Scholar's Mate

by MagnetBolt

White Declares Checkmate

Magical spotlights appeared, as curtains were thrust aside by powerful magical forces, revealing Trixie with her wings spread wide and dark armor glinting in the glow from above.

“COWER, BRIEF MORTALS! I am the Great and Powerful Trixie and- I don't know about the 'Cower' bit.” Trixie looked at the scroll again, then over to Twilight, the lighting snapping back to normal as Trixie dropped the illusion spells creating the spotlights. “Trixie suspects Luna may need to have a refresher course in modern speechwriting.”

“You have to admit it would get their attention,” Twilight said, sitting at one of the tables set before the stage. At Trixie's insistence, the ballroom had been set up more for a show than a royal proclamation.

“Yes, but Trixie has already had to explain to you that she isn't part of a secret evil conspiracy. Trixie is sure a room full of ponies that already have a grudge against her will absolutely love to hear her speaking down to them at the same time Luna is assuming total control of the court here.”

“That's... probably a good point,” Twilight admitted. “They don't know you as well as I do.”

“Trixie should hope not!” She turned up her nose at the thought. “Trixie does magic tricks, not the other sort.”

“I didn't mean-! Trixie! Don't tease me!”

“It's barely teasing considering I've had offers from some of the nobles that will be attending.” Trixie sighed and hopped off of the stage. “I'll have to improvise something. Though it goes against everything I've ever learned about stage presence I'll probably have to be... humble.”

“It would probably surprise them,” Twilight said, as she stood. The two walked out of the ballroom and towards the library.

“You know, we have a few hours before we have to really get ready for the party,” Trixie noted.

“I know. Maybe we'll have time to do some research on speech writing. I can see if we can-”

“Trixie has a better idea.” She bumped into Twilight, their cutie marks touching for a moment. Twilight blushed. “Since they don't need either of us for a while, we can go somewhere private and...” She leaned over and whispered something into Twilight's ear that made the alicorn's wings pop into painfully full extension near-instantly.

“But here? In the castle?” Twilight whispered.

“Why not? Trixie wants to give you something to dream about that will make Luna jealous.” She smirked. “Not that it will be difficult, since you're lucky enough to have the second-most attractive marefriend in all of Equestria.”

“Second-most?” Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“Trixie has the very best. You'll just have to settle for second place.” She nuzzled Twilight. “Now, I don't have a beak, but Ingrid gave me some ideas...”

Celestia opened the door to the library without bothering to knock. She'd learned from a decade of experience that trying to get Twilight's attention by knocking at the door was impossible, and Spike was still back in Ponyville, so there was no help there.

“Twilight, I was hoping I could get some input on what sort of music would be-” Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong. There was a tangle of limbs on the bed, something was glowing with magic, and Celestia's mind, despite thousands of years of experience, was not prepared for what her former student was doing.

“Princess!” Twilight gasped, breathless. She was obviously exhausted from her exertion. “I- I must have lost track of time and...” Twilight struggled to free herself.

“No! No! I was just early and- I'm sorry!” Celestia's entire body turned bright pink as she covered her eyes with a wing, trying to shield herself from what she'd seen.

“Let me just- Trixie, get off!” There was a scraping sound as the bed itself shifted.

“That's what Trixie was trying to do when we were interrupted,” Trixie complained, before a pillow was thrown at her face hard enough to knock her off the bed entirely.

A few minutes later, after Celestia had managed to control herself, Twilight's panic attack had ended, and Trixie had regained consciousness, the three sat around one of the library's small tables, unable to look each other in the eyes.

“So,” Twilight said, coughing. “You wanted to talk about the music?”

“I did, but I'm afraid everything I was thinking about escaped when I saw... that.” Celestia coughed, starting to turn pink again. “I apologize. I didn't mean to walk in on you, or to imply that there's anything wrong with your relationship.” She cleared her throat, very obviously changing the subject. “The last time I tried to get into music, Twilight almost had a nervous breakdown,” Celestia said, smiling slyly.

“Trixie would like to hear how that happened.”

“I got her a recording of one of my favorite musicians,” Twilight said. “It was, um...” she blushed. “It was the Flavor Fillies. I was a teenager, okay? It was popular!”

“Let Trixie guess - Celestia became a huge fan, and this drove you to insanity.”

