Games Played in Courts
Prominence silently stalked her way through the castle's halls. Something was definitely up. The way Twilight had rushed to bed last night had been all the confirmation she needed that her student was hiding something. She'd thought, at first, of letting the mystery run on a bit longer, but her curiosity drove her on. With two spells she'd set up the night before (one to awaken her when Twilight left her bedroom, and one to track Twilight), she managed to follow her host, reaching the gym a few minutes after her. Frankly, she wasn't sure how it had been undetected, aside from Spike's vague mention of it not usually being present. Peeking through the door, she noted that it seemed to be bigger than the entire floor of the castle it was situated on. Turning her attention away from the room itself, she spotted Twilight with a sweatband on her head, talking to somepony just out of view. From the way she was looking upward, whoever this pony was, it was actually somepony much taller than Twilight. Or perhaps one of her pegasus friends was in the air before her.
“I managed to actually lose track of time yesterday, believe it or not,” She said, almost too quietly for Prominence to hear without the aid of a little magic. “I got to bed a little late, so I might be a little sluggish today. But I hope I don't disappoint you.”
The reply came from a muffled male voice, and Twilight relaxed when she heard it, her smile perking up a little wider. A boyfriend, perhaps? Celestia wondered, while simultaneously questioning why she'd chosen the only eavesdropping spell she knew that required a line of sight to cast on a target.
Twilight levitated two rackets toward herself, taking one in hoof and passing the other on to her mysterious guest, still out of sight. With a sigh, and the realization that she was being terribly rude to her host, Prominence walked into the gym to make her presence clear.
“Oh, good morning, Prominence!” Twilight said cheerfully.
Prominence just stared at the figure beside her. So this was her guest, visiting in the early morning? Suddenly everything made much less sense. Except for the sudden appearance of a gymnasium in Twilight's home. That was almost certainly explained by his presence alone.
“Why is she staring?” Discord asked, just loud enough to snap Prominence back to reality.
“Maybe she's never seen a draconequus before? You're not exactly a common sight.” Twilight offered as she grabbed a red ball in her telekinesis.
“Oh, come now, Twilight. We all know she's seen me before.”
Twilight froze, the ball stopping halfway between her and the wall. Prominence sighed. She'd had to break character three times already since she'd gotten to Ponyville. And it looked like--
“Prominence adores the royal statue garden, after all. And as you may remember, I spent quite a bit of time there.” Discord gave them a most mysterious smile.
“W-what's your game?” Prominence asked, looking at him with a bit of nervousness in her eyes, struggling a little to stay in character. To Celestia's near-flawlessly detailed memory, Prominence had never been in the statue gardens. Oh, perhaps she'd stopped by in some story or other, but never in reality.
“Why, Racquetball, of course.” He told her, holding up his racquet, and summoning to his hand the ball Twilight had left floating in the air. “And I'm here for my weekly match with my dear, dear friend, Princess Twilight.” He looked down at Twilight, smiled, and headed onto the court.
“Well, uh, I shouldn't keep him waiting?” Twilight offered. Prominence nodded, and followed them to the racquetball courts. Twilight walked into the court and closed a transparent door behind herself, giving Discord a nod as he held up the ball.
And then there wasn't a ball. No, where it had been in Discord's claw, there was now a small, red, round monster, the size of Twilight's head. It was a horrid, slimy thing, all short, fat, squirming tentacles, and a single throbbing eye. Prominence nearly burst onto the court to attack it before Twilight calmly took it in her magic and whacked it, getting the requisite bounce off the floor before it hit the wall.
The 'ball' seemed to control its own trajectory, veering right back toward her face, only to be intercepted by Discord's own racquet. It appeared to target whoever had last hit it and it was up to the other player to protect them. Whether this was just the sort of thing that Discord considered to be a fun sport, or if this had originally been intended to be some trust exercise to strengthen their friendship, Celestia couldn't tell.
At the end of the match, Twilight had a squelching little monstrosity latched onto her face. She also had the winning point. Discord changed it back to a ball, and Twilight got the door, both of them covered in the temporary abomination's slime and their own sweat. They seemed happy, though, all smiles and shortness of breath, and if asked, Celestia would have to admit that it did her good to see that Twilight got exercise besides long walks through town, or running about whenever a crisis occurred.
“Is it always like that?” Prominence asked, staring at the ball.
“No. A blue ball would've tried to dodge.” Twilight said with a smile.
Apparently Discord had an idea just then, as a light bulb appeared above his head. He then reached off to the side, grabbed hold of nothing, and pulled a shower curtain out around himself and Twilight. He turned the light bulb over, hung it a little higher in the air, and with the squeak of an invisible knob, the bulb began spraying them with water.
