Her Candidates

by Nyte-Blade

The Factor of Hope- Part 2

~Previously~

After the events at the Crystal Empire, the groups all return to the castle, and begin to discuss their findings and try to piece together everything, hoping to reach the truth.

Unfortunately, not only do they not have enough information, things became stressful and the discussion went south, causing conflict within the group.

At Pinkie and Mason’’s suggestion thankfully, they decide to throw a party to re-strengthen their bonds, for they need to get along to survive.

---

“It’s getting dark out there.”

Trisha stood near the window of the Crystal Palace, looking outward as the sun continued to set for the day.

“It means Princess Celestia’s okay, and we still have time to come up with a plan to stop Sombra and the Followers from making Everlasting Night a reality.” Twilight used the name Megan and the others came up with, finding it fitting for a group like that.

“I thought Celestia went to seal her away. The ‘Midnight Lost Child’ I mean.” Trisha leaned her back against the cool wall, sighing as the feeling calmed her down.

“I was hoping to discuss that as well. I never heard of a Midnight Lost Child before. It made me wonder if there’s actually more to that little girl than we thought.” Twilight sighed, “Then again, with the way Jeremy reacted, there’s no way he knew either.”

“He’s probably more shocked than any of usl. Maybe the one thing that made him sink the way he did was the fact that he didn’t know Ruby like he thought. He just took care of her without knowing anything. But he’ll be okay. If he really cares about Ruby... he’ll bounce back. But for now, I think we should refrain from talking about Ruby during our discussions. I just don’t think it’ll be fair to him.”

“Why not? I’m sure he’d be eager to know!”

Trisha walked past Twilight, turning around to answer her pressing suggestion. “Haha, trust me. I just have a feeling he’ll flip out if everyone but him knew something that important to him. If you asked the rest of the club members, I’m pretty sure they would agree unanimously.”

“How weird.” Twilight simply agreed and walked with Trisha back into the cafeteria.

The two wanted a break after spending the past few hours preparing for the party with Pinkie, Cadence, Shining, Rarity, Spitfire, Soarin’, Martin, Mason, Alice, Chris, and Eva. Preparing this party and intentionally taking their sweet time with preparations was a perfect way to not only let things cool down with the group, but to also strengthen the bond with everyone currently present.

According to Mason, he felt it would be for the best to make an example for everyone to follow, so they needed trust each other. Nothing will ever be done if there’s constant distrust.

_______________________________________________________

As for Chris, who was busy decorating the tables with the finest cloths Rarity picked out, he seemed stressed out already. With each sheet he adjusted, he sighed to himself.

“My, whatever could be the problem? Surely you can’t possibly think these cloths are of poor choice! A fine impression is always a single step to bring in potential clients!” Rarity walked up to Chris, then glanced at his handiwork.

“Clients?” Chris sighed, “No offense lovely maiden, buuuut this isn’t a business.” Chris tried to put on his usual front he has for the females, but it just wouldn’t work. He simply gave up trying and moved on to the next table.

Rarity used her magic to adjust the cloth on the table into a more proper position each time he set the cloths up. “Ahem. I quite know that. But your face tells me that you’re unsatisfied with something. Also, please do not talk like that, it’s quite annoying.” After making her blunt statement, she hears something fall to the floor. Quickly whipping her head to the source, thinking it may have been something important, she instead, sees the blonde-haired boy on his hands and knees, rapidly muttering something to himself.

At first, it sounded like a crazy mantra to her.

“I see... this is the first time I’ve ever been told I’m annoying! It’s always worked in my world! Is it my eyes? Is it because I’m scared? No wait oh right she’s a pony! Yeah, just a pony! She’s just a pony she’s just a pony she’s just a pony I have no interest in that stuff but getting told off like that is such a shot my spirit oh GOD my spirit! I must’ve lost my touch! I lost my touch, but she’s just a pony she’s just a-”

“Surely you know that I’m right here, yes?” Rarity understood that this wasn’t some mantra as she looked at him with contempt.

