//------------------------------// // The Fall Gala // Story: The Veins Run Deeper // by Thunderblast //------------------------------// Much like clockwork, everything for one of the biggest events of the year came together, piece by piece. While it wasn't his job to enforce the operation of decorating, Night Shadow checked over the halls, the main entrance, and the ballroom to observe the progress made day after day. Around the towering pillars and staircase railings, strings of fake decorative colored leaves and white lights looped around, up to the very top, creating a definitive autumn atmosphere throughout the palace. On tables sat glass-cupped candles, circular branch-like wood and acorns surrounding and beneath, and bowls of small pumpkins with the fresh scent left over from their recent harvest, all being put in place by palace workers, a pink earth pony mare bouncing around, and two pegasi, one rainbow-maned and the other with a buttermilk coat. When they finished, the two exchanged a high-hoof. In the palace kitchen, numerous batches of apple cider, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, as well as apple and pumpkin pies, fritters, and other delectable treats were prepared, commandeered by an orange earth pony mare with a southern-Equestrian accent with a trio of apples for a cutie mark. Outside of where the main festivities were to begin, in a separate room, a marshmallow-white unicorn spent her time carefully threading needles and preparing gorgeous autumn-themed dresses for her, her friends, and even the princesses themselves, all of which were expected to attend this year. To Night, this surely was going to be the best Fall Gala yet. *** The big night was finally here. After weeks of paperwork and preparation, the night of the Gala was tonight. Along with the rest of the Lunar Zodiacs, Night Shadow ensured every little detail would not go neglected. Just hours before the doors were to open, around five o'clock, Night stood in his bathroom after a hot, steamy shower, straightening everything up. This was even before could fit on his dress clothes. He brushed his mane, straightening every last end until it conformed to the shape of his windblown-styled, multi-shaded purple mane. He set down the plastic comb on the granite counter top, then grabbed out his toothbrush to clean up for the third time that day. Spitting out the bubbly, minty toothpaste a minute after, Night then focused on the rest of his body, beginning with his wings. First came a quick preen, followed by a brush to groom his thick, grey coat. This process took even longer than the shower, brushing his teeth, and everything else combined. Lastly, he brushed his tail, removing its typically-spiky, messy appearance and giving it more of an even, neat shape. When all was done and double-checked, Night proceeded out of the bathroom and to his bed, where his suit lay in its plastic wrapping, laid out neatly with the sleeves sticking outward slightly Carefully he removed the suit, undoing the gold buttons one by one up the center of the night-blue jacket and slipping his forehooves through the sleeves, then glancing to his right shoulder where his captain rank insignia rested in a lighter shade of blue, and a white crescent moon similar to Princess Luna's cutie mark above. Trotting over to a tall mirror on the wall, Night adjusted the collar, as well as slip the buttons back through their holes. He unfolded the sleeves to their full lengths, the thin white collars around his hooves nearly reaching the floor at this point. Finally, after an hour and a half of getting cleaned up and dressed, Night was fully prepared. With everything as perfect as he could think of, the dark grey pegasus took the doorknob of his quarters in his hoof, pulling the door open, and exiting into the hallway. Down to the first floor he went, rounding a couple of corners, and turning out just outside of the ballroom to once more check up on the place. Stepping through the doorway, his eyes grew wide with awe. The entire room was decorated to the brim with autumn accessories and ornaments, mixed with the chandelier lighting in the room created an orange-brown hue that glowed slightly throughout. Off to the sides sat some tables where the buffet was being set up with everything that was being prepared in the kitchen prior. Further in, walking steadily down the center carpet (which had strung-together decorative leaves scattered around on the sides) with a lengthy piece of paper and a pencil was a purple alicorn mare, her focus primarily set on writing on said paper, most likely a checklist of things needed to be done. Rolling up the list with her magical grip and dispersing the pencil into a quick puff of smoke, the purple mare turned to the others in the room who'd gathered around her when they finished their tasks. "All right, girls, that's everything!" "Ooo, so pretty!" Said the pink earth pony to her side, now looking around them with the biggest of grins. It was then the fancy white unicorn who spoke next. "I agree, Pinkie, what a splendid job we did!" The purple mare sighed contently. "The princesses will be proud, girls." "Ooh! Speaking