He still couldn’t believe just what Joy Bringer had pulled off. He had gotten another job so quick, and he was starting so soon—mere hours after leaving the warehouse, he would find himself employed with a steady job in the palace. Maybe servitude wasn’t so bad. The benefits were excellent.
It didn’t take quite as long to return to his rundown apartment, considering that his glee sped him up quite a bit. As he climbed up the stairs in the creaky building, he cheerfully greeted his landlord, who was glad that he was feeling better, but saddened when Three Dee warned him that he might move out soon.
“I really liked all the music you played, though,” he said, which brought a pained grin to Three Dee’s face. He felt guilty to be that pony who was ready to move on, but it didn’t last as he said goodbye and rushed up to his apartment.
Now in the safety of his apartment, he tossed his saddlebags aside without a care and rushed straight into the bathroom. He was in a rush as he kicked on the shower with a rear kick and brushed his teeth with a front hoof. With expertise, he twirled a towel around his cast so that he would not soak the hardened gauze, as per doctor’s orders, before hopping into the shower and drawing the curtains. Since he had broken a sweat on the previous day’s trip to the Royal Palace, he wanted to make sure he was as clean as possible when he started out, and that he could take his time walking. That meant that with his previous shift of work, he was under a very tight schedule indeed.
This course of action was completely scrapped when he was scrubbing a second coat of soap on his coat, and his ear twitched at a sound. It was a high-pitched creak that sounded like metal against…porcelain?
Fearfully, Three Dee poked his head around the edge of the curtain, only to find Vinyl Scratch, goggles perched on her horn, and partaking in what looked like a staring contest with her own reflection in the flaking mirror.
“Vinyl?! What are you doing in here?!” He almost screeched, snapping the DJ out of her trance and breaking her concentration. She lost.
“Oh, Three Dee! Sorry about that. You left the front door unlocked…again…and the bathroom door was wide open…again.” She started tacking on afterthoughts, and the purple pony hiding behind the shower curtain twitched. This was Vinyl Scratch he was talking to, and she had always been a little odd. This sort of thing was right up her alley. Three Dee was just going to have to accept that and move on past the justification stage.
“Get out of here!”
“Let me wash my hooves first, though. I want to raid your fridge and see if I can whip us up something to eat,” Vinyl proceeded to turn on the faucet and apply soap with her magic grip.
“There should be soap in the kitchen!”
“Nope. You’re all out.” She said calmly. “Seriously, what’s the big deal? It’s just a shower. It’s not like I didn’t see you wet when we went swimming at that spring in the mountainside.”
“This is totally different! I’m cleaning up here, and I won’t let anypony see me do that until I’m courting or married!” Three Dee continued to protest as he retreated his head behind the curtains and hid underneath the shower spray.
“Oh, my! Three Dee! Are you proposing to me?” Her voice had taken on such a falsetto that it was irritating the stallion in the shower—a rare occurrence in the manner of sound.
“What is wrong with you?!”
“Well, I must say, I’m flattered! I’m at a loss for words, but—oh, this is all happening so fast!” She continued. Three Dee heard the faucet twist, and the extra stream of water cease.
“Vinyl Scratch!” He shouted, having had enough with the joke from the very beginning. There was a short pause as his voice echoed off the tiles and reverberated in the air.
“…Sorry, Three Dee,” Vinyl finally stated, learning the error of her latest eccentricities. Three Dee heard the bounding of hooves and the slamming of his bathroom door, and once he peeked past the shower curtains to guarantee that she wasn’t in the room, he quickly finished up and shut the shower off.
The rest of his routine blurred by as he rushed to clean himself up and go outside with an apology to Vinyl Scratch on his mind. He didn’t like making other ponies upset, and this would’ve probably gone down better if, inwardly, he wasn’t so shy and self-conscious. So after tackling his proximity with a hair dryer and following up with a fierce combing to his fur, mane and tail, he sped out of the bathroom, despite the fact that he was still feeling very damp.
Vinyl Scratch sat in the same place she did when she ate at Three Dee’s apartment the morning before last: the end of the countertop. She was also eating the same thing: Cinnamon Toast Munch, although this made relative sense now, considering that despite the setting sun, these hours constituted her morning phase, as she lived and worked in the night life of Equestria. Three Dee tentatively approached behind her.
“Vinyl?”