“That's fairly close,” Celestia laughed. “You see, I hadn't owned a record player before Twilight gave me that album, so I didn't have others to listen to. I ended up just letting it play over and over again in a loop. I remember Twilight was having a lesson with me on the basics of transmutation and started twitching about the third time it started over again. She got so flustered that she ended up bringing her lunch to life and making it rampage through the castle!” Celestia licked her lips. “It did taste better after having to hunt it down, though. Just don't tell Luna. She'd start casting a come to life spell on everything she ate.”

“I convinced her to buy more music so she'd have some variety,” Twilight grumbled. “It got better after she had enough that I didn't have to hear the same song twenty times a day, but I still can't listen to Flavor Fillies.”

“Mm. They were always a bit too much of a one-hit wonder for Trixie,” Trixie said. “Trixie heard they broke up after a scandal involving an entire pack of diamond dogs, but I suppose if it was a royal order we could have them perform a live showing of Twilight's favorite tunes as a reunion tour...” She batted her eyes playfully at Twilight.

“Don't you dare!” Twilight stood up, horrified.

“Calm down,” Trixie waved a hoof. “Trixie would assume that something more classical would play better with the audience.”

“That would probably be best. I admit I am out of touch with modern music,” Celestia said. “It all changes so quickly I rarely have time to keep up with it. For the most part I simply act as a patron to the arts, and give grants to those who deserve them.”

“If you don't know much about music, how do you know who deserves it?” Trixie asked.

“There's something I learned a long time ago about chess and... other games,” Celestia noted. “An amateur plays the game, but a master plays his opponent. I give grants to ponies who impress me with their vision and drive, not those who merely have good technical skills. I would rather have bits flow to those who will make something new and interesting than a pony who can flawlessly perform one of Beethoofen's Symphonies by himself but hasn't a single chord of his own making.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Trixie conceded. “That said, there's little time for musicians to practice or travel, so we would need to get somepony local. Perhaps the group that played at the museum?”

“They would probably be happy to play for you,” Celestia smiled. “After all, you saved their lives.”

“And they were decent enough,” Trixie said. “I prefer Trotsky and Griffon pieces to what they were playing, but Hoofdel is always safe, and the Celestial Suite is good background noise.”

“I didn't know you liked classical music,” Twilight said quietly.

“Trixie has had to share the stage with a great number of musicians. Sometimes Trixie would provide dramatic effects for a symphony, and other times they would play to provide music for my shows.”

“Really?” Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“Of course,” Trixie said. “Somepony working a stage must tailor their act to the audience they expect. I'm sure you remember the show Trixie did in Ponyville?”

“I don't think anypony will forget that,” Twilight laughed.

“That act, trying to one-up the audience, only works in small towns. Ponies are easily impressed. Most don't even know about some of the simpler spells I can do. Big Jeb might be the strongest pony in Backwardstown, but Trixie can easily lift more than he does after casting a Feather spell on the barbells.”

“What about big towns, like Manehattan?”

“That depends on the venue. If Trixie is lucky, she'll be on a theatre stage, but before such a large and varied crowd, Trixie must rely on making a grand display rather than simply besting rivals or telling a story. It's all about spectacle and making sure there is a dramatic finale.”

“Like fireworks?” Twilight asked.

“Rarely. They tend to be a fire hazard indoors.” Trixie smirked. “A vanishing act or cutting a pony in half tend to be more popular. Sometimes the escape artist act. Trixie will often see what other magicians have done in town and do something completely different.”

Celestia nodded. “Naturally. When there's competition you need to distinguish yourself.”

Trixie smiled and enthusiastically returned the nod. “Exactly! No entertainer can make a living by merely being part of the herd! We need to have varied and useful skills. For example, the most difficult type of magic is close-in magic. Illusions where the audience is almost on top of the performer.”

Trixie put her napkin on the table, laying it down like a sheet. With a dramatic flourish, she revealed three metal cups.

“Ah, yes. A classic!” Celestia smiled a little. “I remember when Clover the Clever invented this trick.”

“So you're familiar with the storied history of the cups and balls?” Trixie smirked. “You see, Twilight, of all of the arts of legerdemain, this is the oldest.”

Trixie revealed a small red ball and put it on the table, inverting a cup and placing it over the sphere. After concealing it, she flipped the other cups and started moving them, switching two cups at a time.

