absolutely. I assume Lady Rarity is ‘in the know,’ as it were?”
“That I am,” Rarity said. “So I have to also assume that the research is far more swashbuckling than academic.”
“There’s more academia than Yearling would like to admit, but yes.” He patted the hilt of his rapier. His ears twitched as the quartet switched up the song to a slightly faster piece. He probably wouldn’t get another chance like this… “We’ve seen our fair share of harrowing circumstances.”
“Fair share!” Rainbow Dash slapped his back, nearly sending him off balance. “This guy’s saved my life about a dozen times, and I’ve paid back my fair share. You shoulda seen his face when we ran into an entire pride of chimeras in the fire swamp!”
Applejack patted the chair between her and Rarity. “Sit down for a spell. Have a bite to eat with us. Always in the market for a new pal.”
Rainbow Dash nodded fervently.
Rarity tossed her curls back with a hoof. “I certainly wouldn’t be against you regaling us with tales of your exploits.”
“I would certainly like to, but first…” Martial Paw turned to Rainbow Dash and offered her a talon. “Rainbow Dash, may I have this dance?”
Rainbow Dash’s smile remained bright, even as one eyebrow lowered. She glanced between Martial and Applejack. “Uh.”
Martial’s mental gears ground to a halt, leaving his mind a vast, blank whiteness completely devoid of wit or charm. He could only hold his breath as he awaited an answer.
Rarity clapped her hooves together, her grin growing wide and devious. “Rainbow Dash! Don’t leave the poor boy waiting! Let him take you for a spin around the dance floor!”
Applejack drew an imaginary infinity symbol across her heart. “I promise we’ll still be here when you get back, sugarcube. Take a load off and show these stuffy ponies how to cut a rug.”
“Whe—um—” Rainbow offered Martial a shrug. She placed her hoof in his talon. “Why the heck not?”
Martial’s lungs expanded with air as he finally regained the ability to breathe. His wings stretched out to release magic which would carry the both of them into the air. She followed suit and quietly joined him on his way to the dance floor. The cheerful music grew louder as they neared the stage, begging their limbs to move.
Rainbow watched carefully as she placed one hoof against his shoulder and the other in his outstretched talon. He did much the same as he rested his other talon against her side. Their wingbeats moved in synch with the melody. Rainbow Dash furrowed her brow and counted the beats under her breath, keeping time as best she could.
Martial cleared his throat as he missed a beat and sent them yawing to one side. “Sorry. I’m not too familiar with this sort of thing.”
“Eh, search me.” Rainbow laughed lightly. “I’m not much of a dancer.” She turned her head in thought, avoiding his attempt at eye contact. “Not with somebody else, anyway. I can headbang with the best of them. Shake a leg and stuff.”
Martial bobbed his head as they twirled. The dryness in his throat had made its way into his mouth, making speaking a difficult ordeal. “I haven’t been given many opportunities. Or taken them, for that matter. I—” He shook his head, lightly enough that maybe she wouldn’t notice. “Well, it’s just nice to see you again, my friend. I hear you and the Wonderbolts have been doing great things for Cloudsdale?”
“Yeah, of course.” Rainbow Dash missed a beat and nearly yanked him down. She laughed at herself, casting a glance at the quartet onstage. “We’ve been doing shows all over Equestria, letting the proceeds go towards the rebuilding. I even had a small show in Saddle Arabia about a year ago.”
“Really?” Martial snagged the conversation thread with all the suave coolness of an old rubbish bin. “Who went with you?”
“Lightning Dust and Raindrops.” Rainbow sniggered. “We knocked the socks off the sultan with the good old Dash-Dust Drop. Lightning literally everywhere. It was awesome.”
She snuck a surreptitious glance at their fellow dancers; everypony else was focused on their dance partners. “So, anything you can tell me about the new Daring Do book? Is it finished yet?”
Martial hushed his voice. “Nearly. She still hasn’t completed the last couple of chapters, but she gave the rest to Twilight Velvet to begin the editing process. It’s about…” He tilted his head and sniffed, mulling over the proper way to express his thoughts. “It’s about her time in the Canter Mountain mines. With Time Turner.”
