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Chapter 1: An Unexpected Meeting4,422 words
Chapter 2: Internal and Infernal Struggles3,129 words
Chapter 3: Warming Up3,155 words
Chapter 4: Little Too Warm...2,160 words
Chapter 5: Ribbons and Bonds2,305 words
Chapter 6: Glitter Bombs and Revolts Part 13,145 words
Chapter 7: Glitter Bombs and Revolts Part 22,817 words
Chapter 8: Rah Rah, Fashion Baby3,607 words
Chapter 9: Sweet, Sweet Bubble3,265 words

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Meeting

"Your Majesty?"

Umbra resisted the urge to groan as she heard her servant's morning wake up call, then silently chided herself for not waking up on time. With a sigh behind her lips and a throb in her temples, Umbra slowly rose from her bed, careful not to seem upset while doing so. Her servant didn't need to know about how much she hated waking up in the morning.

"Yes, Rose Quartz?" Umbra questioned, hoping her voice sounded light and melodic.

"Your breakfast is awaiting you downstairs, Ma'am," Rose told her, her posture taut.

Umbra ignored the fearful look in Rose's eyes and she nodded in affirmation. "Thank you, Rose. I will be down in ten minutes."

"Would you like me to assist you in getting ready, Ma'am?" Rose offered.

Umbra almost frowned. She knew that Rose was only being polite by asking. If she didn't ask, Umbra might have been offended that she would make an assumption about the Queen's wishes. That's what everyone thought, anyway.

"No, that will not be necessary," Umbra told her, then nodded her head towards her door with the subtle grace that came with her title. "I will meet you in the dining hall."

Rose nodded. "Yes, Ma'am. Would you like me to tell Feather Quill when you will arrive for breakfast?"

Umbra resisted the urge to groan at the mention of her adviser and the thorn in her side. She did not, however, as that was not queenly behavior.

"Yes, that would be quite helpful, thank you," Umbra answered, as she was meant to. "I will be down soon."

Rose curtsied before Umbra, then backed out of the room, as to avoid turning her back to the Queen.

As soon as Rose left the room and Umbra heard the tell-tale 'click' that signified her door was closed, she listened for Rose's footsteps to dissipate before she made any move to do anything whatsoever. With a graceful wave of her hand, she used her magic to lock the door, mainly to avoid anyone barging in while she dressed. Not that anyone would be foolish enough to do so.

Umbra sighed and she climbed out of bed. She slipped out of her gown, which took any shape she had to her and make her look like grandmother of three. Thankfully, she had managed to get Rose to leave so she wouldn't have seen her in such a state of being.

Without much grace and flourish, Umbra practically tossed the gown off of her and walked over to her closet, clad only in her undergarments. She flicked through the dresses, rolling her eyes at the ridiculous amount of lace and embroidery that each one possessed. She stopped upon seeing a simple red gown. She slipped it on over her head and tugged the sleeves down to her wrists. She patted down the wrinkles in the front and stood up straight.

When she gave herself a quick once over and was satisfied with her appearance, Umbra strode over to her vanity and sighed as she looked at her mess of mane in the mirror. She picked up her boar-bristle brush and went to work on working through the messy tresses, her efforts taking a lot longer she hoped it would.

'Tartarus, just how much did I toss and turn last night?' Umbra mused to herself, a small grunt coming from her as she tugged at a knot.

She didn't take the time to answer her own question as she carefully brushed her wavy hair behind her ears, then picked up the crown that rested on her vanity. With the grace only she could muster, she place it on her head and looked at her reflection with a sense of pride.

Umbra was extremely aware of the fact that she was beautiful. All Queens were beautiful, though their beauty wasn't limited to the looks themselves, she knew. The thing that had made them all so attractive was their love for their homes and the love that the home gave them in return.

If only that were the case...

'I have to make my way down,' Umbra remembered, her disdain only growing. Like she wanted to spend all day talking to Feather Quill about where to place banners for the upcoming ball. Only heaven knew what Feather would try to do this year.

Umbra exited her bed chambers. Almost as soon as her foot stepped past the doors, she put aside her petty feelings and reservations. Her feelings didn't matter. What she felt was dangerous for others to know. She had to keep it in. She had to stop herself from feeling. She couldn't afford to let anyone think her emotions could impair her judgement.

