//------------------------------// // 17 - Royal wedding afterparty and after // Story: LOYALTY // by Crowne Prince //------------------------------// Upon their arrival, Twilight stormed out of the train and went to find her brother without even bothering to collect her things. There was a carriage awaiting the other five friends, which Rainbow Dash suspected was the result of Rarity’s last visit. Applejack helped Rarity move her luggage into the respectable vehicle and Fluttershy took care of Twilight’s single suitcase. Dash tossed her saddlebags in last. Maybe the carriage was intended to hold ponies, but it wasn’t going to get that luxury for the next hour or so. The five ponies walked alongside their luggage down the shining white cobbled pathway that led through the city and to the castle. Yellow sun emblems were set into the sides of the road. Fluttershy’s songbirds chirped and flit around Applejack’s hat until their conductor told them to go rest at Canterlot Gardens. For a while, that was all there was to see besides the royal city’s imminent approach. Not many ponies were on the main road until they entered Canterlot proper. Of course, it was hard to tell what was going on from this angle. “Oh Rainbow Dash, stop that,” Rarity scolded. “Canterlot ponies do not walk like that.” Rainbow Dash put her head down. A brown unicorn stallion strut past the group with his snout high in the air to the tune of Pinkie Pie’s giggling. They arrived in front of one of the lower levels of the castle that stretched lengthwise across a green space. A spindly gray unicorn in an ill-matched red uniform greeted them at the door. It seemed they wouldn’t be sharing rooms for once. Rarity and Twilight would be located in different parts of the castle, as there were only four unoccupied rooms in this wing. The porter told them that Twilight had a room in the visiting scholar wing attached to the Canterlot Archives. Rarity was in the west tower, which left the four of them. The still full carriage trundled away with Rarity on board, and the porter wiped sweat from his brow as if dealing with four ponies instead of five was some kind of miracle. Oddly enough, the gray unicorn chose to physically carry their luggage. “This,” he said to Rainbow Dash as he opened the door, passed her saddlebags over, and bowed in one fluid motion, “shall be your room.” The guest room sported the usual lavender and gold castle colors. A four poster bed with deep purple curtains drawn back was situated on one wall. Opposite it was a set of training weights and a Wonderbolt poster on the wall. “How did you…? Wow, sweet, it just needs a few things here, here, and here,” she said, pulling out whatever was on the top of her saddlebags and tossing it on the floor. Applejack’s marker knocked against one of the bed posts and rolled underneath the ornate wooden frame. I gotta give that back before I forget again. Rainbow Dash stuck her tongue out and reached under the bed, fishing for the instrument of trickery. “The Princess says you are welcome to use the Royal Guard training facility. You will find it on the south end of the barracks. There is also a gym in town should you be looking for something more conventional. I’ve been told to instruct you that preparations begin tomorrow, but in your case, as soon or late as you like. Enjoy your stay! Even though, uh, things are out of sorts right now.” The doorman bowed himself out of the room. The true mark of excellence was that Rainbow Dash pulled the marker out from underneath the bed without so much a speck of dust on her fur. She went right over to Applejack’s room. In place of a weight set, this room contained a small bookshelf filled with cookbooks and a desk topped with various writing utensils and blank paper. Applejack removed a single book from her luggage with reverence and placed it on top of the bookshelf. The plain brown covers were practically falling off, all the yellowed pages were dog-eared, and papers of different greasy colors stuck out. Stains spotted the book like a Dalmatian. Twilight would’ve been horrified. “Hey Applejack, I brought your marker back.” “Aw Rainbow, yeh can keep that.” “You know, I really think that’s not a good idea. I’ll just leave it right here.” Rainbow Dash placed the marker on the writing desk. “Since all of us are here, do you want to hang out later tonight?” “Ah dunno RD, I’m plumb tuckered out and I’ve gotta be up bright ‘n early tomorrow morning ta start on the cake. Princess Celestia expects me to take care all of the food for the weddin, and I’ve got a team of ponies ta help me that’re all strangers. Let’s hope the folks round here can cook as good as they can talk.” Applejack ran a hoof along the brim of her hat. “An’ I don’t give a hoot about whether or not these Canterlot ponies’re gonna eat apple fritters or not this time, ‘cause I’m bakin’ em!” Applejack took a pen from the desk and started writing out a list of foods. “Yeah, we’ll see what you think of my desserts this time. Betcha won’t complain if they’re at a fancy dancy weddin, now, will ya?” Rainbow Dash slowly backed out of the room. “Common carnival fare. Ah’ll make everythin else taste like it was common carnival fare!” Rainbow Dash bumped into Pinkie Pie bouncing from her room to go check on the Great Hall where the reception would be held. “But Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash said, “why would you need to check on the hall? We’ve been there plenty of times before.” “I’m not going to see what it looks like. I’m making sure it’s spick and span to start decorating tomorrow. Gotta check for any dust bunnies, you know, or tacks.” Tacks. The sharp, pointy things used to put posters on bulletin boards. Pinkie wrapped a hoof around Rainbow Dash and pulled her close. “You never know what might happen in the spy world.” She let