//------------------------------// // The Night of the Gala // Story: The Champion of Harmony // by Voxum //------------------------------// "Are you sure it's alright?" he asked once more, "Because, really, I can-" "It's fine, Emerald!" Bon-Bon snapped, whirling to face him, setting an elbow on the counter between them, "But I swear, ask me that one more time and I'll kick your flank out of here!" He winced, but finally relented, "Well... alright," he said, "Just remember, Wisp is allergic to-" "I know!" she snapped again, bracing herself against the counter with both hooves, glaring at him, before she sighed, and relaxed, "Listen, Emerald, I know that you're not comfortable leaving Wisp behind while you and Trixie head to the Gala, but trust me," she insisted, "Wisp will be fine with me keeping an eye on her tonight." Emerald sighed, "I know," he admitted, fidgeting, "It's just... I don't like it..." Tonight was the night. After so much time, the Grand Galloping Gala was finally happening, and it was happening tonight. Of course, he only had two tickets, for himself and Trixie, which meant that he was forced to leave Wisp behind. It was lucky, then, that Bon-Bon was someone he trusted enough to look after his little sister, though it still left a sour taste in his mouth to leave her behind regardless. He bid Bon-Bon goodbye, thanking her profusely for agreeing to look after Wisp, and finally left her shop, finding himself with nothing more to do, aside from meet up with the girls and get ready to go. Since both he and Pinkie were heading off to the Gala, Mr. and Mrs. Cake had decided to simply close up for the day, giving themselves more time to spend with the foals, and leaving himself and Pinkie free to head out, thankfully. Part of him wished they hadn't done that, and instead begged him and Pinkie to stay, if only so he didn't have to go. It was strange. When he'd first received the tickets, he'd been against going simply because he knew how completely and utterly boring the Gala turned out to be every year, but now? Now he just wanted to avoid seeing Mother. He growled. Celes-ther C-other Mother. Dammit. He cursed his luck. It had happened a few days ago, and since then, he'd been completely unable to think of Mother as anything other than Mother, and, frankly, it pissed him off. He didn't want to deal with seeing her face to face with this new development. Or even at all, if he could help it. Emerald sighed, and shook his head. Whatever. He didn't have a choice. The only thing to do was to avoid her to the best of his ability. Problem was, the Gala was a distinctly boring event, meaning there'd be very little for him to do, and even less that would enable him to hide from her. The only chance he had was if she got stuck greeting guests again. Well... there was one thing he could do tonight. But if Mother ever managed to start looking for him, then it would likely be the first place she'd check. Even so, it would probably be worth it. He hadn't seen them in years, and it was high time he paid them a visit, even if it ended up with him getting dragged alongside Mother's attempt to liven the Gala up. Whatever that would be. "Howdy Emerald!" the voice broke him from his thoughts, causing him to turn to the source, "You ready fer tonight?" Applejack asked, breaking away from Rainbow and Fluttershy to come greet him. He shrugged, "I could be worse off," he admitted, and glanced at them, "I take it you three are heading over to Rarity's to get dressed?" he asked, "Eeyup!" "Great," he breathed, "I'll come with." In no time at all the four of them arrived at the Boutique, finding Sparky bent over a book, scanning its contents furiously, with Pinkie off to the side, bouncing on a trampoline without a care in the world. "I can't believe the Grand Galloping Gala is tonight!" Pinkie exclaimed, eagerly flipping around in the air. Sparky didn't seem to share her excitement, "Pinkie!" she snapped, glancing over at the energetic mare, "I know you're excited, but I'm trying to concentrate on this spell!" Just as she'd finished speaking, the door to the Boutique opened, allowing Rarity and Spike to appear, "Goodness, what's with all the- Pinkie!" Rarity snapped, cutting herself off, "You get down from there! We need to get ready for the Gala soon, and I will not have you put your dress on all sweaty!" she said. Pinkie pouted, but hopped off the trampoline without any protest. Rarity sighed, and turned away, "Now if only the others could-" she paused, having glanced up for a brief moment, "Oh! Thank goodness you're all already here! Come along now!" she insisted, waving for them to follow. "Wait!" Sparky called, bringing the group of six to a pause, "I want to show you all something!" Not waiting for them to answer, Sparky took out an apple from her nearby saddlebag and set it on the ground, before taking a few steps away. Taking this as a warning, the others, Emerald included, did the same, and watched with interest. Slowly, Sparky's horn began to glow. Emerald watched on as she glanced a few more times at the still open book at her hooves, before the glow surrounding her horn flashed, and a light engulfed the apple. The light suddenly swelled and grew to be well over his head, until it suddenly dissipated, revealing a large carriage in the shape of an apple. It had simple wooden wheels, a single door with a window, along with an intricate golden border around the door, as well as a single seat at the top. "Woah!" "Oh my!" "Golly!" "Awesome!" "I have to admit," Emerald's voice cut through the throng of admiration, "That's pretty impressive." Sparky preened at the compliment, "Thanks!" she gushed, "But it's not over yet!" she revealed, turning to Fluttershy, "Did you bring your friends?" The meek mare nodded as four mice suddenly popped out of her mane. She leaned down, letting them scamper to the ground, forming a line in front of Sparky, "Are you sure they'll be alright?" Fluttershy asked, clearly worried. Sparky nodded confidently, "Of course!" she promised. Her horn began to glow once more, but this time the effect was made clearer much faster, as before a few seconds even passed, the same white light from before engulfed the mice. Once it faded, in the place of the four mice were four.... Ponies? They were definitely something, at least. Four legs, standing as tall as Mother, wearing saddles and reins. They reminded Emerald, somewhat, of Saddle Arabians. Mostly the height. ... Only the height. "What the fuck are those supposed to be?" Emerald decided to ask anyways. Sparky smiled, "These are going to take us to the Gala!" she declared, "They'll be able to pull our carriage without difficulty!" she added, then turned to Fluttershy, "The spell wears off at midnight, so they'll be perfectly fine." Fluttershy let out a breath, "Thank goodness." The false-ponies suddenly let out a loud whinny, before all galloping off, a small streak of white and purple chasing after them. Fluttershy gasped, "Opalescence, no!" "Come back!" Sparky and Fluttershy both stared off in the direction the former-mice and cat had run off to, looking dejected. "... So much for that," Rainbow said, breaking the silence. Sparky threw a glare at her, but it fell almost instantly, "Great, now how are we going to get to the Gala?" she asked. For a moment, Emerald almost suggested taking the train, but quickly withdrew the thought before he could speak it. Unfortunately, that left him distracted for a second, leaving him unable to protest when their gazes turned to him. Emerald idly stretched his back, the satisfying cracking scarcely audible in the almost empty room. "Come on! Let us in!" Spike shouted, hammering slightly on the door to the room the girls had migrated to. Apparently Rarity had an entire room dedicated to make up and mane care that Emerald hadn't seen before. Not that he was complaining, the fact that he was only aware of it now just meant he, thankfully hadn't need of it. Unfortunately, he kind of did now. "Yeah, sure thing Spike!" he heard Rainbow call from inside, "What? No!" Rarity protested from right behind the door, "We're getting dressed!" "We don't normally wear clothes, Rare," Applejack said. There was a brief moment of silence on the other side of the door, before a loud sigh was heard, and the door opened, "I'm sorry you two, but some of us value privacy," Rarity said with a sigh, but let them in. Spike seemed to ignore this, eagerly jogging over to Sparky and Pinkie, who were both sitting beneath a large dryer, "I can't believe we're heading to Canterlot tonight!" he said, "Our hometown, Twilight! We can show everyone all our favourite places after the Gala, like Doughnut Joe's, Cocoa Bean's Cafe, and even that old hayburger joint!" he gushed. "Eh, as cool as that sounds, I'm not too sure about that, Spike," Rainbow said, frowning, "Hmm, we'll just have to see," Rarity added, placing on a false eyelash, "Yeah, we're all gonna be a mite busy," Applejack said, scrubbing one of Fluttershy's hoof with a brush. "Oh," came Spike's dejected reply as he fell back against one of the chairs. "Don't worry, Spike," Sparky comforted him, idly applying some make-up, "We'll all get to spend some time together tonight." Spike perked up, "Yeah!" "Well, it's time for us to start getting dressed," Rarity said, "So move along you two," she said, shooing off him and Spike, "Out!" Emerald grumbled lightly to himself, adjusting the damned harness he'd been hooked up to. "You seem happy," a familiar voice snarked, just as Trixie came into view, a small black square cloth laying on her back. He scoffed, "Do I?" he asked, equally sarcastically, and nodded towards the cloth, "That your dress?" Trixie spared a glance back at it, "Hmm? Oh, yeah," she said, then eyed him up and down, "Aren't you supposed to have a suit, too?" she asked. Emerald glanced down, finding his bare green coat greeting his gaze, rather than the black and red of his suit. After Rarity had kicked him and Spike out, he'd left to grab his suit from the house, but hadn't bothered to put it on, choosing to lightly place it on the seat, where Spike would be sitting, since he didn't want to accidentally tear the damn thing while he pulled the cart. He'd also taken the time to talk to Wisp, and made sure she definitely didn't want to go to the Gala, even though they'd probably run into Sapphire and Spits there. Once that was done, he'd asked her to tell Trixie to head to the Boutique when she was ready. "Yeah, I'll put it on when we get to the castle," he said, then jerked his head to the Boutique, "Just head inside to change. The others are putting on make-up and shit," he added. Trixie nodded, "Great," she said sarcastically, "Make-up," she growled, trudging over to the door. About thirty minutes later, time during which the sun had set, allowing Luna's moon to take its place in the sky. Though it was swiftly covered by Ponyville's weather team, who were preparing yet another snowy night. Spike had ended up changing into a simple black tuxedo, with white undershirt and red bow tie, some time ago, and took his place up on the seat, holding on to a pair of reigns that Emerald refused to wear. He occasionally glanced at Emerald's suit, the thestral having made it quite clear that it was his job to keep an eye on it while he dragged the carriage along. His ear twitched as he finally heard the Boutique's door open. "It's about damn time," he said, beginning to turn to face them, "I've been standing here for-" he cut himself off rather abruptly as the mares came into sight. They all looked just as amazing as they had the first time he had seen them. Though, Trixie's dress was both surprising, and honestly a little expected. It was a sleek, pitch black dress with no other form of decoration save a thin cut along her right thigh, exposing her blue furred leg. He noted that Rarity sent a few glares in her direction, though her gaze was filled with a strange mixture of disdain and approval. "Well, I see you girls went all out," he joked, smirking at them. Trixie scoffed, "Of course," she said, confidently, then eyed the apple carriage, "So, this the ride?" she asked, "That's right," Sparky butted in, smiling, "I used a simple growth spell and combined it with a slight modification charm, then I-" "Come on!" Rainbow said, cutting her off, "We gotta get going!" she added, opening the carriage door and hopping inside. Sparky huffed, causing Trixie to laugh, and pat her on the back, "Come on, you can tell me about the spell combo on the way there," she said, climbing up the steps. Sparky perked up, and followed along. Rarity sighed, "Goodness, I'll never understand those two," she said, then looked at Emerald, frowning, "Where is your suit?" he jerked his head up towards the hatchling, "Ah, I suppose you'll be putting on at the castle?" He nodded, "Naturally," he said, "Alright," she said, and smiled, "Well, we'll see you at the Gala." she added, and hopped aboard. He sighed slightly as he finally pulled up alongside the road leading up to Canterlot, growling at one of the ponies in front of him. Damn these fucking lines.... He unhooked from the carriage, and quickly swiped his suit from the spot next to Spike, just as the hatchling hopped down and opened the carriage door. "Alright, ladies, we've arrived!" he announced, holding the door open for them. Emerald watched as the mares each stepped out of the apple, one-by-one, until all seven of them stood, staring up at the castle that loomed before them. Emerald took the moment while they admired the view to call one of the guards over, and had them take their cart. "We're here girls!" Rarity gushed, "I can't believe we're finally here!" Sparky continued, "With all that we've imagined, the reality of this night is sure to make this-" """"""THE BEST NIGHT EVER!"""""" Emerald winced at their volume, but decided not to comment, if only to let them be excited for a moment longer. At least, until the cold truth of reality set in, they'd be able to enjoy themselves. "Oh, I can't wait to see the gardens!" Fluttershy squealed as they began to move forward, "And all of the critters I'll see! The big ones and the small one, the birdies and the squirrels, I'm going to make friends with all of them!" she added, practically vibrating on the spot, "We'll be friends forever, and its all going to happen at the Gala!" "An' I sure can't wait ta start sellin' ta all them fancy nobles!" Applejack cut in, flipping her braided mane out of her face, "Jus' thinkin' 'bout all them hungry ponies linin' up fer my family's recipes sure get's me rarin' to go!" she nodded firmly to herself, "I'll definitely be makin' a lot'o money fer the family at the Gala!" "And I'll be sure to dazzle the nobility that are attending tonight!" Rarity continued, "I'll be sure to show them that I'm just as regal as any of them! And not only that, but I'll finally get to meet my Prince Charming! he'll be the most gallant stallion of them all, and we'll finally meet at the Gala!" A sudden flaring of trumpets interrupted their daydreaming, just as a familiar group of flyer's suddenly soared across the sky, "Aw yeah!" Rainbow cheered, "I'm totally gonna meet up with the Wonderbolts! After tonight, they'll definitely have to consider letting me join, especially after the Young Flyers Competition! After the Gala, I'll be one step closer to the dream of a lifetime!" "Ooh! This is gonna be so amazing!" Pinkie shouted, ignoring the angered looks from some nearby ponies, "The Gala is the greatest party in all of Equestria, and I'm invited!" she squealed, bouncing on her hooves, "Tonight's