40. Return to Canterlot
That's....okay, I guess this wedding is actually somewhat of a big deal. I remember whenever there was a royal wedding back in my time, everybody and their mother would be up in a clamor about it, whether that meant gossiping about it with their friends or watching it on TV.
And Cadance? I met her for a little while, and she was...tolerable. I'll give her that. I remember her mentioning a “coltfriend,” but I didn't realize they were so close that they were getting married. Still though, I'm not happy about having to go. Getting a place to stay will take a huge chunk out of my money. I mean, the option to stay here is there, but then I'll be losing money as well. So it's basically choose whatever I hate less. Would I rather be alone with no friends (since if it's a royal wedding, the entire town is probably going to go), or go with them and be bored. Fuck it, I guess I'll go.
Twilight, however, appears to be in shock. Yeah, I suppose that's how anybody would feel if they were told their sibling was getting married to a princess. Though I do find it interesting that she even has a brother, and that he was dating Cadance. Slowly though, I start to see the slightest hint of anger starting to show in her face.
“Congrats, Twilight! You must be so happy,” Applejack congratulates her, grabbing Twilight's limp hoof and shaking it. Twilight's eyes narrow, and she yanks her hoof away.
“Yeah, I'm SO happy to hear about this wedding from a slip of paper!” Twilight rages, tossing the scroll on the ground. The other ponies here look at her with shock, while I just watch with interest. I've only ever seen her mad once, and that was at me. So this is somewhat entertaining to see her angry at somebody other than me. “Why couldn't my brother tell me about this himself!? I mean really? Thanks, Shining Armor.”
Twilight then proceeds to impersonate her brother poorly. Then it hits me. “Hold on a second, what?” I interrupt her in the middle of her rant. The other ponies look at me now as if I've grown a second head. They probably think I'm nuts for getting in the middle of this. “Did you just say, 'Shining Armor?'”
“That's right. My brother's name is Shining Armor. Why, have you heard of him?” Twilight asks, surprised by my interruption.
“Your brother...is the Captain of the Royal Canterlot Unicorn First Regiment. The Shining Armor,” I repeat incredulously. I remember when I saw Shining Armor for the first time, the way his mane settled around his neck reminded me of somepony. Now it makes sense. His manestyle is similar to Twilight's. Oh son of a bitch, I tried to get out of training with Twilight, and got landed with her brother instead. The fucking irony. Still, Twilight keeps surprising me with how important she is. Personal student of Princess Celestia and she has a brother who's the Captain of the Guard and is about to become a fucking prince. Christ.
“Yes, that's correct,” Twilight says, still somewhat confused. Meanwhile, the jaws of the other ponies listening in hit the fucking ground.
“Wow...Equestria is a small fucking place. Did you know I trained with him during my trip to Canterlot a month and a half ago?” I reveal, much to Twilight's surprise. Even Rainbow looks surprised at me for that. I guess I never told her that much.
“Oh, so you already know my brother. Did he say anything about me at all?” Twilight asks hopefully.
“Nope, not a thing. Hence why I didn't know he was your brother,” I answer her. Her face falls, and then she gets angry again.
“He didn't? Is he not even thinking about me? Why would he make a decision like this, and not even tell me about it? Why did I have to find out from a stupid invitation!?” Wow, Twilight is more pissed than I've ever seen her. “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Who is that, who even is that!?”
She...hold on a minute, Cadance was her foalsitter. How does she not remember her? Or maybe she doesn't recognize Cadance's formal name. Which would make sense, considering Cadance didn't seem to like it herself. You know...I could tell her...but this is rather entertaining. So I think I won't.
“Twilight, are you okay?” Fluttershy asks, trying to comfort her friend. Twilight looks like she's about to blow a gasket, but then she forces herself to calm down with a heavy sigh.
“Sorry...it's just that my brother and I always used to be so close,” Twilight laments. “He's my BBBFF!”
I'm sorry, what the fuck did I just hear?? What the fuck did she just call Shining Armor? Turns out none of the other ponies here have a clue what that means either, because they're also looking at Twilight with confusion.
“Big brother best friend forever,” Twilight explains, clearly not amused. While the other ponies give sounds of understanding, I give a snort.
“That's fucking dumb. How about you never say that again?” I ask rudely. Twilight turns her head and fucking growls at me.
“Can you not be...yourself right now? I'm definitely not in the mood,” Twilight snaps. Oh, just not be myself. Seems easy enough.
“I'll get right on that,” I retort. At that, Twilight gives off a frustrated huff. Rainbow sidles up to me.
“Can you give her some slack? She's really mad,” Rainbow whispers. I shrug. It's not my fucking problem if she wants to flip a lid over nothing. So what if her brother didn't tell her? It's really none of your business who your brother is fucking. What? That's literally all marriage is. I probably wouldn't have gone to Adam's wedding...unless he asked very nicely and there was cake.