Chris froze immediately, hesitantly turning his head around until their eyes met. After a brief gasp, Chris suddenly backs away from the fashionista unicorn, all the way until his back reaches the wall, quickly hugging his knees..

“Oh my god oh my god oh my god she hates me she hates me she hates me oh crap what do I do I looked down on her oh crap does this mean I look down on ponies oh crap that makes me no different from Megz! Oh no no no no, she’s a lady a female, a -”

Chris’s rapid, paranoid, analysis of the situation was interrupted once again when his eyes met Rarity’s.

“Oh crap, if you’re gonna buck me, then not the face! NOT THE FACE!” Chris quickly covered his face. “OH CRAP SHE HAS MAGIC SHE CAN JUST BLOW IT OFF-”

A single stomp from Rarity would cause him to shriek in fear, but that only made him cover his face even tighter.

“Now I’ve had QUITE enough of this uncouth behavior from a prince such as you! Mother of Celestia, you’re worse than Prince Blueblood!” Rarity complained.

“Who?” Chris rose his head just slightly, eyes widened and all.

“You claim you’re such a prince, so act your role! How dare you behave in such a cowardly fashion! You dare call me a lovely young maiden when you say it out of cowardice! You even think I’ll grotesquely destroy your face! Who do you think you are to look down on us AND fear us!? I say, stand on your feet right now and look me in the eye!”

“YES-MA’AM!” Chris bolted up, standing with his hands on the side and feet glued together like a soldier. Of course, Rarity would scowl when he didn’t look her in the eye, opting to look straight ahead. All he could see was her well kempt purple mane and horn.

“No, no, no, no, no! You will not address me as ‘ma’am’! You make me sound like your mother! If i’m some ‘lovely young maiden’ like your claims suggest, then look me in the eye and say it! That is what should be done to be a real prince charming!”

The young boy tried his best to focus his vision on the angry Rarity, despite his unquestionable fear and confusion. His eyes even slammed shut as he struggled with his inner self to turn his head down slightly enough.

The next time his eyes opened, she’s there, looking into his eyes. His eyes gain an uncontrollable twitching, which stops when his eyeballs move in different directions. It was like trying to force the same end of a pair of magnets to touch.

“You’re a lovely maiden you’re not scary PLEASE DON’T KILL ME!”

Rarity could only sigh at the pathetic, unnecessary plea.

“Hahahahaha!!!! He doesn’t even say ‘ma’am’ to our mom!” Rarity turned around to find Chris’s sister laughing at her brother. “Oh man, that guy is hopeless! There’s no way you’ll get him to calm down!”

“Sis, you’re here HELP SAVE ME FROM THIS CRAZY MARE!” Chris clung to his sister’s arm, still fearing Rarity.

“Hmph! I suppose I’ve truly found your world’s Blueblood.” Rarity scoffed.

Eva shook off Chris’s clingy grip nonchalantly, “Blueblood? Oh come on, we’re not some royal family or something!”

“No, no. I don’t quite mean the term. I mean the actual prince, Blueblood. He’s Princess Celestia’s nephew.” Rarity explained.

“You mean there’s a prince that’s named Blueblood?” Eva asked.

“Yes. Of course, I shouldn’t have expected you to know the name. To him, I was but a mere meat shield. Sure, he shielded himself from a cake, but he still used me instead of magic to block it! I’ve known what kind of stallion he is for quite some time now. No offense, but your brother’s behavior is too much.”

“None taken.” Eva giggled, much to her brother’s dismay. But still, seeing Chris scared out of his wits is funny and all, but I’ll be fair: He’s never used anyone as a shield. In fact, he’s probably the most generous person in the crew. He was the one who organized our Spring Break trip, paying for the hotels and such. He even helped us out when we wanted to remodel the Dashboard.”

“Hmmmm, is that so?” Rarity asked, looking at the young boy curiously.

“Well, yes... but Eva, could stop laughing? If you were on the front half of the plane, found out you were thrown out, and experienced NOTHING but problems one after the other while wondering what happened, then you’d be horrified too!” Chris chided.

