"My dear you look simply divine."
Trixie stood in a beauty room, filled with dozens upon dozens of beautiful robes and gowns, with Rarity, the same dragon-like pony she had met on Oblivion's home world. She had been dressed up in a bright red gown that was fit for any Princess, like Celestia, to wear and not a common pony like herself. Her hair had been done up in a manner that the Crystal Ponies favored, just without the gleaming texture and random accessories.
Her hostess, the Element of Greed herself, was the exact same as Trixie had last seen her, except that she was now wearing a black iron bracelet on her front right hoof. How was she still a pony? Trixie thought to herself, it is likely the powers of Oblivion messing with the natural world. Rarity went off about how gorgeous she looked in the gown and she couldn't help but wonder if that blasted robotic owl was still in the area. He had dropped her off in the beauty room and a second later Rarity was there, like she was actually expecting the owl to drop her off in that exact room.
Trixie was sure that she didn't look divine in a gown that she didn't own, but considering who was near her she didn't say a single word.
"Come now darling," Rarity said, moving towards the door to the room, "Allow me to personally escort you throughout my palace. We have plenty of time before dinner time arrives and our quests make themselves known."
"Guests?" Trixie dared to ask as she followed the Element out of the beauty room.
"Yes darling, we will be having guests at dinner tonight," Rarity replied, exactly like what she would say to Sweetie Belle and her questions, "I know you weren't expecting any of this when you entered that gateway, but try to think positively while you are here. Besides, I'm sure our guests will be simply fabulous when they arrive."
"Hey ya sis," called a voice as Sweetie Belle, Rarity's little sister, appeared out of nowhere, "I've been receiving notices from the various worlds and a couple of death threats."
"Now Sweetie Belle, remember what I taught you?" Rarity kindly asked.
"The notices go to Applejack and the death threats go to Pinkamena," Sweetie Belle recited, almost as if she had said the same thing repeatedly for a long period of time, "I also got a card for you from Discord. Apparently he can't make it on account of the destruction of the Cupcake Factory and he has to build a new one on a different world."
"Of course the Lord of Chaos can't bother to stop by for one dinner," Rarity grumbled, "Is there anything else or was that everything?"
"Got a small package from the King of Darkness," Sweetie replied, pulling out a cardboard box and allowing her sister to take it from her.
"Finally, I was dreading that I had heard the last of King Sombra for quite some time." Rarity tore open the package and pulled out two objects; one being a card and the second being a dark purple crystal.
" 'To the Lady Rarity, I cannot make it to your latest dinner party, as Lord Oblivion has been keeping me quite busy, but I send this crystal in hopes you'll forgive my absence. It is designed to allow me to watch over the dinner while I may not be there, so rest assured I will know all the gossip around when next we meet. And you can even add it to your treasury once the dinner is done.
Sincerely, King Sombra.
P.S. I hear Discord won't be able to attend the dinner as well. I will laugh at his expense throughout the entire night.'
Had I known that my partner was going to be absent I would have sent out fewer invitations, but what's done is done I'm afraid. Sweetie, be a dear and make sure this crystal sits somewhere where Sombra can see and hear everything during dinner. When he returns I plan on testing him to be sure he was listening in on the gossip as he plans on going."
"Okay Rarity," Sweetie said, taking the crystal and vanishing a second later.
"Sorry about that my dear," Rarity commented, continuing down the hallway with Trixie not far behind, "but ever since I started having these parties every now and then I have come across another title that I daresay does not fit me at all. Some ponies tend to call me the Female Gatsby, but I do not know who this 'Gatsby' is. I assumed that he is a wealthy pony who tends to throw the biggest and fanciest parties wherever he lives and welcomes everypony who wanders in. I, on the other hoof, tend to invite those of importance, such as Princess Celestia, and my fellow Elements, who should have been busy over the last few days."
"Such as the destruction of the Cupcake Factory?" Trixie asked, hoping that her question didn't anger the still friendly Element of Greed.
"Right you are my dear," Rarity answered, as if the question meant nothing to her, "but the factory was never meant to be a place of making sugary treats. It was meant to be the home of the infamous torture pony of them all, Fluttershy. Those ponies that she deemed were too soft for her methods or would require too many days of her time were sent to the factory. That was where Pinkamena and Discord were supposed to deal with them until they turned to Oblivion to escape the pain of the torturing.
Say, have you ever tried one of Fluttershy's infamous Empty Soul Cupcakes?"
"I can't say that I have," Trixie replied, unsure of what ingredients would have gone into such a cupcake to earn it such a strange name.
"You must try one of them at dinner darling," Rarity said, turning to face an open room full all sorts of weapons and armor, "This is the armory, where I stash all the weapons and armor from fallen enemies and allies. I also take to storing my extra works in her from use at a later time. If you remember Pinkamena's mace then you would have noticed how bare it was. I have crafted for her a mace of vile energies that could potentially rip the harmony out of a ponies body and destroy it without the slightest bit of effort."
She kept going on and on about the weapons she had developed for each of the Elements of Hate and Trixie just zoned her out, nodding once now and then to keep her host happy. Trixie was not happy with the idea of spending anymore time with the Hateful Pinkie Pie, or Pinkamena as Rarity called her. Not after what had happened on the last world and the tricks she had been forced to deal with.
"I can tell that your not in the mood to listen to me talk darling," Rarity said, snapping Trixie back to their reality, "and honestly I know the feeling since I have to deal with one of the biggest boasters in all of Equestria. Not to mention the most hyperactive pony of them all and a librarian that won't shut up about the newest spells she learned that day. You came to be a guest at my dinner party and that is exactly what you will be."
The area shimmered and suddenly they were standing on a balcony that overlooked the largest dining room Trixie had ever laid eyes on. Elegant marble pillars filled the room with golden laced pots and jars filling empty pedestals, not to mention the marvelous granite statues of legendary ponies. The table itself was one that was designed to sit sixteen ponies according to Trixie's count, but only fourteen should be sitting since Discord and Sombra were busy at the moment.
Currently sitting at the table were four of the Hateful Six, excluding the absence of the Lord of Chaos and the King of Darkness. Chrysalis, Mistress of Deception, was sitting across from Cadence, Maker of False Love, and they seemed to be involved in a poker game. To Chrysalis' left, almost at the end of the table, was Princess Luna, Goddess of the Red Moon, who seemed content to playing some sort of small container. Across from Luna was her sister, Princess Celestia, Goddess of the Black Sun, and she was currently enjoying a piece of cake before dinner.
To Chrysalis' right were the remaining five Elements of Hate; Applejack covering her head with her hat, Rainbow Dash laying her head on the table as if she was asleep, Fluttershy running her fingers down the whip she had been given as if she wanted to torture somepony, and Twilight...she looked angry and was currently reading some sort of spell from the book in her magical grasp. The spot next to Twilight was empty, but at her end sat a dark pink pony wearing black armor.
"Hey Trixie, told you we'd been seeing each other again," the pony called, an evil grin filling her face.
Trixie managed to speak one word through the terror she was feeling.
"Pinkamena."