The sun rays from Celestia's sun shined on the suburbs of Ponyville. Multicolored ponies went on about their day with their daily tasks. Some were shopping for food, others were selling their goods. Some ponies greeted one another. Every pony seemed to be enjoying their daily life. However not every pony was outside.
At the hotel, Mothball was sitting down in his room, gazing into Discord's mirage.
"I see my parents!" he shouted excitedly.
His parents were in some kind of a dark place. They were gathering around a pile of wood that had flames dancing in front of them. The flames were bright enough to give the gray pony a clue of their location.
"Dark, cold, and big," Discord studied. "They must be hiding in some kind of a cave or something." His mirage faded into smoke. "Come boy, we must visit every cave here!"
"Right!" the copper colt nodded.
"But we must be careful of the dragons," Discord added. "They don't take kindly to visitors."
"I know," Mothball gulped. The young boy never met a dragon before but he heard that they can be quite vicious.
They opened their bedroom door and stepped out. The boys did not see a letter, appearing in an orange aura on their desktop. The letter was scrolled up with a tag. It had an image of a twister, the royal seal of Draconia.
Back in Draconia, the staff were cleaning up the castle as ordered by Lady Chrysalis. Each staff was assigned to different cleaning duties. Pinkie Pie and Applejack were designing a menu for the guests. Sunset and Rarity were dusting the furniture in the ballroom.
"Ugh I can't believe how extremely filthy the ballroom looks!" Rarity grumbled. She was dusting of the light lamps on the wall. Rarity had been dusting the ballroom all day. Despite using her magic, it was still hard work for her. She sighed as she finished dusting that last lamp.
"That's because we haven't thrown a party for years, silly!" Pinkie Pie called out from the kitchen. She hopped into the ballroom in her usual giddy manner. Pinkie took out a yellow balloon from her hair and blew one. After blowing up more balloons, Pinkie jumped up really high, pinned them up on the chandelier and landed on the floor gracefully. Her friends looked dumbfounded.
"How did you do that?" Sunset asked.
"I do not know!" Pinkie grinned blissfully.
Sunset rolled her eyes at the pink pony and resumed mopping the floor with her unicorn magic. Sometimes she forgets that Pinkie Pie could defy the law of physics. Why she could do that, Sunset didn't know. Sure, the royal family had played around with gravity too, but that was because of their chaotic powers. Pinkie had no magic so what was her excuse? Some things remain a mystery.
"Any word back from the King, Sunset?"
Sunset stopped her mopping and faced Pinkie.
"No," Sunset sighed. "I don't know why he's not responding to my telegram. I hope the King remembers that the Gala is a week away. How are we suppose to plan this without his guidance?"
"And he thought his trip would take a day," Rarity trailed off. With her magic, she picked up the untouched balloons and streamers. "I just hope we can pull this off."
"Don't worry girls! We can do this!" Pinkie chirped. The earth pony had just finished adding streamers from the chandelier to the dusted wall. "Throwing a party is easy! As long as you have lots of balloons, streamers, and confetti, I'm sure we can do this in a breeze. No need to panic!"
Rarity and Sunset smiled.
"You're right darling. What could possibly go wrong?"
"WHAT THE HECK IS THIS CRUD?" A snarling voice shouted across the room.
"Her," Sunset grumbled to Rarity.
Lady Chrysalis stormed in through the ballroom with a look that would give you shivers. She gazed at the scenery with a look of scorn.
"Balloons!? Streamers!? Miss Pinkie Pie?" Chrysalis sneered, plucking a balloon and some streamers from the chandelier. "I'm throwing a ball for the elite, not a birthday party for six year olds!" The changeling shook the balloon in Pinkie's face.
Pinkie's shoulders sagged and her lip quivered.
Rarity put her forearms around the cook assistant. The seamstress knew how sensitive Pinkie was to harsh criticism.
"Now my lady, you said that you wanted this room decorated," Sunset spoke up. The unicorn was not liking the baroness' attitude. "And Pinkie tried-"
"Ridiculous!" Chrysalis huffed. She spoke in a scratchy and icy tone. "None of you morons tried to make this room look elegant. Redo this all over and make it look like a party and less like a circus!" The changeling threw down the balloon and crushed it with her hoof. "And as for your punishment, I'll give you more chores. When you are finished redecorating the whole ballroom, I want all of you to scrub and polish the living room, polish the throne room, wash the windows, dust the couches, change the lightbulbs, and rearrange the furniture! Is that clear?"
The staff nodded.
Pinkie did not dare to look at the noblemare.
"I'll get Flash and Rainbow to help us," Sunset said.
"Oh no Miss Sunset," Chrysalis commanded. "I already gave them more chores to do! And Miss Applejack will be busy, too!"
"But it's too much work, even for us!" Sunset protested.
The Baroness put her muzzle to the Orange unicorn's. She spoke again with her usual scratchy and icy voice.
"Then I suggest you get to work you stupid mule. Where did Discord hire you from? Hmm? The farm? Ha, you girls are so useless and stupid! It's no wonder why none of you got married! You three are so dumb that you deserved to be left on the streets! Even if you are capable of getting a job, it's prostitution. Haha!"