“Before I came to Ponyville, Shining Armor was really the only pony I accepted,” Twilight continues, venting to her friends. Which doesn't include me, because I don't give a fuck. Suddenly, Twilight starts to hum a sad little tune. Wait really? Is this about to happen right...and she's singing.
Okay, do ponies really do this? I remember Pinkie breaking out into song randomly, but she's Pinkie. Lyra did it at one point, but she had her lyre to back her vocals. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle did this really cool improvised piece earlier, but I assumed that was just a talent of theirs.
Right...I'm just going to tune this out and pretend it isn't happening. I guess it might be a cultural thing. Whatever.
Anyway, so Shining Armor, that really hard ass captain that first trained me how to defend myself against basic attacks, and how to control the basic flow of my magic in general...is now marrying Cadance, that princess that took me to a concert, which was the best fucking thing ever. That's a bit of a revelation.
It makes sense though. No doubt only a captain would have the status necessary to court a princess. Though I can see why they'd date. They both are pretty chill when not on duty...and fuck it, I hate having to care. Because I'm probably going to end up helping to prepare this wedding, I have to care about their relationship...which I hate doing. Fuck relationships, and fuck weddings ten times more.
“Twilight,” Applejack says after Twilight finishes...whatever the hell she was doing. Nopony else seems to be batting an eye at her impromptu performance. “As one o' yer good friends, I think yer brother sounds like a good guy.”
“He is...they don't let just anypony be Captain of the Royal Canterlot Unicorn First Regiment,” Twilight agrees sadly. “They're in charge of the defense and security of Canterlot itself. Their captain needs to be somepony we can all trust.”
“So...let me get this straight,” Rarity inserts, looking somewhat manic. “We're helping out with the wedding of not just a princess, but also the Captain of the Royal Canterlot Guard!?”
“I...guess we are,” Twilight says with a heavy sigh. At that, Rarity proceeds to faint again, while the other three ponies start to whoop and laugh joyfully, as if this were an incredible opportunity. When I say three, I mean that Rainbow is still sitting next to me.
“Maybe this won't be so bad after all,” Rainbow remarks to me. “A Sonic Rainboom...at a royal wedding? This is going to be a great wedding!”
“That's not saying much,” I snap back at her, annoyed at this whole thing. Rainbow looks at me oddly. “I hate weddings. Not only am I being dragged to one because the alternative is staying here entirely alone, but there's also Twilight drama going on. This can't possibly get any worse.”
“Aw, come on, it won't be that bad. Come hang with me while I warm up for the wedding. Watching me do my tricks should take your mind off things,” Rainbow suggests in an attempt to cheer me up. Yeah...no.
“Thanks for the offer, but no. Chances are, you'll be flying around non-stop, with no time to hang with me,” I point out. Rainbow raises a hoof and opens her mouth to protest, but then she shuts it, realizing I'm right. “Plus, I have to find some way to make up for the bits I'm going to lose finding a place to stay.”
“No you don't. Since we're the Elements of Harmony and all that, every time we go to the castle on business, we get a royal suite!” Rainbow informs me excitedly.
“That's great, but I'm not an Element of Harmony,” I remind her.
“So? That doesn't mean you can't take advantage of it. Come stay with me in my room. We can listen to your music there too if we're lucky enough to get some free time,” Rainbow offers. That's...huh, I didn't even think about that. That's a pretty big favor...but in the whole month Rainbow and I have known one another, she's never tried to use her past favors as leverage against me. I guess I pretty much trust her at this point. At least for stuff like this.
“I guess that's fair. Even so, there's probably something else I could be doing to help with the wedding preparations while you're warming up,” I reiterate. Rainbow sighs and nods in understanding. She seems a bit disappointed, for whatever reason. “By the way, when is this wedding? All I know is that we're going to it.”
“It's...huh, I actually don't know,” Rainbow realizes. She turns her head to the sulking Twilight.” Hey Twilight! When is this wedding supposed to be?”
“Tomorrow,” Twilight answers sullenly.
“Holy fuck, really? Then we need to get going right the fuck now,” I express, looking around at the other ponies. “Who the hell planned this thing? Are we seriously going to be able to get everything ready by tomorrow?”
“Ah agree, we should get going. Though you should calm down a bit, Seth,” Applejack responds.
“Calm down!? You don't throw together a goddamn wedding at the last minute like this! Enough celebrating! Get moving! Let's get our tickets and get the fuck to Canterlot!” I'm practically yelling at this point. I don't see why I care, though. Probably because if I'm going to find some way to get paid for this, I have to make sure it goes according to plan. Though that's technically Twilight's job.