go and walked backwards out of the wide corridor, eyes darting left and right. Looks like I’m on my own. Love being on my own. Love love love it, She lied to herself on the way out of the building. There was plenty to do. She just didn’t want to do it right now. ~~~ Surprise switched places with Lightning Streak, bringing herself one slot closer to the apex of their formation. Fleetfoot was in the lead. Spitfire paced herself to stay in line with Soarin’. “Ideally,” Spitfire said, “Celestia’s calling us in to issue your retirement notice.” Soarin’ topped that one easily. “Ideally, I live a long and healthy life and retire when I feel like it, and today’s meeting is actually a surprise party.” The flock of pegasi tilted their wings in perfect synchronization and turned toward Canterlot. Spitfire didn’t take her eyes from their target destination. “Ideally, the food at the surprise party will be the best we’ve ever had, everypony we know will be there, and it’ll all be free.” Soarin’s wings leveled out and the Wonderbolts were once again on a straight path towards the unsightly pink sphere. “And this strange force field is nothing but a shield to keep all the ponies we don’t want to see today out of our super awesome party. Oh, and there will also be pie among the best foods ever.” “In the best possible situation, we’d go to our Canterlot party and the music would be provided by none other than DJ Pon3 herself. Heck, we’d all fly out of the strategy room and go over to the nightclub right away. Princess Luna’ll bring the moon up early.” “I’d have to think too hard to come up with something better than that.” Unless you chose to look at it in the best possible light made by Celestia herself, the situation was bleak. You’d never think seeing a big pink bubble could make a pony feel so grim, but that’s how it was. Soarin’ had heard it was possible but didn’t think he would ever see a city-sized force field. “How long’s this sucker been up?” Blaze asked. “Two days,” Fleetfoot responded. The orange Wonderbolt scanned the city they were about to enter. “Doesn’t look like nothing bad’s happened.” Surprise folded up a uniformed foreleg covered in watches to check one of them. “Yet.” Rapidfire sighed. “You had to say that, didn’t you Surprise?” Their uniforms gained them quick access through the bubble. At least, they had the permission but not the means to get in. A pair of white pegasus guards looked at each other and shrugged. Fleetfoot did not have an appreciation for nonsense. “What do you mean we can’t get in here? Go ask one of the unicorns in charge to open the barrier for us. What! The captain of the guard is the only pony controlling this thing? Oh for the love of – then where should we come through?” The guards indicated they could get in at the front gate if they cut in front of the ponies waiting for admittance or go through where the train came in. Fleetfoot took the fastest route, train be damned. The gray guards moved their spears and a stream of Wonderbolts poured into the royal city. So much for arriving the back way unannounced. Fleetfoot shouted down, “No! No trumpets!” The ponies on the ground sadly lowered their instruments. Despite the overpowered defenses around Canterlot, a lot of folks were out and about on the streets in town. The shops had their best displays out. Ponies clattered about and chatted in a festive, celebratory mood. Could it possibly be a party dream come true? They arrived at Cluster Mess Hall. The double doors were propped open by stiff faced guards while others moved in and out. The guards tried to navigate the area in an organized fashion, but it ended up being a cluster mess anyway. Inside the hall a diagram of the city stretched out on the long table. Next to the city map was one of Equestria, and next to that map was one of the whole region. Different tactical unit pieces were scattered in a way that Soarin’ hoped made sense to somepony here. A figure of Nightmare Moon sat on Equestria’s Southern border. Two dark guards flanked her. At a time like this, one of the Princesses or the Captain of the Guard should be presiding over the strategy, but it seemed all of those ponies were occupied. Rapidfire was also suited for the position. He didn’t seem inclined to put a hoof into the chaos. No, instead they got something much, much worse. Spitfire and Soarin’ should’ve played Worst Possible Situation on the way here, because the pony they got was he-who-could-not-be-shamed. Prince. Blueblood. The pristine white unicorn turned with a flourish at the head of the table. “What took you so long? You’d think I was waiting tables, not waiting for assistance.” The prince continued dictating to those around him how the figurines should be placed. “Surely you don’t expect me to move them myself? Thank you. Five squares to the left. No, no, three to the right. Now one down." Never had Soarin’ seen so many annoyed palace guard faces in one place at one time. Prince Blueblood looked up, as if he’d forgotten the Wonderbolts were there at all. “Oh, of course, you. I shall not waste my breath with mere athletes such as yourselves. Guard! Yes, you. Please explain to the Wonderbolts so I may rest my weary voice.” Soarin’ realized the grinding sound he was listening to was Spitfire’s teeth. The chosen guard slid his amber eyes from Prince Blueblood to the group of Wonderbolts and walked to the other side of the long hall. It was unnecessary to move, but the thing about the opposite half of the room was that it was farther away from the unicorn at the head of the table. The guard sighed in relief and cleared his throat. “Let’s get to business. There’s been a threat made against Canterlot. As such, it is a threat against Equestria, although I’m sure you are all aware of that.” “The details on the threat, please,” Fleetfoot said. “A penned letter