//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4: The Celebration 
// Story: The Advent of Applejack 
// by Mister Friendly 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 4: The Celebration


Ponyville rarely came alive so early in the morning. Usually, ponies would still be rousing in their beds or puttering around kitchens, waiting for coffee to percolate. 

The streets at that hour usually belonged to the children on their way to school and the mail ponies happily going about delivering packages – to mostly correct addresses, anyway.

That was a typical day. Today was not a typical Ponyville day.

Princess Celestia’s charge was hardly more than a promising glow on the brightening horizon, and already the streets were teaming with activity. Carts filled the streets, being coordinated hither and thither in a way only Twilight Sparkle’s handiwork could accomplish.  

Stalls were going up as fast as their owners could put them, like their lives depended on it. School had been called, and colts and fillies were making the most of the day off – either by helping their parents were they could, or simply staying out of their way, only too eager for things to kick off in earnest. More than a few excited eyes watched as attractions were put together and tested right in front of them, and already children were pawing pleadingly at their parents’ legs, begging for bits to spend on the coming day.

But over at Golden Oaks Library, it was something of a different scene.

Very early mornings – or, in most cases, extremely late nights – were a fact of life for the two residents. That morning was proving to be little different.

At her writing desk, Twilight Sparkle gazed down upon a freshly delivered letter, a confused frown on her face as she leaned her head against one hoof, wings ruffling uncomfortably. 

She’d practically been woken out of a light doze when the letter shot out of Spike’s mouth with a belch and nearly smacked her in the face with the velocity it’d achieved. Coincidentally, soda was no longer allowed at the dinner table. Or, really, anytime Twilight was expecting mail.

But for Princess Celestia’s response to her query to take so long, Twilight had been expecting some lengthy explanation to assuage her mounting concerns, not add to them. But that was precisely what she’d received, much to her frustration.

In fact, the letter Twilight had gotten back hardly seemed to have anything to do with answering her questions about the residency badges that’d been forced upon the changelings.

Something’s not right here… why is Princess Celestia doing this? Maybe something happened… but what? What isn’t she telling me?

Twilight ran her hoof under her chin worriedly and once again read the paragraph that’d been bothering her for nearly an hour now.

The badges, I can understand a little. They’re just for the Celebration, and there’s no way they’d have all those important ponies in one spot without some kind of precaution. But this just doesn’t make any sense… Why does she want…?

“Twilight! Somepony’s here to see you!” called Spike’s voice from deep within the library, bringing the librarian back to her senses.

“Coming!” Twilight called. She paused for a few moments longer, eyeing the letter with worry. Then, she got up to see who it might be, especially at such an early hour. The distraction may not be welcome, but at the same time, she found herself in desperate need of it.

She momentarily entertained the idea of simply jumping out the nearby window and gliding down to the ground on her new wings. How thrilling that would be. 

But it was precisely the newness of those wings that caused her to ultimately toss out the idea with a giggle and shake of the head.

She instead took the more familiar route; walking down a short hall leading from the top floor study down to her and Spike’s bedroom before descending a second set of gently spiraling stairs down to the ground floor.

But the pony waiting uncertainly downstairs was not, in any way, somepony she’d been expecting to find calling on her before the sun was even up.

“Daisy?” Twilight said in surprise, pausing on the landing. “What brings you here?”

Standing near the door was a pink mare, looking around the room idly until she heard Twilight’s voice, at which point she stiffened and straightened up.

While perhaps not the most famous flower sister in Ponyville, Twilight recognized Roseluck’s sibling easily enough. She’d been around the trio enough in recent months to at least know them by sight, even if she’d never really had a chance to talk to either her or Lily Valley as more than customers. So, having Daisy suddenly drop in unannounced was definitely not something the studious alicorn would’ve ever thought to expect.

Daisy, too, looked a little uneasy with her impromptu visit, like she was intruding somewhere she shouldn’t be, and was in imminent danger of being reprimanded if she put even one hoof out of line.

“Good morning, Miss Sparkle,” she said, offering an awkward but respectful bow. “Rose wanted me to come by to give you a message.”

“Oh,” Twilight responded, only more surprised than before. “Alright then. Would you like some coffee?”

Daisy politely turned down her offer, but seemed to appreciate the gesture nonetheless.

As Twilight stepped closer to the pink mare, she couldn’t help but notice how rather unadorned she was. Truth be told, she’d never given it much thought, but…

“Daisy, don’t you have a badge?” she asked.

Daisy blinked at her, expression uncomprehending. “Badge? What badge? Like that thing Rose came home with last night? Was everypony supposed to get one?”

Twilight backpedaled a bit, waving a dismissive hoof. “O-oh, never mind, I just thought… never mind.” Of course, now she couldn’t help but wonder; just what was the dynamic in their household?

“So,” she started again, putting on a little extra cheer to smooth over her careless statement, “What did Roseluck want to tell me? Did she and Applejack hit some kind of a problem?”

Daisy once more fidgeted at that, looking even more uneasy. “Well… that’s the thing. She was wondering of, maybe, you knew where Applejack was. She’s… um… kinda gone missing.”

Twilight, for a second, froze in place. Her entire body went rigid, her expression freezing in one of forced friendliness as her pupils – slowly but surely – began to contract. 

It took her nearly ten whole seconds to process the news she’d just been given, which ended up being the last ten seconds of her peaceful, tranquil morning.

“Oh no.” 


~~***~~


Rainbow Dash did not want to wake up. That was the first thing she truly understood when her mind started to do the exact opposite of what she wanted. She was just so comfortable, so warm and… comfortable. There really was no other way to describe it.

But the harder she tried to fight against the rousing faculties of her mind and body, the more they seemed to want to betray her.

She could feel a soft, almost imperceptible breeze toying idly with her mane and tickling her feathers. In the distance, she just thought she heard the commotion of Ponyville. It was still too distant to be bothersome, but there was no way she could overlook it by that point.

Rainbow could feel the soft yet lukewarm fluff of clouds – her favorite bedding material, for sure; never too cold, never too warm, always the right temperature, every day of the year. But there was also something else; something so much more comfortable and actually warm nestled beside her.

It couldn’t be the cloud; it was too firm. But it was also soft in its own way, like a pillow left out in the sun for just the right length of time.

Rainbow cracked open her eyes, but for the life of her she couldn’t comprehend what this black, soft pillow was, or why it smelled or felt so good…

She shrugged internally, then wrapped her hooves and wings around the snuggly warm thing, unwilling to let sleep relinquish her just yet.

Until it snuggled her back.

Never before had Rainbow shot to full awareness quite so fast before. All at once, her eyes shot open, drowsiness long forgotten as her brain hit the ground running.

And the first thing she saw was Applejack snoozing softly beside her, her head resting on one of Rainbow’s forelegs, her side pressed against Rainbow’s.

Rainbow immediately went rigid, her wings shooting open in alarm, her head snapping up. 

She managed to keep from crying out at least, or from making any sound at all. Then again, Rainbow’s body failed to make much of a reaction to begin with, her mind stalling at the crucial moment.

But Applejack didn’t react in the slightest. She stayed in a dead sleep, her face soft and weightless.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Rainbow’s panic began to die back down.

How long had it been since she’d seen the apple farmer look like that? Like the weight of the world wasn’t forcing itself upon her? It seemed like forever… months, even…

What all must she be putting up with? Certainly Rainbow had caught a glimpse of it. But to make somepony like Applejack feel like that… How much stress was she putting herself through?

Slowly, Rainbow’s nerves calmed. Something was twitching at the back of her mind, like there was something she needed to say or do. But what?

“Applejack…” she muttered, but didn’t know what else to say. It just… came out.

The amber-maned changeling’s ear twitched, flicking a little at the sound of Rainbow’s voice, but still Applejack showed no signs of waking up.

But really, there was no rush. What was the harm in letting Applejack sleep a little longer? If anypony deserved a respite, it was her; at least, Rainbow sure thought so.

So, the pegasus forced herself to relax, and then gingerly, she placed one wing over her friend’s back.

Applejack mumbled slightly in her sleep so quietly Rainbow barely even heard it. But that was all she did. She didn’t readjust herself or reposition. Applejack seemed more than comfortable staying right where she was, snuggled into Rainbow’s side, sharing her warmth.

For some reason, Rainbow suddenly found herself smiling a little. She couldn’t imagine why, but it didn’t feel so weird it had to be pushed away. So, she let herself smile a little, then set her cheek back down against Applejack’s neck, easily finding a comfortable position of her own, and closed her eyes.

That was when she heard a barely restrained giggle. And it did not come from her, or Applejack.

And even worse, she recognized that voice, too.

For the second time that morning, Rainbow went rigid. This time, her head came up slowly, afraid of seeing what she knew she’d see.

But she was there alright, hovering only a few feet away like some kind of vulture, in perfect view of everything.

Rainbow stared in welling horror straight into the gleeful, alarmingly huge smile of Cloudkicker, who seemed on the very cusp of losing it completely.

