Apple Bloom came in to a landing at the Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse and walked into the main room. Her friends had already arrived.
"Could we please hunt for gems today?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"You asked that yesterday," replied Scootaloo. "Why do you need gems?"
"I wanted to make a token of my appreciation for Rarity," replied Sweetie Belle. "She really went out of her way for me and my visit with her is almost over."
"I could go a gem hunter cutie mark," said Scootaloo. "What do you think Apple Bloom?"
"You only had to ask, Sweetie Belle. If we knew it was that important to you we would have done it yesterday."
Sweetie Belle smiled at her friends.
They gathered together into a huddle. "Cutie Mark Crusaders best friends forever, yay."
Scootaloo put three hammers in her saddle bag. Apple Bloom grabbed a small canteen and some apples. Sweetie levitated the blade of a shovel and couple of pieces of chalk into her bag. Provisioning complete, the crusaders called their meeting to a close and left the clubhouse.
The three alicorns launched into the air and flew west in the direction of Appleoosa towards the gem fields. The apple trees gave way to scrubland and eventually badlands. Sweetie Belle angled downward and the other crusaders followed.
"Okay, now that we are here, how do we find the gems?" asked Scootaloo.
"That's easy," replied Sweetie Belle. She reached for her magic and her horn glowed a bright blue. She was pulled vaguely ahead and sensed gems hiding under the ground about five paces forward. She levitated her shovel out of her pack and proceeded to dig where the gems were.
Apple Bloom walked forward and collected the small pile of rubies and sapphires.
"Cool, did Rarity show you how to do that?" asked Scootaloo.
"Actually, I found the spell in a book," replied Sweetie Belle. I could try to show you though.
Sweetie Belle spent some time going over the basic spell and how it could be narrowed to specific gem types. She remembered her experiences on generalizing it further and decided against bringing that up at this time.
Apple Bloom went over the spell in her mind. Her horn began to shine a very bright yellow as her head jerked sharply to the right. She moaned in discomfort. "Sweetie Belle, is this supposed to hurt?"
Sweetie Belle shook her head then placed a piece of chalk before Apple Bloom. "Try marking where the gems are."
Apple Bloom picked up the chalk with her magic and floated it over to a rock formation off to their right and drew an X. "It feels funny, like something is rubbing against my horn."
Sweetie Belle nodded. Magical fatigue is something unicorns are warned about constantly. She did her best impression of Rarity, "now if you keep trying to do magic in a state like that, your horn is going to crack."
"Doesn't stop Rarity though. I have seen her cast several spells after it started to visibly hurt her. Probably best to take a rest from magic for a while though, and I don't know if you should even try it Scootaloo. It is a hard spell."
Scootaloo took a hammer in her mouth and tapped on the formation Apple Bloom had marked. Several sapphires drained out which she placed in her saddle bag. She went several paces forward then looked back at Sweetie Belle. "I am not afraid to give it a try."
Scootaloo started into the spell. Her horn flared a dazzling red as a rock formation ahead and to her left exploded. She was pummeled with pebbles, and a coating of dust fell over all three alicorns. She walked forward to the crater of where the spell took effect and saw an empty hole with no gemstones. "I am going to try it again," stated Scootaloo.
Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom silently took a dozen steps backwards while Scootaloo prepared the spell.
Scootaloo thought back to what Twilight had told her. She tried to cast the spell as softly as she could. This time a few bright red sparks flew out of her horn but nothing else happened. She tried to focus her efforts and made a third attempt. Her horn shined with a bright red glow and another burst of dust rolled out from a spot somewhere ahead of her. She walked up to see a small hollowed out area of the ground with a few diamonds inside. She put the diamonds in her bag and said, "I thought you were supposed to get a feeling for where the gems are."
"That is what is supposed to happen," replied Sweetie Belle. "I guess it works differently for different casters, but I wouldn't try using your version for anything I cared about."
Scootaloo stared questioningly at Sweetie Belle.
"At any rate, it is my turn."
Morning gave way to afternoon as the alicorns filled their packs with gemstones.
Apple Bloom levitated a few garnets out of the most recent hole and into her saddle bag. "I don't have that feeling anymore, think it is okay to give it another try?"
"The spell takes a very light touch, Apple Bloom," replied Scootaloo.
"Should be okay, but back off if it starts to hurt," added Sweetie Belle. "I think I have enough gems now anyway and I am tiring myself."
