//------------------------------// // The ceremony // Story: Twilight's Canterlot: RotE Episode 6 // by Dream Volt //------------------------------// I couldn't help but smile. Celestia and Luna had brought most of Ponyville here, and then proceeded to sit them in front of the nobles. I'm sure Blueblood and his cronies were seething at that. I still felt bad about not warning Rarity but I just assumed she had to be talking about somepony else. Of course by the time I realized it was far too late for me to do anything, and Rarity doesn’t like discussing him so thankfully it hasn't come up. The window was indeed beautiful. Then Celestia got a smirk on her face. Uh oh. "Now while there are those who would suggest otherwise, I think its high time these brave mares are given a proper reward. Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack. Please step forward, and kneel." Then Celestia drew the sword. It was a silver blade with a gold hilt encrusted with six gems of different colors, five around the grip, and a 6th on the hilt. Now the symbolism was obvious. Most would think it purely ceremonial but actually it was a very powerful spell focus. It was often lent to powerful unicorns to further enhance their abilities in times of crisis. It retrospect I wondered why she hadn't ever lent it to me. However right now the ceremonial use was far more important. The girls did as they were told of course. She passed the sword past Pinkie's head first. "Rise as a royal knight Lady Pinkamena Diane Pie." Pinkie did so, giggling, and then Celestia did the same motions for Dash "Rise as a royal knight, Lady Rainbow Dash." "Awesome." Said Dash as she rose. Then she knighted AJ "Rise as a royal knight, Lady Applejack." "Thank ya kindly." The hall broke into thunderous applause, and I joined in, stomping my own hooves. This went on for some time. Eventually a slight frown crossed Celestia's face. Luna then came from her place to the side of Celestia and whispered something in her ear. Celestia nodded, then cast a spell that caused her ears to glow. "WE KINDLY ASK FOR QUIET." The hall fell instantly silent. "I am not done my ponies. Now you three please stand aside, and let Fluttershy though." They did so, Fluttershy slowly making her way to stand right in front of Celestia. "Kneel." Fluttershy did so, shivering slightly. "Now due to a certain incident, there is a measure that unanimously passed restricting the gift of any new or unfilled titles to any pony unless they can personally do three great services to the kingdom." There was a slight murmur from the back of the crowd. Most of the Ponyville ponies looked confused, and I was among them, even though I knew what incident she meant of course. Then suddenly an idea popped into my head and I smiled. Though then I frowned slightly unsure how much Fluttershy would actually enjoy it. "First and second should be obvious to all with eyes to see the that which has been immortalized in glass." There was murmuring, but mostly variations of yes and a lot of nodding. "For the third, Fluttershy asked a dragon to leave Equestria in a forceful manner, and it did. For this…" Celestia knighted Fluttershy "I bestow upon her knighthood and the title Baroness of the Everfree." There was a huge uproar. I think there was some shouting of complaint, but that was quickly drown out by the fervent stomping I quickly joined. Celestia left off the final command to rise, but it was clear enough why. Not only for the sake of the disruption, but because Fluttershy was pressed as close to the ground as possible, and most likely willing herself to become invisible. It wasn't working, but then a swarm of glowing pink butterflies surrounded her hiding her mostly from view. "SILENCE PLEASE." Again the effect was instantaneous. "Thank you again dear sister. Now Miss Rarity, it's your turn." Rarity walked forward with a huge smile on her face. Fluttershy was very quickly hiding between Rainbow Dash and Pinkie. Pinkie's fur suddenly puffed out making her look like little more than a ball of pure pink fluff with eyes. Fluttershy moved closer to the better cover. I was somewhat surprised she made it as far as she did in a room with this many ponies. Rarity walked up to Celestia then swiftly knelt. "As before your first two services are obvious to any who stand here. The third is the dress Luna commissioned for this previous Grand Galloping Gala. Though I did not wear it, I value it greatly and…" "A Dress?" Blueblood then shoved his way to the front of the crowd. The Ponyville ponies glared daggers at him when he finally emerged. Celestia looked serene as ever for the most part, except her hair was blowing more upwards now. Then I gasped, realizing another way to see it. If Blueblood isn't real careful he's going to regret this. Rarity on the other hand was already glaring at him with the full force of her wrath. He cringed. Then he shook his head and refocused on Celestia. "Really