gonna be the most fun night I've ever had, and it's all because it's happening at the Gala!" "And tonight, I'll be spending the entire Gala with the princess!" Sparky gushed, "I'll get to tell her about everything I've learned and seen in Ponyville! It'll be just me and her, just like back then! She'll be taking time just for me at the Gala!" Trixie smiled, "I'll get to spend time with family tonight," she said quietly, but no less heard then the others because of it, "No letters, no waiting, just as many of us as we could get, all here at the Gala," she declared firmly. Emerald winced, his eyes sliding over each of the seven mares by his side. He... didn't have the heart to tell them the truth. Not even Trixie. "And you know what, girls?" "Tonight-!' "Is gonna be-!" "The-!' "Best-!' "Night-!" """"""EVER!"""""" He sighed, and glanced up as the door to the castle loomed over him. Welp. It's time. ----- As expected, but no less disappointing, the mares had all split up near immediately once they'd made it inside. The castle was, of course, as magnificent as ever. The large red carpet covering the floor appeared freshly cleaned, the lavender hanging from the walls was obviously just replaced, and the various plants hanging from the ceiling almost glowed with a radiance that almost had to be magical in origin. Not to mention everything else that may lay further behind the door just inside, though Emerald didn't dare venture further, as that was likely where Mother greeted the guests. Roses, orchids, daisies, petunias, all different kinds of flowers lay in every visible window, providing a pleasant and constant scent throughout the nearby area, not to mention the massive and lush Castle Gardens not too far away. Accompanied by the faint sound of an orchestral band playing in the background, and they provided a pleasantly relaxing atmosphere to the whole thing. Nobles flocked to and fro almost the castle over, often finding themselves conversing peacefully with each other in small groups. They could even be seen roaming just outside the castle walls, and even standing amicably beside the hors d'oeuvres table. The sight of the castle during the Grand Galloping Gala could truly be compared to a scene straight out of a fairy tale. It was, then, a total shame that Emerald hated every second he spent surrounded by these fools. Once the mares had, all but, abandoned him and Spike, he'd then gone on to the nearest restroom to change into his suit, giving the drake the standing order to stay by the door and wait for him. "I'm surprised you actually listened," he remarked, appearing silently beside the hatchling. Spike, not expecting his sudden appearance in the slightest, yelped and jumped a good foot into the air, "Agh!" he flinched away, as if he'd been bitten by something, only to relax, "Jeez, how the heck do you-you... you..." Spike trailed off, then forcibly turned his head away, refusing to look at him, his body going stiff. It almost looked like he was expecting Emerald to attack him, and was trying to hide it. Emerald scowled. "What's your issue with me, hatchling?" he demanded suddenly, taking a dominant step in front of him, cutting off his escape in the same motion. Spike, predictably, took a step back, bumping into the wall behind him, "Wh-what?" he asked, stuttering nervously, "Don't play coy," Emerald said, frowning, "You fear me. Why?" Spike shuddered for a moment, and averted his gaze, "... You're just... scary..." he said, sounding for all the world like the child he truly was. Emerald made a surprised sound, honestly taken aback by the response. "What?" he asked, taking a step away to give the drake some breathing room. Spike fidgeted, "I-I dunno... I just... you're just kinda scary... I mean, you weren't before when I thought you were just a pony, but I saw that whole..." he waved his claw at Emerald's bracelet, "disguise thing... I just reminded me of a few years ago.... I saw a couple of those... thestrals, right?" he asked, but shook his head, "I saw some of them when I was walking back to the Canterlot Library from mine and Twilight's parents' house," he explained, "I didn't know it at the time, but it turns out they were drunk. They were just... screaming and hissing a lot. Breathing fire randomly. Seeing you just reminded me of that, and it freaked me out," he admitted. Emerald frowned, but not at Spike. He... thought he remembered that day. Yeah... sometime about two years ago there was a disturbance late at night. A few of the night patrols called in for some help when they ran into some highly violent drunks who could apparently breathe fire. That had actually been one of the first times he'd met another of his own species during his freedom, shame it had been with a bunch of drunks. After that incident, he'd lost the sort of... drive to go out and meet more thestrals, despite there being plenty of them in the Elite Lunar Guard. Oh, he'd met a few, but none of them stood out, if he was honest. Still, was that it? Spike only feared him because of a small, almost forgettable incident with another thestral? He'd expected something worse. Just goes to show, not everything had to be big and complicated, he supposed. Well, at least it explained Sparky's somewhat lackluster response. Thinking about it now, if it had been something big, then she likely would've gone to some extreme length to get him and Spike to be friends. But with this, just her telling Spike that he wasn't that scary really was the most she could do. He shook his head. Whatever, not important anymore. Having received his answer, Emerald promptly dropped the subject, sighing in the process. He stepped further away from the hatchling, and moved out the door not too long after, ignoring the sound of pattering claws following behind him. Now, what was he to do? The girls had split up earlier, each one of them heading off in a different direction from the others. Sparky ran off towards Mother, Rarity had headed into another room, both Applejack and Fluttershy immediately turned around and ducked out the door, before splitting off. Trixie slid over to the hors d'oeuvres table, keeping an out for their family, Rainbow had wandered over towards the right, where a large V.I.P area waited, and Pinkie... Pinkie flat out vanished as far as he was aware. The moment they passed through that door she had simply stopped being there. Now he was all dressed up with little to do. Not there really was something he wanted to do here. He supposed he could join Trixie's hunt, but.... If it was family he wanted to see, then there really was only one place for him to go. Safe in that knowledge, he sped up his gait, sliding past various ponies who got in his way. He soon arrived in the Castle Gardens, and, for a moment, simply stared at them. They truly were magnificent. Not too large, but certainly sizeable. An intricately designed metal fence blocked it off, with a series of blossoming vines entwined with the metal. The entrance into the gardens consisted of a large wrought iron gate, which was laying open, allowing the general public to wander through. Just past the large gate was the cobblestone path that led further in, before stopping at a massive circle in the center of the entire place. Lined up at the side of the path were blossoming bushes, each one holding a different kind of flower; roses, orchids, daisies, sunflowers, irises, hydrangeas, lilies, and so many others that he couldn't begin to name. Reaching the large circular center, there were three other paths leading on in the other three cardinal directions. He currently stood at the northern entrance to the gardens, the one closest to the main entrance of the castle. Taking that into account, he knew that the left, or eastern, path led on towards the statue portion of the garden, which featured stone recreations of the most well known figures, both good and bad, in Equestria's history. The path in front of him, or the southern path, simply led further into the gardens where most of the animals frequented. Consequently that part of the garden was usually closed off to the public, but was open on the night of the Gala, and, presumably, was where Fluttershy had sequestered herself for the night. However it was the right, or western, path that he was most interested in. That particular path led into the Canterlot Hedge Maze. It was a very large portion of the grounds dedicated to an equally large maze. It held a fair amount of statues and hideaways within its green walls. Various ponds and even small parks could be found littered throughout the paths, but it was the center that was most important to him. He glided along the stone path until he'd arrived at the maze entrance. He chuckled slightly as he took in its large walls, each one easily five times his height. It would be so easy, so simple, to take to the air and land down in the maze's center. A few beats of his wings, a couples seconds of air time, and that was all it would ever take. He smiled, and shook his head, before taking a step into the miniature labyrinth. He didn't pause. He didn't hesitate. He walked with a simple and straightforward confidence in his steps. Every turn he took, he took without thought. A casual observer from above could look upon the maze and see the myriad of different paths. Of the multitudes of twists and turns that made up the famous Canterlot Hedge Maze, which was known for its surprising difficulty. Of course, one who wanders for long enough would, inevitably, find their way out, and repeated entry would make the navigation trivial. However, the sheer size and complexity of the maze would guarantee that any who attempted to memorize the paths would soon find themselves overwhelmed by the repeated scenery, and the total lack of land marks to guide them along. Yet Emerald navigated through the maze with the familiarity that could only be gained through countless days of repetition. Through hours upon hours of careful navigation, painstakingly committing every nook and cranny of the maze's path to the center into his brain, never to be forgotten. And soon, his work paid off once more as he came to the massive center of the maze. He sighed, scanning the ever familiar Center of the Maze. It was a large, open area. Much like the Castle Gardens, there was a stone path laid out before him, leading on to a large open circle in the center of the area, before once more branching out in the cardinal directions, with each path ending in yet another entrance to the center. In each of the four corners of the maze's center, there were small oriental ponds, each with a series of towering stones helping to create a small, tranquil waterfall. There wasn't much else in the way of decoration within this small, empty space. But there, standing in the center of the open circle was a single, large slab of stone. It was truly massive, standing over twice his own height, and as wide as he was, and nearly as long. No decoration of any sort drew attention away from the stone, in fact, it was quite obvious that this entire area was dedicated to this stone, and nothing else. Emerald let out a shuddering breath as emotions long since ignored sprang forth the longer he stared at it. The longer he stared at the stone. The... stone. The... The gravestone. ----- Trixie sighed, idly biting into a small sandwich. Ten minutes had passed since she'd split off from the others, and in that time she'd been hit on by at least four separate stallions, three mares, and had downed two glasses of wine, as well as five of those little sandwiches, and yet there remained no sign of anyone she recognized. Gustave, she could understand. He was probably slaving away in the kitchen as he always did. Spitfire? Probably living it up with all those famous athletes over in the V.I.P section. Sapphire had a bunch of shit to do with her upcoming tour next year, and likely hadn't even made it to the Gala. But a part of her still wanted to wait. Just in case any of the others showed up. She didn't care of they were one of the seven she knew or one of the twenty-four she scarcely remembered. She just wanted to see her family again. And yet, they didn't appear. A soft, saddened sigh left her. She supposed it wasn't too much of a surprise in the end for none of them to appear. Most of the motley group of thirty-two from back then were just regular ponies who went off back with their families during the recovery. If anything, most of them probably hadn't done anything too exciting, likely wanting to live a regular, peaceful life. It was with a mixture of joy and sorrow that Trixie realized... Maybe she'd have to hunt them down herself? Yeah... that would nice, she mused. She couldn't stay in Ponyville forever, much as she'd like to. She was a traveling magician, an entertainer, at heart. She could never be strapped down to one place, else she'd never spread that joy, that wonder, she'd grown to love. She smiled, and cast her gaze over the dozens of ponies in attendance. Somewhere out there, her family lived their lives, and where was she? Putting hers on hold just to spend time with one of them. That wouldn't be what they wanted. They'd want her out there, living. She nodded to herself. It was decided then. Once the Grand Galloping Gala was over, she'd be back on the road once more. Of course, until then, she'd simply let loose and have just a little fun at this stuffy party. Or maybe just ditch the place and hunt down that doughnut shop the dragon, Spike, had mentioned. But after that, she'd leave. I'm sure Emerald won't mind, she thought. Her smile turned mischievous. He's got Twilight to keep him company, after all. ----- Orders were given and commands were issued, spurring all who were near to action. "Take this platter out to the guests and don't come back until it's empty!" "You call this clean? It's only clean if I can see my own face!" "Wellspring! How many times do I have to tell you: Mops are not for sweeping!" It was a rough job, especially on tonight of all nights. Working not only the kitchen, but the cleaning staff as well. Gustave Le Grande sighed miserably, running a talon over his beak. He wasn't even supposed to be here tonight. The Dear Princess had seen fit to give him the night off, and yet here he was, reprimanding the new, and foolish, members of the cleaning staff. He was supposed to be out there, enjoying the party. He'd specifically groomed his charcoal gray fur down, and even spiffed up his gray feathers up to a near point for the occasion! Not to mention, of course, his favoured red ascot around his neck. And, perhaps the most important part of himself tonight, his dear handlebar mustache! He'd spent a pretty bit on that wax, and tonight was finally the night he got to use it! But instead, he was here, wasting that very same night. Not for the first time, he cursed the lackluster recruitment process. Why, if any of these fools had tried to apply for a position in his kitchen, he would've had them tossed out within the first hour! Still, he reminded himself, if the head of the cleaning division, Honey Pot, had seen fit to keep them around, then there must be something worthwhile in them. "S-sir?" came the squeaky voice from somewhere behind him, "A-aren't you being a l-little harsh?" He turned around, coming face to beak with a familiar young colt by the name of Apple Berry. Little Apple Berry was a small earth pony of nineteen years, with a bright lime green coat and raspberry pink mane and tail. Like any earth pony, he was well-muscled, but, most unusually, he was, for lack of a better term, tiny. Despite being