“So you’re sayin’ the king wasn’t all that kingly?” Applejack asked, lying back in the pillows with her legs folded over her chest. It was midmorning and the six young mares were gathered in the bedchamber, unsure if they were expected to stay put or go in search of their own breakfast. To pass the time, she, Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy were questioning Twilight and Rainbow on their dinner with the royal family
“Well, he certainly wasn’t what I was expecting,” Twilight Sparkle murmured, absently swinging a hoof off the edge of the bed. “He was so abrupt and demanding and…”
“A complete and total pig!” Rainbow Dash declared. All heads tilted back to look up at her on the canopy, which had become her seat of choice. “I mean, back in Shirevale, Bramble warned me and Rarity to watch out for him but I never pictured that.” She began flicking her tail angrily, scowling. “And the way he spoke to Linden and Queen Bright Song! I couldn’t believe it!”
“He was kind of mean to them,” Twilight admitted. She lowered her head sadly. “Especially to Linden. He was basically calling his own son a liar until Rainbow backed him on the hyleena story.”
“And I had to show him the bandage on my leg to get him to believe it.” Rainbow shuddered at the memory of Oak Bough’s eyes on her. “I felt like I needed to take another bath afterwards. He just kept staring at me, or actually, at my wings.”
“Well, at least you both seemed to have made a good impression,” Rarity pointed out. “He’s even throwing a faire in your honor, Rainbow. That sounds so exciting! We’ll get to see all the sights and listen to music and go to a joust! Oh, I can’t wait to see more of the Saddellian fashions! I’ll bet the queen’s clothing was amazing!”
“She was amazing,” Rainbow stated. “You guys would have loved her. She’s not tall or magical like Princess Celestia, but she was so nice. I felt…comfortable with her, even though she’s a queen. Didn’t you, Twilight?”
“Mm hmm, she was lovely.” She smiled slyly up at her rainbow-maned friend. “Must be where Linden gets it, right, Rainbow?”
The pegasus sat up with a snort, blushing slightly, until she realized Twilight was teasing her. “Definitely,” she shot back. “And his good looks too, cuz his dad? Nothing special.”
“Oh forget about that! What about the food? Was it awesome? Delicious? Deliciously awesome? What did they have?” Pinkie Pie leapt onto the bed, knocking Twilight over and flipping Applejack onto the floor. “Didya bring me some dessert? Huh? Didya?”
“Oh yeah! I almost forgot.” Dropping backwards off the canopy, Rainbow Dash flew to the sitting room and returned with Rarity’s shimmery cloak draped over her front hooves. Flipping through its folds, she found a small packet wrapped neatly in a napkin. She tucked this under her wing, and gave the cloak back to Rarity.
“Thanks. Don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t had this.”
“Ooh! Is that for me! Is that for me!” Pinkie Pie bounced around Rainbow Dash on all four hooves, grinning from ear to ear as she tried to reach the packet. Rainbow Dash playfully turned in a circle, keeping it just out of her reach.
“It might be,” she hedged.
“Rainbow!” Twilight hopped from the bed and snatched the packet from the pegasus with her magic. Her purple eyes were wide with horror. “That’s one of the napkins from dinner last night!” she gasped.
“Well duh!” Rainbow scoffed.
“You took it? How could you! Oh no! Oh no! Do you have any idea how bad this is going to look for us? We have to be on our best behavior here and even something as little as a napkin can really hurt our chances if—”
Rainbow Dash clamped a hoof over the unicorn’s mouth, rolling her eyes. “I said duh. I know that.”
“B-b-but what if the king or queen or even Prince Linden had seen you take it?” Twilight asked, twisting free and glaring sternly at her friend. She began to pace back and forth across the bedchamber, shaking her head and squeezing her eyes shut. “Oh, this is not good! This is so not good!”
“Twi, I’m sure it’s not all that bad,” Applejack drawled. She was crouched on the floor, struggling to reach her Stetson where it had rolled under the immense bed. “It’s just a napkin.”
“It is not just a napkin! It’s the very principle of propriety!” Twilight began pacing faster and faster, her eyes taking on a glazed look. The wrapped packet floated a foot over her head in a wavering ball of reddish light. Pinkie Pie jumped at it twice, but Twilight absently moved it out of her reach and the earth pony finally subsided in a pout. “You didn’t meet the king, Applejack…but he’s just the sort of pony who would throw you in a dungeon for something like this! I can’t be thrown in a dungeon! I’m a student! They don’t have books in dungeons and I can’t live without my books! We have to give it back…right now!”
“Will you chillax already?” Rainbow pounced at the packet, her wings giving her the edge she needed to grab it from Twilight’s magic. “Linden knows.”
Twilight tapped a hoof against her chin nervously. “...maybe if we can sneak it into the laundry and then they’ll never know it was us. Or perhaps we can…wait, what?”
“Linden knows about the napkin.” Rainbow glanced over her shoulder at her friend, looking briefly hurt. “Sheesh, Twilight…you didn’t really think I’d taken it without permission, did you?”
“Twi, you know Rainbow better’n that. She may be a lot of things, but one of them ain’t a thief,” Applejack said. At the moment, they could only see her tail and hind legs, the rest of her buried under the bed. “Where in tarnation did that thing go?”
Realizing she had just accused one of her best friends of stealing, Twilight gasped and stammered, “I…no, of course you wouldn’t, Rainbow! But when…really?” She looked so confused that Rarity sidled up to her and pressed a hoof against her rump.
