//------------------------------// // Fireworks // Story: A Glint of Light on Broken Glass // by Dr_DeDeDe //------------------------------// Fireworks “I mean the resemblance is just uncanny! You even sounded like Princess Twilight!” “Thank you for saying so, love. You wouldn’t believe how many drab political speeches I had to sit through to get her voice down.” “That wasn’t part of the spell?! I just assumed your magic changed your voice to match your body!” “I wish it did; I could have saved a fortune on vocal impression classes.” “I’m seriously still tripping out about this; you sounded just like her! I thought you were her!” “Oh stop!” “Do you think I would have latched on to you like that if I didn’t think you were her?” “I’m sorry, am I to understand that you know Princess Twilight personally?” “Uh, well…not to brag or anything but I’m kinda sorta her best student and personal protégée.” “You’re kidding! Wait…are you the girl responsible for that mascot fiasco at the Mall of Equestria?” “N-no, that was Princess Twilight’s other student…Woona. Total spaz, that one. Princess Twilight actually banished her not too long ago.” “Oh you must know all about her then! I have so many questions I want to ask you! What’s the Princess like in person?! How much of that royal decorum of hers slips away when the cameras are off her?! Does she have any quirks or habits that would help me portray her better? Does she prefer coffee or tea or-” “A-HEM!” Luna and Chrysalis looked up from their conversation to see Celestia impatiently tapping her hoof on the side of the stage that was furthest from Chrysalis. “Do you need a lozenge, dear?” Chrysalis asked sweetly. “I think I have a few left in my saddlebag and that cough sounds rather nasty.” “Sorry to break up this lovely meeting of the Princess Twilight Fanclub,” Celestia said, dropping the crate on the stage with a thud that echoed throughout the empty theater. “But I need you to sign for this before we run out of daylight here.” “Oh of course!” Chrysalis said, signing the note attached to the crate with a dark green butterfly next to her name. “Sorry, love, I will just talk your ears off unless somepony stops me.” “What’s in this thing anyway?” Luna asked as Chrysalis started prying the crate open. “Would you believe me if I said it was a severed dragon head?” Chrysalis said coyly, cracking open the crate and revealing a gigantic stuffed purple and green dragon head. “Isn’t that Spike’s head?” Luna said, lifting the head out of the box. “We've been waiting on this head for ages,” Chrysalis said, gesturing to a headless dragon costume disassembled backstage. “We’ve been rehearsing without the head for months now and I wanted to get at least one full dress rehearsal in before we go live next Friday. You have no idea how hard it is to take the Duke of Canterlot seriously when he doesn’t have his head on properly.” “It’s not any easier with the head on; believe me,” Luna sighed. “So I assume you’re doing a play about the royal family?” “Our Equestrian Cousin,” Chrysalis said, producing a pair of playbills and passing them to Celestia and Luna. “This year marks its fiftieth anniversary. Historical plays are rather popular at the moment and I thought it might be a good idea to capitalize on all this lovely patriotism before it evaporates. I could get you some tickets if you want!” “Really?” “Of course!” Chrysalis said. “I’d love to pick your brain on Princess Twilight and I’d be more than happy to have you in the front row making sure I stay in character.” “Sounds great!” Luna said enthusiastically. “I’d love an opportunity to see how your magic works in its natural environment and I’m sure Celestia would like to get to know the local night life, wouldn’t you,Celestia?" “Oh wow, we’d just love to see you impersonate people we see every day but we have that big important thing to do next Thursday so…yeah, no can do.” Celestia said evasively. “We open on Friday.” Chrysalis corrected. “Th-that’s what I meant!” Celestia said quickly, steering Luna towards the door. “We’ve got that big important thing we have to do on Friday and while we’d love to hang out with you more right now, we’ve got a job to do and you’ve got more body snatching to get up to so-” “Celestia!” Luna barked, worming her way out of her sister’s grip. “I’m sorry, Chrysalis, I’d be more than happy to give you some pointers on Princess Twilight but unfortunately, my sister is right and we still have work to do today.” “Yeah, sorry about that.” Celestia sighed theatrically. “But we have to be going now, bye bye, see ya! Drop by sometime and we can chat about stuff!” “But…I don’t even know where you live.” Chrysalis said. “Oh, right! We’re at 4323 Main Street!” “Isn’t that the Post Office?” Chrysalis said. “Is it?” Celestia said, edging towards the door. “Gosh, we just moved in and I completely forgot where we live! What a shame! I guess we’ll just have to-” “We’re at 1145 Peach Street,” Luna said. “Luna!” Celestia squeaked. “Big purple house in the middle of the block,” Luna said. "Can't miss it." “A-are you sure about that, Luna?” Celestia said nervously. “Because I’m pretty sure we’re on the opposite side of town!” “Nope. 1145 Peach Street,” Luna said. “Drop by anytime!” “Luna!” “Just pop in through Celestia’s window whenever you want!” Luna said as her sister practically shoved her out the door. “It’s on the second floor facing the river!” “Shut up!” Celestia cried. “Preferably in the middle of the night!” “Stop talking!” “She also likes to be surprised in the shower!” “LUNA!” Celestia hissed as they left a giggling Chrysalis behind in the theater. “Stop telling the freaky facestealer witch where I live!” “I'm telling her where I live,” Luna said. “I happen to find her fascinating.” “Well of course you do; you would find a warm bowl of chocolate pudding fascinating if it could do magic.” Celestia mumbled. “Okay, you have no right to call me rude ever again.” Luna said. “Not after that little sideshow you pulled back there.” “Sorry but you know how I get about...that kind of thing.” Celestia said, shivering slightly. “You mean my kind of thing.” Luna said. “You’re...you're different!” Celestia said dismissively. “You don’t walk around wearing other ponies' faces for a living.” “I turned you into a bear once.” Luna said. “You made me look like a bear.” Celestia said. “Because there’s such a difference.” Luna said. “You were positively frigid towards Chrysalis in there just because she has an unusual special talent!” “Well maybe you’d feel the same way if she jumped into your skin and started checking your butt out in the mirror!” Celestia said. “I’m sorry, I don’t care that she’s an actress; stealing someone else’s appearance is creepy no matter how you slice it.” “You think all magic is creepy.” Luna said. “I do not!” Celestia insisted. “Oh please, if I invented a spell that dispensed strawberry margaritas from the tip of my horn you would still think it’s creepy.” Luna said. “I think that has more to do with the fact that I don’t want to drink anything that comes from one of my sister’s body parts.” Celestia said as a chirpy pop tune signaled the arrival of a text message. “I don’t know where that horn’s been lately.” “Bite me, Sunbutt.” Luna snapped. “Is that Shining Armor?” “Yup.” Celestia said, flipping her phone