“Gyah! Too hot,” The princess objected.
“Sorry, sorry.” Discord turned the water off and the curtain and light bulb vanished into thin air. Twilight was sopping wet, but at least she was free of slime and sweat. As for Discord, not only was he completely clean, but he was also completely dry and offering a towel to Twilight.
“Thanks!” She took it in her magic and began toweling of. “Are you going to stay for breakfast?”
“So kind of you to offer, but I've already got plans with Fluttershy. Do you want me to have her bring anything by later?”
“No thanks. We're all set.”
“Then I'll see you next week,” Discord told her. Twilight nodded, and led Prominence out of the gym. When she closed the door, it vanished into the wall, and Celestia could only assume that the rest of the facility had vanished with it.
The pair made their way to the dining hall early this time. As they sat in pleasant silence, waiting for their food, a sudden and disparaging thought came over Celestia. That could not have been it. Her assumptions were completely off base, and there was no way something as simple as a weekly game of racquetball with Discord had been the cause of all of Twilight's nervous blushing. She thought back to all the things that had been said in the gym, and, while almost certainly unrelated to her little puzzle, she was curious about something.
“Will Fluttershy be coming by today?” She asked.
“Oh! I didn't tell you? They'll all be here today. We have a castle, and we have thrones, so we have no excuse not to hold court. Of course, I don't run Ponyville--the mayor does--so we don't see a lot of traffic. And we get away with only doing it once a week. Would you like to sit in?”
Court. Dreadful, dreadful court. Ponies coming to request approval on their own selfish bids for power. Ponies demanding she settle their petty disputes rather than simply talking the issues over with one another. There had been the occasional good day at court during her reign, and not every petitioner who came to her was self serving. In fact, the majority were working for the betterment of Equestria. It was just those seeking to make their power plays that always seemed to stand out.
Still, she was curious. Things had gotten easier for her in Canterlot with her sister present to share the work load. What would court be like in a palace born of friendship, divided among seven thrones?
“I would be honored.” She finally said, smiling pleasantly.
“Great!” She paused as she heard the kitchen door opening out into the dining hall. “Oh. Oh gosh. I forgot about that.” Twilight said with a frown.
“I hadn't, but, I have to say, I'd hoped it was a joke” Prominence grimaced with distaste.
“Yeah, don't help or anything,” Spike grunted, trying to balance a tray with nine bowls of brussels sprouts and three glasses of juice. Gold and magenta auras lifted them away and set the table for him. Once Spike took his seat, the three of them began their meal.
Being a dragon, as he tended to be with only one notable exception, there were few things that Spike could not safely and easily consume, and while he did have preferences, he found he liked almost anything that was put in front of him. Twilight, though unenthusiastic, made great progress. They weren't her favorite, but there was nothing wrong with brussels sprouts, per se. Prominence would've argued with her day and night on that point if she weren't a princess, and only managed to force down half of a bowl before the involuntary gagging started.
Twilight stared at the gagging pink unicorn. “Is there a problem, Prominence?”
“I'm very sorry, I don't mean to seem ungrateful.” She struggled to eat another sprout.
“Do you want me to make you something else?” To Prominence's shock, it was not Spike who asked this.
“Y-You can cook, Pri—Twilight?”
She nodded, a pleasant smile on her face. “Absolutely. I may lack Spike's natural flair, but at its most basic level, cooking is applied chemistry. And any good cookbook clearly defines the ingredients, preparation, timing, heat, the exact same things you have to know for potion making. And let me tell you about potion making.” Her smile was slowly transforming into a grimace of annoyance.
“Here we go,” Spike sighed, rolling his eyes.
“I can make a potion that would change your eye color, curl your mane, and straighten your tail. Potion making requires measuring and treating the ingredients and exposing them to carefully calculated heat over a strictly measured amount of time. All of these skills directly correlate to cooking. All I need is the recipe! And yet everypony assumes I couldn't even make toast, just because they never see me cooking! It's always Spike doing the cooking! And of course I let Spike cook! He's better at it, and he enjoys it! I don't see why that has to imply a lack of ability on my part!”
Twilight froze, realizing that her front hooves were on the table, her wings were flared, and her teeth were grinding together. To her credit, she didn't faint, or vomit, or do any of a thousand other things she thought she might do when she realized she'd begun an angry rant in front of Princess Celestia. Still, she expected to have either an angry Celestia or a teary-eyed Prominence on her hooves. She got neither. Instead, her guest scrambled out of her seat and bowed low to her.
