Chapter 1

Princess Celestia let out a deep sigh of relief as the doors to the great throne room closed behind the delegates. The alliance she had just formed with the Kingdom of Apple Valley would protect the eastern borders of Equestria, and in return, she pledged to defend the kingdom from the griffons. Equestria’s relationship with the griffon kingdom was strained at best. They were no longer the great kingdom they were before. As much as she loathed to admit it, she could afford the ire of the griffons.

She fired up her horn and, using her magic, she brought the steaming cup of hot tea over from her sister’s throne. Luna couldn’t be here, for she was on an urgent mission in the lands outside Equestria. She frowned as she looked over at her sister’s empty throne. She really could have used her assistance in dealing with the delegates, but thankfully she and gotten through the negotiation with a favorable deal for Equestria.

She took a strong whiff of the aroma rising from her tea cup. The smell of tea always seemed to calm her nerves. She knew that she didn’t have any other meetings of great importance for the rest of the day, a fact that soothed her nerves as well. Still, she must keep her court open in case any of her citizens wanted to speak to her.

She had barely taken a sip when the throne room doors opened once more. She couldn’t have gotten even a moment to herself after that, could she? Still, she put on her practiced smile, looking over at the mare who had entered her throne room. The mare was small, petite, and covered in what looked like…glitter? The mare made her way to the bottom of the dais, bowing respectfully.

"Your Majesty, Princess Celestia," she began, her voice quivering with barely suppressed excitement. "I come before you with a request of utmost importance, one that will surely change the lives of every pony in Equestria!"

Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow. Somehow, she doubted that this mare had any ideas of great importance, but she had learned years ago not to judge a pony by her appearance, something that she still struggled with to this day.

“What is this request, my faithful subject, and what is your name?”

The mare’s eyes lit up in surprise.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Your Majesty.” She said. “My name is Glitter Sparkle.”

Princess Celestia couldn’t help but smirk a bit at hearing this pony’s name. It was fitting, if a little on the nose.

“I wish to propose a new national holiday, a day where we have a grand festival dedicated to glitter!”

Princess Celestia’s eyebrow raised again.

“To…glitter?” She asked.

“Yes!” Glitter Sparkle exclaimed. “Glitter is the most beautiful, most important thing in the world, but there are no holidays dedicated to it! This is an absolute travesty!”

Princess Celestia let out a practiced sigh, so slight that the mare wouldn’t notice it, but it was a sign of her obvious impatience. She had dealt with these types of ponies before; ponies who were so obsessed with their special talent that their whole world revolved around it, to the point where they couldn’t understand why every other pony wasn’t as obsessed about it as they were. She had to be careful not to offend this pony, while also keeping in mind her feelings.

“Glitter Sparkle,” she began, her voice even and measured. “I appreciate your enthusiasm, but an entire festival devoted to glitter just isn’t practical. Glitter, while delightful, is difficult to clean. It gets in your mane and tail, and might not be appreciated by every pony.”

The mare’s face fell, saddened by Princess Celestia’s appraisal.

“However, I believe in spreading joy to those ponies who appreciate it. Instead of a grand festival, I think you should organize a community art project, so those ponies who appreciate glitter as much as you do can participate. This will be a great way to get the community together without imposing glitter on those ponies who don’t appreciate it.”

“Oh, that’s a great idea, Princess!” Glitter Sparkle said excitedly. “Would you authorize funds for such a project?”

“It’s a community project.” Princess Celestia said. “It should be completed by volunteers. If I were to officially sanction and fund such a project, it would ruin the spirit of volunteering and cooperation, and aren’t those the most important parts of the project?”

Glitter Sparkle perked up at that.

“I suppose you’re right, Princess.” She said. “I’ll get right on it! Thank you for listening to me!”

“Any time, my little pony.” Princess Celestia said, a warm, genuine smile making its way onto her face. “I always listen to the concerns of my subjects, great and small.”

“Thank you, Princess.” Glitter Sparkle said, bowing once more.

Princess Celestia allowed her gentle smile to fade naturally. Although Glitter Sparkle had interrupted her tea and she had been quite annoyed at the interruption, one of the things she loved about ponies is how innocent and happy they always were. A pony such as Glitter Sparkle, so dedicated to her special talent that she would seek an audience with the Princess, was in stark contrast to the other creatures from outside Equestria. With enough time and luck, hopefully other creatures such as hippogriffs, griffons, and dragons will become as nice and innocent has her ponies were, and they could all live peacefully in Equestria. That was her hope anyway. That was what she had been working towards her entire life. To spread the innocence, joy, and happiness of Equestria outward to the other lands, and accept other creatures into her kingdom with open hooves.

She looked over at her new Royal Scheduling Advisor, Raven, and they shared a knowing smile. While Raven had only been working for her for the last few months, she was well aware of the Princess’ appreciation for the genuine innocence of her little ponies.

“Well, Raven, what do you say we get some lunch?” She said, smiling warmly.

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