delivered to Princess Luna claiming ponies would begin disappearing from Canterlot if she did not go to the southern border and parley over a scrap of sky the griffins want as theirs. We had a specialist analyze the text and discovered the pony who supposedly wrote it bound and gagged in the back of his home. He’s still alive, but had no information about what knocked him out. The investigators asked if he was representing the griffins.” “And what did he say?” “He asked if a griffin was a kind of muffin.” Back to square one. Surprise pulled her goggles down around her neck. “Griffins aren’t known for their love of civilization. They go wherever they want. Sure, they have a kingdom of their own, but it doesn’t add up why they’d want to expand now. All you gotta do is put two and two and two and two together to see that.” Surprise was right, although Soarin’ didn’t see what math had to do with it. The standard palace guard gave a standard nod. “We gathered as much, but the Princess of the Night would not risk it.” He coughed. “She was, ah, also excited about visiting the griffins again after so many years in rather… dull… company.” Were moon rocks more or less dull than regular rocks? Soarin’ decided questions like these were better left unanswered. Especially through personal experience. Spitfire stood with her back to the annoying white thing in the room. “It sounds like a diversion to keep the royal sisters apart. I’m sure they’re aware of this. Are there specific instructions for us?” Amidst the chaos of guards coming in and out of the room and Prince Blueblood’s whining about needing his hooves polished again after touching these musty old parchments, a single sheet of paper lifted off the end of the table and held itself in front of the guard’s face. He read from the paper, “Two to report to Princess Luna, three teams of two to observe the other borders, and the rest to switch between patrolling Equestria’s skies and defending Canterlot. Please suspend all upcoming performances until further notice. No Wonderbolt is to go out alone,” he finished. Two thickset white legs appeared between a pair of gray guards moving tactical units onto the maps. Prince Blueblood parted his unfortunate assistants and stared straight down the length of the table. “A-hem.” The Wonderbolt’s guard looked to the ceiling and he shook his head ever so slightly in exasperation. His amber gaze returned to the scroll. “We would also be most gratefully appreciative if the Wonderbolts in Canterlot could provide a Wonderworks display to follow the Royal Wedding this Saturday.” “Royal wedding?” Fleetfoot sighed, looking ten years older. “I knew it was too much to hope all the ponies outside were celebrating a national emergency.” High Winds’ mouth turned down in consternation. “Love may make the world go ‘round, but there needs to be a world to go ‘round in the first place. Were they not convinced their love would last if the wedding were postponed?” “The bride to be, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, insisted the wedding continue as planned. The organization has all been very stressful for her, and she does not want to wait, not when everypony is already here in Canterlot for the ceremony. Captain of the Guard Shining Armor was of the same opinion.” The guard lowered his voice without detracting one bit from his trained bored expression. “As for the Wonderworks, Prince Blueblood may act aloof, but he is quite a huge fan of the Wonderbolts.” Spitfire’s “I know” was so resoundingly flat the Canterlot Symphony Orchestra decided to call off their performance that night. Celestia’s note slid back onto the table, revealing the extra line added in at the end in a pin perfect script most certainly royal and most certainly not hers. There wasn’t enough wingspace in the middle of a cluster mess, so the Wonderbolts stepped outside and circled into a team huddle. Soarin’ flashed his wings open and felt the sensation of his teammate’s feathers interlocking with his own. He lowered his head instinctively. Lowering your head automatically makes things more secretive and private. It also aids in whispering. “Alright,” Spitfire whispered. “I’d like to stay in Canterlot, but those of us with family nearby should get first dibs.” Fleetfoot shook her head. “Princess Luna will require the most searching to find. I cannot stay here. Surprise, will you come with me?” Surprise nodded once. The borders were easily split among Wonderbolts familiar with those regions and their peculiarities. Soarin’ wanted to keep an eye on the Everfree Forest, so he chose to stay behind. When every team member had their assignment, they broke the huddle. “Until the next time we meet,” High Winds said aloud. “An’ it better dang well not be on our feet!” Lightning Streak finished. Multicolored feathers untwined and became separate shades once again. Each Wonderbolt extended a wing into the circle. “Three, two, one, hah!” Blue and gold scattered in all directions. “Well then team,” Spitfire said. “Looks like we’ve got a wedding to crash.” ~~~ Rainbow Dash inspected the hued surface in front of her. She placed a hoof on it. Hard, like magic. This was going to be more difficult than she thought. The Sonic Rainboom required at least that much space to pull it off, and she only had this much. If she hit the barrier at supersonic speed, it would shatter. Rainbow Dash doubted Princess Celestia would approve of her breaking Canterlot's things, although there was the last time at the Grand Galloping Gala to consider. "Stop! What are you doing?" Rainbow Dash jolted away from the magic field. Spears lanced across the space she'd been observing and two sharp-faced pegasi looked back at her, wings flapping in sync. The coolness factor of their golden armor was only slightly impacted by the pink tinge of the wall behind