Her ladyship's insults made Sunset's blood boil. Sunset growled, wanting nothing than to jump and strangle that changeling's neck. How dare she act this way! She would have done that if it were not for Pinkie Pie holding her back.
"By the way, Miss Rarity," Chrysalis spoke again, her voice still haughty. "Tell Miss Fluttershy that she is invited to attend the gala. I want to show the elite the woman that tamed the Royal princesses."
"Um, sure my ladyship," Rarity bowed. She was uncertain why but it gave her another excuse to make a new dress.
As soon as Lady Chrysalis exited the room, Pinkie let go of Sunset.
"Why did you restrain me?" The unicorn yelled at the earth pony.
"I didn't want you to get hurt!" Pinkie yelled back. "Do you want to lose your job over her?"
The question shook Sunset out of her anger.
"Sorry I just can't stand her! Everyday she has been dumping work on us all. the. time!" she ranted. Her eyes formed tears but Sunset refused to show them.
"I know darling, she is very rude!" Rarity said soothingly. The pearl equine had spotted her friend's tears.
"If she keeps acting like that, I don't think I want Discord to marry her!" Pinkie whispered to them, in fear that Chrysalis or somepony else might hear them.
"Me either," the girls replied.
"What's going on?" a sweet voice rang out.
The mares turned around to see Fluttershy and the children. The nanny stood there looking concerned while the fillies looked around the room with curiosity.
"The gala is in two days and Discord has not come back to oversee the party preparations! The Baroness has dumped so much work on us!" Sunset answered. Her voice held stress and frustration.
Fluttershy felt pity for the staff. Thinking back to her days at Madame DeRange's boutique, she remembered how it felt to be overworked.
"Is there anything I can do to assist you?"
Before either of the stafff could answer, they were pounced by Babs Seed, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom.
"Sunset, did you say 'gala'?" Babs Seed smiled, her eyes growing really big.
"Yes," Sunset answered.
"Are the ponies going to come over and dance and eat with us!?" Sweetie Belle squeaked.
"Yes."
"Does this gala include ponies dressing up?"
"Yes!"
The girls were so excited that they squealed! They all began jumping up and down in the air as fireworks bursted out from Screwball's hat. Screwball and Babs Seed haven't been to a party in years and the younger ones had never attended a party. Either way, they were thrilled that they get to go!
In her excitement, Sweetie Belle's horn glowed green again. This time, her new power did not go unnoticed by her sisters or the staff.
"Sweetie Belle, your horn!" Apple Bloom pointed it out.
"Huh?" Sweetie Belle squeaked. She stopped bouncing. "What about it?"
"It was glowing green!"
"It was?"
"Yeah and you changed the room!"
Sweetie Belle glanced around and noticed that she had changed the color of the walls from golden brown to mint green. Her cheeks flushed pink in embarrassment.
"That's odd," Rarity observed studying the youngest princess' horn. "It has never done that before."
"Is it bad?" Sweetie asked, still flushing. Like her other sisters (especially Babs Seed), Sweetie Belle rarely did magic because she was not good at it. She was afraid to find out whether this power was a good thing or not.
"No, far from it," Rarity smiled rubbing Sweetie's mane.
"In fact, this is good news!" Sunset added. "It means that your powers are growing. Glowing horns are common among the unicorns."
"But why did my powers take so long to develop?" Sweetie Belle questioned.
"I don't know but it's a very good question!"
"Let's worry about the powers later, we got a gala to prepare!" Rarity reminded her friends. She turned to the nanny. "Oh by the way, Miss Fluttershy you are invited, too."
Fluttershy looked like a deer in the headlights.
"I-I am?"
"Orders by Lady Chrysalis," Sunset answered.
"Yeah she said something about wanting to show off the mare that tamed the Princesses of Draconia!" Pinkie added, ending her sentence with a squealing sound.
Fluttershy looked worried. Something about meeting other royals seemed to make her apprehensive. "I don't know...-"
"Oh come on, Miss Fluttershy!" Apple Bloom chirped. "It'll be so much fun!"
"But girls-"
"We'd be honored if you join us," Screwball smiled also persuading.
"Yeah please, Miss Fluttershy?" The others pleaded. "Pleeeeaaase?"
The girls put on thier best Bambi eyes that they could muster.
Fluttershy really didn't want to go to the gala. She'd feel out of place because she's a commoner. But seeing as how much the princesses want her to accompany them, Fluttershy surrendered.
"All right, I'll come."
"Really?!"
Fluttershy smiled and nodded.
The girls were so happy that they bounced around Fluttershy.
Sweetie Belle's horn glowed green and green balloons appeared on the chandelier.
"Miss Sunset, do you want me to help you with the preparations?" Fluttershy offered.
"No, that's fine," Sunset shook her head. "You don't have to help." As grateful as she was, the orange unicorn didn't want to overload the pegasus with work.