of proud," the unicorn gasped, stepping forth. "We should go get dressed! Don't want to be unprepared when the Gala ponies come in, am I right, ladies?" The six mares giggled together, walking toward Night. After a few moments, it finally hit him who it was, and his instincts sprung into action when they approached. "Princess Twilight, Elements of Harmony!" He said with a bit of surprise in his tone, bowing down respectfully to the mares. The group stopped, Twilight raising an eyebrow, as did the rainbow mare floating just above her. The white unicorn lifted a hoof to her muzzle to silence a laugh, which Night couldn't be sure what kind of laugh it was. "At... ease?" Twilight's eyes darted to the side briefly and lowered her hoof slowly. Night stood back up, nodding once to her. "My apologies, Princess, I did not see who you were until—" "It's fine, err—" Twilight's eyes moved to the rank patch on Night's shoulder. "—Captain. It's perfectly fine," she smiled warmly. This made Night's body ease up a tiny bit and breathe a silent breath of relief. "I can see why the princesses assigned you to the decorating," Night returned the gentle smile. "The place looks absolutely stu—" Before he could finish, the pink earth mare jumped right into his face, forcing him to recoil back. "Ooo, a guard! I've never seen a pony like you, you look really cool! What's your name, mister?" She smiled big, leaning on her forehooves excitedly. Behind her, the mares either facehoofed or rolled their eyes. Night blinked twice, silent for a few moments before replying. "Night Shadow." "Oooo, a spooky name, too! I bet you'd love, love, LOVE the Nightmare Night party in Ponyville!" The pink pony exclaimed. "The... Nightmare Night party?" He tilted his head slightly. "Pinkie Pie, he probably doesn't know about—" The pink mare gasped loudly, a squeal following. "You don't know about the Nightmare Night party? What is wrong with you?! You go from house to house and get free candy, it's the best night ever!" She said with a higher-pitched tone to her voice, having darted over to one of the tables and shoved an orange-iced cupcake in her mouth whole and gulped it down without even chewing it! Once more, Twilight rolled her eyes, walking forward to Night. "I apologize for her, she's a party pony and she loves making new friends. She just gets kind of crazy when somepony hasn't heard about the parties she throws," she whispered the last bit. Night nodded in understanding, returning to his normal stance. "It's fine. She's not the craziest pony I've met. Believe me, you don't want to hear about that one." Twilight giggled softly at that. "Now that I would have to hear for myself to believe it. But, later. For now, we must get ready for the Gala. Come on, girls!" She turned and waved her hoof. At her word, the group reassembled and stepped around Night, the pink mare bouncing past with leaps high enough to top a stallion. She then froze quite literally in midair and made direct eye contact with Night, motioning her hoof to signal she would be watching him. His eyes widened with a slight bit of fear as she gave him the death stare, before bouncing back off with the rest of her friends. Standing there with surprise, Night tilted his head again. "...What?" *** And so came the Canterlot royalty, the nobles, and those looking for a good time. From all over the four corners of Equestria ponies came, from the big cities and small towns, from Manehattan to San Prancisco, to the Crystal Empire and Cloudsdale, and even Las Haygas. Standing at the entrance room as always during the opening of the Galas were the princesses—all decked out with matching, yet differently-styled autumn-themed dresses, designed and created by Rarity, one of the Elements of Harmony, one of the ponies Night bumped into when checking on the ballroom. As the sun set, the palace filled up with a colorful array of ponies, all admiring the decorative pieces all around them and enjoying the delicious food at the buffet. Not even Night could keep himself away from the treats laid out on numerous tables put together to form one. Carrying a single paper plate with a couple of apple fritters on it, he rejoined the very ponies he had been spending the evening with since the doors opened. "Couldn't save yourself from the fritters, eh, Night?" chuckled Zipline, taking a sip from a wine glass full of fresh apple cider, the non-alcoholic kind for Night's sake, while also making sure not to get a drop on his dress uniform. "They were driving my nose crazy, I finally gave in," Night replied, taking one of the sugar-coated pastries in his hoof and taking a bite into it. "Oh, yeah," Lodestar chuckled. "I've had a couple myself. That mare from Ponyville sure knows how to bake, doesn't she?" "Mmhmm!" Night nodded while he gulped down the bite of fritter. "I don't think I've had one better than that. Talk about small-town baking!" "So, when's the ceremony starting?" Zipline asked, taking another sip of cider. Night swallowed another lump of fritter and licked the sugar from his lips briefly before replying. "Once the moon is out, I heard. Nopony's seen Princess Luna yet." The ponies in the