Celestia motioned for Twilight to sit up and the unicorn followed the disguised pegasus to see a hooded figure. When he turned around she noticed the blond mane and ice blue eyes.
It was Blueblood.
"Hello kind sir!" Celestia greeted waving a hoof and sounding more like a cheerful pony who had pranks planned for the unsuspecting. "You look like the famous Prince Blueblood! Why would you be in a such a small town like this one. And why would you be in such a place filled with common ponies?"
Blueblood proudly lifted his head and snorted. "My fellow companion had some business to attend to. He said it would be some sort of gift for me! But the rascal disappeared around the corner and I've been standing here hurting my poor delicate hooves waiting for him!"
Twilight rolled her eyes while Celestia merely narrowed them. Scrutinizing his every move, his every flick of his eyes. The Princess had been alive for at least a thousand years. Poker Faces especially the political faces of the nobles, she had learned to read, the atmosphere was another thing easily read by the temperance sun.
Blueblood seemed unnaturally hard to read today.
Jazzy was inside her house pacing back and forth. It would be hours before the actual festival would start and even longer before the concert. Chatterjoy had still not been found and the unicorn had recently heard that Princess Celestia had gone to Ponyville to meet with her student. Jazzy still couldn't understand why the Princess would need to visit her protege.
Princess Luna was now the acting Princess in the Solar Court now that Celestia was gone. Needless to say the Lunar Princess was not very happy. She had gotten little sleep throughout the week and now that the festival would soon start the Princess of the Night would have to get prepared.
Not only that but she would also have to lower the sun.
Princess Luna was definitely not looking forward to that.
So now Jazzy was left to worry by herself till the concert. The director was confident in the groups concert skills and had dismissed them earlier. Jazzy was worried though as Strummer hadn't shown up but that was sometimes usual for the orange stallion. Always ditching the final practice before a show.
He usually did it to prove that he was the best player in the band and the director hated it when he did that but so far nothing bad had happened yet. Well, excluding the part of Chatterjoy getting foalnapped and Jazzy getting blackmailed but there was no way the director could know that.
All the worrying the unicorn was doing was beginning to take a toll on the young mare. Jazzy suppressed a yawn with her hoof and headed to her bedroom. She would get up in time for the festival. If she was lucky Chatterjoy might even be already there smiling and waving goofily.
Jazzy smiled at the thought of seeing her friend at the festival.
Chatterjoy wouldn't miss it for the world. The food anyway.
With the happy thought of everything going to turn alright for the best sent Jazzy into the happy world of dreams for once not plagued by the nightmares of Chatterjoy degrading her or being gone from the land of Equestria and ultimately the land of mortals forever.
In the basement of the captive Chatterjoy the foalnapper was covering his ears as Chatterjoy sang a song so old it hurt his pop cultured appendages.
Puff the Magic Dragon.
It was sung by three ponies, a mare and two stallions.
And it absolutely drove Sleepy Drift crazy! He covered his ears and didn't dare use his magic. Oh no, he couldn't put her to sleep to his dismay.
She was sleep talking, or in this case sleep singing.
Not only did he hate how old the song was, he hated her singing, it wasn't extremely bad, he had heard worse singers but it was just too much. Sleepy Drift was seriously considering cutting her tongue out like his boss wanted but he hated getting messy.
His boss was also supposed to be arriving today any minute and he hoped he came soon and put him out of his misery.
"Is your friend giving you a tour?" Celestia asked Blueblood who looked irritated to be speaking to a commoner.
"Most certainly not! This place is too dainty and small. Pathetic really and that rude mare lives here. The white unicorn mare who splattered cake all over my royal pony body!"
"There must have been a reason for him to take you here though," Celestia pressed. She needed to get Blueblood to tell him his plans or at least a vague idea of where she was being held, besides him getting splattered with cake by the Element of Generosity was highly amusing that night.
I must remember to gift Rarity for that marvelous display.
"A reason, why yes, you ignorant foal!" Blueblood exclaimed that sounded like Celestia should know what the reason was. The Princess also needed to remember to increase the Prince's punishment for that comment. She may be disguised as a regular pegasus at the moment and even though no pony should ever be rude to another she doubted the unicorn would speak to her like that if he knew who she really was.