them. Rainbow Dash yawned. “Just the ponies I was looking for. You wouldn’t mind letting me out, would you? I’ve got a letter I need to deliver.” The guards shook their heads as one. A simple ‘no’ did not suffice. She’d been carrying this scrap of paper all day trying to find an easy way to send it to Wonderbolt headquarters. “Look, I’m not even gonna be gone that long. I can take this letter out and be back in less than ten minutes.” It was a stretch. “The city is under quarantine. You need special clearance to get past here.” So that’s how it’s gonna be, huh? Then I’ll just… do nothing. These guys are zero fun anyway. Sorry Soarin’. She turned tail and flew away, hoping Soarin’ would somehow find out she was in Canterlot that week and going to miss training. The post office had been closed, and it would take a serious amount of spy business to get the letter out at this point. It would probably be easier to ask Princess Celestia to send it, but she was so busy with her eye glued to the palace telescope these days. What exactly is going on around here anyway? Twilight would know. She hadn’t seen Twilight since they’d arrived. No doubt the organized unicorn was overseeing all the preparations with her handy dandy checklist. Rainbow Dash had a checklist, once. It might still be crumpled up under the sofa somewhere. She located the barracks only to discover that it, too, was guarded by statuesque stallions. At least this time they did nothing to stop her from snooping around. Fortunately, the south end of it was easy to find. Unlike the rest of the ornate entryways, the door in back was small and simple. Rainbow Dash had a hard time finding it, especially because it was the one unguarded door in all of Canterlot on this fine summer’s day. The white tile blended in nicely against the pure stonemasonry of the rest of the structure. Rainbow Dash opened the door and realized which Princess was granting her access to their military training room. She went down the stairs to the large underground facility beneath the barracks. “Now this is what I’m talking about.” The atmosphere alone made the place special. Ambient night light radiated from a dark, starry ceiling. The design was not perfectly lifelike, else Rainbow Dash would’ve excitedly flew into it right away and smacked her head. Even so, it was convincing enough to make you feel you were on one of those late night training sessions, out and about while all the ground ponies were sleeping below. There was a slight chill in the air, which would be perfect once she got warmed up. An indoor track with generous wingspace circled the whole area. Rainbow Dash recognized a set of pointy spears propped up in a rack on the left wall and realized all of the twisted bits of metal and magical material around those were in fact exotic weapons. Nightshade blue armor rested nearby, though there were noticeable gaps where a set or two was missing. The rest of the room was dotted with training equipment. A couple of the odd contraptions were highly complex and took up a decent span of the room, like compact obstacle courses. There was even one of those silly step machines she got a kick out of because they were so easy. She flipped onto the machine and landed with each hoof on its own platform. The athlete pedaled away like a pony born to bicycle. “Awww yeah,” she laughed, legs turning to a blur. The step platform kachuncked and suddenly she was walking through thick mud up to her stomach – or at least that’s what it felt like. Rainbow Dash pressed onward, not used to exerting herself to use her legs. Apparently even the regular equipment had been kicked into high gear by some crazy pony with a talent for gadgetry. Rainbow Dash got off the platforms and felt a spring in her step. If everything here is like that, I’d better be picky about what I work with so I’m in top form for my Sonic Rainboom. Wings, there’s gotta be something here for wings. Oh, there was. - - - Celestia went inside and Luna came outside. It was nighttime. And once again, Twilight Sparkle was freaking out. Wedding planning really brought out the best in ponies, didn’t it? “Rainbow Dash, you’re with me, right?” Rainbow Dash hadn’t been paying any attention at all to What’samorecadenza. She hadn’t met the pony and didn’t have any opinion about her supposedly bad attitude. But she did know Twilight, and Twilight had the tiniest tendency to overreact. Twilight brought her hoof down on the table so hard all of the drinks spilled. Then she turned and walked off without a word. “I hope she’s not complaining about me again.” Rainbow Dash’s heart slammed into her throat. The five friends turned around and saw what’shername. There weren’t that many alicorns in Equestria; it wasn’t hard to know it was her. She sure had a way of sneaking up on ponies. “Oh, nothing like that,” Rarity attempted to smooth the situation over. “She’s worried about her brother is all. I’m sure she means you no ill will.” “Mmhm. Actually, I’d like to speak with her. If you point me in the right direction I also have some news for you.” “She went that way,” Fluttershy said to be helpful. The princess looked bored but noted the direction. “What I came here to say was I need new bridesmaids, and I would love, love, love it if you could take their places.” Rarity’s eyes sparkled. “Us? Really?” “Really. Now I must go speak with Twilight.” The alicorn hesitated upon seeing Rarity’s eyes. “You’re the dressmaker, right? Make some new dresses.” She trotted off quickly to find Twilight before the crazed unicorn got too far. “Oh yes yes yes, I already know exactly how they should look. Girls, please come with me.” ~~~ Prince Blueblood clopped his hooves twice. “Guards, I am bored. I do believe this calls for some epic poetry. Do you have a preference? No? Silent as always, I see.” A book came in through