//------------------------------// // A Ponyville Mare in Queen Concordia's Court // Story: Starlight and Spike's Excellent Adventure // by MisterEdd //------------------------------// "Okay, so this is really happening..." Starlight paced back and forth, the unicorn mustering all of her strength as to not freak out. While on what was supposed to be a nice, ordinary vacation with her friends, she and Spike inadvertently ended up somehow trapped in the past and, so far, no way to reverse the process. How long before Twilight and the others had realized that the two were missing? Would they figure out what happened or spend months, even years looking in the wrong place? Would she and Spike be forced to live out the rest of their lives here, in an Equestria they were unfamiliar with and far away from their friends and family? "Right, got to stay positive," Starlight said aloud, more to herself than to Spike. "So...what do we do now?" Spike merely stared at her. "Why are you asking me? You've time traveled before." "Yeah but I did it while in a revenge-blinded rage. I'm not exactly an expert on the subject." "Well, can't you just poof us back to the present?" Starlight heaved a heavy sigh. "I don't have a spell for that and I destroyed the scroll I used the last time. I don't know how exactly to get us home." Spike scratched his chin in thought. "Maybe this could work out. You're a history buff, right? What era are we in?" "Well, judging by the banners on the castle's spires, this is post-Great War Equestria and they all bear the royal sigil of Queen Concordia as opposed to her husband King Solaris, so I'd say it's at least twenty years into her reign." The dragon pondered on this. "Wait a minute, that means that Clover the Clever is still around! We could ask him for help!" Starlight's face lit up with the epiphany. "You're right! He's one of the queen's advisors. If anypony could help us, it'd be him!" "Great, now remember, we must adhere to the Time Traveler's Code if we're going to get through this without causing any time paradoxes." "'Time Traveler's Code'? 'Time paradoxes'?" "You know, avoiding making drastic changes that could change future events?" Spike gave her an expectant look as if this was all common knowledge. "Erm, you've kind of lost me." Spike rubbed his face. "Okay, remember the comic 'Power Ponies: Tomorrow's War Today'? In it, Mistress Mare-velous has to go back in time to prevent the terrible future from occurring. Now, while she was in the past, it was very important to make sure certain events played out to ensure that her own future would be secure, such as not interfering with the fight between the Power Ponies and Professor Mayhem, in which Masked Matterhorn injures her hindleg. It was vital that Mistress Mare-velous did nothing to affect the fight since Matterhorn's injury is what spared her from the Metal-Horses' uprising and allowed her to send Mare-velous back in time in the first place." "Okay..." "All we have to do is avoid interfering with major historical events. If we do, the end result could be very bad." Starlight rubbed her ear. “I’m fuzzy on the while good/bad thing. What do you mean, ‘bad?’” “Try to imagine all time coming to a stretching halt," Spike began in a dire tone of voice. "Up would be down, left would be right and all of existence would cease to be.” "So that's 'bad.' Okay, got it." Staring off at the castle in the distance, Starlight took a deep breath. "Come on, let's get going." By the time the two chrononauts approached Canterlot's outer wall, they found themselves in the back of a small line of ponies, all of them either peasants or visiting traders. The gates were fifteen feet high and constructed out of solid reinforced oak and large bands of iron, adding their imposing visage. A cadre of armored guards stood on either side of the dirt road leading up to the gates, their faces grim and postures stiff. Starlight and Spike waited patiently as the line inched them closer and closer to the gates while the others in the queue, almost exclusively ponies, gave the pair weird looks. They must not be used to dragons and ponies traveling together. Starlight rationalized. A half hour passed before the duo found themselves under the careful scrutiny of the light red-brown furred unicorn guard. "What brings you into Canterlot?" "I wish to apply for a job as a servant in the castle," Starlight stated. One of the unicorn guard's eyebrows went up. "Is that so?" He then stared down at Spike. "Do you make it a habit of traveling with baby dragons?" Starlight bit her lip. "He's uh, a fool, a simpleton that I found wandering alongside the road." She looked at Spike pleadingly. "Isn't that right, Spike?" Comprehending Starlight's plan, Spike grinned idiotically. "Dirt feels nice under Spike's toes." "I'm...sure