Of Plots and Parties
Say what you will about age, that it dulls keen edges or makes once-familiar skills rusty. For the Elements of Harmony, this simply wasn't the case. Pinkie Pie especially had really matured as a party planner. No longer did she only plan parties for six year olds' birthdays. She had perfected her party planning business over years in order to appeal to a wider demographic. The party she was currently throwing was one of her best so far, and she had planned two Galas, so that was saying something. The room was done up in a tasteful gold color, from the plates to the trappings hanging on the walls of Sugarcube Corner. Upbeat music filled the air, and a variety of drinks were being served.
Pinkie had come into her own as a baker as well. A massive three tier chocolate cake dominated the center of the table, ensuring that anypony who showed up to the party would be taking some home with them. Balloons, also gold, gently drifted back and forth. The atmosphere radiated good health and cheer, and it was a guarantee that Pinkie's friends would be having a good time.
It was into this jovial gathering that Spike and Twilight arrived, Twilight having insisted on being punctual as always. Spike had been relived that morning to find her in considerably better spirits than when he had gone to bed, seemingly over her romantic problems. Not a little bit relieved, Spike had agreed to arrive punctually with her, and they left the library at eleven forty-five, ensuring their arrival precisely at noon. The pair arrived at Sugarcube Corner with twenty-seven seconds to spare. Eighteen of these were spent by Twilight waiting on Pinkie or Allspice to open the door. It was Allspice who swung the shop door open wide, greeting them warmly and ushering them in with four seconds till noon by Twilight's clock, well within acceptable parameters for party etiquette.
"Welcome!" he said, walking with them upstairs to the old nursery where they would be having their party. "Pinkie has been so excited to talk to somepony about the foal, she hasn't been able to sit still today. You came just in time, she had just finished the decorations and was eyeing the cake. Took some doing to convince her eating it would be a bad thing..."
"Congratulations, you two. I know it's a bit early, but do you have hopes for what the baby would be?" asked Twilight as they moved down the hall, Spike trailing behind.
"Well, I'm hoping for a little unicorn colt, but you know those feelings Pinkie gets, she's almost positive it's going to be a filly of some kind." Allspice responded, nudging the door open. Much to Twilight's surprise, there was already one couple there. Rainbow Dash held doors in highest disdain, opting merely to come through the window upstairs. With her was a dark grey Pegasus, with a thundercloud etched on her flank. Stormchaser, Rainbow Dash's marefriend of the past two years, tossed her mane to the side, in the middle of a story.
"So, Windtunnel says to me 'I'm going to check it out, wait right here,' like I'm some kind of filly, right? And I try to talk him out of it, but he says 'We two are scouts, and that's what this is, scouting. Now hang on, I'm going to check out that cave.' And not ten seconds later, he comes screeching outta that cave with nothing less than an entire flight of Phoenixes after him! So he and I and the rest of the wing have to outfly a group of flame-spittin' firebirds, and we only throw them off cuz' Overflight sees this little lake, half frozen over and ice-cold. Not much choice, so in we go, and we hafta' hold our breaths for like, two minutes, until they give up and head back. So then we all crawl out, and we're freezing and wet, so we can't fly for an hour or so, so while we were walking back to base, the Wing Leader is cussing out Windtunnel the whole time!" Stormchaser broke off of her story upon seeing Spike enter the room out of the corner of her eye. With a start, she immediately leapt in front of Dash and Pinkie, wings flared, before she realized who it was.
Spike let an amused look cross his face. Stormchaser was one of the bravest Pegasi he knew of, but she was constantly on a hair trigger, which he openly admitted was kind of fun to set off. Stormchaser allowed her wings to fall again, her face flushing red with embarrassment. "Geez, Spike! You gotta give me some warning! I almost tried to knock your block off, there." she said, a sheepish grin appearing on her face.
"I know, but it's just so funny to watch you flare your wings at me. Kind of like watching a puppy growl." Spike replied, hoping to get a rise out of her. He succeeded.