She started to speak, immediately covered her mouth with a hoof in order to fight back a fresh wave of giggling while holding up the other hoof towards Rainbow, took a second longer, then managed to somehow get out, “So… how was your night?” It even sounded casual.

Pity, then, that it was anything but.

All of the color drained from Rainbow’s face. It was quite the spectacle actually; going from bright cyan blue to ghostly periwinkle in under ten seconds.

“Um… it isn’t what it looks like?” she ventured with a rather maniacal grin.

“Wanna bet?” Cloudkicker countered brightly. “Oh, speaking of bets, Blossom owes me fifty bits now. So thanks for that!”

Rainbow groaned, desperately wanting to smack herself in the forehead. If only there wasn’t a sleeping changeling currently pinning them down…

“Cloudkicker, if you start some stupid rumor because of this, I will end you.”

Cloudkicker rolled her eyes, though she was still smiling widely. “Yeah, I’ll start them.”

Rainbow glared daggers at her, now completely over her shock. “Why are you even here? You know; besides to bug me.”

“I thought that’s what she did,” Cloudkicker teased, nodding her head towards Applejack.

“Cloudkicker,” Rainbow growled through clenched teeth. “Not. In. The mood.”

“Fine, fine,” Cloudkicker said, backing off. “And for your information, I’m not the one you should really be worried about right now.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at that. “Yeah?  And who is?”

“That would be me,” said a clipped voice directly behind her.

This time, Rainbow yelped, very nearly shooting to her hooves in alarm.

The jolt in her body was, however, enough to finally cause Applejack to stir, her amber eyes fluttering open in sleepy bewilderment.

But Rainbow was too preoccupied to notice. She was more interested in the pegasus mare currently lounging in the cloud fluff behind her, idly filing one khaki hoof almost leisurely.

Yet, even with the extreme oddity of suddenly having wings, there was no way Rainbow could’ve mistaken Roseluck. And she was not in a good mood.

“Oh… ponyfeathers.”

“Oh good, you’re awake,” Roseluck said, her voice rather short – irritated, even.

The sound of the changeling’s voice was all it took to bring Applejack to full awareness. Her eyes shot open as she sat up straight, very nearly head-butting Rainbow on the chin.


For the longest time, Applejack only stared at Roseluck, trying to blink the sleep from her eyes – and hopefully any lingering dreams. But there was just no dispelling the khaki and rose-maned pegasus lounging in the white fluff behind her.

It took her a while, but after a bit, she finally relaxed. “Roseluck,” she gasped, exhaling in relief. “Landsakes, ya almost gave me a heart attack.”

The earth-pony-turned-pegasus continued to idly file one of her hooves patiently, stopping now and then to admire her handiwork before picking another spot to worry at. Strangely, Roseluck seemed to be wearing something around her neck on a simple length of twine; something iridescent green, and roughly the size and shape of a bookmark.

But Applejack was more aware of the hard set of her olive-green eyes and the tightness in her jaw; Roseluck was in a bad mood.

“I could say the same thing to you, Applejack,” she quipped, her choice of inflection level enough, but still just a little flat. “The next time you feel like spending the night on a cloud, please let someone know, would you?”

Applejack blinked, exchanging an apprehensive look with Rainbow, but she was just as confused as AJ. “Ah’m gettin’ the feelin’ Ah’m in trouble,” she noted, her insides squirming uncomfortably.

Roseluck looked up from her work, and this time she didn’t bother to hide the pointed exasperation in her eyes when she gave Applejack and Rainbow a very stern look apiece. “You never made it home last night,” she stated simply, her voice flat and sharp. “This morning, your little sister came wandering into the district, asking if anyone knew where you were because she hadn’t seen you all night. Imagine, for a moment, how that went.”

Applejack winced, feeling very uncomfortable all of a sudden. She hadn’t even thought to consider that. And after yesterday’s incident with Steel Shod…

“Oh horseapples,” Applejack said, gut clenching for real now. “Please tell me Ah didn’t get anyone into trouble.”

Roseluck paused, then sighed almost begrudgingly, as if unwilling to give up her bad mood. “No, fortunately. The search party hadn’t formed yet when someone found you. Though next time, I wouldn’t count on your cloud drifting over the district, okay?”

Applejack nodded, still feeling very guilty indeed. “Rose… Ah’m real sorry. Ah shoulda been keepin’ stuff like that in mind.”

“No, it’s my fault,” Rainbow interjected, sitting up. “Applejack didn’t do anything wrong. This was all my idea.”

“Yeah, and Ah went along with it,” Applejack said firmly, nudging her friend. “So Ah guess we’re both ta blame.”

Again, Roseluck sighed, though this time not as heavily, and the ice in her expression faded. “No… no, it’s alright, Applejack. You were in a bad mood yesterday; I figured you’d just gone off somewhere to blow off some steam.”

Cloudkicker snickered to herself, earning her a cold glare from Rainbow.

“Besides…,” Roseluck continued, pointedly ignoring the incorrigible weather pony,  “I had a very good idea who’d be with you, so I knew you’d be just fine.”

When she added that, Roseluck glanced to the side lightly, her eyes flicking to the rainbow-maned pegasus.

But Rainbow was sitting stalk still, her eyes getting wider and wider as something started to dawn on her. “Wait… did you say… this morning? As in…”

“As in,” Roseluck said patiently, as if speaking to a confused filly, “you spent all night up here.”

That got Applejack’s undivided attention, without question, leaving her feeling nearly disoriented with shock.

Applejack immediately snapped her head up, an all-new fear hitting her like a freight train.

Her eyes immediately turned to the horizon in front of her… only to see open, empty sky and a landscape basked in soft light coming from behind her.

The sun wasn’t looming in the west. It was on the verge of peeking up from the east.

The day of the Summer Sun Celebration had finally come, and Applejack had only one thing to say to that.

“Well… horseapples.”

Roseluck remained quiet. Instead, her attention was drawn towards one of Applejack’s hind legs – particularly, the one she kept ringing out absentmindedly, as if it were on pins and needles. There was something about that that she found… odd.

But a split second later, she refocused. “You two have time enough to goof around later,” Roseluck said as she stood up. “Come on, we don’t have much time left to get you ready, Applejack. The celebration will be getting underway any –” 

In the distance, a shrill whistle cut through the quiet morning air like a knife, ringing out all across the thatched roofs and treetops below.

Applejack was just high enough in the sky to have an unparalleled bird’s eye view of the vast majority of Ponyville, and right away she spotted the most likely culprit of that sound; a train, all gleaming glass and shining metal nearly seventy cars long, was pulling into the station – the first of many, if Applejack had to guess.

Applejack sighed to herself, watching the first definitive, irrefutable sign of the imminent celebration and feeling all the apprehension it brought with it. There’d be no putting it off any longer, it seemed.

“Well, Ah suppose we better hop to it,” she said, though there were butterflies in her stomach.

Roseluck paused again, and then exhaled gently. A reassuring smile rose on her lips, her irritation fading away. “Don’t worry so much, Applejack,” she said bracingly, coming to stand beside her. “A few aristocrats won’t be enough to get to somepony like you.”

“Pff, no way,” Rainbow added, snorting in derision at the mere thought. “As long as somepony doesn’t overthink things.”

She ended by bumping against Applejack, which earned her a sheepish grin in response.

Roseluck chuckled at that, then glanced back towards the young changeling queen. “But, if it wouldn’t be any trouble, could you do me a favor? Please?”

When Applejack turned to give her a quizzical look, she noticed Roseluck giving her a slightly pleading smile. “Could you please try to have a little fun?”

Applejack hesitated, then cracked a rueful smile. “Sure, Rose. Ah think Ah can manage that. So… let’s get to it, shall we? Think Ah’ve had about enough sky fer one day.”


~~***~~


Never before had Applejack seen the changeling district so alive with activity. Practically overnight, the wooded streets had undergone a startling transformation, and it was due in no small part to the almost hyperactive drones shooting this way and that through the air.

Brightly colored stalls had materialized out of nowhere, lining the main thoroughfare with vendors and their wares. Decorations similar to the ones that’d already come to blanket the rest of Ponyville now lined the trees and bushes, complimenting the innumerable flowers that’d all simultaneously opened wide from one end of the district to the other in an unnaturally choreographed display.

Even the district itself seemed even more dazzling than Applejack remembered it; the canopy seemed to let in more sunlight, the grass that covered the ground seemed even more vibrant and vivid – even tree trunks and the branches they grew seemed brighter, cleaner, as if lacquered.

Greenery had been trimmed to perfection, flowers pruned, and by now even the biggest sticklers for detail seemed to be looking around with moderately satisfied looks on their faces.

Of course, the first thing Applejack noticed was not how beautiful everything had become, but rather the veritable mob waiting for her on the ground.

