It was a beautiful day in Ponyville. The late spring air made it not too hot and not too cold, a gentle breeze blowing through the trees as it lightly rustled the leaves, a bright blue sky with just enough clouds to avoid monotony. It was a perfect day for a picnic. A group of six friends agreed and took advantage of the opportunity.
Wearing a large sunhat, Rarity sighed in content at the perfect picnic spot on the perfect picnic day, “It is absolutely gorgeous out,” the fashionista praised, “Just gorgeous!”
“Ah hear ya there,” Applejack agreed as she lay on the picnic blanket and slurped some lemonade through a straw.
“Er belgomp,” Rainbow Dash garbled through a mouthful of sandwich.
“Thanks for adding to the mood,” Rarity deadpanned sarcastically, displeased with the rainbow-maned pegasus’ lack of tact.
Twilight levitated an apple out of the basket and was about to take a bite when footsteps were heard heading their way. Dropping the apple, she took notice of Spike, who was out of breath from running.
“Twi… light… I… have… hold on… lemme just…” the purple dragon said through gasps of breath. Then he plopped onto the ground before giving out a loud belch. A green flame emerged before forming into a letter.
Twilight took the letter and started reading, “Dear Twilight Sparkle, I am sure you are as excited as I am about the upcoming wedding in Canterlot… Wedding?” Twilight questioned before returning her attention to the letter, “I will be presiding over the ceremony, but would very much like you and your friends to help with the preparations for this wonderful occasion. Fluttershy, I would like you and your songbird choir to provide the music.”
Fluttershy perked up at this news, a smile on her face, “Oh my goodness! What an honor!” the pegasus said in an excited and quiet tone. Fluttershy was perhaps the only pony in Equestria that could manage a tone like that.
Twilight continued reading, “Pinkie Pie, I can think of no one more qualified than you to host the reception.”
“Hip… Hip… Hurray!” Pinkie cheered as she did a cartwheel across the picnic blanket, stopping to look Spike right in the eyes before giving out a gleeful laugh.
“Applejack, you will be in charge of the catering for the reception.”
“Well hoowee! Color me pleased as punch!” Applejack exclaimed as Rainbow Dash tried to interpret her countryism.
“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight continued as the blue pegasus covered her muzzle, yawning in boredom over Twilight’s dictation, “…I would very much appreciate it if you could perform a sonic rainboom as the bride and groom complete their “I do”’s.”
Rainbow Dash stuffed her hoof in her mouth to stop her yawn before jumping into the air and pumping a hoof, “Awe, yeah!”
“Rarity, you will be responsible for designing the dresses for the bride and her bridesmaids.”
Rarity became quite flustered at the thought, “Princess Celestia wants me to-” the seamstress stuttered incoherently as her brain had a slight short circuit, “-wedding dress? For a Canterlot wedding… I-ah-ooh…” Rarity wobbled from side to side before…
THUMP
Rarity fainted on the ground with a huge grin on her face.
“Uh… Rarity?” Fluttershy asked, concern for her fallen friend.
“And as for you, Twilight, you will be playing the most important role of all: Making sure everything goes as planned. See you all very soon. Yours, Princess Celestia.” Twilight finished reading the letter before double-checking in confusion, “But… I don’t understand. Who’s getting married?”
“Oh, wait,” Spike said before bashfully turning back towards Twilight, “I was probably supposed to give you this one first.”
Spike handed the librarian another letter, which she took in her magic and started reading, “Princess Celestia cordially invites you to the wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and…” Twilight gasped in shock, “My brother?!”
The other ponies didn’t seem to take note of the shocked look on Twilight’s face. All except for Rarity, who could sense she wasn’t happy for some reason.
“Wait, since when did you have a brother?” Rainbow Dash questioned, but she was ignored.
Applejack walked up to the lavender unicorn, “Yer brother’s gettin’ married?” the farm pony said excitedly, shaking her hoof, “Congratulations, Twilight! That’s great news!”
Twilight walked away with a sour expression as she talked, “Yeah, great news. That I just got from a wedding invitation! Not from my brother, but from a piece of paper! Thanks a lot, Shining Armor. I mean, really, he couldn’t tell me personally?” Twilight paused her rant as she stopped next to a sandwich with two olives on toothpicks for eyes. She levitated the sandwich and pantomimed her brother in a deep voice, “Hey, Twilight, just thought you should know that I’m making a really big decision that changes everything. Oh, nevermind, you’ll hear about it when you get the invitation,” She then dropped the act and the sandwich in frustration before pantomiming the unknown Princess, “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza? Who in the hoof is that?!” Twilight finally finished with a snort.