group exchanged looks. It was then Skye Racer who spoke. "You think everything's okay?" "She's probably getting ready. I wouldn't be concerned about it," Shield suggested. "We would know if something is wrong." "I suppose," Lodestar shrugged, taking a drink of some lemon water, then glanced to his side. A sight he caught nearly made him either spit out or choke on the water. With surprise, the others looked at what he was seeing, also freezing in place with wide-eyes. Moving gracefully through the crowds, in a red-blue diamond dress, mane styled into a bun with a series of curls on the sides, with sapphire-and-silver hanging earrings, Scarlet Iris smiled passionately, her dark blue eyes shimmering in the light of the room, stopping at the edge of the group as they stared with awe. When none of the stallions greeted, or even said anything, the grey thestral's smile faded into a frown and a slight look of concern mixed with a scowl. "What? Never see a mare with bat wings walk up in a dress?" Again, no response. Scarlet snorted. "Well, if none of you have got anything to say, I may as well take myself over to the buffet and stuff myself fat!" "No, no, Scarlet, where's your dress?" Night asked, bottom eyelid raised in one eye. "I'm wearing it! Where else would it be?" "Your uniform. He meant your uniform," Shieldhunter whispered to her from the side. "Well, nopony told me I had to wear it!" Scarlet rolled her eyes, then grinned. "Looks like I made a great decision. Now, where's the cider?" "Buffet table," Lodestar pointed off to the side. "Ah, thank you!" Scarlet smiled big, her wings fluttering a bit before she made her way off to find the cider. "You... do know how she gets around alcohol, right?" Night shifted to Lodestar, taking a bite on the other fritter on his plate. "Is that bad?" The dark cyan pony's head tilted. "No, no, unless you don't like being hit on," Shield nudged Lodestar with his elbow and grinned softly. "Well, well, finally found you all!" Came a new voice from the crowd, prompting Night to glance in that direction. Night smiled, recognizing the voice from anywhere and observed to the approaching unicorn stallion. "Glad you could make it, Sharp." The dark grey unicorn, Sharpblade, trotted over, his silver-white mane styled up in the mohawk that would outmatch a guard's helmet mane piece. He wore an all-black suit, minus the red hoof collars and gold buttons up the center, with a short gold chain attached to a whistle tucked away into one of the pockets. He was one of the taller and stockier stallions out of the group, if not the tallest. Behind him walked a fawn-maned black unicorn of similar build and size, a scarlet earth pony, and a brown earth pony in a Lunar uniform with a specialist's insignia, a red cross over Luna's moon, telling all around he was a medic pony. "So, these must be your ponies," Sharp nodded his head once to the group. "I'm Sharpblade, pleasure to meet you all," he reached his hoof out. "These three rocks are Rescue Sunstreak, Red Knight, and Valiant Charge." One by one, everypony exchanged hoof shakes, including Night, who'd only met Valiant a few times prior, Rescue once, and Red Knight never. "Pleasure to meet you all," Valiant bowed his head slightly. "We've met before," Rescue grinned slightly, but still shook their hooves. "In a time of emergency, that is." The scarlet-coated earth pony shook their hooves slightly stronger than the others. "You can call me Big Red if ya want, I don't mind." When the introductions finished, Night looped a hoof around the grey stallion's neck. "This is his first Fall Gala as an attendee," Night said. "Technically, I have attended every Fall Gala, I've just been on duty and what not. You know, away from all of the fun." "Aaaand that one year that I killed you," Night blushed with some embarrassment. "Er, yes, that year I missed it," Sharp nodded slowly. "But, that's beside the point. Anyways, where's Thunder?" "On duty, probably somewhere along the walls or by the doors. Sucks he couldn't make it, we'd have the whole family together!" Night took his hoof from the unicorn's neck. Sharp's cheeks heated slightly. He lifted a hoof to the back of his mane and scratched through it. "Family? D'aww, Night, you flatter me." "Hey, all of you are my second family, I admit it," Night smiled to the group. "One big, happy family... I hope. Hey, wait a minute, Sharp, you haven't met my family yet, have you?" "Nope, I was dead!" Sharp replied with some enthusiasm in his voice, though he didn't mean it. The group chuckled collectively, moments later Scarlet Iris returning with a wine glass full to the brim of the bubble-coated alcoholic drink with an apple slice on the edge. Thankfully, it was only the first she had... so far. *** As the evening went on, the music started, beginning with Octavia Melody and her classical quartet on the stage at the end of the lengthy room. Some ponies gathered to dance slowly with the rhythm, others sitting back to enjoy the soothing music or chat quietly to avoid disturbing the crowd. Glancing slightly around the others, Lodestar gave a welcoming smile to a squad of five thestral ponies, dressed in