With that, I make sure to grab a handful of sweets, and then we start packing up the picnic, as something for more important lies on the horizon. I better get paid a lot for helping out with this, or I'm going to be mad.
Since Twilight is too busy being a drama queen, I take command. “Applejack, you find someplace to put all the cloths and stuff until we get back. Pinkie, take the food back to your place and store it. Rainbow, go get in line for tickets, and yes, there will probably be a line for a fucking royal wedding,” I order. Everything I say comes out sounding pissed off, but that's fine with me.
“Sure, ah kin do that.”
“Okie dokie lokie!”
“I'll be back in a flash!” With that, the three ponies I addressed split off to do the tasks I gave them.
“What are you going to do, Seth?” Rarity asks curiously. Well, I certainly can't go in just what I'm wearing now. Or I can, but it needs something to make it look more formal. And I know just the thing.
“I'm going go get that white coat you made for me. You know, the really epic looking one,” I tell her. Rarity gives a happy smile at that. I also feel a little excited. To wear that coat I mean. What's the big deal about this white coat? Oh trust me, you haven't fucking seen it. It's epic as hell. I actually paid Rarity for that one, despite her protests, because it is that fucking cool. “Now then, I'll meet you all at the train station. And make sure Twilight doesn't sit there and sulk for too long.”
Without waiting for a reply, I flare my magic and take to the air, as it will be the quickest way of getting to Vinyl's place without getting interrupted.
You know, moving around like this makes me feel like a character from Dragon Ball. Then again, this flight ability is exactly the kind of thing they use. This is kinda awesome.
So because of how much faster this method of travel is compared to walking, I reach Vinyl's house in a manner of seconds. Without knocking, I walk inside to see Vinyl...also packing. “Hold up, where are you going?” I ask curiously.
“Oh, hey Seth. You don't know?” Vinyl responds, looking up from preparations. She seems to be loading up all her musical equipment into that massive cart again. “There's going to be a royal wedding tomorrow, and I want to be there.”
“Seriously? So am I like, the last one to find out about this?” I demand furiously. Technically the eight of us found out at (by eight, I mean Twilight, her friends, and Spike) the same time, but they're less important.
“Shoot, I thought I'd mentioned it to you at one point. Sorry about that,” Vinyl apologizes with a sheepish expression. “Are you coming too?”
“Apparently I am. Celestia contacted Twilight and told her to bring me along to help with the preparations,” I explain, cutting out the minor details that don't matter. “What about you? Why are you bringing all your musical stuff?”
“Do you have to ask? It's for the after-parties, bro! Ponies from all over Equestria are gonna show up to see this, and the reception ain't gonna be the only party,” Vinyl expresses with an excited grin. “I'm gonna make a killing!”
“Right...well, then maybe I'll see you there. Since Celestia was a dumb fuck and decided to let us know NOW that we're supposed to set up the whole damn wedding, I have no time to waste talking to you,” I tell her, and then without waiting to hear her respond I dash up the stairs and into my room. Throwing open the closet, it's an easy matter to spot my coat and grab it, though I make sure to be gentle with it, because it really is a work of art. I don't know much about tailoring and what terms and what not, but I'll do my best to describe it.
When I say coat, I don't mean it's one of those fluffy winter things you put on. No, when I say coat, I mean one of those really long ones. Rarity had it in her head that she wanted to make something truly fancy, and she more than outdid herself.
I put on the coat, loving the feel of its weight settling on my shoulders. This coat is so long, the ends of it dangle just slightly above the ground. Yeah, its one of those. I'd also like to clarify that it's not one of those coats where the designer got lazy and decided to just make a standard jacket...longer. The cloth splits at the back at the waistline, and the edges of the split are trimmed with stitched polyester that looks almost like leather, except grayish, to contrast with the coat's mostly white coloring.
As for my shoulders, there's a set of epaulettes, but non in the usual sense. For example, there's no dumb looking tassels or anything like that. Instead, the cloth is a different color on top of my shoulders, and hangs down the side of my shoulders loosely, stopping just above my elbows.
There's a set of silver buttons running down my chest that are solely for decorative purposes. No, there's a small black stretch of stiff cloth that I zip together on my chest, as well as two straps and buckles. This coat is long sleeved as well. And lastly, on the area where my wrists would go, there's a set of fancy gray bracers.
In other words, this coat is sick as fuck. I also told Rarity I'd never wear this thing to work, which she agreed with. She said it would be more appropriate to wear if I ever returned to Canterlot. Which I am. So I'm wearing this thing. God, I feel like a total badass.