Fluttershy walked up to Twilight in concern, “Um, Twilight, are you okay?”
Twilight let her anger ebb away, “Sorry, it’s just that until I moved to Ponyville, Shining Armor and I have always been so close. He’s my B.B.B.F.F!” The other five just stared in confusion, “Big Brother Best Friend Forever?”
“Ohhh!” the group said in unison.
“Before I came here and learned the importance of friendship, Shining Armor was the only pony I ever really accepted as a friend. He’s always been there for me. He taught me how to fly a kite. We did everything together.”
Applejack walked up to Twilight, putting a comforting hoof on her shoulder, “As one of yer P.F.Fs…” Applejack just received a blank stare from the others, “Pony Friends Forever…”
“Ohhh!”
“…Ah wanna tell ya that Ah think yer brother sounds like a really good guy,” Applejack finished.
“He is pretty special,” Twilight said as she sat down, her friends sitting down with her, “I mean, they don’t let just anypony be captain of the Royal Guard.”
Rarity dashed over to Twilight excitedly, making sure she heard correctly, “So let me get this straight. We’re helping out with the wedding of not only a Princess, but a captain of the Royal Guard?!”
“I guess so,” Twilight confirmed. Rarity became wobbly again. As she was about to faint again, Twilight levitated a pillow under her head.
THUMP
Meanwhile, three friends, a trio of fillies known throughout Ponyville for causing chaos, destruction of property, and tree sap, were on another one of their crusades. This was one of their more non-destructive crusades. But knowing them, they will probably find a way to make trouble from it.
“Cutie Mark Crusaders Makeup Artists, YAY!” the three fillies cheered.
“So, tell us again, Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo asked, not quite as enthused at the idea, “Why do you think playing with makeup will get us our cutie marks?”
“Well, for starters, everything else we do, we always get in trouble for breaking something. And it’s not like we can break anything with makeup,” Sweetie Belle explained before she took out a box, “Besides, being a makeup artist isn’t just about putting on makeup. It’s about transforming how a pony looks into something different. Maybe we could turn you into a bug!”
“And Apple Bloom into a Zombie!” Scootaloo exclaimed, getting into the spirit.
“And turn Sweetie into a robot!” Apple Bloom finished. With a bout of laughter, the three fillies opened up the makeup kit.
After about an hour of putting makeup on each other, Sweetie Belle was just finishing her final touches on turning Scootaloo into a bug. It was difficult trying to get her vision to come to light, partly because she seemed to be having trouble understanding exactly what her vision was. For some reason, she wanted to envision holes, which was odd. But she felt she wasn’t going to get any closer. She then put away the makeup.
Scootaloo was covered in black makeup, with a segmented body and all. The wings were complicated, but she just went with white for the wings. Apple Bloom didn’t have the best makeup job done. But Scootaloo did a relatively good job at portraying open wounds. Sweetie Belle probably had the best makeup job, though it wasn’t a difficult job for her. Apple Bloom used makeup to draw neon lines along her body, giving the appearance of plates of metal. It was a simple project but well done nonetheless.
As Scootaloo looked at herself in the mirror, she admired the work, even if it wasn’t that great. It was a curious style. She didn’t seem to resemble any specific insect.
“What were you trying to do when you made me a bug?” Scootaloo asked curiously, “What was going through your head?”
“I’m not really sure,” Sweetie Belle said, unsure of herself. She then had a smile form before speaking in a robotic tone, “I must be malfunctioning.”
“Brains…” Apple Bloom groaned playfully. She then turned to Scootaloo and began to appear weak, “…No brains… starvin’…”
“Oh, ha ha,” Scootaloo said sarcastically at Apple Bloom’s playful insult, “I guess I’ll just have to sting you to prove my point!”
“Does not compute,” Sweetie Belle said mechanically, “Cockroaches don’t have stingers.”
“Cockroach?!” Scootaloo exclaimed, “Well, I think you have a few screws loose, Sweetie Bot.”
There was a silent pause before the three fillies fell to the floor in a fit of giggles. That’s when the bell indicating the door was heard. And they saw that Rarity came in with an excited look.
“Sweetie Belle! I ha- AHHH!!!” Rarity shrieked in terror.