The moment Applejack touched down and let go of Rainbow for support, she was immediately swarmed by anxious individuals, all crowding together to make sure their queen was indeed completely unscathed. They crowded together like a congregation of worried puppies, and nothing Applejack said or did seemed to appease them all.

But it wasn’t just changelings that were present. Applejack learned that the hard way when a little yellow filly all-but tackled her with quite the spectacular running leap.

“Applejack!” Apple Bloom cheered, pulling herself securely to one of the changeling’s holey forelegs. “Where were ya? Ah’ve been lookin’ all over fer ya!”

Applejack chuckled, using her free hoof to pat the bow-wearing filly’s head. “Aw shucks, ya know Ah can handle myself just fine, Apple Bloom. There ain’t no need ta be worrin’ so much over me.”

Apple Bloom fidgeted a little, not quite meeting her surrogate older sister’s eye. But she didn't release her grip on Applejack's foreleg, nor did she seem to have the slightest inclination to want to apologize.

She started to say something, but she was hardly the only one vying for Applejack’s attention. This also included a very hysterical yellow, black and white, scarf-wearing pegasus who was both crying, shouting and hiccupping all at the same time.

“D-don’t you ever do something like that a-again!” Bumblebee cried, hiccupped, then took Applejack completely by surprise when she threw her hooves around the apple farmer’s ashy neck in a big hug. “A-and if you do, I’ll hate you f-forever!” she finished, all the while squeezing the ever-living daylights out of the young queen while everyone stared at her in complete shock.

It took three drones to first pry Bumblebee off of Applejack, and then calm her down. But her hiccups were there to stay; every now and then she’d jolt just a little with a squeak she couldn’t quite cover up.

“Ah’m really sorry, Bumblebee,” Applejack apologized more than once, patting the drone on the head. “Ah didn’t mean ta make ya worry so much. Tell ya what; why don’t ya stick with me today. Would that make ya feel better?”

Bumblebee paused for a second, caught off guard by the proposition. Then, she peeked up at the apple farmer, a little glimmer of hope in her ruby eyes. “Do… you mean that? I-I’m not sure I could be of mu-much use, but…”

“Ya’ll do fine,” Applejack chuckled, fighting back rolling her eyes. Sometimes, it really was like she was trying to talk to Fluttershy. She then glanced to her other side and ruffled Apple Bloom’s mane as well. “Same goes fer you, Apple Bloom. Yer welcome as long as ya like, once all that hooey with the opening ceremonies is over and done with.” 

The little bow-wearing filly beamed brightly at that. “Thanks, Applejack!”

Beside her, Roseluck hesitated, eyes on Bumblebee for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then, she smiled. “Well, I suppose that’ll be alright. So, that just leaves…”

Any further conversation was promptly interrupted by a dazzling flash of violet magic bursting into being right in the middle of the congregation, causing nearly everyone to leap back in surprise.

And there, standing in the middle of the group, was a rather harried-looking Twilight Sparkle, wings flared in anxiety, eyes darting this way and that frantically before locking on to Rainbow Dash – much to the pegasus’ alarm.

“Rainbow! There you are – I’ve been looking all over for you!” Twilight cried, grabbing ahold of her friend by the shoulders before she could get away. "I think my tracking spell wore off; it's been a nightmare trying to find you!"

“Uh, w-what’s up, Twi’?” Rainbow asked nervously while trying to cover it up with a friendly smile. "Wait, tracking spell? what –"

“’What’s up’ is I can’t find Applejack!” Twilight burst out, flailing her forelegs irritably, even bouncing into the air on her wings out of pure frustration and completely ignoring her friend's question. “Please tell me you have some idea where she is.”

Rainbow blinked, then glanced away – towards a suddenly very nervous apple farmer.

The sound of the young queen clearing her throat behind Twilight made the alicorn cease to move in any capacity. “Um… mornin’, Twi’,” Applejack said, trying very hard to be friendly and not on edge. “How, uh, how’s yer day been goin’?”

Twilight, however, stayed frozen. She was motionless for a long time, one ear twitching spastically. Then, her head very slowly turned in the direction of her friend, eyes wide and almost accusing.

“Twi’? You alright?” Applejack asked, all the while considering whether or not she was a safe distance from the alicorn.

After a momentary pause, Twilight abruptly released Rainbow, nearly sending her toppling to the ground. Then, she rounded on the young changeling queen. “Applejack,” she started, sounding eerily calm, “where have you been?”

“Sleepin’,” Applejack responded, sticking to the facts.

“Where?”

“Up on a cloud. Kinda dozed off without realizin’.”

“And… you were never lost?”

“Not that Ah know of.”

Twilight paused, seeming to take this into consideration. “And… you know the princesses are going to be here in, you know, any minute now, right?”

Applejack hung her head a bit, looking repentant. “Look, Twilight, Ah’m sorr—”

“And you’re still not ready?” went on Twilight as if her friend hadn’t even spoken. Now her frayed temper came through, exploding like a dam rupturing. “Do you know what time it is?! The festival officially starts literally any minute now!”

Twilight looked like she was on the verge of going off on quite the tangent, one hoof coming up to point threateningly at the unacceptably unprepared changeling in front of her.

But, at the last second, she caught herself. She breathed in hard through her nose, placing her hoof against her chest, before letting an entire lungful of air back out in a huff, motioning away from her with the same hoof. She repeated this ritual two or three more times, focusing only on breathing in and out, and for the most part, it seemed to do the trick in alleviating the worst of her frustration.

“Okay… okay, we don’t have much time left, but I we should have enough before we make our appearance. How are things going on your end, Roseluck?”

“We’re just about finished,” the changeling reported. “All that’s left is for everyone to take their positions when everypony gets here.”

“Alright, good,” Twilight said with a nod, and she relaxed somewhat. They weren’t as behind schedule as she’d feared. Maybe things wouldn’t be going horribly wrong for a change.

But now that the main problem was over and done with, an unsolved conundrum came clambering back to the forefront of her mind, much to her displeasure. Celestia’s letter once more drifted through her mind, and she couldn’t help but frown a little.

“Um, Roseluck, I do have something for you,” Twilight admitted. When Roseluck gave her a questioning look, Twilight scrunched her eyes shut, and for a brief moment winked out of existence again.

Everyone blinked, had time to glance around to their nearest neighbor, and giving Rainbow a chance to say "Seriously, what tracking spell?" and then another burst of magic heralded the newly crowned princess’ return.

Only, this time, she had something with her. Hovering beside her in the air, floating on a thin violet veil, was an unsealed letter.

Roseluck may not have been the most high-class, in-the-know changeling in the world, but even split in half, she recognized the royal seal of Canterlot that’d been stamped across one edge of the scroll in wax, which only shot her brow up high.

“Twilight Sparkle, isn’t that a letter from Princess Celestia herself?” she asked warily.

“Yes, but there’s something in it for you, too,” Twilight pressed, and without waiting for the other’s confirmation, she floated the scroll closer before setting it on the ground at Roseluck’s hooves.

The rose-maned pegasus, however, only gave it an apprehensive look. “Twilight, these are private correspondences,” she pointed out. “I can’t possibly –”

“Oh yes you can,” Twilight pressed, cutting her off. “If I had more time, I’d explain it myself. But Applejack and I still have to get ready, and there won’t be enough time left between the two. So, you have my permission to read it, alright?”

Roseluck blinked, but continued to look unsure, taken aback. Six months ago she was nothing more than a humble florist. Now here she was, privy to the conversations between royalty? It certainly was a bit much to take in.

But she was also no fool. If Twilight thought it was serious enough to give to her, it must be very important indeed.

“Might I ask what this is about?” Roseluck asked seriously.

Twilight paused, eyes on the letter with a look that didn’t inspire Roseluck’s confidence. “There’s been a… slight change in plans. Everything should be in there, but I really don’t have time to explain. Come on, Applejack; Rarity’s waiting for us.”

“Hold on a second, Twi’,” Applejack complained, but she was in a losing battle between her own strength and Twilight’s indomitable telekinetic push. All she was really accomplishing was leaving four hoof-shaped skid marks across the dirt from her locked legs. “What’s this all about? What’s changed?”

“I’ll explain on the way,” Twilight promised. “Now let’s go!”

“Alright, alright, quit yer pushin’, already!” Applejack complained, just before the two were wrapped in a small nebula of light and disappeared entirely.

Rainbow just stared at the spot both her friends once stood in, blinking as she tried to process what’d just happened.

“Did… Applejack just get kidnapped?” she asked numbly.

Roseluck stayed just as motionless as her, but she was the first to truly recover. “Well, that was… odd.”

A moment later, she looked down warily at the thing nearly resting against one hoof. The parchment looked innocent enough, at least at first glance, but for some reason it seemed a lot more imposing than something its size should’ve been.

Then, very carefully, she reached down and scooped up the letter with exceeding gentleness, as if afraid it would crumble to dust if she handled it wrong.

Of course, such a thing never happened. So, she carefully unrolled the scroll and started to read, feeling like the entire time she was sticking her nose where it really didn’t need to be.