“I'm so sorry! I promise you, I only asked because Celestia has often lamented her own inability to cook, and frankly, I'm a bit of a mess in the kitchen myself. I was only trying to say that I was impressed. I never meant to insult you! Please, forgive me, Princess Twilight.”
Spike gave Twilight the most insufferably smug grin she'd ever seen. “Nice, Twilight. Way to make our guest feel at home.”
Twilight cringed. “Prominence, I'm sorry. You haven't done anything that needs forgiving. I just...It's a sore spot.” She climbed down from the table. “The offer still stands. What would you like me to make for you?”
Prominence peeked up at her. “You're...you're certain you're not mad?” She received a nod, and thought for a moment. “Something you can make quickly. I'm keeping you from your meal, after all.”
Twilight considered this as she headed into the kitchen. It wasn't long before she came back out with two slices of buttered toast and a fried egg.
“No, no, it's fine, she gave the exact same rant at a potluck last--That's it?” Spike asked, turning away from conversation and toward the plate Twilight had brought. “That's embarrassing!”
“She asked for something fast!” Twilight replied, sliding the plate in front of Prominence, who quickly dug in, eager to replace the flavor of those thrice damned cruciferous abominations.
“See?” Twilight said, motioning toward the frantic consumption. “She likes it just fine.”
“Yeah, yeah. Finish your sprouts so I can take care of the dishes.”
Prominence sat in a comfortable little chair next to Twilight's throne, looking around the chamber, with an awestruck smile. Twilight and Spike watched from their thrones, smiling as she examined her surroundings. None of the other thrones were filled yet, but they had time. As soon as they were all present, The Court of Friendship could convene.
Applejack and Rainbow were the first to arrive, carrying a large weather-worn table that looked like it had been taken from the grounds of Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight's magic scooted the thrones in around it a bit, leaving a gap toward the door. Prominence stared as Dash produced several large bottles from her saddlebags, placing them on the table, and zipping off to the kitchen, returning with eight cups.
“Wh-What's going on?” Prominence asked, looking over the table and bottles of what she hoped were not alcoholic drinks as Applejack and Rainbow took their seats.
“Well, it's my turn to bring the drinks,” Rainbow said, motioning to the bottles, “And since Applejack's too weak to carry this big table all by herself, I helped her with that, too.”
“What? I'm more'n strong enough for this table! Just can't keep it balanced when I'm walkin' with it.” She grumbled, adjusting her stetson.
The little dragon gave a little sigh. “Apparently no--”
“AND I BROUGHT THE GAMES!” Screamed Pinkie Pie as she trotted into the room with no such supplies. She took her seat beside Rainbow, all eyes on her.
“Well, where are they?” Twilight asked. Pinkie shook her head vigorously and several boardgames flew out of her mane, stacking themselves neatly on the table.
“But, but that doesn't make sense. How could they fit in her mane?” Prominence asked, staring at the boxes.
“Pinkie, please tell me you'll only use your powers for good.” Spike said as he leaned over the table to see what she'd brought.
“Okey-Dokey-Lokey," She replied, with a dutiful salute.
Fluttershy and Rarity were the last to arrive, taking their seats as Rarity levitated a large number of snacks onto the table.
“Alright, everypony's here, so let's get started.” Twilight said with a smile. “Let this session of--”
“FRIENDSHIP RAINBOW KINGDOM CASTLE COURT!”
“The Court of Friendship,” Twilight corrected Pinkie, narrowing her eyes at her, “Commence.”
“What should we play first?”
“Pass me one a' them little cake thingies!”
“Would you be a dear and pour me some—oh, heavens, not the grape, I can't go around with purple lips all day—on second thought, that might be quite fetching, and it would match my mane...”
“Dibs on the horseshoe!”
“You were the horseshoe last time, Dash!”
“Excuse me.” She'd been quiet. She'd expected to have to raise her voice to get past the chaotic din coming from around the table. But all it had taken was one minor interjection and everypony turned to Prominence with friendly smiles. "I thought this was meant to be Court. What is all this?”
“It's like I told you, Prominence. The mayor runs Ponyville, and most ponies are still more comfortable taking their problems to her. If we're really, really lucky, ten or eleven petitioners might come in, but if we're going to be sitting in here waiting for nearly eight hours, we might as well have fun with it. So, settle in for some fun and relaxation.” Twilight explained with a nervous smile, desperately hoping Celestia wouldn't be disappointed in how she conducted court.
“I see.” This is it. A friendly atmosphere, ponies Prominence would know a reasonable amount of information about... This is the perfect time to begin phase two—oh, Luna, you vexatious mare, now you've got me saying it! “Then, as a guest in your castle, and in your court, may, um, may I make a request?”