that it does," the guard muttered and then waved them through. "Next!" "I can't believe that actually worked!" Starlight murmured once they were safe enough away. "And I can't believe you cast me as 'the simpleton.' Why can't you be the simpleton?" "Because you don't know how to speak the dialect. If we're going to blend in, we can't have anypony thinking that we're not from around here," Starlight reasoned as they passed the main entrance and interspersed into the crowd. "So for right now, just let me do the talking." They were astounded at how different Canterlot was from the one in their present time. The houses and businesses were smaller, many of which were timber-framed brick structures with overhanging upper floors-known as "jetties"-being a common feature as they helped protect the lower floors from the weather. From what Starlight recalled from her history classes, thatched roofs were once the norm before a series of fires forced King Solaris to issue an edict banning the usage of thatching. Instead, roofs became constructed out of wooden shingles, stone slabs, or clay tiles and remained that way for a few centuries before giving way to asphalt shingles and clay roof tiles. Ponies leaned out of their windows to greet one another, beat the dust out of their rugs, or to empty buckets of something that Starlight quite frankly didn't wish to dwell on. Spike nervously shuffled next to Starlight, shrinking slightly under the glares that watched his every move, ranging from suspicious to frightened. It reminded him too much of his childhood back in present-day Canterlot, back when ponies were a lot crueler to him, especially the ones that either failed to realize or simply didn't care that he was Princess Celestia's ward. This led to him spending a lot more time cooped up at the castle out of fear but both Princess Celestia and Twilight helped him through those times and was eternally grateful to them both. In contrary to his outside demeanor, Spike still harbored a fear of rejection and though he never seriously believed it, dreaded that day he would mature into a full-grown dragon and be rejected as a monster. The incident where he allowed his greed to temporarily turn him into a mindless beast certainly didn't help. Starlight noticed Spike's apprehension and gently placed a hoof on his shoulder, her smile one of reassurance. Spike returned it and began to walk taller, clearly still a bit nervous but now more at ease. The two passed through the marketplace, which was unsurprisingly crowded almost entirely by ponies, both buying and selling their wares. The few non-equine vendors were griffons, zebras, deer, and even a diamond dog. Stopping by a flower vendor, Starlight waved at the earth pony behind the counter, a lovely young mare with a pale blonde mane and turquoise coat. "Hello, how may I assist you today?" "Actually, I was wondering if you could tell me where Clover the Clever could be found?" The flower mare looked curiously at Starlight, down at Spike, then back at Starlight. "Master Clover lives further within the city, I think. I don't know where but perhaps you could try the castle?" "Thank you! Have a nice day!" "Why did you have to ask where Clover is?" Spike whispered once they were out of earshot. "Wouldn't he be at the castle in the first place?" Starlight whispered back, "No, at this stage in his life, Clover took a less active role in the royal court. He still visited the castle from time to time but his visits were brief and rather sporadic." "So, to the castle?" "To the castle." Canterlot Castle resembled the one that Starlight and Spike knew, with its great spires and crenelated battlements, however, the gold and purple color scheme was replaced instead with rose and sapphire. Several copies of the then-current Equestrian national flag-a unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony forming a triangle on a background of blue, green, and purple-fluttered in the breeze from atop the towers. A series of banners hung from the castle's outer walls, each one depicting the silhouette of a reddish-pink alicorn grasping a pair of golden balanced scales over a field of sky blue. Beneath the alicorn was the phrase "Ordo et iustitia" or "Order and justice." This was the personal crest of Queen Concordia, mother of Princesses Celestia and Luna, widow of King Solaris, and current prevailing ruler of Equestria. She was also something of a xenophobe and overly-cautious, which tended to border on paranoia. Many scholars and historians connected this to the death of her husband and the period of rebuilding following the Umbrum-Draconequus War, placing her in an intense state of stress due to being a widow, a single mother, and the sole ruler of an entire kingdom. Starlight sympathized with Concordia but was still on her