Chapter 5: A Day at the Festival
The air was still fresh after the night’s rain, now tinged with boiled corn and apple fritters. The sun shone with all the force it could muster, drying off the last drops of morning dew and promising another muggy day. A slightly out of tune country band tried its best on stage and occasionally managed to lure a few passers-by to sit and listen to their bouncy music.
Ponies gathered and chatted in small groups with their children shuffling impatiently and doing anything they could to catch their parents' attention. A few colts inhaled helium from the balloons they were given at a clown booth and ran around, giggling and shouting in their high-pitched voices. Various stalls of filly scouts, local artists, and farmers dotted the gentle rolling hillsides covered in many checkered blankets waiting for their picnic-hungry occupants.
Ribbons hanging from the branches of a small grove swiveled as two mares passed between them.
"Too much ponies. ‘Too many’ would have been an understatement." Hedvika groaned at the sight of the meadow littered with stalls and ponies.
Luna only murmured in response, not really thinking about what the mare said. Her eyes roved around after anything that seemed like armor.
"Thank Celestia! You are here just in time!" A mulberry mare galloped to them, a wreath of daisies nearly falling off her head.
"Good morning, Miss Cheerilee." Hedvika smiled as she waited for her to catch her breath. "This is my old friend and colleague, uh... Clam. She stopped by on her return from Baltimare, and I thought it would be a good idea to bring her here too. I hope you don't mind..." She grinned nervously.
"Not in the slightest. Welcome!" Cheerilee shook Luna's hoof and placed a small cornflower into the lapel of her lab coat.
The princess winced slightly as the stem pressed onto one of her scratches.
"So, Clamie, anything new in research of the dolphin's melon?" Hedvika nonchalantly turned to the disguised Luna and bumped her side.
“No.” The normally calm and melodic voice of the alicorn was replaced with a more high-pitched, raspy version. "Thou knowest I am more into sea cucumbers..." 'Clamie' forced a smile to her lips.
Hedvika cocked an eyebrow at that and cleared her ear with her hoof.
"Ah, I'll leave you to your discussion then. The stall for wildlife is over there. If you need anything, just call.” Cheerilee motioned to a few bare desks waiting up the hill. Suddenly, her brows furrowed, eyes glaring at a group of foals in the distance. “Snips! Stop bowling with Lily's hedgehogs!" The mare rushed away, staring at the unicorn colt.
"Seriously?" Hedvika turned to Luna as they started walking towards the stall.
"I hath told thee I am not a scientist," the princess retorted and pushed the sliding goggles back on her forehead.
"I am not talking about sea cucumbers, I mean the voice." Hedvika ceased her trot and waited for the princess to catch up.
"This? I thought it would be good to use this fillyhood one for ‘Clam’. Although ‘tis... uh, it is making my focus on new Equestrian even harder. I have been studying it a lot lately. Is it good?" Luna asked, an expectant grin on her face.
"Yeah, sure it is. If I haven't heard you before, I wouldn't think you spoke differently. Though for what does a young princess need such a weird voice?"
"Believe it or not, this one originally belonged to the cook's assistant in our old castle. When I came for a midnight snack into the kitchen, I sometimes encountered the staff already preparing breakfast. Luckily, the chef himself spent most of his duty heavily pondering in the corner..." Luna lowered her voice, giving a nervous smile and wave to a mare passing by them.
"Inconspicuous as an apple on a pear tree." Hedvika rolled her eyes, starting forward again.
"Did you say something?" Luna inquired, ruffling her healthy wing under the coat.
"Nothing. Please, continue with the story of yours."
"All right... so, heavily pondering in the corner. When some sound woke him up, he did not bother to open his eyes. He just called and waited for the assistant to reply. I learned to imitate her voice perfectly not to raise any suspicion. Later I added a full body transformation to it. Albeit that spell took a darker twist when I got older..." She sighed, her eyes flitting about again. "What did you mean that you heard my voice before?" She gave Hedvika a wary look.
"Well, when a certain pony yells during Nightmare Night at the edge of the Everfree so much that even unripe zap apples fall to the ground, it's likely I'll remember it." The mare chuckled, yet her gaze remained serious, locked with Luna's.
