Twilight made her way down the steps from her throne. It was still the afternoon, though a bit late in it. The meeting with the city-planner over winter had gone smoothly, but that was about the only thing. Twilight felt herself sapped of energy after the meetings with the URC for the better part of the day. Creatures bickering over formalities and cultural inclusivity had a tendency to wear the mind down; especially when it was so difficult to navigate them without appearing insensitive. Twilight was glad to be done with that for the day; she knew they would be back the following weeks.
Especially after they see the Gala. Twilight scrunched her nose and rested her eyes a moment. Caius trotted alongside his slightly less upright princess. He knew she was tired of questions at this point of her schedule, yet the day still had many hours left to give. Deciding to begin his assault, Caius asked the easy ones first.
“Shall we visit the dining hall milady?” He spoke cautiously as they exited the throne room. The guards at either side snapped to attention at the sight of their princess. Twilight splayed her wings in traditional fashion of an alicorn noble. Her neck raised, and her head held high, she began culminating the dregs of energy left in store.
“Food sounds delightful. Maybe just about the only thing that will keep me sane at this point.” Twilight chuckled to herself. Caius nodded along, inattentive to the humor peddled with the comment.
“Excellent. I figured we could multi-task and have miss Pie join us to review whilst we eat.” His crisp tongue clucked off the suggestion. Twilight dipped her head to him. The two turned into the Eastern wing where the royal chambers and dining hall resided.
“Not a bad idea Caius. Although, with Pinkie you may want to drop the formal tones. She’s not exactly a pony who cares for fluff.” Twilight again giggled. Caius raised his head from the scroll checklist before him, pausing in his self-mumbling. He frowned at the princess and adjusted the collar of his uniform.
“Hm. We shall see.”
The pair came upon a doorway that laid to the left of the hall. On the right were portions of windows that illuminated the journey with images of the courtyard full of exotic plants and animals. It was a pleasant walk for any pony fortunate enough to earn themselves a spot in the royal suites. The guards from the throne room door had taken up the rear of the entourage seamlessly; a testament to their professional training and well-coordinated efforts. Twilight raised her hoof to knock on the dark wood. Before the second rap could sound, the door swung inward to reveal a rosy pink mare. Her mane was swept up in the back with glitter, candy, and even a small toy embedded in the mess. Her tail was equally decorated for a child’s birthday party. The bags that hung under her sparkling blue eyes told a story of a pony who dealt with a lot in her home life. Clearly her son was keeping Pinkie occupied through both day and night. Despite the tired, messy look, the smile that befell her face spread from ear to ear in a comical grin. Without a moment’s notice, the pink pony pounced on Twilight with a shriek.
“TWILIGHT!” The scream rattled across the halls. Both of the guards rubbed their helmets at the vibrations that rung throughout them. Caius ducked his head behind the roll of scrolls he held in front of him. The princess of friendship met her friend with a hug and a smile equally wide. Pinkie had not changed a bit.
“Pinkie Pie! It’s so good to see you!” The princess squealed. The two friends embraced for a few seconds before breaking. Pinkie bounced up and down like a filly excited for her birthday.
“Twilight, oh my gosh we have SO MUCH to talk about! I would have talked earlier, but you were super busy, and I was super TIRED! Can you believe that? Me? Tired? It’s outrageous! To be fair, this is the first time in… well, really ever since having lil’ Cheese that I’ve had to myself. It’s weird, but kinda in a nice weird way, you know? I miss him, and cheesie, but it’s so quiet without them around!” She sprung into a cheerful giggle. Twilight covered her own mouth to share the comic.
“Yes, quiet is exactly how I’d describe this.” Twilight laughed. “I was wondering if you would be interested in coming with Caius and me to grab something to eat? I’ve been starving, but I didn’t want to miss seeing you a moment longer!”
Pinkie’s smile widened. She walked forward next to the princess that dwarfed her. Pinkie craned her neck upward and nodded.
“Sounds good Twilight. I’m always hungry.” Caius rolled his eyes at her comment. How can the princess be friends with such ponies?