“I’m scared now! What kind of person do you think I am?! Unlike you, I remember that we’re not alone and I believe we’re gonna survive! You’re alive, so why should I let my fears overtake me!? And what about the rest of the crew!? We’re in this together! We’re NOT alone!” Eva argued, in which Chris responded with a sigh.

“Okay. You got a point. It’s just, I organized the trip for us to have fun, not put our lives on the line and be away from our families for who knows how long, and I... I don’t wanna lose hope, but it’s tough hanging on to it! You know we have no power to do anything. We have to leave all the fighting to the ponies. And you know how I feel about having ladies fight my battles.”

“You can’t be serious! If that’s how you really felt, you wouldn’t be such a chicken! This isn’t like those Shonen mangas you read all day!”

“Just because At least I don’t read all of that mushy Shoujo stuff!” Chris argued.

“Pardon me, but mind enlightening me on this, ‘shown in’ and ‘show joe’ thing?” Rarity asked, tilting her head.

“Err, another time Rarity.” Chris waved off, not in the mood to explain a portion of Japanese pop culture.

---

As for Martin, Mason, Soarin, and Spitfire, they all outside rounding up a few supplies for the party. The nightly breeze felt cold enough to make one believe that it came from the Frozen North. However, this cool air was somewhat tolerable thanks to the Crystal Barrier.

Martin, who held onto a basket to help carry the items, decided to speak up first. “Hey, mind if you all could tell me something important?”

“Depends on this question.” Spitfire said after tossing another zap apple into the basket with her mouth.

“How secretive.” Mason commented, holding onto Soarin’s bag of bits, promptly placing the correct amount into the cash register.

“How does your school system work?” Martin asked, taking out an apple to give it a quick look. “They have mouthwash I’m sure... right?” He thought before quickly shaking his head.

“School System? Are you referring to the Wonderbolt Academy?” Spitfire turned around, raising an eyebrow. “I was sure you’d ask about the weird apples we’re tossing into the basket.”

“I suppose.” Martin sighed, tossing the apple he held into the air and letting it fall into the basket.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Spitfire asked, somewhat annoyed that he’s sounding indecisive before tossing another apple into the basket.

He paused for a bit, scratching the back of his head before answering. “It’s just that, I wanted to understand this world’s schooling system in general I guess.”

“You said you’re a teacher, right? I guess you’re trying to get some teaching pointers from us?” Soarin asked, before mentioning to Mason “Oh, and that costs about twenty-five bits.”

“Weird economy.” Mason commented about the bits, looking at the golden coins he placed down.

“You can put it like that.” Martin caught a normal apple Spitfire tossed.

“Heh, we’re not exactly ‘teachers’. We’re drill instructors. We make sure that the cadets at the academy learn our ways and techniques fast and efficiently, showing that you have to be ready for anything during flight, and that includes combat.” Spitfire explained.

“Well, you could always ask Cheerilee for teaching advice.” Soarin’ suggested, before turning to Mason “And regular apples cost about five bits. Much cheaper than Zap apples.”

“How expensive.” Mason said, placing the bits into the register as instructed.

“Who?” Martin asked.

“She’s a school teacher at Ponyville and a pretty good friend of mine. If you want some real teaching advice, I’m pretty sure she’s your best bet.” Spitfire explained before tossing another apple with her mouth. “Last one!”

He barely caught the apple like usual. It’s hard to talk with something in covering the mouth after all. “Gotcha.” Nontheless, he caught it anyway.

“Wait a sec, how long have you been teaching anyway?” Soarin asked Martin.

“Longer than when I met this crazy group of kids, that’s for sure.” Martin pointed at Mason with his thumb, causing Soarin to narrow his eyes.

“You’re kidding, right? He’s younger?!” Soarin looked at Martin, then at Mason, and back again.

“Height doesn’t mean age.” Mason explained.

“Ah, err, well yeah, but you’re taller than your teacher!” Soarin couldn’t wrap his head around it, trying to not compare him to a dragon.

By a few inches.” Mason flatly said.

“You sure don’t say much, huh? Compared to earlier anyway.” Soarin pointed out.

“I’m not hurt anymore.” Mason handed the bag of bits back to Soarin, who tucked it back under his wing.