their uniforms. "Watch out, here comes trouble," he joked. With Duskbloom leading the group and Stellar Star tailing it, the recruits joined the others, Midnight Blade adjusting the suit slightly with some annoyance. "Captain, do we have to wear these atrocities?" She complained. "Afraid so. Come on, you don't look that bad. Look on the bright side, you could have worse uniforms. You could be a city guard," Shieldhunter joked, the group bursting into a fit of laughter, all except Sharpblade who shot him a look. Shield rested a hoof on Sharp's shoulder. "No hard feelings, of course." Sharp slowly nodded. "Right, of course. You're right, it could be worse," he then smirked. "You could make lance corporal after so long, or be me and make sergeant in three years!" "Ooooh, burn!" Scarlet laughed, pointing a hoof at Shield and cackling with laughter. She had her other hoof holding an empty wine glass, with her elbow resting on Red's shoulder. Even the recruits chuckled or snickered while Shield tried to hide his face, laughing awkwardly now that his joke backfired on him. With the recruits now joined and the whole of the group conversing and joking with one another, Night had a growing concern that was gradually crawling up his spine. He looked all around, peeking over the crowd, searching for the dark blue alicorn princess he was expecting to begin the ceremony at any time. What worried him was her absence. Turning to the others, he motioned his free hoof slightly and speaking up. "Hey, guys? I'll be right back, bathroom break." With the majority acknowledging, Night turned and weaved through the crowd carefully, heading for the two-story doorway leading out into one of the palace hallways where more ponies were gathered. He looked in either direction, then proceeded through the crowd. A thought hit him, his first guess as to where she would be, and that was exactly where he was going to go. Night strode between ponies, rounding a corner and approaching a rounded staircase. He received some strange looks along the way, proceeding to ignore them while his mind was set on finding the princess. Leaving the crowd and rounding the darkened staircase, he sighed softly. He could finally begin to think clearly with the noise now behind him, pondering other places to search in case where he was headed would turn up with nothing. Reaching the second floor, he immediately went for Luna's wing, his pace quickened slightly. He stopped just outside of the door, nodding once to the guards standing on either side, then moved into the door, peeking inside. "Princess?" He called out calmly. No response. Becoming inconsiderably more concerned, he entered the spacey room, closing the door behind him gently. Night scanned around the dark room, only just marginally lit by the golden hue of city lights outside and what little light was left from the sun setting. Checking all around, beginning with her study, no sign of the night alicorn was to be found. Her bathroom and balcony were empty, bedroom vacant, her entire quarters were desolate. Night stopped in the center, his ears falling back. There was only one other place in her quarters she could possibly be before he would move on to his other options. Trotting to the small corridor near the balcony, Night moved up the narrow rounded staircase, up into a tower of white stone and gold trimmings. Reaching the top, he breathed a deep sigh of relief, though keeping it quiet to avoid startling the mare. "Princess..." Walking out onto the tower's extensive overhang, where the princess' massive, multi-lensed telescope sat. She, however, was not looking through it, instead sitting in place, overlooking the palace and Equestria. Night stopped just behind her. "Luna? Is everything alright?" The Lunar Diarch softly breathed out, her breath turning to faint steam in the cold breeze. "No, Night, I am fine." "You're up here, all alone, sitting in the cold, missing out on the fun. I wouldn't call that fine," he trotted up and sat to her left. "Is there something on your mind?" "There is quite a bit, but it does not bother me. What about you?" Her head slightly turned, eyes shifting to the grey uniformed pegasus to her side. "Stuff on my mind?" Night returned the glance. "You... had me worried! I thought something happened to you when you weren't with Celestia or Twilight. You have a role down there, too. Ponies want to see you." "I am aware of that, Night. I am simply trying to clear my mind." Sighing after silence, Night faced ahead of them, overlooking the shadowed land with the small, distant cluster of lights of Ponyville. The view truly was stunning, no matter the time of day. "It has been a dark year, as dark as my night sky. Do you know that?" Princess Luna spoke after a minute's silence. Night nodded slowly in agreement. "Lord Tirek's unprecedented rampage across Equestria, war with the eastern Griffon Kingdoms, and a major attack against our military out at sea." "What happened at sea?" Night's gaze shifted toward the alicorn. "One of our ships was nearly hijacked or destroyed by pirates. The pride of my Navy, and she just hardly made it back to Manehattan." "Any fatalities?" "Four. Many