It wasn’t a particularly lengthy letter, consisting primarily of only three paragraphs written so precisely it was a wonder that it hadn’t come off a printing press. Each word was crystal clear, each letter unmistakable, so that their meaning could never be misconstrued. And it was more than enough to bring a very worried frown to Roseluck’s face only halfway down the page.

“What up, Rose?” Rainbow asked, cocking her head to one side and moving a little closer. Then it occurred to her. “Twilight talked to Celestia about the badge thing, didn’t she?”

“Well, yes,” Roseluck said slowly, distracted. “But…”

“So? What’d Princess Celestia have to say?” Rainbow pressed, stepping closer, eager for good news.

Roseluck glanced her olive green eyes up over the rim of the letter at Rainbow, her lips pursed a little. “Nothing, really; only that they’re a security measure for the Celebration, and that’s about it. They’re just something we have to put up with for today because a bunch of nobles petitioned for it.”

Rainbow should’ve felt relieved to hear that. It was good news, better than some of the scenarios she’d been playing through her head last night.

So, if it was good news, why did Roseluck looked so concerned?

“So what’s the catch?” Rainbow asked, a little irritated at not getting what must’ve been a bigger picture. She didn’t have much patience on a normal day, and what little she normally had was quickly giving way at that moment.

Roseluck paused, looked down at the letter again to scan some line of text as if to double check something, then glanced back up at Rainbow, her expression uneasy.

“Princess Celestia… is requesting that Applejack has bodyguards,” she said. “In fact, she wants bodyguards for all of the royalty, Twilight Sparkle included.”

Rainbow stopped and stared at Roseluck, eyes wide. “She wants what?”

But Roseluck didn’t respond. She seemed too lost in thought, her eyes going back to the letter with building worry. “Did something happen?” she muttered to herself. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna having an honor guard is to be expected, sure. But why Applejack, too…? Perhaps it's just a custom, or standard practice. But if that's it... why wait to tell us at the last minute...?”

Rainbow felt an uncomfortable wave wash over her, causing her to squirm a little. “Do you think she caught wind of something bad?”

For a moment, a particularly dark shadow moved over Roseluck’s face. It was a look that made even Rainbow uneasy with thoughts that just didn’t sit well with her at all.

But after a few moments, Roseluck shook her head as if to dispel whatever dark musings lingered in her mind, frowning deeply. “I… I don’t know. I don’t presume to know what the princesses are up to, but if she caught wind of something, then –”

A loud, bellowing horn blew over the treetops, causing both Roseluck and Rainbow to jump nearly a foot into the air and several nearby changelings to yelp in alarm and look around swiftly.

It must’ve been truly deafening, because it seemed to be coming from nowhere near the district at all. It bellowed over the roof tops, echoing all across town this way and that so that not a soul could’ve missed it. More perplexingly, it didn’t seem to be coming from ground level at all.

“—She’d be out of time,” Roseluck finished, her voice oddly stilted.

Just as Rainbow looked around, on the verge of asking the very pertinent question of what the hay that’d been, a huge shadow fell over her and the gathered changelings, cast by something large passing right over their heads.

Rainbow tilted her head up, and what she saw through the tree branches overhead momentarily struck her dumb.

There, sailing directly over her head and above the tree canopy, was the crimson prow of a ship.

~~***~~

All across Ponyville, ponies suddenly found their eyes drawn skyward – first by the sound of that bugling horn, and then by the thrumming, whirring sound of propeller blades slashing through the air on powerful steam engines.

And one by one, the airships appeared.

Each was a spectacle in itself. No two looked alike at all, and most were so extravagant and luxurious that they almost seemed otherworldly.

The first to appear was a sleek crimson ship lined and embroidered with golden streaming lines, like the wind made art. Even the balloon supporting the slender hull was narrow and streamlined, and the back seemed to be alarmingly belching fire nearly ten feet long, sending it racing across the sky.

The next airship to lumber into Ponyville’s airspace looked like a grand, potbellied galleon with the bow of a regal, golden dragon, sailing the winds on not only a gigantic bladder of helium and a triple set of scimitar-like flying props, but also on several gigantic sails that hung from the ship’s sides and underbelly like the fins of some colossal creature, each stamped with some kind of family coat of arms.

And they just kept coming, each more spectacular than the last. Some were huge, antiquated behemoths lovingly restored to pristine condition, billowing with smoke from coal furnaces or issuing blasts of steam to the morning air.

Others were flying works of art sporting almost ludicrous designs and accent flares, like light shows that played upon the bellies of the flight balloons, or billowing steam from their top-of-the-line engines that had been enchanted to change color with each puff. Such crafts were obviously meant more for entertainment and less for travel.

Within only a few minutes, almost twenty airships filled the skies over Ponyville, each making its way to a specially cleared field just on the outskirts of town. 

Ponies watched in awe and fascination. Some even sprinted after or glided along with the crafts, unable to tear themselves away from the sight of so many airships flying in formation from the distance ports of Canterlot.

These were in no way public transportation; everypony could easily see that. They were all stamped in some way by a coat of arms or family seal, denoting just who these flashy leviathans belonged to.

The nobles of Canterlot had arrived.


~~***~~


Rainbow floated back down to the ground, having watched the whole procession from the tree canopy as it passed by overhead.

“Okay, I hate to admit it, but that was kinda awesome,” she admitted begrudgingly. “I’ve never seen so many airships at once before.”

“Neither have I,” Bumblebee mumbled, but her eyes weren’t on the sky like Rainbow’s were. They were turned apprehensively towards Roseluck, who was frowning.

“They certainly are being flashy this year,” Roseluck commented, her voice oddly detached. “I guess they feel like making a statement.”

“What kind of a statement?” Rainbow asked, snorting. “That they have more bits than they know what to do with?”

Despite her frown, the corner of Roseluck’s mouth twitched up in amusement. “Something like that. But I think it just gave me an idea.”

Rainbow gave Roseluck an even more curious look now, crooking one eyebrow inquisitively. “Yeah? What do you have in mind?”

Roseluck smiled – or rather, she smirked. “My own kind of statement.”


~~***~~


All across Ponyville, the Summer Sun Celebration was getting underway. It was as if a starter pistol had fired, and suddenly every living soul for miles around was in a race.

The streets filled up with visitors and locals alike, and every so often the sheer volume of ponies increased as yet another train came rumbling into the woefully inadequate town station.

Yet, instead of flocking to the vendors and attractions, the majority of the masses were making a beeline for the shaded, slightly mysterious changeling district. 

There were a great number of reasons to go, true – as varied as the ponies visiting. Some were drawn by the wonder of the alien changelings themselves. Others, to see the almost magical realm they’d constructed within the city limits.

But mostly, the masses arrived due in large part to one thing in particular. Even the haughty nobles made the journey on personal chariots pulled by pegasi, rather than make the walk through the dirty streets themselves.

The opening ceremonies were about to begin, and nopony in their right mind would dare miss it for the world.

Most of the changelings tried their best to streamline the procession, pointing ponies in the right direction towards the main square itself. Through their efforts, hardly anypony got lost navigating the narrow, winding streets lined with brightly glowing light bulbs to fight off the pre-morning gloom – even the gawkers, who seemed far too distracted to pay much attention to where they were going at all.

But even with so much to see and so much to take in, lots of ponies were talking amongst themselves, speculating on what was about to happen.

“I wonder if they’re going to be doing anything special today…”

“I heard all the princesses are going to be here this year…”

“Well, I heard they have a queen, and that she’ll be here, too…”

“Why do we have to go here? These changelings are kind of scary…”

Nevertheless, the congregation of ponies soon arrived at their destination; the central square of the district, everypony all parts apprehensive and curious.

A set of stands wreathed in creeping vines laden with multicolored flowers of all hues lined the square in a gigantic, swooped semi-circle, connected in the middle by a raised balcony that stuck up in the air like the crest of a tiara. The balcony was set with only five high-backed seats – the center-most golden throne being the tallest, like the highest spoke of a crown.

Glowing, multi-colored light bulbs burned in their natural lamp posts, filling the area with warm, reassuring light.

Ponies hastened to claim seats, all the while throwing curious glances towards the gigantic tent looming directly in the middle of the square, and between both sets of tiered seats. Intrigued whispers and murmurs ran up and down the square, and plenty of pairs of eyes couldn’t help glancing repeatedly at that tall, bland tent, minds alive with possibilities.

At the same time, the nobility of Canterlot disembarked their shining chariots at last in order to claim their seats around the foot of the grander balcony.

Bullion was one such noble. He watched from his acceptably cushy seat, eyes rolling over the gathering masses. He noticed the many ponies of all classes and tribes hastening to find the best seats before they were taken.

But as he looked around, he also noticed just how many of them were wearing something around their necks like a necklace.

Here and there, speckled throughout the crowd, were individuals wearing what looked like an iridescent green, bookmark-shaped badge. Most hung from the leathery, chitinous necks of unmasked changelings, who seemed to be largely trying to stay out of the way of the organizing crowds. But not all, he noticed.