“It's not exactly complicated,” Twilight said, frowning. “As long as an observer is actually paying attention it's easy to keep track of where everything is.”

“Is it?” Trixie asked. She lined the cups up and gestured for Twilight to choose one.

“The middle one,” Twilight said, confidently. Trixie lifted the cup to reveal that there was nothing under it. Twilight frowned. Trixie raised a second cup, revealing the ball. She started moving them again.

“Sleight of hoof is about misdirection, Twilight.” Celestia smiled. “It's something I'm afraid you haven't mastered.” Celestia confidently pointed to a cup after Trixie had finished mixing them up again.

“Of course, I've seen this trick before. It's in the left cup.”

“Interesting choice,” Trixie said, lifting the cup to reveal an orange. “Though not quite correct.”

Celestia's eyes bugged out. “How did you do that?”

“Trixie's version of the trick is significantly better than the original,” Trixie said. She raised the left cup to reveal a lemon, and then the center to reveal a lime. She put all three pieces of fruit on top of the cups.

“I think if my sister was here, she'd say something like 'Tis no wonder thou have ensnared Twilight with such clever hooves!'”

“Trixie does like to think she has clever hooves,” the mare agreed. She picked up the fruit and started juggling it before putting the citrus down on the table in a row and placing the cups over them.

When she removed the cups again, there was a red ball under each cup. She put all three under the middle cup, stacked the other two cups on top of it, and tapped the top once before lifting the stack of cups, revealing a cupcake with red icing and a single burning candle.

“For you, Princess.” She offered it to Celestia. The princess licked her lips and took it, blowing out the candle and nibbling the treat.

“How did she do that? She didn't use any magic at all!” Twilight demanded. “Trixie?”

“A magician never reveals their tricks, Twilight!” She put her napkin over the cups then stomped a hoof down on the lump they made, flattening them. When she lifted the napkin, they were gone.

It was a beautiful night. Luna had made sure of it. The musicians were playing something light as the guests gathered. As the news had already gotten out, Luna, Trixie, and Twilight were greeting them as they came in, while Celestia stayed out of the spotlight for now.

“I still can't believe you did that without magic,” Twilight whispered, as Fancy Pants walked into the ballroom. He had been surprisingly polite to Trixie. Apparently he wasn't holding a grudge.

“Trixie learned how to do it from an old Zebrican shamaness,” Trixie said. “Or at least she said she was a shamaness. It was useful when Trixie was just starting out and hadn't learned the wide breadth of skills she knows now, and still proves useful. Trixie occasionally performs at private parties, often for foals, and being able to teach them some magic means they never forget Trixie. Sleight of hoof requires some skill, but is something that can be taught to an earth pony or pegasus whom would get little out of a lesson on making magical fireworks.”

“I was not aware thou taught foals,” Luna said, impressed.

“Oh yes,” Trixie smirked. “Like in Ponyville - I taught some foals who wrecked my wagon some very important lessons. For example, to lift with their legs and not their back, to stay away from wild animals, and to never anger a powerful magician.”

Luna snorted with laughter, covering it up as three pegasai walked in. They were dressed less formally than most of the attendees.

“Well well well..” Spitfire said, as she walked past Twilight and Luna to face Trixie. “If it isn't the mare who thought she could outdo the Wonderbolts with some cheap tricks.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “It was part of the act. And the flaming rings were a huge hit, as I recall.”

“You were reckless, talked bigger than Celestia's flank-“ Spitfire stopped and made sure Celestia wasn't close enough to hear that. Luna tried to stifle a laugh and failed. “-pardon my language, your highness.”

“No, please continue,” Luna said, smiling and holding back another round of giggles.

“Point is, you thought you could steal the show with a little magic and no real idea of what goes into making a flight demonstration work!” Spitfire cracked her neck. “More importantly, you showed up unannounced and tried to demand a percentage of the ticket fees!”

“Trixie admits it was not one of her better ideas,” Trixie sighed.

“Good. And I hope you getting those things means you'll actually start appreciating how hard a pegasus has to work to be as good as we are.” Spitfire glanced at her wings. “Even if your wing toning is terrible. I'm surprised you can fly at all. What do you get, like five wingpower at most?”

