Princess Celestia had moved to her Government office and Shining Armor had arrived to give his report. Shining Armor was accompanied by Captain Quartermane, and Specialist Rainbow Dash who had even worn her weather services uniform. Something that seldom came out of her closet save for when she knew there’d be some pony to impress. Dash also had a shit-eating grin on her face.
“Rainbow Dash, if you knew about the corruption in the Ponyville guard why did you never say anything?” Princess Celestia asked with a bit of confusion.
“Princess, ponies have tried,” Dash offered. “There’d never be any evidence after the fact, or it’d be too little to bother with an investigation, and then the individual suspected of attempting to blow the whistle would get sent off to some wonderful post like Chrystal Station where there’s naught but ice and snow as far as the eye can see. When Mrs Rich came in drunk, and Commander Sparkle on site as it were, I saw my chance to push back a little.”
“And you trusted he’d make things happen?” Celestia asked.
“She’s good friends with my Sister,” Shining Armor offered with a smirk. “If I ever fail to do my duty and Twilight were to find out…”
Celestia smiled and nearly laughed.
“Your highness, considering the affidavits that Shining Armor’s ponies gave, we are going to want a full-scale investigation by internal affairs,” Captain Quartermane suggested. “It kind of looks like Mr Rich has been buying favors from the guard, and not just in Ponyville.”
“Ah…” Dash said unsure if she liked that idea of getting swept up into a full-scale investigation.
“Specialist Dash, you’ve been working around the clock, doing weather jobs day and night, and covering for the local Guard Constable. With that many pots on the fire, you're permitted a nap or three,” Shining Armor offered.
“Oh, good. I might have been just a little worried about that. Considering so many ponies don’t have a clue about all the work we do at night. Patrols, scheduling rain, dealing with rogue weather from the Everfree. It’s a lot to do.”
“We’ll have to see to it you get enough ponies to cover for you while you are at OTS as well,” Celestia offered with a smile.
“Oh, tea es?” Dash Asked with a bit of confusion.
“Officer training school,” Shining offered.
“Who me? An officer?”
“You’ll be able to apply to the Wonderbolts,” Celestia offered with a smile.
“Really? Does this mean I finally made the cut?”
“In a matter of Speaking,” Celestia offered. “Specialist Rainbow Dash, I need you to keep what I’m about to tell you a secret from everyone for a bit.”
“Yes Ma’am,” Dash said snapping to attention.
“You and the other element bearers have been selected for knighthood. What that means for you is an automatic Captaincy in the reserves.”
“A Captaincy?” Dash said softly. “And I have to keep it a secret? From everyone?”
“You can tell your parents,” Celestia offered.
“No, they’ll take out a full-page ad in the Canterlot Times, the Cloudsdale Gazette, and any other news publications they can think of.”
“Oh dear, You’ll be able to tell everyone once everything is finalized. We might even do the knighting ceremony at the Gala.” Celestia said with a smile. “As for right now, being as Scootaloo already knows you were up for consideration, you’d be able to talk to her.”
“But they're…”
“Around here somewhere,” Celestia offered. “They went down to get identification tags, and I think they were thinking of surprising Sweetie Belle who is over at the School for Gifted Unicorns. I’m assuming she’s here to do her placement test.”
“Identification tags?” Dash asked.
“With the lockdown due to the ongoing active threats, guards were implementing protocols that don’t normally get fully enforced, and some were a bit jumpy,” Captain Quartermane offered.
“Probably a good thing I wore my uniform,” Dash offered. “If I may ask?”
“Several individuals were taken into custody who’d been actively targeting Sunset,” Celestia supplied.
“Wow! Just because ponies know she’s your Daughter? “That’s mighty sour apples on their part. Sunset’s a right sensible filly from what I know about her,” Dash offered. “Not perfect mind you, and whatever she said to that Diamond Tiara Rich filly, she probably had it coming. - I got an earful from her mother. And if she hadn’t have been drunk, disorderly, and making threats against just about every pony, I might have actually listened.”
“So what are the Rich family-like,” Celestia asked.
“They inherited their money, mostly, and the business dealings, if I’m to base my opinion of what they talked Granny Smith into, aren’t exactly on the up and up. On top of that, they think that because they have a little money to throw around they own everything. My father’s one of the top execs at the Cloudsdale Weather factory. I’m not exactly poor. Not like they’d ever acknowledged it.”
“That’s because they think you are a layabout who’ll never amount to anything,” Shining Armor offered. “They haven't a clue how hard you work.”
“If they ever saw my house. Granted I did most of the basic construction myself,” Dash replied. “It’s a cloud house.”