"How long exactly have you been in the Everfree? Also, where has our dragon friend gone?" Luna shook her head and glanced around.
"He's probably hiding somewhere..." Hedvika smirked and twitched slightly, swiftly heaving up her saddlebags. Luna would swear one of the previously empty pockets was now straining with its contents. Hedvika's voice drew back her attention. "How long? Long enough to see Nightmare Moon's actions and your return, if you are asking that. To be honest, lots of ponies started wandering into the Everfree after that." Hedvika unhooked her saddlebags and set them near the assigned desk with a sigh.
"Oh…” Luna cocked her head, a curious spark in her eyes. “You know what happened that night?"
"If we can notice one princess falling into the Everfree, what are the odds that we won't take note of six mares shouting and singing around? There was just no reason for me or Sev to interfere... though watching them was quite a show." Hedvika pulled the jars and plants on the desk along with a quill and some cards.
"A show, you say?" The princess smirked, eyeing the jars and their inhabitants warily.
"Guys, guys she is here!" a voice rang across the meadow.
Luna's ears perked up. "I know that—"
Three small colourful blurs rushed to Hedvika.
"Hey, you have a new scarf! Cool!" One of the blurs, which now slowed down considerably to be recognized as a pale yellow filly, jumped around the two mares.
"Oh, oh, is that the water stinger bug?" An unicorn with a swirly mane poked one of the jars.
"Eh, almost, Sweetie." Hedvika gently pushed the filly away. "Shoo, girls, give me some space to breathe! Actually, Apple Bloom, it's not new—"
"Yay, you brought a friend with you?" The last filly jumped in the air, wings buzzing. The other two turned to Luna as well. She waved awkwardly.
"Yes, Scootaloo... that's Clam. She's a marine biologist," Hedvika said, pawing at the ground ever so slightly.
"That's awesome! Nice to meet you!" Scootaloo stated, her eyes scanning intently every hair of ‘Clam’s’ coat.
Luna felt droplets of sweat form on her forehead. How long was it since she talked to that foal in a dream? A week? Two weeks? Would the filly recognize her?
"So... You like... marinate something in a lab?" The small pegasus cocked her head.
"No Sc—little one, it is more about seas—" Luna started, only to be cut off.
"Wow, I really like your mane! I bet that if you didn’t tie it up, it'd be looonger than that of Princess Celestia! And if it was windy, it'd be moving gently just as hers!" Sweetie Belle let out a squee, tugging on her braid.
"Well, I doubt that." Luna chuckled. "But it is still pretty nice and wavy when I swim underwater."
"My sister says that simple braids are only for earth ponies, something about protecting the mane from getting sweaty, but yours is extraordinarily nice! Can you teach me how to do it? Pwetty please?" Sweetie Belle's face almost disappeared under the sheer size of her eyes, hooves clinging to the braid.
"Actually, you will have to ask Sev, he created this masterpiece." Luna swung her head, the massive braid flying behind her. The filly only giggled at the unexpected mane ride she was given.
Luna winced as the weight of the filly tugged on her mane, her lab coat shifting along with her. The bandages crossing her chest in order to stabilize her wing poked out of her neckline.
"Aww, where is he! Can—" Sweetie Belle squealed merrily in Luna's ear, still hanging onto the braid.
Apple Bloom stepped forward and sternly pulled the excited unicorn away. She then gazed at Luna's chest with a frown. "What happened to y'all?"
"Oh, that? That was just—" ‘Clam’ waved her hoof dismissively through the air.
"She came here through the Everfree! I bet she got a little hurt doing something AWESOME! Like... like exploring a diamond dog den or removing ticks from a hydra or—or maybe she was herding timberwolves, but something went wrong, and they hunted her to the edge of a cliff, and all she could do was jump down and swing on a vine, but it snapped in half, and she fell into a bog with cragadiles, but luckily a swarm of parasprites saved her!" Scootaloo panted heavily, grinning from ear to ear.
"Something like that?" Luna shot Hedvika a pleading look.