Umbra walked through the halls with the confidence her title required, her head held high and her back straight enough for her to balance books on her head. She had practiced to make sure of that.

Servants bowed and curtsied as she passed, as was expected, and they remained in their positions until she passed. No one dared to make a move for fear of offending her.

Fear. They all feared her.

The thought made her feel a bit sick.

Umbra was relieved to see that she had arrived in the dining hall. The table stretched from one end of the room to the other, though Umbra honestly doubted that she would ever fill all of the seats that were there. There were no friends or allies for her invite.

"Your Highness?"

Umbra resisted the urge to suck in air through her teeth. "Yes, Feather?"

Umbra just see him frown, the disapproving way she had seen him do countless times. "Please, Ma'am. I prefer Quill."

Umbra turned to her advisor, who had been awaiting her arrival. He was wearing his usual blue coat and white shirt with ruffles. His white pants were pristine and clean, and his leather shoes shined in the light. Probably freshly shined on the way to work. God, how she loathed him.

Umbra didn't bother to smile; Feather Quill would know it was fake from a mile away. He had been given the luxury of knowing the Queen well enough to know that. Umbra wished otherwise.

"Do you know what we are having for breakfast?" Umbra asked, attempting to make conversation. That, and she was quite famished.

Feather looked at his pocket watch. "Hmm... It should be out in a moment. How does toast sound?"

Umbra almost furrowed her brows. "Just toast?"

Feather frowned at her. "Yes. Or have you forgotten that we can't afford such luxurious foods in light of recent events?"

Umbra gritted her teeth, then forced her teeth apart. "No. I was merely wondering if there was going to be a beverage."

"Tea." Feather held his hand out. "Please, take a seat."

Umbra did.

"I'll go gather the servants," Feather told her. "You'll be served shortly, Ma'am."

As soon as Feather was gone from sight and Umbra was no longer able to hear the clack of his heeled shoes, she let out a sigh. This was going to be a rather long morning.

* * *

"So, which of the selection do you prefer the most?" Feather Quill asked her.

Umbra looked at the table before her, which was covered in different colors of samples. "The pink ones."

Feather cocked his head to the side. "Do you think that would... match the rest of the ensemble, Ma'am?"

"The blue ones, then." Umbra put a hand to her temple and massaged it tenderly.

"Which blue ones, Ma'am?" Feather asked, "There's 'Midnight', 'Cornflower', 'Sky', 'Pastel'--"

"Pastel," Umbra breathed, the lightest of sighs escaping her.

Feather paused. "Do you think that would... match the rest of the ensemble, Ma'am?"

Umbra swallowed a groan. "They're just napkins, Quill."

Feather sighed. "I'm well aware of that, Ma'am. But, they're for the ball, and we still need to figure out what we're going to do. This is an important event, as you know."

Umbra closed her eyes briefly and breathed in through her nose before exhaling slowly out of her mouth. The Annual Crystal Ball has always been a pain in Umbra's rear, to put it politely, and she's always hated it. It was planned the same way every year, with the same traditions, the same decor, the same dances, the same music, the same bloody napkins, even. It was tiring and exhausting.

"Where is the ball planner?" Umbra asked finally, putting her hand to her temple. "I thought that we had a ball planner coming in today."

"She's running late," Feather told her bluntly. He sighed as he looked down at his watch. "Can't imagine why, though. She's always been so punctual with our other meetings... Oddly so."

"Ms.Panini is a rather... strange woman, don't you think?" Umbra asked, careful not to sound like she was gossipping.

Feather nodded. "Indeed. And especially with that 'Cheesy Sense' of hers." He looked off a bit in wonder. "Such an odd thing..."

Odd was an understatement. Cheese Panini was more than just odd; she was enigmatic and just all around difficult to understand. She had so many strange ideas for parties that Umbra couldn't even begin to comprehend how they'd work. She was still trying to figure out was a party cannon was.

"Do you recall that year where she tried to convince you to include more cheese into the menu?" Umbra questioned, the memory brushing across her mind.

Feather sighed a bit. "Yes. I don't even know what she meant when she said 'That's not your cheese!'"

"Nacho, I believe it was..." Umbra murmured to herself. She cleared her throat. "Has there been any word of where she could be?"