Once I zip up the coat and fasten the straps, I'm ready to go. Hopefully the other ponies did what they were told, so that we can just hop on the train and go. We have a lot of shit to do, after all, and it doesn't seem like Twilight's in any mood to do the role she's been assigned. Which means unless one of the other ponies steps up to the plate, it'll be my job. Dammit, I'm no leader. Twilight better not make me have to be one. Though on the other hand, if she fucks off, I'll get paid that much more.
Vinyl does a double take when I walk down the stairs. “Dude...that outfit. Holy mother of Celestia,” she gasps, looking at the coat in awe. I can't help but preen a little. Yeah, I do look awesome. “Rarity really went over the top for that. Still...looks awesome!”
“Thanks. Since I'm going to wedding, I might as well look my best,” I reply, adjusting my hair so that none of it falls into the collar.
“Wow. At this rate, you're going to make me look bad,” Vinyl comments appreciatively. Of course, that sets me up with the perfect opportunity to mess with her.
“Oh please, like you need my help to do that,” I tell her nonchalantly, moving for the door. Immediately, I'm hit in the head with a roll of paper towels.
“Oh, get the heck out of my house,” Vinyl retorts good naturedly, though she's picking up another roll.
Chuckling, I open the door and take to the skies again.
I land just outside the train station, where the train itself is idling and getting filled with ponies. It seems everypony is trying to go early as well...if you call the day before “early.” Seriously, just you wait until I can give you a piece of my mind, Celestia. This is some bad planning on your part.
The line is massive, but I can see Rainbow at the front of it now, exchanging her bits for tickets. That's good. And there's Applejack and Pinkie approaching the station, though the latter is literally bouncing instead of walking. I approach the two of them expectantly.
“Good. If we leave soon, we might have a chance of pulling this off,” I address them without even greeting them first. Applejack and Pinkie glance at me, and then they both double take.
“Whoa there, that's a right fancy outfit yer wearin',” Applejack observes. She reaches up a hoof and touches it with a hoof. “This Rarity's work?”
“Yeah. The only thing I actually paid her for...and would you stop that?” I turn down and bat at hand at Pinkie, who is giggling and batting at the ends of my coat with her hoofs.
“It's like you're wearing two really really big streamers on the back of your coat! It's a brilliant idea!” Pinkie exclaims, batting at them once again despite me attempting to fend her off. “Can Rarity make me one of these?”
“I most certainly cannot,” Rarity answers, walking up to our little group next, dressed in a fancy , yet practical dress of her own. Behind her, she's lugging a large cart filled with her luggage. “It's not that simple, darling.”
“Aw, why not? Sethie looks so fancy in that coat. Why can't I have one?” Pinkie asks, her excitement not dropping even a little.
“I swear to god, I will smack a bitch if you don't stop calling me Sethie!” I snap at her, even though it's been a month and a half, and she still has yet to acknowledge one of my attempts to get her to stop.
“Because, the design I used for this coat would fall flat if I were to extend it to ponies,” Rarity begins. Fluttershy joins us in the middle of Rarity's explanation, though she greets us so softly we hardly hear her. “You see those drapes on his shoulders? Our shoulders are not nearly as broad as his, so it would look simply awful, with all of that loose fabric hanging down.”
“We're wasting time. Where the fuck is Rainbow and Twilight?” I say, cutting across Pinkie's no doubt inane response.
“Twilight? Oh, she's been here,” Applejack answers, indicating the unicorn in question sitting near the edge of the train platform, completely alone except for a helpless-looking Spike.
“Oh, she's still sulking. Great. Do I need to smack some sense into her so she doesn't leave me to do all the directing?” I ask, though my question isn't really directed at anyone other than myself.
`”Ah...don't think that would be a good idea,” Applejack says haltingly. “She's pretty scary when she's mad. Though ah don't think she's got anything ta be mad about.”
“I agree. Her brother is getting married! I assume he didn't tell her because he wanted it to be a surprise!” Rarity adds.
“I don't know...” Fluttershy trails off, but she was cut off by Rainbow landing in our midst, eight tickets clenched in her mouth. She then gives one to each of us...though let me tell you, it is odd taking something from a pony's mouth.
“Okay, where's Twilight and Spike?” Rainbow asks urgently. Applejack shows her as well. “Okay. Let's go. Once I give them their tickets, we can get on the train. Also...awesome outfit, Seth.”
“At least somepony around here understands how last minute all of this is,” I grumble, while Rarity beams at the praise to her work. Thankfully though, we stop our idle conversation and start moving towards the platform. When we near Twilight, Rainbow approaches the sulking mare tentatively, holding the tickets.
“Hey Twi. Are you ready to go? I have your tickets,” Rainbow addresses her carefully. Twilight looks up slowly after a few seconds. She smiles weakly at her friend and takes the tickets, passing one to Spike with her magic.