"Puppy, huh? Listen, lizard. You tell me a time and place, I'll show you what kinda teeth this 'puppy' has." she shot back, taking a step forward. Before the situation got ugly, she was restrained by a hoof on her shoulder.
"Easy, girl." Rainbow Dash cracked. "I'm flattered by your instinct to protect me, but it's totally not needed. Spike knows I'd whip his scaly hide if he laid a claw on my mare."
"It's true, Stormchaser," Spike said, pretending to cower. "Rainbow Dash scares me. Just ask her, she'll tell you the truth."
Stormchaser tried her hardest not to laugh at the sight of a dragon with his tail tucked in between its legs, she really did. She might have made it, too, if Rainbow Dash hadn't snuck up behind her and stuck her tongue in her ear. Stormchaser let out a sound that she would later swear was not a girly squeal, and shot straight up, cracking her head on the ceiling and landing in a heap. Everypony, including Spike, winced in unison. Rainbow Dash rushed over to comfort her marefriend, only to be met with a face full of feathers.
"Nope, I'm mad at you, Dashie. You get to sit in the corner now, and I'm going to make sure you don't get to come out for a while. Spike, I can't make you sit in the corner, so go away before you end up tossing me out of a window or something." And with that, the grey and black Pegasus took her polychromatic marefriend gently by one ear and led her to a nearby corner, making her face the wall.
Before Dash was consigned to timeout, Spike managed to mouth "Nice one" at her. She responded with a quick "Thanks" in reply. With the flyer grounded, Spike didn't have much to do, and so contented himself with waiting on the rest of his friends to arrive, curling up near the drinks table.
Soon enough, the others began to arrive. Applejack arrived first, carrying her little filly on her back. To say Honey Crisp was red would have been incorrect. The same could be said for the term "pink". The young filly was the color of a late springtime rose, a gorgeous hue that was rarely seen in the Apple family, or any other for that matter. Her mane had taken after her mother's, and was pulled back into a practical braid that swung through the air as though seeking something to grab hold of. Her father seemingly had nothing to do with her coloring, but she took after him all the same. Barrel chested and tall, he was a frightening pony in his own right. But a smile was never far away from his face, and a kind word and helping hoof were always there for those in need, traits his daughter mirrored. The filly, who knew approximately four hundred words by Twilight's estimate, was unusually precocious and bright, easily reading other ponies' emotions and picking up new words at a frightening pace.
"Spike! Spike dragon! Hi!" the filly squeaked, slipping off of her mother's back and running pell-mell across the room.
"Well hey there, Honey Crisp! Feeling better yet?" Spike asked, catching the filly, who had lost control and was careening toward him at an alarming rate of speed.
"Yep yep! Sick sneezes. Better now." she replied, lying next to him. Soon enough, the dragon and the filly were lost in conversation, talking about such subjects as butterflies and snack time.
Twilight and Applejack looked at the pair fondly, before turning to each other. With a smile, Applejack hugged her friend. "Well, howdy Twi. We ain't seen you around lately. Things really that busy at the library?"
"Oh, not customerwise, but I've got a new encyclopedia set that I've been looking through, and a few of the professors at the Royal Academy wanted to pick my brain about Spike again. So I haven't had the chance to get out much." Twilight wanted off of the subject quickly, not particularly keen about sharing her problems with her friends. Changing directions abruptly, she asked "How about you? Did you finish this year's planting down at the farm?"
Applejack went for it hook, line, and sinker. "Sure did. Was a bit of a close thing, but with two stallions around the farm we were plowed right quick. After that it was just a matter of gettin' the seed in and watered." Soon enough, she and Barley Scotch were regaling her with tales of an old tree stump that had refused to move out of the west field. They were interrupted by Rarity arriving, her husband in tow.
Golden Heart was a banker from Manehatten. He was fairly successful, and had managed to open several banks there, and keep them open. His name, and his Cutie Mark of a rich red heart wreathed in gold filigree, did not come from his love of money, or even his shrewd business sense. He genuinely cared for the ponies who worked for him, and the population who trusted his bank with their hard earned bits. His company ran like clockwork, smooth, efficient, and with nary a hint of corruption or double dealing to be seen. In addition, he personally funded several charities out of his pocket alone, and did his best to find jobs for ponies who applied at his banks, even going so far to point them at competing branches. His bank had thus garnered a reputation for honesty and fair dealing, and so prospered.
