In a dark musky cave, a figure trotted along, looking several dark green eggs. The figure trotted to one in particular. They looked it over impassively as it hatched, revealing a small, pony-like creature with a dark green carapace instead of fur, its wide, innocent eyes staring up at curiously.
The figure gazed down at the newborn, their own gaze impassively, grazing what appeared to be a hoof in the darkness across the child’s head.
The figure lifted the foal up in a field of magic that resembled green flames, carrying it to a large pot-like structure, large green cocoons flooding the pot with a pinkish energy that flowed into the newborn’s horn, the odler figure continuing to sing.
“I was exiled, persecuted
Left alone without defence
When I think of what that BRUTE did
I get a little TENSE!”
They struck a stalactite nearbyin anger, leaving behind three deep claw marks.
“But I dream a dream so pretty
That I don’t feel so depressed
Cause it soothes my inner feelings
and helps me get some rest
THE SOUND OF CELESTIA’S DYING GASP!
HER SISTER SQUELING IN MY GRASP!
THEIR LOYAL SUBJECTS MOURNFUL CRY!
THAT’S MY LULLABY!”
They chuckled to themself, trotting around the newborn as it fed on the energy being funnelled to it, two more much smaller figures trotting in to stand at the larger figure’s side
“Now the past I’ve tried forgetting,
And my foes I could forgive
But the trouble is, I know it’s petty
BUT I HATE TO LET THEM LIVE.”
One of the smaller figures moved in, adding to the so.
“So you found yourself somebody
Who’ll chase away their glee!”
The larger figure smirked and chuckled.
“Oh the battle may be bloody
but that kind of works for me
THE MELODY OF ANGRY GROWLS!
A COUNTERPOINT OF PAINFUL HOWLS!
A SYMPHONY OF DEATH GONE BY!
THAT’S MY LULLABY!”
They trotted behind the newborn, lightly stroking its head.
“She is gone, but Monarch’s still around
To love this little lamb
till she learns to be a KILLER
With a lust for doing HARM!”
The two other figures stood in front of the newborn, the pair addressing it together.
“Sleep you little termite!” One of them said.
“Precious little thing!” The other said.
“One day when you’re big and strong!” They added together. “You will be a Queen!”
The larger figure smirked, taking back the reigns over the song.
“The pounding of the drums of war!
The thrill of our army’s mighty roar!
THE JOY OF VENGAENCE!”
“TESTIFY!”
“I can hear them cheering!
Payback time is nearing!
AND THEN OUR FLAG WILL FLY!
AGAINST A BLOOD RED SKY!
THAT’S OUR LULLABY!”
The newborn looked up at its family, unknowing of the destiny its parent had for it.
----------------------------
Years Later
Early morning in Ponyville, Spike the dragon opened the door to the library he and Rainbow lived in, greeted by a familiar grey pregasus with derpy eyes.
“Hey!” Derpy said. “Letter for Rainbow Dash!” She quickly handed the letter to the dragon before flying off.
Spike nodded, still only half awake as he gripped the letter in his clawed hand, closing the door as he stumbled to the kitchen where Rainbow was cooking some pancakes.
“Hey Spike!” Rainbow cheered, much more of a morning person than Spike. “Whatcha got?”
“Letter.” Spike groaned monotonously, setting the letter on the kitchen tabe slumping on a chair as Rainbow piled pancakes on a plate and set them down on the table in front of him, the dragon starting to slowly eat up while the Pegasus picked up the letter and opened it to read its contents, mumbling to herself as she read.
“Rainbow Dash...mumble....for your years of friendship and service...mutter mutter...and...mhm...you are cordially invited to....”Her eyes widened as she cried out in surprise and glee.”OH MY GOOOOOOOSH!!!”
Spike’s eyes widen and he started coughing and choking on his pancake, hurriedly downing a glass of water before speaking. “What are you yelling about, Rainbow!?”
The Pegasus tossed the letter to the dragon. “No time, gotta tell everypony! Gotta fly!” She dashed off, leaving the perplexed spike to read the letter.
“Dear Rainbow Dash...years of service...you’re cordially invited to...the wedding of Prince Blueblood and Princess Cadance...?” His eyes widened.” Whaaaaat.”
----------------------------
Applejack groaned as she was awoken by a loud knocking. She carefully put on a stylish purple dressing gown and trotting downstairs and opening the front door of her home/boutique, greeted by the presence of her friend Rainbow Dash.
“Rainbow, darling, what do you want with me so early...?” The mare delicately stifled a yawn.
Rainbow grinned. “Remember Princess Cadance?”