shut. “He needs my help back at the house with some of the supplies; do you think you can manage the last package on your own?” “Weren’t you just talking to be about how we’re both responsible for delivering the mail here?” Luna said. “You barely made one delivery and now you want to bail on me?” “Somehow I knew you weren’t going to let me forget that.” Celestia groaned. “It’s fine.” Luna said. “I suppose I can manage one package on my own. You owe me though.” “Thanks Luna.” Celestia said, taking to the sky with a jubilant flap of her wings. “And don’t worry about us; take some time to enjoy the city! Check out some of the shops! Go sightseeing! Get a boyfriend! Enjoy yourself a little and we’ll have a little fun with our new neighbors tonight!” “Is that your definition of “a little fun” or mine?” Luna said. “Sorry, Luna, can’t hear you!” Celestia shouted as she climbed higher into the afternoon sky. "Celestia, I don't want to come home to find ponies swinging from our chandeliers!" Luna yelled. "See you back at home, Luna!" Celestia called back. "Celestia!" Luna groaned as her sister rose through the clouds and out of yelling distance, suddenly fearful that she was going to come home to ponies dancing on the tables and swinging from Princess Twilight’s chandeliers. Despite the fuss she made about doing the rest of the job by herself, Luna was grateful that she had some time alone collect her thoughts. Glancing at the clock above City Hall, Luna found that she had about three hours before she needed to deliver the package to the jewelry store so she decided to do something she had never done before in her life. She decided to take her sister’s advice and relax. Luna slowed her gait to a leisurely trot and decided to take a shortcut through Memorial Park on her way down town. Luna bought a pretzel and ate it as she perused the numerous historical landmarks that made the park famous. An ancient bust of Shining Armor’s ancestor, Shining Armor I, stood solemn watch over western gate as a memorial to those who gave their lives during the First Seapony War. A giant pink cloud rained chocolate milk into a pool protected by wrought iron fences; a leftover from when Princess Fluttershy tamed the great serpent Discord. Across from that was a statue of St. Trixie rearing up majestically; a tribute from the city on the anniversary of the demon sorcerer Starswirl's defeat. Luna took her time walking through the park, enjoying the scenery as a small part of her began to believe that this trip might not be as bad as she thought it was going to be. The Crystal Heart shared a small shaded courtyard with a tailor and a salon at the end of Main Street. A tall oak tree shrouded the shop in shadows so well that Luna walked past it three times before she even noticed it. The jewelry shop was a small, stately building of brick and hardwood and as she approached the front door, dozens of necklaces, rings and tiaras glittered enticingly in the afternoon sun. A sign on the post outside the door read: The Crystal Heart Fine Jewelry, Blacksmithing, and Metalwork Hours: 9am-6pm “Delivery!” Luna said brightly, knocking on the door. “CECS here with a package for you!” Luna pressed her nose against the frosted glass and after a few moments of silence, she cautiously nudged the door open and stepped inside. As she entered the shop, Luna was immediately struck by a heavy metallic smell and nearly blinded as the sun came in behind her and illuminated the hoard of glittering treasure inside. Rows and rows of tall oak shelves were packed with glass display cases housing the most astonishing collection of gemstones, precious metals, and ornaments Luna had ever seen. Fire rubies, star sapphires and tourmaline sparkled on backlit velvet pillows. Earrings of all shapes and sizes dangled and jangled on spinning displays across from sets of ornate unicorn wedding rings. Suits of bizarrely ornate armor stood at each corner and the walls were lined with rows of decorative swords, spears and shields. Luna had seen dragon hoards with less loot in them and for the briefest of moments, she wondered whether or not the owner was a dragon himself. “Hello?” Luna called, ringing the bell on the counter. “Is anypony in? I have a package you need to sign for!” After a long moment of silence, Luna considered ringing the bell again when her attention was seized by a necklace dangling off a peg next to the counter. At first glance, it appeared to be a simple silver choker set with a pearly blue crescent-shaped gemstone, but the more Luna looked at it, the more she noticed. Dark argent swirls snaked and shimmered their way around the band like clouds in the night and no matter how much sunlight shone through the window, the silvery necklace refused to reflect all but the palest light. Luna glanced around to see if anypony was looking and gingerly reached a hoof out to pick up the necklace. She jumped and gave a strangled cry of surprise as the necklace reacted to her touch, sliding off the rack and coiling around her arm like a snake. Luna shook her arm wildly, frantically trying to get the necklace (bracelet?) off before the shop owner came back and thought she was trying to steal it. She spied a small ruler behind the counter and tried to jam it between the necklace and her arm but to her surprise, the necklace shimmered and flowed around the ruler, bending like rubber but refusing to come off. She gnawed at it with her teeth and tugged at it with her magic but no matter how hard she tried to force it, the necklace remained firmly stuck to her arm. Luna heard some movement in the back of the store and started to panic. Thinking quickly, she stretched the necklace as far as it would go with the ruler and tried to jam her head through the gap between her leg and the band. She wriggled her head through just as the band snapped back, binding her leg to her neck and sending her crashing to the ground in a tangle of hooves and malicious metal. “Excuse me?” Luna rolled over and made a strangled squawking sound as a tall black earth pony stallion glared down at her in surprise. He stood a full head and shoulders above the counter that Luna barely came over herself and wore a smudged blacksmith apron over a white tee shirt and black slacks. He crossed the counter and stooped down next to Luna, inspecting her with a piercing emerald gaze. “Can I…help you with that?” the stallion drawled. “Hello!” Luna said sheepishly, rolling over to meet the stallion’s eye. “Sorry to bother you, but I think I need some help here! I was trying on the necklace and I must’ve triggered some kind of security system because it attached itself to me and-” “Excuse me?” the stallion said. “It what now?” “It leapt off the rack and started snaking and shapeshifting all over my body like it has a mind of its own!” Luna said, struggling feebly. “I tried to pull it off but it’s stuck around my hooves!” “I’m sorry, miss, are you trying to tell me that this necklace somehow came alive and wrapped itself around your neck?” the stallion said, glancing at the necklace skeptically. "As if by magic or something?" “I know this is hard to believe.” Luna said for what felt like the thousandth time that week. “But that’s exactly what happened!” “I don’t believe this.” the stallion muttered. “Do you really think this