He and Rarity had already made plans to adopt a foal from a slum in Detrot, and were waiting on paperwork before making the trip to select one, although they agreed if the one they chose had a sibling, they would come back with them as well. The two had combined their natural talent for making money with their love of giving it away, and as such were very respected members of the community. Twilight felt certain that the foal coming home with them would have a wonderful environment to grow up in. Soon, all but one of the ponies had arrived, making Pinkie Pie that much more impatient to share her wonderful news.
There was a wild cheer as the newlywed couple of Fluttershy, and her husband Guiding Light entered the room. This response elicited a small "eep!" from Fluttershy, startled by the sudden noise. Guiding Light caught her upon her step back, and as their eyes met, all of the nervousness slipped away from Fluttershy's face. Soon enough, she was chatting with her friends. Twilight thought to herself that she had never seen anypony who could so easily bring out the best in Fluttershy like that. She had to admit, though, they fit well together. Guiding Light had tended to a different group than Fluttershy before they had met in Canterlot. He had run a hospital for injured or sick Pegasi, and had proposed to Fluttershy after learning that it would be absorbed into the nearby Canterlot Regional Medical Center. He now worked in the small clinic on the edge of town, a pediatrician just like he had been before. His Cutie Mark was that of a smiling sun, which contrasted well with his deep green coat and blonde mane.
With everypony there, relaxed, and chatting with friends or loved ones, Pinkie and Allspice took the stage. All eyes were glued to the pair, as they announced the reason for the party. Allspice started in. "Well, I suppose you all are wondering why we are having this get together. The reason is that we have some very exciting news, that I think Pinkie should be the one to share with you." With that, he turned to his wife.
With a smile that was bright enough to cause retinal damage, Pinkie broke the news. "Allspice and I are going to have a foal!" she exclaimed, and waited for the reaction.
A beat later, an enormous cheer filled the room. Pinkie's friends crowded in close, reactions ranging from "Atta girl, Sugarcube!" from Applejack to "Simply marvelous news, darling!" from Rarity. Soon afterward, the party began in interest, only winding down as the afternoon drew to a close. As the late afternoon sun shone in through the windows, her friends began to file out of the door, carrying cake and chatting amongst themselves. Twilight stayed behind with Spike, who seemed genuinely sad to see Honey Crisp go. "Would you like help clearing up, Pinkie?" she asked, levitating several items into the air.
Allspice brought over the trash can, taking the lid off. "Let 'er rip, Twilight!" he said, lifting a few plates and cups toward the kitchen. Furrowing her brow in concentration, she felt around with her magic. She felt like doing something big, so she mentally grabbed all of the 418 loose crumbs, crumpled napkins, crushed cups, and other bits and sundries in the room. With one titanic effort of will, she lifted them all into the air simultaneously. They spun lazily toward the trash can, landing safely inside. Spike's jaw dropped. That sort of spell required perfect knowledge of the object you were grasping. Any unicorn could do it with a familiar material, or a simple object, but Twilight had manipulated and moved every unique and unfamiliar piece of trash, selectively, into the trash can. Twilight opened her eyes, the magic fading away from her horn. She would pay for that with a migraine later.
With that, the clearing up was done. As Twilight headed for the door, she turned to bid farewell to Allspice and Pinkie. She stepped outside, squinting in the sunlight.
Celestia brought her thoughts to bear, seeing the perfect opportunity.
"Now. Do it now."
Twilight suddenly tripped. Combined with her forward momentum, partially impaired vision, and natural bad luck, this served to propel her forward at high speed, directly into another unicorn who was admiring the building. They collided with a solid "thud", ending up tangled together in the dirt road outside. Both got up simultaneously, apologizing and attempting to assist the other to their hooves.