“Yeah, Three Dee?”
“I’m sorry.”
The white unicorn spun in her seat, grinning brightly. “Not a problem! It’s okay, really!”
“Yeah, but—no, you were right, though. It shouldn’t really…matter, I suppose…” Three Dee scrunched up his face at the contradictory thoughts running through his head.
“But it matters to you,” Vinyl finished for him, and finding his words stolen, the pegasus nodded his confirmation. “I understand, Three Dee! Really! I should’ve checked! My fault! Even the best ponies screw up!”
“Okay, then…” Three Dee murmured before walking the distance around the counter to search for some food. He couldn’t help but think that the last several minutes might be going into Vinyl’s personal list of death-inducing embarrassments—the one where, if you remembered one, you remembered them all right afterwards, and no matter what you were doing, you wanted to melt into the floor and out of sight.
Sighing with some resemblance of content, Three Dee opened the fridge and pulled out the second half of a lily sandwich he had picked up a few days ago between shifts. It would be more than enough for his dinner, as he was usually skipping meals and never ate much anyway. As he placed the sandwich in its wrapping on the counter, his attention turned back to Vinyl, whose goggles had returned to their familiar place over her eyes. She seemed to be dividing her attention between her cereal and a book, flicking pages every few moments with her magic as her hoof scooped Cinnamon Toast Munch into her waiting mouth.
“So why are you here?” He asked, eager to move on from this episode of theirs. She pointed her spoon at him.
“I’m here…to make sure…you eat!” She was intimating until the very end, where she let go of her control and screamed with hilarity. Three Dee guffawed, and before he knew it, he was laughing alongside his best friend again.
“Okay, you got me. I don’t need help eating, though,” he said as he relaxed again.
“I can see. You also seem to be a lot happier than when I last visited. What’s changed, my little DJ?” She asked, almost as if she was his teacher. Not that Three Dee minded, though.
“Joy Bringer came though, and then so much more! She got me a job, and she arranged for me to start tonight!”
“Three Dee, that’s awesome!” Vinyl cheered, before cracking her dementia grin at him to mark her approval. The purple pegasus laughed as he unwrapped the leftovers of his sandwich. “So what are you going to do? Are they going to make you prance around in a pin-up maid costume?”
“V-Vinyl!” Three Dee blushed as the image suddenly flashed through his mind. It didn’t help that he was already shorter than average, and his build was light, but Vinyl had already, and somewhat correctly, deducted that he would make a very sexy maid.
That will hopefully never happen, he thought as he turned away, wide eyed as his cheeks approached the bright red hue of the left side of his mane.
Meanwhile, Vinyl was laughing up every moment of his catastrophic embarrassment. In the trinity between such embarrassment, irritation, and courage, suddenly, he found words that dared to fly between them, if only to attempt turning around the teasing.
“Do you fantasize about every pony you know?!” He ask, frustrated.
“Eyup!” Vinyl droned out with a smile, prompting Three Dee to bang his hooves on the floor beneath him in exasperation. This was going to be a long evening.
=
Luna groaned and released her subsequent yawn as she proceeded to step out of her chambers. The sun on the horizon shone bright from behind the stained glass in the hallway—far too bright for her liking. She squinted a little as she quickly skittered out of the beams of light, conducting her usual path through the castle during this fine evening.
Duty called.
She couldn’t help but echo a dry laugh at that unfortunate aspect of her life. Thankfully, there were only guards that framed the hallway at each intersection, and they were under a gag order to never release information about the private lives of the Royal Sisters. The servants were under the same types of orders, but she interacted with them more, so it was a matter of point to consider their opinions of her anyway.
As she walked, however, she couldn’t help but inwardly curse the alarm clocks she usually set for the end of her daytime slumber. Clocks. Plural. Specifically three of them: one on her nightstand that she regularly broke, the second in her bathroom to convince her that she might as well groom herself, and the third in her dresser so that she wouldn’t return to the bed afterwards. Once Princess Luna was dressed in her royal adornments, though, sleep wasn’t an option in her muddled brain of lost dreams.
She wouldn’t lie, though: she missed the habits held over a thousand years ago, when Princess Celestia, before setting the sun, would awaken her personally and assist her through routine. Princess Luna would proceed to do the same before the morning came, and in this cycle, they would serve each other as a substitute for their estranged parents of old.