the open double doors, flew across the table, and opened itself before one of Celestia’s royal white guards. “You may commence the reading.” The poem read line for line as if it were spoken at a funeral. The bright side was the monotonous tone made it easy for Soarin’ to ignore. Prince Blueblood’s right hoof pony moved the tiny Soarin’ out of the field and back into Canterlot. At that moment Fleetfoot came flying through the open doors. She banked just in time to avoid whipping up the maps on the table and barrel rolled onto the floor. One of her back legs slipped and she collapsed into a pile of torn fabric and feathers. “Send as many winged guards you can spare,” she gasped. “Now.” Fleetfoot’s head fell to the floor and she lapsed into steady breathing. Prince Blueblood’s book snapped shut. “You, take her to the infirmary immediately. Nopony outside the guard is to know of this. It will cause a panic.” The prince turned his gaze to the next closest guard. “Alert Princess Celestia immediately.” “Sir, she is performing the marriage at this very moment.“ “Interrupt it, then.” The guard saluted and went out the door without further question. “All of you with wings.” Prince Blueblood walked alongside the table and put his hoof on the border where Nightmare Moon and her paltry army of four stood guard. “You fly in this direction and do not stop until you find them.” ~~~ Twilight was taking Shining Armor’s comment to not come to the wedding very seriously. Nopony had seen her. You can’t find a unicorn that doesn’t want to be found. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza walked up the aisle. Rainbow Dash had the strangest feeling there was singing going on somewhere, but the blare of the trumpets brought her back to her senses. The alicorn joined Shining Armor and the ceremony began and ended. Almost. “Stop!” Twilight’s voice echoed in the great hall. She appeared, silhouetted in the grand doorway and the bride started crying again. Some ponies were sensitive like that. Or evil; very, very evil. The kind of ponies that sprouted bug wings and had glowing green eyes. Those kinds of ponies cried too, but they were never genuine tears. Everypony stepped back and gasped. Rainbow Dash leaned forward and thought, Cool. Then all hell broke loose. ~~~ It was a battlefield, and at the center of it was the darkest moon Soarin’ had ever seen. The Nightmare towered over a crumpled shape on the ground. Green goo splattered in a ring around her. Every time one of the fanged insects swooped down to snatch at the fallen pony, the Moon smashed it under her hooves. The bugs were learning, though. Three of the black creatures crawled underneath the Princess at once. Only two survived. One of them jerked back as a gray pony pulled it out and smashed armored hooves down into the exploding carcass. The remaining bug grew a hoof out of its skull. Surprise withdrew her green leg. She wouldn’t last much longer, but the insects were finding it difficult to pin the slime-slathered pegasus down. Her Wonderbolt uniform and all of the watches were gone. Soarin’ dove and plowed into the writhing mass of exoskeletons, cutting a swath away from one side of the battle-crazed alicorn princess. He got a close look at a viscous curved horn on top of a pony shaped head as it tried to gouge his eye out. Soarin’ lashed his legs forward and rolled, dumping the creatures he’d smashed to the ground. One of them sported thick, dark blue chitin on its body and head. That bug pulled up from its defeated comrades and flew back at him in rage. He wound up a punch and socked it in the head, sending it flying. Backup would arrive soon, he hoped. How far ahead had he gotten from the guards? Soarin’ landed and dug his feet into the ground. He whipped around rearing, back legs compressed to kick him into the air like a loaded cannon. He faltered and fell to all fours in front of Rainbow Dash. She’d seen him go over Ponyville and followed him into the war zone, and now there she was like it was no big deal. Soarin’ was incapable of thinking anything, let alone fumbling for words. What was this unfamiliar sensation? He felt a tug deep within his emotions like they were being drawn from him, or maybe consuming themselves and leaving nothing behind. He must've landed a lot harder than he thought because he was also seeing double. The fight split into two Surprises mirroring each other. Usually you needed a mirror to do that. Soarin's focus snapped back to Rainbow Dash. "What's the code?" he said. She froze at this sudden bizarre demand, hoof midair. "That's what I thought." Against his will, Soarin' leapt past the pony and snapped open a wing, cracking her across the neck and knocking her to the ground. The pony mirage burst and became one of the armored insect commanders. It tried to rise, but Soarin' crushed his hoof straight through its black caraprace and finished it off. "I'd advise you to stay down next time a Wonderbolt punches you," he said as he threw another attacking enemy to the ground, "but it's a little late for that." They're not mimics, Soarin' reasoned while fighting for his life. But still, what the heck? Rainbow Dash - why would they do that... His blows slowed down as he became more cautious, concerned this pony was the real Surprise or Luna's guard. Thank Thunder there weren't any more Rainbow Dashes. The alicorn’s rallying cry split the hum of insect wings. "To me! To me!" Two ponies, one gray one white, rested helplessly beneath the shadow of the Moon. Surprise was down. Soarin' withdrew and took the position opposite the only guard still standing. Bits of shell crunched under the layer of ooze around the hellish-looking Nightmare Princess. The wall of shattered carcasses circling them would have been useful against unwinged enemies. What a waste. The tides turned and armored