Apple Bloom very carefully and cautiously concentrated on the spell. Her horn glowed a modestly bright yellow, and she felt a nudge behind her. She walked over to the source of her feeling and dug out a few emeralds.
They looked at their flanks and again saw no cutie marks.
After a collective sigh, the fillies made their way back to their clubhouse. Sweetie Belle pulled out a large selection of construction paper and other craft supplies while the other crusaders dumped their gemstones in a pile to her side.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo waved and left to practice flying in preparation for tomorrow's day with Rainbow Dash, leaving Sweetie Belle to start work on her project. She was about half finished when it was time to call it a night and go back to Rarity's for dinner.
---
Sweetie Belle finished her morning routine and went down the stairs to the work area of Carousel Boutique. She heard Rarity singing in her inspiration room and walked in to join her.
Sweetie Belle watched as Rarity lifted a piece of red ribbon with her magic and tied it into place on the front of her latest creation. Rarity paced around the ponykin giving it one final look over then placed it onto the display with the rest of her summer line.
Rarity wheeled the display from her inspiration room to a prominent spot near the main entrance then flipped the sign on the door from closed to open. She paused a moment to see if any pony was outside before returning to the inspiration room.
"Today is your day to create, Sweetie Belle," said Rarity. She laid out a selection of dress patterns. "These are some of the most popular current styles."
Sweetie Belle lifted one and placed it with her magic on a nearby easel. Rarity then walked over to her rolls of fabric and Sweetie Belle chose a bolt of light purple and one of royal blue. Rarity nodded and pulled some cyan ribbon from out of one of the many drawers in the room.
The doorbell started to chime. Rarity opened the door and gave her trademark greeting. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is chic, unique and magnifique."
Amethyst Star entered and started browsing through the selection of summer dresses. She levitated a few dresses off the display to see how they might look on her. Rarity made a few suggestions of her own, but it did not result in a purchase.
Sweetie Belle trotted into the main room as Amethyst Star left.
Rarity evened out the dresses on the display and sighed. "I hope Hoity Toity likes these more than she did."
"No accounting for taste," said Sweetie Belle as she walked around the display.
"But that is wrong dear, a masterpiece will call out to the customer and implore to them the necessity that it be purchased," replied Rarity.
"I at least think these are some of the prettiest ones you have ever made," added Sweetie Belle.
They returned to the inspiration room, and Sweetie Belle started cutting the fabric to match the patterns. Rarity checked the sizes and commended Sweetie Belle on how precise the cuts were. She cringed however at some of the stitching when Sweetie Belle tried sewing them together.
The dress was levitated onto the ponykin and Rarity gave it a once over. She placed some ribbon at strategic places to accent the piece, sliced two holes into it for wings, and floated it over to Sweetie Belle. "Go ahead, try it on," she said.
Sweetie Belle looked confused but did as she was asked. She looked at herself in a mirror and was pleased with the fit as well as the look.
"You needed some new clothes to accommodate your wings, so I made up patterns all in your size for today," said Rarity.
The bell rang a second time and Rarity greeted Twinkleshine to the Boutique. She also looked at the dresses without making a purchase.
Rarity looked a little on edge after Twinkleshine left and asked Sweetie Belle if she would like some tea. Rarity left for the kitchen to boil the water.
Sweetie Belle stared at the display. She couldn't understand what was wrong with the customers. If only they could see the dresses the way she did. If only Hoity Toity could.
She thought back to the "want it need it" spell, going over the complex mechanics of the spell in her mind. Her debate with herself over whether or not to cast it was interrupted by the kettle going off in the other room.
Sweetie Belle sighed and prepared her magic. Something felt a little off, but as difficult as the spell was, she thought it must just be the complexity of the magic. Her horn gleamed a dazzling blue as a single heart formed over the display then faded from view.
Rarity emerged into the room, two cups of tea levitating behind her. She passed one off to Sweetie Belle who grasped it with her magic.
They drank their tea then returned to the inspiration room. Rarity opened a drawer with her magic and levitated out a small skein of golden cloth. Sweetie Belle squealed in delight then she made new Cutie Mark Crusader vests for her and her friends in a larger size.
Rarity supervised her making three more dresses after that, then the doorbell again chimed. Rarity adjusted her hair then walked over to the door and opened it.
Sweetie Belle watched anxiously from the inspiration room as Hoity Toity strode into the store and started to examine the display.