“It works differently for alicorns,” Twilight noted. “Dash is much faster than I am, but I actually have higher wingpower. I think for an alicorn it's more focused on magical projection instead of speed.”

“Bet you'd be a master at weather magic, though,” Spitfire smiled. “Cadance was, back in Cloudsdale. I remember watching her clear the skies with one flap of her wings. One flap! I swear the mare did it without even having to think. Really impressed me as a kid!”

“I'd like to apologize,” Trixie said, lowering her voice and dropping her usual affect. “I know I messed up your show. If there's something I can do to make up for it, I will, even though it was years ago.”

“Eh. I can let it go.” Spitfire shrugged. “But if you ever feel like doing us a favor, those rings of fire were pretty impressive.”

“I'm sure I can clear my schedule,” Trixie smiled. “Pro bono, even!”

“More like community service,” Spitfire snorted. “But close enough. And you need to do some wing exercises. Both of you do!” She looked at Twilight. “I hope Dash isn't letting you slack off.”

“I have- I have very important princess... stuff.” Twilight said, blushing.

“Sure. And when your wings atrophy and fall off because you never use them, you can finish your princess stuff and go back to regular unicorn stuff.”

“They can't do that!” Twilight gasped. “Can they?”

“Luckily for you, no.” Spitfire smirked and saluted. “Princess Luna. Princess Twilight.” With a nod from them, she walked in.

“It's time, your highnesses,” said one of the maids. “Princess Celestia is waiting backstage.”

“Ah, excellent,” Luna said. “'Twas getting dull, standing here and hearing the litany of things Trixie has done to wrong... seemingly everypony between here and the Crystal Empire.”

Trixie's ears folded back as she was reminded about just how many ponies out there had grudges against her.

“Trixie, before we begin, a word of advice?” Celestia whispered. “I know it isn't the advice most ponies get, but you might want to try not being yourself.”

“...Not being myself.” Trixie frowned.

Celestia nodded. “Just trust me on this. Most of these ponies already dislike you. The last thing you want to do is embarrass yourself or worse, Twilight.”

“I suppose...” Trixie muttered.

“You'll outrank most of them, but their opinions matter to a lot of ponies. While they can't force you to do anything, I'm sure you know the difficulties of bad press.”

“Trixie is... I am very aware of them.” Trixie whispered.

“Good,” Celestia said. She straightened up and raised her voice. “Now, I believe it is time we put this stage to use. If everypony is ready?” Luna and Twilight smiled. Trixie just nodded, feeling suddenly pensive about everything. It was one thing to go out on stage before a crowd of fans, it was another to face a wall of hecklers and enemies.

“Mares and Gentlecolts!” Celestia declared, as she strode out easily onto the high stage, spotlights shining down around them as the rest of the room dimmed, a simple illusion that Trixie had set up in advance. Her voice, though, was all Celestia. The Royal Canterlot Voice did have its uses. “Thank you for coming. As I'm sure you're all aware, there are some important announcements to be made today.”

The grumbling around the room started. Thankfully, this was a high-class crowd, so ponies refrained from shouting questions and accusations for the moment.

“The first, and most important,” Celestia gestured to Trixie. The mare stepped forwards. She'd ended up wearing her armor after all, including the plain black cloak. It made her look drab compared to most of the other ponies in the room, but there was something to be said about a mare in armor: it never went out of style. “I am sure you have all seen the news about Trixie Lulamoon, and you all have questions. Unfortunately, much of what has occurred and much of what she has accomplished must remain secret for the security of Equestria. Trixie Lulamoon is a redeemed mare, and has saved all of us from terrible threats. Know now that she has been fully pardoned for any crimes or wrongs she has done, and that in recognition of her service and status as an alicorn, I, Princess Celestia, Sol Invictus, Diarch of Equestria and Defender of the Realm, grant her the title of Marchioness.”

And then the complaining and grumbling turned into shouting. With a short speech, Celestia had effectively put her above most of the ponies in the crowd. If they'd disliked her before, they hated her now that they'd have to bow to her.

Celestia blissfully ignored them and took a simple circlet from a waiting hoofservant, placing it carefully on Trixie's brow. Trixie took a deep breath and faced the crowd, spreading her wings. The complaining continued until she cleared her throat. She decided to ignore the lines Luna had been trying to feed her and try Celestia's advice on getting on their good side.