“Absolutely.” Twilight nodded.
“I, uh...I believe I would like to be the horseshoe,” She said with a larger smile than the rest of them had seen since she'd stepped off the train.
Spike and Rainbow voiced their disapproval in tandem, but quickly moved on to arguing over who would be the hay bale.
“Rock, paper, scissors for it!”
“I have hooves, Spike!”
“The Court of Friendship will now hold a fifteen minute recess,” Twilight declared. She had tried so hard to make this the kind of court Celestia would hold, the kind her teacher would be proud of. When they'd begun, it was day after day of sitting in silence on thrones, waiting for the off chance that somepony would show up.
Still, as she stood up to stretch her legs, she saw the look on Prominence's face. It may have been a silly court, and it may have been what some nobles would call a mockery of the very concept, but when approached with a petitioner, they got things done, and when they were alone, the concept of a Court of Friendship stayed true to its name as they enjoyed one another's company. And Prominence was enjoying it too. She hadn't seen her this animated, this relaxed, since she'd shown up in Ponyville. This was exactly what she'd dreamed hosting her would be like. Until the dreams of the last few nights, at least.
“Twilight, may I speak to you in private for a moment?” Rarity's voice broke her out of her reverie just as she felt the blush beginning to form on her cheeks. They stepped out of the throne room together, wandering the halls for a moment while Rarity kept a soft, ladylike smile upon her lips. Once they got far enough away to ensure that they wouldn't be overheard, Rarity began speaking. “Honestly, I thought I was imagining things when you were watching me take her measurements.”
“What?” Twilight blinked, well and truly unaware of Rarity's intent.
“The prolonged glances, the color in your cheeks, the dopey smiles...”
“Dopey? Rarity, what are you talking about?”
“Come now, Twilight, I know you had a bit of a late start with socialization, but a mare as smart as you has to be able to recognize that she has a crush!” Rarity paused and looked at Twilight for a moment. “Right?”
Twilight sighed and lowered her head. “The possibility had crossed my mind.”
“Excellent. Now, I've worked up several ideas to help win her over and eventually sweep her off her hooves, all waiting in a notebook at the boutique should you need them. They may need to be fine tuned though. Prominence wasn't exactly the pony I had in mind when I began writing.”
“That...” Twilight shook her head. “That won't be necessary, Rarity. I won't be pursuing this.”
“I want to know why." Rarity told her.
"W-What?"
"Twilight, you've a long history of blowing things out of proportion and getting so caught up in your own ideas about things that you lose track of the reality that those very ideas are based in. So, I hope you'll forgive me, but as a friend, a friend who is ready to work full time with you on this, so that you can find happiness in the hooves of somepony special, I demand to know precisely why not.”
Twilight sighed, stopping in her tracks and leaning against the wall. Rarity turned to face her, watching her expectantly. “I--”
“And if you say one word about yourself being a princess while she's a commoner, I want you to know that I shall have no recourse but to strike you.” Rarity's threat was not an idle one. Twilight could see fire in her eyes.
“As I was saying, I can't tell you. There's something, it...I promised Celestia I wouldn't tell anypony, Rarity. She trusts me.” She sighed, turning to stare at the wall.
Rarity's mind worked at this for a moment before coming to an entirely inaccurate conclusion. “I see. I never expected Celestia to keep something like that secret. I'd at least expect her to put a ring on Prominence's horn, though the secrecy must be to protect her from power hungry ponies trying to get her to bend Celestia's ear, yes? Then I suppose it makes sense that she wouldn't want to be seen wearing a ring.”
“Wow. Ok. Um, let me count the things wrong with that,” Twilight told her as she began pretending to tally the figures in her head, “Twenty five, seventy—ALL OF THEM. All of the things are wrong with that, Rarity. I-I can't even--That's the most ridic--You read too many romance novels. That's what it is. Way, way too many.”
“Then what is it, Twilight?” Rarity asked her, moving a little closer.
“I can't. I can't tell anypony. At all. It's not important anyway. In a few months, this will all be over, and then the dreams will stop, and--”
“Oh, darling, you're having dreams about her?”
Twilight took a long breath. “We should get back. We can talk more later, but it won't change anything.”
They made their way back to the throne room. The only ones who hadn't taken the opportunity to stretch their legs, it seemed, were Rainbow and Prominence, the former literally hovering over the latter's shoulder.
“...And that's when he tried to buy the manticore a prostitute!”
Orange drink squirted out of Prominence's nose as she fumbled her glass, bursting out in laughter.
