My Little Pony : Spirits of Harmony

by PairADice

Ch3: Night at the Museum

Celestial Sky trotted through the museum, inspecting the halls for cleanliness and order. Because most of the artifacts hadn’t been touched since the first grand opening, it was quick and easy work, practically an unnecessary chore. Or it would have been, if this wasn’t her third inspection that day. Even though everything looked great the first time, she thought multiple inspections would be best – out of principle, if for no other reason.

As she turned into the garment hall, a thought came into her mind for the fifth time that day. Perhaps she wasn’t doing extra work out of principle, but rather to suppress her fear that last week’s events or something equally disastrous would return to torment her. Although Princess Gardenia’s attack on Ponyville ultimately resulted in something good, namely gaining five new friends, she would rather not endure another failed grand opening. And she wouldn’t, so long as another calamity didn’t befall Ponyville and she did her job to the best of her ability. With that in mind, she left the garment hall, leaving behind her troubled thoughts.

After completing her third and final inspection, Sky entered the lobby, where Strawberry Shortcake was filling the complementary snack table with baked goods.

“How is the food coming, Berry?” Sky asked.

“It’s coming along just fine!” she replied, giving Sky a reassuring smile while arranging her freshly prepared cakes on silver platters. “You’ve got nothing to worry about here; you can go ahead and check me off that fancy list of yours.”

Sky jokingly shook her head, got out her list, and wrote a big check mark next to a sketch of Berry’s face. As she put her list away, she scanned the desserts to make sure they were presentable, but her eyes stopped when she saw a peculiar dessert. Aside from the white paper cups that contained them, this dessert looked like bits of cloud that had been scooped from the sky with an ice cream scooper. Sky had never seen such a treat, but she trusted that Berry was serving her best.

Noticing that Sky was eying the food, Berry said, “You wanna try one?”

“No, I’m ok.” She held up her hoof. “I’ve never been a fan of sweets.”

“Oh, Sky, that’s the silliest thing I’ve ever heard! Whoever heard of a pony who doesn’t like sweets? And besides, how will you know whether it tastes good or not? C’mon, try one, Miss Curator!”

Sky couldn’t help grinning as she recalled that familiar question from Berry’s childhood. However, the museum was opening soon and now was not the time to be unprofessional. She stifled her smile, shook her head, and firmly said, “No, thank you, Berry. Put it back. We are opening in thirty minutes, and we can’t afford to mess up your arrangement.” Before Berry could insist, Sky turned away and left Berry with her work.

Just when Sky left the food table, Woodwind entered the museum with five of her music students following close behind her. Two students carried their own violin, one carried a viola, another carried a cello, and the last student pushed a cart of music stands.

“Oh good, Woodwind! You’re here!” Sky exclaimed.

“I said that I would come, did I not?” she replied playfully.

“True. I’m just glad you’re here now because our time is short.”

She led Woodwind to the window on the left side of the lobby. A few days ago, upon hearing Woodwind’s offer to provide music for the grand opening, Sky tried explaining that the museum did not have a designated area for musical ensembles. But Woodwind insisted that chamber music would add elegance to the grand opening, and the only decent spot for an ensemble was by one of the lobby windows.

“Will this spot work?” Sky asked. “It isn’t exactly a stage or a concert hall or anything, but it will have to do.”

“This is perfect, Sky. Chamber music does not need to be showy. It is merely a classy means of entertaining, nothing more.”

“Ok then,” she said and then pointed to a cart of chairs that she had moved from the basement, “your chairs are right over there. Set them up however you see fit. And if you need more, there should be extras in the basement. I don’t mean to rush you, but we have to hurry. We open in less than thirty minutes so-”

Before Sky could finish, Woodwind’s students rushed to the chairs and unloaded them from the cart. While half of the students arranged the chairs in a semi-circle, the other half unloaded music stands from their cart and placed one at every seat. Sky was taken aback by their promptness, but Woodwind looked upon her students with a proud smile.

With a smug grin, she looked at Sky and said, “We have plenty of time.”

“Oh…great!” she replied. “You seem to have everything under control here, but before I go, is there anything else that you need?”

She thought for a moment and then shook her head. “No. Once everything is set up, we just have to warm up and tune, and then we will be ready to go! Now go on with your business - nothing to worry about here.”

“Excellent!” Sky breathed a sigh of relief and left Woodwind with her students.

While making her way toward Pair A. Dice and her friends, a knock came from the front door. Sky rushed to the door intending to shoo away any early arrivals. But she opened the door and found Wind Sprint standing outside wearing her empty mail satchel.

“Wind Sprint!” She let her in and shut the door behind her. “I’m so glad you made it!”

“Oh yeah! I wouldn’t miss this! I ran extra hard today to make sure that I would finish my route early, and here I am!” She rubbed her chin and then said to herself, “Hmm, I wonder if I came close to my record time.”

“Well, now that you’re here, you can clean yourself up and get ready to work.” Sky beamed.