“You’d better sit down before you fall over, darling,” she said, and the purple unicorn dropped to her haunches with a thump and a sigh of relief.
“The prince knows? He’s okay with it?”
“Who do you think suggested I use the napkin? He saw me trying to figure out how to bring these back without getting Rarity’s cloak all dirty and he told me to wrap them up in this.” Rainbow Dash unwrapped the packet to reveal a small pile of delicate pastries with sugared tops. Pinkie Pie squealed happily when she tossed her three, then shared out the rest to Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy.
“Since you guys didn’t get to come,” she told them. “Oh! And one for my buddy Gumdrop. Where’s he hiding, Fluttershy?
The yellow pegasus had been curled up on the divan, worriedly watching the exchange between her friends, but she jumped to her hooves when she realized the mouse was no longer sitting in her mane.
“I don’t know!” she exclaimed. “Please, everypony…be careful not to step on him! Gumdrop…come here, sweetie!” She rushed to Twilight, bowling the unicorn over so she could carefully inspect the bottoms of her hooves. “You didn’t get him while you were pacing, did you? Oh, thank Celestia…where could he be?”
“He’s right there!” Pinkie said around the three pastries in her mouth. Licking crumbs off her chin, she pointed to the bottom of the bed, where Gumdrop was struggling to crawl beneath the hanging comforter while dragging Applejack’s hat behind him. “Look! He knows how to play fetch!”
“Gumdrop! Oh, what a good boy you are!” Fluttershy swooped down on the mouse, scooping him and the hat up in her hooves. “But don’t you run off like that…you’re so small, you could get hurt!”
“He’s alright, Fluttershy.” Applejack took her rescued hat and put it on. “Thanks, partner!”
“Here ya go, little dude. All for you.” Rainbow tossed the mouse a pastry, then hovered over Twilight and pulled her to her feet. “Don’t worry about the napkin. You were busy talking to the queen, so you didn’t hear Linden tell me to use it. It’s all good and we’ll get Lilac Breeze to bring it back later.”
Twilight’s ears drooped and she gave the pegasus a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, Rainbow. I’m just so nervous, and meeting the king last night made me so tense and…I didn’t mean it.”
“Yeah, I know. We’re cool.” Rainbow patted her on the back with a wing, then pulled away with a guilty grin. “But I kinda forgot to bring any pastry for you.”
“What? Not even one of the little pumpkin ones?”
Rainbow shrugged, then looked to the doorway as someone knocked from out in the hall. “Wonder who that is?”
“I hope it’s breakfast! I’m starving!” Pinkie Pie hopped to the door and flung it open. “Hi there!”
“Oh! Um, hello?”
Rainbow and Twilight exchanged startled looks and rushed for the sitting room just as Pinkie was bouncing back to allow the aqua mare through the door.
“Your highness!”
“Queen Bright Song!”
Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy had followed them from the bedchamber. Realizing they were now in the presence of royalty, they dropped into deep bows, lowering their eyes to the floor.
The queen laughed gently. “Do stand, please. I am here on royal business, but also as a friend. Let’s forget the formalities.” She stepped into the sitting room, followed by two demure rose colored handmaidens, and settled onto one of the chairs by the fireplace. Smiling warmly, she continued, “Lady Dash, please, introduce me to your friends.”
Rainbow went through the introductions and the queen greeted each pony as sweetly as she had Rainbow and Twilight the night before. She seemed to especially enjoy Pinkie Pie’s bubbly enthusiasm.
“I’m sure you all must be hungry by now, and I want to apologize for the delay in your breakfast. It is my fault, because I thought you might like to join me for a light brunch in the Queen’s Garden. It’s such a lovely day and there is so much we have to talk about.”
“Garden?” Fluttershy’s eyes widened in delight. “Oh, that sounds so very—” Remembering that she was addressing a queen, her usual timidity returned and she immediately dropped her gaze to the floor and traced the tip of her hoof along the design in the rug, “—wonderful,” she finished in a barely audible whisper.
Queen Bright Song looked momentarily startled by the yellow pony’s shyness, but recovered quickly, tipping Fluttershy’s chin up with a hoof to give her a warm smile. “It is. We have several ornamental gardens here, but the Queen’s Garden has been my own special project since I married the king. All of my favorite plants and flowers and birds are there and it’s cool and shady this time of day.”
Fluttershy slowly glanced up through the long strands of her hair and regarded the queen. “I…I would love to see it, your highness.”
“Excellent! Then, my dears, come with me.” Bright Song rose to her feet, but stopped when Rarity let out a little squeal.
“Oh! We can’t go out looking like this!” The unicorn still had her long hair bundled up in a kerchief and had not yet put on any makeup. “Please, your highness, allow me just a moment!”
The queen blinked as Rarity cantered back to the bedroom, only to return a moment later perfectly groomed and carrying an assortment of accessories from her luggage.
“Here we are!” she sang. “If we’re all going to dine with the queen, we have to look the part.” She pranced among her friends, giving Pinkie Pie a pair of poofy bows for her mane and tail, Fluttershy a delicate strand of pink pearls, Applejack a silk scarf that she knotted artfully into a lanyard around the earth pony’s neck, and a bright pink beret for Twilight. She saved Rainbow Dash for last and had a spray of tiny, cream-colored fabric flowers for the pegasus. These were affixed to a “vine” of cloth-wrapped wire and each flower had a tiny jewel in the center of its delicate petals. Smiling at her friend, Rarity carefully wound the vine through Dash’s mane and around her ears so the rainbow locks were speckled with the tiny, sparkling blooms.