"No. Not a single letter or anything of the sort has come in regarding her presence. " He sighed a bit. "I suppose we'll have to go through the selections by ourselves, then."

Umbra's eyes widened at the thought. She looked to the table in front of her and looked at the dozens of selections for the napkins alone. Heaven knew how many other selections there were for the other decor.

"Or," Umbra said carefully, "we could find another ball planner to help us?"

Feather almost scoffed; a daring action to do in front of a Queen. "I apologize for saying this, Ma'am, but how in the name of Crystal Heart are we going to find a replacement at this point in the planning?"

Not two seconds after he said that, an explosion came from the hallway. Smoke billowed into the room as several of Umbra's guards shouted out at one another.

"What the hell was that?" one exclaimed.

"Where did that explosion come from?" another called out, a cough following after.

"Someone, check on the Queen!" a third snapped.

Umbra frowned, more annoyed than concerned. 'Lovely. Now this is happening.'

Two guards rushed into the room, covered in soot and... confetti?

"What in Tartarus?" Umbra muttered quietly, pushing her seat back so she could leave the table.

"Your Majesty, there's been a breach in security!" one of the guards told her, coming over to her side. "We must get you to safety!"

"There's a psychopath on the loose!" the other one proclaimed. "They dare threaten the Queen in her own home!"

'And now we have this. I had breakfast less than an hour ago and now I'm being threatened. I wonder what other crazy turns this day is going to take.'

"Whoops, sorry for the explosion!" exclaimed a high octave voice from the hallway.

Umbra arched a brow. 'Alright, not quite the voice of a terrorist, but I guess there are more surprising things about this.'

A guard took Umbra's hand. "Your Majesty, we should leave before you're attacked!"

Umbra looked at the guard and then the hand he was holding. "Sir, would you like to keep that hand?"

The guard blinked in surprise. "Ma'am?"

"Because if you don't unhand me I will personally cut it off and put it on display for the trainees who will learn to respect the Queen's body," she told him. She looked back down at her hand. "So, I will I ask you again: would you like to keep that hand?"

The guard immediately retracted his hand back and took a step back.

"Good," Umbra said. She returned her attention to the hallway, where the smoke appeared to be clearing up. That is, until another explosion happened and smoke began to spill into the room like before.

"Get back!" the other guard exclaimed, jumping in front of Umbra.

"Whoo-hoo!" the voice from before cried. "Smoke party!"

A figure appeared within the smoke, standing tall with their hands on their hips and a mess of curly hair atop their head. Before Umbra could attempt to make out the figure's features, the figure began to run out of the smoke and into the dining hall.

"Brace yourselves!" a guard called out. "He's armed and dangerous!"

"He...?" Umbra thought out loud.

The figure stopped running suddenly and bent his knees until his bottom was nearly touching the floor. Then, he leaped from where he crouched and propelled into the air at a terrifying height and speed.

"Wheeeee!" he called out, flying in the air.

"What the...?" Feather managed to push out.

Finally, the mysterious bomber landed on the ground, his landing causing the smoke around him to push back from the forceful wind.

"Ta-da!" he exclaimed, spreading his arms and legs out. He wiggled his hands in a festive manner, a grin upon his soot-covered face. His clothes were covered in black smudges, making impossible to see what color they were originally. And his hair... Good God, his hair. It looked like it had been struck by lightning from how crazy and untamed it looked.

"Stay back, Your Majesty!" a guard warned, stepping up. "He's dangerous!"

The young man blinked in surprise and looked around in a clueless manner. Finally, upon seeing no other occupants behind him, he gingerly pointed at himself. "Me?"

"Yes, you!" Feather exclaimed, stomping forward. "You just caused two explosions and nearly put the Queen's life in danger!"

'Well, at least I don't have to worry about the selections...' Umbra thought.

The young man cocked his head to the side in a clueless manner. "It was just smoke, right?" He gasped. "Oh, my gosh! Do you have asthma?!"

Umbra felt her stoic facade break. "What?"

The young man put his hands to his cheeks and he made a rather expressive face of regret like a child would. "Sorry, sorry, sorry! I was looking at the pyrotechnics and I kinda.. set some of them off."

"Pyrotechnics?" Umbra repeated in a bewildered tone, unsure what to feel.