"My friend said he had a gift for me. He told me to wait here while he went to a small cottage near the Everfree forest, though why anypony would have a cottage near such a dreadful place is beyond me. He told me not to get it confused with the one called Fluttershy."
Princess Celestia smiled and Twilight shook her head. If Blueblood was really behind this entire act that was a stupid thing to say. If he wasn't behind it, the words were still the wrong ones to say.
Celestia knew that Blueblood hadn't really given anything away but he had given a clue and it was a lead. Even if it was nothing.
The Solar Princess looked up at the sky as she felt the sun tugging on her powers to get her to set the large sphere of light. She sighed and smiled. It would have been nice to have Luna try to set the sun but with her festival just moments away she didn't want to tire her out before she could have her fun.
Blueblood was still looking perturbed, his face however began to show surprise as his eyes grew wide and his mouth stood agape that four apples could have been piled and fitted into his mouth. Celestia had taken a white glow as she began to grow. Her mane elongated and began to take on its normal multi color hue as the colors began to streak through the pink. Her horn grew and elongated well past many unicorns in this age.
When her transformation back into her normal self or at least the self shown in public was complete, an aura as bright and as brilliant as the sun seemed to emanate from her and Blueblood and Twilight had to squint their eyes to keep from becoming blinded by Celestia's power.
"If you would come with us please Blueblood," Celestia said. Her smile held joy and amusement but as the Prince stared into her magenta eyes that were filled with wrath no doubt at his rude behavior to her commoner form he began to tremble.
"Princess! I didn't-"
"Of course you didn't mean to do it to royalty nonetheless the one that is higher than you."
The Princess had said it so nicely that Blueblood almost believed she wasn't that mad at him. He was right, she wasn't mad at him. She was furious at him.
The smile faded into a frown and the entire population of Ponyville could see the true extent of the Princess' anger.
"Now if you would be so kind nephew take us to the spot that your friend mentioned."
The festival had started a long time ago and the concert was about to start in an hour.
Jazzy was behind the curtain. Many ponies had already shown up to get seats that were for everyone. Only the front section of the arena was used for reservations and the chair in the middle of the front row was reserved for a pegasus. Unusual for something in Canterlot.
The arena was designed so that the ponies on the stage could speak normally and the ponies in the stands, even the ones in the far back could still hear them perfectly. This was to avoid the loud speakers and other technology destroying the eardrums of the ones closest to the stage.
Jazzy was practicing on her instrument to help calm her nerves and to make sure that she had the music down and the most important thing of them all; to make sure she could keep her composure up on stage and not break down crying.
Some of the other concert players were also practicing some last minute notes on their own instruments. Some of them began to stop and then deeply bow. Jazzy looked up to see what was stopping the music so abruptly.
Coming towards her direction was Princess Luna. She was wearing some kind of fancy dress that Rarity probably made to ask forgiveness for not being able to come. Her hair flowed like her sister's but it sparkled more noticeably. Jazzy could have sworn that all the constellations were in them but other than that it mostly looked like the Princess had poured a bucket of glitter in her mane and tail.
"Jazzy, greetings, We hope that thou hadst the best sleep last night," Luna said smiling gently at the unicorn.
Jazzy could just nod but had to look away to keep herself from bursting into tears. She knew what that kind of smile meant. It meant that she should expect the worst possible news.
"What happened to Chatterjoy?"
Blueblood slowly made his way to the cottage. They had to take the long way because the narcissistic Prince had to stare in water puddles all the way there. Twilight was sure that if they didn't push him to move it he would have tried to kiss the puddle reflection of himself and drown. The purple mare had to admit that the idea sounded appealing but it would have to wait till Chatterjoy was found.
A cottage began to come into view. If they listened carefully they could hear a faint tune emanating from the house. It sounded muffled and distanced like it was actually past the house but in the long lifetime of the Princess, Celestia knew the sound was actually emanating from underground.
They busted open the door. Blueblood had tip hoofed past the door like it was made of common dirt. All three ponies heard hoofsteps pounding on stairs as somepony ran up the basement stairs. The song was completely audible now and Celestia lightly tapped her hoof to it. It was one of her favorite songs of that time. She didn't think any pony listened to it anymore.
"Boss!" exclaimed a unicorn cladded in black. His voice caught in his throat as he noticed who had entered.
Blueblood's face turned into horror as the unicorn had looked at him.