nineteen, Apple Berry could quite easily pass for a fourteen year old, or even a mature thirteen year old colt. He was also Gustave's assistant in the kitchen. "Of course I'm not, Berry," Gustave countered without issue, "If anything, Honey Pot is the one who's not harsh enough," he stated, and huffed, "If I didn't know she was home taking care of her foals after that damned divorce of hers, I'd have marched down there and dragged her back here to deal with this," he snarled, casting his gaze over the disorganized mess of a team that had been called in for the night. He wanted to be out there, having a good time during his unexpected day off, and yet he was forced to deal with this. Well, not forced. He fully admitted that he was putting this unnecessary work onto himself, and that no one else had any sort of impact in doing so, but dammit! He took pride in his work, and he would be damned if he let some greenhorn maids and butlers ruin the night he'd been cooking for the past two weeks! All that careful partial cooking. All those painstaking recipes! All that time and effort, and he refused to let anything ruin it! Not until he got to enjoy it, at least. After that, who cares? Certainly not him, not when it had been made for all those... nobles. If it been for his family? He'd be defending the damn thing with his life. Charity? He'd become the tyrant of the kitchen just to make sure it was done properly. Even for one of those few nobles he actually liked, he'd have worked himself to the bone to make sure everything worked. That was why, even on his day off and for a group he hated, he'd put in the effort, simply because the Dear Princess had asked him to. Still, tonight was not going to be a good night. ----- He scoffed silently to himself as he nodded to a passing guard. Wasn't infiltration supposed to be difficult? Where was the challenge? The tension? The fear of failure? Was this the price of his hard work? To be stuck in a world without challenge? He chuckled. No, there was still one out there who could push him, who could make him feel alive once more. And he was one of the main reasons he'd accepted this silly little invitation, to this silly little party, that the silly pony princess had sent him. The other two were, of course, as follows: 1. He got to meet up with some old family, and that was always nice. 2. Mother had ordered him to the second she read the contents of the mysterious invitation. He brushed a lock of his ivory mane out of his face, the crimson of his coat catching his turquoise eyes for but a brief moment. He smiled to himself. While it wasn't his best disguise, he'd always felt a little attached to this one. Peppermint, was its name. It had been his first successful disguise after he'd been reunited with Queen Chr- Mother, he reminded himself. She had asked him to call her, Mother. He smiled at the warmth that the thought brought. Family was such a wonderful thing to have, was it not? And to think, coming to this silly little party provided him with the perfect opportunity to meet some more of his first family, and so early as well! Still, he couldn't just walk in. Technically speaking, he was enemy number one, as far as ponies were concerned, so, invitation or not, infiltration was his only course of action. But soon, that would change. And Thorax couldn't fucking wait. ----- Spitfire laughed, the sight of one of her long time friends gorging himself on his favoured confection was funny as always. She never did understand Soarin's strange obsession with apple pie, but, at the very least, she could agree that they were damn good. Sometimes. He was just lucky that the Gala was considered a cheat night for the team, otherwise she'd have kicked his flank halfway across the castle for even looking at a pie. Granted she'd be kicking all of their flanks, hers included, into some strict training for the next couple months to make up for all the extra calories they were bound to eat tonight. She turned and eyed the mare who'd ended up 'saving' Soarin's pie when the clumsy little moron had dropped it. "So, your names... Rainbow Dash, yeah?" she asked, and continued when the obvious fan nodded, "Cool. I remember you from the Best Young Flyers Competition," she said, and smirked, "You were the one who kept flying into the walls and nearly pelted the princess with a cloud." She watched on, amused, as the mare went though a dozen different expressions, ranging from glee, to embarrassment, to horror, and finally into shame. "U-uhhh, yeah," Dash said, her scratchy voice coming out with a squeak, "yeah, that was me, b-but I was also the one who, uh, who..." she trailed off, her face turning red. Spitfire laughed, and patted the mare on her shoulder, being mindful of the amazing dress she was wearing, "Yeah, yeah, the sonic rainboom," she said, voice laden with mirth, "I was just teasin'. You sure saved our flanks out there," she added, much more sincerely, then jerked her head towards the other members of the team, "Why don't you come over and hang with us for a bit? Least I can do for a fan who saved our sorry butts," she offered. The squeal the chromatic mare made was definitely something that she never usually made, but Spitfire was certain she'd do it at least twice more tonight. Hehe, this party might not be so bad after all. ----- Celestia smiled as honestly as she could, but, really, the strain was beginning to take its toll on her after not even an hour of this torturous activity. Oh, how she loathed tonight. Hated it with all her being. When she had first proposed the idea be changed into something less militant two hundred years after her sister's banishment, she had envisioned a fantastic party filled with joy and happiness. Not this... boring little gathering. If it could even be called that. As vulgar as it sounded, Celestia occasionally thought of the Gala as nothing more than a dick measuring contest between some of the nobles who attended. And she was the one stuck saying hello to each and every. Single. One. It was then, of course, nothing more than a small miracle that Luna had offered to take her place once Twilight and her friends showed up, if only to give her time to spend with her dear student. "Princess!" Speaking of... "Twilight!" she greeted with equal enthusiasm, gently leaning down to embrace her, "My, that dress is just as lovely as the first time I saw it," she complimented. Twilight flushed a bright scarlet, but the smile on her face didn't fade, "I'm so excited to be here!" Twilight gushed, "Oh, there's so much we have to catch up on!" Celestia giggled, "Indeed we do!" she agreed, and gestured for her to take a place by her side, "And I can't wait, but, unfortunately, we'll have to do just that until Luna arrives," she said. Twilight tilted her head, "Why's that, Princess?" "Well, as the host, it's generally my duty to greet each and every guest who appears tonight," she explained, and even demonstrated as a few ponies approached them, "And, you see," she continued after they left, "I don't often get a break. But, since my sister's return, quite a few my previous duties have shifted, and Luna has been more than happy to shoulder many of them. She's agreed to take my place for the night, so that we can spend some time together, just like old times." "Wow," Twilight breathed, "That's wonderful, Princess! But..." she trailed off, and kicked one of her hooves in embarrassment, "you didn't have to trouble your sister for me," she said sheepishly. Celestia smiled down at her student, "You're quite right, Twilight," she said, nodding, "I didn't have to. I wanted to. Besides," she added, lowering her voice, "Luna could use some more social interaction." "Oh, is that so, dear sister?" Celestia immediately stiffened at the voice from behind her, and elegantly spun around, "Luna!" she cheered, putting on a large, false smile, "You're a lot earlier than I had anticipated!" she noted, ignoring the bead of sweat trailing down her forehead. Luna quirked an eyebrow at her, "Of course I am. I did promise to allow you to spend time with your student. Did you think I would take my time?" she asked, almost sounding offended, if it weren't for the teasing smile that overtook her features for a moment. "Well, I must admit, I thought you might take a while longer, if only because...." she trailed off, her eyes roaming over the vast number of attendants, "... you're shy," she whispered conspiratorially. Luna blinked at her, and sighed, "Just... go on before I change my mind, Tia." ----- Emerald gave off a content sigh as he lay before their grave. This was why he had refused to fly over the maze earlier. To take such a shortcut... it seemed disrespectful. It was through their hard work and sacrifice that the lone thirty-two had been freed, and so, too, would he work to find them once more, here at this old forgotten tomb. The Grave of The Sixty-Eight. Names were inscribed upon its surface, but it was clear that no professional had done it, for the work was too shaky, too unclean. In fact, the sheer discrepancy between each name made it seem as though each one had been carved by a different individual. Their bodies may not lie here. They may instead lie within that cursed place, that perverse prison, but their memory would live here. Untainted by the foul stench of that wretched Facility. Emerald prayed that they found peace, where ever they ended up. "Uhhh... what is this place?" The voice was not unexpected, but it still caused him to twitch. This was a place for remembrance, not idle chatter. "If you're going to stay here, then at least pay your respects first," he chided the young drake. Though his words were scolding, his tone was soft, as if its usual edge had been dulled. Spike squawked a little, but he at least followed his directions, pattering over to his right, until he knelt before the grave, clasping his claws together. They stayed like that for a moment. The silence enveloped them after a minute, drowning out the world beyond this little alcove. Sounds ceased to exist, it was as though the world beyond him, beyond the grave, slowly darkened into blackness. His attention on that lone slab of stone only increased, never falling, never fading, never- "So... what is this place?" For a moment, Emerald could've sworn that the sound of a thousand shattering panes of glass echoed as the silence was broken. His eye almost twitched, "This is a grave site, hatchling. What else is there to know?" he asked calmly, not allowing his gaze to drift, even if he was beginning to get annoyed. Seriously, didn't Sparky teach this child any manners? "Well... yeah, but... who's grave site?" Spike asked once more, "I-I mean, shouldn't this be in an... actual graveyard?" His logic was sound. It was a grave, after all. It had no purpose for being here, so far out of reach. For what of the families that mourned of them? Did they not deserve easier access to the ones that died? Was it fair, then, to sequester them behind the walls of a labyrinth? To hide them away from the world that missed them? Perhaps. Perhaps not. But did that matter? They had been taken from this world long before their death. At least here, hidden away, it was as though they now possessed their own little world. One just for them, and those who had left them behind. And any who would dare endeavor to take it away, their Fate lie only on the end of his blade. He knew this, deep within his heart, his mind, his soul. He knew this, but he also knew that he could never convey that thought to another. So, he remained silent, ignoring the ever growing curiosity of the hatchling beside him. He hoped they forgave him. He hoped they didn't blame him. He hoped they were happy. He hoped, he hoped, he hoped. If only he'd been a little faster... a little smarter, then... Then maybe there would have been more than thirty-two... He shook his head. No, there was no point in thinking like that. To look back and wonder what he could've done better would undermine the efforts he'd taken, the lives he'd saved. But still, it was an attractive idea. To lose himself to those thoughts, to wander and wonder eternally on what could've been done better, on what could've been saved. It was soooo very tantalizing... it was such a sweet, delectable thought... Would they have lived? Or would they have all died? It begged him to indulge. Implored him to investigate. Demanded to be satisfied. To lose himself to those thoughts... to allow him to fade away, enraptured by fantasies of what could've been... But no. He could not. For not only did he have commitments that must be seen too, he knew, deep within his soul, that they would want him to live. They would want them all to live. Sixty-eight had died so that thirty-two could live, after all. The sudden shrill chirp of a bird derailed his thoughts suddenly, the unexpected sound finally driving his gaze away from the grave. A few small birds, and what appeared to be a spider-monkey, had suddenly appeared in the alcove. That was... unusual. As far as he knew, the animals tended to keep to the southern portion of the Gardens, if they were migrating here of all places then... Something was driving them away. He frowned, and glanced at the grave one last time, then stood up. Whoever had thought to disturb his family's resting place was in for the worst night of their lives. ----- Trixie laughed lightly as she swayed to the gentle beat of the band. They weren't really her kind of band, but she was a little more willing to listen to their tune after a few glasses of wine. Of course, that changed when that peppy pink party pony had decided to dash right on in, bouncing around on her hooves like a filly at her first birthday party, singing happily, and loudly, to the entire room. It was a shame that the crowd of nobles didn't seem to like it all that much. Trixie thought it was actually kinda nice, like a streak of colour on an otherwise gray canvas. Then again, it was Pinkie Pie. The mare who had wormed her way behind her brother's walls, even if he didn't acknowledge it yet. If she could bring a splash of rainbow to his life, then this was nothing in comparison. In fact... Oh, goodness, the alcohol must've been quite a bit stronger than she'd thought if she was really considering this, but... Oh well! "Hey, Pinkie," she breathed, sidling up to the saddened party pony, who had migrated over to some nearby tables in her sorrow, "Oh... hey, Trixie," Pinkie greeted, and sniffed, "I guess you must be having some fun, huh?" she asked. Trixie smiled, and tilted her head, though it ended up tilting her body as well, "Hmm.... yep!" she agreed, "That's great," Pinkie said, giving her a faint smile, "I'm glad somepony is. This whole Gala thing isn't what I expected..." she muttered. Trixie giggled tipsily, "Weeeellll.... I might have an idea to liven up this little shin-dig! If you're up for it..." ----- Gustave let out a deep breath. Things... were going better than he'd anticipated. Quite honestly, he'd half expected everything to start imploding at some point during the night, but, so far, everything was working out alright. Not perfect, but alright. Well, apart from some minor disturbance in the dance hall, but apparently it was just a, presumably drunk, mare being a little loud. At least she calmed down once someone asked her to be quiet, so he hadn't thought to have her escorted out, and possibly home. Of that, he was glad. Having any member of the staff leave to escort any of their guests home could potentially leave them in a spot of trouble later on in the night. He respected Honey, truly he did, but