“I know that I haven't made a good impression on most of you,” Trixie said, carefully. “And thank you, Princess Celestia, but I won't hide behind a pardon. I want to make things right, if I can. I'm still learning what it means to be a better pony, and I don't think I'll ever stop having more to learn. If there's some way I can make up for what I've done to you, any of you, I'd be happy to try to make amends.” She carefully didn't look at Blueblood. The room was silent for a few seconds, then a pony near the back started clapping. Trixie looked up and met Fancy Pant's gaze. He smiled. Fleur joined him a moment later, then the Wonderbolts. The rest of the room got caught up in a tide of applause, which at least served to drown out the worst of the grumbling. Trixie gave her best stage bow and stepped back, letting Celestia take center stage once more.

“Thank you, Trixie,” Celestia said, her voice somewhat more genuine than the prepared lines she had given before. “Now, for the second matter.” She'd saved this for last, as it was sure to cause even more disruption to the social order than the first announcement. “The last four years have been wonderful and terrible in equal measure. Princess Luna has returned from her long absence, Princess Twilight Sparkle has ascended and served to protect Equestria from many threats, and I am finally sure that everypony is able to handle themselves. As a result...”

She smiled broadly, her stern tone dropping. “I'm going on a long, long overdue vacation. While I'm gone, Princess Luna's Night Court will take over the duties of the Day Court. This will mean adjusting your schedules to compensate. I'm sure starting at nightfall will come as a relief to some of you.” She looked around the room. “As I recall, quite a few ponies here have complained about having to attend court at early hours, especially after one of the garden parties where the castle liquor stores are strained to their limits.”

Celestia's comment caused a ripple of laughter from the crowd.

“I have full faith in my sister, and I know you'll all give her your full support while I'm gone.” There was a subtle implication in her tone that not giving her support would result in consequences.

“Effective immediately, I am transferring my executive power over court and council to Princess Luna, and canceling Day Court until further notice. Any pony with an appointment with Day Court may contact my scribe, Illuminated Page, who will be overseeing the scheduling and working with Luna to smooth over any difficulties.” She turned to her sister, stepping to the side to allow her to come forwards.

“COWER, BRIEF MORTALS!” Luna shouted as she pounced onto the stage. Trixie groaned. It looked even worse from the outside. She was very glad she'd gone with her improvised speech, but it appeared Luna wasn't going to let her speechwriter's work go to waste. “I accept this duty and honor, Princess Celestia. In thine absence, I will ensure that Equestria is defended and prosperous!”

The previous complaining increased tenfold. Luna heard something that made her grit her teeth, her ear twitching.

“And yes, the sun will still rise while my sister is on vacation! That was a long time ago!” She looked over the crowd, huffing. Perhaps she'd used a little more of the Royal Canterlot Voice than she'd intended.

Celestia coughed politely. Luna rolled her eyes.

“Let the festivities commence!” She waved a hoof dramatically and the musicians started playing again, more lively and louder now. Luna turned back to Celestia. “Thou are lucky to have minions so devoted that they panic at even a mention of being left under the care of another for even a short time.” She grumbled and kicked at the stage. Celestia pulled her into a hug.

“That's why it's good for them, Luna. I don't want them to think of me as their only ruler. You have just as much power as I do, and they're going to learn to respect that.”

“I know,” Luna said. “But it is not so easy to be reminded of it.”

“If you really want to make Night Court popular, have an open bar,” Trixie suggested off-hoof. “I mean you set the rules anyway, and I'm sure it would liven things up.”

Luna snorted, smiling. “It certainly would. Perhaps a festive atmosphere is not such a bad idea. Lifting bottles of spirits would lift my spirits, if nothing else.”

“Just try not to drain our stores too quickly,” Celestia smirked.

“Thou will not serve to tell me it's a terrible idea?” Luna asked.

Celestia shook her head. “Nope. You're the ruler now. That means you get to make all the decisions. And I want you to make them in your way. I'd be happier if you made a few mistakes, but you made them following your heart, instead of just copying what I do. You're your own pony, not my shadow.”

Luna nodded. “Then as my first decree, the first session of Night Court will have a widely advertized open bar for those who have come to petition me.” She paused. “We shall wait and see how it turns out before deciding on how long to continue it.”

The alicorns shared a laugh.

“Come, then. Let us mingle. I expect they shall have many questions for us.”

