//------------------------------// // Best and Worst Night // Story: A Just Cause // by GJT_Productions //------------------------------// As Princess Cadance continued following Lieutenant Captain Shining Armor through the streets of Canterlot, there was an odd feeling of deja vu that crept over her, as if she had traveled this twisting, turning path through the streets before for some reason. It wasn't until Shining finally stopped though that Cadance understood why - a small sign reading "Pony Joe's Delivery Entrance" began to jog her memory of years past. It was a more innocent time, where the teenage Cadance would sneak out to have a milkshake and donut with Shining, first her Canterlot Academy sweetheart and then the promising young Royal Guard recruit. Or the two of them would take Twilight Sparkle in an effort to get her out of the castle library for a night - not that it ever "stuck", but Princess Celestia couldn't fault them for trying. There were also a few times she or Shining would go there alone to help Twilight with something she was studying there - that hadn't happened for years at the point Twilight moved to Ponyville. "He's remodeled this place since the last time I was here." Cadance comments, noticing the sign was a different design than she remembered from her teenage years. "Shhhh! Stay here!" Shining warns, gesturing Cadance to stay where she is as he rounds a corner of the donut shop to sneak a peek through the arched windows which lined one side of the building. While waiting, Cadance cocks her head to one side in confusion as a muffled high-pitched voice reached her ears, singing a song that was definitely not part of the usual playlist with Pony Joe's: "You reach your right hoof in/You reach your right hoof out/You reach your right hoof in/And you shake it all about..." Cadance didn't get a chance to listen to the rest of the song because at the end of the first verse Shining reappeared around the corner, eagerly gesturing Cadance over as he does so. His enthusiasm is silent though, so Cadance only trots over cautiously as a result. As soon as she follows Shining back around the corner though... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Oh my goodness!" she exclaims at the sight through the windows in front of her. Sure enough, as Shining's intuition had told him, there was Princess Celestia munching away on a donut, along with Twilight Sparkle and her friends! The Gala dresses were naturally rumpled and dirtied by the events of the night, but otherwise everypony seemed to be OK. "I guess that's Pinkie Pie I was hearing singing." Cadance comments, pointing toward the hyperactive pink earth pony in question "getting down" to her Pony Pokey tune in the far corner of the shop from where Shining and Cadance were watching. "Spike looks good in a tux! Makes me wonder if Rarity struck out with Prince Blueblood though..." Shining points out, gesturing toward Rarity and Spike dancing a little less enthusiastically than Pinkie nearby. "A lot of mares have struck out with him. Rainbow Dash may have had more luck with the Wonderbolts though..." Cadance answers, pointing toward Rainbow Dash staring wide-eyed at what she had to presume was a free ticket to their next show, whenever that may have been. The ticket in question was laying on a big circular table, around which the rest of the party was sitting happily munching donuts. "I see Celestia brought Philomena along. Surprised the Captain didn't mention her missing as well..." Shining points out again, referring to the reincarnated version of the phoenix that was now chittering away with Fluttershy near Celestia. "Captain has bigger things to worry about, probably... wonder where Applejack got those bits from though, considering all the food I saw was splatted on the floor..." Cadance responds, this time pointing toward Applejack counting out bits from a small sack on the table. "Caddy, Twily noticed us! Wave, wave!" Shining exclaims in a stage whisper as through the window Twilight Sparkle's face lit up with joy and she began waving a foreleg toward them. Both Shining and Cadance also noticed Princess Celestia look over and give a wink as they returned the waving... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "30... 31... 32... Who ya wavin' at, sugarcube?" Applejack asks Twilight as she notices the enthusiastic waving, which interrupted her counting of the present of bits Princess Celestia had given her to make up for barely selling anything at the Gala itself. "Oh, that's my... hey, where did they go?! They were right there in the window!" Twilight begins to explain, only to be stopped by the sudden disappearance of Shining Armor and Princess Cadance from the window where she spotted them! Applejack follows Twilight's gaze, seeing nothing through the window, then turns back to her bit counting: "I don't see anyponies through those windows. I think those double chocolate donuts are playin' tricks with yer mind..." "But I saw them there, I'm sure of it! You saw them too, right Princess?" a dismayed and confused Twilight asks Princess Celestia, turning to face the alicorn princess as she does so. "Indeed I did, dearest student." Celestia replies with her usual gracious smile and tone of voice. "But I am sure they have other things to attend to tonight, they may only have shown up here looking for where we went." Twilight immediately shows her disappointment, both ears and pose drooping at the thought she wouldn't be able to introduce her friends to her "Big Brother Best Friend Forever", along with the old fillysitter she still held in high regard even years later. "Do not worry Twilight Sparkle, I'm sure you will be able to introduce them to your friends another time." Celestia adds upon seeing Twilight's disappointment. "I guess you're right..." Twilight replies with a half-shrug, the disappointment lingering in her expression... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "You know Shining, this getting dragged around everywhere business is getting old real fast!" Cadance shouts in irritation as she found herself once again scrambling to keep up with the galloping Shining Armor. "I know, I want to talk with them too, but I've got orders!" Shining calls back. "The Captain will be worried sick if we don't head straight back to the castle!" "What about Prince Blueblood, then? Shouldn't we look for him too?" Cadance suggests. "I don't have a clue where to start looking! Hopefully somepony will come up with one, or that he's just lost in the castle somewhere and the Luna shift will find him there." Shining responds. "Let's hope he's still in the city somewhere, because they can't close the gates for the night until all the Gala guests have left the city." Cadance comments, worry crossing her face again... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MEANWHILE, OUTSIDE THE CITY WALLS... As it turned out, Cadance's fears were well justified. After his humiliation at the Gala (and nearly getting trampled in the animal stampede Fluttershy triggered), Prince Blueblood took advantage of the confusion to make a quick exit from the castle, ditching his damaged clothing in the process to make himself less recognizable. Not used to galloping for long periods of time, he had to stop repeatedly and duck into side alleys to catch his breath, both bemoaning his increasingly dirty and sweaty condition and wondering how in Equestria the tactics he had hoped would convince Rarity to join the pro-unicorn rebellion had failed so spectacularly. There was, of course, only one logical answer to the speculation, and that caused a simmering anger to begin bubbling with Blueblood. That, plus certainty of further humiliation if he was trapped in the city by the gates shutting for the night, was the only thing that drove him forward through the city streets and out southwest toward where he was supposed to rendezvous with Lieutenant Troilus and the rag-tag "army" Troilus had rallied together, supposedly to attack the remnant Agents of Chaos forces near the Las Pegasus road. As soon as the city gate disappeared from view, the first signs of the pro-unicorn "army" appeared as torches huddled around a campfire just off the main path of the road. This "army" was certainly not an impressive sight for Blueblood to regard - several dozen unarmored unicorns, with large knives as their only real weapons. The only ponies with armor were Lieutenant Troilus himself and his two Guard subordinates that would join him in the illegal campaign, Guard Upper Class Lyacon and Guard Lower Class Petronius. The gleaming of the armor made the three Guard stallions stand out, and Prince Blueblood headed straight for them, snorting from a combination of exhaustion and the building fury within him. Some members of the "army" stepped aside to let him pass by toward the campfire, giving a pronouncement that sounded rather hollow at the moment: "The True Prince of the Unicorns has arrived!" "Good to see you, Your Highness. The sooner we can move out, the better. Is Your Highness ready to go?" Lieutenant Troilus asks Blueblood as soon as the latter stops near him around the firepit, his tone seeming to be completely unconcerned by Blueblood's condition. The shrugging irrelevance of Troilus' tone was the last straw for Blueblood, who finally was able to vent his rage: "YOU FILTHY CAD! YOU LIED TO ME! EVERYTHING YOU TOLD ME ABOUT RARITY WAS A LIE! I MADE A COMPLETE FOOL OF MYSELF AT THE BIGGEST SOCIAL EVENT OF THE YEAR, AND I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO SHOW MY FACE AROUND THE CASTLE EVER AGAIN!" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blueblood's outburst draws the attention of every unicorn around him, stopping all conversation in its tracks, and the prince quickly becomes painfully aware of this fact as he swings his head side-to-side after venting his rage. Lyacon and Petronius exchange worried looks, but Troilus remains unphased by the outburst. The renegade Lieutenant instead assumes a confident smirk, and his reply has a calm edge in its tone: "Alright, I did lie about Rarity. I never visited her establishment or order any of her fine clothes. But fortunately for me, the die is already cast for Your Highness. Unless you'd think it a good idea to go crawling back before the alicorns to beg their forgiveness for treachery." Blueblood's eyes go wide, and he looks around at the rebel unicorn "army" with their attention riveted on him. He spins around once, seeing himself completely surrounded by "supporters", and finally he realizes what his ego did not previously allow him to admit - all this was Troilus' plan all along, that the lowly Lieutenant had completely outwitted him and banked on Blueblood's ego not allowing him to bail on the dangerous assignment. He dared not go back, he could only push forward with the campaign, and the confident smirk of Lieutenant Troilus was the clearest indication of the truth of that statement. Blueblood's eyes narrow into angry slits, and his voice drops very quiet as he once again approaches Troilus. The prince's words are icy cold and emphasized with a forehoof pushing into Troilus' armor: "I will serve as your ruling prince, but if I find you have lied to me about anything else, I will snap your neck with my own hooves, even if it means being cast into Tartarus for all eternity!" "Of course, Your Highness. The army is waiting, we will move under cover of darkness and rest during the day. Let's get going." Troilus smoothly replies, the words punching above their weight as the final confirmation of the anti-pegasus campaign's start. Prince Blueblood's "worst night ever" had ensured his entanglement in the illegal campaign headed by Lieutenant Troilus, and the trajectory toward future disasters was now unable to be altered. Blood and pain was set in the future of many Equestrians, even if they had no idea about it at the time...