Quite a few mingled with the crowds, some apparently entertaining the questions of some ponies who just couldn’t help themselves. Several, he noticed, even wore disguises, making their only tell the badge hanging in clear sight from their necks.

These groups were small, but one pony after another was indulging in their curiosity, and conversation between the two groups was spreading like wildfire.

Bullion started to frown, but he instead forced his expression to smooth out, then adopt a well-honed friendly smile, his gaze drifting off to nothing in particular. All in due time…

He positioned himself better, steepling his hooves together on the armrests of his seat, and prepared for the show.


~~***~~


Applejack watched the growing crowd with even faster growing apprehension. She stood inside the shadow of a natural balcony on the building behind the stands, but she still had a perfect view of every single pony as they filed into the square.

There were a lot more than she’d ever thought to brace herself for. Space in the square was quickly filling up, and more just kept coming without an end in sight.

“Calm down, Applejack,” Twilight said beside her. That was the point where Applejack realized she was hyperventilating.

“Ah’m tryin’, Twi’,” the changeling said, her wings buzzing nervously. “But it ain’t really that easy.”

Twilight gave her friend a bracing smile and patted her shoulder. “Everything will turn out great, AJ. You’ll see.”

But Applejack hardly looked convinced, and Twilight had a very good idea why. “Somethin’s goin’ on, Twi’,” she muttered, frowning deeply. “Somethin’ spooked Celestia, and Ah get the feelin’ it’s got somethin’ ta do with all the rest of them changeling queens.”

She looked up towards Twilight, a very troubled look on her face. “Are we doin’ the right thing, just lettin’ this go on? If Queen Chrysalis is plottin’ somethin’…”

“We won’t let that happen,” Twilight interrupted firmly. “Of course, it’d take more than just some threat to put down my friend Applejack, won’t it?”

Applejack blinked, then huffed. “’Course it will.”

Twilight smiled at that. “See? If Queen Chrysalis wants to start something, she’ll have to come to you to do it. And we’ll never let that happen.”

“Of course not!”

Both mares turned in surprise, looking over their shoulders just as the door behind them creaked open.

But it was the one that’d spoken that really took them aback.

“Rainbow!” Applejack gasped aloud, staring wide eyed at her. “What in tarnation… what’re ya wearin’?”

Rainbow Dash flashed a cocky smile, flaring her wings as she struck a pose. But what really took everyone aback was what she was wearing.

Across her breast and back and enclosing her head was the dark, deep blue armor plating of a changeling captain.

It looked so alien on her; like in the way it slicked back her fringe, save for a single lock that poked out of the vacant horn socket, or the dark blue breastplate strapped to her front, contrasting against the brighter cyan of her coat.

“Pretty awesome, huh,” Rainbow gloated, striking a midair pose this time.

“Why are you wearing that, Rainbow?” Twilight asked, equal parts perplexed, annoyed and anxious. “Where did you even get that?”

“She got it from me,” said another voice, drawing both mares’ attention away from the armor-clad Rainbow.

Roseluck strode into the room wearing a satisfied smirk on her face, looking about as smug as a pony could get.

“Rose? This was yer idea?” Applejack asked, astonished.

“Yes,” she responded. “Princess Celestia’s orders were rather vague. She never said your honor guard had to be comprised of changelings only.”

“Sooo,” Rainbow said teasingly, “you’re looking at your bodyguard for the day! It’s okay to hold your applause; I get you’re pretty impressed. Happens all the time.”

“And yer okay with this?” Applejack asked, looking Rainbow over carefully.

The pegasus laughed – actually laughed out loud once, still smiling like a fool. “Okay? This is totally awesome! I mean, changelings don’t wear as much armor as I thought, but it’s still pretty cool. I could fly around all day in this; I barely even feel it at all!”

“And I figured that Rainbow would be accompanying you all day anyway, so it all works out,” Roseluck added, smiling with satisfaction. “Though, could you please try to take care of that armor, Rainbow? It’s kind of an antique.”

Applejack gave Roseluck a curious look, but the mare’s smile was like a mask, keeping whatever she didn’t want shown in check.

“The rest of your honor guard will be meeting you as you head out,” Roseluck added.

“Which will be any minute,” Twilight said, turning to look out over the balcony.

No sooner did she say that than did a voice bellow out over the entire square, instantly hushing the gathered masses with its sheer volume first and message second.

“Ladies and gentlecolts! Colts and fillies from across all of Equestria! It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the Summer Sun Celebration!”

There was no way that voice hadn’t been augmented in some way. It was simply too loud. Despite the speaker not even being visible, his voice filled the air seemingly from every direction so that not a single pony, regardless of their position, could miss a word of it.

The entire crowd erupted in cheers and stamping hooves, drowning out all other sounds by a wide margin with a cacophonous boom.

“Guess that’s our cue,” Twilight said, bracing herself with a few steadying breaths. “Alright, let’s do this, Applejack.”

Applejack nodded, her shoulders tense, and turned along with her. “Alright… let’s get to it,” she said grimly.

Twilight smiled, but while she managed to step forward with a little spring in her step, Applejack hesitated once more.

At least, until she noticed a certain, armor clad pegasus smiling at her. “You ready for this, cowgirl?”

Applejack paused, then offered a weak smile. “Not really. But Ah ain’t gonna let a couple o’ fancy talkin’ posh ponies get me rattlin’ in my horseshoes that easy.”

Rainbow smiled at that. Not a smirk, or a cocky grin, but a smile. “There’s the Applejack I know. Now, let’s get out there and show them what you can do.”

Applejack returned the smile, then turned to follow Rainbow out the door. Only, the armored pegasus paused in the doorway, hesitating as something occurred to her at the last second.

“Oh, almost forgot… Happy Birthday, Applejack.”

The changeling’s eyes grew wide in surprise, her heart thumping in her chest. The completely unexpected remark totally derailed anything she might’ve had to say to that, much to the enjoyment of Rainbow.

RD chuckled a bit under her breath, her smile becoming bemused. “You should see the look on your face!”

She then made a face – a terrible one, at that. She crossed her eyes and lolled her tongue out of one corner of her mouth, adopting a stupefied expression of… well, stupidity.

Applejack couldn’t help herself. She burst out into uncontrollable chuckles – the best she could manage while keeping her voice down as low as possible.

“Now cut that out,” Applejack laughed, smacking Rainbow in the shoulder playfully.

“Alright, alright,” Rainbow chortled. “Oh, and one last thing. For real this time”

Applejack gave her a curious look, guarded this time. Yet, as it turned out, not nearly guarded enough.

Rainbow smiled as she turned to lead the way, refusing to meet Applejack’s eye. “You look nice. You know… in case anypony hasn’t told you yet, which they probably have, but you know… Uh… you look nice.”

Applejack blinked, nonplussed. Then, she returned the smile. “Uh… thanks, sugarcube. You, too.”

And with that, they both left the room, side by side, smiling the whole way, just as the trumpets started blasting through the morning air, though Applejack barely noticed at all.


~~***~~


Outside, the air was filled with the voices of the countless gathered spectators as they cheered and whistled and stamped their hooves in excitement.

Upon the royal’s balcony, a stallion clad in a tuxedo waved over the gathered crowds, drinking in their enthusiasm and letting them work themselves nearly into a frenzy before opening his mouth again.

“Now,” he bellowed, his voice ringing far louder than naturally was feasible, “It’s time to introduce our guests of honor!”

He waved a hoof, stepping to one side to motion towards one end of square and immediately drawing every eye in the same direction. “Ladies and Gentlecolts! Coming to us all the way from the Crystal Empire, all rise for the new kingdom’s regent; Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!”

That was when everypony noticed the procession walking down one of the side streets amid a fanfare of trumpets and horns, glittering and sparkling like walking ice sculptures.

Stallions clad from head to hoof in dull lavender armor that glimmered like cut gemstones marched precisely down the avenue, eyes forward and faces stony. The front-most guard carried with him a large, flowing Crystal Empire banner that flapped in the wind, glimmering as if woven from crystal filaments. The two behind him held raised halberds, their partially translucent diamond blades gleaming wickedly.

And at the back of the five-pony procession came a chariot that looked like it’d been cut from a single piece of amethyst the size of a cart.

That was where the first princess to arrive was; dressed in a regal dress, her mane done up in a complicated, gem-encrusted weave too complicated for the average set of hooves.

Princess Cadance waved at the cheering masses, beaming brightly as she looked around in an effort to at least try to meet the adoration she was receiving from all sides as her chariot glided into the square without so much as a rattle or squeak.

Her procession did a full revolution of the tent in the center of the square, giving everypony a chance to see the Crystal Empire’s regent. Then, on the second come-around, Cadance spread her wings and swiftly floated up to the royal’s balcony, and approached a thrown crafted from radiant crystal.