“Marchioness Lulamoon,” Blueblood snorted, his voice dripping with disdain. Trixie turned to face him. She wasn't nearly drunk enough to deal with him, and there was little hope of getting there with merely the alcohol available to her, unless Ingrid had managed to smuggle in the keg of Griffon Ale she'd purchased to celebrate the occasion.

“Prince Blueblood,” Trixie said, trying to keep emotions out of her voice.

“I suppose it is only fitting that you be given some sort of rank,” Blueblood noted, sipping from his wineglass. “It's the only way to keep you from being thrown out of polite society.”

“You'd know about that better than I would,” Trixie said, smiling.

“Hmph.” Blueblood adjusted his mane. “Believe it or not, I came to offer some advice.” He finished his glass, put it down, and deftly found another one waiting for him, his butler appearing out of nowhere to offer it to him.

“I'm listening,” Trixie said, trying to tone down her distaste for the stallion.

He nodded. “Ponies will be after you just for your rank and title. It sounds heartless, but you are going to have to get used to shutting them down, denying their requests, and occasionally telling somepony you'd otherwise sleep with that they can go buck themselves.”

“I have a marefriend,” Trixie pointed out, looking across the floor at Twilight.

“That won't stop the kind of ponies you need to be worried about,” Blueblood said. “And Twilight isn't very wise to the ways of court. She learned books of law and the spirit of it, not how Auntie's petitioners try to twist it to their own ends. It's sickening.”

“...I've never seen this side of you,” Trixie noted, quietly.

“You're one of the very few ponies here whom I know doesn't have a political agenda yet, and I have it on good authority you'd rather set me on fire than try to seduce me.” Blueblood smirked. “That is the worst thing about being at our rank, that you have to wonder just what every pony talking to you wants from you.”

“And what do you want from me?” Trixie asked, raising an eyebrow.

“At the moment? I want to make sure you don't become my enemy.” Blueblood shrugged. “I know we've had our differences-”

“You tried to proposition me.”

“You put a curse on me,” Blueblood countered, raising an eyebrow. “I don't suppose you'd like to call it even?”

“I- yeah.” Trixie sighed. “I hate to admit it, but you're right.”

“Of course I am. I've been doing this longer than you.” Blueblood turned to look over the crowd from the corner the two had taken over. “There are a few among this gathering of snakes that you can trust. Fancy Pants, at least, has always been decent. Jet Set is always trying to get ponies to donate money to his charities. They're real enough, but he skims off a percentage for himself. Fleur is of low birth, even lower than yours, and is content where she is, as long as you don't try to make a move on her.”

“Sounds like you have detailed notes on all of them,” Trixie said. “So if everypony has their own agenda, what's your goal?”

“Ah, I'm already at the top. All I want is to live a life of comfort and ease, and they make it difficult. You'll find out what that's like. For tonight, you'd be wise to agree to nothing, not even small favors. Don't be rude, just deflect them. If they want to discuss politics, tell them you haven't formed an opinion on matters. If they want money, tell them to send details to your servants for you to review.”

“Trixie doesn't have servants.”

“Get some. Preferably from outside of Canterlot, so you can avoid spies.” Blueblood glanced around the room. “Remember that right now, even something like accepting a gift or getting somepony a glass of wine speaks volumes. Some-” he nodded to Fleur “-know how to play that game very well. I've never cared for it, which has helped feed my reputation as a black-hearted annoyance.”

“You say that like you enjoy having a bad reputation.” Trixie raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, I do.” Blueblood grinned. “It means whenever a pony wants a favor of me, it's painfully transparent. A while back I had a particularly persistent suitor who put up with my act all night, just because she thought I'd be her ticket into high society.” He sipped his wine thoughtfully. “It did backfire a bit when she tried to kill me, but I hear she's doing well for herself and hasn't attempted to sleep her way to the top since.”

Trixie snorted at that. “I'm curious what they'd think of the two of us speaking away from the crowd, then.”

“Ah, well, that's where damage control comes in.” Blueblood sighed. “I believe the easiest option would be for you to slap me and walk away.”

“I admit I'd enjoy it.”

“I do make an easy target,” Blueblood admitted.

“I'd rather not cause a scene here, though,” Trixie sighed. “Celestia said... it wouldn't be good for Twilight.”