more injuries. Everypony who survived is being taken care of or home with their families," Princess Luna sighed, her chin lowering. "Yes, Night, it has been a dark year for our country. I will be visiting the families of those lost soon, as well, to pay my respects." "Let me know when so I can arrange your escort—" "It has already been put together by my House Guard." "Oh," Night looked forward again. "That works, too." Princess Luna nodded slowly, then stood up from where she sat. Night glanced up at her slowly. Then, a white light loomed over them, causing Night's head to snap in the direction of its origin, watching as the full moon rose high into the sky, shedding its reflective light across Equestria. In his four years of being a guard, not once had he been beside Princess Luna as she physically lifted the moon up. "Enough of the sulking, now. I should get dressed. There is a ceremony to begin." *** With the ballroom's doors opening in the magical auras of two unicorn guards, those in the room knelt down into a respectful bow as Princesses Celestia and Luna strode down the leaf-lined carpet, both in their designated Fall Gala dresses and smiling warmly to the crowd around them. Behind followed Princess Cadence, and to her side, Princess Twilight. Up on the wide podium, a slow chorus of trumpets performed by members of both the City and Lunar Guard while the princesses entered, taking their positions two steps up from the floor. The trumpets stopped, and ponies stomped or clapped their hooves. The guards removed the instruments from the podium and took up lined positions on either sides on the floor surrounding the raised section of the room. Taking the microphone from its attaching pole in a yellow hue, Princess Celestia spoke softly, but enough for the room to hear clearly. "Mares and gentlecolts, tonight, we thank each and every one of you for coming to the forty-second annual Fall Gala. Every year, ponies from all over Equestria flock to our great city to attend, and this year marks our largest attendance to date. Within moments, the crowd cheered and stomped again. This made Princess Celestia chuckle slightly, raising her hoof and motioning it for ponies to allow her to continue. Instead, however, the microphone was turned to Princess Luna. "More so, tonight is a very special occasion. Not just because of the festivities themselves we gather to celebrate every year on this very night, but to celebrate the ponies that dedicate their lives to ensure our freedom, and our safety. "Over the course of a year, Equestria has shifted between an era of peace, and times of war. We encourage the spread of peace and harmony, as well as friendship and love throughout the land, and around the globe. War... is a terrible thing. This year alone, Equestria has been at war twice within a month of each other. The war against Lord Tirek, and the war against the Griffon Empire. "But after much time of armistice, we are once more in a day of unity, and our unity to the rest of the world can only get stronger. Of course, this could not have been done without the bravery and sacrifices our Royal guards and members of the military make. We are also here to celebrate these valiant ponies. "Tonight, mares and gentlecolts, we are honoring the latest graduating class of the Royal and Lunar Guard!" Once more, cheering and stomping erupted in the ballroom. Princesses Celestia and Luna stepped slightly off to the side to make way for the guard graduates lining up in rows on the podium, while Princesses Cadence and Twilight went to sit back with their friends. The ponies, a mixture of mostly stallions and mares in between, stood proudly on their levels to ensure all could be seen without some hidden behind one another. The City guards wore uniforms similar to that of Sharpblade's, minus the rank insignias, whilst the Lunar guard graduates wore dark blue with silver buttons, and a lighter shade of blue and purple put together for the hoof collars. Some towards the front teared up or smiled, knowing their foals, mates, or spouses were up there with that stoic, rock-hard expression forged by months of tough physical and mental training. These ponies were the future of the Royal Guard. "Captain Shining Armor of the Royal Guard, Prince of the Crystal Empire, will now be performing the graduating ceremony, as well as providing the graduates with their new ranks," Princess Celestia announced. Moving up next sauntered Shining Armor, dressed in the very red and white-striped uniform he chose for his wedding, the white and blue shield, with the purple six-pointed star in dead center, sat slightly off across his chest. Wrinkling her muzzle, Twilight's horn glowed, her magic adjusting the shield so it was neat and even. This drew a few chuckles from the crowd, as well as the other princesses and Shining Armor himself, nodding once to his little sister. Returning their focus to the ceremony itself, the bulky white unicorn stallion shifted around, facing the recruits. "Attention!" He lungfully shouted, the collective clicking of hooves and bodies shifting into attention stance echoing slightly above the low chatter in the