“You didn’t look hurt to begin with!” Soarin thought to himself. “Ah, err, let’s hurry and get this stuff back in there so we can get the pies rolling. Especially the Zap Apple pies. Oh man...” Soarin’s mouth started to drool, thinking about the pies he’ll get to sink his teeth into.

“The dinner’s gotta be cooked first, so wipe the drool from your mouth.” Spitfire interjected as she walked back to the Palace with the others.

Soarin wiped his drool quickly, “The pies should’ve come first, but i’m not complaining.” It still sounded like a light complaint to everyone else though.

---

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Cadence, Shining Armor, and Alice are inside preparing the food.

“I’ve never really cooked any vegetarian foods before, but I’ll give it a shot!” Alice held her arm, making a ‘I’m ready to work!’ gesture.

Alice was at the countertop, taking over Eva’s vegetable lasagna in preparations just as she asked. She picked up the knife and began chopping away at the carrots since the mushrooms and bell peppers were chopped already, and the pot on the stove was just set to boil a minute ago. Cadence is using her magic to precisely chop up the cloves of garlic.

“You know how to cook, right?” Shining Armor asked, obviously unsure of her ability.

“Of course I do! Jeremy and I take Home Ed classes together every week!” Alice answered,

“Home Ed?” Shining asked.

“Home Education. Teaches you about alla that cute home making stuff such as sewing, cooking, cleaning...” Alice went on and on about the things you learn in the class until she was hit with a good question.

“Doesn’t that just sound like a maid?” Shining Armor asked.

“More like a housewife.” Cadence giggled.

Alice finishes her chopping and moves onto the onions. “Do you like, know how to knit? DO YA? I bet you knit some really cute stuff for your hubby!”

“Haha... I wish I could agree to that, but considering my responsibilities, I don’t quite have the time.” Cadence answered.

“Aww, so like, how often do you get to be together?” Alice enthusiastically asked, continuously hoping for some cute story.

“We’re together every day, but we can’t quite spend time leisurely until night time if we’re lucky and not tired.” Cadence elaborated.

“I guess running a kingdom isn’t anything like the fairy tales, huh?” Alice asked, dejected at the reality. She really wanted it to be like some sort of fantasy.

“Not in the slightest. Although, I guess that the ones in your world are different from the fairy tales we have.”

“Well yeah! Well, like, I can’t say my suggestions though... they’re a bit too grimdark and stuff. I mean, I watched the disney version, which was more idealistic and hopeful and stuff, but for some reason, I kinda preferred the grimdark version.” Alice hesitantly explained her odd tastes.

“What you said just went right over our heads.” Cadence’s words halted Alice’s rambling.

“Ah, sorry about that!” Alice scratched her head, then put down the knife, “See, I’m not exactly sure how I’d explain what I’m talking about when it doesn’t exist in this world, ya know? I mean- OH! Tell me how you two met! That’d be a fun and cute story I hope!” With a sudden change of subject, Cadence was thrown off.

“She’s a bubbly one, huh?” Shining Armor thought to himself.

Despite the sudden topic switch, Cadence agreed to talk about the story afterall. First, she set down her knife on the cutting board, then turned to Alice with a smile.

“You’re really gonna tell them that?” A hint of red grew on Shining Armor’s sheeks, which only made Alice all the more giddy. She wanted a cute story, and much to his dismay, she was gonna get one.

“Hmm, let’s see. It all started when I got the job of being Twilight Sparkle’s foalsitter...”

---

Twilight’s parents asked for a sitter whenever they went out to work, and Shining Armor at the time was too busy with his studies at the knight academy to really do it himself.

Being a teenager at the time, that’s where I came in.

We met when he came home from a usual day at the knight academy, and he just stared at me for a little while. It was like he was under a spell or something.

When he came home, the first thing he did after stepping through the door and putting his bag on the hook, was greet his sister, petting her on the head as usual.

“Hey, big brother! Look! I made a new friend!” Twilight told him, pointing her cute little hoof at me. Our eyes met, and he just stood there with his mouth agape, like he saw something shocking. A simple tug from his sister snapped him out of it though. It took a minute for him to realize that he was wearing a weird grin.