Hoity Toity frowned and said, "how ghastly, I haven't seen a worse set of dresses since that stop in Trottingham. What could have possessed you to commit such a travesty against fashion, Rarity?"
Rarity pulled a dress off the rack and stared at it. "I have no idea what I was thinking. Blue and Yellow in a chiffon pattern for a summer dress is madness. I am so sorry for wasting your time."
Rarity opened the trash bin and put all of the dresses from the display into it, slamming the lid shut with her magic. Hoity nodded and left the shop.
"I'm afraid I am not going to be the best company for a while, Sweetie Belle," moaned Rarity.
Sweetie Belle walked over and spread her wings over her sister. "Thank you so much for the vests and spending the day with me."
Rarity nuzzled Sweetie Belle and gave her a few bits to cover dinner. Sweetie Belle collected the vests and put them in her saddlebag as she headed for the exit.
Sweetie Belle was greeted by an overcast sky as she left Carousel Boutique. She pictured Scootaloo in her mind and cast the generalized version of Rarity's gem spell. Her horn blazed a bright blue and she felt a sharp pain in her horn along with a subtle tug in the direction of Ponyville's school.
She flew up to just below the cloud deck and traveled to the northwest, passing over town hall and then the school. The sky cleared as she passed over a few trees and then finally made out her fellow crusaders resting atop a hill in front of her.
---
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo met just outside of Rainbow Dash's cloud house.
Rainbow Dash looked up from doing some stretches and asked the crusaders to follow her.
From there it was only a short flight over to one of the lower levels of Cloudsdale. They came to a landing near the outside of the ring and walked up to the first building on the left side. It was an official looking structure lined with large pillars, a couple of pegasus sculptures, and a plaque which titled the building "Weather affairs, local districts."
They entered the building and followed a corridor to the right. Rainbow Dash nodded to several pegasi as they passed them. Her office turned out to be the fourth on the left. She opened the door and the three of them entered.
A poster of the wonderbolts hung on the far wall. A wastepaper basket full of crumpled papers sat to the side of a weathered dark mahogany desk.
Scootaloo looked over at the desk and saw several maps with lines and numbers on them. Below that was a sheet with many numbers.
"You do math?" asked Scootaloo.
"You've got me," replied Rainbow Dash. "I don't just do math, I do quite a bit of math charting the weather for Ponyville."
Apple Bloom surveyed the weather data with interest while Scootaloo just stared at Rainbow Dash.
"Being a wonderbolt means even more math," continued Dash. "You don't think they ever do a new trick or routine without laying it out on paper first?"
"I thought you just..." started Scootaloo.
"The key is to make it look easy," added Dash. "Planning it out on paper first is what allows you to do that."
Scootaloo frowned, and Rainbow Dash looked into her eyes. "Sure I fly by the tips of my wings when I am fooling around or when there is not time to plan, but if you want to do more than put a few aileron loops together..."
Rainbow Dash removed a sheet of paper from the desk with a complicated drawing on it. Numerous loops and tricks were shown with distances and velocities charted out. "this is the only way."
She then pulled a clipboard from another drawer. The only thing Scootaloo saw that was readable was several approved stampings.
"It will be an easy but active day weatherwise," started Dash. "Create a small rainstorm over Sweet Apple Acres and set up clouds for tomorrow's big rainstorm over all of Ponyville." She made a hoofmark near the bottom of the clipboard and placed it back in the drawer.
"I don't know about you but I am famished. So, how would you like to have breakfast and maybe meet a griffon?"
Apple Bloom looked cheerful at the prospect while Scootaloo merely nodded.
They walked back out of the office, Rainbow Dash nodding to a few other employees as they passed. They flew back to the outside ring and ascended a level.
Apple Bloom gawked at the surroundings while Scootaloo stifled a chuckle as they passed by two buildings and entered the third. Familiar griffon music played in the background as they took a seat near the corner of the establishment, about four tables from where Scootaloo sat the first time.
Moments later a familiar blue-green pegasus presented them with menus and glasses of water. "My name is Sky Swirls and I will be serving you today. The soup of the day is minestrone. The special is the stuffed peppers. The griffon cuisine special is a pan-fried perch over asparagus if you are feeling adventurous.
"Hi Swirls," replied Rainbow Dash. "Could you do me a favor and fetch Olov out here? I promised the fillies they could meet a griffon."