“One never knows when a certain prince may show up,” she whispered and winked at Rainbow Dash, who blushed and glowered at her.
Suitably attired for a garden brunch, at least according to Rarity, the six followed Queen Bright Song and her small entourage through the castle corridors and down to the grounds. Worker ponies were all about—they passed gardeners and laundresses and kitchen workers—and all paused their duties to bow low before the queen as she passed. Bright Song smiled and greeted each pony, asking one about her daughter’s new filly and another if the leg he had injured a few weeks ago was healing well.
Twilight couldn’t help exchanging glances with her friends and smiling—from the responses of the worker ponies, it was clear that Bright Song was as beloved as their own princess back in Equestria. She already had Fluttershy completely enchanted, for the yellow pegasus was trotting at her side and questioning her about her garden and the flowers and animals she would see there.
The grounds around the castle were quite extensive, spiraling outwards from the main building in order of importance to the royal family. As such, the farmlands and orchards were farthest from the castle, while the collection of gardens and the training and exercise fields were closest. Bright Song led them past several large and impressive gardens, including one that was composed completely of stone fountains and sculptures, before finally coming to a carved stone archway that was entwined with a thick blanket of blue and purple morning glories.
The Queen’s Garden was not the largest of the ones they had already passed, but it was still breathtaking all the same and the six young mares could instantly tell the loving care that Bright Song had put into making the enclosure special.
A tall stone wall surrounded the garden, but trailing ivy, wisteria, and morning glories covered almost every inch of the gray rock in a lush, green curtain. The plots were separated by a gracefully curving cobblestone path, and each grassy knoll was surrounded by a tiny fence of perfectly uniform quartz spheres. The flowerbeds were all carefully arranged in delicate spiral, stars, and interconnecting knots. Bright Song favored flowers with aqua, pink, purple, and blue petals, weaving these soothing hues into her designs. Her visual artistry was gorgeous, but she had found blooms with complimentary fragrances as well, so the perfume that assailed them on all sides was heady and sweet rather than overwhelming.
The ponies wound their way deeper in to the garden, the bright summer foliage enveloping them as they followed the path towards a delicate twittering of numerous birds. Fluttershy’s eyes went wide with excitement and she joined Rainbow in flying a few feet off the ground, desperate for a peek of the garden’s fauna.
They finally came through a small trellis tunnel covered in purple wisteria and found a circle of shoulder high hedges surrounded by a wider circle of flowering trees. The stone path cut through the hedges at the north and south compass points and bisected a second path running east and west. At the junction of these walkways was a marble table surrounded by low, wide benches perfect for pony rumps.
“Oh! It’s so lovely!” Rarity exclaimed, trotting up to the table and surveying the meal that had already been laid out for them. “So elegant and—” she suddenly stuck out a hoof, stopping Pinkie Pie from hungrily attacking a tower of carefully arranged scones on a crystal platter. “Don’t you dare, Pinkie!” she admonished in a loud whisper. “You are going to sit and wait to be served like a lady!”
Pinkie tilted her head in confusion. “But I’m not a lady, Rarity. Rainbow Dash is a lady.”
“Yes, and I’m sure Rainbow Dash is going to sit nicely and wait to be served as well.” Rarity said through gritted teeth. She looked pointedly at the blue pegasus, who took the hint and lowered herself onto one of the benches with a smirk.
Pinkie Pie pouted for an instant, then hopped onto the bench opposite Rainbow and assumed an air of overly dramatic dignity, puffing out her chest and lifting her chin into the air.
Rarity groaned, but Bright Song laughed musically and patted the pink pony on the back before taking her own seat. When the rest of the ponies had taken their places around the table, she clapped her hooves together, summoning a cream-colored pony with a seafoam green mane who had been waiting just out of sight.
“You’d better serve quickly, Baybreeze,” she said and subtly indicated Pinkie Pie with a tilt of her head. “My guests are understandably hungry.”
The serving pony quickly obliged, serving chilled tea and juices, plates of sliced fruit, and the fresh, aromatic scones. Pinkie managed to hold back until every pony had been served, then wasted no time in stuffing two whole scones into her mouth. Her bushy tail flicked back and forth as she chewed happily.
Bright Song took a sip of chilled mint tea and focused her attention on the blue pegasus sitting to her right. “So, my dear Rainbow Dash, I was hoping we could use this time to discuss the matter of your official title and land holdings.”
Rainbow Dash was in the process of spreading pumpkin butter on her scone and the gilt spoon clattered to the table as her mouth dropped open in surprise.
“Huh? Oh, I’m sorry…” She watched in confusion as Twilight quickly used her magic to levitate a napkin, wiping up the smear of spilled pumpkin butter. “…but what?”
“Your official titles, deeds, and land holdings within Saddellia,” the queen repeated, looking from the delicate glow of Twilight’s magic to the startled faces of the young mare and her friends. Even Pinkie Pie had frozen with her fourth scone halfway to her mouth.
“Titles?” Rarity gasped.
“Deeds?” Twilight squeaked.
“Land holdings?” Applejack exclaimed.
“Well, of course! Linden told you that your new rank included a land allowance and all privileges, didn’t he?”