The five of them walked into the dining hall, with Pinkie and the princess chattering away the whole leg. It was a short walk from her door to the hall, but it had felt like eons to the assistant. When they finally made their way inside, Caius moved quickly out of conversation range of the two. The guards posted themselves at the doorway, and the two friends sat at the long-set dining table; Twilight at the head, and Pinkie to her right. Considering it was just the two of them, the need for formality was tossed aside.
“So, Pinkie, the gala is next week! As you know, we pride ourselves on hosting the best party ever. What do you have in store for us this year?” Twilight asked as the first course was brought out. A tray was set in front of them with a small bowl of salad and mixed nuts and fruits. Pinkie shoved her face into the bowl, much to the chagrin of Caius and the other servants. Once she had eaten for a few seconds, her face resurfaced covered in lettuce bits. Her tongue lapped up the remaining pieces.
“Well, remember last year how we had the Griffinstone boulder ball?” Pinkie asked. Twilight smiled and nodded in response, remembering the strange music and dance around the floor. It had been a smash with most species… Other than the ponies she thought.
“I was thinking this year we try a little Eastern style stuff! Dragons and hippogriffs seem like they would make a crazy combo that would be sure to spice things up.”
“Hm, how so? Ember has only come to one gala before, and no other dragons have come since. Do you really think you could get them to come?”
“Oh yeah. Especially when I tell them about the Steam Stomping!” Pinkie quipped. Twilight raised an eyebrow at that. “The Steam Stomp! It’s a dragon thing where they all blow hot steam and jump around! I was thinking we tone it down to just fog on the floor while we all have a bit of a rave type thing. EDM might actually work on those party lizards. Spike always liked it!” She chirped. Twilight cringed for a split-second at the mention of her brother, but Pinkie either did not notice or did not want to push it.
“Sounds… fun! Be sure to mix some class in though. There are still Canterlot nobles who miss the ‘old ways’. Not to mention I was able to convince Cadence, Shining, and Flurry Heart to come this year. I don’t want to scare them off on their only trip to Canterlot this year.” Twilight smiled. Pinkie saluted and licked her lips.
“Will do captain! Hey, speaking of family coming in, didn’t Spike get here today? Did you see him already?” her question was innocent enough, but Twilight felt sweat begin to bead on her forehead.
“I uh, haven’t… no. I mean yes! He did get back to Equestria today, but he’s not here yet. That’s tonight or tomorrow.” Twilight spat out. Pinkie looked confused; Twilight knew she was acting weird, but it came without her trying. Something about Spike coming home made her nervous. Would he blow up at me? Does he even still like me? Can we get along nowadays? How much has he changed? How much had I changed?
“Twilight? You okay?” Pinkie coaxed. Her warm smile grounded Twilight for a moment. It was a safe smile; calming to look at. She must have had a lot of practice on her son. Twilight sighed and nodded.
“I’m fine Pinkie, just a little nervous.”
“You want to talk sweetie?” Pinkie’s tone was softer now, and her posture had relaxed into a very normal sitting. It was a side of Pinkie that Twilight was not used to. She liked it.
“I’m just nervous about Spike. We haven’t really had a conversation in five years, and honestly I don’t think he and I are on good terms right now.”
“Mm, why do you think that is?” Twilight looked up from the table skeptically. This really was a different Pinkie. Motherhood had changed her for the better.
“Well… I think it’s kinda my fault, but a little his too.” Twilight started uncomfortably. Pinkie offered a sympathetic smile and reached her hoof to Twilight. She accepted it and breathed out.
“I know I was pretty distant, but I was literally an ocean away. Not to mention running a country with some pretty fragile friendships. After he left, I lost my number one assistant. I never realized how much I relied on him just to get through my daily schedule. I just got so overwhelmed that I think I froze on him. My letters weren’t always the warmest thing, I know. Especially with the…” She paused and cut herself short. Equestria was not supposed to know about the civil war that had plagued Norfandia for sixteen years at the request of President Fenris. He did not want Equestria’s first impressions of his people to be war-like savages. Twilight thought a second before continuing.