“Yes, I'm ready. Sorry,” Twilight replies shortly. She turns around to see the rest of us. She looks at my coat curiously, but doesn't really say anything about it. I have half a mind to kick her ass out of this self-induced snit she's put herself in, but we have no time for that.
“Okay, everybody has their tickets. Now let's get going,” I order, motioning everyone towards the crowd attempting to get into the train. “Why can't we get a compartment to ourselves like we did last time?”
“We actually can. Hello? Elements of Harmony?” Rainbow remarks, waving a hoof in my face. I push her hoof down with wry expression.
“Is that how we got one last time? Because I doubt Vinyl was important enough for one,” I say, putting two and two together.
“No, actually. Vinyl paid for a reservation beforehoof,” Rainbow explains with a grin. “But we're on business for the princess this time, so we get our own.”
“I see. And it seems like you all know what you're doing as far as that goes,” I reply, noticing the others taking the lead. I tag along with them, walking onto the train behind them, handing my ticket to the conductor as I do so.
We all take our seats. I sit between Rarity and Rainbow, and Applejack, Spike, and Pinkie surround us. Twilight chooses to seclude herself, continuing to sulk over at the front of the compartment. She stays like this even as the train starts to move.
The ponies around me are chatting excitedly and animatedly, hardly even staying in their seats. Ugh. This is going to get really annoying.
“I can't wait! A Sonic Rainboom at a royal Wedding?” Rainbow says once we're far into the trip, repeating her words from earlier today. “Can you say, best wedding ever!?”
Pinkie takes a breath, and then proceeds to scream extremely loudly, “BEST WEDDING EVER!” This causes me to clap my hands to my ears, while the others just laugh. Goddammit, she can be really annoying.
Because my hands are over my ears, I miss Spike's remark, but it gets the girls laughing again, so it was probably something dumb. I think it's safe now, so I lower my hands.
“How long is she going to sit over there?” I demand, changing the subject away from the wedding for a second. I indicate Twilight with a wave of my hand. “She's acting like a foal.”
“Now, I think that's a little harsh,” Rarity chides me. “It's all right for her to be a little shocked, and perhaps worried. After all, she's never met this Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.”
“Yeah, well, I don't care what her reasons are. She needs to snap out of it and do the job Celestia gave her, or I'm going to have to take over, and I really don't want to do that,” I retort. “And neither do you. I'm not fun to work under.”
“Ah don't doubt it,” Applejack responds wryly. “Now how 'bout I go over there an' try to cheer her up?”
“Good luck with that. It's difficult to get her out of her slumps,” Spike inserts. “And this...well, I wouldn't say she gets like this often.”
“I suppose it's worth a shot, regardless,” Rarity decides. “I say do it. Shall I go with you, Applejack?”
“Nah, don't want her ta feel outnumbered. Leave it ta me,” Applejack determines. She gets to her hooves and walks over to Twilight, while we watch carefully. I don't think this is going to go well for her.
I can't really hear what they're saying over the sounds made by the train, but as I suspected, it isn't going well. Twilight is waving her hooves around animatedly, a furious expression on her face. Finally, Applejack appears to give up, and she walks back to us with her mouth set in a thin line.
“Ah couldn't get through to her. She seems mighty possessive of her brother. Claims he won't have time for her,” Applejack reveals. “Ah tried tellin' her otherwise, but she wouldn't listen.”
“Why, that's absurd. They're family, right? Why wouldn't he make time for her?” Rarity states her opinion, looking over at Twilight.
“That's what ah said. But she seems all hung up on the issue that he didn't tell her about the wedding,” Applejack relates.
“Pathetic,” I rejoin, shaking my head. They other ponies all turn to me with worried expressions. “That's all it is? Getting upset that someone can't spend time with you is foalish and stupid. You can't change the way things are.”
“Seth, must you be so critical?” Rarity gets on to me yet again. It seems like she's always the one scolding me whenever I say something like this. “I don't excuse Twilight's behavior, but I understand it. It's natural to crave the attention of your family. Do you have siblings?”
“Rarity!” Rainbow hisses at her in warning, but it's too late. I shut my eyes, remembering Adam. I can't really relate. While I enjoyed spending time with him, it wasn't that big of a deal if he was busy. That's why I always let him choose the times we'd get together.
“I'm not talking about my family. Ever,” I express to Rarity firmly. She blinks at the change in my tone. “To be honest, I don't care what she's feeling. All I care about is that she can do the job.”
“Okay, Seth. Stop,” Rainbow finally joins the conversation fully, looking at me. “You can't judge her because she misses her family. That's just wrong.”
“She should be happy she even has one,” I retort, and that in particular makes all of the ponies listening wince.