Rainbow Dash scratched her mane with a hoof. “I kinda remember him saying something like that. But I thought it was just a figure of speech.”
“Oh no, my dear. We take service to the kingdom very seriously—you deserve only the best for what you have done. Now, for your land, I have a lovely patch of farms and orchards in the western half of the kingdom known as the Blue Hills in mind. They’re open, airy, and very well established with ponies who have been working the land for generations.”
“Ponies?”
“Your vassals, love. The ponies who live on your land and work it, paying you for the privilege with taxes from what they produce. These lands provided a very rich living for the lord who used to hold the land.”
“Used to?” Rarity asked. She levitated her glass of tea and took a small sip. “I am probably right in guessing that “used to” doesn’t mean he decided to give all his land away one day and travel the world with just what he could carry in a saddlebag.”
Bright Song smiled sadly and nodded. “Yes, you are right… but he was quite old upon his passing and didn’t leave any heirs, so his lands reverted to the kingdom. They have been in the capable hands of a steward for the last few years and he has managed admirably. You wouldn’t even need to visit your holdings unless you wanted to, Lady Dash, since they are several weeks’ travel from here. Your finances can be handled right here in the castle and you can remain here or even take a house in the city. There are many fabulous places that are now well within your means and would be quite suitable for you
Rainbow Dash blinked. “A house? My means? I-I’m sorry, your highness. I’m just trying to understand.”
“I think we all are,” Applejack spoke up. “Beggin’ your pardon, but it sounds like you expect Rainbow to stay here in Saddellia permanently.”
“These are just suggestions. I know you all came here to speak with my husband on behalf of your princess and you are carrying possible treaty papers…such official matters take time, so you all may be here longer than you expected.” As she spoke, the queen looked away from the younger ponies, her eyes drifting almost aimlessly to the blossom covered trees. When she spoke again a few moments later, her voice was bright and cheerful. “Well, anyway, I will have my scribe draw up the documents transferring the lands I mentioned into your name. Later, you can work with one of the castle heralds to design a crest and, if you want to see maps of your holdings, they are available in one of the libraries.”
“Um, okay.” Rainbow Dash managed a bright smile, despite looking a little overwhelmed. “Thanks, your highness.”
“The thanks are all ours, my dear.” Bright Song spread a dollop of butter and jam on a scone and took a delicate bite. “There, now that those details are out of the way, what shall we talk about?”
Twilight Sparkle perked up immediately. “Well, your highness, we’d really like to discuss the reason we’re here now—I have Princess Celestia’s treaties and—”
Bright Song took another nibble of her scone and shook her head quickly, giving an almost nervous little laugh. “Oh, no, no, no, my dear, I couldn’t do that. I can assist with smaller matters, such as determining the lands for Lady Rainbow Dash, but I have no say in matters of international relations and affairs. You will have to wait for your audience with my husband.”
“Oh.” Twilight’s ears drooped.
“Don’t worry, dear,” Bright Song reached out a hoof and stroked the unicorn’s navy mane. “You’ll have your audience, I promise. These things just take time. So, in the meantime, I’d love for you to tell me some of your stories. Linden said that you’ve all had many crazy and exciting adventures together.”
Patting the disappointed Twilight on the back, Applejack gave the queen a toothy grin. “Well, your highness, it would be our pleasure! What would you like to hear about first—the time we hiked up a mountain to get rid of a nappin’ dragon, or when we all had to rescue Rarity from the Diamond Dogs?”
**
“It’s so beautiful! And there are so many plants I haven’t seen before.” Fluttershy was trotting along the cobbled paths of the garden, her large eyes drinking in the foliage. She paused before a bushy shrub with dark teal leaves and flowers that resembled fluffy snowballs. “I wonder what this one is called.”
“A snowball bush? At least, that’s what I would call it if somepony asked me to name it.” Pinkie laughed as she leaned forward to inspect the bush. “Wouldn’t it be fun to go on a trip with explorer ponies and discover something new? Like a new butterfly, or a dragonfly, or a butterdragonfly? Hey, if I discovered Equestria’s first butterdragonfly, would I get to name it? What do you think you would name something like that?”
“Bob?” Rainbow Dash said, nudging Applejack and winking. “Or maybe Phil?”
“Ah like Rupert, myself,” Applejack chimed in.
Pinkie Pie turned at the gentle teasing and gave them both a small frown. “Nooooo,” she said slowly. “That would only work if I found a boy butterdragonfly. What if I found a girl? I guess maybe she’d want to be called Jenny, or Daphne, or Aquamarine, or…”
As Pinkie Pie continued to list the possible names, Rarity approached the snowball bush and tilted her head to survey it closely.
“Queen Bright Song would know what this is called,” she murmured. “It’s such a shame she had to leave when she did.”
“She had to help with the preparations for the faire and joust,” Twilight said. “I’m sure such an event must take lots of careful planning and she only has three days.”
Rainbow Dash turned a backflip and landed between the two unicorns. “This is gonna be so cool! I’ve never had a joust thrown in my name before.” Her forehead wrinkled slightly. “Actually, what is a joust anyway?”
“It’s a series of small contests and staged battles to show prowess and fighting ability,” Twilight said, happy as always to impart knowledge. “Ponies wear armor and carry lances and charge at one another, trying to gain points by striking their opponent. They also do spear throwing, archery, and other tests.”
