February 21st, 1001 Domina Solaria
A solitary hoofstep breaks the excited chatter as Rarity paces down the neat line of her herdmates. Keen blue eyes inspect their Grand Galloping Gala dresses like a commander before a parade. She idly flicks off a speck of dirt off Fluttershy’s gown; satisfied, she moves to Pinkie Pie.
“Come on, Rarity!” shouts Rainbow Dash from her spot second in line, accenting her words with a brief flutter of cerulean wings. “We’re going to be stuck outside with the statues all night if you don’t hurry up!”
“You can’t rush perfection,” Rarity retorts as Pinkie Pie brandishes her golden ticket. Only a hard stare keeps the pink pony from pronking past, her presence practically pushing her back into position.
“Some of us wouldn’t mind being stuck outside,” Fluttershy quietly says, looking at the beautiful gardens around them. Not as fascinating as the gardens inside the castle, of course. Especially because these gardens don’t have any of the rare and exotic critters! She waves at Trixie, the azure unicorn none too happy at playing chaperone for the eight fillies of the herd on such a big night. Even though five of them have their cutie marks the vote was nearly unanimous against them, especially the Cutie Mark Crusaders, being left without any supervision.
“Yeah, well, we best be going, y’all. If’n you want to keep your place in line, you’d better hurry up!” Applejack sticks her tongue out as Rarity turns and glares. Careful not to get her fancy boots dirty, Applejack begins their procession. The other ponies waiting to enter Canterlot Castle stop, allowing the eight Element wielders a clear path to the drawbridge and main gates.
“I can’t wait to get in!” Pinkie Pie licks her lips in anticipation of the glorious treats inside. “Do you think they’ll have cake? I hope they have cake!”
“Who knows,” Fluttershy remarks, glancing up at the alicorn at the top of the red carpeted steps. Her Highness, Princess Celestia, is meeting each pony after they have been introduced, oftentimes with a short nod and brief greeting. “If Princess Celestia is stuck here, we might have a chance!”
Rarity’s quick inspection clears Twilight, Spike, and Doug. The white unicorn quickly struts to her place second in line, only a tiny huff showing her displeasure with her lead mare. “Princess Celestia knows to share with her little ponies. She’s not going to eat all the cake.”
“You never know,” Pinkie Pie says as they approach the ceremonial guard standing by the gates. “Rumor has it she eats anypony who gets too close to her cakes!”
“That only happened with you, Pinkie Pie,” Applejack says with a snort, though her eyes squint as she rapidly looks from side to side. “...Twice.”
The line of ponies moves swiftly, the announcer regally projecting their names and occasional noteworthy bit. Applejack hoofs her ticket over; the announcer reads the ticket before clearing his throat and grandly stating,
“The Element of Honesty, Applejack!”
The crowd of ponies politely stomp their hooves as Applejack moseys through, her elegant Stetson exaggerating the slight bows of her head. Her braided tail peeks out from underneath her brown saddle, the green dress draping down her sides. Two green hoofkerchiefs, cinched with a red apple, wrap across her chest. She briefly nods to Princess Celestia, getting a twinkling smile in return. She walks off to the side, noting a couple of Canterlot’s finest chefs and restaurateurs, but really looking for a place to set up her wagon filled with Sweet Apple Acres delicacies.
“The Element of Generosity, stylist and dressmaker at the Carousel Boutique in Ponyville, Rarity!”
Rarity coyly flicks her purple mane as she struts through the gates, a few catcalls mixing with the cheers echoing around. Her pink dress, accented in magenta and gold, nearly covers her in ruffles. The flash of lights glitter off her gems and golden crown, teal glass slippers covering her hooves. She bows to Princess Celestia, the Princess inclining her head. Several of the nobleponies watch her through the corner of their eyes, trading slight smirks as she joins Applejack.
Twilight leans over to Doug, whispering, “Wait, you can change what’s written on your ticket?”
Rainbow Dash steps up, hoofing over her golden ticket, then stepping back smugly. The announcer clears his throat as he peers down, then does a double take, his eyes focusing on the tiny script. He announces,
“The Element of Loyalty, defeater of Nightmare Moon and liberator of Princess Luna-”
Rainbow grins, basking in the praise, lights glinting off her gold strapped shoes as she waves.