Wind Sprint stepped back, looking at Sky as if she had said something absurd. “Work? Nah!” She walked to a lobby bench, put her hooves behind her head, and fell onto the cushions with a plop. She closed her eyes and smiled, saying, “I just ran thirty miles, so I think I’m gonna sit back and enjoy the show.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re excused.” She waved her off. Peeking through one eye, she looked at the food table and called, “Hey, Berry! Toss me a pegasi puff!”

Sky stepped between them and said, “Oh no, no, no. I let you in early. That privilege is reserved for employees. Right, Berry?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Berry replied while pouring juice into a punch bowl.

“Contributing to Sky’s first proper grand opening won’t kill you, Wind Sprint,” Woodwind added from across the room.

Wind Sprint’s eyes popped open and she gave Berry and Woodwind an irritated look. But she simply smiled again and said, “But I am contributing!” She raised her hoof as if she was cheering. “I’m providing moral support. Whoot. Whoot. You’ve got this, Sky!” She held out her hoof, waiting for Sky to bump it.

Instead, Sky grabbed her hoof and pulled her up. “As much as I value your moral support, Wind Sprint, perhaps you would like to channel it into the fillies’ room.”

“The what?” she said, reluctantly getting up from the couch.

“I’ll show you. It’s a bright and colorful section of the museum designed to provide a fun yet educational experience for fillies and those who are young at heart.”

For a moment, Wind Sprint was cintrigued by this “bright and colorful” area, and when she got there she was not disappointed. The room was filled with vibrant, filly-friendly displays, featuring simplified highlights from elementary Equestrian history and artifacts that would appeal to fillies. But most intriguing of all was a huge, rectangular sandbox that occupied a majority of the floor. Other than the sandbox’s abnormally large size, it was different from regular playground sandboxes because multiple archeology brushes were spaced evenly along the sandbox walls.

“What is this?” Wind Sprint said, bumping her hoof on the side of the sandbox.

“This is a fun, interactive activity that shows fillies what it is like to be an archeologist.”

“How…exactly?”

“You see,” she continued and started acting out what the fillies would be doing, “all the fillies have to do is sit right here outside the sandbox, pick up the brush, and gently brush away the sand and discover their very own fossil! Isn’t it great?”

Wind Sprint stared at Sky blankly.

“It seems a little simplistic, I know. But trust me, they’ll love it! And who knows? Maybe this experience will cause somepony get his or her Cutie Mark tonight!”

“Yeah, the lame ones,” Wind Sprint said under her breath.

“Huh?”

“Nothing,” she snapped.

“Alright then,” she stood and pointed down at the sandbox, “that is what they will be doing, and all you will have to do is monitor the room. Just make sure that the fillies don’t ruin the displays or start throwing sand at each other. Oh, and you’ll have to re-spread the sand once all the fossils have been uncovered. Easy, right?” She started walking away from Wind Sprint and asked, “Now, why don’t you go get yourself cleaned up. We open in twenty minutes. Do you have any questions for me before I leave you to it?”

“No…but, Sky…I don’t want to foalsit a herd of fillies!”

“It’ll be fine, and you’ll have fun.” Before leaving, she raised her hoof encouragingly and said, “You have my moral support!”

Now that the filly room was covered, Sky returned to the lobby and checked on Woodwind and Berry, who had just finished their final preparations. Everything was ready, and Angel Eye stood by the entrance, waiting for Sky’s permission to open the doors. But before the night could begin, Sky needed to make sure that Pair and her friends were ready to begin.

Since Woodwind and Berry had offered to contribute to the grand opening, Pair practically demanded to contribute as well. Pair had asked to be a tour guide, and though Sky didn’t plan on having tour guides, a mishap that she had with Pair caused her to reconsider:

The morning that Sky and her friends returned from the Everfree Forest, Pair threw a mild fit because she didn’t have enough time to see everything in the museum the night before. Feeling sorry for Pair, Sky decided to let her into the museum; besides, it wasn’t Pair’s fault that Princess Gardenia’s schemes cut the grand opening tragically short. But Pair, in her haste, zipped through the museum at an unbelievable speed, leaving behind a trail of blue light, and sent the information cards flying off of their pedestals.

Sky stood frozen in shock while Woodwind, Berry, and Angel Eye scurried to fix Pair’s mess. The cards were so scattered that they couldn’t figure out where each label was supposed to go. And just when Sky was about to intercede, Pair zipped back into the hall and realized that she had made a mess. After giving a quick apology, she scooped up the scattered cards and started placing them back on their respective pedestals quickly and accurately, mumbling history trivia to herself the entire time.

After witnessing that, Sky had no doubt that Pair could be a competent tour guide: it was her explosive enthusiasm that concerned Sky. But she chose to trust that Pair would rise to the occasion. After all, she couldn’t imagine anypony willingly volunteering to be a tour guide unless they were absolutely sure that they could do the job well. But for good measure, Sky prepared a cheat-sheet last night, should Pair’s memory fail during a tour.

Sky heard Pair talking from around the corner. After taking a deep, reassuring breath, she entered the hall and found Pair standing before a line of five ponies. Pair wore a fierce expression as she paced in front of her friends, who stood with their chests out and their eyes locked in a firm, militaristic gaze.

“Uh…Pair?” Sky said.