“Ugh. Really, Rainbow Dash? Stories about your uncouth, immature philanderer of an uncle?” Rarity shuddered with distaste.
“Yeah, he is pretty great, isn't he?” Dash chuckled, drifting down into her seat.
“At least you waited until Spike was out of the room this time,” Twilight replied, flying over to her throne and alighting in its seat.
“Wait, there's other stories?!” Prominence asked.
“Tell ya later.” Rainbow quickly told her as Spike walked in, followed by Applejack.
They froze in the doorway, staring. Twilight took a moment to figure out why, and once she realized the answer, she swept up a napkin in her magic and cleaned a puddle of orange drink from the table. And then wiped off Prominence's muzzle with another.
“The hay happened in here?”
“R-Rainbow was telling some inappropriate stories.” Prominence replied.
“Good old uncle Summer Rain.” Applejack said with a roll of her eyes before she took her seat.
Once Fluttershy came back from getting herself some fresh air, and Pinkie Pie returned from the bathroom, and Pinkie Pie was told she was not allowed to be a toilet paper mummy during official proceedings no matter how lax their attitude toward keeping a professional appearance was, the Court of Friendship reconvened.
“Oh, I do all kinds of things for Celestia. It's mostly just the little details that running the government tends to get in the way of. On a really bad day, I even have to feed Phil--”
Fluttershy jumped out of her seat into the air. “PHILOMENA! Oh my gosh, but if you're here and Celestia's in the sun, who's taking care of her? She's not all alone, is she? Oh, I could've taken care of her! I can't stand the thought of her being ignored! Why didn't Celestia ask me to help?”
“Uh...Luna and her staff are taking care of her.” Prominence replied, staring up at the hovering pegasus.
Taking a few deep breaths, Fluttershy slowly lowered back into her throne and apologized for her outburst.
Finally, four hours and three breaks into the proceedings, a petitioner had arrived.
“What can we help you with today, Bulk Biceps?” Twilight asked. The massive muscular stallion took a short moment to organize his thoughts before presenting them.
“I WANT BIGGER MUSCLES.” He shouted. The assembled ponies shared looks of confusion.
“I'm not entirely sure what you expect us to do about that, Bulk.” Twilight replied.
“CAN'T YOU MAGIC THEM BIGGER?”
“Not safely, no. I could end up doing serious damage to any muscle I try to enhance. And if I can't safely do magic on a pony's body, there's no way I'm going to attempt it. Also, this kind of request is more suited to just, you know, asking me for a favor. You didn't need to come in and make a formal petition.”
“OH. WELL WHAT ABOUT YOU TWO? CAN YOUR MAGIC MAKE ME BIGGER?”
Prominence just stared. The muscles wouldn't stop twitching at her!
Rarity thought for a moment. “I've no magic that can help you. But, I suppose I could make you some nice, tight outfits that accentuate your muscles. You'll be no larger, but you will certainly look more muscular. Come by the boutique tomorrow and I'll take some measurements.”
“GREAT! SEE YOU LATER!” he slowly lifted off, turned in the air, and hovered out of the room with an awkward posture, dangling from his wings.
“He's certainly...Intense.” Prominence noted.
“Yeah, that's probably the best word for it.” Twilight noted.
“I like Bulk. He's so nice.” Fluttershy said pleasantly.
“Oh, do you, dear? Please, go on.” Rarity winked at her, drawing forth a fierce blush and stammering denial. “No? What a shame...What about you, Prominence? Anypony special in your life?” She asked, coolly ignoring the fact that Twilight was using every ounce of self control in her body to keep from trying to silence her.
“I'm afraid not. I, uh, don't really have a lot of free time to meet ponies, what with my work.” As true of her disguise's story as it was of Celestia's actual life.
“Well, who knows? Perhaps you'll find the perfect pony while you're here in town?” Rarity offered, and Twilight was sure she was deliberately being nonspecific about the gender of said perfect pony.
“I, heh...If I did, they'd be getting more than they bargained for.”
Twilight's eyes widened. Did she intend to spill the beans? Was the secrecy over with? Were all of her friends going to share in this?
“I'm pretty high maintenance when I'm in a relationship,” She admitted. “I'd be expecting a lot of letters, if they weren't showing up by train all the time.”
Twilight's eyes got even wider. Letters. Why did she mention letters? Was that a hint? Did she know that Twilight was infatuated with her? Was it an invitation to pursue those feelings? She groaned in frustration. There just wasn't enough evidence to take any risks. And even if they did start a relationship through letters, it would still just be an imaginary pony writing letters to her. In fact, that, alone, had to be evidence against it. Celestia wouldn't indulge her in something like that! It...It was unhealthy. At least, it must have been. How could it possibly be healthy? It was about this time that Twilight realized everypony was staring at her.