“I...think I understand,” Rarity begins, picking her words carefully. Oh do you? This oughta be good. “You are angry because you think Twilight is taking her brother for granted.”
“Fuck your assumption, that's...actually not far off,” I say, halting off in the middle of my retort. “Have you been taking lessons from Celestia? Because you're reading my mind.”
“Oh dear, don't put me on Celestia's level. She's been alive far longer than myself. I'm just being observant and empathetic,” Rarity explains, giggling slightly. Then she composes herself, looking serious. “I know the feeling isn't reciprocated, but I consider you amongst my friends. As such, I want to see you happy.”
I scoff, but I'd be lying if I said her words didn't mean something to me. I think I've said this before, but I'm so used to people not giving a shit what I'm feeling. In my time, nobody put forth the effort to know me. Sure, they'll talk to me. Or they'll ask if something's wrong. But when it becomes more than they've bargained for, they leave to find somebody simpler.
These ponies have faced the brunt of my anger and cynicism, at some point or another, and they keep trying to be my friend. It's baffling.
“Oh! We're here, we're here!” Pinkie screeches, sticking her head out the window. “Canterlot ahoy, captain!”
I look out the window as well, and notice something odd. Actually, not odd. As in, downright strange. There's a massive shimmering dome surrounding the entire city, colored pink. It's almost like a force field of some kind. There's also a massive military presence. I can see large groups of pegasi flying through the air around the castle, and legions of royal guards patrol the streets. Hell, there are even two guards standing on either side of the railroad just in front of the barrier...which we're about to hit.
The horns of the two guards light up, and the portion of the barrier closest to us starts to ripple like water. The train passes through it entirely.
“What the...” I start as the thin pink membrane of the barrier passes through the train and through me. My body starts to tingle unpleasantly at the contact. Rainbow and the others also appear slightly uncomfortable from the contact. “The hell was that?”
“I dunno, Canterlot didn't have this kind of security the last time we were here,” Rainbow answers, as confused as I am. “Did something happen?”
“Who knows. I guess we'll get a chance to find out,” I state as the train slowly comes to a stop at the typical station.
When the door opens, the first thing we all notice is the sheer amount of military presence here on the platform. There's guards everywhere, and I mean everywhere. There's practically an entire squad of the here, all armored and heavily armed with spears and swords. I think they're all from the Canterlot Royal Unicorn First Regiment, so they're all under Shining Armor's control.
“So many guards...seriously, what's the big deal?” Rainbow demands as the doors open. She walks out, followed by Rarity.
“I'm sure they're just taking precautions. These weddings can bring out the strangest of ponies, after all,” Rarity reasons. As if on cue, Pinkie walks out of the train and sneezes fucking confetti like it's no big deal. I'd say what the fuck, but I feel like I say that every time I see Pinkie doing anything. “Now, we should get moving. We all have a lot of work to do.”
“And Twilight, you should go congratulate your big brother,” Applejack says with an encouraging smile to the still sullen Twilight.
“Right....congratulate...” Twilight says in a dangerously soft voice. “And then I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!”
And off she goes, joining up with one of the guards, who proceeds to escort her away. Which leaves us entirely without our organizer. “Shit, really? Now how are we going to get to work without her directing us? Do all of you know where you're going?” I demand irritably.
“Well, ah'd assume ah'd be goin' to the castle kitchens to get the food ready,” Applejack answers, putting a hoof to her chin. Okay, that makes sense. I look at Rarity.
“I'll be going to my suite to get started on designing the dresses. I not only have to create one for the princess, but also for her bridesmaids,” Rarity explains next. She's starting to look a little stressed. “Oh dear, it's going to be a difficult task.”
“I'm going to the great hall! I've got to put up all the decorations, and get the party games set up. Oh! Not to mention contact musicians and write up a guest list!” Pinkie exclaims, bouncing around me in circles like an annoying fly. “Busy busy busy!”
“I guess I'm just gonna fly around and get myself warmed up,” Rainbow adds. That's true, she does have the easiest job out of all of us. What's probably going to happen is that she's going to take turns napping and flying.
“I'm meeting with the rest of my birds in the garden. We have so much rehearsing to do,” Fluttershy finishes. Right...I forget that they've all been here before.
“So...I'm the only one who hasn't a clue what to do,” I say flatly, looking between them all. They all exchange glances, and then nod in confirmation. “Then why am I even here? Is there something I can do to help any of you?”
“Hm...ah suppose ah could use some help in the kitchen...there'll be a lot of food ta cook,” Applejack suggests. “There's the apple fritters, the cake itself, the pies, you get the picture.”
“Hold up, I thought Pinkie was making the cake?” I ask curiously.