"Ya know, for the fireworks display!" he exclaimed. "I mean, we kinda need that, don't we?"

"Fireworks display?" Feather exclaimed. "Why did you—" He paused. "Wait a second, what are you even doing here?!"

"Whoops!" The boy bonked himself on the head. "I forgot to introduce myself!" He pulled out a clean rag out from behind him and wiped his face clean, revealing a shining, almost pink complexion. "Hang on, I must look awful!"

"I think that opportunity passed the moment you blew up a part of the castle!" Feather snapped. He pointed at the young man. "Guards!"

"Wait," Umbra held up a hand. "Let's see what he has to say."

"Ma'am!" Feather breathed, his eyes wide.

"You aren't considering listening to this lunatic, are you?" a guard blurted out.

Umbra frowned at the guards and Feather. "Are you questioning me?"

All three men immediately remained silent, unsure what to say.

"I thought as much." She turned back to the young man, who was rubbing a towel on his head. "Now, putting aside the... explosions you've caused, what are you doing here?"

The young man pulled the towel from his head and revealed a mess of curly magenta hair. "I'm Bubble Berry! Party planner extraordinaire!" He tossed the towel to the side and stamped his foot on the ground, causing all of the soot to fall off of him. "I'm your new ball planner!"

Umbra blinked. "Wait... You're a ball planner?"

"Yeah!" Bubble replied. "I got a letter from Cheesy saying that she couldn't make it and she needed a replacement!" He cocked his head to the side. "What's your name?"

Umbra blinked in surprise once more. "Do you... really not know?"

Bubble shrugged. "Not really. Cheesy didn't really fill me in on the 'who', 'how' and 'why' of the ball, but more on the 'where' and 'what'."

Before Umbra could reply, Feather jumped in between the two of them. "You are speaking to Queen Umbra of the Crystal Empire! And you nearly endangered her life with your ridiculous fireworks display not too long ago!"

"Feather," Umbra said sternly. "I am able to speak for myself."

"Oooo, you're a Queen?" Bubble realized as Feather took a step back. "Neat! I've never met a Queen before! Well, I met a King once, but Changelings aren't really a big fan of birthday parties!"

"What?" Umbra blurted out.

Feather leaned in once more. "You will address the Queen properly, you heathen! Heaven knows how much you've offended her already!"

"Maybe this would be better if we started over..." Bubble murmured to himself. He held out his hand. "Let's have a do over! Hi, I'm Bubble Berry!"

Umbra's eyes widened in surprise. "Er, Bubble...?"

Feather leaped at Bubble's hand and swatted it away. "You do not extend your hand to the Queen before her! That is one of the most disrespectful things you can do!"

Bubble held his hand gingerly. "Geez, I was just being polite."

Feather growled quietly. "You've caused enough physical damage! Heaven knows what you've done to the Queen's self esteem!"

Bubble blinked in surprise. "Whoa, really? I didn't know that!" Bubble turned to Umbra. "Sorry if I... hurt your feelings, Your Majesty. I'm not used to talking to royalty."

"It's..." Umbra paused. "Fine."

"What?" Feather blurted out in shock.

Umbra spared Feather an annoyed look, one only he could see, but when she returned her gaze to Bubble, her gaze was stoic. "So you say you're the ball planner that Cheese Panini sent in her stead. Do you have any proof of this?"

Bubble's mouth formed a small 'o'. "Oh, yeah!" He reached behind him and pulled out a small scroll, though where he kept it, Umbra didn't wish to ask. "Here! Cheesy told me to give this to you!"

"I'll take that!" Feather exclaimed, snatching the scroll. "I wouldn't want the Queen to dirty her hands with something so filthy."

"Rude," Bubble muttered, blowing a piece of hair out of his face.

Feather glared at him, then looked back the scroll. He unrolled it, then cleared his throat.

"Your Majesty, I am afraid I will not be able to make it to the Empire to plan the Annual Crystal Ball."

Feather blinked in surprise. "What?!"

Umbra took the scroll. "I'll be reading that." She straightened the scroll out better. "I have pressing matters regarding my Cheesy Sense and it's telling me to go to the residence of one Starswirl the Bearded, who is in dire need of a party after having an argument with Prince Solaris of Canterlot."