“What?”
“You sort of, um...” Spike struggled to elaborate on what she had sort of done.
“You 'groaned in frustration'!” Pinkie supplied helpfully, taking the words directly from the narrative itself.
"Oh, sorry. I've, uh, I've been working on a little problem with Luna for the last few days. It's giving me some trouble."
"If I can be of any aid, please let me know. I'm no stranger to assisting royalty, after all, and I'll go mad if I spend three months just sitting on my hooves. Please, feel free to ask anything of me, regarding this, or anything else you might need." Prominence told her with a little smile.
"You've really been opening up today." Fluttershy observed. "I'm glad."
"I...have I?" She asked, trying to keep a knowing smile off her face. "I guess you're all just making me feel so welcome."
"DUUUUH, that's what the party was for!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Now whose turn was it, before Bulk came in?"
"Let this session of the..." Twilight paused and watched Pinkie, who wistled innocently.
"...Co—"
"Friendship Rainbow Kingdom Castle Court!!!!" Rainbow shouted, sticking her tongue out playfully at Twilight.
"Court of Friendship be concluded." Twilight said with a groan. Her friends began cleaning and gathering up the supplies they'd brought. "Everypony knows what they need to bring next week, right?" Her friends nodded. "Great! See you all later!" She adjusted the thrones back to their original positions as five ponies departed from the castle.
"Um, Twilight? If I may?" Prominence asked. "Why do Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash keep talking about a Friendship Rainbow--"
"Ah-hahahahahahaha!" She gave her worst fake laugh. "They're so silly and weird, right? You never can be really sure about what's going on in their--"
"Twilight tried to name this place Friendship Rainbow Kingdom Castle when we first got it. They're not in any hurry to let her live it down."
"THANK YOU. SPIKE." She shouted through teeth clenched in a forced smile.
"No problem," He replied with a smug grin, heading out of the throne room.
Twilight hung her head in shame and glanced up at Prominence. "So, what'd you think of court?"
"It's amazing! I had so much fun! Can I sit in next week, too?" She wore such an earnest smile. Twilight felt like denying her would be like taking a foal to a theme park and saying they weren't allowed to go on any of the rides. Of course, she had no reason to deny her.
"Absolutely. But I can't guarantee you'll be able to be the horseshoe again."
"Oh, that's alright. I think I might like the saddle more anyway." She replied. "So, what should we do until it's time for dinner?"
"Well, you could explain how a fire mage from a little mining town like Saddleton wound up organizing all the various miscellany of Celestia's day to day life." She said with a smile as the two of them started to wander the halls.
"That's a fairly short story." Prominence warned as she followed the princess. "It likely won't fill the time we need it to."
"I'd still love to hear it."
"...Well, she was in Fillydelphia on business. Two of her guards were pulling her chariot, as usual, but one of them got a cramp in his wing. They had to set down just outside of Saddleton. Now, one pony can't pull a flying chariot alone, and Celestia refused to let her guard get back in the air until he'd had enough rest. And both the guards refused to let Celestia help pull the chariot.
"The town was more than happy to help them out for the night. Each of them stayed at a different house that had a spare room, and, well, my father had passed away about six months before, so Celestia got his old bed. I guess I impressed her as a host. Basically all I did was my current job. She asked if I wanted to come to Canterlot and work for her, and I didn't really have any reason to say no."
"That was a lot shorter than the other story."
"I think it helped that I didn't have to explain where Saddleton was or how I grew up...Details in the other story that, if you didn't have them, would've gone into this one..." They paused in the hallway.
"Where are we?" Twilight asked, looking around.
"I was following you. Did you get lost in your own castle?"
"It happens more often than I'd care to admit."
They'd made it back in time for dinner. They'd eaten with Spike. They'd spent some time together and Twilight rectified the fact that Prominence hadn't met Owlowiscious. But, now it was time for some rest.
"So." Twilight said, staring warily at her bed. "What'll it be tonight?" She waited a moment. "Last night's debate was obviously because of what Celestia said." She waited again before continuing. "Is it going to be Prominence wearing an alluring saddle and horse shoes because of her choices in game pieces? Playing a game of doubles racquetball with her against Discord and Fluttershy? Winding up in her home town after a guardpony's wing goes out?" The bed gave no response and she sighed, climbing into it. "Hit me with your best shot, subconscious."
Twilight found herself alone in a small room. The only features were light from an indeterminable source and a door before her. There were no other options present, so she opened the door and walked through to find one of the most arousing sights she'd ever encountered.