he was still against her more lackluster recruitment processes, and didn't quite trust the quality of the workers she hired. Perhaps it was unfair, perhaps it wasn't. Gustave really didn't care. "Um... S-sir?" Apple Berry chirped from beside him, "Um... one of the waitresses said that th-theres some mare trying to sell some f-food just outside." "What?" he asked, "But..." he sighed, "What kind of idiot, is trying to sell food at a party?" he growled, "What's this mare look like, I'll have the guards go out and explain how things work to her," he demanded. Apple Berry swallowed, "W-well, Sir... I-I think she's an Apple..." he said. Gustave's ire drained at that. An Apple? He held quite a lot of respect for the Apple Family, if he was honest. It was one of the main reasons he'd agreed to take on the shy Apple Berry as an assistant. But for one to appear and try selling food when there was a large table filled with free food already available... Either this was her first visit to the Gala, or she was confident in her family's cooking to the point of arrogance. Or she was desperate. That was always a possibility. "Take me to her," Gustave requested, prompting Berry to nod shakily, before he turned and led him out of the kitchen. For a moment, Gustave wondered what he'd do. Apple's were known for their strong love of family, so if this mare was here to help out her family and was simply unaware of the free food... Well, he wouldn't mind purchasing her wares to serve to the guests. Though he'd prepared a wide spread, he had neglected to provide desserts due to a lack of time, and the Apples often prided themselves on their apple based goods. And perhaps he'd keep a few of them for himself, as well. ----- Dammit, where was he?! Nearly twenty minutes of searching, and Thorax had yet to find that fool anywhere! There could only be so many places he could be, and he'd yet to be in any of them! Although it was true that he'd spotted a few of the others, they had all been distracted by their own little issues, and thus, were unlikely to know where his target was! Well... in hindsight, there was one other place... But his intelligence claimed that he was currently acting as a bodyguard, so would he truly leave his charges to simply visit one little grave? Heh, of course he would, Thorax concluded with a smile. A sudden surge of Affection blind-sided Thorax so abruptly, that, for a moment, he thought he'd been knocked over. But then the hunger hit him, begging him to investigate, to find the source. Starving... so... hungry... He violently shook his head, dispelling the primal thoughts. A growl escaped his throat, even as he held a hoof to his stomach, where the pangs hit him. Changelings didn't need to eat solid foods, rather, they sustained themselves off the emotions of those around them. It was his luck, then, that he'd been born to the only hive that consumed Love. He didn't know how many hives still existed in the world, or even what emotions those hives developed a taste for, but Love was what he sought. The stronger the emotion consumed meant that the changeling in question grew stronger in turn, but, of course, the stronger the emotion generally meant that it was harder to steal. It was such a shame, then, that ponies had a princess dedicated to protecting their Love. It made things so much harder than it needed to be. It was only through centuries of effort on their Queen's part that they'd managed to hunt enough food to keep them alive and healthy. But soon... that would change... Until then, of course, it was up to their Hunters to scout out prime targets to harvest Love from. Thorax was no Hunter, but he knew a few techniques to harvest Love without drawing any attention. And he was so... so... hungry... He swallowed, his throat so very dry, even as he started salivating as the sweet magical scent of Love wafted over him. Just a bite... a little nibble... surely no one would notice? A blinding pain struck the side of his face. For an instant he thought he was under attack, but the stinging present in his hoof clued him in to the fact that he'd only smacked himself. Keep it together, Thorax... Even so, he couldn't help but be curious about the source. Whatever it was, it certainly tasted strong. Whomever it originated from held a lot of Affection for someone. There was a sort of... aged quality to it, as if it was a crush harbored for years before it was finally uncorked, but, at the same time, it was fresh like the spark of a crush newly formed. It was strange, he noted. A taste like this was rare, but not hard to figure out. The aged quality suggested that the individual had known the target of their Affection for years, but the fresher taste hinted at them having only just met. If he had to guess, this was likely a crush resulted from years of rumors and fantasies, but only now had they met the object they so dreamed of. It was actually rather amusing. What fool would fall in Love with someone they didn't know? His curiosity successfully peaked, and his hunger momentarily suppressed, Thorax made his way off in the direction the Love came from, sneaking through foliage and skirting around guards on the way. Eventually he came to an area just around the Gardens, where two ponies stood, a mare and a stallion. The source of the scent belonged to the mare, it seemed, and it seemed directed at the stallion in question. Thorax had to admit, the mare looked positively lovely. With a dark pink dress with golden accents that fanned out toward her mark, elegant blue shoes, curled mane of royal purple, and a coat as white as the driven snow, she was the picture of regal beauty, in Thorax's opinion. In contrast, the stallion bore a coat as white as pure silk, a styled mane of golden blonde, and wore an equally white suit with black tie. Despite his nice appearance, Thorax could sense a deep pit of Arrogance coming from the stallion. It held such a contrasting flavour to his appearance that he was struck silent for a moment. "-lood," the white stallion finished speaking, the former half of his sentence lost during Thorax's moment of distraction, "Well, I am Rarity," the elegantly dressed mare replied, "Oh my, isn't this just a lovely rose?" Thorax smirked. Even without his clairsentience, his empathy, it was all too easy to hear the faint Nervousness in the mare's voice, the slight tremble present in her words. Even clearer was the way her eyes darted about for a moment, searching for that one little detail to start a conversation, before she settled on... well, that. He noticed her eyes darting up to her current partner and back to the rose. Her desire was clear, "You mean, this rose?" the stallion asked, plucking the flower in question from the push, before placing it within his own breast pocket, "Thank you, it goes with my eyes," he said, smiling self-appreciatively. Thorax almost snorted at the affronted look on the mare's face. Well, his search might've turned up fruitless, but at least he stumbled upon some entertainment. Hmm, he supposed he could wait. For now, he had an interesting little drama playing out before him, and he'd be loathe to let it pass him by. It certainly helped that it was both dinner and a show. ----- Ah, the one part of the night that she actually enjoyed, if only slightly. Spitfire nursed a single glass of wine, her first, and only, one of the night. She might not be a fan of the stuff, but she agreed that at least one glass was good for easing up those nerves. The V.I.P section had filled up quickly, just as it did every year, a result of the many nobles who demanded such tickets or flat out bribed their way in ensured that it rarely ever received any peace. Though, it wasn't all bad. Some of the nobles happened to be fans of the Wonderbolts, and often dropped their snooty airs whenever they engaged in conversation with one of the team members. That was one of Spitfire's joys. Talking with the fans. It was always something to speak to someone, be they filly, colt, or fully grown pony, or whatever else. To see that little spark in their eyes as they spoke, to see the smiles on their faces, as well as the excitement in their movements. It was a kind of magic all on its own. Of course, that wasn't to say it was perfect. While there were plenty of those nobles willing to set aside their cruddy attitudes, there were just as many who lacked that courtesy. So it wasn't uncommon for one of those morons to go around, speaking to them as if they were better despite having never lifted a hoof for anything in their lives, or even went so far as to attempt to bribe one of them for some reason or another. Honestly, Spitfire often ignored such proposals, to the point where she honestly forgot what half of them were even for. A flash of colour caught her eye suddenly, and a smirk wormed its way onto her face. It seemed that Rainbow mare from earlier was quite determined to talk with someone from the team. She was ducking and dodging through the crowd, worming her way through various nobles, waiters, and everything in between towards one of her teammates, before spotting them talking with someone else, then repeated the whole thing towards another Wonderbolt. It was funny, and slightly heartwarming, she'd admit. To see a fan of theirs dedicated enough to worm their way through a crowd like this, but mature enough to not barge in on a conversation just to talk with one of them was a treat they didn't often get to experience. For a moment, she contemplated approaching the mare herself, but the thought was derailed when a younger looking mare walked up to her with a piece of paper and a pencil. Hmm... one autograph couldn't hurt. After that, she'd see about heading over to talk to this Rainbow mare. Spitfire smiled at the younger fan, who returned it with a bright beaming grin, before rushing off, sputtering excitedly to another, older, mare. Likely her mother or sister given the resemblance. She turned, ready to approach Rainbow Dash, only to come face to face with a small line of ponies, each with another sheet of paper, looking at her eagerly. She sighed. So much for that idea. ----- Celestia breathed a happy sigh, settling down on her ever-so-comfy satin pillow, just as her dear Twilight did the same across the table from her. After Luna had taken over the greeting duties, she had led Twilight back into her private study, where they used to spent many a day going over her old lesson plans and the assignments she gave. It was a small room, at least in comparison to the other rooms of the castle. It had dark violet coloured walls, a fine crimson carpet with a massive golden sun embroidered in the center, contrasting the dark brown of the ceiling nicely. A small podium sat off to the side, filled with some papers she had yet to look over. A large brick fireplace sat snugly in the middle of the farthest wall, where she and Twilight currently lay, each upon a royal purple pillow with golden linings. A small mahogany table sat between them, littered by a porcelain tea set, fit with some biscuits. There was also a set of glass doors leading onto a small balcony, though they were currently covered by curtains a few shades darker than the walls. There were so many memories she'd had in this one room. Tender kisses, loving embraces, happy lessons, somber remembrances, hateful fits, and so much more. This one room was, perhaps, the one place in all of Equestria that she felt truly at peace. She looked over at Twilight, who was almost vibrating in place, presumably, from excitement. For a moment, she was overtaken by old memories, of a much smaller filly eagerly staring up at her, waiting for her very first lesson. Another memory took over, this time of an older colt, dutifully scanning over the plethora of books she was using to teach him to read. Celestia let a soft chuckle escape her. She remembered those days. Teaching the younger Emerald how to read and write. She often left him here, alone, while she attended to Twilight, only to come back and find him burning through everything she'd taught him. ... She wondered... With how well the two of them seemed to get along, how would everything have turned out if she had only thought to introduce them sooner? Would Emerald have turned out healthier with someone to stabilize him? Would Twilight have been more social with someone to push her? Would they have been happier with each other? It was a nice thought, but a thought nonetheless. She shook her head, dispelling the distracting thoughts. "So, Twilight, what did you want to start talking about?" she finally asked. Twilight took a deep breath, "Honestly, Princess, I'm not a hundred percent certain," she admitted with a smile, "So many wonderful things have happened since you sent me off to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration, and I just... I'm not sure where to start," she said. "Well, it certainly seems like you're doing well," Celestia remarked, "After all, it's been quite some time since your last friendship letter." Twilight's eyes widened, "I-I-but-there-there wasn't-I'm-!" Easily noticing her student's panic, not that it was difficult in the first place, Celestia immediately spoke up, "But that's perfectly fine, Twilight," she comforted gently, "If I recall, you had quite a lot to deal with. Those Diamond Dogs, the buffalo, as well as the upcoming Gala," she nodded, "yes, knowing that, it's perfectly understandable why you haven't had anything to write about," she added. Twilight sighed, her panic successfully averted. Unbeknownst to her, Celestia hid her own sigh of relief. She adored Twilight, truly she did, but her dear student could too easily fall into the trap of worry and shame, even when it came to something she had no need to worry about. ... Usually when it came to something she had no need to worry about. "Um... now that you mention it, how are those other ponies doing?" Twilight asked, "The ones from the mines, I mean." "Oh, they're doing wonderfully," she said, then grimaced, "or at least, as wonderfully as one can be after that kind of treatment." Twilight nodded, "Right, that... makes sense..." she perked up suddenly, "What about that one stallion.... Spun Gear, I think?" "Ah," Celestia breathed, "Yes, Mr. Spun Gear is doing quite well," she said, then regarded her student with a curious glint in her eye, "It's funny you ask. Ever since he returned to the Guard, he's been... unusually determined," she remarked, and smiled, "I wonder what he could've seen down there that caused that change." She honestly didn't know. It could've been one of several things, or even all of them combined. After all, he was one of the guards sent out to search for the missing ponies, and to have found them only to end up with them must've been quite the sting to his pride. Plus, she distinctly remembered the horrible condition they were all in. To have witnessed that as long as he did, and to have also been part of it, could have encouraged him to grow stronger. Perhaps it was her student and her friend's determination to save their foalnapped friend despite lacking the same training he had been through? Or maybe, just maybe, seeing Emerald in action spurred a spark of competitiveness in him? She didn't, and likely never would, know the answer. "Yeah..." Twilight muttered, a far away look in her eye. Celestia smirked, "Emerald really is something, isn't he?" she asked idly, taking a sip of her tea, paying close attention to her student's reaction. "Yeah..." Twilight breathed, "He really is..." she said. ... Well, that was disappointingly lacklus- Twilight's face suddenly