Pair ignored Sky and continued pacing with a dramatic look of determination. When she finally stopped, she faced her friends and proclaimed, “Ponies of Equestria! Of Ponyville! My fellow gamers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me!”

“Pair, what are you-”

“SHH!!!”

Sky backed off, and once Pair was sure that Sky would allow her to finish her speech, she continued, “The day may come when the skills of gamers fail! When we forsake our fun and break all bonds of friendship! But it is not this day! An hour of timberwolves and forsaken game shops, when the age of ponies comes crashing down. But it is not this day! This day we teach! By all the trinkets that you hold dear on your nightstand, I bid you teach, gamers of Ponyville!”

The five ponies cheered and dispersed to their designated area.

Now that Pair had finished, Sky said, “Pair, you know that you’re not going off to war, right? You’re just giving tours of the museum.”

“Oh, Sky,” she said, shaking her head and placing her hoof on Sky’s shoulder. “No matter the terrain, no matter the facility, no matter the game board – everywhere is a battleground!”

“Fine, if that’s the way you want to look at it, go for it.” Sky laughed under her breath and rolled her eyes. As she walked away she said, “But I expect you to take this job seriously, and I better not catch you using the ancient armor as costumes!”

“Yes, ma’am!” She saluted even though Sky’s back was turned to her.

Sky returned to the entrance and stood next to Angel Eye. She took a moment to compose herself, and then she gave Angel Eye a nod, signaling for her to open the door.

The doors opened and Sky met a ripple of applause from the ponies of Ponyville. Dozens of ponies surrounded the red carpet that had been laid out for the princess. Though Sky knew that most of these ponies only showed up to see the princess, she stood before her audience as the hostess she was expected to be.

“Fillies and gentlecolts, thank you for coming to the grand opening of the Ponyville Historical Museum. Though Ponyville is considered a small town in Equestria, it is not without its share of significance in our great country’s history. I would like to personally thank you, the good citizens of Ponyville, for your warm hospitality and generous contributions. Without it, this project would not have been possible. Now without further adieu, let us welcome the Ruler Equestria, the Sustainer of Harmony: Princess Twilight Sparkle!”

Suddenly, Princess Twilight’s chariot descended from the sky and landed gracefully in front of the museum, and the crowd erupted into applause. Ponies craned their necks to get a look at the princess, cheering and applauding as she stepped onto the red carpet. She gracefully waved at the crowd and then proceeded to walk toward the museum; however, the procession did not end with her. A line of chariots carrying Canterlot nobles followed and they too proceeded down the red carpet with their noses in the air. The Ponyville folks stood by and gawked at their gaudy attire, embellished with all manner of jewels and fashionable accessories.

Sky stepped aside, bowed before her princess and mentor, and let her enter first. She watched her mentor gaze upon the museum, and though Sky wasn’t certain, she thought that her mentor’s smile seemed to be one of reminiscence.

But Sky didn’t have time to ask or ponder on such things; right now she had to welcome the Canterlot nobles. Standing by her mentor’s side, she shook hooves and exchanged brief pleasantries, watching intently and judging their reactions as they entered the museum. From what Sky could tell, they looked mildly impressed. She bit her lip and started wondering if she had done something wrong – maybe the room wasn’t pristine enough; maybe she overlooked something…

“Well done, Celestial Sky.” Princess Twilight said, bringing Sky out of her scare.