pegasi crashed into the black swarm. Comets of green blood and pony feathers rained down, drizzling the carpet of bodies below. Even so, they’d hardly made a dent in the opponent’s forces. A swath of their attackers broke from the swarm and headed for Equestria’s heart. Soarin’ exploded into the sky after the breakaway group. Canterlot’s defensive winged forces hesitated, unsure whether to go after the rogue army or continue battling the enemies here. A royal voice boomed across the distance Soarin’ had already put between him and the carnage. “We can handle this. Stay your ground and fight!” Soarin’ knew she wasn’t talking about ‘we’ Princess Luna. She was putting faith in Celestia to handle whatever made it past the first line of defense. Reassured, the guards plunged into the fray around the Bringer of Night. Soarin’ was already gone. He swatted aside the mock ponies at the back of the pack, but there was only one of him and hundreds of them. They ignored him like a horse ignores a dead mosquito. Never did a single creature falter when Soarin’ felled one of its comrades, as if the swarm was driven by a hive mind that only felt a prick when that tiny piece of it went out. They were fast little buggers, too. With singular determination they rocketed towards the pink bubble in green comet fire. Black specks crawled along the surface of the force field; some of the attackers had already arrived. Canterlot shattered. A path of fire streaked across the sky and burst into a shower of fireballs, which was what remained of any creature caught in the blast. The heat signature came closer and closer to Soarin’, setting fire to any who dared try to join in the destruction of Canterlot. Through the flurry of his swinging hooves Soarin’ saw unnatural explosions strike the castle and the city’s rooftops. A gash opened the fabric on his chest and cut into the skin underneath. He pulled away from the dark horn before it dug into his knee. Soarin’s coat prickled and instinctively he rolled to the side. An electrocuted husk fell past him, still crackling with static. Others tumbled after it. No doubt Rapidfire was out here too, but nopony would see him coming. Alternating lasers of purple and yellow shot from the castle and picked off enemies in the sky. It wasn’t enough. That’s the main trouble with minions: there were a lot of them, and killing them got very repetitive. ~~~ Their captors brought them back to the Queen so she could have her obligatory moment of gloating. Rainbow Dash hated being on the receiving end of it. She was only putting up with this until there was a clear shot for them to strike back, until the Wonderbolts showed up, until Princess Luna came and brought the night down on them all. Where were the guards? Rainbow Dash’s ears pricked. The sound of destruction outside was being canceled out by something else: a spark between the two defeated ponies on the altar. “There are all kinds of magic in this world.” This was like no magic she’d ever experienced before. She could feel it. It warmed her from the outside in, straight to the core of her being. A sense of comfort settled in her heart, and underneath that was pure energy: the desire to be something, to do something, to achieve, to dream. There was no way to describe it, really. If poetry couldn’t do it, Rainbow Dash sure as shine didn’t stand a chance. She knew this feeling, though. It was love. ~~~ Everypony was okay. Fleetfoot and Surprise were resting; some of the other ‘Bolts on the borders had to help her back to the base. Princess Luna had stayed behind to finish the fight. Only right when the wedding afterparty started did she grace Canterlot with her presence. The black alicorn was perfectly happy and completely unharmed. As for the changelings, all of the Wonderbolts had felt it – the thing that had blown the black shapeshifters back to the dead woods. Anybody would’ve been hard pressed to be unhappy after that wave of love blanketed Equestria. Soarin’, however, felt as if his emotions were tripping over themselves like a five legged pony. He was doing his best to keep his cool. Rainbow Dash was having less success. “Come on Soarin’, let’s dance! I’ve been through drama like you wouldn’t believe this week. Let’s have some fun!” She jammed to the beat. All of their friends had mysteriously disappeared. The camera ponies were still in full form, though. Twilight Sparkle kept singing ‘love is in bloom.’ The song would be over soon, and Soarin’ had to admit it was impossible not to move to the beat. “Alright Dash, but I’ve still got Wonderworks to do, so don’t wear me out,” he teased. He wanted to be fit for the after party after the light show, so he resisted all of Dash’s attempts to get him on the dance floor and make a scene. Soarin’ nearly hid underneath a table skirt when Dash pulled a yellow pony with a pink mane from the crowd onto the floor. He needed to have it explained to him that Fluttershy had been in a bad mood the first time they’d met. It should not have been possible to fit “sorry” that many times into one conversation. This Fluttershy was the complete opposite of the pegasus who’d thrown him halfway across Ponyville. Rainbow Dash dragged the apologetic pony away and the two friends danced. Soarin’ rounded up the scattered Wonderbolts so they could do the Wonderworks they’d planned. “How’d it go, mate?” Lightning Streak nudged him. Soarin’ ran through the routine in his head. “It was nothing.” “Soarin’.” Spitfire said, concerned. He didn’t respond. Fireworks always make ponies happy. It’s a nice touch. ~~~ The wedding was finally over, and they’d seen the married couple off. Pinkie Pie’s eyes darted back and forth while she waited for them to stop laughing. “Forget the bachelor party,” she said. “It’s time for the after after party.” Rainbow Dash tipped her head, curious with a