"Yeah, just like that, Scootaloo. She had really endured a lot, so give her some time to rest." Hedvika patted the orange filly, maneuvering all of them from the princess. "You can help me label the invertebrates." She withheld the cards and the quill between her lips, pointing her head to the jars.
The fillies watched for a while, various degrees of annoyance written clearly on their faces. Then Sweetie Belle shot forward, the other two following suit. “Cutie Mark Crusaders labelers, yay!”
They started milling around the desk, grabbing hooffuls of the labels and scribbling the names Hedvika was telling them with haste. Luna watched their improvised dance with a motherly smile, happy sparks shimmering in her eyes.
Reaching out to put a label to one of the jars, Apple Bloom stumbled. She fell backwards, landing on the saddlebag lying on the ground.
The bag moved, and something inside shuffled quietly. Apple Bloom yelped and dashed off.
"I—uh—can't take it anymore!" The dead rooster poked his head out of the saddlebag.
The fillies fearfully squeezed between Hedvika's legs, each hugging one of them.
Sev rolled out the saddlebag, coughing up feathers. "You have no idea how hard it is to lay curled with nostrils pressed up to that bird. And as if that wasn’t enough, now somepony stomped on me!" His eyes narrowed at the sight of the Crusaders. “Windigoes damn me!”
"Sev!" the three little ones called in unison, swarming around him.
"Please, style my mane!" Sweetie Belle tugged on his tail, holding it like a prized toy.
"No! First show me that trick with your wings!" Scootaloo joined in, pulling at his leg.
They dragged him away, the dragon silently pleading with his eyes for the torture to end. Grooves left by his talons marked the ground.
"These were the fillies with the poison joke?" Luna turned to Hedvika, rubbing her sore neck and mane. A few locks of her hair glided to the ground, pulled out by Sweetie's weight earlier.
"Yep."
"I should have thought so." The princess gingerly sat down in the grass and stared after the fillies downhill.
Hedvika fished out a small magnifying glass out of her bag and attached it to her horn. She began inspecting the assorted plants closely, writing down the rest of the names on the labels and leaving Luna to her own thoughts.
The princess wriggled and circled in the grass before lying down. She rolled around cozily, caressing the tall straws with her hoof. She turned her face to the shining sun overhead, and her mind wandered to the beach in Fillydelphia she visited a few weeks ago. Oh, how she would have liked to spread her wings and sunbathe again! Did Tia really have to tempt her like that with such a beautiful day?
The confines of the lab coat brought her back to reality. Stirring again, she drew her hoof across the dirt beneath her, mindlessly charting lines between the pebbles lying on the ground.
"Mommy, daddy!" A pegasus filly zigzagged to the stall. "Daddy! They have animals here!"
"Zippy, wait!" a heavily pregnant mare called, leaning on the broad shoulder of a large, bearded stallion. Both slowly approached the stall.
Luna raised her head from her pebble-constellations, ears pricking at the squeaky voice. Her eyes shrunk to pinpricks. She clutched the coat tighter to her sides as she watched the large stallion. His shining white coat, short cut mane, well-kept wings, and toned musculature hinted at a properly trained royal guard. He was wearing glasses, but just like any insufficient coat or tail color that would violate the uniformity of the most representative soldiers, any eye defects could have been easily fixed by the spell cast on the guard's armour.
However... he had facial hair, which was prohibited among the guards. But perhaps he was on vacation, not caring about his look until he had to return? If such was the case, that would mean he was most probably uninformed about the current affair, posing a lesser threat. And also, they were not seeking her that actively if a guard was allowed to stay on family vacation. And even if he knew, he surely wouldn't want to spoil his free time, right? Or what if he was there undercover, using an artificial beard, ha! Or maybe not all guards turned against her... or he wasn't a guard at all...
Luna rubbed her temples, trying to tie down the swirling vortex of thoughts in her head. She was never good at this. During all the political lessons they received as fillies, Celestia was able to weave her way through every argument, while Luna got tangled in every statement. She sighed and turned her gaze to the ecstatic squeaky filly.
"Water wildlife?" the filly exclaimed, buzzing around the jars. "Do you have the water vole? Muskrat? Or a cuddly otter? I've read about them all in my encyclopaedia! Do you have any?"
