//------------------------------// // Chapter Twenty Nine: When Games are Played // Story: That One Time: Celestia and Luna Married the Mane Six // by TheCrimsonDM //------------------------------// Chapter Twenty Nine: When Games Are Played Written by TheCrimsonDM Fluttershy was not looking forward to this as she and Rarity were dragged off into the hall. Well dragged was a bit too much. Perhaps gently guided by the softest and most gentle wing in all of Equestria was more accurate. However, with the end goal being Luna’s room in mind Fluttershy could only feel as though she was being dragged by a chain.  There had to be a solution to get Rarity to go. If it was just her and Luan that was fine but Rarity was not invited as far as Fluttershy was concerned. Of course it would be awkward to bring up how technically Rarity was just as much one of Luna’s fiancés as was Fluttershy.  If only Twilight had given her plans for how to deal with this fiasco. She only gave her the tool to stop Pinkie. How could she stop Rarity?  What was worse was that Applejack for some reason was following along. Her cheeks looked awfully pink as she quietly followed alongside. Luna hadn’t discouraged her so Fluttershy could only imagine she was invited too. Wasn’t it bad enough that Rarity was getting involved, why Applejack? A plan came to mind as they rounded a corner. Fluttershy tried to keep her smile away and her tone concerned as she asked, “Rarity, with all the events in the past couple days… d-do you think you and Applejack will still fit in your wedding dresses?” Rarity stopped dead in her tracks nearly dragging Luna with her. The mare’s eyes were going small again. Fluttershy smiled. “O-oh no, I d-didn’t mean it in um, a bad way.” Rarity’s ear twitched. “SERVANT!” Almost like magic Rarity’s servant appeared beside her and in the dullest tone of voice asked, “What can I do for you, Lady Rarity?” Rarity’s horn began to glow and Applejack was dragged toward them. “Where are the dresses for the wedding being kept. I must make final adjustments to make sure we will all fit.” The servant nodded, turned and led the two away. Applejack pouted but didn’t complain as she was dragged off. Luna laughed. “Well a mare before marriage is usually a fickle pony indeed. I recall hearing many tales of mares doing all sorts of random things before their marriage. Stallions too for that matter.” Fluttershy let out a contented sigh. “W-well um… w-we can still g-go to bed. They can um… catch up later.” Luna nodded and led Fluttershy back toward the room. If Fluttershy was totally honest, she hadn’t stayed a single night in her own room. Not that it wasn’t amazing, but Luna was just so much more. Following her princess into the room she realized that she had passed the first test this morning. Still she would have to fend off many more such attacks before the day was though she feared. *** Twilight felt bad for Fluttershy, having to contend against Applejack and Rarity. The poor mare stood hardly a chance. She was going to go out and help them when she noticed Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash whispering in the corner. Since breakfast/dinner was basically done they were up to something and she couldn’t tell what. Listening in and maybe using a little bit of magic to increase her hearing she heard Rainbow Dash finish. “-ing her distracted until I’m done with Celestia.” Pinkie Pie whispered back. “Can do, Rainboo!” “Did you just call me ‘rainboo’? that’s… not cool.” Twilight’s horn was about to light up, she was already channeling energy into it for a teleport. It never went off as a piece of cake went flying right into her face. For a moment Twilight sat there, stunned. She wiped it off with a hoof and saw Pinkie Pie holding another piece of cake in her hoof. Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Don’t, you, dare.” Pinkie grinned. “Food fight!” The cake piece went flying at Twilight but with a swift dodge it missed by a mere inches. Twilight levitated up a pie and flung it in Pinkie’s direction. Pinkie Pie did a backflip and put a chair between her and the pie as a shield. Twilight moved around the table to keep her distance as she realized with stark horror the bowl of mashed potatoes was missing from the table. Mortars of potatoes fell from the sky and Twilight had to dip, duck, doge, and dive to avoid them. They splashed around her soiling her legs. Twilight grabbed a pitcher of lemonade and levitated it over where Pinkie was hiding before upending it upon the poor mare. Pinkie shrieked as she was soaked with the cold liquid.  