In the modern age, though, Celestia was very independent—a forged cover for her own loneliness brought on by the consequences that resulted in those thousand years. Not to mention that she was kept much busier, tending to subjects, meetings, gathering, politics, and whatever else she had to do. Also her own fault for driving Luna to turn to Nightmare Moon for her own salvation—not to mention the subsequent banishment. The effects ranged throughout her resumption of life, and this was one of the prominent ones.
Their duties remained, though, especially the one that took precedence over all the others: the rising of the sun, the setting of the sun, the rising of the moon, and the setting of the moon were an endless cycle to be repeated that could not go undone. And at this time of year, with the Summer Sun Celebration fast approaching, the days were getting longer, and her wake-up calls later and later. It was close to seven now, and the evening sun was ready to set, allowing the night to begin in earnest.
She climbed upwards, upon the stairs framing the fork to the Solar and Lunar wings, so that she would emerge on the Palace Plateau—a wide, flat area over the throne room where she and her sister conducted the majority of their movements. When she stepped foot upon the yellow surface, she found that her sister patiently awaited her arrival, and calmly walked up alongside her.
“Good evening, my sister,” Celestia greeted as Luna took a seat beside her. “Did you sleep well?”
“Well enough,” Luna spoke truthfully.
“That’s good to hear, Luna,” the white alicorn smiled before turning her head to the left, facing the sun on the horizon in the west. With a simple breath, Princess Celestia shut her eyes and summoned the exponential power in her being, uncontrolled by neither hoof, nor wings, nor horn even, as she slowly began to sink the sun to sleep.
As she did so, Luna impatiently waited nearby. It would take a few minutes, however, so she closed her eyes as well and began to meditate, stretching her awareness to when her presence would be required once more. She then let her mind loose to crawl and slither beyond her own.
This was one of the Lunar Princess’s special powers. She called it dream sense, which seemed apt. It picked up strongly on the dreams of sleeping ponies, and there was a lingering latency when it came to their daylight dreaming and even their wishes for the future. She stretched it thin, before sighing in a small defeat.
Despite the fact that the sun was only just setting, there were many ponies asleep already—mostly younger foals who had to attend school tomorrow. She remembered that it was still Sunday, and still daytime, and she couldn’t help but wonder how much they struggled against the changing seasons, to stay awake when it was still light outside. When they could see.
There were also a few adult ponies, sprinkled throughout the city of Canterlot. They were mostly the elders, but a few were of the minority who simply chose or decided to turn in early. They probably irritated Luna the most, and it was offensive that they didn’t even bother to spend a single hour to admire the art she was about to bring upon the heavens. Even a few minutes would’ve sufficed. A glance would have been remotely satisfying. But only cold slumber was in store for these ponies.
The worst part, though, was the bubbles of dreams themselves. A thousand years ago, each dream was grand, innovative, honorable, and majestic. She had lived through the minds of countless ponies to watch them dream of heroic triumphs and epic tales, and she had loved them all. Even the ponies that took a darker turn were preferable to the dreary soot that was fogging her mind.
Technology was advancing in Equestria. And they were affecting the population heavily, whether they knew it or not. Princess Luna could see it even in the shadows her moonlight occasional cast upon buildings. Ponies had always fought their misery with dreams, and although dreams were once powerful, they had been made puerile by the movies, radio, and newspapers. Among the many betrayals, this one was the worst.
She sighed as she withdrew, and simply paid witness and tribute to the final moments of the sun in the sky, and it finally descended.
The land of Equestria began to grow dark around them as sunlight gradually ceased to descend upon the land. Princess Luna bided some time as usual, before she felt her strength caressed within her, and with the fairest of ease, she began to bring the moon forth in the eastern sky. A pale white began to faintly dim the land, which was promptly dotted by countless lights in buildings all over. From her vantage point, she could see the city of Canterlot below, the town of Ponyville in the distance, and far off on the horizon, Manehatten and Fillydelphia. The glow and light pollution was fairly astounding, and it wasn’t the first time that she wondered whether or not her stars would shine bright enough.
Princess Celestia began to take her leave, a pressing matter awaiting her attention, and so that Luna might paint the sky in silence. The glittering mane, however, turned as the night began to reveal more and more stars within it.
“Celestia, wait.”
Celestia spun to face her sister without a second thought. “Yes, Luna?”