"Oh but I want to," Fluttershy insisted. "I don't want you girls to be burdened."
"We can help too, Miss Sunset!" Sweetie Belle added. Her sisters nodded too excitedly.
"Are you sure?" Sunset asked. The wise mare felt a sense of warmth in her heart that Fluttershy offered to lend a hoof. But she was skeptical at the princesses. Since when do they help out? They were just as lazy as their father!
"Yes!" Fluttershy and the fillies chorused.
Sunset, Rarity, and Pinkie smiled.
"All right, but it's going to be a lot of work. Are you up to it?" Sunset explained.
"Of course, Miss Sunset," Screwball smirked, flashing herself, her nanny, and her sisters, some maid outfits. The swirls in her eyes began to swirl and glow in a lavender aura. "We can do work very fast. After all we have powers after all!"
During the next several hours, the princesses and the staff worked together to get the castle in top shape. Everybody was working together side by side!
Screwball and Sweetie Belle helped Rarity and Pinkie decorate the ballroom. The heir used her powers to make the chandelier sparkle with color-changing lights. She and Rarity also set up the tables with ivory table cloths and silverware. After a couple of tries, the youngest princess got her horn to change the color of the walls back to golden brown.
Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash made sure that the security was doing well.
Fluttershy helped Flash Sentry clean the court yard. It was easy for Fluttershy because she had done it before. She taught Flash how to care for the flowers and keep the grass neat.
In the kitchen, Apple Bloom assisted Applejack with cooking the food. They had to make lot of dishes for many guests. With Apple Bloom's powers, the females managed to make 49 apple pies, 49 apple fritters, 49 apple salads, and 49 apple ciders in a matter of minutes. When Applejack could not store anymore food into her own fridge, Apple Bloom flashed another refrigerator for her.
Babs Seed and Sunset walked down the hallways, making sure that the rooms were clean and neat.
By the time evening came, the castle was prepared for the party.
Flash and the girls stood out in courtyard and studied the castle.
"Well, I'll be," Applejack said softly. "The castle has never look so grand in ages!"
"Thank you so much everypony for all your help!" Sunset praised. "Especially you Miss Fluttershy and your highnesses. We could not have done it without you."
"It was nothing," Fluttershy blushed.
"Yeah no big," Babs Seed chirped.
"I can't wait for the gala!" Pinkie shouted. "It's going to be so much fun! Ooo, I'm so nervicited!"
"You do realize that's not a real word, right?" Applejack deadpanned.
The others just simply laughed, used to Pinkie's nonsensical vocabulary.
Suddenly the day of the gala arrived.
Apple Bloom looked out of the window from the nursery.
"Look girls, I can see the guests now!" the princess yelped excitedly. Her sisters rushed to the window and gasped.
"There must be dozens of them!" Scootaloo cried.
"Maybe there's a prince who wants to dance with you, Screwy!" Babs Seed teased, nudging Screwball in the arm.
"Har har, very funny!" Screwball grumbled. There was one boy she want to dance with but he's not here.
Sweetie Belle gave Babs a disapproving look before putting her hoof on Screwball's arm.
"Don't worry, big sister. You don't have to dance with a Prince. You can dance with us!"
"Yeah, it'll be a sisters night out!" Scootaloo piped up.
Screwball felt her gloominess melt away a little as she smiled at her sisters. Perhaps just spending an evening with her sisters would be all the company she could use.
"You're right," she hugged them after stretching out her arms very long. "Besides we have a song to perform so we better stick together."
Every noble from every part of Equestria hopped off their carriages and headed toward the castle. They all looked forward to this party for it's the first one that Discord has thrown in years
"This party is going to be great!" Prince Ayaan cheered to his friend Prince Rutherford.
"It better be," Rutherford responded.
"Ugh, why do we have to go visit that dreadful King and his horrible daughters?" Queen Spoiled Rich of Ponyville gagged to her husband, Filthy Rich.
"Darling, please be nice," Filthy Rich hissed. "I don't want my partnership with him to be ruined! And that goes to you, too Diamond Tiara!"
"Yes, Daddy," his daughter winced at her father's tone.
"Now Blueblood, I want you to be on your best behavior," Queen Luna reminded her nephew sternly. "Do you understand?"
"Yes Aunt Luna," Prince Blueblood sighed in a bored voice. He didn't see how this party could be any fun.
"Sister, did you raise the moon up?" Celestia asked Luna.
"Yes, Sister."
"I wonder what the Draconian princesses are like now?" The Duke of Maretonia asked his wife.
"I bet they are beautiful!" The Duchess of Maretonia wondered in amazement.
Flash Sentry and Rainbow Dash opened the gates as soon as they saw the elite. The two pegasi bowed and greeted each noble that passed by them.
"WHERE THE TARTURUS IS DISCORD!?" Lady Chrysalis screamed at Sunset, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. They were in the throne room, waiting for guests, but mostly, Discord.
"I'm sure he's-"
"Shut up!" Chrysalis snapped at Sunset. "Your days are numbered! I told you a hundred times to sent a note to Discord!"