“Well, there is the other option. We could dance, and you could look very unhappy about it. Then when ponies ask later, say it's what I requested when you said you wanted to make amends.”

“You assume I can dance,” Trixie said.

“You can hardly be worse than Twilight,” Blueblood noted. “If you haven't seen her dance yet, keep in mind that she did read several books on it. She used to be much worse when she lived here. I do miss the way she used to completely shut out all matters of society and public image. I'd have asked her for a date myself if I thought she had any interest in it.”

“I didn't know she had many friends here, but she did grow up in the palace...”

“I wouldn't call us friends. She wasn't interested in friendship back then, just her studies. Still, she was refreshing. You're lucky to have her, and I expect you to keep her safe while Auntie is gone. She's kept her shielded for so long, and once she's left I'm sure they'll pounce on the fresh meat.”

“They'll have to get through me first,” Trixie said.

“Good. Now...” Blueblood smirked. “Shall we dance?”

“I hope you're enjoying yourself,” Upper Crust said, tossing her head to toss her mane. She'd obviously just had it magically colored, as it was far brighter than the last time Twilight had seen her, nearly the same shade as Luna's coat. Perhaps not a coincidence.

“Of course I am,” Twilight smiled pleasantly. “I always enjoyed it when somepony managed to convince me to put my books down for a while and go have some fun, though I didn't really appreciate it until recently.”

“Quite,” Upper Crust said, not really following Twilight or actually caring about what she was saying. “I have heard rumors that the Marchioness is quite popular with you Princesses. All of the Princesses.”

“That's-” Twilight blushed. “That is a private matter.” She didn't feel sure enough yet to discuss it with ponies she barely knew, and whom had left a bad impression in the short time she had known them. Part of Twilight still wasn't sure about Trixie – she was certainly attracted to the mare, and they shared interests, but it seemed that every time they started to get close, something got in the way.

“She certainly seems to have made progress with the Prince,” Upper Crust noted.

“Huh?” Twilight looked to the dance floor, and her eyes went wide. Trixie and Blueblood were dancing. Worse, it looked like Trixie was actually enjoying herself. Her face was carefully neutral, but Twilight was getting to know her tells. The way her eyes twinkled. The way her tail twitched when she was happy and trying to maintain a poker face.

Trixie was letting Blueblood lead, and the band launched into a new song. The two had the instant choreography that came naturally to almost all ponies. It was something that Twilight had never mastered. She danced like she'd only learned by reading four books on dancing at the same time, and each leg had memorized a different tome.

It wasn't entirely inaccurate to say that was exactly what had happened, along with a lot of Cadance and her brother never telling her quite how awful her dancing was.

Twilight watched with growing anxiety as the dance drew to a close and the two bowed to each other politely before parting. Trixie walking back towards Twilight.

“Excuse me,” Twilight said, stepping away from Upper Crust. She met Trixie halfway and walked with her quietly until the next song started and eyes were off of them.

“You two were certainly friendly,” Twilight grumbled, quietly enough that others wouldn't hear her.

“I think Luna was right about him,” Trixie noted, quietly. “He's less awful than I remembered.”

“So you decided to- to dance with him like that?” Twilight frowned.

“He gave me some survival tips on palace life, and asked me to keep you safe.”

“He did?” Twilight blinked. “Why? Safe from what?”

“Other ponies,” Trixie said. “He wants to make sure they don't take advantage of you. Trixie might not have lived in a palace before, but it's starting to remind her a lot of show business. Managers and actors all caught in a slow dance of dominance, with those at the top dragging others in their wake.”

“It's just ponies.” Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“Ponies who all want things,” Trixie clarified. “And that means they're very complicated. Trixie will relish the challenge.”

“I suppose it's better than ancient evils trying to kill me with dark magic,” Twilight laughed.

A dark mist formed at the gates of Canterlot Castle, twinkling with lights like dying stars. It gathered together as if drawn in by a zephyr, before collapsing and forming a slim pink alicorn in a red and white dress that would have been very revealing if it wasn't for the fact that ponies were naked most of the time anyway.

“Princess Cadance!” The guards saluted. “We weren't informed you were coming!”

“Oh, it's a surprise visit,” Cadance said, smiling, the guards not noticing the fangs that had formed in her mouth. “I'll just see myself in. I want to take care of things myself.”