went bright red, and Celestia could've sworn she just saw steam burst out of her ears. Celestia couldn't help but laugh at that, having completely let down her guard moments earlier. She laughed and kept on laughing until her lungs started to ache. She wound down after a time, only for Twilight's, still red faced, pout to send her into another fit of laughter. "P-princess!" Twilight cried, her voice uncharacteristically high pitched. Celestia's laughter soon died down once more, until only a few errant giggles left her, "Oh... oh my," she breathed, panting slightly, "I haven't had a laugh quite like that in some time," she admitted happily, then took in a deep breath, "Alright Twilight, why don't you continue?" she suggested. "O-okay," she stammered, not quite meeting Celestia's gaze this time around, "Well... a lot has happened since I started living in Ponyville, but of course you already know that," she added lamely, then shook her head, "I managed to finish that assignment you gave me last week, plus I've written a few pages on the chemical make-up of comets as well as a brief history on how and why Princess Luna first created them," she was getting more excited now, her words coming out at a faster pace than before, "Oh! I also found and used this interesting transformation spell on an apple that allowed me to turn it into a carriage. It's such an interesting spell! It combines several growth spells with several complex transfiguration arrays! Not to mention it requires a timer spell to make sure it wears off at midnight! I had to practice it for a few days in order to get it down. Transfiguring a static object into a much larger, multifaceted object, made up of dozens of interlocking pieces made of just as many materials, as well as the spell designed to reverse all the changes turned out to be a lot harder than I originally thought," Twilight admitted modestly, smiling widely. Celestia smiled at her dear student, even as she internally shook her head. Of course Twilight would simply pass something like that off to the side. Most unicorns she knew, and many she had known in the past, would have found a spell like that beyond their capabilities. It was simply a matter of talent. Most unicorns had cutie marks in smaller, more focused fields, and so their magic usually never strayed far from those focused areas, with a few minor exceptions. In fact, in most cases their magic couldn't extend outside their talents. So, what about a unicorn whose talent is magic? What kind of spells could they cast? Large complex arrays designed for a hundred separate Mages, each one specialized in something different, to cast at once was simply a matter of effort for a single magic oriented Sorcerer. Celestia often liked to think of Twilight as possessing the potential to be a great Sorcerer, the highest Title attainable for a purely magic focused individual, but she knew, realistically, that, despite her once-in-a-century talent, she barely amounted up to the lowest Title, Apprentice, a whole level below her brother, who was a Mage. Like him, she simply lacked the experience to be anything higher. Of course, even a dozen powerful Sorcerers were worth little when faced with a competent Champion. Speaking of the Champion... "And how have you been getting along with Emerald?" she asked, smirking at the sight of Twilight going stiff, "He's made me aware that you and your friends know about his position as the town guard, but your letters tend to paint him as a close friend. I would imagine that took some getting used to. Aside from Spike and Shining, I don't recall you spending much time with the opposite sex growing up," she teased light-heartedly. Twilight averted her gaze once more, though she only turned a faint red this time, "I know... but, I suppose it was a little odd, at first," she said, her gaze focusing down on her untouched cup of tea, "When I first met him, I didn't really think too much of it. I was more concerned about being a good host than anything else. Then, some time passed, and out of nowhere he somehow gets you to appear during Cider Season," she said. Celestia laughed, Oh, she remembered that. She also remembered the slight stomachache she had once she'd finished all that delicious cider. Though, as sweet as it was, Luna's expression when she'd returned with a massive barrel of the stuff in comparison to her lone bottle had been far sweeter. Though... hadn't Luna been called over to Ponyville not long after Cider Season had ended to pick up some criminals that Emerald had caught? Or was she remembering things wrong...? "Then, of course was the incident with him collapsing from that stupid little eating problem he had," Twilight continued, unaware of the guilty wincing of her teacher, "He was stubborn at first, but I managed to convince him to eat, at least. Thought he never told me why he had trouble eating in the first place," she sighed, "I'm guessing it must have had something to do with that Facility he mentioned," she mused, then shook her head, "Then he got put in the hospital. Then I found out that he was the older brother of that filly I tutored a few years ago!" she exclaimed, "After that I started spending more time with him and... he's a good stallion," she said, then glanced down at her dress, "A little... mean at times, but he has a good heart, I can tell," she let out a short laugh, "Even when I started dragging him around during some of my problems, he just went along with everything without complaint. He was there for me when I needed it, just like all my other friends." "Then he told us the truth," she added suddenly, "That he wasn't actually a pony, but something called a thestral. He told us how he got his cutie mark and how apparently we've all been connected since we were foals. It was... I just... It's hard to describe. I liked spending time with him, he turned out to be a good friend, and then that trip to Appleloosa happened..." she trailed off after that, her eyes glossing over, evidently seeing something she wasn't, "... I think Rarity was right, back then," she said suddenly, her eyes returning to life, now directed at her teacher, "If I'm being honest, I have a crush on him." She promptly turned red at the admission, but nonetheless seemed proud of herself for having done just that. "When is the wedding?" She then wilted at her teacher's teasing. ----- He wasn't sure what he'd expected to find. But whatever it may have been, it most certainly wasn't this. Fluttershy, sweet, innocent, would-never-shout-at-anyone-even-if-her-life-depended-on-it Fluttershy. Was currently running around the Gardens like a loon, seething, periodically shouting "COME OUT!" whenever she was outstripped by an animal. So Emerald really couldn't be faulted for just standing there for a minute, slack-jawed at the sight before him. Fluttershy came to a sudden halt, huffing. Her eyes were wide, her back was hunched, her legs were spread, and she looked a little too close to the edge of her remaining sanity for his liking. "COME OUT!" she screeched once more, looking around wildly. "Fluttershy!" Emerald finally snapped, stomping towards her, causing the usually demure pegasus to 'Eep!' and cower in surprise. "O-oh, um, hi, Emerald," she squeaked, "What the fuck is going on here?!" he asked, waving a hoof around at the numerous cowering animals. "Well, I was trying to make friends with the animals, and, th-they kept running away..." she muttered, "So you decided to chase them, while screeching like a banshee?" he asked sarcastically. Fluttershy blushed, "I-I know it's bad but... I-I've never had a-any animal n-not like me, and I was just so worried that they didn't want to be friends an-!" He pressed a hoof against her mouth, cutting off her rambling, an act he honestly thought would only be necessary for Pinkie. He sighed, "Shy, you of all ponies should know how bad of an idea that is," he scolded her gently. She looked away from him, "I know...." He sighed, every ounce of anger he'd previously had all but gone at this point. He'd been wanting to give the fool responsible for interrupting his mourning a piece of his mind, but could he really bring himself to do that to someone like Fluttershy? Yes, actually, he could. But since the pony in question happened to be family, he'd let it slide this one time. "C'mon," he said, leading her over to a small group of the still cowering animals. He noted that they flinched away at their approach, but a click of his tongue caused them to stay. He pulled Fluttershy to his side, "Well?" he asked, ushering her forward, "Go on." Fluttershy stared at him for a moment, wide-eyed, but another push from him broke her from her thoughts. She regarded the animals in front of her shyly, lowering herself to the ground, "U-um... h-hello little ones," she cooed softly, but no less nervously, "I-I'm sorry for scaring you... I just want to be f-friends," she stammered. One of the animals, a small brown squirrel, took a few steps forward, cautiously staring up at the butter-yellow pegasus. It eventually came to a stop a hoof's length away, patiently waiting. Fluttershy slowly extended a hoof, her entire leg shaking as she did so, until it came into contact with the little rodent's head. Slowly, she began to pet the creature, but soon picked up the slightest bit of speed when her confidence came back. The sight of the squirrel enjoying Fluttershy's no-longer-violent attention spurred a few of the larger animals into coming out of their hiding places, until Fluttershy and Emerald had a veritable ring of fuzzy critters surrounding them. Fluttershy gasped softly as she looked up, her eyes sparkling as she cast her gaze around, the excitement within her almost palpable. "Oh my!" she breathed, her smile as wide as the sun, she looked at him, "H-how did...?" Emerald shrugged, "I used to spend my days training here, even back before I joined the Guard," he explained, looking around at the many animals surrounding them, "Whenever I took a break from training, I just laid around. Eventually they started getting curious, and I ended up making friends with most of them. Long as I'm here, they should give you a chance," he chuckled, and looked back at her, "Though, I imagine you'll have all of 'em eating out of your hooves in minutes," he praised, before his grin turned wicked, "It only makes sense that you're so skilled, since you're a Skies after all." ----- Trixie let out a drunken laugh, watching in delight as Pinkie bounced across the stage, singing The Pony Polky to a massive crowd of stuck-up nobles, who each stared up at her in fascinated horror, though some of the lyrics were rather... odd. ~Even though your dates a lout!~ Seriously, where in the world did she come up with these lyrics? Regardless, she didn't know how the idea came to her, but the outcome was everything she'd hoped for and so much more. The fact that it served to cheer up the saddened party pony was nice, but a mere side-effect in the end. She would later contribute the entire thing to her slightly drunken state, but, in truth, she was fully aware of everything she was doing. "YEAH!!" Pinkie finished her song with a mighty cheer, throwing her hooves into the air. Trixie continued laughing, but none of the others in the room seemed to share her thoughts, "Young lady!" some mare in the crowd scolded Pinkie, "This is not that kind of party!" "Goodness, with the way that mares acts, I'd think she was part of the common rabble." "How could anypony act so debased?" "How revolting." The voices weren't particularly loud, but they carried much farther than they had any right to. Trixie felt her own heart lurch as the pink pony's smile faded away. One of the musicians on stage, specifically the cellist, spoke to Pinkie for a moment, before gently leading her off the stage. Pinkie said something in return, and walked off a moment afterward, her head held low. Trixie sighed, and set down her glass of wine, her thirst vanishing along with the previously lighthearted mood, then made her way over to the saddened pony. "Don't let it get you down, Pinkie," she comforted the mare when she got close enough, wrapping a hoof around her, "These ponies just don't know how to have fun like you do." Pinkie sighed, "Yeah... I guess..." she muttered, causing Trixie to frown, "... C'mon," she said, beginning to drag Pinkie towards the door, "Let's go do something else," she suggested, though it came out more as an order. Much to Trixie's surprise, however, Pinkie actually pulled away, "No," she said, bidding Trixie to turn to face her, only to be stunned by the fiercely determined look in her eye, "You're right, those ponies don't know how to have fun!" she declared, a bright smile overtaking her features, before she pointed dramatically into the air, "So it's my job as Ponyville's Premier Party Pony to teach these ponies how to partaaaaayyy!" she announced, then proceeded to bound off towards the dance floor. Trixie stood there for a moment, then sighed. "What have I done?" ----- So... this was the mare that so many ponies were beginning to complain about? A bright orange coat, braided blonde mane, vivid green eyes, and an immaculately made dress? To be perfectly honest, she didn't look like a member of the Apple Family. Oh, to be sure, there were a few characteristics, like her freckles and her height, but if Gustave's eyes could be trusted, and more often than not they could be, then she looked more like a member of the Pear family. Her eyes and ears were the same shape, and even her muzzle looked similar to the Pear family traits he'd seen most often, but it was possible that it was just a coincidence. After all, he sincerely doubted Berry would mistake a Pear for an Apple, given the longstanding rivalry between the two families. She was constantly looking around, a promise in her eyes, searching for that one individual to approach her stand, ready to pounce on them and let them leave with their stomachs full, and their wallets empty. He'd seen that look quite often, and it only led further evidence to the mare being an Apple. He decided to approach her, while little Apple Berry followed discretely behind him. "Hello there," he greeted casually, eyeing her wares. It was an, admittedly, marvelous selection. Fritters, dumplings, pies, caramel apples, cupcakes, juice, and even regular Apple Family apples adorned every inch of the stand she'd set up, sending the sweet scent of the various confectioneries soaring into the air. He was... honestly surprised that none of the nobles had bought anything, if the abundance of wares still available meant anything. He knew that plenty of them would consider this spread beneath them, but, really, who could resist such a cacophony of delectable scents? The mare perked up when he spoke, "Well, howdy there!" she greeted him enthusiastically, "How can I help ya?" she asked, "I must say, this is quite the lovely spread you have," he complimented, causing her to flush, "Aw shucks, I 'preciate it. Spent all night makin' all these fiddles fer the Gala. Shame nopony's buyin' though," she said, muttering that last part to herself. Gustave hummed, "Hmm... Well, considering that the guests all have access to the free buffet inside, are you really that shocked?" The mare blinked, "Buffet?" she asked, staring at Gustave as though he'd grown a second head, "Are ya tellin' me, that the only reason nopony here is buyin' anythin' is because they got free fiddles inside?!" she asked, almost angrily. Gustave shrugged, "Well, that, and the fact that desserts like these aren't generally served to the high