Doug nods. He folds his gloved hands, knuckles adorned with the seven cutie marks of the mares in the herd, over the metal cuirass of his spruced up Nightmare Night costume. “Yup; Rarity showed Rainbow how to change it.”
“-Only known performer of the incredible Sonic Rainboom, savior of the Wonderbolts-”
“She couldn’t figure it out on her own?” Twilight smirks.
“Obviously not,” Rainbow retorts, bowing as she takes to the air. The clouds along the train of her dress float up and down, a rolling rainbow down her flanks. “I’m not an egghead.”
“-Winner of the Best Young Flyers competition, and one of the fastest pegasi alive-”
Twilight groans. “How long is this?”
Doug rolls his eyes, clicking his polished boots against each other. “This is the half she didn’t cut.”
“-The Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash!”
Rainbow Dash blasts forward, striking a few poses to the cheer of the crowd and flashing lights. She skids to a stop in front of Princess Celestia, the alicorn bumping her raised hoof.
Fluttershy walks up almost as an afterthought, though the attention being off her is not unwelcome in the slightest.
“The Element of Kindness, Fluttershy!”
Fluttershy slinks forwards in her lovely green dress, barely able to lift a hoof to wave. A few flowers break free of her mane as she scurries off to hide behind Applejack and Rarity, the two staring daggers at the still showboating Rainbow Dash.
“The Element of Laughter, Pinkie Pie!”
“Woohoo!” shouts Pinkie Pie, two previously unnoticed party cannons going off and showering the area with confetti. She pronks through the gates, grinning uproariously, her blue and white striped dress mesmerizing as she twirls around.
Twilight coughs out a few pieces of confetti, waving Spike forward as she recovers.
The announcer takes Spike’s ticket, barely sparing a glance to the dragon. He stands a little straighter upon reading the script, his imperial voice ringing out,
“It is my great pleasure today to introduce her Highness Princess Celestia’s personal student-”
Spike stands tall, puffing his white ruffled chest out and beaming. He lifts his arms, flexing, though the black sleeves of the suit cover his muscles. He waves as he walks forward, grinning at the ponies smiling all around him.
“-and the Element of Magic and Friendship, Twilight Sparkle!”
The stomp of the hooves is nearly deafening as Spike freezes like a statue, frozen by the flashing lights and cheers.
Twilight Sparkle, nearly as stunned, starts walking forward, only to be stopped by the guard. “Sorry, ma’am, you’ll need to wait your turn.”
“But-” Twilight pleads, watching as a magical nudge gets Spike to start walking forward. Rainbow Dash can barely contain her laughter, and even Princess Celestia seems to have trouble holding her motherly smile together.
The guard cuts her off. “There, now you can go.” He slips backwards, a gracious smile as he motions forward.
Twilight Sparkle, with great reluctance, hoofs her ticket to the announcer. He takes the ticket, his eyebrows briefly narrowing. His eyes flick up to Twilight, then to Spike, then to the ticket again. In his most majestic voice, the kind he reserves for Princess Celestia and visiting heads of state, he announces,
“Guest.”
The crowd mostly goes silent, a few scattered hoof stomps that quickly stop. Twilight Sparkle hangs her head, looking ready to die of embarrassment, until Rainbow Dash points a hoof.
“Bwa-ha-ha-ha!” she rings out, somersaulting in the air. “Priceless!”
The announcer can’t hide his smirk any longer, covering it by bowing deeply and motioning forwards. He stands as Twilight tepidly walks through, taking Doug’s ticket.
“Come, Twilight,” Princess Celestia gently intones from the top of the stairs, though it feels like she is right next to Twilight, words for nopony else. She lifts a hoof, inviting Twilight in for a hug. “I suspect you have learned a valuable lesson this day.”
“Yes.” Twilight Sparkle bounds forward and gratefully accepts the hug, wishing she could disappear into that rainbow tail and never come out. “I’m never going outside again.”
“Doug Apple, Stallion of the Elements of Harmony.”