Luna wasn’t entirely sure what to say. It seemed like so much could be said, and yet not a single word of it existed. Her mouth gapped, before she grasped onto a faint wish.
“Well…I do wish that you could be there to wake me up every evening…” She trailed off, before blushing in embarrassment and shame. Wasn’t she a big pony? Ugh. So weak…
“I do too, Luna. I do too.” Celestia’s gaze fell to the floor. Luna found a line to work with.
“But…these miniature clocks that ring and ring until you’ve found the little button or you’ve just simply broken them…they aren’t working. I don’t like them at all…” Princess Luna frowned at the memory of her evenings as of late, fighting a losing battle against alarm clocks on three separate fronts in three separate waves. “I just…don’t know what to do.”
Celestia smiled with that wise look in her eyes. “Perhaps you need an assistant, or an attendant. I’m sure he or she would help you in waking up every evening, not to mention how much more organized you’d be.”
Luna blushed and groaned. She must’ve missed something else on her calendar.
“Fine. I think you’re right. But who to hire?” Princess Luna began to ponder as she raised a hoof and marked a reference point in the sky: the North Star.
“I suggest that you look within the ranks of the servants,” Princess Celestia smiled before beginning to leave. “I’m sure you won’t be disappointed with what you’ll find.”
=
It was a regular phenomenon for Vinyl Scratch to show up at Three Dee’s place out of nowhere when she was touring the clubs of Canterlot instead of staying there for vacation or work. With her latest surprise visit, though, it had gone mostly unnoticed as to the subsequent slowdown of the routine the purple pegasus had been trying to quicken. When he had finally finished his routine of cleaning up beyond the usual preparations, he had achieved a freshly brushed mane, a finely fluffed tail, and a sleek coat, all of which were part of the fine-tuned grooming that he regularly conducted, but with extra effort that he felt would be acceptable for work in the Royal Palace. He also wore a look of sheet terror and dread when he glanced up at the clock and found that, between his work, and Vinyl, the time was already 7:34.
“Oh no!” He cried out. “You have to be kidding me!”
“What’s wrong, Three Dee?” Vinyl asked from her studious perch against the counter, where she read the music synthesis theory book that he had inquired about beforehand.
“I’m late! Super late! It took me nearly forty minutes to get to the Palace yesterday, and I had to rest along the way! I can’t possibly make it!” He panicked as he bit the saddlebag strap in his mouth and flung it over and onto his back, barely missing the cast his wing was in.
Vinyl Scratch was instantly next to him, swinging around her saddlebag and landing it on her back as well. “We’ll make it, I promise you that!”
“But if I run, all my work will be ruined! What if they don’t let me in because I look far too unkempt to be one of the servants?! What if this first day is a test, and I fail just by being late?! Oh, where did the time go?!” Three Dee continued ranting with worry as they darted out the front door, down the steps, and into the Canterlot streets. He almost started running as well, were it not for a firm tug on his tail pulling him back. He glanced back and found Vinyl biting down upon it and holding him in place.
“Vinyl! What are you doing?! We have to move—plus you’re messing up my tail!” Three Dee yelled, before her horn began to glow, lifting him up as she let go. He began to flail his hooves before giving up and hanging limply in her magic.
“Please Vinyl…better late than never, right?” Three Dee smiled nervously.
“You’re not going to be late. I’ll get you there on time. Maybe even early. Actually, scratch that: definitely early,” she then gave him a smile before poking her shimmering horn. “Have you ever heard of teleportation?”
Three Dee’s eyes widened. “Y-you know teleportation? But—how? I didn’t think many ponies could master such a complicated spell.”
“Most ponies can’t.” Vinyl nodded. “But I’m not most ponies. I learnt it after that stallion climbed into the DJ booth at that club in Manehatten and tried ‘to have some fun’ with me. Security got him quick, but it was recommended by my manager that I learn the spell, in light of my growing popularity back then.”
“Oh, yeah. I remember that,” Three Dee let out. “That got a lot of press.”
“It sure did,” Vinyl’s face was still serious as she gently put him down. “We’ll have to do it several times, since I can only do it for short distances, and into places that I can see. You’ll have to stay very close, though, alright?”
“Sure thing, Vinyl,” He answered, stepping around the white unicorn and pressing his left side against her. For good measure, he spread his usable wing out and lay it over her back.