“So what’s with that weird smile? Is that how you greet strangers?” I asked, walking closer to him. Seeing him act like that, I knew I had to tease him a little.

“Ah! Umm, ahem. I’m her brother, Shining Armor! Ah-I hear you’re the foalsitter, right?” He asked, walking around me into the living room.

“That’s me! Your parents told me a bit about both of you when I took up the job.” I told him.

He looked up and down at me again, noting how strange and rare it is to have an alicorn for a foalsitter. “So what did they say?”

“That Twilight’s a curious little pony, and you’re a knight-in-training that can be a little hot-headed.”

“Err, I’m working on that. Haha...” He nervously explained. I could hear him complaining under his breath about his parents telling me that embarrassing info.

I could tell he liked me right away, and I’ll admit, he was kinda cute back then. But of course, Twilight came first since that was my job. But whenever he came home, we’d talk a little more and play together. All three of us.

And then that day came when Twilight would move to Ponyville, and things became more busy for the both of us. It was a tough time since there was so much to do, preparing for Nightmare Moon’s return and all. Princess Celestia had actually gone missing the same day of the Summer-Sun Celebration. But that crisis was averted rather quickly when we heard news of Nightmare Moon’s defeat thanks to the Elements of Harmony.

A celebration of Princess Luna’s return after a thousand years was held twice: Once over at Ponyville, and the second at Canterlot. That’s when he and I met once again, in that royal ballroom...

“Wow... ah... err...” Shiny’s eyes widened when he saw me. I sort of wondered if I had changed that much too him. The maids simply picked out the newest dress that Aunt Celestia made for me, and I was a little afraid it was too flashy.

“Is that how you greet a stranger?” I smiled, hoping he’d do more than just gawk.

“Well, that’s the thing! You’re not a stranger!” Shining Armor made a good point, but the cat definitely had his tongue a minute ago. “Ahem... well, how about a dance? For the sake of catching up?”

That suggestion made me giggle a bit. “For the sake of ‘catching up’?” I teased.

He choked a bit, but regained his composure. “...is that a no?” Maybe he was so nervous he didn’t catch that I was teasing at the time.

“Silly, that’s a yes! I’d love to have this dance.” And so I held out my forehoof, ignoring auntie Tia watching me.

I saw him make the happiest expression ever like he just won the grand prize at a raffle. In fact, I thought I heard him whisper ‘woo hoo!’ to himself. Afterwards, he took my hoof, and we danced with the lights on us on that shiny ballroom floor, as a princess and her knight.

He was a bit awkward with his steps during the dance at first, but I understood he was nervous dancing with a princess.

After, he stealthily whisked me away from the crowd, making a shocking proposition.

“What’s the occasion? You know I have to be there to-” Welcome back Princess Luna, I was gonna say, but...

“We already did that. And I’m happy that her majesty is back, but seeing you tonight, well, I... kinda wanna spend more time with you.” He’s lucky nopony else was within earshot. Normally, It’s not such a good idea to talk so casually to anyone of royal blood.

“Well, we’ll have to do so at the party.” I said, not wanting to attract attention, but I was surprised at how persistent he was.

“I don’t want the other stallions talking to you!”

I was taken aback, but I’m sure he didn’t know with how fast my reply was. “Oh, jealous, right?”

“W-well, it’s not like that, I just... well, feel like I wouldn’t get the chance to catch up! I mean, the dance was good, great actually, but I... want to know more. Well, that is, if you don’t mind. I mean, If you don’t want to, you could always order me to stop, and I will, and-”

“Listen, Shiny. We may be Lady and Knight, but we’ve known each other for a long time. And, well, I want to know what you’ve been up to as well.” I told him the honest truth. I really wanted to be with him for a little longer. What I didn’t tell him, was how handsome he looks in that royal knight uniform.

“Oh, OH! Well, that’s great! How about we go for tea? For the sake of catching up?” He always added that little bit at the end whenever he invited me out, just to make an excuse to be with me. It was cute anyway, so I took him up on that.