She gave a wink to Dash, then looked over the rest of the table, and awkwardly back at Rainbow Dash before departing.
Olov walked up to the table behind his serving cart. He laid out a selection of breads and strode over to Scootaloo. "Well hello Scootaloo," he stated boisterously. "Back for another carnivore special already are we? And I see you brought along Rainbow Dash and another friend."
Scootaloo met Olov's gaze, "she's Apple Bloom, fellow crusader, and most reliable pony you could ever know."
Olov turned to Apple Bloom and gave a small bow, "pleased to meet you Apple Bloom. Any friend of Scootaloo's is a friend of mine." He addressed the whole table, "Are we ready to order?"
"Sure, why not?" groused Rainbow Dash. "I'll have the hungry pegasus breakfast with strawberry pancakes and a glass of orange juice."
"Strawberry Pancakes sound good," replied Apple Bloom, "with a couple of scrambled eggs and some apple juice."
"And will you be ordering the perch?" asked Olov of Scootaloo.
Scootaloo pondered for a moment and then nodded.
"In that case I will change my order to the perch as well," added Rainbow Dash.
"Very good choices," stated Olov. He collected the menus and wheeled his cart away.
"What the hay?!" assailed Rainbow Dash.
"You see, Rainbow, I was teaching Sweetie Belle how to fly and we ended up in Cloudsdale and you told me about this restaurant, so I decided to try it," confessed Scootaloo.
"And a standing meat order?" questioned Rainbow Dash.
"Well, when I came here the first time, he seemed to be emphasizing the shrimp alfredo," replied Scootaloo. "And I remembered something you said about griffons. I didn't want to offend him."
"You started with shrimp alfredo?" Rainbow dash chuckled to herself. "Okay kid, If you can stomach that, I guess I can deal with perch for breakfast. It really wasn't what I wanted to order but yeah, if I ever wanted to show my face in here again you didn't leave me much of a choice. I am assuming you have never had perch before."
Scootaloo shook her head.
Rainbow Dash softly smiled.
Apple Bloom watched as Olov wheeled out the cart and placed a special in front of Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash, and something looking more like food in front of her.
Scootaloo tried a bite of her perch. "It's good."
"If you say so," replied Rainbow Dash as she ate another bite.
Apple Bloom didn't care if it was good or not. The strawberry pancakes however were the best she had ever tasted.
She quietly watched Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash posture over their meal. It was almost as delicious as the pancakes.
Olov came back out and removed their dishes. He bowed to Scootaloo and then made a smaller bow to Apple Bloom. "Very nice seeing you again, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Rainbow Dash. The meal is of course on the house, and have a good day."
They got up from their seats and left the restaurant.
"You really thought that was good?" asked Rainbow Dash of Scootaloo.
"Better than the shrimp alfredo I had at least," replied Scootaloo.
Rainbow Dash messed up Scootaloo's mane. "So long as you can keep it inside. Next I get to sign for some clouds and then you can meet the team."
Rainbow Dash and the crusaders went up three more levels and then around the edge to the southern side of the ring. They walked up to a square industrial building which lacked most of the elegance of the pegasus architecture.
A burly tan pegasus with a dark red mane emerged with a clipboard. Rainbow Dash stamped the bottom with her hoof and they wordlessly parted.
Rainbow Dash bounded the building and took a position on the far side. The crusaders followed and then watched as the entire outer wall of the building was lowered by several pegasi through the cloud deck to the level beneath them. Inside the warehouse was nothing but black storm clouds.
Rainbow Dash addressed the pegasi. "Blossomforth, Raindrops, Flitter, Cloudchaser, Prism Strider, Star Hunter, and Serenity, these are Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. They may be here for take a filly to work day, but I expect you to treat them like they were rookie weather team members today. We have over two hundred storm clouds to move to Ponyville, which I figure is about twenty-four trips. I heard that Prism Strider. With ten of us, if we keep up a strong pace, we can be done by three. We will start with Sweet Apple Acres and I will set off the storm there after the third pass. The rest of the clouds are to stay ready until nightfall when Prism Strider will kick off the evening's rainstorm."
Flitter, Cloudchaser, and Raindrops started removing clouds from the warehouse.