“Ready?” She questioned as her horn started to flare with magic. Three Dee gulped.
“Ready!”
The following minutes were home to some of the strangest sensations he had ever felt. Teleporting was like having his insides seamlessly pulled out from under him without any pain, before they were bloating him, bunched up all wrong as they emerged on the other side of the spell’s effects. In retrospect, that wasn’t so bad to him, and he would’ve found it convenient if he was a unicorn instead of a pegasus.
It was the constant fluctuation of Vinyl Scratch pulling them in and out and in and out of the spell that was getting to him. Each time, his insides almost refused to keep up. That only built up, and it was like he was on a roller coaster—only its designer was beyond nefarious. Not just behind nefarious. If it had been a roller coaster, its designer was Discord himself.
“Vinyl,” he panted as he felt his vocal cords return to his form again.
They teleported again.
“Can we—”
Another teleportation spell.
“—please—”
Teleportation.
“—rest!” He finally got out, before stumbling away, fully believing for a moment that his insides had once more been slingshot away from him. However, when he could think again, he found that they were indeed still underneath his fur, and that it felt like he was re-sorting them into proper place inside. Three Dee tried to recall whether or not his doctor had advised against teleportation while he healed, but he couldn’t remember a single word uttered on the topic.
When he glanced up, though, he found that he was at the main gates to the Royal Palace. Smiling, he checked the clock on the clock tower beyond, and discovered he had ten minutes left to report to his job.
“Vinyl Scratch! We made it!” Three Dee cheered with glee, trotting in place to turn towards the unicorn. He calmed down, however, when he saw that the white pony was standing with all four legs spread out, and she was panting and sweating. He walked up to her with a gentle smile before hugging her, not caring that she was sweaty. “You did good, Vinyl. Thank you.”
She laughed a single, cracked laugh before replying. “No problem, little colt. Now get going. Make some money. Get back on your feet. You know the drill.”
Three Dee stepped away. “Do I ever. I’ll see you later, DJ.”
“You too,” Vinyl began to slowly walk back the way they had just came from, although it had been a blurred journey. Fortunately, her pad wasn’t too far from the Royal Palace, so she would be home soon, and most likely resting for a set that she could afford to push back on that night’s schedule.
Three Dee continued down the road and to the servant’s entrance, where the pony monitor offered her greetings and let him in when she found his paperwork, enabling him to enter the palace grounds and head straight for the servant passageways up ahead.
Once inside the Royal Palace proper, he began searching for the familiar shape of a pink pony, and the straightened curls of red-striped, white mane. He found her quickly enough, near a wooden door at the back of the maze filled with ponies and activity. As he approached, he spotted a few ponies pass through, and saw a glimpse of grandeur. It must have led into the main palace.
“Three Dee! Just in time!” Joy Bringer shouted when she spotted him. Three Dee trotted up.
“I always try to be on time,” he smiled, before noticing a yellow earth pony with a short, orange mane headed toward them from his right. As he looked, so did his sister, and recognition crossed across her face.
“Oh, Dawn Fire! I was just about to come looking for you,” Joy Bringer said, before holding her hoof towards her brother. “Allow me to introduce my brother, Three Dee. Three Dee, this is Dawn Fire, the head servant. He organizes everything.”
The pony named Dawn Fire silently walked along his side, and the purple pegasus chose to sit as he began to be circled. He noted that his new boss’s cutie mark was an elaborated trophy cup on a platter.
“Joy, you didn’t tell me that his wing was injured,” he spoke in a low, soothing voice as he continued to surround Three Dee, who paled at that statement.
“I did say, though, that he would only get better at his job,” Joy Bringer calmly retorted. A moment passed, before suddenly, Dawn Fire cracked up into a boisterous laughter.
“He’ll do. I presume that you know what to do here?” He asked.
“I know what to do, but where to start…well, that’s another manner.” Three Dee answered cautiously. Dawn Fire nodded.
“Well, as a courier in the palace, you need to look prim and proper—something which I very glad to see with you right now. You must have taken pains to shine your coat and brush your mane the way you have,” he continued seriously. Three Dee nodded, and Dawn Fire motioned for the pegasus to follow. “In that case, let’s go to my office. I should have a more suitable bag for you to use in the presence of the nobilities, as well as a map to lend you until you memorize your route and your usual destinations. The only place with maps here are the museum halls, which you’ll rarely enter in this line of work.”