room. The microphone was then levitated to him. "On this special evening, parents, friends, and family have come from all over to observe these ponies transform from colts and fillies, to stallions and mares. They have given their all and plus some, and because of this, within the next couple of weeks, they will be on the streets and around the Canterlot Palace, on duty as full-fledged Royal guards. "Weeks, and weeks, and weeks of emotional wear and tear, drenched in their own blood and sweat and bones aching until they could go no more, these ponies have come, and I am more than honored to graduate these fine ponies from the Royal Guard training academy. Glancing to one of the guards, he nodded once. The guard stepped back up to the podium and Shining Armor, holding out a plan wooden box and opening it with his hoof, inside resting the insignia patches. One by one, the graduates stepped up to him, Shining using a quick spell to instantly sew the patches onto their shoulders, each pony saluting and him returning it before exchanging for another. When the last pony received their patch, officially promoting them to a private, Shining Armor returned to the mic. "Mares and gentlecolts, the Class of 2014 Royal Guard Graduates!" Once more, the crowd in the ballroom erupted into cheers, stomps, and claps as the new guards stood proudly in place. Not long after, they were taken off from the platform, led by one of the guards. It was Princess Luna who was next to take the microphone. "But that is not all for the graduating ceremony, mares and gentlecolts. Finally, new graduates have made it to the elite, the best of the best of the Royal Guard. Tonight, five new ponies will now be a very important part of my personal guard, the Lunar Zodiacs. This is quite unprecedented, as full graduation of all who initially join is extremely rare. "Mares and gentlecolts, please welcome, the Class of 2014 Lunar Zodiac Graduates!" "That's your cue," Night nudged gently at Stellar Star, who gulped slightly and began leading the other four thestrals up onto the stage. Ponies cheered, but it was not nearly as loud as before. Some gasped or remained silent altogether observing the bat ponies take up their positions in attention posture. Again, Shining Armor called up the guard, bringing a separate box with Luna's moon engraved on top, then like before, provided the uniforms with their patches respectfully, each saluting as the Captain finished. Stellar Star couldn't keep a stoic look throughout the ceremony, instead smiling nervously. It hit him, however, that the reason why nopony cheered or stomped as much was because of one reason, and one reason only. They were bat ponies. *** Fifteen long minutes later, the ceremony came to a close, and the Gala festivities returned to normal with Octavia once more on the stage, this time performing a solo with her violin. Gathered in a group, everypony held glasses of wine or cider, waiting for the graduates to return. All smiled in greeting as the uniformed thestrals approached. "There they are, the bat ponies of the century!" Night announced, raising his glass and nodding once. A couple of them blushed and looked away, while Halfmoon and Duskbloom kept their primarily-stoic appearances. "Hey, why don't you go get some drinks? You can relax for once," Zipline suggested, grinning and nudging Stellar gently. He silently nodded, then trotted off to find the drink counter, followed by Midnight Blade and Eventide. "Wait for me!" Scarlet called, stumbling a bit and chasing the three through the crowd, bumping into some ponies along the way. Night smiled, rolling his eyes as they walked off, taking a small sip of red wine. To his side, a dark cyan stallion stepped up. "So, what now, Cap?" Lodestar asked. "Now begins the long process of getting the archery training set up," Night answered quietly, enough for only him to hear. Lodestar nodded slowly. "Shouldn't be too hard once we have somepony to handle it." "That's what I'm talking about," Night sipped his wine again. "Oh, well. That can wait a couple of days." "Yeah. You oughta take some time off, Cap." "Nah, I think it's you who should so you can relax. You've been on your hooves just as much if not more than I have lately." "I don't take breaks, Cap," Lodestar smirked slightly. Night chuckled softly. "Same old Lodestar." "Aye," he said. Shortly after, the group of bat ponies returned with different drinks in their glasses, Scarlet giggling and leaning against Duskbloom while she walked. His muzzle was wrinkled in slight annoyance, and behind them, Halfmoon glaring daggers at the mare siding the stallion too closely. Gathering around, the large group lifted their hooves out, holding their drink glasses together. "To the graduates of 2014... and to the Lunar Zodiacs. May our family never separate or shrink." Clinking the glasses, the group gulped down their beverages in one go. Shieldhunter managed to spill some onto his uniform, causing him to jump and wipe a hoof at his mouth. The group burst into a fit of laughter, though not disturbing the ponies around them as chatter and laughter was already the room's ambiance. Tonight was a good night.