Umbra swallowed the venom in her mouth that came with remembering the troublesome Prince of the Sun and continued on:

"However, since you have been nothing but kind to me in regards of ball planning, I will be sending one of the best ball and party planners I know. By now, you've probably met Bubble Berry."

Umbra spared Bubble a look from the letter, who waggled his fingers in a wave. She arched a brow, but continued nonetheless.

"Bubble is the sole reason for my being in the party business, along with the occasional ball or two. He holds more experience than I do, though his methods... differ from mine. But, regardless of that, Bubble is the best I have to offer you in my absence.

With the sincerest of regrets and regards,

Cheese Panini."

"Your Highness, you can't seriously be expecting to accept this!" Feather exclaimed, completely out of turn. "This... This... maniac put your life in danger!"

"P.S., Feather will probably be complaining right about now," Umbra added, arching a brow in surprise. "He tends to do that a lot, doesn't he?"

Feather gawked at her. "It does not say that!"

"P.P.S., yes, it does, Feather."

Feather sputtered in incoherent anger for a moment, then let out a loud growl of frustration. "What about the damage he has caused?! Just look at the hallway!"

"P.P.P.S., I've attached a bag that holds a substantial amount of bits meant to repair any damages Bubble has more than likely done already. Don't worry, I've been saving it for a rainy day. Or, in this case, a Bubbly day. Get it? Get it? Eh, you probably get it."

Umbra spared Bubble a look. "You have money prepared for damages?"

Bubble shrugged. "Cheesy didn't want you to waste money on stuff I broke." He pulled out a bag that was heaping from weight. "Will this do?"

Umbra and Feather gawked at the bag of bits, as did the guards.

"Is he being serious?" Feather breathed quietly.

"Er, yes, that will cover the damages nicely," Umbra told him as she gingerly took the bag away from him. "Thank you, Bubble."

"It's nothing, really," Bubble told her. "This is hardly the worst accident I've been a part of!"

"Ma'am, I believe this might be more trouble than it's worth," Feather said quietly. "Who knows what else he could destroy?"

"Hey!" Bubble exclaimed. "I didn't mean to blow up my fireworks! I was gonna do that later!"

Umbra sighed. "Bubble is the only ball planner around and we have only a couple of weeks until the ball takes place. It wouldn't be wise to look for a new one."

"Ma'am!" Feather protested.

"Yay!" Bubble cheered. "I get to work on a party!"

Feather sighed. "Alright, fine. I'll guess we'll just have to go over the napkin placements again..."

Umbra bit down on a groan, but Bubble didn't even bother to do so. "Gaaaaaaah, that sounds so boring!"

Feather pursed his lips. "It's part of the planning, mind you. I figured a party planner like yourself would know that."

Bubble sent him a glare. "I know a lot about napkins for parties. How to fold them, how to match them with other decorations, how to make them accents, how to make hats out of them, how to eat them, and did I mention I know how to make a hat out of it?"

"Wait, what was that last one?" Umbra asked, somewhat perturbed by Bubble's sudden seriousness towards napkins.

"I know how to make napkins into hats!" Bubble told her proudly.

"No, the one before that," Umbra said.

"What are you talking about?" Bubble questioned as he put a folded napkin hat on his head,

Umbra stared at him for a solid five seconds before saying, "Is there anything else I missed on that letter?" She picked up the letter and read out loud in a bewildered tone: "P.P.P.P.S., yes, you did." She blinked. "What else is there?"

"Oh, oh, flip it over!" Bubble exclaimed excitedly. "Hey, maybe I can make a boat out of napkins!"

With a brow arched upwards, Umbra did as he said and flipped the parchment over to read it. "P.P.P.P.P.S., if Bubble seems weird, don't question it. It'll save you some time and patience."

Umbra put the scroll down and looked at Bubble, who was making a small army of paper hats with the colored selections on the table. "Weird indeed..."

Author's Note:

Welcome to the (revised) first chapter of my Queen Umbra/Bubble Berry fic! I've had a lot of fun with making these revisions and tinkering with my writing, so expect some more edits and revisions in the next chapters!

Edit(8/10/15): I accidentally unpublished this chapter and I had to republish it. Sorry for everyone who got the notification about a new chapter!

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