She turned to the fillies. "We will be in the center. Just drag the cloud behind you like you were doing two days ago. We fly in a row, so if you lose the connection to your cloud the pegasi next to you can help control it. When we get to Ponyville we will be weaving the clouds into a single storm. Just place yours next to mine."
Flitter formed up to the right of Apple Bloom and flashed her a smile. Raindrops took position to the left of Scootaloo and nodded. Rainbow Dash counted down from five and the group of ten pegasi launched into the air.
They started with an easy glide out of Cloudsdale and once they were safely out of range of the city, they picked up speed. Scootaloo worked hard to keep contact with her cloud, but had no trouble keeping pace. Apple Bloom found keeping contact with the cloud easy, but struggled to maintain the brisk speed of the pegasi.
They slowed as they approached Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack waved to Apple Bloom from the ground below as she passed by. Each pegasus dropped off their cloud and knitted it to the clouds to each side.
As coordinated as the flight in was, the flight back was more of a race with each pegasus taking their own route and speed. Scootaloo tried to keep up with Star Hunter and Cloudchaser but Rainbow Dash was far ahead. Apple Bloom was nearer the back of the pack with Blossomforth and Serenity. The first pegasi to arrive started setting up the clouds for the next run. Scootaloo was proud that she got to move her own cloud into line, and get back into formation before the last of the pegasi returned.
The second trip was similar to the first except that they accelerated sooner after launch, and maintained a slightly faster speed.
On the third trip Scootaloo watched as Rainbow Dash bucked the dark clouds with four well-placed kicks to set off the rainstorm. Scootaloo was almost the last pegasus back into formation on that run.
They took a short break around noon at the marketplace. Applejack provided the pegasi with a bushel of apples, some water, and a cider each in thanks for the rainstorm. She exchanged a knowing glance with Apple Bloom as she collected her cider.
Scootaloo thanked her earth pony stamina as they set out for the last trip of the day. The day had taken its toll on some of the pegasi and the run was a little slower than many of the other earlier trips. The town hall clock read 2:35 and Rainbow Dash congratulated her crew and the fillies on an excellent showing. The pegasi soon scattered leaving just Rainbow Dash and the two filly alicorns.
"Well, while I prefer clear sky days myself, that is what happens every time a storm is scheduled," said Rainbow Dash.
Scootaloo looked back in dismay while Apple Bloom's expression was more neutral.
"How would you like to see me run through a routine or two?" asked Rainbow Dash.
Both fillies brightened at this prospect and followed Rainbow Dash as she flew over to a hill just south of her cloud home.
"I didn't choose this location at random. It is in a different weather district than Ponyville so it rarely gets rain on the same days. This lets me practice here in sunlight even when a storm is scheduled." Rainbow Dash leaped into the air.
The fillies sat in awe at the aerial acrobatics as Rainbow Dash did a solo performance for their benefit.
"Hello, what brings you out here?" asked Sweetie Belle.
The fillies simply pointed upwards at Rainbow Dash. Sweetie Belle looked up, sat beside her friends, and started watching the show.
"How was weather patrol with Rainbow Dash?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"She made the day great, but I found out it is definitely not what I want to do with my life," replied Scootaloo.
"It was a lot more like farm work than I expected," added Apple Bloom.
Sweetie Belle prodded the pair and opened her saddle bag. Her friends each grabbed a vest with reverence and they all donned them before going back to watching Rainbow Dash perform.
The sun was starting to get lower in the sky as Rainbow Dash returned to the ground. "Thank you for making a potentially humdrum day significantly more awesome," she said to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, then "and where did you come from Sweetie Belle?"
"My day at Rarity's finished and I followed my friends here," replied Sweetie Belle eliciting a momentary quizzical response from Rainbow Dash.
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom took this opportunity to advance on Rainbow Dash and give her a hug. Rainbow Dash smiled and then flew off.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders flew over to Sweet Apple Acres and had dinner.
Apple Bloom left a letter to Applejack on her bed and Sweetie Belle started on her own letter.
Dear Sis,
Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and I are off to do the second part of take a filly to work day.
We thought Luna might not have any pony to spend it with being as she does her duties at night.
We decided to go to Canterlot and see if she would mind showing us what she did.
With Love
Sweetie Belle
Her horn glowed blue as she concentrated on the letter. She heard a noise like the buzzing of hornets and felt a small twinge as the letter popped out of existence. "Well that's done with."