Joy Bringer stayed behind, citing her need to clean up some windows in the palace, and in a minute, the two ponies were entering a very organized office that, although small, seemed expansive in the amount of space allotted, despite the file cabinets and shelves.
Three Dee waited on his side of the desk while Dawn Fire rummaged through the drawers on the other end. After a moment, he placed a folded map on the desk, before lifting the strap of a bag in his teeth—a shiny, shimmering white with the Royal Crest embedded on it. Three Dee’s jaw dropped: it was made of a special satin fabric that cost quite a bit of money. Carefully, he took it and replaced his saddlebag.
“I don’t have a locker for you yet, so you’ll have to leave the saddlebag in my office for now. Consider it me keeping an eye on you for the first couple of days, but you have nothing to worry about. Hopefully.” The earth pony said as he picked up the saddle bag on the floor and proceeded to lean it against the desk on the side. “Now, let’s show you that map and the path—”
Dawn Fire didn’t get a chance to continue as the door slammed open, revealing a very agitated unicorn in the middle of a panic. She was grey with a light blue mane, and her cutie mark was a series of orange books in a stack. Her horn glowed, having opened the door before she charged into the office.
“Dawn Fire!”
“May Weather? What are you doing?”
“It’s—it’s Princess Luna! She’s called for a surprise inspection of the servant staff!” May Weather cried out. Three Dee instantly eeped.
“T-today?!” He trembled. “B-but it’s my first day!”
“Doesn’t matter anymore, rookie,” Dawn replied, facing the pegasus and adjusting his direction so that he could look into his eyes. “You’re going to be fine. You’re cleaned up and good to go. I’ll adjust your saddlebag into the proper position, and then we’ll all line up. Just do what we do, and what is asked of you, and we can get started afterwards.”
The yellow pony promptly bit down on one of the straps secured around Three Dee, shifting the one-sided courier bag into the proper position before leading him out of the office.
=
Princess Luna sat on a giant pillow cushion that had been brought by a servant, who right after took his place in the rank of servants assembling at a steady pace. She levitated a cup of tea to her lips, wondering if she should be using the Royal Canterlot Voice for this sort of event. She decided that it was redundant, especially since most of these ponies already witnessed her restraint in doing so.
Of the two royal sisters, though, Princess Luna was decidedly the more impatient pony, and so by the time the servants had all lined up, she was tapping her hoof into the cushion with some irritation. There was nothing malicious in it, but by the time she noticed it, she realized that she had inadvertently reduced almost every pony to horrible tremors.
The only pony that wasn’t on the verge of panic was the head servant, who was approaching her now. Maybe this was a bad idea. Thanks, Celestia.
“Your Majesty,” the yellow pony bowed, presenting the top of his mane in submission. Luna began to speak, but soon found that she didn’t even know the names of the royal staff. Not even the heads.
“My apologies, sir, but we—I do not remember your name,” Luna corrected herself, forcing the blush down as she berated herself for already slipping up.
“My name is Dawn Fire. I am the head servant, in charge of all those you wish to inspect today,” the earth pony answered from his kneeling position on the floor.
“You may rise,” Luna remedied, and Dawn Fire gently rose to a standing position. Princess Luna also chose to stand as well, and treaded off the pillow and to the pony’s side. To her left, the first of the ponies that had lined up bowed in reverence.
“I will confess that I’m not merely conducting an inspection.” She began to announce. “As far as I’m concerned, you are as much my sister’s responsibility as you are mine. A proper inspection would take place with both of us present, and it shall not be so…last minute.”
Not a word answered her. Luna walked up to the first pony—one of the unicorns she remembered from her previous morning’s dinner. She attempted to be gentle. “What is your name?”
“J-Joy B-Bringer, Your Majesty…” she answered from her curtsy.
“Please rise.”
Joy Bringer did so, and when Luna stared into her eyes, she saw a curious mix of fear and spunk. The princess shifted over, and scanned over the pony’s cutie mark: a heart with a smile on it.
“What special talent does your cutie mark stand for?”
“W-well, it stands for me ability and d-drive to make other people happy in whatever ways I can.” The pink pony answered. Luna was pleased to find that the question alone had put her subject as much more ease.