“Sounds a little like a rodeo,” Applejack said, abandoning Pinkie Pie to her naming rambles and joining the others. “They do barrel racin’ too?”
“Not that I know of, but they might do things differently here in Saddellia. We haven’t had jousts in Equestria for hundreds of years.”
“That’s too bad,” Rainbow observed. “They sound awesome!”
“The contests take a lot of skill and the winners become greatly acclaimed and are given prizes. I wonder who will fight in this one.”
Rarity tossed her purple mane over her shoulder and smiled dreamily. “Well, if there is an archery contest like you said, Fletcher will surely enter. He’s the best archer in the country—nopony has ever beaten him.”
“So he says,” Applejack pointed out. “If you ask me, Ah’d have to see it to believe it.”
“You probably will then,” Twilight told them. “The joust has usually been a contest for noble ponies, so there is a good chance young noble colts will participate.”
“Ooh! Then maybe Tiny will compete!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, popping up behind Rainbow Dash and draping her forelegs over her friend’s back. “I’ll bet he could win all kinds of games!”
Rainbow turned her head to look at the bubbly pony and raised an eyebrow. “So you figured out the name of the butterdragonfly?”
“Nah.” Pinkie shrugged, disinterested. “I figured it will probably already have a name when I discover it, so I’ll just ask what it is.” She took a deep breath to launch into her explanation of why Tiny would make a great joust competitor, but was interrupted by Fluttershy, whose sensitive ears had caught a delicate, trilling song that immediately drew her attention away from the plants.
“Oh my! Do you all hear that? It’s so pretty!” Smiling from ear to ear, the little pegasus trotted through the garden in search of the song. “Come out, come out, little friend—I won’t hurt you!” Under her breath, she added, “I hope you aren’t just a gardener.”
The trilling call continued, drawing all six ponies along the paths in search of the singer. Soon, the sweet, high-pitched notes were joined by another tune, then a low cooing and a piping warble.
“Over there, y’all.” Applejack pointed with a hoof to a circular clearing walled in by shoulder high bushes and trees, similar to the one in which they’d eaten brunch. The songs were coming from within.
“Oh, this is so exciting!” Fluttershy trotted quickly forward, her friends at her heels, and ducked beneath the slender branches of a green willow that trailed over the entrance. “I wonder if she has blue jays and green jays and meadowlarks like Princess Celes—”
Her voice stuttered to a confused and horrified stop as she froze in the center of the clearing and looked around her disbelievingly. Unperturbed by her arrival, all of the birds continued to sing.
There were at least two dozen different species arranged around the clearing, each one more bright and vibrantly colorful than the last—and each one hopping about inside a small cage that had been artfully hung from the trees so the birds were almost, but not quite, hidden from view.
“Wh-what is this?” Fluttershy whispered. She tiptoed up to one of the cages and peered at the passerine inside. The tiny canary fled to the back of its prison, flapping desperately against the bars until the pegasus dropped out of sight with a stammered apology. “I don’t understand.”
“They’re all locked up,” Pinkie Pie told her.
“We can see that,” Rainbow replied. “The question is, why are they all locked up?” As a winged creature herself, she found the thought of being trapped in a cage particularly terrible. Frowning, she stepped up beside Fluttershy and placed a hoof on her shoulder.
“Oh, Rainbow, look at them. They must be so sad,” Fluttershy lamented. “Why would anypony keep them in cages like this?”
“So they won’t fly off, of course!” a gruff voice grumbled. A rangy, dark blue pony with bristly chin hairs and a brown mane poked his head over the bushes. His brown eyes swept over the wings and horns of the pegasi and unicorns, widening only briefly before he turned his attention back to pruning the hedges.
“But aren’t you worried about them being unhappy, all cooped up like this?” Fluttershy protested. “They should be flying free, nesting in the trees, filling the whole garden with their songs.”
The gardener shrugged, put down his clippers, and waved a hoof at them. “Follow me, please, my ladies,” he said, leading them to a particular cage and pointing at the robin-sized red bird with the silver wings that resided within.
“Her highness likes to hear the birds sing whenever she visits the garden. If I was to let this skipperwing out of the cage, it’d fly right back to the starwoods before I could bid it a fond farewell. The garden would be silent.”
Fluttershy flapped her wings and rose a few feet in the air so she could better see the bird.
“This is a crimson skipperwing?” she asked. “It’s even prettier than I imagined.”
“And right hard to find too,” the gardener said with a proud nod. “This one was caught just two weeks ago by a woodcutter working the starwood groves in the mountains.”
“But…didn’t Linden say the skipperwings were all nesting now?” Pinkie Pie asked with a perplexed frown. “What if he has a birdie wife and eggs at home and can’t get back to them?”
“Guess we’ll never know,” the gardener said with a shrug. “It belongs to the queen now.” Tapping the brim of his hat, he wished them all a good day and sauntered back to his clippers, humming tunelessly to himself.
“Oh my, oh my.” Fluttershy seemed on the verge of crying. This made Pinkie Pie sniffle as well and she hugged her friend tightly.
“Maybe we could let it out while nopony is looking,” Rainbow Dash suggested, glancing around furtively.
Twilight Sparkle eyed the bird, seriously considering this, but shook her head. “No, we’d better not. I’m really sorry, Fluttershy, but we can’t afford to do anything that might give the king reason to refuse our treaties and send us home. W-we have to think of all the ponies being held against their will too.”