"No you didn't," Pinkie Pie mumbled. Even the perky pony was having enough of this changeling.
Chrysalis swished her head to the assistant cook.
"What was that?"
Pinkie stuttered only to be rescued by Applejack.
"What she means your Ladyship is that Discord is very busy but he should be on his way-I hope."
"Well one of you, anybody, I don't care, go and call him again! If Discord does not show up to announce our engagement to the world, I will look like a laughing stock! And I don't want my reputation to be ruined! I am the Baroness, I deserved to be treated like a saint! Do I make myself clear?" Chrysalis barked.
"Y-Yes, my Ladyship!" the staff gulped.
Sunset dashed off to write another message for Discord. Applejack and Pinkie Pie went to the kitchen to check on the food. As they went away their seperate ways to do their duties, each mare felt a little bit shaken up and angry. They wondered out of all the Royal women, why did the Flim and Flam brothers pick her for Discord?
All the guests gathered into the throne room. They were greeted by Lady Chrysalis, who did a marvelous job acting sophisticated and proper.
Rarity came into the throne room and announced every pony's attention.
"Introducing the five princesses of Draconia!"
The first princess to trot in was Screwball. She was dressed in a pink gown with short puffy sleeves. Her dress had a white frilly sash with pink in the middle. The white frills appeared on the hem of her dress, the hem of her sleeves, and on her collar. On Screwball's chest, was her brooch of a baseball. Screwball bowed down to the crowd and stood next to Lady Chrysalis. She was still secretly a bit wary of the noblemare but stood next to her anyway for appearances.
The second princess to walk in was Babs Seed. Her gown was midnight blue with blue frills which were at the hem of her dress. She had long sleeves that had frills on her elbows and frills on the end of her wrists. Her dress had a sash that was tied to the side of her waist, rather than on the back. Her brooch was of a pair of scissors. Like her sister before her, Babs Seed bowed down to the crowd. After that, she stood next Screwball.
The third princess to waltz in was Apple Bloom. She was donned in the exact same gown as Screwball's, only except it was in salmon with cream frills. There was a brooch of a purple apple with a pink heart in the middle on her chest. Apple Bloom waved to the guests-only to be interrupted by Rarity's cough. Apple Bloom blushed, forgetting that she was supposed to keep her hooves folded together like holding a lily. She bowed in front of the audience and stood next to her sisters.
Scootaloo was up next. Her gown was lavender with gray frills that showed on her long sleeves, her wrists, her collar, and the hem of her dress. Her sash was tied to the side of her waist like Babs Seed's sash. Her brooch displayed a purple pegasus wing with a pink lightning bolt in the middle. Instead of trotting gracefully like her sisters, she skipped! When she did, she tripped on her dress and fell! (Princess Dimond Tiara of Ponyville snickered at the sight, only to be nudged by her father, Filthy Rich.) Scootaloo quickly stood up, bowed, and quickly walked to the side of her sisters. If she weren't in the company of adults, she would have punched whoever laughed at her.
It took the nervous youngest princess a while to take her turn. Prompted by Fluttershy, Sweetie Belle took a deep breath and gracefully trotted into the throne room. Her purple gown had light blue frills that appeared on her sleeves, her wrists, her collar, and the hem of her dress. Her brooch was a purple star with a pink heart in the middle. When Sweetie Belle looked at the audience to bow, the sight of many ponies spooked her so much that her horn lit up and aimed toward the ceiling! The impact was strong enough to form cracks on the ceiling but not enough for it to fall down.
Many guests gasped (Diamond Tiara snickered again until her father nudged her to stop.)
Sweetie Belle looked to Rarity for help.
The Royal seamstress frantically, motioned for Sweetie Belle to bow. Rarity had to get a janitor to fix that ceiling after the gala.
So Sweetie Belle did and quickly walked to where her sisters were before her horn could light up again.
All princesses bowed to the guests together. A round of applause rang throughout the throne room. Despite a few missteps, the royals were delighted at how graceful the princesses were.
"Their father must be proud of them," Celestia whispered to Luna.
"Speaking of him, where is Discord?" Luna whispered back. "It seemed rude of him to not show up to his own party."
"Don't worry, Mothball, I'm sure your parents are here," Discord comforted Mothball, for what seemed like a hundredth time.
"That's what you said several hours ago before we left!" the colt barked. The two males were back in their room at the hotel. Despite looking at every dragon cave (and fighting off every dragon that lived there) Mothball's parents were nowhere to be found. "I am beginning to think that-that...,"
Mothball's eyes began to form tears.
"Now don't say that Mothball!" Discord said abruptly. "We saw in my mirage, your parents are alive, and we will find them!"
Mothball sniffled and wiped away his tears.
"You are right, I'm sorry acting like a sissy."
"No problem, kid."
An annoying ringing sound came from the desktop. It was another letter with an orange glow and a Draconian seal on it.
Discord rolled his eyes.
"Oh brother, what is bacon head bellyaching about?"
Mothball took the rolled up letter from the desktop and hoofed it over the King.
"You should open it."