is something I’d willingly put myself through?” Luna said. “This is just…fantastic!” “Check the security cameras if you don’t-” Luna blinked owlishly as the stallion practically clicked his heels together in excitement. “I’m sorry…what?!” “I can’t believe it actually worked!” the stallion crowed, stooping down to inspect the necklace. “I thought I fouled up the distillation process somehow, but it actually moved! It changed shape! This is fantastic!” “Well I’m glad you’re enjoying this at least.” Luna said, wriggling uncomfortably. "You'll forgive me if I don't share your enthusiasm." “Sorry, but I thought that necklace was never going to move!” the stallion said, tapping the metal excitedly. “It’s been sitting there for months without budging an inch! I was going to move it to the bargain aisle tomorrow, but it worked!” “I’m sorry, do your necklaces usually have a mind of their own?” “They do when they’re made of moonsilver,” the stallion said, kneeling down next to Luna and examining the necklace intently. “Tricky stuff to work with; you have to distill it at night under moonlight for months or else it spoils. If you get it wrong, it just comes out like regular silver, but if you get it right-” “It tries to kill your customers?!” Luna said, squirming under the necklace’s gently constricting grip. “If you get it right, it’s the most versatile metal on the planet!” the stallion said. “You can do practically anything with it! It responds to its wearer’s thoughts and feelings and changes its shape to match! It’s like owning an entire jewelry box in one accessory; isn’t that fantastic?!” “That is fantastic!” Luna said. “You know what would be even more fantastic?!” “What?” “Getting this bloody necklace off of me!” “Alright, alright, hold still.” the stallion said slipping a hoof under Luna’s back and lifting her like she was a stuffed animal. His other hoof brushed along the edge of the necklace and lightly pressed on the glittering moonstone in the center. The necklace shuddered and sprang off Luna’s neck, coiling on the counter like a snake and lying still. “Thanks.” Luna said, rubbing her neck with her hoof. “Getting choked out by a necklace wasn’t the way I wanted to spend my Gala evening.” “You know, for somepony who wandered into a jewelry store, you’re not terribly enthusiastic about jewelry, are you?” the stallion said, soothingly stroking the agitated necklace. “It’s hard to be enthusiastic about jewelry that seems to be enthusiastic about killing you.” Luna said. “It wasn’t going to kill you.” the stallion said, rolling his eyes when he thought Luna wasn’t looking. “It just got...confused when you put your arm up against your neck; it didn’t know whether to turn into a necklace or a bracelet so it got sort of…jumbled.” “Jumbled?!” Luna said. “It’s a necklace! It’s an inanimate object! How in the world would something like that get jumbled?!” “Not sure; it may have had a violent reaction to your magic." the stallion said, lightly flicking Luna’s horn. “I’ve heard of magical materials reacting to unicorns differently; it may be picking up some residual magical energy from your horn.” “A-are you saying that this was my fault?!” Luna squawked. “Not at all!” the stallion said, throwing his hooves up defensively. “I’m saying it might be! I can’t say for sure but I’ve heard of earth ponies with metalworking cutie marks reacting to jade and adamant in weird ways. You wouldn’t happen to have an astronomy cutie mark or something like that, would you?” “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Luna said, backing up and blushing. “Is this a delivery or a third date?!” “Well it’s pretty clearly not a jewelry sale,” the stallion said, replacing the necklace on the rack. “Not a good one at any rate.” Luna closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath through her nose. “Okay…this has gotten way out of hoof so I’m going to start over. Hi, I’m with the CECS here in Fillydelphia and I have a package to deliver.” “Wait…you wouldn’t happen to be one of the new girls who moved in today, would you?” the stallion said, looking Luna up and down. “Luna, right? My sister ran into you outside of City Hall today.” “Your sister? Who's-” Luna’s eyes widened in realization. “You’re Cadence’s brother?” “Your stallion friend made…quite the impression on my little sister.” the stallion chuckled. “And somewhere in the lengthy voicemail describing his nigh supernatural beauty and perfection, your name came up.” “Sh-she didn’t try to set me up with you, did she?” Luna asked nervously. “Don't get me wrong; you seem like a really nice guy but I don't even know you that well...I don't even think I know your name." “Sombra.” the stallion said, offering his hoof. “And don’t worry; I told her for the millionth time that I’m capable of picking out my own dates…no offense.” “None taken; I told her the exact same thing.” Luna chuckled. “Thanks for throwing her off my trail.” “I bought you some time but she’ll be back.” Sombra said. “Cadence won’t be satisfied until every pony in Equestria is in a committed relationship. She's ambushed me with so many blind dates that I've had to start screening her phone calls for any signs of her usual romantic skulduggery.” “Goody.” Luna grumbled, withdrawing the small parcel from her saddlebag and passing a form across the counter for Sombra to sign. “I'm glad I have that to look forward to. In happier news, you’ve got mail.” “Excellent!” Sombra crowed, quickly signing the paper and tearing into the package. “I’ve been waiting on this for weeks!” “Whoa, slow down there.” Luna said as bits of wrapping paper and cardboard flew in her face. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it can wait.” “It can wait?!” Sombra echoed, taking a small velvet box out of the package. “Did your employers even tell you what you were going to be carrying around all day?" Luna was about to venture a guess when Sombra opened the box and revealed a dark red gemstone the size of a walnut. “Is that…is that a diamond?!” Luna squeaked, eyes bulging and mouth dropping open. “Not just any diamond.” Sombra said, holding the gem up so Luna could get a better look at it. “This is a Red Gala Diamond. One of ten cut from Big Macintosh, the largest rough diamond ever pulled from the mines of Appleoosa. Three rest in Princess Applejack’s Crown Jewels, three were donated to the Museum of Natural History by Princess Rarity, three were lost in a shipwreck nearly fifty years ago and the last one...the last one is right here. Twelve and a half carats of pure polished perfection priced at a cool fifteen hundred bits a carat.” “Y-you spent more than eighteen thousand bits on a single diamond?!” Luna spluttered, quickly realizing that she had been carrying a package worth more than her quarterly tuition. “Worth every bit.” Sombra chuckled, admiring his purchase. “I had to outbid a particularly draconian collector who may or may not have been an actual dragon but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work with such a fantastic piece of jewelry! I mean look at this craftsmanship! It’s absolutely…perfect…” Sombra trailed off, glaring at the gem intently. He dove under the counter and returned with a pair of glasses that magnified his eyes to cartoonish sizes. He held the gem up to the light, turning it this way and that and peering at it so closely that Luna was afraid he was going to cut his eye on the edge of the stone. He weighed it in his hooves, tapped it against the counter a few times and finally (much to Luna’s disgust) ran his tongue along the edge of the diamond, smacking his lips intensely. “I-Is everything all right?” Luna said, worried that she somehow damaged the priceless gemstone while she was carrying it. “Hmm.” Sombra took off his glasses, placed the gemstone on the counter and brought his hoof down on top of it, shattering it into a thousand pieces. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Luna cried, flinching away from the counter. “What did you do that for?!” “It was fake.” Sombra said, only the briefest of sneers betraying his displeasure. “Fake?” Luna said. “You mean it wasn’t a real diamond?” “Oh no, it was a real diamond.” Sombra said. “Just not a Red Gala. I should have known that no collector would let a Red Gala go for under twenty thousand bits." "But if it was a real diamond, how could you have broken it?" Luna said. "I may not be a jewelry enthusiast but aren't diamonds supposed to be hard or something?" "It's an old earth pony trick," Sombra said, picking up a heavy metal display rack with one hoof and twisting it into a knot. "If it comes from the ground, it's pretty much putty in my hooves. Picked it up from my mom along with the rest of the jeweler trade." "Okay, remind me to ask you more about that later," Luna said. "But how did you know it was fake? What if you're wrong?" “I'm not wrong. There were tiny imperfections in the cut. Small mistakes, to be sure, but mistakes than no jeweler would make when working with a chunk of Big Macintosh.” Sombra said. “And it was too clear. Red Gala Diamonds are slightly opaque; it gives them a deeper color than other red diamonds. But what really gave it away was the smell.” “The smell?” Luna asked. Sombra swept some of gems up in an envelope and passed them to Luna for her inspection. “What do you smell?” Sombra asked. “Nothing…wait.” Luna said, taking another sniff. “Wait…I smell alcohol. Alcohol and…rotten eggs?” “This gem was likely a clear diamond treated in a special furnace with red jade.” Sombra said. “Red jade adds color to other gems and emits a nasty smell when burned. The alcohol means that-” “Somepony tried to wash the smell away!” Luna said. “Exactly.” Sombra said. “I would have never guessed!” “It’s an extremely good counterfeit, I’ll say that much.” Sombra said. “I’m almost tempted to track this swindler down and ask them how they pulled this off before I call Princess Rarity’s Secret Fashion Police on them.” “Princess Rarity has a secret police force?” Luna asked. “Wh-what?! No!” Sombra said quickly. “Th-there’s no secret police force that deals with jewelry fraud and crimes against fashion, what would give you that idea?!” “You just said-” “Oh wow, is that the time?!” Sombra said, checking his bare wrist. “Sorry, I have to close up shop now and I’m sure you’ve got parties you’d rather be at right now.” “Nah, the party scene isn’t really my thing.” Luna said. “My sister invited our neighbors over for dinner so I’m probably going to do that and then curl up with a book and a cup of tea.” “Thrilling.” Sombra chuckled. “Try not to have too much fun with that.” “Trust me; I would have a much better time reading than trying to make awkward small talk over cheap beer and loud music.” Luna said. “Well, if you change your mind, I hear that there’s a pretty big party going on right now over on the east side of town.” Sombra said, flipping his phone open. “Cadence said she’s over on…Peach Street, I think. I was going to go hang out over there until the fireworks started.” Luna stiffened as a cold feeling of dread washed over her. “Peach Street?” “Apparently one of the older houses got some new residents and they decided to get the whole neighborhood together for a block party.” Sombra said. “The whole street is involved but the main party is at the big purple house…1145 Peach Street.” “No…no, there has to be some kind of mistake.” Luna mumbled, shaking her head. “We just got here; there’s no way she could have thrown something together so quickly!” “Are you alright?” Sombra asked. “She couldn’t have.” Luna said. “She didn’t!” She did. Luna stood next Sombra in the front doorway wondering where Princess Twilight’s house had disappeared to and what a frathouse was doing in its place. Festive banners dangled from the balcony outside and Luna had to part a curtain of streamers hanging from the front door in order to get in the house. Dozens of ponies packed every inch of the spacious mini mansion, talking, laughing and dancing to the throbbing pop music that blasted from the speakers. Red cups, pizza boxes and cupcake wrappers spilled out of garbage bags piled in corners. Pegasi perched in the rafters, showering crumbs of who knows what on Luna and Sombra as they passed. “So…nice place you’ve got here.” Sombra said, looking. “I really like the…uh…people hanging from the rafters. Very classy.” “CELESTIA!” Luna bellowed, cutting through the pulsing music and causing everypony in the house to turn and look at her. “Somepony called?” Celestia said, coming out of the kitchen wearing a purple lei and balancing pitchers of drinks on her wings “Celestia, what the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Luna hissed. “Being a good hostess.” Celestia said, turning to the crowd. “Who wanted another margarita?” “YAYYY!” The crowd of partygoers cheered, holding their cups in the air. “Hold up!” Luna cried, snatching the margarita pitchers away from her sister. “Nopony is getting anything until I find out why there’re ponies dancing on my tables!” “BOOOO!” The crowd hissed. “Oh boo yourselves!” Luna spat. “What are you people doing in my house?!” “Luna, stop being such a buzzkill and-” Celestia stopped short when she caught sight of Sombra. “Well hello there.” “Don’t.” Luna said. “Just don’t.” “I’m just saying hello.” Celestia said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.” “Sombra.” Sombra said, offering his hoof. “Pleased to meet you.” Celestia said. “Luna, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” “Oh, of course; how rude of me.” Luna said. “Sombra, this walking affront to sobriety is my sister Celestia. She’s the one responsible for turning our lovely country home into the bacchanalian nightmare you see before you. Celestia, a word?” “Come talk to me later.” Celestia said, winking over her shoulder as Luna shoved her into the kitchen. “Damn, girl, you have more game than I gave you credit for. Less than a day in this town and you already bring somepony home; even I don’t work that fast.” “He’s the jeweler you were supposed to help me deliver to.” Luna said. “I’ve known him an hour at most; what makes you think I’m dating him already?” “Hey, I never said you were dating him.” Celestia said. “I just thought you brought him home for a little-” “Finish that sentence.” Luna hissed. “I dare you.” “Does that mean you’re not interested then?” Celestia purred, glancing predatorily at Sombra from across the room “Because if you’re not then I just might-” “Hey, focus!” Luna said, clapping her hooves in front of Celestia’s face. “What are all these ponies doing here? Why am I the last one to know about the party that