Fluttershy lowered her head and sighed. “I understand.” To the skipperwing, she added, “I’m sorry, little one.”
“Come on, y’all. Let’s all head back to the castle. No reason to stick around here if it’s just gonna make us all depressed.” Applejack gave Fluttershy a small nudge and a smile until the pegasus nodded. Leaving the glade of imprisoned birds behind, they made their way back out of the Queen’s Garden.
They were just passing through the morning glory-swathed trellis when they came face to face with a trio of young, well-dressed mares. Two appeared to be twins, for they both shared an identically dainty build and a pale, periwinkle coat. Even their pink and white striped manes and tails were patterned the same, though the pony on the left had styled hers into soft waves, while the one on the right kept hers straight.
The pony in the middle was slightly taller than her two companions and had a mauve coat with a dove grey mane and very deep blue eyes. Twilight recognized her as Star Trillium from the day before—the mare who had snubbed them at the castle gates. Now she sneered at them all, doing little to improve Twilight’s first impression.
Still, she and her friends were guests in Saddellia, so she put on a friendly smile and said hello.
The mauve mare tilted her head and looked at them all through her long, dark lashes. “Good afternoon,” she said. She had a high, thin voice that sounded like she was speaking through her nose. “I am Lady Star Trillium, daughter of Lord Noble Pine, who holds the lands of Sedge Valley and the Arbor.” She tipped her head to the left and right. “These are Wild Rose and Petal Soft, daughters of Lord Vetch, who holds the southern Downs and Brandyshire. Who, may I ask, are you?”
“Oh, well, I’m Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash.”
The pony named Petal Soft wrinkled her nose briefly. “You’re all from Equestria, aren’t you?” she asked, her tone making it perfectly clear that this lowered their standing in her regard. She glanced sideways to the gate of the garden. “What were you doing in there? That is the Queen’s Garden. Commoners are not allowed.”
“It just so happens we were invited by Queen Bright Song herself,” Rarity spoke up, matching her haughty tone perfectly. “We had a lovely brunch with her while we discussed Lady Rainbow Dash’s land holdings.”
The three Saddellians looked properly shocked by this, their eyes immediately going to Rainbow Dash.
“Lady?” Star Trillium repeated.
“That’s right!” Applejack draped a hoof over her friend’s shoulders. “Prince Linden himself named her a lady of the realm with land holdins and all on account of her helpin’ him out of a tight spot a few days ago.”
“Oh really?” Star Trillium smirked. “A noble title? Land holdings? Probably some little patch of swampland to justify the name.”
“We’re not sure, actually,” Fluttershy murmured in her gentle voice. When the three mares looked at her she ducked her head, hiding behind her abundant hair. Peeking out through the strands, she added, “It’s someplace called Blue Hills.”
The mares gasped in unison and exchanged glances.
“Blue Hills?” Wild Rose whispered. “She ranks us then.”
“She even ranks Trillium,” her sister added, then shrank back at the glare Star Trillium sent her way.
“Is that good?” Pinkie Pie asked, perplexed. “Queen Bright Song seemed to think it was good.”
“I just don’t understand.” Star Trillium let her blue eyes trail from Rainbow Dash’s head to her hooves and the pegasus bristled, her own magenta eyes narrowing.
“Don’t understand what?” she snapped, wings flaring in annoyance.
“Why would the royals give one of the largest, most profitable tracts of land in the kingdom to a foreigner who can’t even decide if she’s a pony or a bird?” Her two friends laughed as Rainbow snorted indignantly and took a step towards the mauve pony, stopped only by Applejack and Rarity simultaneously standing on her tail. Star Trillium continued with a sly smirk. “I mean, honestly, anyone of proper blood and breeding can see that you haven’t got a noble bone in your body. It has to be some sort of a joke Linden is playing.”
“A joke, huh? Well, I’ll show you a—”
“She is so a lady!” Pinkie Pie jumped between Rainbow Dash and the trio just as the pegasus managed to yank her tail free. The pink pony was rolling her eyes as she put a hoof around Rainbow’s neck and dragged her close. “She’s so important, she’s got her own, uh…”
“…entourage?” Twilight supplied.
“Yeah! That’s it! She’s got her own entourage!”
“I do?” Rainbow asked. She was staring at Pinkie Pie in total bewilderment, but managed to cover her confusion by nodding along. “Oh yeah, I do!”
“That’s right!” Pinkie released her and bounced over to Rarity, leaning against the unicorn and beaming at Star Trillium and her friends. “She always looks great because she has Rarity as her super chic and magnifique fashion designer.
“Fashion designer?” Wild Rose mocked.
“That’s right! And Fluttershy is her hoofmaiden. Only the best for Lady Dash!”
The yellow pegasus smiled nervously, but dutifully edged up to Rainbow’s side.
“What is she doing?” she whispered.
“Ah have no idea,” Applejack whispered back as Pinkie pranced over to Twilight and tapped her on the head.
“Then there’s Twilight Sparkle. She’s really, really smart and is Lady Dashie’s personal advisor.”
Star Trillium tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips. “Oh really?”
“Y-yes, of course,” Twilight stammered, playing along.
Petal Soft scoffed. “But she was just made a lady yesterday. How could she possibly have an entourage?”
Pinkie Pie gave an elaborate shrug. “Hey, I don’t make the rules. They are what they are.”
“Oh really? Then what are you?”