“Thank you, Joy Bringer. Please remain: you will be dismissed to your duties soon enough,” Princess Luna said, before moving on. She definitely shows promise. An adaptable talent like that might drive her to be a wonderful assistant.
Princess Luna continued down the line, and one after the other, questioned ponies in the same manner: their name, and what their cutie mark stood for. However, few showed the same promise as Joy Bringer did, narrowing her choices down exponentially. About halfway down the line, it occurred to her that she would do well to ask the head servant the same questions, but he proved fairly unsuitable. As she started finishing up with the ponies, she couldn’t help but wonder if she had been had by Princess Celestia. This sounded like a gambit to get Luna to memorize the names of her fellow ponies in the palace—one which was working, and one which she had delayed the opening of Night Court for as well. Not that it mattered: no ponies came to Night Court. But of course, it couldn’t be helped: Princess Luna was suspecting that she would not find a single pony to become a useful attendant.
That is, until she came to the last pony.
She scanned him over. He was a purple pegasus with a royal courier saddlebag around his right side. The mane brushed to his left side—Luna’s right, though—was a bold red, and the opposite side was a strong blue, both of which were actually the natural colors of his mane. His tail matched his mane, and he would’ve seemed nearly symmetrical, was it not for the cast wrapped around his right wing, which rested in its spot just above his saddlebag. He kept his eyes closed as he bowed in the presence of the princess.
“Please rise.” She requested, and the pegasus opened his eyes as he did so. They were a dull hazel, but in them, Princess Luna found something intriguing: a sense of dying hope, with the steady approach of resignation, but the shimmering light of dreams still waiting to come true.
“What is your name?” She asked.
“T-Three D-Dee, Y-Your M-Majesty,” he answered, shaking more than the others did. Luna saw his cutie mark.
“What does…your cutie mark stand for?” She answered, perplexed at her find. Maybe she had been too accusing of her sister too soon.
“It’s s-s-supposed to r-represent my t-talent t-to write. If I pick up a-a quill, and s-some parchment, I-I can do anything on it: I c-can do hard math, I can w-write stories, guides¸ p-poetry, music…anything o-on paper…” he answered shakily, so much so that Princess Luna could see his legs quiver underneath him.
He’s perfect…
Satisfied that there were no more ponies to query, she lifted her head back the way she came. “You are all dismissed. Please return to your duties.”
Everypony began to move, retreating into the palace as they attended to their work. Princess Luna looked back down, only to find that Three Dee wasn’t there. She spotted him discreetly exiting her presence, separate from the others.
“Except for you, Three Dee.”
The purple pegasus froze, before scurrying back over to the spot he just left. “O-of course, Y-Your M-Majesty.”
“I’d like you to attend Night Court with me, and sit by my side as I attend to whatever matters may come up. If we have some time alone, I’ll explain my actions, but for now, do as I say,” Luna stated, a little forcefully. Three Dee let out a tiny squeak, indicative of the pressure he was probably burdened with now, but Princess Luna ignored it as she began to walk down the giant hallway, an injured pegasus striding at her side.
=
AN:
Okay. This one took a while, cause stuff is piling up on me here in college. Hope the wait didn’t bother you too much.
Also, seeing as this is also keeping me writing instead of slacking off with the lack of actual ‘writing’ classes this semester, I’ve been sneaking Easter Eggs in these chapters. In each chapter, I’m pretty sure that there is a very indirect reference to characters you tend to see in the actual show. It’s usually as simple as a verb, or perhaps something somepony said. Examples: “dashing” which is a subtle nod towards Rainbow Dash, and Vinyl answering “Eyup” to Three Dee’s question—clearly a Big Macintosh reference. If you want to, you can go have fun with that. Call it a drinking game. (*wink*)
If you want a researching challenge, though, I’ve been sneaking lines from literature into each chapter, except the first one. There’s usually going to be only one, though, and since it could be from anywhere, it’ll be harder to find, especially since I’m such a good writer (HA! YEAH, RIGHT!).
I’ll give you the sources, though: Chapter 2’s literary line is from a “The Death of a Hired Man” by Robert Frost. Chapter 3’s is from “Miss Lonelyhearts” by Nathanael West. Next chapter, I MIGHT start just giving the answers away. I don’t know if people care.
God dammit, I can’t believe I personally would find this sort of challenge exciting. I am such a Twilight Sparkle >w<
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Random Disclaimer: I do not own Korg or Vestax