Sky looked up and saw her mentor smiling down at her, and she smiled back, feeling pleased that all her hard work had pleased her mentor. And as long as she had her mentor’s praise, she knew that this was going to be her best night ever, no matter what was in store for her.

~~~~~~~~~~

Berry carefully arranged another batch of fresh pegasi puffs on a silver platter. She meticulously set each puff half an inch apart from each other, ensuring that the platter could be worthy of a spot behind the windows of one of those high-rolling bakeries up in Canterlot – just as Sky would want. Presentation was always important to Berry, but five minutes of working with Sky was enough to tell her that she needed to be especially precise. Because before today, Berry didn’t think it was possible for anypony to stare at a pedestal with such intensity. Regardless of Sky’s extreme way of handling business, Berry knew that this job was worthy of her absolute best hoof. After all, it’s not every day a Cake gets to provide food for nobility.

Only one more row of pegasi puffs to go and another platter would be ready. When she was halfway done with the row, Sky entered the room and looked down at the platter.

“Hey there, Sky! What’s going on?” Berry asked.

She looked back at the door from which she came and then looked down at the platter of pegasi puffs again. She frowned and said, “I noticed that there is an empty platter on the food table. Do you have more coming?”

“Right here! Fresh pegasi puffs coming right up! Don’t you worry, they’ll be out there in a jiffy.”

“Do you need help? I can send somepony back here.”

“No, no. I’ve got everything covered. It’s just that these pegasi puffs are going fast! I think they’re a hit!” She smiled widely and set down the last puff.

“Ok, if you’re sure…” she said, looking somewhat relieved. “Just make sure that you always have food on the table. No empty trays from now on, ok? I don’t want the guests thinking that we can’t keep up with our services. Nobles aren’t used to shortage of any kind, do you understand?”

“I hear you,” she said as she loaded the platter onto a cart. “Don’t sweat it, I’ve got this!”

“Thanks, Berry.” Sky said, and she left the room.

While Berry pushed the cart out to the food table, she thought about Sky’s warning. It had never occurred to her that nobles have probably never seen an empty plate in their lives. With that in mind, she appreciated Sky’s warning. And if picking up the pace was what it would take to please the fancy folk, then that’s what she would do. She quickly swapped the empty platter with the loaded one, but before she could dart back into her makeshift kitchen, a stallion called out,

“Excuse me, ma’am!”

Berry gulped upon recognizing the gentlecolt’s high rolling accent. And during the few seconds that she stood mildly paralyzed with fear, she feared that Sky’s warning hadn’t come soon enough. She slowly turned around and faced a pony wearing a blue suit with the chain of a golden pocket-watch hanging from his vest.

“Uh…yes?” she said timidly.

“Tell me, what is this delectable confection?” He held up a half-consumed pegasi puff before tossing the rest of it in his mouth. Still chewing, he said, “That was my fourth one! Forgive me for eating so many, but these are simply divine!”

“Oh, thank you, sir! I call them pegasi puffs – light as a feather, fluffy as a cloud. And have as many as you like! We have plenty!”

“Well, if you insist!” he said, brushing powdered sugar from his lips. He reached for another and devoured it in a manner that was almost rude for a noble. “You are doing a marvelous job! Keep up the good work!”

Berry couldn’t hold back the smile that was forcing its way onto her face. She turned away from the gentlecolt awkwardly, almost as if she was a nervous filly. After composing herself, she said again, “Thank you very much, sir.”

Feeling encouraged by the gentlecolt’s compliment, a compliment that any baker would love to hear, Berry returned to the kitchen and started preparing another batch of pegasi puffs with renewed vigor. She prepped and baked the treats faster than ever, and she even found time to prepare more of the less popular treats, completely dispelling her fear that she would not be able to fulfill Sky’s request.

As the night carried on, Berry relaxed and mingled with familiar townsfolk as well as Canterlot nobles. Not only did she socialize with ponies, she continued to receive praise for her food, especially her pegasi puffs. They praised her work, asked for recipes, and made conversation around her food. Berry was careful to not let the shower of compliments get to her head, but she couldn’t deny that she enjoyed being praised for doing what she loved most. Although it became difficult to balance the kitchen and interacting with guests, seeing everypony reach for her food with unrestrained excitement made it all worthwhile.

~~~~~~~~~~

Woodwind led her band through “Octavia’s Canon,” a timeless Equestrian melody. Oh, how she wanted to jump away from the ensemble –gracefully, of course – and meet every single noble in the room. It wasn’t everyday that a simple Ponyvillian lady had the opportunity to mingle with nobles, and in such close quarters too! Naturally, meeting a pony from the Canterlot Symphony would be most thrilling and advantageous. But considering that this was a historical museum, she knew the odds of that happening were slim. Oh well, a pony could dream, couldn’t she?

Bringing “Octavia’s Canon” to a close, she held up her baton for the fermata, sneaked a glance at the nobles closest to her, and dramatically flicked her baton to the side, silencing the ensemble.

While her students prepared for the next piece, she scanned the crowd for anypony showing interest in her marvelous conducting or her students’ performance. None of the ponies seeming to be paying attention to the music, which was understandable because chamber music wasn’t meant to demand attention, but receiving a little praise would be nice. She only wished that the noble’s extravagant attire didn’t cover their Cutie Marks! That way she could easily single out the musically inclined ponies.

Once her students were ready to play, she resumed the evening music. When she concluded an excerpt from Trotkovsky’s “Dragon Lake,” which her students performed beautifully, a mare cleared her throat behind Woodwind.

Woodwind spun around and nearly screamed, “Yes?!”

The mare jumped, she but laughed it off, cleared her throat and said, “The museum curator tells me that you are a music teacher here in Ponyville. Did I hear correctly?”

Woodwind felt her heart begin to race within her chest. But before making conversation with the pony who sought her attention, she leaned toward her students and hissed, “‘Flight of the Breezy,’ now! You! Lead the band!” she said, pointing at the first chair violinist.

Her students were confused at first, but they quickly realized that they were on their own and started gathering their music for the next song. The first violinist tapped her hoof and nodded rhythmically, establishing the tempo for the other players, and they started the playing the song.

After making sure her students started the song well, Woodwind turned back to the noble. “Pardon me, ma’am,” she said.

“Quite alright.” She waved her hoof. “Conducting is far from easy business. As I was saying, my name is Pecunia Musica, and you are the music teacher here in Ponyville, yes?”

“Yes! Yes, I am! My name is Woodwind. I teach strings and woodwinds to anypony who wants to learn.”

“Well, as a fellow musician, I must say that you have a splendid class. Most small town school bands only seem to be comprised of banjo-playing country ponies who barely know the difference between treble and bass clef.”