A manic laugh escaped Pinkie as she changed tactics. Jumped back onto the table and grabbed a bread stick in her mouth. Twilight grabbed a soup ladle in her telekinesis as Pinkie jumped toward her swinging the bread stick. Twilight parried blow after blow. “You better give it up, Pinkie!” Twilight called. “I took fencing lessons in school!” Pinkie Pie giggled around the bread in her mouth and dropped her body low, swinging her hips around as she spun in a circle on the floor. Pinkie’s legs hit Twilight's, knocking her to the ground where Pinkie proceeded to whack Twilight on the head with the breadstick. It didn’t hurt so much as get stuck on her horn. Twilight growled as she jumped up and chased after the mare. They ran around the table. Pinkie jumped onto the table. Twilight followed suit. Soup, cake, pie, pancakes, and biscuits all went flying in their chase. Eventually Twilight realized she couldn’t keep up so she pulled the bread off her head and levitated every non-crushed biscuit in the room. All forty five of them. Pinkie shrieked as biscuits went flying after her. Each one missed as Pinkie deftly dodged them smashing into the floor, the walls and even the ceiling. Twilight was not going to let this dishonor go unpunished. *** Rainbow Dash was flying quickly but not too quickly to look troubled as she flew through the castle halls. She only had one simple goal, find Celestia. The look on Celestia’s face and the change in the way she held herself was noticeable even to Rainbow Dash. Unlike Twilight though she wanted to check up on the mare and make sure she was okay. She took a bite of that cake to make sure and realized it was dull. Far as she knew, it was actually illegal to ruin Celestia’s cake so whoever did this was going to be in the deep end. Besides all that, she wanted to make some brownie points with Celestia. If she was the one to cheer her up, and not Twilight, it would make Rainbow Dash seem more cool. She might even get another kiss out of it. Now wouldn’t that be something? She did eventually find the mare, she was standing out in the courtyard. There were three animals being held aloft in her golden aura. A raccoon that was hissing and thrashing about. A bear who was doing much the same. Finally a skunk that looked terrified. Rainbow Dash slowed down after seeing the skunk. “Hey, Celestia, what’s going on? Animal trouble?” Celestia frowned. “You could say that.” “Should I get Fluttershy, she’s really good at handling animals.” Celestia smiled. “Oh no, it’s fine. I’m actually hoping these animals could help me in a prank. You see all three have great potential for a good prank but I’m not sure which one to use.” “Oh, pranks. I’m like the queen of pranks. Let me help!” Celestia’s smile grew. “If you could help me make this prank perfect, I would reward you most handsomely.” She gave a wink that promised Rainbow Dash a great time if she could do as the princess ordered.  Rainbow Dash looked at the three of the critters all agitated before them. “Hmm… raccoons, excellent thieves, can cause some fright, and destroy pretty much everything. It's a good and subtle choice.” She looked to the next target. “Bears are usually a bit extreme. So long as you’re making sure they don’t actually hurt the target in question though, they are absolutely scary. Like, mare wetting herself in terror kind of scary.” The last target. “Ahhh skunks. The classic stinker. I don’t think that one ever stops being funny. It’s also a really easy one to hide until the right moment strikes too.” Celestia nodded. “My thoughts exactly, and fear not for the target's safety, I’m sure they can take care of themselves against something as trivial as a bear.” Rainbow Dash hovered next to Celestia and rubbed her chin. “Mmmmm, this is a hard one. They are all such good choices. Too bad you can’t just choose all of them right?” Celestia’s eyes widened. “Rainbow Dash, you… you genius.” “What did I say?” “Use, all, of, them.” Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened in response before she started laughing. “Oh, now that is funny. Let’s do it.” Celestia looked at her. Her horn lit up and dragged Rainbow Dash closer. Celestia carefully pecked Rainbow Dash on the cheek. “Will you take me as your partner in pranks?” Rainbow Dash grinned. “I do.” *** Once the prank had been set up and was just waiting to be triggered Celestia made her way with Rainbow Dash close by her side to the dining room. She still had some room for some food. Upon their arrival to the set of wooden double doors leading in they heard a crash followed by an explosion.  Celestia feared what would be in there. Rainbow Dash facehoofed and nearly whispered, “I said distract Twilight, don’t start a frigging war with her. You were supposed to like, kiss her or something…” Celestia swallowed and opened the door only to reveal an actual battle zone. There were scorch marks on the floor. Chunks of the wall, ceiling, and floor were missing. The table had cracks in it, and one of the legs was snapped off completely. The chairs all piled into two separate barricades on either end of the dining hall. Food, food was sprayed, smashed, splashed, and smooshed everywhere. Twilight was hiding behind her fortress of chairs and firing actual laser beams from her horn at Pinkie’s fort. Pinkie returned fire with her party cannon, only an actual cannonball came flying out knocking a huge chunk out of Twilight’s chair. If the two of them weren’t smiling and laughing like two school fillies having a normal food fight, Celestia would have sworn they were trying to kill each other. Twilight cried from her fort. “PINKIE, give up! You cannot win against the tactical genius of Princess Twilight Sparkle, Princess of the best chair fort!” Pinkie cried back. “NO WAY, JOSE! You can’t win against the princess of parties! Pinkie PIE!” Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. “Celestia, please, please forgive me. I didn’t mean for this. I just wanted Pinkie to keep her distracted, this… this is insanity!” Celestia took in a slow steady breath. “I do not hold you accountable. I am sure that Twilight was the one to escalate this to lasers and cannonballs…” Celestia activated a golden shield around herself and walked into the warzone. “Pinkamena Diane Pie. Twilight Aurora Sparkle!” Both of the crazed mares stopped in place and stared at her with wide eyes. Twilight began to speak but Celestia was quick to cut her off. “No! You two are both in so much trouble. Do you understand how much damage you did to my dining room? That chair that’s on fire in the corner over there? That’s my favorite chair!” Rainbow Dash had noticeably stayed back in the hallway. Celestia’s horn lit up and both troublesome mares were lifted into the air and dragged toward her. Once only a few feet away she inspected them first for any harm, they both looked uninjured, and then she realized both of them were an absolute mess. “I would spank the both of you two right now if I hadn’t recently learned that some ponies enjoy the activity and I suspect one if not both of you would.” Pinkie Pie swallowed. “Um… you can still do that even if we like it right?” Celestia fixed her a glare that would set weaker ponies on fire. “I would have the two of you spanked, and forced to write two thousand page essays on why destroying my dining room was a bad idea and why you’re so sorry. Since neither of you have the time to either heal in the infirmary from the whooping I’d give you, or to write the essay I shall be lenient this one, and only time.” Twilight swallowed.  Celestia smiled and set them down. Not as gently as they may have liked. “You two are to clean this entire room yourselves, without the help of any servants, guards or anything past a simple telekinesis spell.” Twilight balked. “But, but, but-“ “Or would you prefer magic kindergarten?” Twilight stopped complaining. “Come on, Pinkie… I’ll show you where the janitorial closet is.” Celestia watched those two walk away, heads hung low. She was feeling very much in control for the first time in days and happy with it. In fact she was filled with energy after such a display of power. She wanted to use her power some more, do something with it, perhaps even something not so appropriate of the Princess of the Sun. Rainbow Dash stumbled over to her side. “Celestia… has anyone ever told you how hot you are when you’re mad?” Celestia grinned at the vulnerable young thing next to her. “Oh, maybe. You could tell me more about it back in my private quarters if you’d like.” Rainbow Dash stared up at her, the gears clearly turning in her brain trying to decipher what she had meant. When it dawned on her the poor thing’s face went from blue to bright red. “I… I’d like that.” So Celestia was off with her soon to be bride, and a new found energy she had every intention of abusing. She was left with only one question soon to be answered: Did Rainbow Dash, in fact, taste like skittles? *** Rarity, finally finished with her measurements as well as Applejack’s had been dismayed to find out that they both had in fact put on just a little more since the last time those measurements were taken. Thankfully not enough to affect the dresses, but Fluttershy had been right to question it. Before the night was over, Rarity was going to have to take everypony’s measurements again, save for Twilight, Luna and Celestia’s. those never changed it would seem. Now free of the humiliating task they made their way back to Luna’s room, hopeful to catch up on what they’d missed from the mare earlier. For some reason Applejack was interested as well, but that only worked out in Rarity’s favor. There was an odd tension in the air as they approached the door, though Rarity wasn’t certain what it was. She had feared maybe it was her, and she wasn’t ready for this level of commitment yet. Still, if Fluttershy and Twilight were going to be getting all the action, she wanted some for herself as well. Opening the door Rarity embraced the soon to follow chaos of love between four ponies. What she embraced instead was a skunk that jumped out onto her chest. Its eyes met hers and the thing was terrified beyond belief. When skunks were scared they had a tendency to emit a foul terrible odor that smelled more like Pinkie’s bedroom on her stressful days than it had any right too. Both Rarity and Applejack were consumed by the stench as the thing jumped off of her and ran down the hall. A raccoon leapt out of the darkness next and landed in Rarity’s mane scratching, tearing and pulling at her hair until Applejack managed to push it off. This left Rarity’s mane an utter wreck to say the least. If that wasn’t enough she heard Fluttershy and Luna scream in unison before they saw it. “RUN!” A bear came staggering out of the darkness. Its eyes enraged and its claws extended. Both Rarity and Applejack didn’t have to tarry, no they galloped as far and as quick as they could as they saw the bear wrapped up in a blue aura which stopped it in place. Behind them Rarity saw Fluttershy leap onto it’s back with a powerful kick that knocked it over, she then grabbed it’s head and with a powerful twist… the bear stopped moving. Fluttershy’s eyes were red, and her pupils looked more like slits as she proceeded to jump playfully on its back. Rarity and Applejack took one look at that and decided it was better to keep running. The worst part was that the bear didn’t even get the luxury of a quick death, it’s legs were still twitching.