was happening at our house? Where are all these margaritas coming from?!” “From the margarita machine, where else?” Celestia said, nodding over to a bright pink machine that hadn't been there when Luna had left the house that afternoon. “When did we get a margarita machine?!” Luna said. “You were with me all day, when did you have time to-” “Hey, Celestia, we need another round of drinks outside!” Shining Armor said, bursting into the kitchen wearing a flowery shirt and sunglasses. “Those piña coladas were a big hit!” “You!” Luna said, pointing a hoof accusingly at Shining Armor. “These were the essential supplies Celestia sent you for? A margarita machine and enough rum to drown every fratboy at Canterlot U?!” “I…uh…I-I think I hear somepony calling me.” Shining Armor chuckled nervously, edging towards the door. “I-I’ll catch up with you girls later!” “You seriously got Shining Armor to do your dirty work for you?” Luna said, shaking her head. “For shame, Celestia.” “Hey, Shining Armor wanted to have this party as much as I did!” Celestia said. “And I told you we were going to have a little fun with our neighbors tonight!” “The entire town is here!” Luna cried. “I never said it was going to be just our neighbors.” Celestia said defensively. “And I seem to remember somepony promising to come to my party if I helped her break into Princess Fluttershy’s garden house yesterday! You didn’t think a little thing like exile would get in the way of my Gala plans, did you?” “So you decided to throw one in Princess Twilight’s vacation house?!” Luna hissed. "Of all the stupid things you've done, Celestia-" “Calm down, it’s not like there are ponies swinging from chandeliers with our lampshades on their heads.” Celestia said. “I’M KING OF THE WORLD!” Luna and Celestia opened the kitchen door to see a colt swinging on the dining room chandelier with a purple lampshade on his head. “Okay, but to be fair, he was wearing that when he came in.” Celestia said, slowly closing the door behind her. “Do you have any idea what Princess Twilight will do to us if she finds out that you turned her private sanctuary into a frat house?!” Luna groaned. “For crying out loud; there are people playing beer pong on her antique dining room table!” “Luna, you act like I’ve never cleaned up after a party before.” Celestia sighed. “Remember the party I threw when I graduated high school?” “You threw a graduation party?” Luna said. “Exactly.” Celestia said emphatically. “You were out with Princess Twilight all night and when you came back the next day, you didn’t even notice that somepony threw up on your bed.” “Wait, what?!” “Princess Twilight is going to be up in Canterlot all night.” Celestia continued. “She’ll never even know that there was a party here.” “What about everypony else?!” Luna said. “Nopony is supposed to know that Princess Twilight even lives here and you invited them into a house that has pictures of her on every wall!” “Nopony has even asked about those yet!” Celestia said. “If they do we can just tell them that we’re renting the house from one of those odd ponies who’s a little too into the royal family.” “Celestia-” “Everything’s going to be fine Luna.” Celestia said, passing Luna a tray of cookies from the counter and shooing her out the door. “Now be a good hostess and pass these out.” "But-" Luna was shoved through the swinging kitchen door and into a sea of strangers who descended on the cookies like piranhas on a wounded cow. In a few moments of gory crumby disaster, Luna was left trembling, clutching a tray of crumbs in fear. “Are those cookies?” Luna turned around to see Chrysalis leaning against the wall, sipping a fruity drink from a blue cup. “They were.” Luna said, passing Chrysalis the tray of crumbs. “Maybe you can scrape enough crumbs together to make a new one.” “That’s alright; I’ll get the next batch.” Chrysalis laughed. “Nice party by the way.” “I wish I had known about it sooner.” Luna said. “I’m glad you got the invitation at least.” “How could I have resisted?” Chrysalis said, looking around the house approvingly. “One simply cannot pass up an invitation to a party at a royal residence. It’s funny; I would have thought that Princess Twilight would keep more books in her vacation home but I can't seem to find any.” “Wh-what are you talking about?” Luna chuckled nervously. “Wh-why would you think Princess Twilight lives here?” “Oh please; gigantic purple house with a big star shaped window and pictures of the royal family hanging on every wall?” Chrysalis chuckled. “Not exactly the secret hideaway our princess thinks it is, is it?” “I don’t know.” Luna said glancing around at the crowd. “They don’t seem to have caught on.” “Don’t worry, love, I’m not going to tell anyone.” Chrysalis said. “I’m just happy I found the place after Celestia accidentally covered up the address with party balloons. I must’ve walked past the house four times before I found it.” “Didn’t Celestia help you out when she saw you wandering around out there?” Luna felt a twinge of pity for her new friend. “I think she was busy in the kitchen or something.” Chrysalis said. “She must still be busy because I haven’t seen her all night.” “Uh…Chrysalis?” Luna said. “I don’t know how to tell you this but…I don’t think my sister wants to talk to you at all. I don’t…I don’t think she likes you very much.” “Oh.” Chrysalis said simply. “I know.” “She’s got this stupid thing about magic and I hope we can still be friends but-” Luna stopped. “Wait…you know?” “She wasn’t exactly being subtle back in the theater.” Chrysalis chuckled. “But…you’re being so nice to her!” Luna said. “If you knew she was being rude to you on purpose, why would you be nice to her?” “Why shouldn’t I be?” Chrysalis said. “Because she hates you!” Luna said incredulously. “Don’t you care that she hates you?” “Not especially.” Chrysalis shrugged. “Nothing as silly as hatred should get in the way of a potential friendship.” “Are…are you for real?” Luna said incredulously. “Every bit of me, love.” Chrysalis said with a wink. “Have you seen a colt named Shining Armor around? He promised me a margarita refill about half an hour ago.” “Last I saw that traitor, he was heading out to the back yard.” Luna said. “You're not...interested in him, are you?” “He has a certain colt next door charm to him, I’ll say that much.” Chrysalis chuckled. “Why, is he with you?” “No but I think you may have some competition.” Luna said, nodding over to the corner where Cadence stood chatting to some friends. “Cadence?” Chrysalis said. “Really?" "It certainly seemed that way earlier." Luna said "So Shining Armor is the latest love of her life, is he?” Chrysalis said. "Interesting." “What do you mean latest?” Luna said. “Cadence falls in love like a drunk fratboy falls down stairs,” Chrysalis chuckled. "She sorts every stallion she meets into two categories; future husbands and future husbands for somepony else. There is no middle ground for her." "You're joking." “She once proposed marriage to her sixth grade coltfriend...after dating him for three weeks,” Chrysalis said.