Cadance continued to wave eagerly while her honor guard took their positions on either side of her throne. No one could’ve mistaken Shining Armor – not after his rather dramatic wedding, not by a long shot. Even the sight of him fully clad in his purple and gold captain’s armor barely did anything to conceal his identity.

Shining took his place at his wife’s right side, looked as stalwart and disciplined as any of the Guard could hope to achieve, breaking his façade only long enough to nuzzle Cadance when she came to claim her seat and whispering a soft-spoken word of encouragement.

Across from him stood a golden pegasus with a wild blue mane, who wore the more familiar golden armaments of the Royal Guard, who for some reason kept catching wary glances from his superior every time he made so much as the slightest move. And above all else, he made absolutely, positively sure he never, ever so much as glanced in the general direction of the purple throne standing two thrones down, not while under the Guard Captain’s close scrutiny.

Once Cadance actually had taken her seat, the caller was shouting out again, drawing everyone’s attention for a second time.

“Now, I give you – straight from this fine city itself! The personal protégé of our glorious Princess of the Sun herself! All rise for the newly crowned Princess Twilight Sparkle!”

The crowd erupted into fresh cheers and applause – loudest in particular from the locals, who seemed bound and determined to scream themselves hoarse in approval of their favorite librarian.

Like Cadance, Twilight emerged from one of the side streets, along with her own procession.

Only, hers consisted of snowy white unicorn mares with long, flowing golden manes, each carrying a banner bearing the lavender alicorn’s cutie mark and singing praises – just as they’d done the day of her coronation.

But, unlike Cadance, Twilight was not taken to her destination on board a chariot. In fact, she wasn’t having anypony drive her anywhere in any capacity.

Twilight herself cantered down the avenue, striding upon a richly ornate crimson rug that seemed to be unrolling itself ahead of the procession.

She was wearing a simple yet extravagant dress made from rich violets, striking pinks and deep indigoes, while her crown and matching gilded shoes looked like they’d been polished to mirror finishes.

Twilight managed a few waves to the audience, though every time she did she turned a tender shade of pink, her smile becoming almost goofy, and it only got worse the more she did it.

Like Cadance, Twilight paraded around the square once, then as she passed by the balcony, she wrapped her horn in magic.

The crowd oohed and awed as, in a dazzling flash of light and little crack, Twilight disappeared from ground level, only to materialize again right in front of her chair atop the balcony; a simple, high-backed purple and gold throne adorned with a spikey violet star on top.

She’d only barely sat down when her honor guard stepped forth and assumed their positions, like they’d been standing behind her seat the entire time.

Yet, the moment they saw who it was, most of the changelings fell silent.

There, on Twilight’s right side, stood Captain Steel Shod, looking somehow stoic and terrifying all at once. On Twilight’s other side stood one of her unicorn procession mares, who contrasted the grizzly old captain with a soft, almost melancholic smile and relaxed air.

While everypony cheered and stamped their hooves, more than a few changelings exchanged confused looks before glancing back up at the balcony with barely repressed worry.

And though they couldn’t see it, Twilight, too, threw a glance or two towards the captain, but let nothing show on her smiling face.

The caller gave the crowd a few moments to cheer and adore over Twilight – which was quickly turning the mare very red with embarrassment – before he raised his voice for a third time, and the crowd fell quiet in anticipation. Most of them knew what came next, and for some, this was the main attraction to the day.

“And now, hailing from this fine city herself; the leader of the changeling immigrants in Equestria, I give you Queen Applejack!”

This announcement was not met with quite as much enthusiasm as the other two. Most were too distracted with gawking to offer up much of a vocal response. But while most of the visitors only offered well-meaning applause, the locals more than filled the gap.

But truly, it was the changelings that made their voices known. They cheered loud and clear, both pounding their hooves and buzzing their wings in approval.

Applejack’s procession was not quite as grand as the ones before her. There was no trumpeting, no banner waving; only a parade of changelings walking down the main thoroughfare of the district.

They walked in two files, marching with precision and dignity across the bare earth. Only three individuals came adorned in armor; the front two, who wore hardened scowls to match even the grimmest of royal guards lead the way, heads held high, icy blue eyes pointed straight forward, while the third walked with decidedly less discipline near the back of the line. Behind them came three unadorned drones, led by an absolutely exuberant Agave, spreading flower pedals all along the path they walked.

Or, particularly, the path their leader walked.

Applejack strode behind the others, giving the best smile she could manage. But on the inside, she was feeling very jittery indeed, what with every pair of eyes in Ponyville being fixed on her.

Compared to the princesses that’d come before her, Applejack was also surprisingly unadorned. In fact, she wasn’t wearing anything special at all – much to the dismay of Rarity, who’d taken considerable persuading that anything Applejack wore likely wouldn’t survive her first transformation.

But that was not to say the young queen was going in completely plain. Her mane and tail had been carefully groomed, then braided into two long, amber cords tied with bands adorned with a big red apple on either side. Her amber carapace had been polished to a lustrous gleam that matched even the shiniest of metal surfaces. That had felt very odd when it was getting done, leaving Applejack with decidedly mixed feelings about it.

She wore her silvery badge around her neck – not on a simple length of string or twine, but on a shiny length of silver. That was the sole flashy thing she wore – flashier than her cleaned and polished crown. If she was going to be forced to wear the thing, she was going to wear it well. At least, that had been Rarity’s argument, though the poor mare had been desperately trying to latch onto anything fashionable to do for the changeling, and Applejack had let her have that, at least.

At one side of Applejack was Roseluck and Bumblebee – the latter of whom was managing a brave, if not crooked smile and glancing around almost fearfully. And at Applejack’s other side was Rainbow Dash, adorned in her eye-catching, dark blue changeling captain armor.

That got a lot of attention. Guards up and down the square tensed, thinking at first glance that they’d just caught a changeling without her residency badge, but ultimately held back. Most of them were locals, and being a Ponyville local meant that, odds were, you knew who Rainbow Dash was. But that only compounded their confusion, as it did most of the observing ponies, who couldn’t help but ask one question; why was that pegasus clad in changeling armor?

Yet, despite the weird looks, the brash pegasus hardly seemed to bat an eyelash. In fact, she almost flaunted it; she strutted and very nearly pranced, chin held high with a confident smirk on her face. She at least maintained enough self-control to remain on the ground – and not strike a pose or two for the fixated crowd. But Applejack could see that she was starting to have a very difficult time fighting back her mirth. 

Rainbow was aware of one group of eyes on her, however; the nobles, who seemed to be staring at her with wide eyes and even a slack jaw or two, much to Rainbow’s enjoyment.

“Hey Rose?” she said in a private aside.

Roseluck didn’t look around and continued to wave to the crowds. “Yes, Rainbow?”

“Best. Idea. Ever.”

Even Applejack had to fight back a chuckle or two at that. At the very least, now her smile was much more authentic.

After completing their circuit like the princesses, Applejack’s group gathered together at the foot of the royal balcony.

Then, in a united effort, all of the drones of her team ignited their horns, and in a brilliant flash of swirling emerald flames that shot nearly five feet into the air, they sank into a ring of fire nearly twelve feet wide, disappearing entirely – much to the amazement and mild alarm of the crowd.

For nearly two seconds, Applejack and her group disappeared from sight. Then, in a bright gout of fire, Applejack, Rainbow, Bumblebee and Roseluck all appeared upon the balcony right in front of her designated seat; a jet black, obsidian frame wrapped in thick, leafy vines lined with gigantic tiger lilies.

The moment she reappeared, Rainbow shivered, ruffling her feathers. “Guh… still hate the way that feels,” she muttered to herself in discomfort.

The crowd gasped dramatically at the group’s fiery display, then immediately afterwards the air was filled with the sounds of enthusiastically stamping hooves and cheering voices; this time, not just from the Ponyvillian crowd.

Applejack, taken aback by the unexpected enthusiasm, managed to wave a bit more towards the suddenly applauding audience, her face a little sheepish, her smile humble. Yet, the crowd kept applauding and cheering, louder than before.

“Well, that wasn’t so bad,” she admitted to herself.

Rainbow and Roseluck exchanged a bemused look, but said nothing.

“I’d better find my seat,” Roseluck said quietly. “Come on Bumblebee.” Then, she turned to Applejack with a warm smile. “You’re doing great, Applejack. We’ll speak again after the opening ceremonies.”

Applejack nodded, and then watched as the two flew off, bound for one of the unclaimed seats on the tier below.

The young queen watched them go, but as she turned her head, she couldn’t help but notice several of the nobles looking her way.

Or, particularly, straight at Rainbow, who was smugly ignoring them.

Applejack couldn’t help but admire the pegasus’ guts. To her, all of this must’ve been some big game. She had so many ponies staring at her like she’d shaved her fur off, and yet she just kept her nose up, supremely confident and unafraid in the slightest, and the more attention she got, the bigger her smirk became.