Sweetie Belle ran over to her big sister, “It’s okay, Rarity!” the filly said, trying to calm down the fashionista, “We’re just wearing makeup! I didn’t realize we did such a good job at being makeup artists.”
With that comment, the other two fillies remembered why they did that and looked toward their flanks to see… nothing.
“Wait, how would we know that we got our cutie marks if our flanks are covered in makeup?” Scootaloo questioned.
“It’s not your makeup that made me scream!” Rarity exclaimed authoritatively, “It’s the fact that most of the makeup is splattered all around the boutique!”
The fillies looked around the room to see that it did, in fact, look like a makeup bomb had exploded. The fillies all bowed their heads shamefully, Sweetie Belle seeming especially hurt, “I’m sorry, Rarity. It’s just that we wanted to try to get our cutie marks as makeup artists,” Sweetie Belle said apologetically, “We didn’t think that makeup could cause that much destruction.”
Rarity’s expression softened as she looked down at the filly. Her expression for a moment even grew saddened.
“We’re sorry, Rarity,” Apple Bloom apologized, “But with all the ponies ‘round Ponyville complainin’ ‘bout property damage…”
“Sweetie Belle’s not in trouble, is she?” Scootaloo asked.
Rarity looked at the two, attempting their best puppy dog eyes. She then checked the room for damage control, “Well, seeing as there’s minimal damage to the dresses and materials, I suppose I can let it slide for now,” Rarity relented, “But we’re going to have this place, and yourselves, cleaned up before we go to Canterlot.”
“We’re going to Canterlot?!” Sweetie asked excitedly, “What are we going there for?!”
“It’s actually at Princess Celestia’s request,” Rarity explained, her mood brightening up, “We’ll be attending a royal wedding between Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Twilight’s brother, Shining Armor! I was asked to design the dresses, the others have their roles to fulfill, and you three are going to be the flower fillies!”
Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened in awe with a smile to match, “We’re going to be flower fillies at a wedding for a Princess?!” Sweetie Belle squeaked.
“Who’s Princess Mi Amore Cadenza?” Scootaloo questioned.
“Twilight’s got a brother?” Apple Bloom added.
“Before we get cleaned up, what do you think of our makeup?” Sweetie Belle asked hopefully, “Do you like it?”
Rarity looked curiously at the trio, “Did you do your own faces, or…”
“Nah, we did each other,” Apple Bloom said, “Ah did Sweetie, Sweetie did Scoots, and Scoots did me.”
Rarity looked back and forth between the girls, specifically between Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo with a worried expression, “So… what did you have in mind when doing Scootaloo’s makeup?” Rarity asked her sister nervously.
“I’m not exactly sure,” Sweetie Belle admitted, “I just had the image of a bug in my head. I’m not exactly sure why though.”
Rarity’s ears folded back nervously, “Well… I’m sure it was just your creative imagination that brought that idea on,” Rarity said awkwardly. She then drew her attention to Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, “And what was it that you did with Apple Bloom?”
“I wanted to make Apple Bloom a zombie!” Scootaloo said excitedly, “So, did I do a good job?”
“Well, it certainly could use some work,” Rarity began before remembering the age of the artist, “But it’s recognizable. And what about you, Apple Bloom?”
“Ah made Sweetie a robot!” Apple Bloom said proudly.
Rarity looked over her sister’s makeup, “Impressive! You did well in conveying your intent while keeping it minimalistic!” Rarity praised. She then saw the Apple sibling’s confusion, “You did very well, and you didn’t use any more makeup than you needed to.”
Apple Bloom smiled at the praise. But then her high spirits were lowered again, “But if Ah did such a good job, then why don’t I got my cutie mark?”
“You may be good at makeup art. But that doesn’t mean that that’s your true calling in life,” Rarity said in an attempt to lift the Apple filly’s spirits again. It seemed to work if only just a little, “Now you three go get cleaned up! We have a wedding to get ready for!”
This got the three fillies’ attention. They all ran into the bathroom to take a bath together. As Rarity heard the bathroom door shut, her expression again saddened, “Oh, Sweetie Belle. I wish I could explain to you what your muse truly was,” Rarity said to herself, “I wish you didn’t have to live this lie I made for you. But if you knew the truth, you’d be put in danger.”
With her thoughts put aside, Rarity got to work on cleaning the damage of the makeup bomb known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
The next day, six mares, three fillies, and one baby dragon were on the train to Canterlot. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had their heads out the window as the latter talked about her part in the wedding.