“She’s a very sweet girl but she comes on a tad…strong for most ponies.” “Well fortunately for her, that particular brand of romantic enthusiasm seems to bounce right off of Shining Armor’s thick skull, so she might actually have a shot with him.” Luna said. “You’re not going to try and get in the way of that, are you?" “Get in the way of what , exactly?” Chrysalis laughed. “I don’t know; I just don’t want two of my friends fighting over a third.” Luna said. “I know that sounds selfish of me but-” “Friends?” Chrysalis echoed, looking at Luna with a strange expression on her face. “Well, yeah.” Luna shrugged. “I know we just met but I think you’re about the only person in this town I can talk magic with. I’m not being presumptuous, am I?” “No not at all!” Chrysalis said, reddening around her ears. “It’s just that I…never mind. I’ll stay away from Shining Armor as a favor for a…friend.” “Thanks a lot.” Luna said. “Can I get you a refill?” “Oh no that’s fine.” Chrysalis said. “I’ll go get one myself. Your sister makes excellent margaritas.” “Just be sure she doesn’t poison it.” Luna chuckled, watching Chrysalis disappear into the crowd. She turned around to run straight into Shining Armor carrying a pair of pink frothy drinks on a tray. “Speak of the devil,” Luna muttered. “You’re getting popular with the ladies, aren’t you?” “Huh?” Shining Armor said. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Of course you don’t.” Luna sighed. “Cadence is looking for you by the way.” “Why would she be looking for…oh crap! I was supposed to get her a drink like twenty minutes ago!” Shining Armor groaned, passing Luna one of the margaritas. “Here, take this to Cadence; this is the special drink she wanted! I need to get the backyard crowd some more nachos!” “Hang on!” Luna called after him as he retreated into the kitchen. “Take it to her yourself!” “Hey is that for me?” A drunken mare giggled, stumbling up to Luna. “Is your name Cadence?” Luna asked. “No it’s…it’s…” The mare trailed off vacantly. “No, it’s definitely not Cadence.” “Then it’s not for you.” Luna said simply. “Boo.” The mare said glumly, slinking away. “Don’t ‘boo’ me you freeloading booze sponge.” Luna muttered under her breath. Luna made her way through the living room, scanning the crowd until she spied a familiar pink pegasus pouting out the back window and muttering something to herself. “Delivery.” Luna said, sliding next to Cadence and passing the drink along the windowsill. “Huh?” Cadence snapped out of her trance as the cup bumped against her shoulder. “Oh...thank you Luna. I thought Shining Armor was going to get that for me." "He got sidetracked by a nacho emergency." Luna said. "He said that this was the special drink you requested." "Thanks." Cadence said, sipping the drink glumly and staring back out the window. “Enjoying the view?” Luna asked as she followed Cadence’s line of sight to Shining Armor arriving in the backyard with a keg of beer balanced on his back. “It’s not as nice as I hoped it would be.” Cadence sighed as Shining Armor was quickly swarmed by a crowd of fillies. “Jealous?” Luna said. “Wh-what?!” Cadence spluttered. “No, of course not! Wh-why would I be jealous that Shining Armor seems to be talking to every filly at the party except me?! I'm happy that he's meeting so many new f-friends; why would I be jealous?!" “Wow; remind me never to play poker with you.” Luna said. “You can’t bluff your way out of a wet paper bag.” “Am I that obvious?” Cadence sighed. “To about everyone but him.” Luna said. “I’m sorry.” Cadence sighed. “It’s really none of my business but…I mean he’s barely said two words to me all night. I thought he was interested in me too when he invited me to the party but-” “Look, Shining Armor is a fantastic guy. He’s brave and loyal and if I hadn’t seen him in diapers I would probably have a crush on him too.” Luna said. “But he’s an idiot; he really is. He’s thicker than a brick wall when it comes to romance. If you want anything to happen with him, you’re going to need to spell it out for him.” “You mean just tell him that I’m interested in him?” Cadence asked, frowning as though Luna had spoken some bizarre foreign language. “Why not?” Luna said “Where’s the romance in that?” Cadence huffed. “What am I supposed to tell our kids when they ask how mommy and daddy got together?” “Okay why don’t you get a date with the guy before you start thinking about any hypothetical love babies you may have?” Luna said.“I’m no expert on romance-believe me, I’m not-but I think you may be making this a bigger deal than it needs to be.” “I can’t help it; I’m a romantic!” Cadence groaned, tugging at her mane. “I spend so much time setting up perfect dates and perfect weddings and perfect honeymoons for other people...so is it wrong that I want the same when it comes to my own love life?” “Well, no, but you’re not seriously going to wait on Shining Armor to live up to his namesake and sweep you off your hooves, are you?” Luna said. “Well…it would be nice but¬-” “But it’s never going to happen.” Luna said. “He is literally the only pony in town that’s oblivious to your interest and if you want him at all you’re going to need to get him yourself. Romance may have to take a backseat in this case.” “If you say so.” Cadence sighed. “Have a drink.” Luna said, nudging the margarita over to Cadence. “Shining Armor said he got it just for you. Take a moment and then go talk to him like every other filly in the room is doing. Just let things work out naturally and don’t get hung up on romance right now.” “Thanks Luna.” Cadence said, taking a long sip of her drink. “I...I think you’re right.” “I usually am.” Luna said. “I have to remain positive!” Cadence said, eyes glinting in determination. “I’m…I’m going to go talk to Shining Armor right now! W-wish me luck!” “Godspeed you adorable little love freak.” Luna chuckled, shaking her head as Cadence fluttered out the window and into the deepening night. Now that the sun was down, Luna felt herself perk up as she usually did at night. The pulsing club music had steadily drifted towards a mellower soundtrack and Luna found herself enjoying the party for the first time. A breeze wafted in from the window and Luna decided to head out back and see how the party was going out back. Luna stepped through the back door, breathing in the cool night air as she admired her sister’s handiwork. Strings of blinking electric lights hung from the porch railing and drooped over the small bushes and trees that surrounded the back lawn. Dozens of ponies milled about, talking, laughing and flitting through the night sky. Shining Armor was surrounded by a small crowd of fillies but Cadence was nowhere to be seen. Luna was about to go look for her when she bumped into Sombra, stalking the garden with a dark scowl on his face. “Enjoying the party?” Luna said, sliding up next to Sombra. “Hm?” Sombra asked. “Oh, yeah, fantastic party. Top notch shindig you got going on here.” “Is everything alright?” Luna asked as Sombra picked up a tiki torch and swung it around like a sword. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine!” Sombra said, dropping the torch and weighing a large flower pot in one hoof. “Just great. Quick question; you wouldn’t happen to have a big rock or baseball bat or sack full of doorknobs lying around, would you?” “I’m afraid to ask what you need them for.” Luna said. “No big deal, I just need a large blunt object to beat Shining Armor with until his head resembles applesauce.” Sombra said, picking up a propane tank from under the barbecue. “This’ll work.” “Wait!” Luna cried, grabbing Sombra’s shoulder. “What’s going on?!” “Oh nothing.” Sombra said, swinging the propane experimentally a few times. “It’s just that he led my sister on and then made a show of hitting on every mare in the building! Now if you’ll excuse me-” “Hold on!” Luna said. “Shining Armor hasn’t hit on anypony since he arrived here!” “Then why is every other mare in the building under the impression that he likes them?!” Sombra huffed. “Why did he invite Cadence himself and then proceed to ignore her for most of the night?!” “Because he’s romantically oblivious!” Luna said. “Because he can’t tell the difference between romantic interest and general friendliness!” “Oh come on; nopony is that dense.” Sombra said. “Wow, do you work out or something?” Luna turned around to see a blonde unicorn rubbing Shining Armor’s shoulders. “No more than any other guard.” Shining Armor shrugged. “Are you looking for an exercise routine? Because you should definitely meet with a trained fitness consultant first. Torn muscles are no joke, my friend.” “You were saying?” Luna said. “Look, Sombra, I know you’re worried about your sister but I’m sure she can handle herself just fine. Let’s go find her and get her another margarita.” “Wait, what do you mean another margarita?” Sombra said quickly. “Cadence hasn’t been drinking tonight, has she?!” “I brought her a margarita just now but-” “Oh no no no no no no no!” Sombra moaned. “This is bad…this is very bad! Cadence isn’t supposed to drink alcohol!” “She’s of age, Sombra!” Luna said, rolling her eyes. “You can’t police her drinking habits like she’s a child!” “You don’t understand!” Sombra said, frantically scanning the crowd for his sister. “When Cadence drinks she gets really, really-” “Heyyyy….heyyyyy you!” Luna and Sombra whipped around to see Cadence stumble up to Shining Armor with a bleary looking glare creasing her features. “Oh no,” Sombra moaned. “It’s happening.” “I gotta….I gotta bone to pick with you.” Cadence slurred, poking Shining Armor in the chest. “Do you mind?! We’re kind of in the middle of something here!” the blonde unicorn sniffed. “Shhhhhhhh!” Cadence said, blocking the other mare’s face with one hoof. “I’ll be with you in a second, you hussy unicorn…you hussycorn.” “Hussycorn?!” the other mare shrieked. “Cadence, are you okay?” Shining Armor asked. “You look a little sick there.” “Never…never mind that right now!” Cadence said, rounding on Shining Armor. “I…I gotta bone to pick with you too Mr. Inviter von Ignores-His-Guests. What…what kind of guy invites a girl to a party and then totally blows her off?! Some…some knight in shining armor you turned out to be!” “We have to do something!” Luna hissed. “You have to stop her!” “There’s no stopping this,” Sombra said fearfully. “You can’t stop Hurricane Cadence once she’s started drinking.” “What is wrong with you?!” Luna hissed. “She’s half your size; go hold her back!” “I think it’s time for you to leave, sweetie.” The unicorn said, grabbing Cadence by her collar and roughly shoving her backwards. “Don’t…don’t touch me please.” Cadence said blearily. “I don’t…I don’t like it when people touch me without my permission.” “Well I don’t like it when bimbos in bad sweaters interrupt me when I’m trying to score!” The unicorn said, shoving Cadence again. “I’m not going to say this again.” Cadence said, shaking her head dizzily. “Stop…stop shoving me around.” “Or what?” The other mare laughed, shoving Cadence again. “What are you going to-” Luna wasn’t one hundred percent sure what happened next. One second Cadence was getting shoved around by the white unicorn and the next, the other mare was out cold and stuffed in a trashcan about twenty feet away. It all happened so fast and when it was over, Cadence was standing in the middle of a shocked crowd, stretching her wings and dusting her sweater off. “Oh my gods,” Luna said breathlessly. “What just happened?!” “Cadence happened.” Sombra said, shivering slightly. “Cadence happened.” “I told her,” Cadence slurred triumphantly. “IIIIIIIIIIIIIII told her not to do the thing...and she went ahead and did it anyway! Wellllllllll guess what? You mess with the horns…and you get the bull!” Cadence smiled as she teetered sideways and collapsed unconscious against Shining Armor’s side. “That’s our cue!” Sombra said, running to his sister’s side. “Cadence?!” Luna said, gently shaking Cadence’s shoulders. “Cadence, are you okay?!” “Mmmmmm…no mommy, I don’t want to go to school today.” Cadence mumbled sleepily, snuggling into Shining Armor's shirt. “Is she going to be alright?” Shining Armor said, gently hoisting Cadence on to his back."What happened to her?" “Like you don’t know you cheap Casanova.” Sombra spat, bumping into Shining Armor and sliding Cadence off his back and on to his. “Do…do I know you?” Shining Armor said, looking at Sombra in confusion. “This is all your fault!” Sombra said. “If you hadn’t screwed up her drink order, none of this would have happened!” “…no, seriously, do I know you?” Shining Armor said, blinking owlishly. “Forget it!” Sombra said. “You’ve done enough for one night!” “What did I do?” Shining Armor cried. “Oh don’t act dumb with me!” Sombra shot back as Luna gently took Cadence from his shoulders and laid her on a lawn chair. “I’m not acting!” Shining Armor said. “I really have no idea what’s going on!” “Just leave my sister alone you creep!” Sombra growled as a small crowd gathered around them. “It’s bad enough that you got her hopes up for nothing but hitting on other mares in front of her is just sick!” “What are you talking about?!” Shining Armor groaned. “Luna, will you please tell me who this guy is and why he's yelling at me?” “Yes, Luna, please explain to your phenomenally stupid friend why I’m going to smack him cross eyed if he comes near my sister again.” Sombra snarled. “FIGHT!” Somepony from the crowd cried. “Whoa whoa whoa!” Luna said, stepping between the warring stallions. “Nopony is fighting anypony!” “BOOO!” Someone from the crowd yelled. “SAY BOO ONE MORE TIME!” Luna snapped, eyes glowing white with magic. “BOO ME ONE MORE TIME AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS!" The crowd fell silent as Luna took a deep calming breath. “Thank you. Now then, let’s all just have another margarita-” “Mmm…margarita.” Cadence mumbled in her sleep. “-except Cadence and get back to the party!” Luna finished. “I’ll be right back.” Luna dashed back inside, weaving her way through the crowd and into the kitchen where her sister was fiddling with the margarita machine. “Celestia!” Luna said. “I need a little help out here!” “Not now Luna; I’m doing science.” Celestia said, stuffing a whole cantaloupe into the top of the machine. “Cadence is drunk, I think Sombra is going to fight Shining Armor and the guests are going to kill us unless they get more drinks fast!” Luna said breathlessly. “I need you to rein these crazy ponies in before they kill each other!” “Alright, alright, give me a second.” Celestia sighed, smacking the machine as it ground to a halt with a high pitched whine. “I figured something like this would happen eventually.” “Do all your parties end this way?” Luna said. “Usually.” Celestia said as the margarita machine began to gurgle disconcertingly. “Otherwise they just fizzle