Applejack was so focused on Rainbow that she barely even noticed the second of her honor guard take his place opposite Rainbow without a word. The changeling was clad similarly to Rainbow in dark blue armor, only he was infinitely more composed than the brash mare as he stood at attention, eyes forward, face set in a resolute scowl.

With the crowd’s cheering still in her ears, Applejack took her seat, if rather awkwardly. The throne – for that was the only way to describe it – was a lot grander than she personally felt was called for.

As she sat down, the young changeling caught sight of her neighbor; Princess Cadance, who was giving her a friendly smile. “Well, you certainly seem to be doing well, Applejack,” she said in good humor.

Applejack gave her a slightly embarrassed smile. “Same ta you, Yer Highness,” she said. “It certainly ain’t as hectic as the last time we saw each other.”

Cadance giggled a little, looking rather sheepish herself. “Please, Applejack; Cadance is fine. I think we’ve known each other long enough by now to be past that.”

Applejack chuckled under her breath, her grin becoming more meaningful. “Ah suppose so.”

Cadance’s smile grew. At least, for a moment. The humor seemed to fade somewhat after a second of thought, her eyes sobering. “Applejack, after all of this, I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind if–”

She never got the chance to finish her sentence. All of a sudden the caller was raising his bellowing voice again, and the incredible volume of it easily drowned out the last few words Cadance had to say.

“And now, ladies and gentlecolts! All rise for the royal pony sisters; Princess Luna and Princess Celestia!”

His request was almost entirely unneeded. Every stallion and mare in the square was already on their hooves to begin with, and upon the caller’s announcement, their voices rose in kind to a deafening cry that rang out across the trees and rooftops.

Applejack glanced towards them, then back to Cadance searchingly. But over the din being raised by the crowd, conversation was a virtual impossibility without being right up against each other, and there was a good foot or so between the two of them.

Cadance gave the changeling queen a reassuring smile – whatever she had to say could wait – and then she turned away.

A split second later, several things happened at once.

As if attached to dozens of ropes, the canopy overhead drew apart like a curtain, branches withdrawing and curling back to strip bare the heavens above.

The twilit sky still shone blue and purple as night gave way to day. And far away, cradled by the horizon, the moon was shedding its last rays of pale light as it sunk lower and lower until only the edge remained.

It was precisely at that moment that it happened.

At the absolute verge of disappearing entirely, the last shaft of moonlight shined out across the sky, racing across the heavens like a silver arrow.

A silver arrow that was, perplexingly, being drawn by a pair of bat-winged ponies.

As the object came into view, everypony watched in awe as the shining moonlight faded away. Like a veil being ripped away, the white light revealed a dark, ominous chariot that screamed across the sky, and like a wake, the stars winked out behind it.

Within moments, the flying carriage came to a stop over Ponyville, washing the treetops with a gusty tailwind.

Everypony watched, transfixed, as a shadow broke away from the chariot and dropped towards the ground. It was only when she was halfway down that the regal, intimidating form of Princess Luna even became clearly defined.

She alighted upon the balcony with barely a sound, wings held high and wide, her flowing ethereal mane rippling in the cool morning air as she raised her head regally and with unparalleled pride and dignity.

The crowd was struck silent for a few moments… and then everyone, changelings and ponies alike, burst into hearty applause.

The sudden outcry of approval seemed to take Luna aback for a moment. She hesitated, freezing in place for a heartbeat, then she raised a hoof to wave back , offering a slight smile.

Then, she turned and took her seat upon the second tallest throne; a midnight blue and black, high-backed chair flanked by two rather stern-looking bat-winged ponies.

Applejack also couldn’t help but noticed the rather conspicuous, midnight blue mug stamped with Luna’s cutie mark that had been placed on one arm of her throne. Particularly, Applejack noticed the strong scent of coffee wafting on the breeze from it.

“Good morning to you, Cadenza, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack,” Luna greeted in a rather business-like tone. Yet, she still managed a greeting smile as she nodded to each royal in turn. “I hope you all had a good night.”

For some reason, when she said that, her eyes lingered on Applejack, for reasons that evaded the apple farmer. It wasn’t even a particularly knowing or amused look, either. It was merely… thoughtful.

“Well, perhaps not for you, Twilight,” Luna amended, and this time she fixed the lavender alicorn with a knowing look indeed. “I would suggest trying to get more sleep every once in a while, but I fear it would be a lost cause at this point.”

Twilight laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. Leave it to the Princess of the Night to pick up on all-nighters. “Heh, heh… I have an excuse, though. Well… most of the time.”

“I’m sure you do,” Luna responded, but her voice wasn’t as stern as it could’ve been. With that said, she lowered herself into her chair, then levitated that steaming mug to her lips to take a long, nearly silent sip of the blackest coffee bits could buy.

She was only halfway through when something caught the attention of everypony present, drawing their eyes skyward once more.

And with a bright, resplendent burst of light, the sun emerged from the horizon. It rose with considerable speed, pulling itself almost entirely into the sky within only a few seconds, conquering the shadows and gloomy places across the land, replacing it instead with warm, comforting sunlight.

Barely anypony saw the chariot coming as it raced across the sky, not until it was nearly over the changeling district.

When it was spotted, however, the grand gold and alabaster vehicle was already slowing, the two snow-white armored pegasi at its lead slowing to a hover.

Then, like a small drop of sunlight itself, something bright and radiant hopped off the edge of the chariot and descended towards the ground. Halfway down, the light began to recede, and yet the one it’d sheathed somehow didn’t lose an ounce of resplendence. Her snow-white coat seemed just as blinding and bright, her golden regalia almost impossible to look directly at, her otherworldly mane almost too bright to make out.

Princess Celestia gently floated down to ground level, her radiance not so much fading away as it did diminish, until she stood atop the royal balcony. She stood taller than life and filled to the brim with figurative warmth and light that seemed to literally warm the air around her.

And the crowd went wild.

They jumped up, waving their hooves and stamping the ground, cheering and whistling as loud as they could, even to the point of bringing a slightly embarrassed look to The Princess of the Sun’s countenance.

While she continued to wave, Applejack noticed two royal guards step up to flank either side of her regal seat. The sight of them, more-so than any other set of honor guards, returned the unsettling questions to Applejack’s mind, bringing tension to her shoulders once more.

Before she could mull it over any further, however, Princess Celestia’s voice was filling her ears, pulling her away from any further musings.

“My faithful subjects, it is good to see you all today,” she said, smiling warmly. “And I thank you all for coming.”

She looked around, turning to each bright and awestruck face with a proud smile, like a mother beholding her children in their hour of triumph.

“Even in the face of so much change, I have seen so many acts of kindness, of generosity and forgiveness. I have seen so many demonstrations of redemption and bravery in these past seven months – more-so than any other time in our history. An entire nation, embracing what was once thought to be a dire enemy, and demonstrating to yourselves and everypony around you why you are all so strong; in heart, in mind, and in many ways I cannot express in the time allotted.”

The crowd fell silent as they listened. Even some of the nobles did not seem to be devoting more than token interest to the monarch’s words.

Applejack herself watched Princess Celestia, feeling all parts humbled, awed, and even a little envious. She can say such nice things without any trouble at all. She makes it look so easy…

“But,” Celestia said, her smile slipping somewhat, “there have been many trials, and there will continue to be many more on the horizon. This triumph we see here today was not the direct result of a single pony, or single changeling, or even a single act. It has been many of these things, working together and building off of each other. What we see here today – changelings and ponies, standing side by side – is the result of all of your hard work.” 

Celestia looked around once more, smiling just as brightly as always. “And I know it will take all of us to maintain our newfound harmony, and keep it strong and safe from who would do it harm.”


~~***~~


On the other side of Ponyville, far away from the changeling district, a single unicorn was making his way across a field littered with anchors and mooring posts.

He wore a simple, dull gray cap lopsided on his head, one ear poking out from under it while the other was completely submerged underneath the floppy thing and his scraggly green mane.

He yawned widely, only halfheartedly trying to stifle it behind one hoof. “Ugh… why do I have to be up this early…? The sun’s barely even up. Stupid rich ponies and their toys…”

He glanced up high over his head – towards the floating underbellies of the twenty-some airships floating nearly fifty feet over his head, looking like an absurdly gigantic cluster of parade balloons.

Aside from the creaking of their hulls and the thick ropes tying them down, they hung silent and largely motionless, not counting a slight sway from the breeze. Their crews were largely missing, undoubtedly gone off to do something or other. Why are these things even here? What’s so special about today, huh? Must be ‘pick on Double Check day’ or something… Ugh, my brother wouldn’t have such bad luck…

He continued to grumble to himself, all the while pausing every couple of feet to stare up at the top of the mooring posts; towards the assigned name and number, double-checked to make sure there was a length of rope attached to it, marked it off on a clipboard floating beside him, and moved on.

Yeah, good old Check. He always was mom’s favorite with that stupid banking job of his. Got that fancy education in Canterlot and everything. Let’s see… Bullion, ID five-six-blah-blah… yep, present and accounted for, of course… Anyway, what was I saying…?