“Why, thank you, ma’am. But I must admit that this isn’t my class. I give each of these talented ponies’ private lessons. Teaching a class would be wonderful, but unfortunately the Ponyville Schoolhouse does not have a music program.”

“No? What a shame. But do not get discouraged, my friend. Ivory Key was telling me the other day that she flourished as musician when she started taking private lessons in her youth. So you never know, you could be teaching the next Octavia.”

“Ivory Keys?” She paused for a moment. “You know Ivory Keys?!!”

“Yes, indeed. The Piano Princess herself,” she said, raising her chin. “I had tea with her the other day. Say, would you like to meet her? I’m sure she’d be delighted to meet such an exceptional small-town musician.”

“Would I?!”

She chuckled. “I’m sure you would. If you are ever planning to visit Canterlot, let me know and perhaps I can introduce you to her. I mean, a pony who can make fillies proficient enough to play music for Princess Twilight’s festivities deserves some recognition, don’t you agree?”

Years of discipline and self-control went into stopping Woodwind from squealing at the top of her lungs. But no matter how hard she bit her bottom lip to suppress squeals of joy, she could not hold back a stupid grin that was forcing its way onto her face. But how could she stop smiling?! Ivory Keys was only the most esteemed pianist in all of Equestria, composer of many piano virtuosic pieces, several of which have been performed before the princess herself, and renowned writer of Bridleway scores.

“T-that would be an honor! That would be the experience of a-”

“Excuse, Ms. Musica,” Sky said from behind Woodwind. “Do you mind if I have a word with Woodwind for a moment?”

“Not at all dear!” she replied.

Sky thanked Pucunia Musica and pulled Woodwind aside. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was paying attention to their conversation.

“What are you doing?” Sky hissed.

“Whatever do you mean?” Woodwind asked.

“I mean, why did you step away from your students?”

“Oh. Ms. Musica wanted to talk to me. And oh my goodness, Sky!” she squealed, and she grabbed Sky’s shoulders. “You’re not going to believe it! She wants to introduce me to Ivory Keys! Ivory Keys!!! Do you know what this means?!!” She began jumping up and down, finally taking the opportunity to release some of the excitement that she had been struggling to contain.

“Woodwind…” She grabbed Woodwind’s hooves and slowly lowered them from her shoulders. “I know you are excited to be around Canterlot nobles, but could you please try and stay focused on your music. As a conductor, don’t you think it’s unprofessional to mingle with guests? I mean, look at your violinist!”

They looked at the first chair violinist. As far as Woodwind could tell, her student was doing just fine; in fact, she seemed more into the music and less nervous than when she first started playing.

Woodwind shook her head. “Psht! Sky, dear, please. She is a perfectly capable musician for her age, I assure you. I should know, I did an excellent job teaching her,” she said and proudly placed her hoof on her chest, thinking of the compliment she had received.

“But still, Woodwind, try and stay near your students. For me?” Sky pleaded.

Woodwind sighed. “Oh alright…but I’m finishing up my conversation with Ms. Pecunia, and neither you nor the princess of Equestria will stop me!” she declared, not noticing that Princess Twilight was standing next to her when she turned around and dashed away.

Screeching to a stop in front of Pecunia Musica, Woodwind said, “I’m here, I’m here!”

Ms. Pecunia reached into her breast pocket, handed Woodwind a business card, and said, “I can see that you’re busy, and I don’t wish to disturb you or your friend’s evening. However, my offer still stands. Have a pleasant evening, Ms. Woodwind, and I look forward to seeing you again. Give your students my compliments.” She nodded respectfully and went on her way.

Woodwind stood staring at the card in her hoof, practically drooling over it, and tried to digest what had just happened to her. Her student’s concluded yet another song, but this time they awaited Woodwind’s instructions. The first violinist asked, “Ms. Woodwind?”

“Oh! Excuse me!” she said, stuffing the business card in her pocket.