"No, I'm afraid... I have only invertebrates, water bugs, mostly..." Hedvika beamed at her.
"You mean those with nippers and a breathing tube on its abdomen?" The filly adjusted her glasses, nearly dropping them into the jar.
The mare gave her an eager nod.
"Now, Zippy, where are your manners?" Her mother panted, still trying to catch her breath as she caught up with them.
"Oh, right..." The filly blushed, rubbing the back of her head. "Hello, miss, I'm Zipporwhill!" She extended a hoof.
"Hedvika. Nice to meet you." The unicorn returned the gesture.
"Can I take one of them out?" The filly cocked her head to the side, eyes pleading.
"Sure, just be careful. Those round ones bite." Hedvika pushed the jar towards the filly.
The filly giggled as a familiar needle-shaped insect marched on her hoof. "This is just like the one time Fluttershy let me cuddle some butterflies!" She squealed happily.
"Oh, it must have been nice..." Hedvika massaged her temples, eyes tightly shut.
The princess watched the conversation for a while, then pulled back into the wall of grass, mentally scolding herself for being scared by the possibility of a might-be-guard standing near, just because she had been injured by one. It was such a cowardly act, sitting there and waiting till something happened. She had to get her powers back! She turned around and halted her gaze at a bush of yellow flowering buds.
She tried to call on her magic, hoping to at least pull the plant from the ground. A sharp spike of pain rushed through her forehead and a few sparks escaped her horn. She muffled a cry as a burning sensation ran down her spine. A few petals flickered in her magical hold before fluttering away.
But still... her magic was returning! Luna focused once more despite the throbbing headache, happy to see the leaves of the plant shaking in her—if faint—blue aura.
She turned around to see if anypony could see her or her magic. Spotting nopony around and the hypothetical guard with his wife paying full attention to their daughter, she focused more, tugging on the plant. It swayed slightly. She channelled more magic into her horn, pain pumping in her temples.
Another irritating sound from the filly broke her concentration. Luna huffed and glared at the foal. Seriously, if that little squealing siren enjoyed sticking her head in the jar, let her be. But did she really have to produce all those bubbling and sloshing sounds?!
The princess sighed again and flexed her shoulders, positioning herself against the defiant plant. She squinted her eyes and focused on all the magic channels inside her body. She cracked one eye open. The stem swayed slightly in her magic. More magic. Maybe she could tear the plant to make it easier. No! Her magic was capable of such an easy task as picking up a whole plant, no need to cheat.
"Fluttershy..." Hedvika growled, plopping down next to the concealed alicorn. She watched after the leaving pair and the wet filly with algae in her mane zipping around them.
Luna curiously raised her eyes, horn still lit. "What? She is a kind and well-behaved mare."
"To ponies maybe... haven't really met her in person. But letting somepony cuddle butterflies is akin to their murder. Just like feeding ferrets vegetables. Or relocating a huge populace of frogs and nearly destroying the bog ecosystem..." Hedvika sighed. "That filly seemed like she had potential... at first. Though maybe—"
In a flash of light, the plant in Luna's magic broke into chunks, splatting orange liquid all around.
"Good job, ‘Clam’. I'm glad your magic concussion is ceasing... mostly." Hedvika rolled her eyes. "Can you please perform such spells somewhere else than in the middle of an overcrowded meadow? Just in case you'd manage to fry some foal. I don't want the parents to sue me or some non-existent unicorn.” She looked at the orange splotches on Luna’s coat. “By the way, that's the juice of the greatest celandine. If I were you, I'd get rid of it before it peels away your fur..."
Wiping the orange mucus from her magnifying glass, Hedvika chuckled at the sight of Luna rolling around in the grass frantically.
"And there goes any inconspicuousness whatsoever…” Hedvika rubbed her temple and gave Luna an apologetic smile. “That was a little exaggerated, the spots will be just a little itchy. Also, aren't you hungry? I'm not sure if Jester was generous enough not to eat your breakfast..." She pulled out a zap apple from her bag.
Luna gave her a nod, her expression a mix of annoyance and eagerness.
Hedvika drew her dagger from its scabbard at the side of her bag and let it sink in the apple, slicing it unceremoniously. Rubbing the blade clean of the rainbow liquid on her coat, she thrust it back into the scabbard with haste.