"Oh my goodness, I am so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going and I tripped! That was really unsafe of me, are you alright?" Twilight said, trying to blink dust out of her much-abused eyes.
"Oh yes, I'm quite alright miss. Are you well? That was quite the fall! I'm to blame if anyone is, standing right in front of a door and staring up like that. This building is so interesting, I just had to get a closer look!" the unicorn replied, his voice pleasantly deep and cultured.
"Yes. I'm fine. It really was clumsy of me, to just rush out of a door...like...that..." Twilight trailed off.
"Miss? Are you alright? Miss?" Twilight felt extremely unusual. She was hot all over, and the bottom of her stomach had dropped out entirely. She was also at a loss for words, a novel experience for her. Desperate to respond, she found herself babbling, and realized to her horror that she couldn't seem to stop.
"Oh sure, I'm fine. I was just visiting my friends. They're bakers at Sugarcube Corner, which is that building that I just came out of. They live there, because that's where they work. Not the dragon, though. He's mine. Well, not mine, I hatched him. With my magic, that is. I didn't lay him, if that's what you're thinking. Ponies don't lay eggs, especially dragon eggs. That would just be silly, not to mention biologically impossible. Oh dear, I'm babbling, that's not good. You probably think I'm crazy, so I'll just shut up now. Ok? Ok, shutting up."
Twilight wanted to either be struck by lightning, or have the earth open up and swallow her whole, she wasn't sure which.
The unicorn smiled patiently, waiting for her to finish. She found herself taking in his pure white coat, and the slightly messy mane of reddish-gold sitting atop his head, framing wonderful green eyes... Uh oh. He was talking. "...Sparkle? She's the librarian, and I came a long way to talk to her, but the library is closed and she seems to be out. Will she be back tomorrow?"
Twilight cleared her head, rallying her thoughts. "Um, yes. That's me, actually. We open at ten tomorrow, but if you've come such a long way, we can talk now if you'd like, Mr...?"
He smiled, making Twilight's heart go all a-flutter. "My name is Morning Star. I'm an archivist in training at the Royal Academy in Canterlot. I'm here to take a look at the ruins of the ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. However, it's deep in the Everfree, so Princess Celestia recommended you as a guide! Would you be interested?"
Twilight returned the smile shakily. "Of course! I'd be happy to help, if you care to stop by the library tomorrow morning we can plan your expedition. Do you need a place to stay?"
Morning Star shook his head. "Thank you, but no. I've already paid up front for a room at the inn for the next week or so. It's my hope that we can head off at the end. Either way, I'll be by around opening tomorrow. Sound good?"
Twilight nodded excitedly. "Yes, of course. Until then, then?"
He smiled again. "Until then. Good night, Miss Sparkle."
As both turned to leave, Spike caught up with her, having witnessed the entire exchange. "What was that about, Twi? I've never seen you act like, like..." he trailed off, afraid of offending her.
"Like a blithering idiot? I don't know, Spike. For some reason I'm both scared of him and can't wait to see him again." Twilight responded, heading for the library. What was it about that unicorn? She needed to see him again on an almost physical level. She prided herself on her logical, reasoned mind. But whatever it was about Morning Star, she felt a surge of emotion whenever she thought of him. And she couldn't stop thinking about him, it was like he was suddenly the most important thing in her life! It infuriated her not to know what was going on. Those papers on Spike would have to wait, she was going to figure this out if it killed her, by Celestia!
Celestia waited patiently at her desk. A quill balanced perfectly on its tip, as though held by an invisible hand. At the agreed upon time, the quill began to scratch out a message, in ink so dark a purple it was almost black.
" Have made contact. Meeting set up for tomorrow. Suggest further use of Catalysts if accelerated timeline is to be used. Will be in Everfree this time next week. Awaiting further orders?"
Smiling to herself, Celestia picked up the quill, waiting for her Candidate to prepare his paper. After an appropriate pause, she began to write.
"Will begin use of Catalyst on extended pulse frequency. Report findings. All is prepared. Do not reveal yourself at any cost. She is more powerful than you know."