class due to their classification as 'carnival fare'," he explained, then sighed, "Honestly, the only reason I haven't had you shut this thing down is because I respect the Apple Family enough to let it slide, but I've recently been getting complaints about ponies tripping and getting held up around this stand of yours, so I'm afraid I've no choice but to shut you down." She blinked, again, "'Shut me down'?" she asked, and frowned, "An' who the hay do you think you are? You ain't got the right!" "Considering that I'm the chef who catered this Gala, and that I'm responsible for all the food entering the party, as a matter of fact, I do," he said, quirking a brow. The mare deflated, "Oh..." she murmured, "I guess that's fair," she added, and sighed, "Darnit, I just wanted ta sell some food ta help out mah family's farm! If I'd'a known 'bout the free fiddles, I'd've thought'a somethin' else!" she snapped. Gustave hummed to himself, inspecting her wares for a moment longer, "Well... I suppose there is a solution that would benefit both of us," he said lightly. The mare narrowed her eyes at him, "I'm listenin'..." "Well, you see miss-" "Applejack." "... Applejack, due to a time constraint caused by the Princess's foolish nephew, I was unable to provide our dear guests with a form of dessert, as is the usual course of action for these Galas. Though, if I'm honest, I'm sure it's simply a method for Princess Celestia to indulge her sweet-tooth," he added conspiratorially. Applejack nodded along with his words, though she'd paused and blinked at the last part of it, "I... see. But what's that gotta do with..." she trailed off, a spark of understanding flickered in her eyes. Gustave nodded, "Indeed, I was, perhaps, hoping I'd be able to purchase your wares and have them served to the guests. Not only that, but perhaps I could offer you the use of the royal kitchens to prepare something a little larger to end the party with? What do you say?" Applejack regarded him for a moment, then smiled, "Alright sugarcube, ya got yourself a deal!" ----- Hehehehahahaha! Oh, he was going to have so much extra Love to share with the rest of the Hive tonight, that they'd all be able to eat a single full meal for the first time in decades! It was glorious! Magnificent! And oh, so delightfully entertaining as well! Watching the poor fool of a mare trot about with the poor excuse of a stallion, whose name he still didn't bother to find out, proved to be more entertaining than even fighting! If only because he had so few worthy challengers, of course. Still, it had been fun watching them go about their business, with both of them expecting the other to fulfill the chivalrous role, only for the mare to end up giving in every single time. Since he'd found them, they had visited a small section of the Gardens dedicated to a small performance group, only for the stallion to steal the final seat for himself, leaving Rarity to keep standing, lest she dirty her dress on the, admittedly well cared for, grass. After that, they'd headed towards the doors to the castle, only to pause outside, each waiting for the other to open the door for them. That had led to a humorous interaction with them shaking their heads at each other, unsubtly urging the other to open the door. That ended when the stallion huffed turned up his nose at her, prompting her to hide a groan, and ease the door open for him, before following after. Thorax had to take care to avoid being spotted slipping in, but it was foal's play for one such as himself. He had to admit, the castle was well decorated, but he supposed that was expected, since this was supposed to be one of the biggest events held in Equestria, sans the New Year Carnival. His attention was brought back to his live entertainment when he heard the two of them begin conversing once more, this time about a small spill on the ground in front of them. Thorax shook his head, allowing a small scoff to escape him. What was the point in arguing about some stupid spill? Just walk around it, after all. There wasn't a need for any sort of chivalry when the solution was as simple as that. Yet it would seem that the two of them were unable to think of that solution, given their ongoing argument. Well, not so much an argument, as it was, yet another, unsubtle attempt to coerce the other into giving up their clothing to cover up the spill, again, instead of just going around it. Thorax groaned. Were most other ponies like this? He watched in mild disappointment as Rarity draped part of her dress over the spill, allowing her 'date' to step completely over the entire thing, causing her eye to visibly twitch, before she huffed and slung the now sopping wet cloth back around her neck. Strangely enough, the Affection she had for the stallion had yet to disappear. Oh it had begun to fade, absolutely, but it seemed determined to stick around. Then again, that was Love. You couldn't always get it to do what you wanted. Still, by now she should be realizing that he wasn't going to play to her expectations. And judging by the slowly dejected look coming over her features, it certainly seemed that way. Thorax sighed, and slowed to a stop. Was there any point in following them further? The Love she was radiating was diminishing, and he'd already eaten his fill and stored the rest away to share with the Hive later. Plus the amount of entertainment he was getting from it was fading as well, since the Love was beginning to be replaced by Sadness, as well as a bit of Anger, and that combination rarely went down well. Both for changelings and ponies. The doors behind him burst open, revealing a familiar face as well as two he didn't recognize. It wasn't him, but seeing Gustave was nice too. ----- Spitfire finally bid the last pony in that Faust-be-damned line a polite goodbye. She loved her fans, there was no doubt about that, but they could be so irritating sometimes! Then again, that was the price of fame. Of putting herself out there for the world to see and enjoy. She scoffed. Perhaps this was why Emerald hadn't come out as Champion yet? Oh, who was she kidding? That was exactly why he hadn't! Regardless, the impromptu signings took far longer than she'd initially expected, and no matter where she looked, she couldn't spot that rainbow coloured head anywhere. It would've been irritating, if it hadn't been so damned crowded. Finally she spotted that slightly familiar splash of colour. As it turned out, Rainbow had found Soarin and was trying to engage the moron in conversation, but his attention was instead on a different mare, who seemed to be trying to get a little too friendly with her teammate. For a moment, Spitfire pondered on whether she could go over there and cock-block him herself to save him the embarrassment, or just let him do it to himself, as he was wont to do. Eventually, the decision was taken out of her hooves when the mare huffed and walked away, leaving Soarin standing there, put off. He then proceeded to walk off, leaving Rainbow to do the same. Knowing Soarin though, it was likely he just hadn't heard her. The pegasus completely lacked the mean spirit to just outright ignore someone, no matter who they were. She wove through the crowd, and eventually came out right beside the slightly down mare, "Hey, you seem like you're having fun," she greeted sarcastically, watching in amusement as Rainbow jumped and bit down a yelp. Was this why Emerald did it so often? "Oh, uh, hey Spitfire!" Rainbow returned her greeting awkwardly, "Uh, yeah! Totally. This party is, uh... pretty awesome!" she said, smiling. Spitfire quirked a brow, "Really? Is that why I've seen you lurking through this crowd all night? Doing nothing other than try to catch our attention?" she asked. Rainbow stiffened, and began to sweat, "W-well, uh..." she tried to say, but Spitfire shook her head and cut her off, "Relax, Bow, you have- what's with the face?" she asked, cutting herself off at seeing the ugly grimace adorning her fan's face, "Bow's my Dad's name," she muttered, looking away. Spitfire chuckled, "Alright, anyways. Relax about the whole, 'lurking' thing," she eased the mare with a lazy smile, "It's a little odd, yeah, but at least you're not doing anything crazy, like knockin' stuff down and catching it to get our attention." For some reason, Rainbow started sweating harder. "Oh! Yeah!" she agreed, though her voice was a little too high-pitched, her hooves beginning to wring her ponytail, "That'd be pretty dumb!" Spitfire regarded her with a critical eye for a moment, before shrugging it off. Even if she had thought about it, she hadn't actually done it, so she couldn't really get on her case. "Ignoring that," she continued, "How've you been enjoyin' the party?" she asked, Rainbow perked up, "Oh, it's awesome!" she gushed, pumping a hoof, "Getting to meet all these athletes is a dream come true!" "Oh?" Spitfire breathed, raising an eyebrow, "Like who?" "Like-! Uh... well, you guys!" she said, "I've been a fan of the Wonderbolts ever since my Dad took me to my first game when I was filly! Back when Red Rocket was the Captain!" "That's pretty cool," she said, chuckling, "Lotta stuffs happened since Rocket stepped down, but he was a damn good flier. I've still got some pretty big shoes to fill," she admitted. She missed that bastard. Probably living it up in Las Pegasus, though, knowing the old womanizer. ... On second thought, maybe she didn't miss him. Regardless, he was a great flier, and ended up being Warrior rank, the third Rank in the Knight class. Even introduced Spitfire to the team two years after she reunited with her parents as well. She'd just been ghosting around back then. The escape from the Facility had left her feeling cold, purposeless, even. She'd spent so long trying to keep the spirits of the others up that it had practically become ingrained into her very being. And it certainly showed in her cutie mark. A wing made of solid flame. A testament to her efforts to fan the flames of the hearts of her broken and shattered family, even if it set her own wings alight in the process. Part of her knew that she wanted to be an entertainer, but professional flying had never occurred to her. At one point, she just thought of following Emerald's example and going to work for the military, and ended up meeting Red Rocket, the Captain of the Wonderbolts at the time. Originally, the Wonderbolts had been a branch of the Equestrian military, specifically made for pegasi, but after years of peace, Princess Celestia had repurposed the Wonderbolts team into an entertainment focused team instead. Despite this, they were still considered a part of the military, and could be called in to assist the Guard if necessary. Because of this, it wasn't uncommon for the Wonderbolts to scout the Guard for potential new members, alongside the more standard scouting processes. It had been a regular day, going through drills with the other recruits, when he had appeared, tried to ask out the wife of the instructor, got his flank kicked, then, somehow, ended up scouting Spitfire and three other pegasi for the team. A few months of rigorous testing later, and she was placed onto the Wonderbolt reserves. Another two months after that, and she was on the team. Almost a year later Rocket stepped down after twenty years of service, and Spitfire was named the youngest Captain in Wonderbolt history, and a Warrior just like her predecessor. "Are you kidding?" Rainbow asked, incredulous, "You're way better than Rocket ever was!" she insisted, causing Spitfire to laugh, "Thanks Rainbow, I appreciate it," she thanked the mare, smiling, "But apart from his flying, it's not that hard to be better than him. He was a lech. But he was a good stallion, aside from that," she added. Rainbow blinked at that, "Kaaayyyy?" she began, then dropped it, "Soooo... have you ever done a rain-cloud double back-flip?" ----- Celestia sipped her tea, the picture perfect image of innocence. It mattered not what she did, for how could anyone blame such a golden image? Well, she was certain her student had no troubles doing just that, if the pout/glare she was directing at her was any indication. "P-princess?!" she whined, face red as a beet, "Please don't say stuff like that!" "Like what?" she asked innocently, tempted to use magic to place a halo over her head, but dismissed it, "I only suggested you ask Cadence to give you some tips on winning that stallion over." Twilight flushed even harder, though she wasn't sure how it was possible, "I can't do that!" she protested, "I'd die of embarrassment if I ever even mentioned having a crush on anypony to her!" she said, then paled slightly, the red flush draining away, "And what would my brother do if he found out?" she whispered to herself, "Or my parents? Or... or..." she trailed off, now falling into the endless spiral that was her thoughts. Celestia smiled and shook her head. While teasing Twilight was fun and all, she was genuinely surprised by her confession. To think, shy, studious, socially-awkward Twilight Sparkle, would fall for strong, distorted, too-stubborn-for-his-own-good Emerald? It was almost unthinkable, the two of them were so different. Emerald was a hardened Guard. Twilight was a well-cared-for student. Emerald was cynical. Twilight was optimistic. Emerald was often laid-back. Twilight was a ball of anxiety and stress. But then... they were also fairly similar, she supposed. They both loved their family. They were both loyal and hardworking. They both put their all into everything they did. She wondered what had sparked this little crush of hers. Was it his looks? His personality? His actions? Twilight wasn't so shallow, so it was likely the simple combination of all three. Or perhaps even something else. She wasn't the Princess of Love, so it was beyond her depth of understanding, unfortunately. She was out of her element, so to speak. ... Speaking of elements... "Tell me, Twilight, have you experienced any... unusual magical phenomena since Nightmare Moon's defeat?" It was unthinkable. That she hadn't thought to ask before was a major oversight on her part. Twilight blinked at the sudden question, "Umm... I don't think so?" she said, though it came out as a question, "What do you mean, Princess?" she asked, tilting her head worriedly, "I mean have you noticed anything strange since you became the Bearer of the Element of Magic? Spells that you used to be able to do easily becoming difficult, difficult spells becoming easy, strange surges of magic, mood swings, flashes of emotion or feelings that aren't yours...?" she listed. Twilight's eyes widened as the list grew, but none of the things she listed elicited any sort of response from the mare aside from that, "I haven't noticed anything like that, Princess," she admitted, furrowing her brow, "But..." she continued, "I... did notice something." "What is it?" she asked imploringly, "W-well," Twilight began, feeling a little nervous, it seemed, "I sometimes get these.... impressions around my friends, and even you and Princess Luna," she said, causing Celestia to nod, "... Um... if you don't mind me asking, Princess... why?" It was a fair question, one that she'd be happy to answer. "Well, Twilight, the Elements of Harmony are powerful magical artifacts, and, admittedly, not much is known about what they do," she began, "When my sister and I wielded them, they were shared between the two of us equally. Even when she became Nightmare Moon, I could only wield the power of the three Elements bound to me. Using their power on Luna broke the bond, and they disappeared, only