The three alicorns took to the air. The apple trees grew smaller and by the time they reached the cloud deck, most of Sweet Apple Acres was in view. They leveled off and started a nice easy glide east.
"See ya later sis," remarked Sweetie Belle as they flew over Carousel Boutique.
They skirted the edges of the Everfree Forest and looked down at Fluttershy's cottage as they passed. The Canterlot road and nearby railroad tracks were just two lines on the ground beneath them. Scootaloo climbed slightly and flew past her friends. She swayed back and forth, took a quick look behind her, then added more speed. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were up to the challenge and they increased their pace.
The city of Canterlot started to grow in the distance. The rays of the setting sun cast streaks of color against the buildings. The crusaders climbed somewhat, turning their speed into altitude. The guard ponies watched them in silence as they flew over the outer gate. They heard the noises of ponies bartering as they passed by the merchant sector. Just outside the castle itself, the crusaders came in for a landing.
Sweetie Belle led the group as they walked up to the pair of royal guards at the entrance. "We would like to see Princess Luna please."
The guards looked at the alicorn fillies and their eyes grew wide. They said something to each other that she couldn't hear and then one guard charged off into the castle. The other guard blocked the entrance.
Apple Bloom approached and gave her best puppy eye look to the remaining guard. "Please can we see Princess Luna?" He continued to stand impassively.
Two more guards arrived from inside the castle. One took a position beside the other guard while the other advanced and said, "I am Lieutenant Sure Strike. Princess Luna is being advised of the situation at this very moment. If you will just be patient, we will get this sorted out momentarily." A blue scroll popped into existence in front of the guard, which he proceeded to open and read. "It appears you are to be escorted to the royal dining room. If you will follow me."
Sure Strike started walking into the castle, and the crusaders followed. Two of the other guards fell in behind them. Apple Bloom glanced at the tapestries and other decorations that lined the hallway. Sweetie Belle very quietly hummed a tune as she walked along. They all avoided looking back at the guards they could feel behind them.
The corridor turned right and then they came to a door on their left. Sure Strike knocked on the door and it opened. He backed up and motioned for the fillies to enter.
Princess Celestia sat at the head of an oblong oak table, eating a piece of white cake. To her right was Princess Luna.
The fillies bowed and approached the opposite side of the table.
"And to what purpose do we have the pleasure of your company this night, crusaders?" asked Luna.
"Well, this was take a filly to work day," replied Scootaloo. She absent-mindedly twisted a hoof back and forth. "We thought since you worked at night, you might not have any fillies to take to work with you. So we came."
Princess Celestia stifled a small chuckle.
"I don't know," pondered Luna. "There are a lot of things that you might find boring."
"They have to find this out eventually," replied Celestia. "It is just night court." Luna sneered subtly at Celestia while she continued, "Show them the ropes." She turned to the crusaders, "Besides, from what Twilight reported to me, I assume you are at least halfway through 'The Definitive Diarchy' right?"
The three fillies gave a collective gulp.
"No matter, you will learn more from Night Court than you ever could from reading the book anyway," replied Celestia.
Luna's horn glowed and with a soft pop a quill and a sheet of blue paper appeared before her. She wrote a short letter telling Twilight about the crusaders being safely there and that they would be returned by chariot on time for school the next day. In a flash of light, the letter vanished.
Luna got up from the table and opened the door with her magic. She nodded to the guards and started to walk. The crusaders followed behind her. She continued down the passageway that they had entered and after a while she turned to the right. It sloped upward for a short time and then came to a door flanked by royal guards. The left guard opened the door as Luna and her entourage approached it.
They entered through the side door to the back end of the throne room. A stodgy looking unicorn in a white suit stood halfway to the dais. Luna collected the list of petitioners from the Court Clerk and walked up to the throne itself, followed by the three fillies.
Luna turned to Sweetie Belle. "It appears the first petitioner is Prince Blueblood. I propose we have a little fun."
Sweetie Belle thought of all the horrible things Rarity had said about him and grinned.
Luna set Sweetie Belle on the throne. Scootaloo took a position to the left and Apple Bloom to the right. Luna's horn glowed as she vanished into the shadows behind the throne.
The court herald announced, "Prince Blueblood." It echoed loudly through the empty hall.
Prince Blueblood advanced slowly along the red carpet down the center of the room. When he was about half-way to the dais, he looked up at the throne. He stopped midway through a bow, and looked puzzled. Then he seemed to gather his resolve and stiffly walked the rest of the way.