“Oh.” Rainbow Dash looked down to watch the dance floor swirl beneath them. “Oh. Oh that’s… That’s rough. That’s…” She lifted her head to finally, finally look Martial in the eye. “H-how could she write about something like that? I would never be able to even… I can’t imagine it, Marty.”
“She says it’s her way of coping, and I suppose I have to allow her that.” Martial felt his talon tense up from its place against Rainbow’s side. He forced himself to focus on anything else besides the sensation of her hair on his skin. Anything else. “She’s refused to reconsider it, and she’s rather adamant when the going gets tough.”
“That’s true.” Rainbow Dash let her forelegs drop and hovered a pace back.
Martial clicked his beak together, lowering his eyebrows, until he realized that the song had ended. He took a hasty bow. “Thank you for that. I really appreciate it.”
“Hay, yeah, whatever.” Rainbow Dash grinned and plopped to the ground. She waved him onward, back to the table where her friends sat. “It was nothing, Marty.”
He landed lightly beside her and accompanied her through the thin crowd. “It wasn’t nothing to me.”
“Oh?” Rainbow Dash’s eyebrows came together. She chucked him in the shoulder and quickened her pace. “Come on, knucklehead. Let’s get some grub. I’m starving.”
***
Blankety Blank sat still and closed his eyes, feeling the crowd around him. Looking past the pleasantries and finery and makeup. Seeing beyond the manufactured masks, through the carefully-kept veils. Emotions fired all around him in a cacophony of flavor and feel. Joy and sorrow, anxiety and excitement, memories and plans.
Nopony was talking about Cloudsdale, or the rebuilding, or the event that had happened several months ago. Nopony wanted to talk about any of it. They had been there. They had seen the city-state come apart over their heads. They had seen their homes and businesses destroyed by hurricane-force winds, head-sized hail, and furious lightning strikes. They hid themselves beneath their pomposity, their regality, and their beauty, because then they wouldn’t have to face the fact that life had changed that day. Their perception had been altered as the world around them came crumbling down.
But there was hope. He felt it in every heart as they dropped their pledge cards into the box. As they danced with their partners. As they chatted with their business partners and political allies. They would not think of the past, but looked to the future.
There were those who would dismiss the gala as grandiose self-aggrandizement, but they could not see into the heart as Blank did. And there were many hearts who felt that this was all they were able to do. Together, they fought Hurricane’s legacy of destruction.
Blankety Blank’s ears twitched as he sense a new arrival at the entrance. Several new arrivals, united in heart and purpose. But one more familiar than the others. A heart blazing with fire, burning with drive. The heart of a knight who stood sentinel over Equestria, and especially her friends.
Blankety opened his eyes to see Care Carrot stride up to the herald, who nodded at her words. The herald lifted their nose to the sky and belted forth:
“H’announcing: Spike the Dragon and friends!”
Spike entered the room soon after, accompanied by a pegasus stallion and an earth pony stallion Blank didn’t recognize. He remembered the mare, though. Apple Bloom, plain and tall. The mare who always seemed close to Spike in the time Blank had known him. The mare whose heart practically broadcast that she’d like to be closer still.
Judging by the way Spike and Apple Bloom walked hoof-in-claw, that wish had come true. Blank giggled.
Blank turned his gaze back to Care, who was wearing the unarmored dress uniform of the Royal Guard; a suit of blue fabric covered by a red sash that denoted her rank as captain. She wore a medal on the left side of her breast. It was a shimmering gemstone heart, denoting that she had been injured in the line of duty. Added to that was the simple gold circlet on her head, awarded for an action of great valor.
Blankety Blank looked down at his own sash, which was tied around his middle rather than slung over his shoulder. He felt a little underdressed, but then, he wasn’t supposed to let on that he was military. His medals and circlets would serve no purpose to him at the gala. Heck, they barely fit in his travel trunk anymore.