“Going on a date to ‘catch up’ sounds good to me.” I smiled at him. I could definitely see a blush on his white cheeks, and that grin started forming again. Of course, he shook it off again, trying to act cool.

“Great!”

So he took me to a teahouse that his friends from the royal guard never came to, intentionally making sure that it was just us. He intended to start from the ground up when it came to our dates, so we could catch up, and hopefully know more about each other.

Taking my status into consideration, we had to date in secret, for we didn’t want to draw unwanted attention. I would even wear a dress to hide my wings from time to time, which wasn’t a big deal. Better than trying to cover my horn somehow.

Hearing him go on about how he learned how to slay various kinds of monsters, hearing about all the different strategies to protect the princesses when the time comes, I could tell that he was really smart.

To be honest, I thought he was sort of a typical kind of stallion that didn’t care much for his studies, but now I knew that he was serious about becoming a true knight.

“To be honest, well, I wanted to be a knight ever since I was just a little colt. But when I met you...” He paused, his face slowly reddening like a tomato gone ripe, “Ah, umm... well, let’s just say that it made me work harder at the knight academy.”

That there shocked me. That would explain why the lieutenants and captain of the Royal Guard were always amazed at Shining Armor’s potential. He worked extra hard to prove his worth, to stand out from the rest of the knights.

“So you knew I was already studying to be a proper princess back then, right?”

“Well, my friends told me when I heard about it. You’re Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. I was shocked to learn that a princess was in the house foalsitting my sister. Remembering how Princess Celestia saw my sister’s talent, that pretty much explains why though.”

“Speaking of Celestia, even if you are her student’s brother, you may get in trouble for kidnapping me like this.” I said in jest, just to see how he’d react.

“K-kidnapping!? This isn’t kidnapping, this is just a simple date! A date! I’m certain Her Majesty would understand that I wanted to know more about her beautiful niece!” He said fervently, but quickly took a deep breath to regain his cool composure. “But, if it came down to that, I’ll be honest and take responsibility!”

“Hehe, I was just teasing! No need to get worked up! Were you afraid you’d be fired from the Royal Guard?”

“Well, um... if I was, I wouldn’t be able to protect you and stand by your side as your trusty captain.”

That’s when I knew. He worked hard just to be by my side. Just to protect me and be with me. My heart throbbed for the first time in my life.

Truth be told, my magic specialized in helping other couples out. I had the ability to help others along and find their true love, and I did that alot when I was younger. But that day, I knew how those ponies felt when they fell in love. I know I wasn’t using my talent on myself, so this had to be real.

From that day forward, I always looked forward to seeing Shining Armor, even as the days went by and he worked extra hard to rise in the ranks until he became captain of the Royal Guard. He thought that by being captain, there would be no complaints if he’s always by my side.

I knew his goal and I cheered him on until he got there.

And then, the day came when he finally proposed to me, asking my hoof in marriage.

---

Alice stared at Cadence as she told her story, giving the cheekiest, happy smile ever. It was as if she was a cat given a bowl of the best milk in the universe. She loved romance stories, and this one to her was special.

“Ahhhhhh, how cuuuuuuuuuute! OMIGOSH, you two are sooooooo cute together!” She squeed like a typical fangirl.

“Ah, well, you don’t have to get THAT excited, do ya?” Shining Armor asked, somewhat unnerved at how excited Alice got at the knowledge of how he and Cadence met.

“Haha... well, I appreciate the flattery, but well, that’s pretty much the gist of it. We had a really rough time when I was his fiancee. Just a few days before the wedding, I was kidnapped by Queen Chrysalis.”

“Ooh, you mean the changelings! I read about’em online! So tell me, did Shine-shine save ya? Did he?”

“Did she just...?” Cadence thought, hearing the word ‘changelings’ come from the mouth of a human. Did she just say that in passing or was she hearing things? Alice has been rambling so fast, she thought she was hearing things, but...

“Wha, Shine-Shine!?” Shining Armor looked at Alice liked she had lost her mind.