There, on a bed, were Prominence and Celestia, deep in the throes of passion. They paused. They both looked at her. She stared back.
"Twilight. What a pleasant surprise." Celestia whispered.
"Come, join us." Prominence requested.
"Rorwr." Added a sultry Manticore as it climbed onto the bed.
In the waking world, Luna sprayed tea all over her chess set. And Philomena, the phoenix in the middle of making her move.
And in Celestia's dream, her composure did not fare much better.
"Luna? What is it?" Celestia asked, once more in the old courtyard.
"I see millions of dreams every night, my mind is fine tuned to be able to process and interact with each of them simultaneously, and yet there's still some things that can catch even me by surprise, after all these years." She shook her head slowly. "Perhaps I'm just too close to the topics involved. If it were any other three ponies, I doubt I'd bat an eye. But enough about that. I'm sorry for interrupting. You were saying, dear sister?"
"I was saying that Prominence has opened up quite a bit over the course of this day. I've managed to build the beginnings of bonds with Twilight's inner circle."
"Then Phase two is a success!"
"It's a bit early to say that, but I am making some friends...I just wish I didn't have to go back to being worshiped as their ruler when all is said and done."
"Perhaps you don't! Perhaps you could fabricate viciously embarrassing stories about yourself! Stories that would allow for none of them to hold you in reverence!"
"A cunning plan, dear sister, but surely Twilight would have poor Prominence imprisoned for her slanderous lies. And besides, the ponies need to be able to revere us. We've tried living like Cadance and Twilight do, remember? Faith in the high thrones was lost. They thought us unfit to rule."
"Yes, yes, so always strong and sure we must remain, guiding beacons to all of our subjects, that they need not fear us leading them astray. A speech you've given many times, and the entire reason for this vacation if I recall. But what if a relationship were formed on this excursion that you were not content with keeping only memories of? What would you do then?"
Celestia thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I suppose that, if such a bridge is ever built, I will cross it when I come to it. I must say, It's unlike you to wax hypothetical."
"Hypothetically, imagine that it's not a hypothetical."
"I'm starting to doubt myself. Are you the real Luna, or just my dream of Luna? Sister, if you're hiding in the bushes or the moon, please come forward."
"I'm sorry. Blame your pet," Luna lied, "She's had me in quite a strange mood with her conversations."
"And now you imply Philomena speaks. I'm even more unsure than I was a moment ago." She was reassured as Luna snickered at her confusion.
Twilight threw off her covers, changed her sheets, and got into the shower at three in the morning, all while grumbling curses at Rarity and Rainbow Dash under her breath.
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Geez twi i didnt know u had a side like that..Celestia Prominence and a manticore
thou..it is nice to see that shes starting to see two different ponies..i guess.. its going to be interesting to see how this all goes
I think you meant guarantee, as usual great work with this chapter, look forward to more.
So THAT'S what you meant when you said racquet ball. Okay, so I was half right after all. Nice surprise there with Discord by the way.
Hm. . . you know I highly doubt that the manticore in her dream was fully animal, it was probably a very sexy equinomorphic manticore.
Also, who won the chess match?
Good old LICD. I got the reference even without the name drop. Well played.
Dude. Twilight's castle totally put Spike at her right hoof side. There was no mess up.
Also: Dat Maniticore!
Um what? Ok.
Awesome chapter. But I'm slightly confused as why she would curse rainbow dash.
The whole 'Manticore' joke! I just
!
4814645 Because she was telling stories about her uncle Summer Rain, one of which had to do with trying
The fact that this is listed under "Twilight's marem" gives me hope for lots of fun.
4814854 ohhh.... I totally read that as Griffon not Manticore.
4814867 yeah, that wasn't my doing, and I'm not entirely sure what that group implies, if it's for fics where she has a harem, or if it's just fics that ship her, but if it's the former, they're barking up the wrong tree
4814231 on the racquetball, I was vague, but I wasn't lying! on the manticore...no comment either way. and on the chess game...philomena. luna's better at more abstract games, like charades or pictionary, not stuff with rigid rules, where everything is strictly allowed to only do certain things.
4814358 I always worry about whether or not somebody's going to get it when I make a reference, I'm so glad you picked up on this.
4814537 you're absolutely right, I'm going to have to go back and remove the references to that, I'm sorry, it's to the left of her throne in the perspective we get, but yeah, it is on the right for her. thanks for pointing it out to me.
4815234
Whoa, I wasn't implying that you lied, you just surprised me that it was Discord that she was playing with.
Heheh, you know Twilight likes the equinomorphic manticore in her dream.