"I hate the silvery aftertaste," she muttered and tossed one half of the apple to Luna.
The princess was caught off guard, the apple splatting on her forehead. The impact sent the goggles tumbling down over her eyes, protecting them from the sweet rainbow-coloured river.
Hedvika turned away, choking on her half.
The princess released an irritated huff, then extended her tongue. Somehow, she was able to reach the juice on her forehead and lick it clean. She shook the apple into her hooves, ready to take a bite.
"Hmm... I'm afraid this might not end well." Hedvika scanned the meadow below them, her eyes moving between a group of foals and a road winding down the hill.
"Whaf?" Luna mumbled, stuffing the apple in her mouth before walking up to her. No matter what happened, nopony was going to eat her brunch again.
Thousands of windows glittered in the mid-morning sun, the light reflecting off of them and danced around the alleyways surrounding the Canterlot Castle.
If the passers-by in the streets below looked up and wouldn’t be blinded by the flashes of light, they’d witness a truly majestic sight; a good dozen window washers dangled from the roof and spires of the castle, mercilessly fighting off any filth that dared to stick to the glass.
Hayseed Turnip Truck was rubbing one such window feverishly with the cloth, attacking one extra defiant smudge. When he took this job, he was determined to do it dutifully. His resolution stood unchanged to this point, and no small spot on a window was going to alter it.
He wiped off the sweat beading on his forehead and adjusted his cap. While doing so, his bucket tipped over, plummeting to the ground. Without thinking, Hayseed dove after it.
A young mare walked down the castle hall, trying to read through a variety of documents at once.
She jumped at the sudden slam next to her right. Scrolls of economic diagrams and land deeds glided from her magic grasp.
She turned her head with a grunt, expecting to see another pigeon plastered on the window. She made a mental note to urge Celestia to hire a new falconer before the castle grounds below became a cemetery of dead birds.
But there was no pigeon. Instead, a dirty young stallion dangled upside-down just outside the window, an empty bucket in his grasp. Spotting her, he wiped off a lock of wet mane from his eyes and grinned from ear to ear, revealing his overgrown yellowish teeth.
The mare gave him an awkward smile and a wave of hoof, picked up the documents she dropped and rushed down the hall far faster than needed. Stopping a safe distance away from the window, she pushed her glasses up her muzzle and straightened her crimson tie and white collar.
"Miss Raven?"
"Yes?" She pricked her ears, turning to face Kibitz, the royal schedule advisor. The elderly stallion galloped towards her.
He skidded to a stop before her, panting heavily. The stack of papers he carried burst in all directions.
Raven jumped forward, catching them with her magic. A few drops of sweat appeared on her forehead as she tried to maintain the spell around the paper stack of her own.
Kibitz coughed and continued, "I am glad I finally found you! But it's no surprise with all the rescheduling and extra work I now have due to our dear Luna's urgent departure to Las Pegasus. Why couldn't they have told me sooner?"
The mare opened her mouth, though he cut her off immediately.
"But I sought to ask you," Kibitz lowered his voice, "as her personal assistant, do you know why Celestia is acting in such a strange manner? She has already cancelled half-a-dozen courts for this week! Instead of a dinner with Manehattan upper class, she arranged a meeting with Captain Armour, which was formerly planned for next month! And now she has locked herself in her private chambers! All this since the night Luna left." He motioned down the corridor to the golden door.
The mare before him blinked and adjusted her glasses again.
"I haven't noticed any big change in her behavior. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Luna left just yesterday?" She raised an eyebrow and continued, "I'd say it's simply all the stress after the griffons' visit and now all the extra duties, preparations for the Equestria Games, and such. Actually, I wouldn't mind locking myself away to just relax with a cup of tea and some snacks, but not all of us are that lucky." She eyed the pillar of papers next to her with a sigh.
"I guess you are right, and I am just being paranoid." Kibitz shrugged, took the bunch of his scattered papers from her magic, and resumed walking down the hall.
"Probably." The secretary stared after him for a moment, then trotted in the opposite direction.