to finally choose another set of wielders," she looked at Twilight, smiling, "Me and my friends." she inserted, "That's right," Celestia agreed, "But, most unusually, they changed shape and form when they bonded with you six, something they never did with my sister and I. With Luna and myself, they were foci that we used to strengthen our spells, but, with you six, they became generators and created their own spells. Were my sister and I to use them, the most we could've done was imprison the Nightmare, but you and your friends destroyed it, or something like it, at least," she shook her head, "I'm sorry, I went off on a bit of a tangent. After my sister and I first discovered the Elements, we noticed, after a time, that we were stronger magically. Our spells increased in potency, and wielding magic came easier than ever. However, there was something else we noticed. We started feeling each other's emotions, seeing through each other's eyes and sharing our senses as well," Twilight's eye widened, "Really?" she asked, leaning forward. Celestia chuckled, "Really. Over the years it became easier to separate ourselves from each other, but at first it was hard to tell who was who. If it wasn't for the Element's assistance, it's likely that Luna and I would've gone on until we mistakenly ended up as one individual with two bodies." Twilight swallowed, "That's.... terrifying," she admitted, "It was," she agreed, "But that bond disappeared along with the Elements when the Nightmare appeared, and it's one of the reasons why I blame myself for it so much. If I had just paid a little more attention, then I would have felt her anguish, but I was just too absorbed with myself at the time," she wilted at the thought, but shook her head, "I ask because my experience with the Elements taught me that they aren't something to take lightly, and are often unpredictable." That was an understatement. "So, please, tell me about these 'impressions' you're getting." Twilight nodded, and took a deep breath, "Well, I noticed that I get these... feelings around my friends and you and Princess Luna. It's... they're usually the same. A feeling of warmth or comfort, though it's always a little different from individual to individual," she glanced up at her, "You feel like a warm day spent reading in the library to me, and Luna feels like a nice night under the stars. Applejack feels like a warm day out in the fields, Rainbow like a cool breeze in the sky. Rarity feels like a soft silky piece of fabric, Fluttershy feels like a quiet day outside, surrounded by flowers. Pinkie feels like I'm surrounded by sweet smelling frosting," she smiled at the recounting, "But they're all the same warm, comfortable feeling, even if it's made by something else." Celestia nodded, smiling. Yes, that certainly made sense given their personalities and occupations. Though, hearing that she and her sister caused some of these impressions was surprising, but understandable, given that they had once wielded the Elements as well. Thou- "Oh, right! I nearly forgot!" Twilight said, smiling sheepishly, "Emerald feels like a cold night, wrapped in a large, warm blanket." E-emerald? But-but that... that didn't-! "What do you mean, 'Emerald'?!" she demanded, jumping to her hooves at the revelation. Twilight blinked rapidly, and flinched away, "U-uh, I mean... Emerald?" she said, obviously confused, "L-like... the stallion I l-l-like?" Right... yes... that... that was possible. Perhaps the Elements were simply responding to Twilight's first crush? After all, the Element of Magic wasn't tied to a specific characteristic, like the others were, so its responses were a little more user based... Yes... yes that had to be it. The implications otherwise were... hard to comprehend. "Right... of course, my mistake, Twilight. I apologize for... overreacting." The air around them was tense, but it disappeared when the door to her study opened, revealing her dear sister, wearing a... strange smirk, "Luna?" she asked, turning to her in surprise, before glancing at the clock, and blinking in surprise, "Goodness! Is the Gala really almost over?" she asked, then shook her head, turning back to her sister, "Do you want my assistance in closing things up?" "Actually, it's... about our dear guests," she said, the smirk replaced by a momentary scowl, "Something seems to have caused a bit of a.... stir," she tilted her head, and sighed, "You're... going to need to see it for yourself, Tia." Celestia sighed, "I see," she said, then turned to Twilight, "As fun as it was to catch up with you Twilight, It would seem that our time has come to an end." Twilight nodded, a little hesitantly, "Of course, Princess. It was nice talking with you," she said, smiling sincerely. Celestia returned the smile with one of her own, before turning back to Luna, "Well, lead the way." ----- Emerald sighed, his steps leading him and Fluttershy back towards the castle. It had been... fun. Spending time with Fluttershy, watching her play around with the animals. Spike had approached them at one point, telling them that he was heading off into town to Doughnut Joe's, since he was bored. But now, it was getting late, and the Gala was due to end soon. So, it was time to round up the others and head home, or at least find somewhere to stay for the night if it got late enough. "Hope you had fun, Shy," he said, stopping just outside the door, "Oh! Absolutely!" she gushed, smiling brightly, "I'm just so glad that you came along and helped me. I don't know what I might've done if I kept scaring the animals like that," she said, frowning demurely. Emerald shrugged, "Eh, I doubt you'd have done anything too extreme. You're still sweet little Fluttershy, after all," he said, causing her to giggle, though she still didn't look so sure. The conversation died down, prompting Emerald to push through the door, just in time to come face with a rather... strange scene. Pinkie was up on the stage, dancing and singing around, though it seemed the musicians were against her being there, given how she kept grabbing hold of their instruments and playing along with them. He didn't know what she was singing, though it had something to do with putting hooves in and out of something, so he wasn't sure he wanted to know. Not too far off he could spot Applejack pushing a cart laden with a massive cake, speaking to some- Gustave?! Emerald balked at the sight of his brother talking with the farm mare, but, unfortunately, his attention was torn away when Pinkie did something that only Pinkie could think of doing. She attempted to stage dive onto the fucking cake. Predictably, it didn't pan out as she had intended, as rather than hit the cake directly, she ended up overshooting her mark, hitting the cart just behind the cake. This had the unfortunate, but humorous consequence of launching the towered confection into the air, straight towards- "Rarity!" Fluttershy shouted, trying to warn her long-time friend. Emerald watched in fascinated horror as the cake continued its unplanned trajectory towards the wide-eyed mare. The stallion she was attending the Gala with, who Emerald distantly recognized as the foolish Prince Blueblood, or Blueballs as he was secretly called in the Guard, let out a shrill cry of horror and pulled Rarity in front of him. It was just as the cake was about to collide with his unfortunate date, that another pony, a red-coated stallion with a stark white mane and tail, suddenly reached out and tore Rarity out and away from the cake's path, leaving Blueballs hunkered down behind no-longer-existing cover. It was with a strange sense of glee that he watched the cake impact the buffoon, and a not unwelcome surge of euphoria when the fucker screamed like a little bitch, though the pain in his ears was decidedly less welcome. Indeed, Blueballs let out a shriek so loud, so high-pitched, that for a moment Emerald thought it might leave the realm of mortal hearing, and become a thing of pure force rather than sound. But no. Delightfully, Emerald was able to fully appreciate the pure horror in that shriek, one that belonged more coming from the victim of some eldritch abomination than the fool covered in cake. Unfortunately, as with all good things, it couldn't last forever. Soon, Blueballs managed to recover some manner of movement, and, like the fool he was, he started backing away, as if he thought to escape the fate that had laid itself out upon him, before outright turning around and bolting. Happily, he ended up running face-first into the large statue, hopefully breaking his nose in the process. ... Was he a sadist and just hadn't realized until now? Eh. The moment didn't last long, however, as the statue began to tilt, much to his surprise. Surely the stallion hadn't the momentum or weight to have that strong of an impact on something so much larger and heavier than he? Yet, seemingly in spite of his thoughts, and perhaps logic as well, the golden statue of the solar monarch began to fall. It was majestic, in a way. The slow, but inevitable, arch of the large golden pony was almost hypnotic. Of course it was also dangerous, a fact that Emerald would never ignore even if it wasn't on course to actually crush someone. He bolted forward, skidding to an immediate stop, just in time for the massive statue to crash down on his spine, causing his knees to buckle slightly, before he straightened himself with an annoyed grunt. Unfortunately, one of the serving staff had drifted too close while she wasn't paying attention, and the statue's horn hit the platter she was carrying sending the various snacks soaring into the air. He didn't watch them, more occupied with the massive weight attempting to crush his spine, but by the sound of the many *SPLAT*'s he heard, followed by all the horrified screams, it was likely quite humorous. He growled at the heavy weight, before allowing it to slide off behind him, letting it hit the ground with a small, but still quite heavy, *CRASH*, though it went mostly unheard. The entire room was in chaos. Nobles were running to and fro, screeching their heads off and running into each other. A few them ended up running into other members of the serving staff, only to cause further panic when ponies began slipping and tumbling over each of the discarded treats, crashing into tables and walls, causing even further issues. Emerald cast his gaze around, scarcely paying attention to the pandemonium surrounding him, his eyes pausing each time he met the eyes of one of the mares. Applejack looked torn between being cross and amused, Pinkie's expression reminded him of the one time he caught Wisp trying to steal a cookie from a box he'd brought her before he'd actually given it to her, Fluttershy's jaw was hanging open in an expression of shock never-before-seen on her features, Rainbow's eyes were constantly darting towards one of the windows, as if contemplating escape, Rarity's hoof was laying against her heart, and she was sending the red stallion who'd helped her furtive glances from the corner of her eye, and Sparky, who had just arrived with Mother, was simply staring out amongst the crowd, watching with wide, stunned eyes. "Run." His Mother's words, though quiet and nearly overshadowed by the chaos around them, nonetheless reached his ears. As Sparky stared up at her in surprise, Emerald had already begun to mobilize, grabbing the nearby Pinkie and Fluttershy, before darting towards the door where his Mother and Sparky stood. It was as he slipped past them that Sparky called out to the others, before following after him, the other mares hot on her tail. They all burst out of the castle, with Emerald slowing down to let the two mares he was carrying move under their own power instead. Sparky suddenly came to a halt, "Wait, where's Spike?!" she shouted, turning back to the castle, "Doughnut Joe's!" Emerald shouted back, then skidded to a stop, before running back to the group, "I don't know where that is!" Sparky stared at him, before shaking her head, "C'mon everyone, follow me!" she announced, taking off into town, with the lot of them following right after, "Don't run so quickly!" Rarity shouted, trotting at a rapid pace behind them, "You'll get your outfits all sweaty!" "Not the time fer that!" Applejack returned, brushing past her, eliciting a shocked intake of breath from her, "Ooh! We're going to Doughnut Joe's?" Pinkie asked, leisurely bouncing alongside them, though she managed to keep up, "I love doughnuts! And cupcakes, and pies, and cakes, and-!" """"""We get it!"""""" "That... was a mess..." Emerald muttered, leaning back against the seat. The seven of them had arrived at the doughnut shop, where Spike and another pony, presumably the "Joe" that ran the place were waiting. Sparky and Joe had a small conversation, though most of it consisted of Joe teasing Sparky for finally making some more friends, before he pushed for them all to take a seat and served them each a cup of milk and a doughnut on the house, "for old time's sake". "I agree..." Rarity said, frowning heavily, "I dunno," Rainbow cut in, "I think things went pretty well!" she said, then frowned, "Er... 'till the end, at least." Rarity sent the chromatic mare a venomous glare, but it fell almost immediately. "I guess tonight wasn't the "best night ever" for everyone, huh?" Sparky asked, smiling faintly, looking over each one of her friends with a sad look in her eyes. "Not in the least," Rarity said, huffing, "That prince wasn't a prince at all!" she snapped, mouth twisting into a furious grimace, "He was such an uncouth ruffian! He didn't seem to understand common courtesy in the least! He treated me as nothing more than some... some... wench!" she snarled, "He even tried to ruin my dress!" she added, eyes lighting up with fury, before it fell apart immediately, "Thankfully somepony decided to be chivalrous," she said, smiling, her head tilting, "Goodness, I never even got that kind stallion's name..." she muttered with a despondent sigh. Applejack scoffed, "Yeah, it wasn't any good fer me either," she began, "I only got one customer the entire night!" she exclaimed, "I mean, can ya believe it?! Nopony wanted any'a my family's fiddles! All because'a that darn feast," she snapped, then smirked, before producing a single, large bag, and dropping it on the table, the sound of tinkling metal from within echoing loudly, "But, that nice griffon, Gustaf or somethin', came along an' bought everythin'!" Emerald twitched, and went to correct her, only for Sparky of all ponies to beat him to it, "You mean Gustave?" she asked, sounding surprised. Applejack blinked, "Uh, yeah that's sounds 'bout right," she said, and tilted her head, "Ya know 'im 'r somethin'?" Sparky laughed, "Know him? He's the royal chef!" she gushed, smiling, "He hasn't been there long, only a few years, but he has the best cooking I've ever tasted!" Her excitement was palpable, eliciting a round of smiles from the entire group, before she noticed, promptly turned red, and looked away, smiling sheepishly. "Yeah, while you were having fun with the royal chef an' all," Rainbow cut in, "I was busy rubbing elbows with the Wonderbolts!" she squealed, smiling brightly, "I got to spend the entire night with some of the best athletes in all of Equestria!" Applejack rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah, you'll be a Wonderbolt in no time, Dash," she said, smirking sarcastically, then looked over to the surprisingly quiet Pinkie, "How 'bout you, Pinkie?" she asked. The party mare perked up, her face covered in sprinkles and glaze, "Mmmph?" she