mischievous edge. “After after party?” Pinkie Pie bounced. “You know, the party you have after the after party, the party that’s three levels deep!” “It’s not gonna be a party without me there. I’m in.” Even Fluttershy came with them to the hottest night club in Equestria. Everypony was there. Colored lights scanned over the crowd in the darkened room and Rainbow Dash saw ponies with their wedding finery still on, ponies with nothing on, the glare off Lightning Streak’s mane, guards dancing despite their armor next to two griffins doing the same in steel plate, and even Discord frozen up next to the bar. A wave of starlight gave away Princess Luna, whose impressive steps and turns and snaps to the pounding beat drew a circle of memorized spectators. Rainbow Dash was fascinated by this and watched other club goers move in and out of the circle to dance with the night sky. That corner of the dance floor had a life of its own. Fluttershy immediately joined the ponies near a wall where a trellis of white flowers and ivy grew. The flowers glowed in the different colors of the club lights. Fluttershy’s pink mane bobbed while she smiled and nodded to something another wallflower pony said to her and the two struck up a conversation. Every so often a group of them left the wall to dance or were invited to dance by one of the more brave souls out there. It took guts to ask a shy pony onto the floor. Rainbow Dash kept looking, making her way around the club with Rarity and Twilight sticking close to her. The mood was still sparking with the after-wedding hype and the giddy feeling left over from the royal couple’s magic spell, mixed in with one or two cocktails, of course. Pinkie Pie had disappeared, and Applejack was at the bar with a bunch of her folks. Discord was shocked to see ponies trusted him enough to hold their hats and accessories and all those flowers wreathed around his horns. The music leveled down into hard, plain beats with no musical layover. “Alright ponies. Time to show you how this song really goes.” DJ Pon3’s horn lit up and a curved panel of magical energy whipped into existence in front of her. Hints of a melody spread out over the thundering subwoofers. A voice clear as a bell rang out “Love is in Bloom” and the song burst into action. Rainbow Dash felt it pulse through her. Her hooves moved on their own, seeking their place in the rhythm. She let the song take over her senses and prowled the edges of the dance. Unicorn magic lit the DJ booth and displayed lights and shapes swirling with the mood of the beat. Rainbows rushed overhead in a mock sonic rainboom, followed by dazzling Wonderworks explosions. The bloom of love melted into darker, driving tones. “Hey Rainbow Dash, thought I saw you.” Rainbow Dash turned and noticed Spitfire. Rarity and Twilight stood nearby, bouncing to the thrum of the music. Spitfire came closer so she could hear. “Soarin’s looking for you, you know.” She laughed. “His sight must not be that great if he can’t spot you, even in this crowd. He’s probably still over there,” she pointed across the dance floor to the other side of the room. Rainbow Dash looked into the colorful mass shifting in the space between. There wasn’t a gap big enough for her to see through. ~~~ The music was too good to be wasted. It pulsed in him, forcing him to take action. Once again the rhythm shifted, this time into a haunting sound of desperate longing that pulled him forward. “You…” the single word echoed in the music. Dancing ponies slowed their movement to follow the change, and it was then that there was a clear line of sight across the floor. “You…” Their eyes met for that brief second before the dancers closed the space. Soarin’ removed his goggles and slid his tie off, reaching for the clasps on the jacket hiding the bandage across his chest. “Lightning Streak, hold these.” ~~~ Rarity caught the items before they hit the floor. “Rainbow Dash, please, dresses are made to be worn, not thrown every time you feel like flying.” But nothing could call the pegasus back. She’d turned herself over completely to the DJ’s mix and disappeared into the crowd. A cymbal roll opened up a vast emptiness in the song that reverberated with the lyrics. Dancers started to move away from the center of the floor and cluster around it. “So Twilight Sparkle,” Spitfire said. “You’ve seen pegasi pull water from the ground, but have you ever seen them dance?” Twilight turned her gaze up to the airborne pegasi couples, which were now all focused on the clearing in front of the towering DJ booth. Two ponies were facing off in the space below. Twilight thought back on all the times she’d seen one of those ponies dance at parties with her and their other friends. “Yes, but this is the first time I’ve seen Rainbow Dash stand still like this.” “Then you’re in for a treat.” Up above, the DJ grinned, still bobbing her head to the hidden beat in the silence of the lyrics. Music had a way of drawing out the heart’s desire. It had been a while since two ponies cleared the floor like that simply by looking at each other. She reached into her magic and brought on the bass, waiting for the couple to make their move. Down below, Rainbow Dash and Soarin’s eyes were locked with intense clarity. They circled each other around the perimeter of the ring, two combatants waiting for their opponent’s gaze to waver. Neither paid any heed to the wounds and bruises that the lack of clothing revealed. Their footfalls matched step for step on every other strike of the beat. The music grew in power, one level of complexity after the other until the pair sensed the impending climactic crash. The musical wave bore down on them and they spun together in a blur at the center of the floor, wings outstretched and still not touching. Hooves hit the floor at the same time. Grounded, they fanned