Polite hoofstomps quickly die as the lone human walks through the gates. “And Trixie!” comes a shout from outside, drawing scattered laughter from the guests. Doug turns, waving at the azure unicorn, before continuing up the red carpet to greet Celestia. Twilight briefly quails as the white alicorn lifts up, bemoaning even the temporary loss of contact with her beloved mentor. He reaches a hand forward, sparing a soft smile for Twilight before he locks eyes with Celestia.
Standing on her hind legs doesn’t buy Celestia a lot of extra height, but it does free up her forelegs. Her barrel slides along the armor on his chest, one hoof wrapping around his neck while the other tugs at his waist. Her long neck dips down as she draws a surprised but not objecting Doug in for a long, passionate kiss.
The crowd goes silent.
“There,” Celestia says in a quiet voice as she briefly pulls away. She rests her hoof on his shoulder, smiling fondly. “Now you don’t have to worry about anypony finding out about us.”
Doug, stunned, barely holds onto Celestia with one hand while the other delicately touches two fingers to his lips. “I…” he stammers, taking in a deep breath. “I guess that’s one way to do it.”
“Now one for the cameras.” Celestia grins as her mane briefly ties back into a ponytail. She pulls herself close, Doug gladly meeting her, fully exposed to the multitude of flashing lights around them. She whispers, a twinkle in her eye, “Perhaps we should meet again at a less… conspicuous location.”
“As you wish,” Doug formally states as Celestia, with great reluctance, lets go. She gracefully turns her descent into a low bow, Doug returning the same. Doug turns, briskly walking without a backwards glance towards the rest of the herd.
“W-what?” Twilight barely manages to eke out. “What just...?” She glances up at the alicorn regally standing next to her as if nothing out of the ordinary happened, merely waiting to receive the next guest.
“He is nothing if not adaptable,” Celestia returns, smiling as the next few ponies are announced. “Besides, I think this way nopony will remember anything that happened before it.” She briefly winks at Twilight before turning to the next pony.
“Good evening, Auntie,” formally addresses the large white stallion. His teal eyes, swimming in mirth, flick down to Twilight Sparkle. “And Guest.”
“Except for this gentlestallion,” Princess Celestia returns harshly, her voice capable of chilling ice. “Nephew.”
“Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” Prince Blueblood, dark blue bowtie nearly as large as his grin, nods to both of them. “You are both looking particularly radiant.”
“Thank you, Lunaris.” Princess Celestia nods in return, Twilight Sparkle following after a moment’s hesitation.
“In fact, I’d say you were almost as radiant as me.” Lunaris Blueblood winks at Twilight before his head turns, ignoring the two mare’s glares. “Ah, I see my rendezvous, as it were, is waiting patiently at our rendezvous for our… rendezvous.” He turns back to Twilight and Celestia, bowing again. “It is with great regret that I must bid you adieu.” He flicks them another smile as he practically parades himself towards Rarity.
“Is he always that…” Twilight twirls a hoof around, searching for a word that she could utter while the pony in question is still in earshot.
“Believe it or not, he toned it down,” Princess Celestia replies as the line of guests proceed along the red carpet.
“Doug!” Lunaris calls as he approaches the human mingling with five mares. Each has a look of bemused mirth or a slight smirk, as if the events seconds before came to them as far less of a surprise than to him. His eyes briefly meet each of theirs. “I should have met each of you last month, aboard the Priestess, but a certain pink pony had other ideas. Please allow me to introduce myself; I…” he stoops for a slight bow, “...am Prince Lunaris Blueblood. A pleasure to meet all of you for the first time.” A mischievous smile crosses his muzzle as he looks to Spike. “Except for you. How could I forget my best friend’s sister, Twilight Sparkle?”
“Hey!” cries Rarity as Spike folds his claws across his suit. “Don’t you pick on him! Can’t you see he feels awful about that!”
“I…” Prince Blueblood says, momentarily taken aback. “...I just thought that I-”
Rarity snorts, interrupting him. “You thought an uncouth remark like that would be taken kindly? Perhaps if you were the Prince of Filth!” She rears up, ready to continue unleashing insults upon the hapless unicorn, though stays her vengeance upon seeing his contrite look.
“...You’re right.” Lunaris stands up straight, taking a deep breath. “I am sorry, Spike the Dragon. I should have realized how you felt about the ticket.” He turns to Rarity, offering a penitent bow. “It shall not happen again.” He sighs, but to himself, regretful and disappointed.