asked with her mouth full, before swallowing, her throat bulging almost comically, "Huh?" "The party, Pinkie," Rarity asked, regarding her curiously, "While it was far from entertaining for us, did you at least have fun?" Pinkie tilted her head, and frowned. "I... I dunno," she finally said, looking up in thought, "I mean... I wanted everypony to have fun, but... none of those ponies seemed all that excited," she said, her ears folding over her head, "But-" she perked up, "I think Trixie had lots of fun!" she said, her smile returning in full force, "Really now?" Emerald asked, "What makes you say that?" "Well, she was really happy!" Pinkie explained, "She was laughing and giggling a lot!" she said, then frowned, "But... I think she might've gotten too excited, since she looked really woozy and got all wobbly sometimes," she said. Emerald blinked, then let out a groan as he buried his head in his hooves. Dammit... now he'd have to deal with a hungover unicorn tomorrow... "She'll be fine, Pinkie," he said, noticing the worried frown marring the party pony's face. That seemed to do the trick, as she gave him a blinding smile right after, "Okay!" "Well, that's sounds... wonderful?" Sparky said, obviously not sure how to take that last part of the conversation, "I wish I could've been there to help you two, though," she apologized to Rarity and Applejack, "But I was spending time talking with the Princess!" she gushed, obviously proud. She suddenly flushed a little bit though, likely remembering something from her time with Mother. "Why, that sounds lovely, Twilight!" Rarity said, then frowned, "At least one of us had a good night with royalty," she added bitterly, unintentionally causing Sparky to wince. "Hey, what about you, Fluttershy?" Rainbow suddenly spoke up, smirking, "I bet you had all of those animals eating out of your hooves, yeah?" she asked, quite obviously confident in her friend's ability with animals. Fluttershy turned red as the group's attention was turned onto her, but she didn't shy away, "Oh... well... n-not exactly..." she muttered. Rarity gave a dainty scoff, "Oh come now, Fluttershy, there's no need to act all humble. Everypony here knows about your wonderful talent with animals," she comforted the mare with a gentle smile. In response to her praise, however, Fluttershy only turned redder, "U-um... w-well, you-you see..." she stammered uselessly, her eyes darting between each of her friends and their supporting smiles, before they eventually fell on Emerald's amused sapphires, silently begging him to help. Deciding to save his dear cousin, Emerald spoke up, "She went nuts." It was an accurate description of what happened. "Very funny, Emerald," Sparky admonished him softly, "I'm not kidding," he insisted, "I was minding my own damn business when a bunch of scared animals came by and got me to investigate. I head over to the Inner Gardens and there I see Fluttershy, running around like a loon, screeching at the animals to come out and love her," he said, then smirked, "I've seen a lot of weird shit, but that has to be top ten, easily." As his explanation went on, Fluttershy continued to grow ever redder, and even begun sinking down in her seat part-way through, as if thinking that it would save her from the incredulous stares of her friends. The front doors to the shop suddenly burst open, preventing anyone from questioning the butter-yellow pegasus. The entire group whipped around at the sudden entrance, finding Mother of all ponies walking into the room with a smile as bright as the sun she rose, "That was the best Gala I've ever seen!" she gushed, rapidly making her way over to the them, "I just knew inviting you all would make the night better than it's ever been!" Emerald blinked, "... Didn't you only invite Sparky and the hatchling, though?" he asked, "You didn't invite the others until she told you she wasn't going without them," he deadpanned. Sparky perked up at his question, and she and the others turned to faced the solar princess, curious gleams in their eyes. Mother's face turned red, and she looked away, "W-well, I-I, um..." she sighed, "I... may or not have forgotten that Twilight had friends at the time," she said, "B-but in my defense I was simply so used to only addressing her and Spike that it was merely reflexive!" she defended hurriedly, then wilted slightly, "When I realized my mistake, I admit to being too afraid to send five other tickets for your friends," she was addressing Sparky now, "I was worried that by doing so I'd accidentally force them into attending a party they'd rather not be apart of. I was... suitably relieved when you sent that letter later on," she admitted. Huh... that was disappointing. For a moment there, he thought she'd say it was some sort of test for Sparky. To learn that it was just a case of her being forgetful was lackluster. Then again, it did seem like something his Mother would do. Forget a small, but ultimately important fact, then panic about it later to herself. ... Hadn't she done something similar when he was first learning to use a weapon that wasn't a damn pipe? Eh. "Well, we're mighty glad ya invited us, Yer Highness," Applejack responded respectfully, nodding her head, "It was... eventful." "Yeah, it sure was," Rainbow agreed, then leaned back in her seat, "But as fun as it was hangin' with the Wonderbolts, this is pretty cool too," she added, smiling at the lot of them, even when she looked at him. Oddly enough, it didn't feel forced. Strange. "Yeah, as wonderful as it was spending the night with you, Princess, I have to say: Spending it with my friends makes it even better!" "Oh, you mean like I wanted to do in the beginning?" Spike asked petulantly, though there was a grin on his face. The mares all laughed at that, but there was a round of agreements from all of them, even Emerald found himself nodding along before he could stop himself. ... He'd really grown close to this lot, huh? It was strange. Hardly a year ago he didn't know these mares. Didn't care about any of them. And yet, here was now, sitting in a quaint little doughnut shop, smiling and laughing with them. Hay, he'd fallen for one of them, too! He wondered, how would the him of back then react to seeing the him of now? Would he have condemned himself? Looked down upon himself? Cursed himself for choosing this path? It was amusing, because Emerald was certain he'd be doing the same to his past self as well. Funny how that worked, huh? Six gems gleamed within the light, the product of her setting sun reflecting off of them in a spectacular array of rainbow coloured light. They were each perfectly cut. Smooth contours, rounded edges, immaculate detail. An Honest Apple. A Laughing Balloon A Kind Butterfly. A Generous Diamond. A Loyal Thunderbolt. A Magical Star. Any gem cutter, regardless of skill, could accurately say that these gems were priceless, each one worth enough to buy all of Equestria a hundred times over with plenty of change to spare. Works of art in every sense of the word, they filled all who gazed upon them happiness, with safety, with comfort. Yet, none would be able to tell who had crafted such masterpieces. Logically, one could simply examine the gems and determine their age with a spell, then cross reference that age with any gem cutters at the time, but, there was just one issue. No one knew how old these gems were. They had existed long before Equestria, perhaps long before ponykind, even. Perhaps, before life existed. When there was nothing but the harmonic order of a world without life. Yet, there were some things that everyone knew about the Elements. A simple fact that could never be argued against. There were six of them. And there had always been six. Except... There used to be five. Celestia remembered those days. Back then, when Discord was terrorizing Equestria. She and her sister had challenged him to a duel, foolishly believing themselves to be strong enough to take out the draconequus. They were very wrong. His power had eclipsed theirs by so much, that they had nearly given up after the one fight. Yet, they managed to pull through that state of despair after hearing tales of five magical artifacts known to cleanse and purify evil. The Elements of Harmony. It had taken decades to find them. Sequestered away in a long forgotten corner of Equestria, where monsters the likes of which still haunted her nightmares roamed, monsters that now resided within Tartarus today. It had been strange, to find such pure magical artifacts residing within that Tree, but, in the end, they had thought it to be worth it, for wielding the sacred Elements would allow them to defeat the wretched King of Chaos. They were wrong, once more. The Elements, so very powerful, were not strong enough to face off against the pure ocean of chaos that Discord could wield. They provided some protection from his magic, mind altering spells could no longer affect them so long as they remained in contact with the harmonic jewels, and even his offensive magic felt... dulled against them for a time. But what did it matter that his weapon was dulled, when it could still crush them beneath its titanic weight? They retreated from that fight as well. And they continued to fight him, again and again for years, decades, after that. Their fights against the Mad King numbered well above the hundreds, perhaps even falling into the thousands, though, in truth, Celestia did not know. But she did know that they hadn't been strong enough, each and every single time. Then, one day, when they had finally begun to sink into despair, it happened. The ponies surrounding them, the many friends and allies they had made during their time began to cheer them on, just as every other time they fought Discord, no matter the outcome. But there was something different about it, this time. Ever since they bonded with the Elements, they had noticed many changes within themselves. They felt each other's emotions, often even shared thoughts without realizing. They had been so close, so many times, to fading into each other and becoming a single individual. But, through time and the help of their friends, they remained separate. However, in turn, they began to understand the Elements better. Not enough to describe to any what they were, for even they were left scratching their heads at the thought. But they could better understand the Harmony they wielded, and, in turn, better appreciate the ponies around them, and how they tried to remain a part from the rampant chaos. It had been during what would become their final fight with Discord, that.... that a spark had ignited within them. A sudden surge of understanding that seemed to come from nowhere, yet everywhere all at once. The understanding that they stood, not as two sisters before a monster, but as two individuals who stood with their friends before someone who wished to take that away. Perhaps it was a lackluster realization. Perhaps it had taken them far too long to come to that conclusion, but it had been enough. The Magic of Friendship had ignited that spark in their hearts, and a Sixth Element had appeared. Discord had, predictably, thought nothing of it. A thousand and more battles with five had proven him to be superior, what would one more change? Yet, they knew. Knew that the Element of Magic had provided them the strength, of heart, mind, and magic, to finally take him down. And thus, in a spectacular display of rainbow light, Discord, the Mad King of Chaos, was turned to stone. After that, they were named the rulers of Equestria by right of conquest, and a new castle was built for them within the very forest they had discovered the Elements in, a forest that would later be known as the Everfree Forest. For the longest time after that, things were peaceful. Even so, a question often lingered at the back of their minds... Where had that Sixth Element come from? Legends stated that there were, are, and will always be five of them. Never any more. Then, there were six. And legends stated that there had always been six. It would seem, however unlikely, that history was repeating itself, and a Seventh Element could very well be on its way. Celestia... smiled after a moment, and gently closed the box she housed the Elements within, before storing them back within the vault she had built, and locked it with her horn. She both heard and felt the numerous enchantments on the door come to life, and gave a small, but dark, chuckle. Any who attempted to steal them would not like what they found. And neither would the cleaning staff like the mess they'd find afterwards. Still, it was strange to think that Emerald might become the catalyst for a Seventh Element. What would it be? How would he discover it? ... Would he discover it? There was still so much that she didn't know about the Elements. So much that she'd never know about them. So she wondered. Why was another Element appearing? Why had a Sixth Element appeared all those years ago? ... A Seventh Element appearing in the generation of wielders directly after her and her sister, who had also experienced the sudden appearance of a never-before-seen Element... Was it... natural? Did the number of Elements symbolize the number of times they'd been bonded with someone? Did the Elements grow weaker after every use, and require a new one to strengthen them back up? It... made some sense, after all. She and her sister could not have been the first to wield them. After all, if they had been, then who had started that legend of the Five Elements? Perhaps the Elements had started with just one, and grew to two, then three, and four, and then five after they faced a powerful evil, only to go dormant each time afterwards. Yet... they had not discovered the Sixth Element until they had faced an insurmountable foe, and even then, it had been when they were at their lowest. Then, and only then, had the Element of Magic appeared. If that was true, and things were repeating themselves then... What sort of danger were Twilight and her friends about to run into? The thought chilled her to the bone. Something was coming. Celestia let out a shaky breath. They'd have to face something greater than Nightmare Moon, something greater than Sombra. Something, perhaps, greater than even Discord. She shook her head. No, she couldn't let those thoughts overtake her. There was... there was no guarantee that Twilight simply feeling something from Emerald was evidence of a new Element. The Element of Magic was the youngest, and perhaps, most powerful of the current Elements. Its capabilities were entirely unknown to any, and the method in which it worked even less known. If Twilight was getting impressions of others by being bonded with the Element of Magic, then what sort of unusual effects were the other five having on the others? Perhaps they too got impressions from others. Or perhaps they simply had a sort of sixth sense for when their friends are in danger. She didn't know. And because she didn't know, she wouldn't be able to figure out if they felt something, anything, from Emerald. If they didn't, then it it was proof that it was only Twilight, and that could easily just be the Element of Magic's influence. If they did... Then he would soon be the wielder of the Seventh Element of Harmony... Whatever it would be. She swallowed a thick lump in her throat. This was... this was taking quite a toll on her, it seemed. She needed to take her mind off of this for now. And what better way to calm herself down than to have some cake? She was sure that there would be some leftovers from the Gala... Right?