A response was quick. "Acknowledged. Signing off."
Celestia levitated the sheet into the air, crumpled it, and with a minor effort of will reduced it to ash. Her Candidate would be doing the same. She smiled again, staring out from her balcony at the small town of Ponyville in the distance. Soon, it would begin. Soon.
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The plot thickens
924738
You haven't even seen me thicken the plot yet. Stay tuned, sh*t's about to get crazy.
Oh wow... Please let me thoughts on this be wrong, who could be so cruel to put the Mane six through such a lie.
Well, while I've noticed the odd mistake in the past few chapters (nothing more than an extra full stop), I'm glad I started reading this, so far it looks like it isn't going to go well for those six.
Not going to comment on my thoughts on the direction of the plot other than.
I love your interpretation of the CMC, I don't think I've seen that one in a very long time. I know I haven't yet made a mistake when I upvoted on first chapter, which I dont often do.
Going to continue reading now.
relieved
Dun dun duuuuuuuun.
Celestia's behavior reminds me of Vicious Lies.
It's stories like this that makes me want to stop going to work for a few days just to finish it. @..@ well, I guess reading at work will have to do.
What is this madness? All around straight pairing?
Heh...
"Soon afterward, the party began in interest, only winding down as the afternoon drew to a close."
I believe you were looking for :
"Soon afterward, the party began in earnest, only winding down as the afternoon drew to a close."
Dont touch me mother-facker
This is both fanatically creepy and comforting at the same time; comforting on the level that this story seems to be going in an utterly different direction to mine, freakishly disturbing because Morning Star is exactly the name I had invented for a colt for Twilight, but I never did anything for that story and barely had more then the name.
Although I otherwise like the story, I can't say I buy this characterization of Celestia.
2773585
In every fanfic Celestia is evil
I think that it is because American's in general are distrustful of government and will always have evil ones in their art. (Movies/ stories/ music)
2764977
I know your pain someone stole the name Inky from me
Before I ever used him
2773585
*points at Alternate Universe tag*
(Me thinking about Rarity and Golden Heart adopting a child)
Rarity: Hello little one! Do you have any brothers or sisters?
Child: Yep! 6 brothers and 2 sisters!
Rarity: ...Which one do you love the most?
LXG
2051826
perfect song for where i think this fic is going.
2599576
What about RD?
She has a marefriend.
And of course a time of such happiness for all had to be marred by Celestia controlling Twilight's feelings. I was really feeling pretty happy too.
So Celestia is pulling the strings! It seems only on the lives of a select few though. This just makes more questions though! How many ponies is she manipulating? Whats she got in mind for Twilight? Does Twilight really love the guy or is it just because of Celestia's spell? So many questions! If that guy really was supposed to be Twilights special somepony, is it still the same now that Celestia manipulated them together early? Why'd she even do it in the first place?! It takes some serious talent to make so much exposition in just a couple of paragraphs! Edit: I just came up with yet another question, is Twilights confusion just her being herself, or is it a result of Celestias tampering?! That one I doubt will be answered directly in the story, if at all, Or maybe its even the thing that the story hinges on, how Twilight notices what's going on! Man, this is really good! I can't remember the last time I read something that got me thinking so hard, and I read a new book every day! This here is literary gold (albeit with some slight grammatical errors and awkward dialogue, the depth totally makes up for that though)!
924774 this plot's gonna be thick as... A really thick thing.
So, would the words "willow babble" mean anything to you? Cause for a second there, Twilight went full on Willow.
So much was said in so little space there at the end. I've never even considered the possibility of Celestia having nefarious intentions, but I'll see where this goes.
"Soon...all of the shipping will be mine!"
*Pans over to reveal a whole corkboard of failed attempts to hook Twilight up with somepony...ANYpony!*
"We were plowed"
Is it even possible to run a bank like that?
Celestia
If you're going to set the Elements up for... Whatever you're planning, don't use magic to do it! I'm not sure if that'll be the catalyst for Twilight finding out your plan, but still!