“Well, perhaps if you are a gentlestallion the remainder of the night you can be forgiven. One slip up should not a character define.” Rarity nuzzles Doug, waving to her herdmates, then looks around for a few of the nobleponies whose eyes she caught.
“How is he the third pony to call me that already?” demands Spike, growling as he scratches at the carpet.
“Pretty sure Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie don’t count,” returns Doug, watching Rarity practically prance away with Lunaris in tow. He turns to each of the mares. “I think I’m going to go lay low,” Doug says, a smirk growing. “You know, get the rumor mill started nice and early. I’ll try to catch up with each of you later.”
Applejack pulls Doug down, whispering in his ear, barely loud enough for the rest of the herd to listen in as they gather close. “Look. Ah know Celestia’s been interested in you for, well, probably since she met you. But don’t go doing nothing rash, ya hear? Especially inviting her to the herd; it ain’t something we’ve considered and all. And Ah don’t know how comfortable Ah am with the notion.”
Doug nods, though he has a difficult time ruffling Applejack’s mane with the heavy braid. He trades nuzzles with each pony as they leave. Applejack goes to the kitchens to retrieve her cart she had sent earlier. Rainbow Dash spots Spitfire and a cadre of Wonderbolts, zipping to join them. Fluttershy, already anxious to get away from the main entrance, heads towards the secluded gardens. Pinkie Pie heads inside to the main party, hoping to get her groove on.
Doug stays squatting, watching the other ponies mostly avoid them. “Want to walk back with me, Spike?”
Spike shrugs. “Eh, sure. Not like there’s a lot here that I wanted to do. I was hoping to get some food, but I guess I can always come back.” He glances around. “So, you and Celestia, huh?”
Doug sighs as he stands. “I’m not sure what exactly to think about it, Spike. It’s not like I don’t want it. I just haven’t thought it all the way through.” He looks outside. “Maybe walking through the gardens will help with that. Keep Trixie company for a little bit, see the foals.”
“Yeah, I guess I wouldn’t mind that.” Spike shrugs. “Gives us something to do, at least.”
The two quickly catch up, Trixie marginally better than a cardboard cutout at keeping the fillies from scampering all over the statues that ring the gardens along the outer walls. Trixie plods along, barely sparing a glance to the statue of a pony posing with two hooves raised in triumph, or the weird statue that looks like a horrible amalgamation of creatures mashed together, or the statue of three fillies playing on top of each other with bright and cheery smiles.
“What do you think that one is?” Scootaloo shouts, scampering up to the statue of three fillies. “Do you think it could be us?”
“Nuh-uh,” replies Apple Bloom with a callous shake of her head. “It’s three earth ponies! See?” She motions up, the lack of wings or horn immediately apparent.
“Oh.” Sweetie Belle sighs, clearly disappointed. “At least it’s better than that victorious statue.”
“Yeah, who wants to be victoryful anyway?” Scootaloo shakes her head, peering up at the weird mixup of creatures. “And what’s a…” she squints, trying to read the well-worn label as a small blob of purple and black magic escapes her chest. It floats up unnoticed, disappearing into the statue without a trace. “...Draco in leather pants?”
“Ah don’t think we’re supposed to talk about leather.” Apple Bloom trots over, mouth contorting to a puzzled grimace. A second ball of purple and black rises from her as she looks over at Scootaloo. “Ah don’t think we’re supposed to talk about this, either.”
Sweetie Belle joins her sisters in staring up at the weird creature. “Yeah. Hey, let’s go see what’s up ahead! I think there’s this big garden maze we can get lost in!” She scampers off to catch up with Doug, Trixie, and the other five fillies. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo quickly outpace her, none noticing the third ball of purple and black magic that pulls away from Sweetie Belle and quickly absorbed by the statue. “Hey, wait for me!”
An unearthly cracking rends the quiet air, fissures splitting the stone of the draconequus statue. Everypony turns, gasping as sharp shards explode outwards. A solitary figure strides out of the giant cloud of dust, a ominous yet cheery voice shouting.
“I’m immortal again!! Omnipotent again!!”