guard. She didn't believe Concordia would try to hurt Spike but if she did, Starlight wouldn't hesitate to move against the queen, even if it was an adept unicorn taking on an experienced alicorn with an army behind her. Starlight instinctively moved closer to Spike. Two armored guards literally stood between them and their goal. "Halt!" The guards crossed their spears. The larger of the two eyed Starlight suspiciously. "What business brings you and your...companion to the castle?" "Good day, sir. I am but a bitless maiden traveling with this poor simpleton as my only friend. I have come here in hopes of being employed in such a position as befitting my station." She elbowed Spike, who sighed and shouted, "Gem, gem, gem, right for Spike! Right for Spike!" The big guard cocked a brow and nodded to his fellow guard, withdrawing their spears and stepping out of the way. "Keep straight and take the first right turn. Take a left and remain there until you are seen." "Thank you, kind sirs," Starlight bowed and passed them with Spike in tow. They adhered to the directions perfectly, mostly due to the guard that was stationed every twelve feet on either side of the hallways. Hard, cold eyes peered at the two through their iron helms, tracking their every movement. It seemed as though Queen Concordia had serious security concerns, that or her paranoia was downplayed in the history books. The walls are bare, except for lit sconces, lacking paintings or other such decorative ornaments, giving the castle a cold ambiance that'd long been banished by the time of Princess Celestia's reign. Starlight wondered what Queen Concordia was like before the war, if she was a much kinder and sociable pony or if she'd always been like this. As per the guard's directions, Starlight and Spike soon found themselves at the entrance to the throne room. Two guards stood vigilantly with spears raised and grimaces deeply set into their faces. "Excuse me, but I'm here to apply for a position with the castle staff?" One of the guards peered past her and at her draconic companion. "Oh! This is a poor fool I found wandering around," Starlight lied through a large grin. "Spike...Dragon," Spike lisped slightly with his arms raised above his head. The guard frowned but pushed one of the doors open. "Enter." "Thank you kindly. Come, Spike!" The throne room was virtually the same as its future counterpart, except the sun and moon motifs were replaced with the rose and sapphire color scheme and the alicorn-and-balanced-scales banners seen on the castle's exterior. Blue, green and purple light filtered in through the stain glass windows, highlighting the colorfully-dressed ponies attending court. A five-pony band, playing on lutes, rebecs, flutes, drums, and harps, skillfully filled the throne room with a graceful melody that could've soothed a rampaging hydra. An earth pony in a jester's motley was juggling three wooden rods, trying and failing to impress the rather bored-looking audience. What captured Starlight and Spike's attention, however, was the alicorn seated atop an alabaster throne, wearing a small golden crown encrusted with jewels and a dark blue dress with light blue highlights. She looks like Princess Cadence...or rather, Princess Cadence looks like her. The resemblance between Princess Cadence and Queen Concordia was striking, given their facial features, more elongated bodies and limbs, taller-than-average heights, and reddish-pink coats. However, Concordia had a violet, blue and rose-pink mane and her eyes were a dark, listless gold that actively peered sharply over the court. The queen's more rigidly formal posture and austere, almost stoic expression solidified the contrast between the two mares. It was somehow a forgone conclusion in Starlight's mind that the queen had long since forgotten how to display any kind of positive emotion. At the queen's left side was a yellow-green pegasus dressed in a maroon-colored doublet and white, gilded ruff, a golden badge pinned to the right side of his chest and connected to a matching chain of office. His dark green mane was brushed back against his head and his facial hair styled in a curly mustache and pointed goatee. It took a moment but Starlight was able to gleam his cutie mark: an ornate, old-fashioned silver key. The stallion's demeanor was equally dismissive, except in more of an overbearingly arrogant way, as opposed to the queen's general remoteness. Given his close proximity to Concordia, the stallion was, in all likelihood, the queen's chamberlain, or personal assistant. Meanwhile, a large, muscle-bound earth pony stallion was stationed on the queen's right side, fully dressed in shimmering armor and cradling a helmet in one foreleg. Beneath his armor, the earth pony was a dark grayish amaranth with a turquoise beard