"Oh it's probably nothing to worry about." Discord scoffed. "It could be one of my daughters acting up and no pony except Miss Fluttershy, knows what to do." Lazily, he opened the letter, expecting to hear Sunset whining about his daughters. But what he read, made his eyes pop out of his sockets!
"THE GALA!?" The King looked at the grandfather clock. It was 6:00pm. The gala started an hour ago. "OH NO, I'M LATE!" He turned to the young boy. "Mothball, I am afraid we have to cut this search short."
"WHAT, BUT WE CANNOT GO NOW!" the refugee shouted. His hope quickly turned to anger. "YOU SAID THAT WE'D FIND MY PARENTS NO MATTER WHAT! WHY DO WE HAVE TO GIVE UP NOW? I THOUGHT YOU'D HELP ME! BUT I WAS WRONG!"
He quickly ran out of the room.
"Mothball, wait!" Discord shouted. He ran after the boy.
Mothball ran and ran until, he came upon a hill. The colt sat down curled up in a ball and pouted. He squeaked when he found Discord sitting down next to him. (Discord had flashed beside him.) Mothball glared at the King and turned his back to him.
The chimera sighed.
"Mothball, will you please listen to me?" he pleaded gently.
The boy said nothing and kept his back to him.
The King sighed again, trying to think of how to make the the teenager understand.
"Mothball, I'm not canceling the search. I'm just cutting it short. Think of it as taking a break."
The teenaged boy turned around and raised his eyebrow at the king.
"What do you mean by 'taking a break?'
"I meant that we'll just quickly go back to my castle, make sure everything's fine there and resume our search party!" Discord explained, putting birthday hats on him and on the boy. He also summoned Mothball a piece of vanilla mousse cake. "This is..not cheering you up, isn't it?"
"Well, I still don't understand why we have to go back for the gala." grumbled Mothball. "Couldn't you just notify Sunset that you can't go?"
"Unfortunately I have to be there Mothball." Discord responded apologetically. "As King, there are duties that I can't ignore. Like I said, I will resume the search for your parents after attending the gala."
"Really?" the young changeling asked, feeling tiniest bit of hope.
"Yes," his highness answered. His face turned sour. "Although I am not REALLY looking forward to announcing my engagement to the whole world! Believe me, if it were up to me, I'd much rather run around with you than pretend not to squirm around Lady Chrysalis."
"Lady Chrysalis?" Mothball blinked. "Was it that scary mare who wanted to talk to you or something before we left Draconia?"
"Yep, that's the one." the King grumbled.
"Why do you want to marry the baroness if you can't stand her?" the boy questioned.
"Because!" Discord snapped."It's my duty! My daughters need a mother, my subjects need a queen. As much as I dislike Chrysalis, I can't afford to be romantic."
"Beg your pardon your majesty," the boy pressed on. "But don't you want to marry someone who you love and loves you in return?"
The question made King silent. He wanted to say something but when opened his mouth, no words came out.
"You don't have to answer now," Mothball added patiently. "But please think about it before you announce your engagement."
"Oh let's just go home already!" Discord barked before snapping his claws to teleport the boy and himself back home.
All the royals were in the ball room having a good time. Some couples were dancing to the orchestra, led by Octavia. Other royals were taking hors d'oeuvres from waiters and maids. Fluttershy was thrilled to see Queen Celestia.
"Oh Queen Celestia, it's so good to see you!" Fluttershy said joyfully.
"Likewise Fluttershy," Celestia smiled. "I came here to check up on you. How are things going with your job?"
"Wonderful!" Fluttershy responded immediately. "The children were so delightful! I thought I was going to be not good at my job at first, but with help from the staff and the children, I think it turned out just great!"
The children appeared by her side, mesmerized at the Canterlot ruler.
"Miss Fluttershy, do you know Queen Celestia!?"
"Yes, I do," Fluttershy giggled at the princesses starstruck faces.
"Miss Fluttershy was telling me about you." Celestia smiled at the princesses. "And I must say you were all wonderful on your introductions."
"I don't know," Scootaloo said, blushing. "I messed up a little."
"Me too," Sweetie Belle said, thinking back to her incident with her horn.
"Everypony makes mistakes. The important thing is that you two recovered from them very nicely," Celestia responded gently.
The princesses sighed in relief.
Just then Lady Chrysalis appeared. Unlike other royals, she didn't acknowledge Queen Celestia or the little princesses.
"Ah Miss Fluttershy!" The changeling greeted. "There you are! I have something special for you to do." There was a sneaky twinkle in her eyes which confused the mares.
"Um all right," the nanny said, feeling unsure. She really want to spend time catching up with Queen Celestia. But she understood her responsibilities that have to be fulfilled-whatever responsibilities Chrysalis had for her.
Lady Chrysalis led Fluttershy by her hoof to a small stage in center of the ballroom.
"You will be singing a song for the elite!" Lady Chrysalis answered when asked by the little pony what she would be doing.
Fluttershy's eyes almost bulged out of her sockets.
"What!?"