Lead Note walked up to Jazzy. Luna was whispering encouraging words to the rosy unicorn and had stepped aside to allow Lead Note to address his player.
"Listen Jazzy, I know the situation if you feel its too much you can back out. I won't get angry if you do."
Strummer had bursted through the back doors, "Hello promotion!" His eyes widened when he realized he wasn't alone in the back. All of the players were glaring at him or looking at him strangely.
"Its a song, that I'm working on, carry on!"
"Get away you foul mongrel! My royal coat has just been groomed!" Blueblood screamed climbing onto a table and cowering.
"Your not my boss!" Sleepy Drift exclaimed and looking at the Princess tried to run away but Celestia had grabbed him with her magic.
"Then who is?" she asked sweetly. It was bait and Sleepy Drift knew it but he also knew that if he cooperated he would get a lighter punishment.
"He never gave me his name but your pegasus friend is downstairs sleeping! Spare me please and don't send me to the moon!"
Celestia sighed. Where her subjects got the idea of her banishing ponies was ridiculous but taking Sleepy Drift with her she went downstairs and true to his word laid the sleeping beauty...well almost a sleeping beauty. She was singing in her sleep and the poor foalnapper must have been going insane.
Her horn glowed a bright gold and the pegasus began to slightly stir. As Chatterjoy took time to fully wake up Twilight had unlocked the door.
"Princess Celestia!" Chatterjoy exclaimed as the purple mare also undid the clamp around her neck.
"We can talk later young pegasus but Jazzy is about to play in the concert and I would be there if I were you.
Chatterjoy saluted her princess and took off so fast Rainbow Dash probably would have enjoyed the challenge. Sleepy Drift just looked at his Princess and smiled a huge grin even though it couldn't be seen through his mask.
"I'm Sleepy Drift, Princess. How may I be of service?"
Chatterjoy was flying faster than she ever had flown before. She was hungry and even though she had been sleeping she felt more tired than a dragon in winter. Her front hooves were held out in front of her as she pushed herself to the limit.
Water began to film around her and she had to flap harder otherwise the pressure would fling her backwards or her wings would ice up and she would crash. Her lips flapped around her gums and teeth as she reached faster and faster speeds. It was almost midnight as the moon was almost on top of the world.
She had to be there for Jazzy.
Jazzy took a deep breath and prepared herself as she walked out on stage. Strummer was behind her and vaguely saw a green smoke pop a letter in front of Princess Luna.
The unicorn looked in the stands for Chatterjoy even though she figured it would be useless. The Princesses hadn't really found anything yet. Her eyes grew wide and huge grin plastered itself on her face as she saw Chatterjoy in her seat clapping her hooves excitedly. Her wings looked crimped and broken a result that happened when a pegasus flew to hard and to fast without practice.
Jazzy looked up and saw Princess Luna grinning a huge grin and winking at Jazzy. The unicorn nodded in reply. She looked behind her where Strummer was sweating and he was looking right at Chatterjoy.
Thats odd, Strummer doesn't like Chatterjoy at all.
Lead Note lifted his baton and the concert began.
"I can't believe it wasn't Blueblood," Twilight told Celestia as they walked back to the library.
The concert ended and Princess Luna appeared before the sweaty Jazzy and bouncing Chatterjoy.
"Charmed to meet the real Chatterjoy this go around," Princess Luna said as she reached out her hoof. Chatterjoy began to hyperventilate to which Jazzy gave her a bag to breath into. She shrugged at the Princess who looked a little upset.
"She adores you, don't take offense to it," whispered the unicorn into Luna's ear. The Princess' eyes grew wide and glistened that Chatterjoy actually wasn't intimidated by her.
"Where is Strummer, We needed to talk to him," Luna spoke up. The two mare shrugged their shoulders as they began to help the Princess.
Trying to run out of the arena was Strummer.
"Halt boss of the foalnapper!" Luna screamed with her Canterlot Voice as all ponies stopped moving save for the orange unicorn.
"Strummer?" Jazzy said puzzled.
"Yes, he was going to foalnap Chatterjoy as a present for his best friend and most importantly his influence in court Blueblood to make sure he kept favor with him."
Eventually some royal guards were able to capture the runaway unicorn.
'Why Strummer?" Jazzy asked hurt.
"Because I hate commoners, I hate pegasi, and most importantly I wanted to keep favor with Blueblood!"