and a shaved head. Starlight immediately recognized him as Morari the Maneless, veteran of the Umbrum-Draconequus War and captain of Queen Concordia's royal guard. Beside him rested his signature weapon Earth-Breaker, a long-handled war-hammer with a steel, octagonal head bigger than a pony's skull and a thick spike jutting from one side. The hammer was said to be so heavy that it took six full-grown ponies just to manually lift it and that it could take down an ursa major in just one blow, a claim Starlight found to be completely ridiculous to the point of hilarious absurdity. Morari glanced at the newcomers and although he too bore a stoic expression, it was one crafted from stark professionalism rather than maligned pride or genuine malice. He simply nodded at them before redirecting his dark blue eyes back to staring ahead of him. The court jester, who the audience were barely even acknowledging, continued his juggling, hopping from hoof to hoof while telling some of the corniest jokes Starlight had ever heard. She only hoped that the queen wouldn't do anything unpleasant to the stallion when he was finished performing. "But why did the gallant knight joust with a lance made of solid cheese?" The jester asked rhetorically as he continued to juggle, now balancing himself on one of his hindlegs. "For you see, dear listeners, it was because...the cheese was extra sharp!" "Stop!" The chamberlain barked at the jester, who squealed in alarm, falling onto his hindquarters and dropping his wooden rods. "Cap'n Bells, you've failed in your singular duty of entertaining Her Royal Highness. Guards, take this imbecile away!" Two armored guards dragged the hapless jester kicking and screaming past the crowd of royals. "No, please! Give me another chance! Just one more chaaaaaaaaance!" The chamberlain's self-satisfied smirk vanished upon catching sight of Starlight and Spike. "And just who are you?" Prostrating herself, Starlight replied, "Greetings, Good Sir. I am...Stella Bright, a humble subject of Her Majesty Queen Concordia, long may she reign." "Long may she reign," the chamberlain repeated. "What brings you and this dragon to Her Majesty's court?" "I am but a poor mare who has come upon hard times. I journeyed here with the hope of finding employment and I happened upon this simple-minded hatchling wandering around the wilderness." "Wander, wander, wander!" Spike idiotically shouted unprompted. This time, the queen took the opportunity to speak: "I am mother to all of Equestria and thus you are my daughter. The kitchen is in need of a new servant and I expect perfection from all those in my employ. Your...companion, on the other hoof...I have no need of an empty-headed fire-breather." "Your Majesty, if I may say so, Spike is quite gifted in the culinary arts." "Is he now?" Concordia questioned coolly. Starlight nodded. "Indeed he is, Your Majesty. What Spike lacks in mind, he makes up for with cooking skills." "Very well," Concordia sighed with a wave of her hoof. "Silver Key, show them to the kitchen." The chamberlain, evidently named Silver Key, gave her a toothy grin and bowed. "It will be done, Your Majesty." Silver Key said not a word to either Starlight nor Spike as he lead them from the throne room, his quick, long-legged stride speaking volumes of his high opinion of himself and his desire to finish his task as quickly as possible. To ensure they didn't fall behind, Starlight carried Spike on her back, an action that had more than a few heads turning. At this point in history, dragons weren't exactly as common in Equestria as they were in the present, mainly staying in the Dragon Lands and rarely venturing out. Despite being allies with the ponies during the war, the two races tended not to see eye-to-eye and thus the dragons tended to keep to themselves. To have a pony carrying a dragon on their back was almost unthinkable, a task that, if performed, would've been relegated to a donkey, who at this point was the lowest in the equine social caste. They stopped in front of a large oak door just as a red earth pony stepped out of it, her jowls and slightly rotund body suggesting that she may enjoy her sweets a little too much. She was an older mare in her late fifties who, despite her weight, moved with surprising grace and energy not seen in mares of her age or size. The mare's unkempt mane was a light yellow streaked with dark mustard yellow and bound in a large, tight bun. On the mare's flank, there was a cutie mark of a bent spoon with some kind of soup dripping out of the round head. A stain-matted apron served as her only vestment but from her posture and the way that she glared at Silver Key, it may as well have been a gown belonging to a duchess or queen. "Greasy Spoon," Silver Key greeted with a bow and an oily tone. "So nice to