Chrysalis put Fluttershy center onstage and gave her a microphone . The nanny began to fret.
"I have stage fright!" Fluttershy protested. "I really can't sing-"
"You will sing by my orders!" Chrysalis commanded. "Ponies everywhere want to hear about the mare that taught music to the princesses of Draconia! Having you sing will make the king and his kingdom look good. And you better sing well because if you sing badly, you'll embarrass the kingdom and lose your job! Understand?"
"Y-Yes, my Ladyship!" Fluttershy stammered.
Lady Chrysalis rang her bell to get everypony's attention.
"I want to thank you all for coming to the party of me and King Discord (who is running late). You will be hearing a performance by the children's school teacher, Miss Fluttershy."
A round of applause was heard throughout the ballroom.
Chrysalis gave Octavia a note to play and Octavia started up the band.
Fluttershy gulped. Out of all the ponies to sing in front of the party guests, why her? When she started her song, her voice was soft, barley audible.
"I can't hear her!" One party stallion whispered to another one. Fluttershy gulped again but proceeded singing anyway.
Celestia and the children signaled Fluttershy to raise her voice. As she did, Fluttershy also closed her eyes, not wanting to look at the crowd.
At the last note, Fluttershy fainted! But just as she was collapsing, Fluttershy didn't hit the floor. She felt herself in a pair of strong arms-technically a paw and a talon. She opened her eyes and was surprised to see a certain draconequus smirking down at her. She gave him a look that yelled, 'Save me!'
"Relax, my dear," Discord chuckled lightly. The King pushed her back up on the floor. He winked at her as he flashed a microphone for himself and sang his part.
"Keep your eyes on me," Discord whispered to his employee.
Fluttershy felt her fear disappear. As she looked at her King, Fluttershy forgot about the ponies, the baroness, the children and everything around her. All she could focus on was him. For some reason, the King looked very hoofsome tonight. Automatically, she sang the chorus with Discord.
The pony and the draconequus were smiling and gazing into each other's eyes. They almost did not hear the crowd applauding for them.
"Oh thank you, thank you so much, your majesty!" Fluttershy cried as she hugged a shocked Discord. She breathed out a sigh of relief and snuggled in his arms. They were so strong and warm that Fluttershy felt that she could stay in them forever.
"Anything..., Fluttershy," the King stuttered. Not only was his face flushed, but his heart was pounding in his chest.
The princesses shared each other big smiles.
"Oh my gosh, are they in love?" Apple Bloom whispered to her big sister.
"Of course they are!" Screwball said. "Didn't you see them gazing into each other's eyes?"
"Did you notice how daddy got up to sing with Fluttershy? It was so romantic!" Sweetie Belle sighed.
"I don't know about you guys, but I like the idea of Fluttershy being my mother!" Babs Seed said happily.
"Oh me too, me too!" Scootaloo jumped, happily.
"Grr, what the heck just happened!?" Chrysalis growled underneath her breath. This was not how she thought the outcome would turned out. She had expected the namby pegasus to freak out and flee out of the ballroom! And it would have worked had that idiot future fiance of hers didn't spoil everything!
Rarity whispered to Sunset that it was time for the children to sing their act. Thus, Sunset Shimmer got onstage with the microphone and bowed to King Discord and Fluttershy.
"Wow, that was a tremendous performance! Thank you you majesty and Miss Fluttershy! Let's give them a round of applause for such a lovely duet!"
The guests cheered and stomped their hooves for the blushing nanny and the sheepish King. They bowed and exited the stage.
Sunset resumed her speech. "And now the next show will be the princesses of Draconia bidding you all goodnight before they go to bed!"
The crowd stomped their hooves.
"OK, that's our cue!" Screwball whispered to her sisters.
"What, 10:30 already!?" Scootaloo groaned.
"Oh, suck it up! Be happy that we got to stay up an hour later!" Babs Seed hissed.
The five little princesses poofed onstage, almost scaring Sunset. (They giggled at Sunset's scared look.)
Sunset trotted offstage and gave Octavia a note to play. Octavia started up the orchestra. Screwball and Babs Seed formed a single line while the younger three positioned themselves behind them. Screwball and Babs Seed began to sing, followed by the three younger princesses.
When the performance was over, the guests started to converse with each other, excitedly on how wonderful the princesses were.
"Wow, those fillies were tremendous!" Prince Rutherford marveled.
"Indeed," Blueblood agreed. "I never thought I'd say this but...they are talented."
"Discord, how did you get the girls to behave so well?" Prince Ayaan asked.
Discord looked fondly at Fluttershy who was conversing with Celestia and Luna.
"I had some help."
He excused himself and strode over to Fluttershy who had just finished talking with the two royal sisters. When Discord met Flutterhsy's gaze, he noticed how the pegasus blushed but smiled shyly at him. For some reason, this made him feel giddy. The King felt himself blushing as he returned her with a genuine smile.
"Miss Fluttershy, would you like to sit with me at the dinner table and later have a dance?"
Fluttershy lit up like a firefly. Being with the king made her feel giddy.