"Where is Princess Luna?" asked Blueblood. "And who are you to be on the throne?"
Sweetie Belle heard a whispering in her ear. She stood up and addressed Blueblood. "Princess Luna is occupied at the moment. We heard from our sister Rarity that you were rude but at least we thought you had respect for the throne."
Blueblood looked visibly uncomfortable as his eyes now shifted to looking at her horn and wings instead of her gaze.
After letting him sweat for a long two minutes at Luna's suggestion, she continued, "as for your question, I am Sweetie Belle, Acting Princess of Equestria and fully capable of hearing your petition."
"M-maybe I could bring this matter up on another night?" stammered Blueblood.
"The clerk has your petition and in that case it would be sum... summarily denied"
Blueblood pondered for a moment before continuing. "Fine, I am here to request an eminent domain case against 'Plaid Paisley Luggage.' I own the storefronts to both sides of what one could charitably call her establishment and even offering her five times the value of her small store, she refuses to leave. It would be best for canterlot development if she vacated the store and allowed me to operate in peace."
Sweetie Belle ruffled some documents. She listened to Luna's voice and said, "while yes it would add a few bits to the tax coffers if ponies like Paisley would relocate on your whim, it would be completely out of bounds and the grossest favoritism for this court to force her to do so. It is out of line that you would even suggest such an action."
"Now see here..." started Blueblood as he took a step forward. Seeing three horns begin to glow he retreated back two steps. Twice he opened his mouth to say something further but closed it without utterance. He pivoted to face away from Sweetie Belle and tromped out of the throne room.
"May I bring a record of this home to Rarity?" Sweetie Belle asked of Luna.
Luna took the throne for the next case which turned out to be over an obscure piece of tax law that the petitioner was trying to use to cut down his tax bill.
Scootaloo got to sit on the throne for the one after that where she approved a new school building on public lands in Trottingham.
Luna approved a zoning request, adjudicated a dispute over land between two earth ponies, and provided clemency to a griffon in Vanhoover.
Apple Bloom took the throne for the final case of the night. It was a request for assistance in the growing of kiwi trees imported from zebra lands in Appleloosa.
"We have now completed the mundane portion of my nightly duties," stated Luna. "The better part comes next."
She exited through the opposite door with the crusaders in tow. She went left and a hard right soon after. The shading of the marble floors shifted from white to black and the walls took on a softer look. They came to an onyx door with a crescent moon etched upon its surface. Luna opened the door and the four alicorns entered the room.
The walls were all black marble and seemed to devour the moonlight coming in through several open windows. A large bed sat in the middle of the room with a stars motif and a shelf with books ran around the top of the room near the ceiling.
Luna bade the fillies to get up onto the bed and said, "This is one of the places I go to watch over the dreams of ponies."
Luna's horn glowed a deep blue and she brought it to touch each of the filly's horns in turn.
The room started to get blurry and then suddenly snapped back to clarity but lost all its color.
"We are now in the dream realm," stated Luna. "Stay close to me and follow."
Scootaloo watched as Luna flew out one of the windows. She and her fellow crusaders leaped into the air behind her. The area was surprisingly bright for just being lit by moonlight but everything stayed monochromatic. An odd white mist seemed to flow out of some of the buildings. Luna banked and Scootaloo turned right to follow her. They flew over several more cottages and Scootaloo saw a red mist flowing from one in the distance, sharply contrasting against the black and white world. Luna landed before it.
"This pony has been having nightmares for the last several weeks," said Luna. "Please gather close."
Her horn glowed an eerie grey in the moonlight and the scene shifted.
There was a rumble of thunder. The sky was filled with black clouds that drenched the area with a driving rain. A rusty gate creaked as it swung back and forth. Beyond the gate was several rows of tombstones. A young brown unicorn filly sat beside one of the larger stones.
Scootaloo walked forward through the gate. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom tried to follow but Luna held them back. Scootaloo quietly approached the small filly. She spread her wings and shielded the filly from the rain. Eyes filled with tears looked back up at Scootaloo.
Scootaloo nodded and shed a tear of her own as they gazed into each others eyes.
Luna stirred and stood up. She looked at the three sleeping alicorns and smiled. She levitated a blanket over them. Thanks to Scootaloo, a small filly would be able to go on with her life. Luna's horn glowed again as she stepped back into the world of dreams.