“I’d love to see it sometime,” Celestia offered. “And as I believe we are finished here, for now, Shining Armor, why don’t you help Rainbow Dash find Scootaloo.” Shining looked a bit hesitant. “You find Scootaloo and you’ll find Cadance. They should be altogether to include Luna. Being with Nova has done wonders for her.”
“Yes Ma’am,” Shining Armor offered and he’d all but drug Dash out the door.
They arrived at the office where the Identifications were made only to be told the princess was in another castle. Or rather, the rough equivalent thereof.
🏯
Our little group had by that time made our way out of the keep and were presently winding our way through government buildings. It was all within the castle complex mind you as we’d two more walls to cross before we would be outside the Castle. Granted that to my eyes we were within the walled portion of the old city. Many of the buildings were new, but then again some of the older structures were refurbished old barns and carriage houses made to look extra fancy. From there we passed through a park-like setting beyond which was a palatial mansion that had once been owned by the Platinum family. They’d moved on to bigger and better and Celestia had turned it into a school.
“Nova, as long as we are here, why don’t we check on your registration,” Mom suggested as we approached the building. We weren’t alone either as there was a sizable number of ponies bringing young unicorns to apply to the coveted few slots that were available every year.
“I am already signed up, aren’t I?” I asked.
“You should be,” Mom offered. “No time like the present to find out.”
“We sent the required statements detailing your magic, received the application, filled it out, and returned it. The instructions gave us a list of times to come in and test.” Lofty informed us. “They were to tell us one way or the other following testing and I’ve no doubt you’ll qualify.”
“I imagine having to wait a year isn’t going to be a huge imposition if I’m rejected,” I offered not really worried about it. “If we sign up Scootaloo now, maybe we’ll get to attend together the following year.”
“What? Me?” Scootaloo asked as we cued up behind a long line of ponies. I can’t help but notice a number of ponies walking away with dismayed and disappointed faces.
“Tomorrow is never set in stone, and I don’t especially believe in fixed points in time in regards to the future. Only the past is fixed and who’s to say your magic won’t have kicked in by then?”
Just to be clear, no one is paying any attention to us. Bottom line all the potential new students were far too keyed up to worry about the group of alicorns right next to them. That’s Cadance, mom, and myself as my horn had grown to the point I could no longer hide it. Scootaloo didn’t really count because her little horn blended into that rocker chick mane style she was sporting, and Spitfire was out of uniform.
“Next pleas,” offered a matronly mare as we finally got to the head of the line.
“Good morning,” Mom offered. “My daughter is starting this year and we were wondering if maybe she needs to go through the normal testing?”
“Every pony goes through testing. Do you have your acceptance of application notification?”
“Acceptance of application?” Lofty asked. We’d received absolutely nothing short of it missed us in the mail and Derpy was just the sort to chase us down and somehow manage to make it past guards and assassins alike.
“I can’t process you without your acceptance form.”
“What about returning students?” Sunset asked.
“Name?”
“Sunset Shimmer.”
“Shimmer, Shimmer, no, sorry.”
“Maybe it’s under Princess?”
“You and about every other Canterlot noble’s daughter.”
“Her mother is Celestia Athelas, Princess of Equestria, Shepherd of the Sun, Guardian of the day,” I offer. “What rock have you been living under, or is it that you’ve stuck your snobbish snoot so high in the air you can't see past your own arse long enough to realize you’ve Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, and Princess Nova right in front of you?”
“The admissions mare was staring daggers at me at this point.
“Nova, stop,” Luna scolded. “There’s no need for that. We need to follow the same rules as every pony else.”
“I thought everything was taken care of?” I protest. “Why do we even need an acceptance notification?”
“That seems to be the rules. We have to abide by them.”
“A friend is applying as well,” Lofty offered.
“Only immediate family members may accompany the applicants,” The old matron countered harsher than what was really necessary.
“What about applying for next year?” Spitfire asked.
“Applicants have to wait for open enrollment in the spring.”
“Come on, we are wasting our time here,” Holiday offered. “Let's go take a tour or something?”
“Miss Lofty?” I asked looking up at her.
“I’m sorry, Princess Celestia said everything would be taken care of. It must be some kind of oversight?”
“A pony would think being a Princess of Equestria would carry some weight,” Mom said and turned away. I immediately followed after, along with the rest of our group following us.
“Lousy bureaucracy is what it is,” Sunset complained. What I hear the Admissions mare saying suggests she doesn’t even believe we are really princesses, just a bunch of ponies trying to get past their rigorous selection process as outlined by Director Nieghsay. I seem to be the only one who heard as Sunset continues, “Say, I know, I can teach you and Scootaloo. I need to review, and what better way than to teach it?”