auntie, once was enough. Obviously you can of course go against the nobles if you wish but I know my mother will not be happy and…" "This dress has great personal significance to me. Why I will not say in public, but from my point of view it is a priceless treasure. A relic of the long forgotten." "I'm sure it is a reasonably fashionable dress, but surely it is not worth a title, even if there is no land or power attached." "While I cannot fathom myself why it would be so valuable to her, if Celestia says it so, how dare you doubt her." Said Rarity "I'm sure it is just a meaningless bauble of no significance created by a second rate designer. In fact based on the horrible manners of the designer…" "I have horrible manners?" Rarity's mane had turned to roaring flames "I'm sure it's a gaudy little thing far beneath your station but you feel the need to be nice and are even rewarding her for crafting such in inferior…" Then Blueblood did the only reasonable thing he could when he saw Celestia. She was glaring at him, her mane now also beginning to look a great deal like a flame, but not quite there yet. He then screamed an extremely high pitched scream that I would feel more likely to come from Sweetie Belle than a full grown stallion, and galloped out of the room as fast as he was able. Celstia's hair almost instantly settled, her face now curling into a slight smirk. Was that really sincere anger? "That was odd. So, does anypony else have any objections?" The silence that followed was only broken when several ponies gasped for breath. Clearly they decided it would be better to try and stop breathing rather than in any way suggest they objected. Rarity's hair slowly simmered down during this time, eventually returning to a solid mass. She then turned back to Celestia and once again kneeled. Celestia made the same motions, this whole time the floating sword effortlessly held in her magical grasp. "For your service to Equestiria I bestow upon her knighthood and the title of Countess of Manehattan. Now Rise." Rairty hopped to her hooves in a Pinkie like manner. "Manehatten? The Manehatten?" "They are a more modern area and while…" I began "…the Dutchy of New Yoke is organized into counties, and in the case of Manehatten the five baronies, no pony has ever held any title corresponding to the area." "But it is still is the Manehatten?" Celestia nodded. "Yes my little pony. Though the crown can only offer you a very small plot of land as your holding there, we feel you will find some use for it." "I own…" Rarity began, then began to waver. "Oh, I feel faint…" A guard in gleaming armor caught her before she could even begin to tip. He hadn't been that close, but that didn't stop the pegasus from easily catching her. "Sister, we think you have forgotten something. All of them should be granted land. Unlike the right to vote in the house of nobles we not only can, but must grant them that." "Not true, we can simply have their current properties reclassified as such. That should be sufficient." "So what, yer saying Sweet apple acres in now like some fancy manor house or something. That don't sound right." "It is yours by right of crown yes." "Which makes it incredibly hard to take away." I added. "Ah guess ah can't argue wit that." "OOO, does that mean the pie farm is the same way? Blinkie will like that." "Uh, I don't even want any land." Said Dash Celestia smiled. "Yes you do, but for now we'll leave that a surprise." "Huh?" "And I just get my cottage, that's nice." "No, you get slightly more than that. As nopony holds any deeds to the land of the Everfree with one small exception, your title grants you all of it." "Oh. Uh, okay." There was another chorus of stomping, but it died down relatively quickly this time. Truthfully the Everfree was anything but prime real estate, but it was a lot of land. Celestia then smiled broadly. Rarity was once again on her hooves. "And now we are done here. Let us celebrate." "Woo! Party." "Now wait just a minute there princess. Seems like you're forgetting somepony mighty important. Twilight did more than any of us, and not just once or twice but…" "AJ, really it's okay. You really don't need to say anything." "We do not understand? Is Twilight not already the Dutchess of Platinum Mountain?" I sighed as Rarity fainted once again. I guess I couldn’t avoid it forever. Besides, with what just happened they might not freak out quite as much. Silent Sky was very suddenly beside her sister, silver armor glinting. She covered her with a wing and I think they began to talk, but I couldn’t hear them. "Oh and one last thing. Since they are now all officially of the members of the court I can send them on ambassadorial missions without prior approval. Just so you know." Oh, that's what the smirk really was. She was getting around a rule she didn't like by giving us a reward that some ponies may not like. But why does she think she needs us to visit other countries as ambassadors?