"I love to, your highness!"
Discord's heart fluttered at his nanny's answer. He began leaning forward as if he wanted to kiss her.
Fluttershy felt a little scared yet at the same time, excited. She felt her eyes closing as she started leaning forward.
"Miss Fluttershy, " Rainbow Dash popped in, causing both the yellow pony and the chimera to quickly jump back from each other. Rainbow Dash observed their red faces and wondered what was wrong with them. "I am sorry to interrupt but the fillies want a bedtime story and they only want you, nopony else. So can you come upstairs for a bit?"
"Sure Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy responded. She faced Discord again who looked a little peeved at his lieutenant's interruption. Fluttershy giggled at his expression. "I'll be right back, your highness."
"Don't worry, I'll save a seat for you at the table, Miss Fluttershy," Discord told her gently.
As Fluttershy went upstairs to the nursery, Discord stood by the staircase. He'd wait for her, no matter what.
After Fluttershy bid the children good night, she stepped out of the nursery room, only to bump into...Discord!?
"Oh Your Highness, I didn't know you were coming upstairs!" Fluttershy flushed. She smiled and giggled, feeling like a young school filly. "But no matter, let's go downstairs together."
Just as Fluttershy was about to take his paw, Discord halted her with his claw. He looked very grim.
"Miss Fluttershy, I came here to tell you something. I am afraid I won't be needing you anymore."
Fluttershy looked hurt and shocked.
"What, I-I-I d-don't understand," she stammered. "Am I being fired? Did I do something wrong?"
Discord halted his paw to silence her ramblings.
"No, you did not do anything wrong," he explained calmly and stoically. "It's just that tonight, I am going to propose to Lady Chrysalis and later announce our engagement. Now that the children are going to have a mother, they would not need a governess anymore."
Fluttershy felt her heart shattering into a million of pieces. A while ago, she was asked to sit next to her employer and dance with him. Now he's kicking her out!? How could he just throw her away like that? Fluttershy had no idea how long she would stay at the castle but she thought it would be for a very long time! She thought that she and the King were getting along so well! What happened? Did her really think of her not fit to watch the children? The children! How was she going to explain to them?
"Could I tell the children goodbye?" Fluttershy dared to ask. Maybe she could tell Screwball and leave it to her to explain to the little ones.
"No," Discord answered, still emotionless. "It would upset them. Leave right away because the family and servants would be too busy with the wedding preparations." The chimera conjured up a pink slip and gave it to the shell-shocked pony.
"Oh come now, Miss Fluttershy," the ruler chuckled. "Did you really think that our little duet meant anything? I only came up there to save my reputation, not because I felt sorry for you! I mean, the idea of me falling in love with you is laughable! Hello, it's against the law for us to be together! However, even if I did, I would still marry Chrysalis and keep you as a mistress! But Celestia would kill me for trying to do that. So pack up your bags and return to Canterlot immediately!"
It took a lot of the pegasus' strength to not break down and sob before His Majesty. Hurt and heart-broken, Fluttershy galloped to her bedroom to pack.
Once the pegasus left, a huge green flame engulfed Discord. It was Lady Chrysalis! Lady Chrysalis had disguised herself as King Discord to fire Fluttershy! She had snuck upstairs into the hallway, knowing that Fluttershy would tuck the kids in bed. She had donned her disguise while Fluttershy read to the children so that once she came out, Chrysalis would catch her like a Cat catching a mouse!
"That was excellent!" the Baroness chuckeld evilly to herself. "Her love for Discord was delicious and made me very strong! Now that I got Miss Fluttershy out of the picture, I can easily get rid of the Draconian family and rule Draconia!"
"You!"
The Baroness heard a gasp coming from across the nursery. Chrysalis turned around and was surprised to see Copper!
Copper (or Mothball in disguise) witnessed the whole scene! When he and Discord came home, the king had poofed Mothball back to their room. The boy had gone out to ask Applejack for a glass of water when he spotted Fluttershy coming out of the nursery. When he saw the fake Discord talking to the nanny, he thought it was the real Discord, too, until the green fire revealed who really tricked Fluttershy into leaving.
"I can't believe what just happened!" Copper growled. "I'm going to tell the King about this!"
Before he could leave, Chrysalis flew in front of him with a death glare.
"Go ahead and do it, little pony," she spoke in a cold and icy tone. Her eyes narrowed at him, clenching her jaw. "And I will kill you and make it look like an accident!" She held up her knife to show that she was serious.
The color drained from the boy's muzzle. Out of fear for his safety, Mothball gulped and promised.
"I-I w-won't say a-anything!"
The real Discord was still by the foot of the stairs, waiting for Fluttershy.
"Oh come on!" he muttered to himself. "How long does it take to put the girls to bed?" He knew he was being impatient, but he could not wait to dance with Fluttershy and dine with her! When he heard hoofsteps, he smiled thinking it was Fluttershy. Dissapointment flashed in his face when he saw Lady Chrysalis descending downstairs.
"Hello Chrysalis," Discord greeted stoically. "Where is Miss Fluttershy?"