“Well, no. In fact, he was under the spell of the culprit, Queen Chrysalis. To this day, it’s kind of a sore spot for him.” Cadence nervously answered Alice’s question, still wondering.

“I should’ve seen through that witch’s lies.” Shining Armor continued the conversation.

“Huh... so~, if he didn’t save ya, the~n, who did?” Alice asked, engrossed in the story.

“That would be me.” Twilight walked into the room, overhearing a bit of their conversation.

“Whoa, really?” Alice was surprised, but quickly turned to Trisha, just to say hi to her.

“Well, yeah. If it weren’t for Twily, well, everything would’ve ended in failure. We might not even be ourselves here. We probably would’ve been replaced by Changelings or something.” Shining answered, still grateful for his sister’s efforts.

“They do have a tendency to do that, huh? They feed off of love, right?” Alice asked, shocking everyone in the room and confirming Cadence’s suspicion.

“Yeeeeeeaaaaah...” Cadence agreed, lowering her eyelids suspiciously. “Err, how did you know that? You even mentioned it earlier.” Cadence asked.

“I looked it up online!” Alice happily answered, as if she expected them to know what she even meant.

“What do you mean by ‘online’?” Shining Armor asked, slowly furrowing his eyebrows.

“I mean going on the internet and searching on google! Like, duh!”

Trisha quickly pulls Alice within earshot and whispers, “Psst! Alice! They don’t know about the internet, remember!?”

“Oh crap, I forgot!” She covered her mouth in embarrassment, then turned to the other ponies. “Err... ah... err, how can I explain the Internet...”

Twilight then opened the Book of Humans, turning to the technology section and read out a few passages, quoting bits of it as she went along. “You use a device called a ‘computer’ to log in using an... ‘application’ called a... ‘web browser’, and you access it from there, right?”

“OMIGOSH, THAT’S RIGHT!” Alice gasped, “Wow, it’s like that book’s the same as that website!”

“Website? Oh, a page that’s created on that ‘internet’ thing, right?” Twilight asked, making sure she’s on the right track.

“Let me see that!” Shining used his magic to levitate the book over to him. As he flipped through the pages, skimming through the paragraphs, “Umm... when did you get this book? It’s awfully detailed.”

“I got it as a gift from Princess Celestia. She said I may find it useful somehow, learning about human nature and technology. Honestly, with all that’s happened, I never expected to encounter other humans so I’ve been thinking that I need to study it more.” Twilight tucked the book back into her side bag.

“Maybe we all need to study it, so we can know just enough about the humans.” Shining Armor suggested.

“Just the bad ones.” Cadence added.

“Yeah, she’s right. If you want to know more about humans, we can just ask our friends.” Twilight suggested.

“Well, all we’ve been doing is talking and learning about how your world works, but you still don’t know about our world much except for the little bits. I don’t know how detailed that book is, but there’s many things that happened in our lives; good and bad.” Trisha added. She turned around, hearing some heavy footsteps, finding Mason approaching them. “Oh, Mason!”

“Oh. You’re strengthening bonds.” Mason commented, showing a slight smile on his face.

“Mason, you’re back, you gotta help-” Chris begged, but his voice was tuned out by everyone’s excitement.

“Yep! Like, we’re getting all buddy-buddy! I just heard a suuuuuuuuper cute story about how Shine-Shine and Cadie met! Wanna hear? Do ya!?” Alice was on a high from hearing such a romantic story, she just wanted to spread it around.

“No, don’t!” Shining Armor demanded, covering his reddening face with a hoof.

“Why not?” Cadence asked, lowering her eyelids.

“Well, I uh, kinda have my pride to uphold as a stallion, ya know?” Shining nervously answered.

Cadence, ignoring him, turned to the others to tell the story. “Alright, so here’s how it started.”

“What’s embarrassing about it? You’re a stallion, aren’t you?” Chris asked, “You scored yourself a mate! You should be proud!”

“I don’t wanna hear that from a kid!” Shining chided.

“Hey! I’m the best when it comes to getting the ladies! So I want in on this!” Chris said, listening to the story as well.