see you once more." "Ah, save it for somepony else, silk-britches," the old mare snapped. "I'm not one of your gold-mouthed rich friends so say what's on your mind and be done with it." Struck dumb for a moment, Silver Key quickly recovered, adopting a more sour disposition. "These two are here to work in the kitchens. This is..." "Stella Bright..." "...and her idiot dragon. Show them around, explain to them their daily duties-..." "Yes, yes, I know what I am to do," Greasy Spoon interrupted. "I've been working here far longer than you. I don't tell you how to kiss up to royalty so don't think that you can tell me how to do my job." Silver Key smiled darkly. "Yes, of course, Madame Spoon. Good evening to you." With a slight bow, he turned and marched past Starlight and Spike, not even acknowledging their presence as he made his way down the corridor and out of sight. "Good riddance to bad rubbish," Greasy Spoon muttered, then turned her attention to her new employees. "Greetings to you both. I'm Greasy Spoon, the castle's head cook. Have been for the last twenty years. Now, let's go over where you'll be working." Throwing open a large oak door, Greasy Spoon ushered them through it and into a massive, windowless stone-brick room with rectangular wooden columns and lit iron sconces decorating each wall. There were many stacks of pots, pans, and tubs all pressed up against the wall and nearly reaching the high-set ceiling. Several open fires were situated throughout, all of which consisted of a round stone column, a vertical wooden beam and black iron cauldron. The stone floors had been meticulously swept and dusted, appearing as almost immaculate in their sanitation, showcasing the type of environment that Greasy Spoon operated. The mare in question must've noticed Spike and Starlight's appraisal of the nearly-spotless kitchen because she beamed widely at them. "Impressive, isn't it? There's a reason I've been here so long. Well, that and my cooking." She gestured to the two doors on the wall across from them. "The first door is the bottlery, where the refreshments are kept. The second one is the pantry and that's where we store the fruits, vegetables and other perishable items." There was another door, one on the far right wall, and Greasy Spoon pointed to that one next. "That there's the storeroom. It's for keeping the nonperishable foods: wheat, oats, beans, nuts, seeds, condiments, spices. It's also where we put the cooking utensils, pots, pans, skillets, and cauldrons." Greasy Spoon then jabbed a hoof at Starlight. "Your task is to sweep and scrub the floors, wash the utensils, plates, bowls, and other cooking essentials. Can you cook at all?" "A little-..." "That's good enough." Greasy Spoon then peered down at Spike. "And you...well, you're not very big, are you?" Out of reflex, Spike opened his mouth to speak but Starlight beat him to the punch. "No, but he can cook. Quite well, actually." "Oh really? Then perhaps you'd feel comfortable helping me make the stews?" Spike looked to Starlight and then nodded, "Spike do this." "Very good. Now, you are both to awaken at dawn and be here ready to work. Throughout the day, you will do whatever is asked of you from me, the queen, or the princesses. It doesn't matter in you're in the middle of a task; you can finish it later." Greasy Spoon led the two out of the kitchen and towards a hallway filled with doors. "These here are the servants' quarters. There's not a whole lot of space so you'll be sharing a room with five others. It's the second-to-last door on the left." "Thank you, Madame Spoon," Starlight said gratefully. "When we're alone, 'Greasy' will do," Greasy Spoon smiled warmly. "Now settle in. You begin tomorrow." "Good evening." "Night!" Once Greasy Spoon was out of both eyesight and earshot, Spike let out a sigh of relief. "Man, this whole dumb dragon thing is kind of exhausting." "Hopefully, we won't have to do it for much longer." Starlight opened the door Greasy Spoon had mentioned, revealing a large square room consisting of seven cots and a single small window. Straw lay strewn across the cold floor, most likely to collect what dirt the servants dragged in and out with them. Starlight found an unused one next to the wall and crawled into it, the thin feather mattress buckling and bending beneath her. After a few tries, Spike managed to climb onto his cot and pulled the simple cotton blanket over himself, curling into a little ball as he did so. Although the cots were uncomfortable, it was still better than the floor and at least the blankets kept them warm. "I promise I'm going to get us home," Starlight uttered softly to Spike. "I know you will," Spike affirmed, then turned over so that his back was facing her. Starlight laid on her back, staring up at the ceiling. "I hope so..."