“Me?” The pink pony pointed a hoof at her chest. “Well, I’m her—”
“Jester,” Applejack muttered under her breath. Pinkie heard her and grinned from ear to ear.
“Her jester! I’m her jester! I dance and tell jokes and make her laugh so she won’t be bored.”
“Well, that, at least, is believable.” Star Trillium turned her attention to Applejack, raising an eyebrow meaningfully.
“Yeah?” Applejack queried, her own face open and innocent.
“I assume you are part of this entourage as well?”
“Of course she is,” Rainbow piped up, a mischievous glint coming to her eyes. “She’s my other je—” She broke off with a tiny yip as Applejack surreptitiously kicked her fetlock.
“Ah’m her bodyguard.”
Rainbow was sputtering indignantly and the three nobles all looked ready to laugh when a familiar male voice hailed them from further up the path. The nine mares turned, and bowed as Linden trotted towards them, Tiny and Fletcher at his sides.
“My lady! Here you are! I was hoping I’d find you here.
“Good afternoon, Prince Linden!” Star Trillium said brightly, suddenly all smiles and demurely fluttering eyelashes.
“Hello, Trillium.” Linden didn’t even spare the mauve pony a glance, his attention focused solely on Rainbow Dash. “Good afternoon, my lady. I trust you slept well? The Emerald Rooms are to your liking?”
As Rainbow nodded, the three Saddellian mares traded shocked looks—first the pegasus and her friends had been invited into the Queen’s Garden by Bright Song, then she had been gifted the Blue Hills, and now they had learned that she was staying in the most opulent guest rooms in the castle. Rarity and Applejack couldn’t help smiling a little at their consternation.
“Mother said you and your friends were taking in the gardens,” Linden continued. “I wanted to make good on my offer to show you around the castle. I know you’d enjoy seeing the training grounds and the mews and the armor gallery, and we could stop by the library and the solarium.”
“Not to mention the kitchens,” Tiny said, winking at Pinkie Pie.
“Ooh, that sounds nice!” Star Trillium exclaimed, cutting off Rainbow Dash before she could reply and sidling closer to the prince. “Would you mind if we joined you?”
Fletcher raised an eyebrow at the mare and snorted. “Why would you want to tour the castle grounds, Trill?” he asked with a knowing smirk. “You grew up here. It’s nothing you haven’t seen a thousand times before.”
“W-well, Lady Rainbow Dash and her friends might, uh, enjoy a mare’s view of the castle more than colt’s,” Star Trillium stammered awkwardly. She shot the green colt a poisonous glare. “I mean, what mare in her right mind could possibly be interested in the training grounds and armory?”
“This mare, actually,” Rainbow Dash replied, leaping into the air with a flick of her tail. “I think it sounds fascinating.”
Grinning happily, Linden turned to start the tour, Rainbow flying low at his side.
“Not going to come, huh?” Fletcher asked Star Trillium as the mauve mare gaped after the prince and the pegasus. “Probably for the best. You’d just be boring…oops, I mean bored anyway.” Chuckling, he set off after pair with Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Applejack hurrying to keep up.
“It was nice meeting you!” Pinkie Pie said brightly, popping up between Wild Rose and Star Trillium, making both mares jump. “Hope we can chat again soon! C’mon Tiny, let’s go!”
Star Trillium shook her head confusedly as the giant colt trotted away with the pink pony bouncing beside him. Somehow, the tables had been turned, but for the life of her she could not figure out how.
**
Sleeping on a silken canopy, though no competition for a puffy cumulous cloud, was infinitely better than a blanket spread out on the ground. A slight breeze filtered through the windows, so Rainbow Dash was blissfully comfortable when her dream of flying through the Crescent Moon Canyon was interrupted by the strangest feeling that she was being watched.
Muttering in her sleep, she rolled over and draped a hoof over her eyes. There was a soft pattering sound, a squeak, and suddenly she felt that unnerving feeling again. Eyes were on her, watching her every move.
Unable to shake the feeling, she grudgingly forced her eyelids open so she could convince herself that it was just a part of her dream. Her field of vision was, at first, filled with the vibrant, jewel bright green of the canopy. Then she glanced up, and screamed at the two huge, blue eyes that hovered less than an inch from her face.
“Yay! Wakey wakey, chocolate milk shakey! It’s about time you woke up!”
“Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow Dash sat up and shook her head to clear it of sleep. Pinkie Pie was dangling off the edge of the canopy, her front hooves hooked over the emerald cloth.
“Duh! Who else would it be?”
“You’re right,” the pegasus said. “Stupid question. But what are you doing?”
“Trying to wake you up, silly! Don’t you know what today is? Aren’t you so super amazingly excited? How can you possibly sleep through all the excitement!”
Rainbow Dash crawled to the edge of the canopy and peered over, then groaned and let her head flop.
“What excitement, Pinkie? The sun’s not up yet and everypony is still asleep, you know, like I want to be right now?” Muttering under her breath, she tried to wriggle back to the center of the canopy, but Pinkie Pie lunged forward, catching her face between her hooves.
“Dashie, wait—uh oh…”
Gravity took over as soon as her hooves released the canopy and her weight dragged Rainbow Dash with her. With a strangled squawk, the pegasus tried to flap her wings, but only managed to keep them aloft for a few seconds before they both tumbled to the floor in a heap.
Applejack sat up with a start, her blonde mane disheveled and her green eyes half-closed from sleep.