their wings out and around, dodging just in time to avoid hitting each other in a brave show of coordination. Soarin’s wing rushed over Rainbow Dash’s head and stirred up the colors on her mane. The mare retaliated with a fierce uppercut that breezed past the feathers on her companion’s wing when he twisted out of the way. There was no lead in freestyle. It depended entirely on your ability to read your partner. Rainbow Dash held her wings out and stepped back, hooves still cracking the floor with the beat, hips swinging back and forth. She gave Soarin’ space. Bring it on, I dare you, was her wordless challenge. Soarin’ folded his wings in and pawed the ground, launching into a slow motion charge. At the center of their shared circle he flared his wings and reared, whirling around once before slamming his forelegs into the ground and bucking. He beat his wings to keep his rear legs aloft while he took a few paces backwards, eyes trained on Rainbow Dash. Soarin’ let his hind hooves touch down and held his wings parallel to the floor. Starting with one tip, he rolled the wing and his shoulder into the other shoulder and wingtip in an ocean wave. The stallion thrust both wings forward and pointed at Rainbow Dash with them. He lifted a foreleg and indicated, Come and get me. The stunning colored mare never let a pony show her up, and she wasn’t about to start. She strut right over to the pony standing in her way until their noses were almost touching and gave him a wicked grin. She jumped backward and flipped forward over the sky blue pegasus. Halfway through her upside down arc she stretched her wings to the ground. Her pinions brushed down his back and she landed right on the booming musical downbeat. Soarin’ whipped around to see what she was going to do next and found a hoof in his face – “stop”. Rainbow Dash grinned behind it. She had anticipated he would turn around like that. They touched and it was electric and still not enough all at once. The two pegasi grooved to the music with their necks pressed together. Soarin’ turned so he could speak into Rainbow Dash’s ear without leaving her side. “I don’t think I mentioned how dashing you look in the dresses I’ve seen, but you know what?” Rainbow Dash’s eyes flickered with a mischievous spark while she reached for his ear. “Funny, I was about to say the same. I like it best when it’s just you, no clothes.” “Exactly.” Let’s take off and fly, the music called. Hooves left the ground and the two pegasi twirled round and round on their way up. They broke apart and looped a mini flight routine in the confines of their circle, clashing their hooves together on Soarin’s cue. “I always wanted to try this,” Rainbow Dash said. “Walk with me.” The two walked straight up on an invisible vertical surface, using each other’s hooves as a landing point. It was like a mirror had suddenly appeared, but on one side was a stallion who’d achieved his dreams and on the other was a mare who hadn’t. Not yet. The DJ flipped the switch on the music and gave the Wonderbolt and the Rainboom a little something to work with. The World Is Mine. Fog rolled out over the dance floor and refracted the colors of the club lights into misty glows. The rest of the crowd couldn’t resist the mood, so they danced while instinctively maintaining the invisible boundary for the pegasus pair. On the boundary of the dance floor, a purple unicorn blinked and tried to make sense of what she was witnessing. Her body swung to the beat with its own agenda; it was impossible to resist the masterful magic of the music. This didn’t prevent her eyes from following the two ponies walking on thin air, bouncing off it and flying through it like it was solid and not at the same time. The blue duo stood on an imperceptible dance floor above the real one and wrapped their wings around each other. They used them like extra legs to spin one another on angles impossible for ground ponies. At one point Rainbow Dash guided Soarin’ with her wingtip into a barrel roll above her head. He landed on all fours upside down above her. The two rocked it out with their heads turned upward/downward to not lose sight of each other. Colored fog flashed around them. Twilight would have to pick up her jaw. If only she could find it. The couple wanted to keep dancing, but the long night was taking its toll. Both ponies sensed the end of the song and did one more whirl before landing in the air. It defied all logic of gravity, those two standing on nothing like that. The couple stared at each other, frozen, and sank to the floor. They were so close. Twilight felt every hair on her pelt prickle while the two unmoving pegasi exchanged a Look. It went on for a long time while the circle around them closed and the music pounded on. Rainbow Dash and Soarin’ were as still as Discord, who watched the proceedings in stony silence. It wasn’t natural. Twilight found she was able to speak. “What’s wrong with them?” Spitfire chuckled. “There’s nothing wrong with them. They’re in love.” “How can they not know?” Rarity said. “It is so obvious.” The Wonderbolt ran a hoof through her fiery mane. “Well, that’s just the thing. They do know." Rarity gasped in a most ladylike fashion. “You can’t mean you have rules against this sort of thing? That’s so tragic!” “No no no,” Spitfire cut her off. “Seriously, I don’t know where everypony gets that idea. My guess is Rainbow Dash wants to be a Wonderbolt first. Soarin’ is trying to see her through the Wonder Trial without any interference.” Twilight’s full attention turned to Spitfire at that. “So she’s going to be invited this year?” “Who knows?” Spitfire said in a way that reminded Twilight distinctly of Princess Celestia. The Wonderbolt trotted off, waving goodbye behind her. Basically synonymous with "being too busy preparing for my Sonic Rainboom." Basically.