Care Carrot scanned the crowd, her eyes almost predatory in their alertness. They widened when they caught sight of Blank, who waved a greeting. She spoke briefly with Spike, and they split ways. She headed for Blankety, while the others headed to where Mayor Applejack, Captain Dash, and Lady Rarity were cloistered.
Blank stood to embrace Care tightly. Familiar feelings of safety and togetherness flooded his soul. Brothers in arms who faced a tumultuous trial, and together overcame it. He knew Care felt it too, in the deepest part of herself. Blankety laughed through his teeth. “You have no idea how good it is to s-see you again.”
“Maybe not,” Care said as they parted. “But I’ve got a hunch.”
She brushed her wavy mane over one shoulder and took a seat at Blank’s table. She waved to a passing servant pony and got them each a sparkling drink. “It’s even better knowing we’re going to be working together again. And Daring, too. With Velvet heading up the investigation in Ponyville, it feels like a full reunion of the team.”
Her eyes took on a far-away expression, her mouth crooking to the side. “Well, almost full.”
“Time’s here in spirit.” Blank gestured to the balcony, where Daring Do could be seen leaning off the railing. “He always w-will be, as long as his legacy lives on.”
Care smirked at him. “It figures the pony who eats souls would know a thing or two about them.”
“I do not eat souls,” Blank laughed. “I swear, I just eat magic. Emotions. A soul is m-more than just that.”
Care leaned against the table, clasping her hooves beneath her chin. “So you gotta spill everything. What’ve you and Daring been doing in the Northern Equestrian Wastes? Find anything awesome?”
Blankety leaned closer to match and took a sip of his drink. He kept his voice low, just enough to reach Care’s ears. “You wouldn’t believe it if you s-saw it. We found an entire ancient changeling city, with actual functional magic-powered automatons. And—”
The world around Blankety Blank stopped cold. Sound faded away to an eerie whine. Light succumbed to shadows at the edge of his vision. The joy of being beside his dear friend dissipated in a moment. All was overtaken by a single feeling, starting at the center of his heart and spreading to every corner of his body. A cold, bitter yearning. It took him a second to realize that he was no longer experiencing the emotions around him; this sensation came straight from within. It was a reaction, coded by his innermost being, to one specific presence.
The herald’s voice was crystal clear, echoing through his head. “H’announcing: Queen Chrysalis the Second of the Changeling Kingdom.”
Blankety Blank stared straight at Chrysalis. Her mane was changed—she had disguised it to be a light, silly pink rather than her natural color. Her eyes, too, had been colored pink and their pupils slit. She was so much taller than he remembered. To her right stood the battle-hardened visage of Commander Bugly, and to her left were two changelings Blank recognized as being soldiers from Chrysalis the Tyrant’s hive.
Chrysalis stared back at Blank with a gap-mouthed expression. She seemed as frozen as he was, and it was clear to the both of them that they recognized each other.
“Mandible?”
Blank’s breath caught somewhere between his mouth and his lungs. Her words echoed in his heart. He couldn’t shut her out. He didn’t dare.
“Mandible?” Her mouth didn’t move. He didn’t think she was capable of speaking in any other manner, not at the moment. “Mandible, is it really you?”
Care’s warm touch against his shoulder shook him back to the world at large. She looked him right in the eye, her breath hot and ready for action. “Blank, we can leave out the back door. I can cover your escape, and distract—”
“N-no, Care.” Blankety Blank shuddered. He raised his hoof to hers and held it there, sucking his lips. “It’s fine. It’s okay. It’s…” He returned his gaze to Chrysalis, swallowing the lump in his throat. “It’s a reunion with… with an old friend.”
The ponies who had at one point held hope in their hearts recoiled. In fear. In disgust. In distrust. Chrysalis had a wide berth as she walked slowly towards Blankety’s table.
“Mandible, please.” Her heart sang to his, desperate and pleading. Tears pooled in her eyes, but she refused to release them. “Please say it’s really you.”
Blankety Blank lowered his head. He let his ears lay back on his scalp. He met her disguised eyes, face-to-face, heart-to-heart. “It’s me, Lisse. It’s really me.”