“A sonic rainboom? At a wedding?!” Rainbow exclaimed, “Can you say ‘best wedding ever’?!”
Pinkie Pie then stuck her head out the window. She took in a gasp of air as they approached a tunnel, “BEST WEDDING EVER!!! Ever… ever…” The pink pony’s words echoed through the tunnel.
“So you all get to help with the big fancy wedding,” Spike said, who was sitting next to Rarity, “But I’m the one who gets to host the bachelor party! I have just one question… what’s a bachelor party?”
The group of five ponies laughed at that comment, Twilight sitting on her own, sulking about her brother not telling her in person.
As Applejack went to talk with Twilight, Fluttershy had to address a question that was on her mind, “Rarity, are you sure it was okay to invite the three girls to be flower fillies?” Fluttershy asked quietly, “I mean, not that I mind. They would make lovely flower fillies. But should you make that kind of decision on such an occasion?”
“I suppose I may have overstepped my authority on the matter,” Rarity admitted, “But I wasn’t trying to be intrusive. It’s just that I thought they would make such adorable flower fillies. And when I mentioned it to them, they just seemed so excited that I couldn’t bring myself to tell them that they weren’t promised the part of flower fillies.”
“Well, the Princesses are kind and understanding,” Fluttershy said, “I’m sure they’d be more than happy to let them take part.”
In another row of seats, the cutie mark crusaders were having their own conversation.
“Can you believe it?!” Sweetie Belle squeaked excitedly, “We’re going to be flower fillies! And for a royal wedding no less!”
“Yeah, I guess,” Scootaloo said uncommittedly, “I just don’t think being a flower filly is cool.”
“Well, Rainbow Dash is excited ‘bout bein’ in the weddin’,” Apple Bloom pointed out, “And she wouldn’t be excited ‘bout performin’ a sonic rainboom fer a weddin’ if she weren’t excited fer the weddin’ itself.”
“And it’s also a wedding for a Princess!” Sweetie Belle added, her eyes seeming to glow in excitement, “How many fillies have the chance to be the flower fillies for a wedding for a Princess?!”
“And we can brag about it to our friends, and make sure Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon hear us clearly,” Apple Bloom suggested conspiratorially, “They’d never let it go that we got ta be the flower fillies fer a royal weddin’ and they didn’t.”
Hearing this, the corners of Scootaloo’s mouth turned up. It would be worth it for that, if nothing else.
“Cutie Mark Crusaders Flower Fillies, YAY!” the trio cheered before giggling gleefully.
As the train approached the city of Canterlot, it approached a barrier protected by guards. They uncovered the part of the barrier that the train would pass through, the barrier itself taking on a malleable state.
As the train passed through, the barrier passed through everyone on the train. For most, it wasn’t a big deal. But two individuals were more affected by it than the others had been.
As the barrier passed through Rarity, She shuttered. It was not a pleasant experience. And though the barrier let her pass, she knew precisely what that barrier was intended to do. Though she kept quiet, she was confused about why she was let through.
As the barrier passed through the cutie mark crusaders, Sweetie Belle shivered. She couldn’t explain why she didn’t like the experience. She just knew that she didn’t like it.
“Did any of you feel that?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“I guess,” Scootaloo said, “I mean, it felt like we went through a waterfall, but it wasn’t that big of a deal.”
“Ah’d say it felt more like a waterfall of tree sap,” Apple Bloom said, “But it ain’t sticky like tree sap, so it ain’t so bad.”
“Are you sure?” Sweetie Belle asked, sounding small and frail, “It felt cold. Like all the heat was sucked out of my body.”
“Maybe it affects different ponies differently. Ah’m sure it’s nothin’ ta-” Apple Bloom paused when she put her hoof around Sweetie Belle’s shoulders, “Woah! You really are cold!”
Scootaloo grabbed Sweetie’s hoof, confirming that it felt ice-cold, “Yikes! Are you feeling okay, Sweetie?”
“I don’t know,” Sweetie Bell admitted.
Rarity, who was overhearing the conversation, bit her lip. Thankfully, the others were distracted with their own musings to have noticed. She was recovering from the cold sensation quickly enough. But if the others knew about Sweetie Belle’s reaction to the barrier, it may bring up suspicions.
Once the train stopped at the station, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity peeked their heads out of the door to see an entire squadron of Royal Guards.