Though Woodwind resumed her duties as Sky had requested, she could not stop thinking about the business card in her pocket. What she had expected to be an ordinary night of music turned into a night of wonders, and she could not stop herself from grinning and giggling while she waved her baton to the music.

~~~~~~~~~~

Pair led her third group into the hall of Ponyvillian art. So far things were going great; the fillies seemed interested and the adults were somewhat engaged. Ultimately, she was happy that her audience wasn’t bored. Had they been uninterested or halfheartedly engaged, Pair doubted that she would have been able to keep up her energy.

Standing at the end of the tapestry that depicted the Battle of Four Kingdoms, she declared in a dramatic voice, “And here, my fellow adventurers, is the Art Hall, featuring art that dates all the way back to the end of the First Era.”

First, she explained the origins of the tapestry, listed the notable locations it had been displayed, and expounded upon the background of the legend that it depicted. As usual, she informed, joked, and acted silly all at the same time. When she was nearly finished presenting the tapestry, Pair noticed that Sky had slipped into the back of the group, checking to see if she was doing a good job, no doubt.

Before Pair could move on to other art periods, Sky motioned for Pair to come to her.

Pair skipped away from the group saying, “Fear not, ponies! Your fearless leader shall return. Until then, be wowed and captivated by these beautiful paintings!”

Now that her group was occupied and she was alone with Sky, she said with a big smile, “So? How am I doing?”

“Well…you see…” Sky said uncomfortably.

Her ears drooped. “Am I not giving the right information? I promise I’m using your note cards whenever I need them!”

“Pair…” She took a deep breath, gathering up the courage speak. She put on a stern face and whispered through her teeth, “What are you doing? This isn’t a game! Don’t you know who these ponies are?”

A wave of relief came over Pair’s face and her ears popped back up. “Of course I know who these ponies are! They are poor, helpless, uneducated ponies who have sought my help in their honorable quest for knowledge! And I, the Master Sage of Ponyville, will gladly bestow my golden nuggets of trivia upon them! It is my duty!”

“First of all,” she said while adjusting Pair’s name tag and blazer, “you are not the Master Sage of Ponyville – that would be my title. And as your ‘Master Sage,’ I’m ordering you to take this job more seriously! Should that order escape you again, just remind yourself that these are anything but poor, helpless, uneducated ponies. They are nobles, and they are well educated and respected ponies. Remember that! ”

Pair’s ears drooped again, and she looked down and nodded. “Yes, o wise one,” she mumbled.

“Thank you. I really, really appreciate it.” Sky said and patted her on the shoulder before leaving the hall.

With ears still drooping, Pair returned to her group. She sighed, thinking about the obliteration of ideas that would have made Ponyvillian art fun and engaging. The art hall, once a never ending source of fun, became a dark, daunting tunnel with no light at the end. But Sky was the curator – no, the true Master Sage of Ponyville – and she was duty-bound to honor her command. She set aside the enthusiastic, adventurous character in her mind and she replaced it with a character resembling the citizens of Canterlot, which required her to stand up straight and wear a posh expression.

“As I was saying,” she said in a normal, drawling voice, “at the beginning of the Second Era, Equestria was under the rule of four princesses. The dispersed leadership caused a wide range of art to emerge from the provinces. This period became known as the Angevin Period. Now, if you look at the paintings on your left, you can see that Ponyvillian artists favored using landscapes and everyday-life as their subjects. This is probably due to-”

“Excuse me, Pair A. Dice,” a noble couple interrupted.

Pair turned away from the painting and saw fillies tugging on their mother’s dresses and their father’s pant legs.

“I apologize for questioning your presentation, but where is the delightful pony who we were with a few moments ago.”

“Uh…I…” Pair gawked.

“Yes,” a lady inserted, “my fillies were having such a good time. And I must confess that I was enjoying myself as well.”

Everyone in the group nodded and voiced their agreement.

“You…” She paused, trying to process what was happening. Sky had said Canterlot ponies want everything to be serious, so why were they asking her to not be serious? After some strenuous thought, she finally brought herself to say, “You…like the way that I was tour guiding before?”

“Of course!” another pony replied. “When you pulled out that fake beard and staff when you brought us to the unicorn cloaks from the First Era: how comical!”

Pair sat on the floor, pulled out her fake bread, and looked at the strands of artificial hair that dangled from her hoof. She stroked the silver hair, thinking of what Sky had said. Yes, Sky was the Master Sage, but Sky also wanted to please the nobles, and the nobles were asking Pair to act silly, but Pair also wanted to honor Sky’s command, but if she honored Sky’s command then the nobles would get mad, and if the nobles got mad then the grand opening would be a failure, and if the grand opening was a failure then Sky would get mad. ‘That’s it!’ Pair thought to herself and triumphantly clenched the beard in her hoof.

As if the beard had suddenly transformed into a sacred veil spun from gold, Pair slowly lifted it to her face. She closed her eyes as the material touched her face, wrapped around her jaw line, and was secured behind her head. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked upon the waiting ponies. Some things were more important than honor; she just hoped that Sky would understand.

Once again, Pair stood like an adventurer of Equestria and resumed her quest to educate the ponies of Canterlot. She had been enjoying her evening before this point, but now that she knew her group liked her fun-filled presentation, she enjoyed it even more, and she could not wait to guide the next group.

~~~~~~~~~~

“WIND SPRINT!!!” Sky shouted.

Wind Sprint looked up and saw Sky standing in the doorway with her eyes and mouth hanging wide open. Until now, Wind Sprint enjoyed entertaining the fillies. But the longer she looked at Sky’s horrified expression, the more she realized that allowing the fillies to play in the fossil bin probably wasn’t the best idea that she has ever had.

Like a wary traveler facing a dangerous creature within the Everfree Forest, she held her gaze with Sky and took quiet, shallow breaths as she cautiously inched toward the edge of the sandbox. She climbed out and carefully shook the sand from her hooves. Despite her attempts to keep the sand within the sandbox, each step shook sand from her coat and dirtied the floor.

Upon seeing this, Sky’s face turned a bright shade of red and she ran from the room. From around the corner, Wind Sprint heard Sky shout to somepony, “Take care of this!”

Wind Sprint ran after Sky, but Angel Eye appeared in the doorway, blocking her path.

“Oh my…” Angel Eye exclaimed when she saw the fillies, who had continued playing in the sandbox after Sky left. “No wonder she’s so upset. What were you thinking?”