"Oh she had to go to bed," Lady Chrysalis lied. "The poor dear was too tired from the party!"
Discord was confused. Fluttershy had never said she was too tired to join the party. Didn't she say that was going to join him for dinner? She looked very excited, too.
"Maybe I should check on her," he replied. He was about to go upstairs and see if she needed anything when Chrysalis gripped his arm. He looked at her wondering what was up with her.
"Don't bother her," Chrysalis said lowly. "She needed rest."
Before Discord could question it further, Applejack and Pinkie Pie announced that dinner was served. The king escorted the baroness to the dining table. He knew how much Applejack and Pinkie Pie hate to wait serving dinner.
At dinnertime, the King never drank or ate his food. He didn't participate or listen to the conversations that happened at the table (even the ones about politics). All he could ever think of was his nanny. Whenever Fluttershy plagued his thoughts, Discord's heart would accelerate in a good way. When he sang with her, Discord realized that maybe, just maybe, she's the one he couldn't get enough of. Maybe she's the one that he wants to spend-
Chrysalis clinked her wine glass with a spoon to make an announcement. She waited for Discord to stand up and say something but but the time never came. So she decided to take matters into her own hooves.
All royals faced Chrysalis and Discord.
"Thank you for laying your eyes on me," she announced.
'Who would want to lay their eyes on her?' Discord thought with annoyance. He absentmindly took a sip from his chocolate liquor.
"As you all know, Discord and I have wonderful news! We are getting married!"
Discord was so horrified that he spit out his drink from across the table. Before he could say anything to stop this, Chrysalis turned to him.
"Isn't that right, Discord?"
Her question felt more like demand. As if she were demanding him to say something.
"...Yes...," Discord reluctantly answered.
King Filthy Rich raised his wine glass.
"A toast to the happy couple! May Celestia grant you a happy and successful marriage!"
All royals raised their glasses and clinked.
"All hail King Discord and Queen Chrysalis!" They alll cheered. Celestia and Luna were the only ones who noticed Discord being secretly unhappy about this match.
A waiter and a maid had heard the news while waiting to collect the dishes. Once they collected the dirty dishes, they went into the kitchen. But instead of washing the dishes, the waiter and the maid tiphoofed outside to the courtyard. They took out their Walkie talkies. It was Svengallop and Trixie!
"Calling Starlight, this is Svengallop and Trixie, over!" Svengallop called.
"What news have you for me?" Starlight's voice was heard over.
"King Discord and Lady Chrysalis had announced thier engagement!" Trixie reported. "They are getting married!"
"Oh no, this is bad!" Starlight gasped. "With Chrysalis by his side, Discord would surely attack us! And help Chrysalis kill all ponies so they could rule Equestria!"
"It doesn't make a difference. He's all powerful whether he's by himself or allied with someone. What chance do we stand against Discord?" Svengallop questioned.
"Yeah, it's not as if we have some kind of magic that would eradicate him," Trixie added.
"I've been working on it," Starlight answered patiently. "Ever heard of a creature called the Tatzleworm?"
"No," Svengallop and Trixie spoke.
"Well, the Tatzleworm is a giant worm that lives underneath a large pink flower on a hill in Ponyville. When it sneezes, it spreads a lot of mucus around. The Tatlzeworm's mucus is very fatal, especially to those with magic. If we could collect some mucus, we would use it to weaken Discord enough for an assassination! And we'll do the same to Chrysalis and eventually Discord's daughters. What do you think?"
"Sounds so evil and tricky!" Trixie stated. Then she did an evil chuckle. "Oh I love it!"
"Does this mean that we have to go and collect...the poisonous mucus from...the Taztleworm?" Svengallop gulped.
"Yes Sherlock," Starlight answered, annoyed. "Go right now to Ponyville! Don't let the others see you!"
Svengallop answered, "Rodger, over!"
Just then they heard hoofsteps approaching from afar.
"Quick, somepony's coming!" Trixie hissed. She grabbed a broom and a dust pan that was leaning against the back door. "Let's pretend we're sweeping so they won't notice a thing!"
The two spies pretended to work. From the corner of their eyes, they see a distressed buttercream mare slipping out into the night, carrying her baggage. Tears were cascading from her eyes as she flew away into the moonlight.
"Who was it?" Starlight asked worriedly over the walkie-talkie. "Did someopony see you?"
"Nah" Trixie answered not feeling worried at all. "It was that governess Fluttershy who was flying away with her bags. I'm not sure where she was going."
"Bring her to me," Starlight ordered.
"Why?" Svengallop questioned. "I doubt that she could be an obstacle to our plans."
"She might have useful information about Discord," Starlight answered. "Svengallop, you go and get Fluttershy. Trixie you get me the mucus from the Taztleworm. Now get on with it!"
"Right, over!" the two minions reported.
Fluttershy had to get far far away from this place. Just thinking about Discord and the children brought tears to her eyes. The pegasus was thinking so much about them that she did not notice a certain follower of Starlight Glimmer approaching her from behind...