Chrysalis exhaled from deep in her chest. She stopped beside the table, in full view of the gala. She glanced to and fro, examining the crowd. Finding no welcoming faces, she turned to Care. “Captain Carrot, may I speak to you and your friend outside?”
Care twitched her ears towards Blank, biting her lip. When he nodded, she spoke slowly and carefully. “Of course, Queen Chrysalis. That would be fine.”
Chrysalis was about to speak further when Princess Luna rested a hoof on her shoulder. “Queen Chrysalis! I had hoped to introduce you to a few ponies I hold very dear.” Quietly, imperceptibly to the surrounding crowd, she added: “Away from Mister Blank.”
Chrysalis II lowered the chitinous plates that made up her eyebrows. “Who?”
“Your Majesty.” Care stood up and threw Luna a quick salute. “The party’s just gotten started. I think it would be expedient for us to smooth over a few things before we socialize, ma’am.”
Luna narrowed her eyes. “I trust your judgement, Captain. Perhaps too much.” She gave Chrysalis a pat and sent her onward. “Be as quick as you can. It seems you have much to talk about.”
Blankety saw Mayor Gaston approach with a faux-friendly smile. When he met Luna’s cold stare, he backed away, soon turning on his heels to find somewhere else to be.
Luna gave Chrysalis her full attention, her wings spread imperiously, her horn faintly shimmering with the light of the rising moon on a chilly winter’s night. “I trust there is no trouble to be had, Queen Chrysalis?”
“N-no.” Chrysalis shook her head, relief flooding from her heart. There was light there, buried beneath piles and piles of stress and indecision, worry and fear. Light that brightened when she turned her small, gentle smile to Blank, her disguised pink eyes shining. “I don’t believe there will be any trouble at all.”
Blankety Blank and Care Carrot stood. Luna led them and the changeling queen to a set of double sliding doors, and allowed them to step into the night. Blank’s knees knocked. His heart raced. His breathing grew shallow.
He knew Chrysalis felt it within him. He just hoped she wouldn’t have to realize why.
***
“A.K. Yearling?” The griffon Blitzwing stopped before her table. Kretchwaugh. Literally “the one with lightning in his wings.” His body was covered in thin plates of silvery armor, which were hidden beneath light robes designed to leave his movement unimpeded. His long, angled weapon clicked against his arm guards, while the knife at his side glimmered in the shadows. “It’s been a while.”
Daring studied his face. Griffon armor didn’t hide the identity of the wearer like Equestrian Royal Guard armor. His face remained as it should be, with gray feathers, black flecks, and deeply fierce amber eyes. “Crested Barbary. Still captain of Andean’s guard?”
“I am.” Crested’s beak clicked. “Martial Paw is still your cartographer of choice?”
“He is.” Daring Do pressed her hooves against the table to lift herself to her full impressive height. Impressive for a pegasus, that is. Not necessarily for a griffon. “And he’s having a pretty great night so far. I’d appreciate it if you and Andean didn’t screw it up for him.”
“So he is here.” Crested Barbary scanned the lower floor of the ballroom, soon coming to a stop where Daring supposed Martial must have been. “I wasn’t sure if the griffon with you was him or not.”
Daring scowled. She supposed she couldn’t blame him. It’d been ten years, more or less, since Martial had been to Felaccia. People tended to grow and change over the course of a decade. “It’s him. And he’s fine with me. He’s thriving. He’s as much a part of my team as I am. You and I both know that’ll never change.”
“I would agree. And I believe King Ursagryph feels the same way.” Crested Barbary turned his head so that he could look Daring in the eye. “But we also feel that words must be said.”
“Save it for the end of the night.” Daring folded her oversized glasses and let them rest on the table. She finally found Martial, following Dash back to their table. Her heart ached just thinking about it. “Give him at least that much before you dredge up old corpses. Show him just… just that little bit of mercy.”
Crested gripped the hilt of his volleygun. “Don’t think you can sneak him out of here under our beaks.”
“Come on, dude.” Daring Do smirked mirthlessly at the griffon soldier. “I couldn’t sneak a piece of cheese from a drowned rat.”