“It…it seemed like a good idea at the time,” she said, rubbing her neck in embarrassment. “But I didn’t know what else to do! They came in here all staring at me with their freakishly big eyes as if they were saying, ‘Pweeeease don’t be boring.’ And then one filly climbed into the box, and then the other fillies started to join her, and they seemed to be having a good time so I didn’t say anything. And then one of them asked me to join them, and then Sky came along and now everything is a big mess!”

“I wouldn’t say that it’s a big mess. A little bit of sand is nothing a broom can’t handle,” she said as she grabbed a broom from a corner of the room and started sweeping. “But I will say that you will have to answer to Sky. Don’t worry, once she calms down I’m sure she’ll understand.”

Wind Sprint helped Angel Eye sweep up sand that had strayed from the box. While she swept, she couldn’t stop thinking about what was going through Sky’s mind. Although she felt bad about upsetting Sky, she couldn’t deny that she was having a great time with the fillies. And even after Angel Eye left to resume her patrol, Wind Sprint was happy to watch over them, even though she couldn’t bring herself to jump back into the sandbox in good conscience. Who would have thought that she would enjoy an evening surrounded by fillies? And with that thought, she crossed her arms, leaned against a wall, and gladly watched the fillies come and go.

~~~~~~~~~~

Sky stood by the entrance, watching ponies leave the museum with hoovefuls of Berry’s pegasi puffs and their dusty fillies. She had been standing there since Princess Twilight left for Canterlot, and though she could breathe easier now that she wasn’t under Princess Twilight’s watchful eye, she could only find solace in knowing that the museum was closing soon. In the meantime, she said good night to the departing guests. Pair and Woodwind said good night to the guests as well, but Sky turned a blind eye to Pair’s blue-grey cloak, pointed hat, grey beard, and wooden staff.

Once every pony, except her friends, had left the building, Sky closed the museum and then rested her head on the door, reflecting on what had transpired that evening. She heard her friend’s hoofsteps as they entered the lobby, and when they stopped walking the museum plunged into silence.

“Sky?” Angel Eye asked, breaking the silence.

Her head remained on the door.

“Are you ok?” She waited, as if testing whether or not it was safe to ask too many questions. “Sky…” she whispered.

As if coming out of a daze, she lifted her head and said, “Am I…ok?” After giving the question some thought, she turned from the door and faced Angel Eye. “No…I am not ok.”

“But why? It was-”

“Where do I even begin?! This night was a disaster! I mean, could it have gone more wrong?!”

“But Sky, the opening was-”

Sky bypassed Angel Eye and directed her attention to her other friends. She glared at Berry as she walked passed her and went to the food table.

“What is this?!” She pointed at empty to half-empty food trays. “This is not a house party! I told you, Berry. I told you to make sure that food is always on the table. Food should be presentable from the time we are open to the minute we are closed! I’m sorry, but this is not acceptable!”

“Hey now…” Berry started to object.

“And musicians,” she said, turning to Woodwind. “All musicians, especially young ones, need a conductor. Without one it just looks unprofessional!”

“Actually, Sky,” Woodwind said, “bands don’t always need-”

“And tour guides!” She turned to Pair. “Tour guides are supposed to be poised and professional. Your friend, Joy Stick! She was great! But this?!” she pointed at Pair’s outfit, “I’m sorry, Pair, but beards and staffs and costumes are for Nightmare Night! Not for events promoted by the princess!”

Pair, without saying a word or moving any part of her head, slowly reached up, pulled off her fake beard, and hid it under her hoof.

“And don’t even get me started on the fossil pit!” She said without looking at Wind Sprint, fearing that she might explode if she did.

“Excuse me?” Wind Sprint narrowed her eyes.

“I said at the beginning – I emphasized it again and again – that we are dealing with the nobility of Equestria. Not farmers. Not merchants. Nobles! Royalty! And from what I’m seeing, there is no way we measured up to their standards tonight. I’ll be the luckiest pony in Equestria if the princess trusts me with something this huge again!” She turned back to Angel Eye and said, “So I ask again, could tonight have gone more wrong?”

“Hey!” Wind Sprint shouted and stepped into Sky’s line of sight. “I didn’t ask to help out tonight!”

“But you did!”

“And we all did our best.” Berry stepped in, gently patting Wind Sprint’s shoulder. “Everything was fine, Sky!”

“No, no, no!” Sky fumed. “Everything was not fine! You see? You’re not listening! I know how things work in Canterlot, and if all of you had just listened to me then maybe this night would have gone better!”

Upon saying this, Wind Sprint started yelling at Sky, defending herself and reminding Sky that she was forced to do her job. Berry tried calming Wind Sprint down, but Wind Sprint’s shouts overpowered her. As their arguments carried on, they started fighting each other, throwing blame and accusations back and forth at one another. Eventually, no pony was truly listening to anypony else. But from out of their bickering came a deafening scream and the sound of hooves slamming on the floor.

“SKY!!!”

The fighting ceased, and they all turned toward source of the scream. To Sky’s surprise, every other pony was looking at Angel Eye, who was standing by the window. There was no way a scream that loud could have come from her. And yet there they were, looking at Angel Eye as if she had screamed this loud before and not giving her your undivided attention wasn’t an option.