“Sounds like a plan,” I reply as my spirits begin to lift.
“But I can’t actually do magic?” Scootaloo replied.
“You can still learn the theory though,” Sunset offered. “That way you’ll be a little more prepared when you can.”
“Don’t you mean, if?”
“I think it might be best to work on the theory that sooner or later that horn on your head will start growing and your magic will kick in,” Sunset offered with a smile.
We arrived at the location where tours started a short time later.
“So, we are good for flight camp?” I asked as we cued up for a tour. The place was still at a heightened alert status but they’d decided to go ahead and allow tour groups. That is to say that it was business as usual save in that every creature entering was being well scrutinized.
“I got the confirmation for that,” Lofty offered.
“Well that’s good,” I replied with a touch of relief.
“Don’t worry about school either. We will talk to your Aunt Tia and see if we can’t iron things out.” Mom reassured me.
Mom. I couldn't help but smile as I was thinking of her as my mom more and more. Even if it was starting to feel like I had three moms.
“Excuse me, but we don’t allow cosplay on castle grounds,” scolded a member of the tour staff. Suddenly all the ponies who’d been milling around waiting on tours were looking at us.
“Cos what?” Luna asked looking at the mare in confusion.
“Does this look fake to you?!” I all but shout while shoving my identification in her face with my magic while flapping my wings so I can get up to her level.
“Nova, stop!” Lofty scolded while mom pulled me back with her magic. “That is no way to behave. What’s cos, what was that?”
“Cosplay, costume play,” Sunset offered. “She thinks we are playing dress-up.”
“But we’re not even wearing anything?” Cadance replied in confusion. Meanwhile, the tour employee was calling for security on a radio they had.
“If I get arrested for being myself I’m never going to hear the end of it,” Spitfire lamented.
“Princess Cadance?” Asked a young earth mare with a unicorn filly at her side that looked to be about Sweetie’s age. The filly had a strawberry blond roan coat and a green mane and tail that really made her look like a pony shaped strawberry. The mare was alabaster blond with a dark auburn mane and tail along with a few hints that suggested some fox pony heritage.
“Yes?” Cadance asked.
“It is you then. We were in High School together. I do so hate to bother you.” She made a polite curtsy. “I’m Business Savvy."
“Oh no, that’s quite alright. We weren’t really doing anything, just maybe getting arrested for looking like ourselves,” Cadance offered with a big smile and a bit of a bow herself.
“You’re joking right?” Asked the mare. And there was a good number of other ponies who were also curious about what was going on.
“Maybe,” Scootaloo offered.
“A tour guide seems to have gotten the wrong end of the stick,” Cadance replied. “Was there anything I can do?”
“Well, the thing is, I brought my daughter in for testing at the School for Gifted Unicorns, and we were turned away. I understood that testing was first come first served. Open testing without the need for confirmation of any kind? We came on the dates our instructions said to. Did they change it and just not tell any pony?”
“We just had the same thing happen to us,” Mom offered as the familiar face of Gate Captain Morgan came our way.
“Oh… ah,”
“This is my other aunt, Princess Luna,” Cadance offered. Suddenly there was the sound of cameras clicking.
“Ah, I must say you don’t look anything like how the papers describe you, oh, I probably shouldn't have said that.”
“That’s quite alright,” Mom offered. “One, it was the nightmare that was the monster, not me. And two, it looks like I may have a public image problem. The only monster here is my daughter Nova. “Nova, stop that.”
I’d stuck my tongue out at the strawberry who’d stuck her tongue out at me followed by the two of us going back and forth while Scootaloo did her best not to start laughing. Cameras be damned.
“Nova, what are you doing?” Lofty scolded.
“Wath? Ith, noth doth anthinth.” I pleaded while my tongue was still out.
“Berry, are you sticking your tongue out at her, she’s a princess.”
“She stuck hers out first.”
“I did at that.” I offered. “Ti's only right she returns the greeting,” I offer with a big toothy smile. Berry gave me an odd look and then cracked up.
“Nova, behave,” Mom scolded, though at this point she was having a hard time maintaining a serious expression. “And as Cadance said, we too were turned away. Nova is exceptionally gifted and everything was supposed to be taken care of.”
“Captain Morgan, is there anything we can do for you?” Lofty asked him.
“I’m not sure, I’m just a little confused. I was told there were some trouble makers over here,” he was looking quite perplexed.