“Nope. Ah got tasked with caterin', so it's mah job,” Applejack clarifies. Oh great. I've tasted
Applejack's cooking at the picnic, and it's decent, but I don't think she can compare to Pinkie, because she is a baking wizard.
“You could always come with me to help with the dresses, like you've done before. I'll pay you for your trouble, of course,” Rarity adds. “After all, I do have a lot of dresses to make.”
I wait for more suggestions, but it seems like that's all I'm going to get. Rainbow and Pinkie don't need my help, and there's no way I'm sitting in a garden for an entire day listening to a bunch of dumb birds try to sing. I still think the idea of a bird choir is just fucking stupid. Seriously. Royal Canterlot Orchestra. You have one! Fucking use it. Ugh, idiots. I feel sorry for Octavia not getting to play in this.
“If those are my only options, I'll come with you, Rarity,” I decide, causing the fashionista to beam. The last time I tried cooking, I was only following a recipe, and that doesn't make a good cook. “I'm not that great of a cook, so I feel I'd just slow you down, Applejack.”
“Aw shucks, ah know how hard of a worker ya are. You wouldn'ta slowed me down none,” Applejack assures me. “But this is fine too. Anyhow, we should get movin'. Like you said, we don't have much time.”
“Right. Let's get going then.” I agree, and together the seven of us leave the train platform, heading for the castle.
It seems calm now, but I bet I'm going to be stressed as hell by the time we get started. Fucking weddings, man.
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cool
Not bad
.It's pretty decent with the canon-verse.
So do I. I just hope you don't write her out of (her almost non-existant) character.
4867744
Queen Awesome, amirite?
With all the Chrysalis fans reading this, I have no doubt one of you will tell me if I mess up somehow
Also, possible quadruple update.
I hope I don't jinx it by saying this, but this is one of the most quickly updating stories I've ever seen on this website, next to "My Son, My Soldier, My Hero". Seriously, if all the authors on this site updated as quickly and with as much length as you do, this site's servers would crash within week.
All I can think of after reading this sentence is Pinkie wearing bright pink wizard clothes detailed with cookies, cakes and cupcakes, while wearing a ridiculously sized wizard hat as she is standing on her hind hooves throwing out magic at a oven.
I must be going insane
4868222
Hehe, well, it's not going to last forever, unfortunately. College just started up for me again, so updates will go back to being around once or twice a week.
4869281 Hell, that's still better than most of the other stories here. Most of them update around once every 2-3 weeks.
Sorry for my late comment, my internet has been fucking up the last few days and I haven't been able to check anything. I had to read this chapter at a friends place. Anyway, sorry to keep you waiting Terran34, but I'm back now so comments away!
This chapter was more of scene transition from Ponyville to Canterlot, but it had some significant moments scattered through it. Starting off we have Twilight freaking out about her brother, only to get even more upset when she learns that Seth has no only met him already, but had no idea they were related because he made no mention of her whatsoever. As we know about Twilight's feelings on the matter from the canon episode, I'll focus on the dialogue between Rainbow and Seth. We see that Rainbow is still somewhat of a conscious to him at times (even though he generally ignores her advice, or at least put up a fight before calming down) with her here trying to get him to lay off Twilight while she enters her neurotic mode. It's interesting to see Rainbow being the one who plays the moral schtick with Seth more then anypony else. While somepony like Fluttershy could far better sympathise with Twilight better then Rainbow, the fact that Rainbow understands him so well gives her some insight into when he is generally angered or hurt by something and when he is just being mean for the sake of being mean, which allows her to monitor him far better. Here Seth says nothing once Rainbow enters the conversation, and while he is clearly still annoyed by Twilight telling him off, he backs off once Rainbow asks him too. It's subtle things like this that further emphasize how much Seth appreciates her.
Following this we have another example of his appreciation for her when she offers to let him stay in her room so they can chill and listen to music together. While to the average person (or pony as the case is) this would be a completely reasonable offer between friends, but for Seth he sees this very differently. He is being given free accommodation within a royal suite for a number of days to save him having to waste his bits in a motel. This offer would usually upset Seth significantly, especially since he has argued against far smaller offers, but he accepts almost straight away due to his trust in her. Seth is literally ignoring his own principals (flawed though they are) by accepting her offer, but she means enough to him to put his issues aside. Their bond is incredible
After this we have a very brief instance of a recurring element in their relationship. After Seth accepts her offer but still doesn't believe he will have time to hang with her, Rainbow understands but...
Once again we have a brief instance that might hint that their relationship could escalate beyond friendship in time. It's been over a month since they became friends and they have spent significant time together since then. While their is still nothing to confirm nor deny this possibility, we will continue watching and waiting to see what happens
.