Now that the room was quite, Angel Eye said in her normal voice, “It was a success.”

“What?” she asked with genuine consideration, mostly because she was still stunned by Angel Eye’s surprisingly loud scream.

“The grand opening, it was a success.” She paused. “Everypony is talking about how much they enjoyed the museum.”

Sky took a deep breath, trying not to snap again, for she realized she had spoken carelessly once again. “Angel Eye," she said, consciously keeping her voice calm and even, "you have to understand that nobles typically formulate and alter their opinions based the opinions of other ponies of a more prestigious name than themselves. All it takes is one negative comment from a well-to-do pony and my reputation with the princess is destroyed.”

“But Sky, look.” She motioned for her to come to the window.

Angel Eye pulled back the curtain, and Sky looked and saw a crowd of ponies, adults and fillies, lingering in Ponyville. Several nobles and common ponies passed pegasi puffs to each other, smiles beaming through their stuffed, powdery faces. While their parents socialized, a group of fillies broke branches off of a nearby tree, pretending that they were staffs, and used their coats as capes. If Sky was interpreting their game correctly, they were reenacting a notable unicorn duel from Equestrian antiquity: Starswirl the Bearded versus Galexia the Luminous. And in the distance, she spotted Woodwind’s students talking with nobles. It seemed that the nobles had stopped them on their way home to shake their hooves, present them with flowers, or give them other small tokens of praise.

“You see?” Angel Eye said after long period of silence. “Everything turned out all right!”

No matter how many times Sky scanned the crowd, she couldn’t think of anything to say. Though everything in her mind and checklist indicated otherwise, she could not deny that everypony looked happy. Despite the fact that she realized and accepted that the grand opening was indeed successful, she was afraid to turn away from the window, afraid to turn around and face her friends.

Knowing that it had to be done, she forced herself to look away from the window.

“I…I don’t know what to say,” Sky said, trying her best to look into her friend’s eyes. In the moment that she looked down at the floor, she spotted the checklist that she had dropped during their quarrel, and she sighed when she saw that it was almost entirely black with wasted ink. “I’m…I’m sorry.”

There was an awkward silence, and no pony knew how to break it. But Sky, acknowledging that she was the one who caused the tension, took upon herself and said, “So it really was good, huh?”

“Yeah,” Wind Sprint immediately responded, “I was having a great time until you went all crazy just now!”

The other four ponies gave Wind Sprint a disapproving glare, but she shrugged it off as if it was a harmless joke.

“It’s ok, sugar cube,” Berry interceded, “you were just stressed is all. We wanted to do our part and help you, but you have to trust that we can help you.”

“Yeah.” Sky nodded. “Well, since I missed out on the fun, why don’t you tell me about it?”

Angel immediately spoke up, quoting the many positive remarks that she had heard throughout the evening. With each comment that applied to them, Berry, Woodwind, and Wind Sprint talked about how much fun they had and the good things that had happened to them. Before they knew it, they were relaxing in the museum lobby, sitting on the cushioned benches exchanging hilarious and engaging stories.

During Woodwind’s story about her encounter with Pecunia Musica, Sky excused herself and went to her room. At her desk, she pulled out a sheet of parchment and her quill. Princess Twilight had instructed her to report her findings on friendship, and if this wasn’t worth writing about she didn’t know what was. She lowered her quill to the parchment and wrote,

Dear Princess Twilight,

As you know, I hosted the grand opening today, and now I realize that it was grander than I had led myself to believe. I tried managing every little detail in hopes of making the most perfect evening possible for you and the nobles, but I discovered that while everypony else was having a great time I was alone in my frustration and anxiety. Though one might feel that she is the only one who is good enough to execute her plans, I learned that you need to trust your friends when they offer you a helping hoof. We can’t always control everything on our own, but you can trust that your friends will be there for you when you need them. And as they say, “six ponies are better one.”

Your faithful student,

Celestial Sky

Sky rolled up the letter, and with a spark from her horn the letter dissolved into a magical mist and trailed out the window. With that taken care of, she returned to her friends in the lobby.

While she was gone, Berry had brought out a tray of leftover pegasi puffs. When Sky looked at the treats, her mouth watered and she realized that she hadn’t eaten anything since lunch. Suddenly, her stomach growled and her friends looked at her with surprised expressions.

“Goodness, Sky,” Woodwind exclaimed, “was that you?”

“No wonder you were all stressed,” Berry said and immediately piled a pegasi puffs onto a dessert plate. “I’d be plum-tuckered out too if I was that hungry. Here, your first pegasi puff!”

Sky thanked Berry and took the plate. She bit into the treat and closed her eyes as she savored the fluffy vanilla pastry and its rich whipped cream. Sky wasn’t lying when she had said that she didn’t care for sweets, but it was as delicious as the guests made them out to be. She sat next to Berry and grabbed another pegasi puff, and she listened happily as her friend continued to swap stories late into the night.

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[RArityIBP]

Its about time!