“Huh? Wha—? What’s goin’ on? Is there an earthquake?” She peeked over the edge of the bed, her lips twitching as Rainbow Dash untangled herself from Pinkie and climbed to her hooves. “Uh, what’re you two doin’ up? Do you have any idea how early it is? Really, Rainbow, Ah know you’re excited an’ all, but someponies are tryin’ to get their shut eye.”
“What? Me? Wait, how is this my fault? I was sound asleep—it was Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow Dash scowled and nudged the giggling pink pony with her hoof until Pinkie Pie rolled over.
“Well, yeah!” she exclaimed. “The faire is today!” She jumped up and hugged Rainbow Dash so tightly her eyes bulged as her breath was cut off. “How often do we get to go to a great big super fun faire meant just for Dashie? I’ll bet this will be like a giant birthday party where everyone in Equestria shows up to celebrate!”
“Pinkie Pie, would you please keep your voice down?” Rarity raised her head from the pillow and lifted the silk sleep mask from her eyes so she could glare at her friend. “Some of us are trying to get our beauty sleep.”
Pinkie Pie scoffed and leapt onto the bed, jumping up and down on the mattress. “Who needs sleep when there’s gonna be a party!”
Rarity pushed the mask up on her forehead and glanced through the curtains to the windows. Mellow, creamy sunlight was just starting to inch over the sill and across the floor. With a long suffering sigh, she climbed out of bed before Pinkie’s antics could fling her to the floor as well.
“Well, as long as I’m awake, we might as well get ready. I have some wonderful ideas, so we’d better get started before that horrid mare shows up.”
“Aw, she ain’t that bad,” Applejack quipped. “She’s just tryin’ to do her job, Rarity.”
“No, she’s trying to do my job, and not very well, I must say.”
Rainbow Dash wriggled free of Pinkie’s hug and trotted past the unicorn to the windows. Placing her forehooves on the sill, she leaned out into the refreshing morning air and looked down at the grassy fields around the lake, where brightly curtained pavilions had been constructed and were already bustling with the artisans, craftsponies, musicians, and performers who would be working the faire. Over the last few days, she and her friends had watched the preparations with growing excitement. Now, the day had finally come. As she stared down at the faire—the faire in her honor—Rainbow Dash found herself agreeing with Pinkie Pie and had to struggle not to squeal happily.
As she dropped back into the room, a flash of lavender caught her eye and she spotted Twilight sitting on the sill of one of the other windows.
“Hey Twilight. Didn’t think you were up so early.” Rainbow trotted up to her friend and looked outside. From this window, they could see the massive obstacle course that had been built for Rainbow to show off her flying skills. She had spent the better part of the last two days instructing the builders on what to do. “It’s pretty cool, huh? I can’t wait to try out those hoops and the aerial hurdles.”
“It’s amazing. I can’t believe they built it so fast—I hope it’s safe.”
“Safe enough. Linden made sure of that. I though he was gonna tell the builders to cover everything with pillows so I won’t get bruised or bend a feather.”
“Well, it’s sure to impress the king.” Twilight turned to face her and smiled cheekily. “You and Linden sure have been spending a lot of time together these last few days—lunches, walks by the lake—and he’s going to show us around the faire today too, isn’t he?”
Rainbow leaned back sharply and stammered, “W-well, it’s not like…I mean, we’re just…Fletcher and Nightfire and Tiny will be coming too!”
“It’s okay, Rainbow.” Twilight patted her friend on the shoulder, laughing. “I’m just teasing. I think it’s great that you and Linden have become such good friends. He’s a really nice colt. In fact, Nightfire and I were talking about him just yesterday.”
“You were? When?”
“In the library. I went in to look around and he was there, studying. He studies almost as much as me.”
“Well, that can’t be possible—when would he have enough time to eat or sleep?”
“Very funny. Anyway, he was in there studying, but when I came in, he jumped up and offered to show me around. They use a system similar to mine for cataloging and shelving their books, but they have so many of them and there are so many different genres and categories that I probably would have been wandering for hours before I found what I wanted.
“So Nightfire gave me the grand tour and we started talking. He’s only been here at the castle for a short while, at least compared to Fletcher and Tiny, but Linden became his friend really fast. He’s just easy-going like that and doesn’t put on airs about being the prince.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed that. He talks to all the servants and worker ponies the same way he talks to the nobles. He knows everypony too, just like his mom. And he knows all about the castle and the grounds and has all these really cool stories about secret passages between some of the rooms and the ghost that’s supposed to haunt the armory. He’s a really great athlete too—he loves racing and hiking and he’s a great jumper and—”
“Aww!”
Rainbow paused, suddenly noticing that the rest of her friends had joined them silently and were now sitting in a half circle around her. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack were all grinning widely, but Pinkie Pie had the sappiest smile plastered on her face as she swooned against Fluttershy.
“Of for the love of…” Rainbow ducked her head and stroked her tail embarrassedly. “Look, he’s just really cool, is all.”
“Most definitely,” Rarity said with a wink. “And he’ll be here anytime to take us down to the faire, so we’d better all get ready. Rainbow, I have a fabulous idea for—”
She was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door and Foxtail, the queen’s thoughtfully appointed seamstress, arrived with all her supplies. Rarity scowled and grumbled about the usurper taking over her position, but eventually followed her friends out to the main room to get ready for the faire.