Double Check was just turning towards the next set of moorings when something odd caught his attention.

He paused, looking around curiously. And there it was again; a groaning, tearing sound.

He blinked, confused, then took a few steps forward. “Somepony there?” he ventured gruffly.

But no one responded in anything more than a complaining creaking sound.

Double Check advanced a few more steps, glanced around… and spotted the source.

One of the thick, braided ropes was fraying. He watched in astonishment was it unwound before his eyes, strand after strand snapping under the tension as, slowly but surely, it ripped itself apart.

Double Check cursed, dropping his clipboard as he flung a telekinetic grip onto the breaking line. But it was already much too late.

With a loud snapping sound, the rope ripped itself in half. The sheer tension in the line sent it whipping back in on itself with horrific speeds, narrowly missing the stunned stallion by inches.

The mooring post, however, was not so lucky. It took the brunt of the impact, the rope biting deep into the wooden post, nearly slashing it in half.

But that was only the beginning, as Double Check found out when he peered up from underneath his covering hooves.

An entire, potbellied airship was drifting away on the wind, smashing its neighbor aside like a bowling ball battering a pin. Double Check heard a loud splintering sound, and on instinct he rolled away, just as a gigantic golden figurehead plowed into the ground exactly where he’d been lying.

And then, overhead, the now prow-less behemoth started chugging steam with a loud, mechanical whine, the propeller blades whirring to life.

Double Check stared upwards, eyes growing very, very wide with very real dread. 

Well… that’s not good.


~~***~~


Rainbow yawned to herself, stifling it behind one hoof. She’d already lost track of Celestia’s grand speech, and was now just glancing around the stands aimlessly, trying not to feel stir-crazy.

She knew her cue would be coming up sooner or later – a Rainbooming legend like her had something of a reputation to live up to, you know – but until then, she was stuck there, standing… not doing much in particular.

It was only because she wasn’t really paying attention to the speech being given by the guest of honor that she heard it; a faint, barely audible “Psst” behind her.

Rainbow blinked, then glanced behind her curiously.

There wasn’t much directly behind the thrones themselves; just a short, two or three inch wide space with an unadorned wall and a steep drop-off to the ground below.

Well, the wall was mostly unadorned, if one didn’t count the small, blue-maned head sticking up just far enough to peek over the ledge. And she was looking straight at Rainbow with very anxious eyes. “Rainbow, I need to talk to you.”

“Agave?” Rainbow hissed, completely taken off guard. “What’re you doing here?”

Agave glanced around quickly, and Rainbow couldn’t help but notice how wide her eyes were or how limp her ears had become. And… was she shaking?

“Listen, we don’t have much time,” the little changeling whispered. “You have to get everypony out of here! Now!”

Rainbow’s heart did an odd sort of flip in her chest, shooting first to her throat, then right down into the pits of her gut as a chill ran over her. “O-Okay, squirt, very funny,” she chided, laughing nervously, but Agave was already furiously shaking her head.

“No, you don’t understand! They’re coming – they’ll be here any minute! You need to –”

“Rainbow, what in tarnation are ya lookin’ at?”

Rainbow jumped, then turned her head around the other way. She noticed how Applejack was giving her a look, one eyebrow raised. But the moment she saw the look on Rainbow’s face, the changeling queen’s turned serious.

“Rainbow? What’s goin’ on?” Applejack asked, concerned now as she twisted in her chair to look over one shoulder.

But as she did so, she ended up putting one of her forelegs down on the armrest itself. And it was none-too pleased with that.

A jolt ran up Applejack’s leg, as if every bone within had just been electrocuted. Before she could stop herself, Applejack flinched away, hissing in pain as she rang out her hoof.

“Dagnabit, not now,” she growled under her breath.

And Agave just stared at her. There was no bubbly gleam in her eyes or face. No – the look the she now fixed Applejack with was one of building, dawning terror.

“A-Applejack… Applejack, you have listen to me; you need to get away from…”

But whatever Agave had been about to say, she suddenly seemed to lose the will to say it. For at that moment, her eyes grew wider still, and the color drained from her face.

Then, for some reason, she slowly turned her head – away from Rainbow and Applejack, away from all the royals in fact, and over to some spot far to her left.

And if she’d looked scared before, she now seemed completely terrified. Whatever she’d seen, it seemed to strike her in her deepest, darkest phobia.

“I-I-I have to go,” she squeaked, and before either Applejack or Rainbow had any time to react, she vanished from sight entirely.

“Hey! Hey, Agave!” Rainbow hissed, trying very hard not to shout. But now several nobles were giving her very reproachful looks.

Including a steel silver set of eyes that had suddenly fixated on her, and her alone.


~~***~~


“No, no, no!” Double Check lamented, running as fast as he could down the street.

But it was hopeless. The airship was not only gaining speed, it was climbing, too. Some part of his brain was telling him that this wasn’t right; that the machinery on board an airship shouldn’t break like this. There was too much direction, too much control.

To turn, level out, then begin to ascend… there was no doubt about it; somepony was stealing the airship! That had to be the only answer to what was going on, but that only made things somehow worse, because he knew who they’d blame.

I’m never going to hear the end of this at the Fall Feast, Double Check whined internally. Mom is never going to let me live this down…

The bulky, lumbering airship was roaring over Ponyville now, picking up speed as it moved with impunity over the empty streets with absolutely nothing to stop it.

Double Check was just starting to lose hope and considering whether he could hide at home and pretend he was never at the crime scene to begin with when he rounded one last corner and about plowed into a team of royal guards on patrol.

“Hey, watch where you’re going!” one of them complained, sidestepping to allow the stallion to pass.

But instead of shooting on by, the out of breath unicorn stopped dead in his tracks, wheezing fitfully as he tried to get words out. “Stole… ship… away… trouble…”

“What?” One of the guards asked – a pegasus. “Just take a deep breath.”

That was when a shadow blotted out the sun overhead.

Both guards looked up in surprise, just as the underbelly of an airship sailed right over their heads, scattering a flock of birds mid-flight.

Double Check pointed a hoof at it desperately. “S… St… Stolen,” he wheezed.

Immediately both guards exchanged a look. “Go get some reinforcements,” the pegasus ordered, then his wings flashed open.

A split second later, he was in the air, racing towards the rogue airship.

“Get a move on, private!” he bellowed over his shoulder. “That thing’s heading straight for the princesses!”


~~***~~


Applejack and Rainbow continued to give each other baffled looks. Neither one was entirely sure what to make of Agave’s behavior, but both were certain that she’d been trying to tell them something; something very important.

“What was that all about?” Rainbow hissed to her. “Who’s ‘they’?”

But Applejack, on the other hoof, had a pretty good idea who ‘they’ were. And the notion was filling her with dread.

You have made some very, very powerful enemies, Applejack…

“Applejack? Is something wrong?”

The changeling jumped, then turned her head to one side. She suddenly remembered that not only was she not alone, she was currently near the center of attention.

Cadance was looking at her with obvious worry. And by now even Princess Luna was glancing her way.

But for a moment, Applejack floundered. What if she was wrong? How could she even be right? But the pieces were there. Celestia’s request for bodyguards, the precaution taken with the residency badges, and now, Agave’s warning.

But what had she been trying to tell Applejack? What had spooked her so badly? And… how did she even know?

“Applejack?” Cadance asked, sounding concerned now.

Applejack licked her lips, heart thundering in her chest, before she opened her mouth.

Only for a shadow to fall over her.

Instinctively she tilted her head back and looked up, just as the prow-less bow of an airship careened into view overhead.


~~***~~


The royal guard pegasus huffed hard, working every muscle in his wings in his pursuit of the out of control aircraft.

He was almost on level with it now, but every inch gained was costing him. By that point, he was almost completely out of breath, his muscles burning from the exertion.

But he was almost there now. Just a little closer…

And then, without warning, a bright flash of light caught his eye.

He focused his gaze on the source, just in time to see every single support rope tying the hull to the flying bladder caught fire. Emerald fire.

The stallion was too far away to do anything. He couldn’t even see if anyone was on the deck or not.

All he could do was watch as the hungry corrosive flames ate through the support lines. One by one they snapped, one after the other succumbing to the flames until there was nothing left to tie the hull to the balloon at all.

And then… it simply fell, careening straight towards the unsuspecting crowds below.


~~***~~


Applejack saw it coming.

Rainbow saw it coming

Cadance saw it coming.

Even Princess Celestia paused, noticing the shadow just in time to look up, just as the airship came crashing down straight towards them all.

No one else looked up in time. No one ever saw the mass of wood and metal plummeting out of the sky like a bombshell. They never heard it – never thought to even look up, not with Celestia’s speech still underway.

But no one saw the explosion coming, not until the concussive blast wave was ripping through the square as the ship blew itself apart in a gigantic, catastrophic acidic green fireball that filled the sky with flames and smoldering debris.