“Well...I know OF her largely. I know along with Blueblood she’s one of the more famous of Celestia’s adoptive family, and that she’s headmaster of canterlot’s school for magic. We did meet her briefly way back on Hearthswarming Eve, but beyond that I can’t say I’m that familiar with her as a pony...why do you mention her, and why did you have to do it so early...?”
Rainbow grinned. “I got a letter! She invited me, the five of you guys and anyone else of my choosing to her wedding, which is taking place tomorrow!”
Applejack blinked. “A...wedding? Between...whom?”
“Blueblood and Cadance.”
“Isn’t that...well, Ah don’t mean to be crass but...isn’t that rather gross?”
Rainbow rolled her eyes, gesturing her hoof dismissively. “They aren’t related by blood, firstly, and secondly the ‘royal family’ doesn’t even work that way. Anyway, that’s all I know but AJ CADANCE IS GETTING MARRIED!”
Applejack nodded. “Yes, and now that you have clarified, it sounds like a pretty monumental event but why do you care? You don’t seem the type to really care about politics or royalty or the like...”
“OH I’m not really it’s just that it’s CADANCE!” Rainbow grinned widely, spreading her forelegs and hooves widely. “Back when I studied at Canterlot’s School for Magic,after I passed a special test, long story, Cadance took me in as her personal student and taught me so much! She was a teacher, a big sister, an aunt and a friend all rolled into one! She’s like, one of the two people in the world who taught me about magic, though she taught me more of the practical stuff...ANYWAY! Point is she’s awesome and she invited me to her wedding and I MISSED HER AND GOTTA CATCH UP AND SEE HOW HAPPY SHE IS!”
Applejack blinked. “Ah’m...darling, Ah’m pleased as punch you’re inviting me to join you but Ah really can’t just go on such short notice, AH got a LOT of orders to see to and Ah can’t just leave Strongheart and Apple Bloom unsupervised...”
“Oh it’s not just a simple invitation, though that’d be cause enough to be ecstatic!” Rainbow shook in excitement. “You’ve been requested to make a dress for her big day!”
“A...A DRESS!?” Applejack paled, eyes wide. “A-ARE YOU SERIOUS!? Oh goodness you ARE! Darling, Ah like a wedding as much as anypony but YOU EXPECT ME TO MAKE A DRESS FOR A WEDDING ON SUCH SHORT NOTICE, WITHOUT GETTING TO KNOW THE PERSON WHO WILL WEAR IT BEFOREHAND!? DO YOU THINK I’M MADEOF MONEY AND MATERIALS!?”
“Oh come ooooon AJ this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, I thought you’d be ecstactic!”
“MAYBE if I was given more time, maybe some advance warning so I could figure out what to do, but this is so sudden! Ah won’t have much time to get a good stocktake, allocate resources, figure out costs, actually MAKE the dress, as well as try to push it in between EVERYTHING ELSE...! Darling this just...”
She froze upon seeing Rainbow gazing at her sadly. “You..mean you won’t do this real special super favour for a friend...?”
“Ah...” Applejack groaned and rolled her eyes. “FINE. But just this once, only for you, and MAYBE also because a Princess ordering dress from me will GREATLY help my shop. And you better make sure Ah’m paid for it, Ah can’t just make a wedding dress pro bono!”
Rainbow nodded. “Oh, that’s fine, I have faith in your abilities! Anyway, I gotta fly off and tell everyone else!” With that Dash ran off, leaving Applejack frowning in irritation.
-------------------------
Twilight, being an early riser, set to work spraying insect repellent on the crops. She probably didn’t need to, but it was best to be sure, no one wanted to bite into a carrot only to find some bug had borrowed into it. Her attention, however, was drawn to the blue Pegasus gliding over to her.
“Oh, morning Rainbow, what’s up?”
“SOMETHING AMAZING!” The pegasus beamed. “Princess Cadance is getting married!”
“Oh yeah, she gave us the tickets for the Grand Galloping Gala, right?” She winced at the memory of the mess that night had become, along with her own bad experience. “My parents knew her and I THINK she babysat me once but I was too young so I don’t remember...anyway, so why are you so excited?”
“BECAUSE she’s like one of the ponies I was closest to before I met you guys! Anyway she sent me an invite along with the rest of you guys AND she wants you to provide catering!”
Twilight blinked. “Ex...excuse me?”
“Yeah, Applejack’s making the dress, and you’re gonna provide the food! Isn’t that GREAT!”
Twilight frowned, looking downwards shamefully. “You know I’m willing to share and help out but...I have no idea how many people would be attending, so I have no idea how much I need to prepare and being a wedding and all, I can’t really make something quick and simple, you know...and I’d need to set up a way to transport it all unless the Princess set up something but I’d know about it by know if she did and I DON’T. THis is just too short notice, Rainbow...” She looked up, just in time to see Rainbow already gliding off. “....and you ignored me. Great. Well...I suppose I can at least try...I don’t wanna upset a Princess and Rainbow would be disappointed too...Just gotta ask Flim and Flam and maybe even Mom and Dad for help...