Moving away from his conversation with Rainbow, we see that Seth has taken on a leadership role this chapter. While their have been instances of this in past chapters, it was always more him insulting others and ordering them to do their tasks correctly, whereas here we seem him giving directions without negative reinforcement. Though he was pissed off, the ponies didn't hesitate to listen to his instructions and moved onto the assigned tasks without any fight. I suspect that this may be due to more respect having been earned as he has stayed in Ponyville, and also because his dismissive and angry attitude gives him a more dominating presence to the ponies and even without negative comments, has inspired them to listen to him subconsciously. With the wedding being focused through his perspective we may see more of this come into play.
The interaction with Vinyl, while brief, did give us some insight into how she will fit into the rest of the arc. Most likely she will disappear until the wedding party, or become relegated to very brief cameo appearances. While I could be wrong about this, with the wedding being a more... 'active' storyline, Vinyl's laid back and jokey persona simply won't fit into the tone as much unless Seth diverts from the canon and simply avoids a lot of the canon scenes. Time will tell.
The 'Am I gonna have to slap a bitch' comment was hilarious. Nothing more to say about that scene, just funny enough to mention
.
The scene on the train was interesting because of Seth's response. Usually a comment regarding his family or past life would set him off (which is exactly what Rainbow expected and immediately got angry at Rarity for making a comment. Another example of her understanding Seth and how strong the friendship means to her) but he simply (though firmly) told the ponies (once again I might add) that he wasn't ever going to talk about his family and dropped the topic without further discussion. This shows growth in his character and how much he has come to accept about his situation. While he still clearly wants to be home, he has accepted the reality that he can't and has begun moving on. I suspect that with some encouragement, he might even reveal a little of his past to Rainbow (though she would have to tip toe like she was walking through a minefield over ice with greased shoes). This also showed the ponies that while they have adjusted to his presence, they still need to watch what they say to him so as to not upset him 9especially since he has freaking dark magic now and could easily kick their ass).
Overall the chapter was littered with some great scenes showing Seth's growth as a character and how his relationship with Rainbow has progressed. I am excited for more
4879748
Excellent! Now I can post the next chapter. I have the next three already written up and ready for posting.
So, how about that coat though? For some reason, when brainstorming for this arc way back when, I always thought that Seth would be wearing a white trenchcoat. Of course, now that I'm here, I decided to go with a less stereotypical and overdone option, which was a more military/formal wear. It specifically had to be white as well, because I thought that the color most used to represent purity and altruism would serve as an ironic contrast to his selfish and dark personality. Plus it matches his hair.
Anyway, the next chapter will be up at the usual time. 6:00 pm EST.
4879840 Wow, I can't wait. I'm getting someone to look at my internet tomorrow so hopefully no problems. I can't wait to see the next few chapters.
The coat was baddass. I love trench coats, and with his long black hair, it would really suit him well. Good call. Be interesting to see how it fairs in mid air or when he is being... 'active' during the ceremony
man this story needs more luna and Sombra! shef's whining is getting on my nerves too i mean you didn't have to go to the wedding you could have just played with the CmC or some thing geezz! interactions are still good but that whining.... bah!
5231520
Well, if you recall, the CMC were at the wedding as well.
Also...a Luna fan? You'll like this arc then~
Alright... I just read 40 chapters in one sitting... I gotta know before I continue... Does Seth get less whiny, and does he get more stupidly overpowered?
5231652 OOH! I love Luna.
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5489305
You're in for a treat then...
now to get confirmation on wether Amaryllis is Chrysalis or not.
5575894
I'm not the only one who thought that then?
The anticipation has been killing me
Love such bits, then they tell a jerk not to be himself!
Wait, didn't she use an abbreviation too? Aww! I would have loved to see Seth react to this!
I feel like Seth's out of character not saying "Yes she has."
Personally I think twilight had every right to be angry with her brother. I mean a wedding invitation has to arrive early enough so you can make time and get yourself ready. I mean even as guest you have to follow a few rules (like giving an answer if you will attend the ceremony and who will be your +1, the bachelors party, getting your clothing cleaned and stuff, organisation of your wedding gift, finding a place to stay for the night (if the pair hasn't taken care of that) are only a few things of the stuff I had to do as my brother married. )
Also organising a caterer only two or so days before the wedding. .. or eveb worse getting a tailor for the bride...that's suicide. When I married we got asked a bunch of questions like "who is sitting where? " " who has what allergies? " " who can't eat what? " the list is endless and then os the ting what do you want your guests to eat and drink?
I say, twilight had every right to be furious at her brother.
5575894
6355594
I'm okay with this theory. It fits what little of Amaryllis we know of.
Kinda makes Seth ultimate edgelord if you ask me, considering where his magic came from and how it looks.
And he's wearing flip flops with that to a wedding?
You’re here because you are the main character