out and die once the liquor dries up.” "What are you doing to that thing?" Luna asked as Celestia continued to pack the top of the machine. "Doing an experiment." Celestia said, smacking the whining machine with her hoof. "The box claimed you could fit a whole melon in the fruit blender but I'm not so-" The margarita machine shuddered, spluttered and with a great flatulent thrrp erupted in a geyser of partially processed cantaloupe that shot straight up in the air, hung for a horrible moment and then came splattering down on Luna drenching her from horn to hooves. Luna just stood there, quaking in impotent fury as she discovered that there is literally nothing you can say or do when drenched in cantaloupe chunks except stand there in stunned silence. “Towel?” Celestia said, sheepishly offering Luna a towel as a glob of cantaloupe mush dropped from the ceiling and splattered on her head. Two hours later, Luna had perched herself on the roof outside her bedroom window, trying in vain to enjoy the flowery book of poetry she found in the bookshelf in Princess Twilight’s room. By the time she had scrubbed the worst of the margarita mix out of her coat and changed into something decidedly less fruity she had all but disappeared from the party, slipping into her room and disappearing out the window where no one would think to look for her. “There you are.” No one except for her sister of course. Luna looked up from her book as Celestia climbed out the window, balancing a pair of drinks on her wings. “Good book?” Celestia asked. “Meh.” Luna shrugged, setting the book aside. “Poetry isn't really my thing but that's all that Princess Twilight seems to have.” “Who knew our princess was such a romantic,” Celestia chuckled. “Listen...sorry about the margarita fiasco.” “That’s alright,” Luna said. “The party was getting a little nutty for my tastes anyway. Is your machine alright?" “It’s making weird noises and spitting up cantaloupe seeds,” Celestia sighed. “And it hasn’t made a decent margarita in nearly half an hour.” “That explains why so many people are leaving.” Luna said as another crowd of ponies trickled out the front door and out the front gate. “Good riddance,” Celestia said. “I’m almost glad the machine broke if it gets rid of all the bums who are just here for the drinks.” “Do you think you can get your money back?” Luna asked. “I think it’s safe to say we voided the warranty when we stuffed it with cantaloupe," Celestia said."Not one of my brighter ideas.” “Shame; I was starting to get used to the idea of having frosty drinks whenever I wanted,” Luna said. “Maybe we should get another.” “Oh, I plan on it,” Celestia said. “Once you know the joy of having a margarita machine, there’s no going back to the hollow shell of life without it.” They shared a laugh and lapsed into an easy silence as they watched their remaining guests enjoy themselves in the garden below “Sorry you got stood up.” Celestia said after a moment. “Come again?” Luna asked. “Tirek promised he’d show up, didn’t he?” Celestia said. “It’s almost midnight and there’s still no sign of him.” “Yeah…I guess he’s not coming.” Luna said. “You sound disappointed.” Celestia said. “Would it be weird if I said that I was?” Luna said. “Only a little.” Celestia chuckled. “I don’t know…I guess a small part of me wanted to be right for once,” Luna sighed. “Does that make me a freak?” “No, it makes you normal.” Celestia said, taking a sip of her drink. “Vindication is a perfectly natural thing to yearn for.” “I guess.” Luna said. “That said, I’m very happy you were wrong this time,” Celestia said. “Given the alternative, I think you are too.” “You know something?” Luna said, smiling down at the partygoers below. “I really am.” “Yeah?” Celestia said. “I think Princess Twilight was right; I think this vacation may be just what I needed.” Luna said. “Of course it is.” Celestia said, sitting down next to Luna, clinking their glasses together. “I think this summer is going to be one of the best we’ve ever had.” “Crummy delivery job notwithstanding.” Luna chuckled. “Hey, don’t knock the delivery job.” Celestia said, nudging her sister. “In two deliveries you already made a new friend and picked yourself up something tall dark and handsome.” “Shut up!” Luna laughed, shoving her sister off the roof. “I’m your sister; I’m never going to shut up.” Celestia said, flapping casually in the air. “It is my birthright to mercilessly torment and tease you every day until the day you die. You think you would have figured that out by now.” “I guess I’m not as bright as people keep telling me that I am.” Luna chuckled. “Fillies and Gentlecolts!” The music suddenly cut out as a tinny voice came from the radio downstairs. “It’s almost midnight and almost time for the Fillydelphia Millennial Gala Fireworks Spectacular! Please turn off all lights as the birthplace of St. Trixie puts on the greatest fireworks show in the world!” “Almost midnight.” Celestia said, checking her watch. “You want to head down before the fireworks start?” “Why?” Luna said. “We’ve got the best seats in the house!” “Best seats on the house.” Celestia said, landing beside Luna. “I like the way you think sis.” The lights in the city below went out as a great cheer erupted from the crowds below. “The greatest fireworks show in Equestria will begin in ten…nine…eight…seven…six…five…four…three…two…o-” BOOM! An earth shattering explosion thundered somewhere in the distance, knocking Luna off her hooves and nearly off the roof. Before she could react, a column of dark green fire erupted to the east in the direction of Canterlot. It spiraled higher and higher in the air, shining down on the partygoers below with an eerie emerald light. The green flame coalesced into a hideous parody of the sun. Thunderclouds rolled in from all directions, blotting out the moon and stars and providing a background for the hellish green sun. The sun twisted and reshaped itself into a hideous demon face blazing in the night. Sunken eyes sneered dispassionately at the ponies beneath it. Long wicked horns jutted up from the apparition's skeletal head, burning twin holes in the clouds that sizzled and cracked with wicked electricity. “Weep, and rejoice my people.” The apparition thundered. “Your rightful king has returned to liberate you from the false goddesses that have raised themselves above you and return the world to its natural order.” “Your princesses have fallen. Your city is ashes beneath my hooves. Your armies are naught but ants before the legions that rise behind me. To all so called Equestrians today, I offer you a simple ultimatum.” “Kneel...or be knelt." The phantom green face exploded in a shower of flaming streamers the streaked to the ground below. There was a moment of deafening silence as all of Fillydelphia stared in slack jawed horror at the sky. And then the screaming started. “WHOOO HOOOO!” “AWESOME!” “THIS IS THE BEST FIREWORKS SHOW EVER!” “Please tell me those were fireworks.” Celestia said, swallowing painfully as the crowd below obliviously applauded their own destruction. “Please tell me that was just a really big, really scary part of the fireworks show.” “Those weren’t fireworks.” Luna said. She didn’t exactly know what had just happened, but she knew one thing beyond any shadow of a doubt. Tirek had returned.