“With the stress of setting up new infrastructure.” She covered. “He was busy, really busy, and I was busy. I couldn’t afford to send out help or go over myself for fear of leaving the tense relationships to themselves. His hardest year was also the year the changelings and dragons tried setting up the trans-gulf highway settlement. If I hadn’t been hooves-on in that, we would be seeing a war down there right now.” Twilight’s exasperated tone carried with her worried face. The more she spoke, the higher in volume she became. Pinkie sat listening carefully the whole time.
“Not only that, but he was requesting stuff I didn’t even know if I had! When I sent him to Norfandia, I didn’t expect him to need half the things he did! Then he wrote a letter one day…” Twilight quieted down. Pinkie saw her friend’s expression fall and began rubbing her fetlock gently. Twilight let her head dip slightly at the memory. “He wrote a letter that totally changed the way I saw him. It wasn’t rude, but it wasn’t Spike. I still remember the words.”
‘Dear Princess
The royal ambassador acknowledges your plight and sends regards. Please continue talks with President Fenris at best speed.
Your ambassador will return upon completion of duty; however, this letter is a formal notification of the interest of Spike, the Royal Friendship Ambassador to remain stationed in Norfandia post-haste. Please acknowledge upon your reception and notify the ambassador when a chance is given. I look forward to your enlightened decision.
RFA Spike the Dragon’
Twilight recited the letter perfectly. Pinkie gave a little gasp of shock. Twilight knew how she felt; it had only been earlier this year she had felt the same way when she received the letter.
“Spike… wanted to stay over there?” Pinkie whispered. Twilight nodded and sat up tall.
“He did. I… denied his request with the possibility of reopening the subject on his return. I don’t know how serious that letter was, but it felt like he was serious. I just really hope that’s changed.”
“I can’t imagine Spike staying a whole continent away. He would miss everyone too much. I’m sure he already does. Maybe he would change his tune if he knew how much we missed him.” Pinkie offered. Twilight smiled weakly at her suggestion. It was not a bad idea, but if Spike was that bitter towards Twilight, maybe he wanted nothing to do with Equestria; friends or not.
“I would ask Rarity to write him a letter, but that probably wouldn’t do much. For starters; she’s been on her own vacation for a month and is busy running an entire fashion empire. Not to mention I don’t think she likes Spike romantically anyway. Spike certainly got over her a long time ago… at least I hope so. But maybe just as a friend, she could help sway his mind. Maybe you all could.” Twilight dared to hope. Pinkie smiled a little uncomfortably at the suggestion. Twilight cocked her head. “What?”
“Pinkie promise. Can’t say. But I can say that I would love to write Spike! It’s been five years since I’ve seen him! Maybe we don’t even have to write him. He’ll be at the gala, right? We should all meet up earlier that day and chat!”
“Hm, maybe. Just maybe. If we had one of our old group get-togethers, he might relax a little!” Twilight grinned. But her smile disappeared quickly as she sank back down into her chair. “But I still have to see him tomorrow. Formally. Not as his sister, but a princess. He’s got a whole report he’s supposed to give me.” She sighed. Pinkie chewed her lip for a moment.
“Well, what if… you don’t make him do a report?” She asked. Twilight again looked confused. “No seriously! Who needs a dumb report anyway?”
“Um, we do.” Caius interrupted from across the room. He huffed and turned his cheek at the pink mare. “Ambassador Spike is expected to bring a full report of the dealings with Norfandia over the last five years. This information could be critical to our incorporation of a new alliance!” He cried out.
“Pinkie may be right.” Twilight offered. Caius whipped his head back and sputtered. “No really, think about it. We got all the after-ac—I mean, the post incorporation reports from him. I talked with Fenris extensively for five years. What can’t I get out of a friendly conversation that I need in a formal report?”
Caius had no answer at the clear dereliction of duty. He gasped like a flounder out of the water. Everything was meant to be by the book.
“So, it’s settled!” Pinkie bounced. “Instead of a report, you and Spike should get some lunch together and hang out! Then next week, we’ll all party!” She screamed again. Twilight giggled at her old friend. Despite the years on her body, Pinkie still had the spry step of a young party mare in her twenties.
“I think I’d like that very much, Pinkie.”