------------------------
Rarity groaned, opening her eyes after another failed flight attempt. “Okay, gotta work on a new approach, this method just ain’t workin’...” She blinked upon seeing a smiling face gazing down at her. “Oh hey Rainbow Dash! ‘Sup?”
“You busy tomorrow?”
“Nah, why?”
“Well Princess Cadance is having a wedding tomorrow and I think you could...help out? Look I just want everypony there!”
Rarity frowned. “A wedding? Rainbow, do I look like the sort who’d go to a wedding? And sure, Princess wedding, I get it, but that ain’t my scene, girl.”
“But it’d be really nicee to have you there too!” Rainbow argued.
Rarity frowned and sighed, rolling her eyes. “Okay fine....but I am NOT gonna wear a dress! I draw the line there!”
“Great!” Rainbow grinned and hopped off, leaving Rarity to lie there.
----------------------
Fluttershy heard a knock on her door, the cheerful Pegasus grinning as she opened the door and saw Rainbow Dash smiling back at her widely.
“Hello Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy cheered. “What has you in such high spirits?”
“Princess Cadance is getting married tomorrow!” Rainbow said with a wide grin. “Wanna come with?”
“Oh sure!”
“Great!” Rainbow chuckled. “You don’t have any arguements to give me?”
“Hmmm nope! Do you want me to?”
“Not really....”
Fluttershy giggled. “Okie dokie lokie!”
Rainbow smiled and flew off, leaving Fluttershy there to giggle.
“Such a silly mare!”
----------------------
Pinkamena opened the door, glaring as she saw Rainbow Dash standing there wearing just the stupidest smile she’d ever seen (well...second to Fluttershy’s).
“...You know, I COULD set up the traps again.” PInkamena said, annoyed.
“Hey Pinkamena!” Rainbow blurted, outright ignoring what the pink mare said. “Princess Cadance is getting married and we’re invited!”
“No.”
Rainbow froze. “No?”
“No.”
“But...but you could make the ring! Come one, surely you can appreciate doing a job for a high paying Princess!”
“Public get-togethers make me yarf. You know this. You have seen me yarf.”
“Yes, I remember the yarffing incident, but this is DIFFERENT!” Rainbow squeed. “It’s PRINCESS CADAAAAANCE!”
“And you’re asking me to provide a wedding ring, which are usually highly expensive materials such as gold, silver or even mithril, let alone the actual gemstone being diamond, ultra-diamond or one of the even RARER varieties, and those don’t come cheap and making a ring from scratch isn’t easy.”
“But think about it, the Princess will pay you a lot of money!”
“It’s not Princess Celestia or Princess Luna, it’s the one who’s not even an immortal being with both wings and horn, she’s just a unicorn.”
“She’s still a Priiiiinceeeees....and she’s marrying Blueblood so that’s like DOUBLE the payment right there!”
PInkamena frowned in thought then nodded.”Very well, I will make an...attempt at making something passable. BUT KNOW THIS! Make such short notice requests of me again and I will crush you under a boulder.”
“Love ya too, Pinkamena.” Rainbow chuckled and trotted off, cheerfully.
Pinkamena growled. “Pain in the flank...”
-----------------------------
“Oh this is terrible!” The one in blue, Flitter, cried out.
“Terrible, oh this is!” The one in red, Cloudchaser, echoed.
“We must tell her at once!” they both cried out together.
Flitter turned down towards an alley, while Cloudchaser watched with an irritated frown.
“Correct way to going, that is not!” She snapped matter-of-factly.
Flitter blinked, turning to her twin in emberassment. “I-I knew it was not the right way!”
“Really?” Cloudchaser questioned, tilting her head to the side and narrowing her eyes in suspiscion. “Wondering, sometimes I am....”
“N-now is not the time to be wondering!” Flitter cried.
“Her majesty is in danger!” They both shouted together.
The pair dashed past several ponies who gazed at the pair in confusion, annoyance or mild curiosity, while Cloudchaser flew down a stairway leading downwards, Flitter folding her hooves and frowning.
“That is not the right way!” Flitter snapped.
Cloudchaser blinked and turned to her, looking sheepish. “It N-not right way, I was knowing!”
Flitter frowned doubtfully. “Really? You know, I wonder....”
“T-time to be wondering, Now it is not!” Cloudchaser cried out.
“We must find the Queen!” They both cried out, flying up high above the city, and flying towards Canterlot Castle until they were out of sight.