And good one Philomena, hmm. . . maybe she should play with Twilight some time in the future.
4814537
4814080
alright, corrected both issues.
4815281 I know, but I could've just as well made up something completely nonsensical and used that as my answer to your question. but about discord...I really wanted to take the time to illustrate that there's a bond there and they actually do friend stuff, since it's past season 4.
All of them, Rarity. You are wrong about all of the things.
Also, PromiLestiLightIcore FTW.
(I blame Rainbow's joke for the fourth part of that ship)
Well, it can only get worse from here! ...Or better, depending on your definition.
4815234 That's less awesome but whatever.
Also, about Philomena speaking, in the Diary of the two sisters(which is canon) Luna can actually understand a manticore's speech even when Celestia and Starswirl couldnt, so can Luna actually talk to animals in this story?
4816009 have not read that. it likely won't come up again, so all I have to go off of a headcanon for my own fic, but my headcanon here is that she was just BSing her. but, you can take it how you will.
Best. Part. Ever.
Poor Twilight and her subconscious.
Still this was a great chapter. I like how Twi and Co. run court 
.
I was especially fond of your portrayal of Discord here, but this is all looking awesome. Have a favourite.
Can't wait for more
Unca Rain. Just—
Well done, on that one. I guess it was the least you could do.
4817391
I honestly don't know why I felt like it would be a good fit, but I felt like it was, and so I found a way to work it in, and now people keep liking it, so I'm glad I took the risk!
And now Twilight's talking to her own subconsciousness before going to bed. She's slipping slowly but surely.
4818424 not too slowly. this is only the third night.
Love it so far...however...
When will the next chapter be there? It's been more than a week! ;-)
(taps toes impatiently)
"I'm attracted to this story like flies to a pile of very seductive manuuurrrrre ..." ;-)
4855961 it will be published as soon as I feel I've moved the story ahead a significant enough amount, and have edited it to my own satisfaction, I assure you.
and since one good brannigan quote deserves another,
"Spare me your space age technobabble, Attila the Hun."
4856936
Take your time, and keep up the good work
did someone accidentally hit publish
:P
4913732 I did! I'm sorry! I was going for edit! all of the final editing takes place during three or four re-readings of a chapter on the actual site so I can see what it'll look like published! this is the third one though, and I'm likely to purposely hit publish a little later this morning...
4913736 i dont mind your not the first and u wont be the last to hit the wrong button XD im sure after a long days editing and writing id hit the wrong button at least once myself
jsut gives me an excuse to stay up a little alter and see if i cant catch the actual publish as it hits the site 
4913736
Oh you tease you!
Ha. This is why I do all my editin while I am still in Word. I am terrified of hitting the publish button on accident.
4913781 I would do that if I thought I could edit the story as well in libreoffice writer (I can't afford office), but when I'm in my word processor, I can't get the full effect. you'll note that there's quite a bit of italics, the occasional bold, and now I've even edited the earlier chapters so that now the letters are all going to be in quote boxes. also the page breaks.
I actually do two editing passes in the word processor, and then three on the site. usually the last two on the site are just a formality, but sometimes I do spot changes to make in the dialogue or narration to try and make things mesh better. and I can always spot them better when I'm reading it from the point of view of someone reading someone else's fic.
4913763 it probably doesn't help that in my panic to mash the unpublish button, I wound up hitting it again when it turned back into the publish button.
This chapter. This is the one that earned the fave from me. Oh dear sweet Luna keep this up!
XD Fucking LICD
This chapter was all sorts of wrong in all the right places. *three thumbs up*
4916511
LICD?
Freaking Tartarus. I was in class! I almost died.
Missing an opening quote mark.
missing quotation mark.
I understood that reference. LICD ftw.
*fansquee*
This is why I love this fandom.
Re-reading this fic before I read the latest chapter ^_^.
5350895
What's LICD?
Loving the story, great work.
6244914 whoa, sorry for the long reply, guess I didn't got mail notification or something. LICD is Least I Could Do webcomic, featuring main character Rayne Summers that have been referenced there. It's his joke about him trying to buy horse a prostitute. He actually tried that.
7654069
I have that happen to me all the time XD. So no probs ^_^. And I haven't read that webcomic in years. I should probably re-read it.
twilight be like;
meanwhile murphys laughing like the joker
Challenge accepted! ~Murphy~
Oh my gawd. I'm so glad this got featured, I had somehow never heard of this fic til today, and I think I have found a new favorite...Especially the ending of this chapter. Holy cow
Celestia x Prominance was already hot and weird enough. Adding in that Sultry Maniticore was just....what? What was with that sexy dream? I don't even....what????