“Woah!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, “What’s with all the guards?”
“I’m sure they’re just taking the necessary precautions,” Rarity explained, “Royal weddings do bring out the strangest ponies.”
“Ya sound like ya got experience with strange ponies and royal weddins’,” Applejack said as they exited the train fully.
Pinkie Pie then let out a trumpet-like sneeze as she exited the train, sneezing out confetti as she did so.
“Well, Pinkie Pie is here after all,” Rarity deadpanned, “Now let’s get going! We’ve got work to do!”
Applejack then trotted over to Twilight as she left the train, “And you’ve got a big brother to congratulate.”
“Yeah. Congratulate,” Twilight said in a sour tone as she headed forward, “And then give him a piece of my mind.”
After Twilight stormed off down the path, the others were taken to where they’d be working.
The three fillies were allowed a bit of freedom around the castle. They were still restricted, but because they didn’t have any jobs personally, save for being flower fillies that is, they were allowed the chance to explore.
As they were excitedly prancing through the halls, they came across Princess Luna, who was talking to somepony.
“We thank you for bringing this to our attention,” the lunar Princess finished in her partially olde Equestrian dialect, “But you are well aware that if they were let through the barrier shield, then their identities have been verified. Just remember that who someone is and what someone is are not the same.”
“I understand, Princess. I just don’t want to see her harm anyone else,” the timid blue stallion said nervously, “I’ve already lost a family once. She won’t-” The stallion paused for a moment when he saw the fillies trotting up. Princess Luna followed his gaze to see the ponies in question.
Luna turned back to the stallion, “We will do our best to prevent any casualties. But there is only so much we can do without suspicion,” Princess Luna continued, “As for suspicion, you should return to your… peers, lest you be placed under suspicion as well.”
The stallion nodded his head respectfully. He then glanced at the fillies again, specifically taking note of the little marshmallow filly. Sweetie Belle returned the glance before the stallion turned and headed down the corridor.
Luna then turned her attention to the trio, “Hello, young ones,” Luna said with a smile, “Are you enjoying your stay here so far?”
“Yes!” the three said in unison.
“So is it true that we get to be flower fillies at the wedding?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“We are still getting used to modern wedding rituals,” Luna admitted apprehensively, “Would you explain to us what the flower fillies’ role is?”
“We spread flowers along the runway for the bride to walk along,” Sweetie explained.
“Ah, yes. Purifying the runway is a tradition in wedding rituals,” Luna said, “Though the role would often go to archmages to ensure the purity of the path.”
“Well, Rarity says that it’s based on that tradition,” Sweetie Belle said, “But today, it’s just a tradition rather than a ritualistic practice.”
“I always thought that the flowers were just for show,” Scootaloo said.
“Ah’ve never seen a weddin’ before,” Apple Bloom added.
“So, who was that guy?” Scootaloo asked.
“Intel,” Luna said simply, “And that is all you will need to know. We have reason to believe that there was a threat to Canterlot. That is what the barrier around the city is for.”
The mention of the barrier made Sweetie Belle fidget, “What was that barrier supposed to do?” Sweetie Belle asked apprehensively, “Because when we went through, I felt like all the heat was pulled out of my body.”
“We can confirm that,” Scootaloo said, “To us, it just felt like going through a waterfall of tree sap. But not only did Sweetie Belle feel cold, she was cold.”
“She’s okay now. But will that shield have any bad effects?” Apple Bloom asked.
Luna glared at Sweetie Belle for a moment. But her gaze softened as she saw the confused look on the unicorn filly, “We are sure that there is nothing to be concerned about,” Luna said with a soft smile, “But if the three of you don’t mind, We would prefer to do a check on you, just to make sure there are no lasting effects.”
“I-I’ll be okay, r-right?” Sweetie Belle stuttered nervously.
“Do not worry, little one. We have no intent on letting harm come to you,” Luna said, “But We would still like to make sure everything is alright.”
With that, the fillies relented and let Sweetie Belle go with Princess Luna.
Looking forward to seeing more of this story :)
this will be interesting...
Undead robot bug crusaders! Love that fic!
Other than that, idk, I haven't been here long, only a few months, and one was entirely dedicated to reading the mlp time loops fiction which is 2.5 million words long.
I enjoyed the chapter. Luna knows something is up with Sweetie Bell, is she going to explain in the next chapter? How will Sweetie react! Ohhh, so exciting!