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The new cover art is much better ;)
8255946
Thank you
The site's resolution is simply not so supportive towards traditional art.
8255949
I love it xd
I agree the new coverart is good
So about the content of this chapter, besides a few spots that let my logic sense tingle (
What have you expected Ever? 
) your annoyance about Fluttershy is clear to notice still, you never forgive her the latest episode of her, do you? 
Anyway, your chapter let me smile here and there, also Hedvika was, (as far as I can judge) very fitting to the character you gave her earlier.
Luna on the other hoof, well, a bit of 'meh' to be honest. But thats probably just me.
The 'Dragon cuddle scene' however was really a disapointment, considering how you descripted it to me earlier.
I have to speak with the mighty Fox editor, he didn't cracked the whip right in this case 
8257510
Heh, thank you
Actually, what Hedvika is referring to dates well back to season one... and it will be touched up later
'Meh'?
I told you he'll get tackled by little fillies, no idea what your dirty mind made up of that. However, a second -larger- part of the scene will appear in the next chapter.
Anyway, glad it did!
8257524
I just imagined he got tackled by a class of foals, nothing dirty or so. Just like kids in real life would tackle a dog or any animal similar, you know stroke his mane, pet it, say stuff like good dog. Stuff kids do, and Sev would have sit there with a sigh and surrender to it.
'Meh' =
An interjection used to imply indifference towards a subject; "a verbal shrug". This particular interjection has somehow become quite popular among teens, the reason for this popularity is a mystery. Other popular interjections are 'bleh' "dah", and "mih". Usu. pronounced shortly, without eye contact or body movement.
"You wanna go to the mall?"
"Meh, I have nothing to do for the rest of the day..."
8257540
Anyway... especially for you, I'll more of dragon petting into the next chapter 
You know how I meant it
And thanks.. though I was more asking what was meh about her. Though I guess you kind of wanted to say that it was just a general feeling, right?
8257558
You be aware the comments are puplic? It is a difference if we speak that way in our PM's or over here, am I right, you naughty evil genius?
Without context, it let people see me in the wrong way
Yes it is a feeling about Luna's part of this chapter, I like the backround with the cook and her way of talking, simple her actions felt so unimportant or misplaced, like Hedvika said: use your magic somewhere else. The scene where she got paranoid of the guard however was good again, so it is a up and down with her in this chapter, ends in a 'meh' feeling about her.
8257576
Says a person often posting inside jokes into the comment section of Of Love and Friendship?
However, I'm glad her psychological development (cook and guard parts) is still enjoyable - those are important parts to me.
Yeah, she seems like a fifth wheel of a cart, doesn't she? I wonder if she'll be frustrated by that later...
8257584
You know MV and I are friends, my comments are tottaly ok with him, but nice try
Stil I am glad you readed them, you surely invited to join them. 
Yes they are, good work with them.
I like this story very much. Really like the style, lots of comedic moments and dark when it needs to. I want more, pls!
U get a fav!
8299649
Chapter 6 is in the final stages of making and soon will get to the hands of the editor. Sure you won't have to wait another few months 
Thank you so much, those moments are exactly what I'm aiming for! I'm glad you are enjoying it
Also... um... I feel kind of bad to ask that, but if you like the story, can you also use the upvote button? You know, it helps in ranking and such...
8299716
Nice, lookin forward.
Sure U get an upvote, man!
8299907
Heh, thanks! Also, if I can hold you for a longer while, can I ask you where did you find this story?
8299957
I usually scroll down the feed looking for stories and download any that grabbed my atention so I can read them whenever I have a chance.
I downloaded yours a while ago, so I'm not sure where. I think you posted on a group named I Just Want A Comment... dunno, man. Sorry
8300654
Thank you for clarifying!
No problem, this is enough info
Shall peruse at first opportunity, So way behind at the moment trying to catch up.
8651710
Alright, I’m looking forward to hearing your opinion!
Hmmmmm a suspect approaches!
Just a suggestion, I feel like this should be a little more juvenile, this is one of the CMC talking, right?
9126976
Thank you for the suggestion, I’ll consider it. What would you deem “more juvenile” though, the CMC’s speech always seemed rather mature to me?