“It’s that little darling,” Mom said pointing at me with a wing and tickling me. Naturally, I bounced and scampered out of range. I dashed back and hugged tightly to her when I saw more guards coming.
“Everything’s fine here,” Captain Morgan said into his radio. “Just a group of Princesses out for a walk.”
“Ah, princess Cadance,” One of the new guards said as they walked up to us.
“And Princesses Luna, Princess Sunset Shimmer, and Princess Kitsumi Nova,” Captain Morgan added.
“Sweet Celestia’s plot, it’s Commander Spitfire out of uniform,” one of the other guards said perhaps a might bit too loud. Spitfire was quite possibly the best-looking mare in all of Equestria. Not only did she have the looks, but she was also built like a brick horse. Might have something to do with that alicorn heritage being she was one of Equestria's best fliers and had the strength of an Earth pony.
“Try not to drool too much,” Spitfire teased.
“We had been over at the school earlier to see about Princess Nova’s application and were turned away at the door,” Lofty offered. “After that, we decided to come over here and be tourists for an hour or two as we hadn’t anything scheduled.”
“We were turned away too,” Offered the mare we’d only just met along with some other ponies nearby echoing her.
“Turned away?” Captain Morgan asked.
“Apparently the foal who is to be tested must wait for a confirmation letter now,” Lofty offered. “If it took us by surprise, I imagine it’s taking a lot of ponies by surprise.”
“They must have changed it then,” One of the other guards offered. “We should probably pass it along that it’s no longer open testing.”
“I’d sent in the required letters of recommendation, they sent out the application with the instructions, I filled out the application and sent it back,” Lofty offered. “The instructions that came with the application said that all we had to do was show up when testing was being done.”
“Well, some pony’s gone and mucked things up, my little Berry is downright brilliant with magic,” Mrs Savvy offered.
“Aside from someone at the school decided to change how they do things, what exactly was the hubbub over here?” Captain Morgan asked.
“I’m not really sure,” Cadance offered. “That tour guide looking at us over yonder with the smug look on her face accused us of… what was it?”
“Cosplay,” Sunset offered dryly. “And then Nova got up in her face with her identification tag. Seriously, what good are these when no pony even looks at them.” She was sporting a temporary.
“Ah, it’s Mrs Brash Sniffy.”
Mrs Brash Sniffy was momentarily joined by a white unicorn with a silver mane. They exchanged words and then approached.
“Mrs Sniffy tells me that these fillies were causing a disturbance. Why haven't you evicted them?”
“Are there no paintings of us anywhere,” Mom asked in dismay. “Or are the tour guides all blind as mole rats?”
“I’m thinking it’s more likely a disconnect where they simply can’t believe we would lower ourselves to coming down here where the site seers congregate,” Sunset offered.
“Mr Silver, Mrs Sniffy has made the unforgivable faux pas of calling the guard to arrest Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, Princess Sunset, Princess Nova, Commander Spitfire, the court nannies Ms Lofty and Ms Holiday, and Commander Spitfire’s daughter,” Captain Morgan informed the two.
“Oh dear,” Mr Silver responded. “Well, I am gobsmacked. Not like Mrs Sniffy to cock up and throw a right wobbly for no good reason, now is it? Now is it, Mrs Sniffy.” There was a distinct tone of sarcasm to his tone.
“But, shouldn't they be taller?” Mrs Sniffy offered in her defense.
“Age reversal effect caused by the Elements of Harmony when I was freed from the Night Mare,” Luna offered. “Even at my peak, I was never as tall as my sister, Princess Celestia. The amount of magic she has to channel to move the sun just seems to require it.”
“And, and you move the moon?” Mrs Sniffy asked.
“Sorry, no, not at the moment,” Luna informed her and everyone around us. “I haven't recovered enough manna to do it and likely won’t for some time to come. Full recovery has been a slow process. Even when I first started raising and lowering the moon I had help from others. I had to fully mature into it.”
“Princess Luna, how old were you when you had your daughter?” asked someone in the crowd.
“I was a hundred and twenty-six at the time,” Luna offered unabated by the question. Also to her credit, she didn’t react in the slightest when I flew up and landed on her back. The crowd was growing and the way they were slowly closing in was making me nervous. I turned around a couple of times and then decided I’d best sit.
Scootaloo was next to flap up to her mother’s back, and much as I had as she sat down. Granted that her effort wasn’t as graceful as mine, but she did it.
“Princesses, I think it’s time to retire to some other location,” Captain Morgan suggested.
“Might be a good idea,” I offered, mom reassured ponies that we’d look into what was going on at CSGU, and a few minutes later we were away and walking down between government buildings, this time with a small escort.