“Don’t bother. When he gets all gung-ho like that, you can’t stop him.” Eva waved off Chris’s enthusiasm.

“He’s completely different compared to earlier! Mother of Celestia, this kid is just too hard to understand!” Rarity sighed, but wanted to hear the story as well.

_____________________________________________________

While everyone else was having fun, Pinkie Pie bounced down the hall, cheerful and all, singing about inviting everyone to the party she’s starting.

“Having fun and bonding, having fun and bonding, making up and party~, making up and party~ Whee!”

Prancing down the hallway her friends went, she continued to sing down the hallway. She could see everypony’s face in her mind as her plan played out in her head to gather everyone.

“PINKIE!”

“Wha-!” Pinkie fell flat on her face the moment she heard her name called. She quickly turned around to see both Applejack and Rainbow Dash standing behind her, going the opposite direction. “Wow, you’re both practicing sneaking up behind me, aren’t ya!?”

“Pinkie, we’ve been calling your name this whole time!” Rainbow chided.

“You were in yer own lil’ world, bouncing up and down like a rabbit!” Applejack added.

“Sooooo what’s up?” Pinkie asked in her usual cheerful manner.

“Uh, we were kinda gon check on everyone. See how they doin’.” Applejack answered.

“Oh, we were making a party and I was planning to invite you guys, but you somehow knew about it!” Pinkie drew her face closer to the two, scowling. “How suspicious!”

“We didn’t about that know till you told us just now!”

“Sooooooooooooo, where’s Fluttershy?” Pinkie asked.

“Yeaaaaaah, about that...” Rainbow trailed off, hesitating to say it.

“Ah think she’s been traumatized enough. The idea of bein’ used n’ put down kinda did a number on her head, but she really wanted t’be left alone so she can get over it.”

“Huh... so ya figured it out?”

“Yep. Ah’m pretty sure she’s gone thru it before; puttin’ down an animal to end it’s suffering is the hardest thing we animal lovers gotta have to go through.” Applejack explained.

“So she won’t be able to come to the party?”

“‘Fraid not, sugarcube.” Applejack hesitantly answered, lowering her hat. “If it makes ya feel any... better...” She trailed off as she rose her head to look her friend in the eye, but... “Ah, she’s gone!”

“She’s gone to see Fluttershy!” Rainbow dashed down the hall, hoping to stop Pinkie. She knew how Pinkie was when it came to parties. But this wasn’t just any kind of party. It was a party filled with hope.

A hope filled party meant to rid the air of despair.

She knew Pinkie would be determined to show Fluttershy that hope. But is this really the right way to go about it?

“Oh, Fluuuuuuttershyyyyyy~” Rainbow saw Pinkie calling out, preparing to knock on the door. But instead of knocking on the hollow crystal door, she knocked on a yellow forehead instead.

“Owie...!” Fluttershy held her head, then heard something make a screeching halt.

“Heya Fluttershy! We’re having a party!” Pinkie invited her friend without a care in the world.

“I’m confused.” The yellow introvert looked away, not understanding what’s going on. She looked down as she held onto her forehead, seeing Rainbow Dash just inches away from Pinkie.

“I was trying to get her to leave you alone like you asked!” Rainbow shouted as she stood on her hooves.

“What were ya doing? Come on! Come on!”

“...I was trying to fight it.”

“Fight it? If you wanna fight, ya need a ring! And announcer! And a bell! And everypony watching!”

“N-no! Not that kind of fight! I meant... those images. I was trying to fight those... images.”

“Images... Oh! you mean from that mask!”

“I think... their purpose, is to make us fear and hate them.” Fluttershy tearfully explained.

She surmised that through fear and hatred, nopony would be willing to stand up to the humans, and instead, let the feelings of anguish build over time.

To Fluttershy, the purpose did not matter. Only that she had to overcome it. If they were going to work with humans; humans that somepony considered ‘friends’, then she had to overcome it, no matter what.

On top of it all, she fought those images alone. If her friends were there, what if she were to subconsciously replace herself with one of her friends to suffer that image of being put down?

“Glad t’know that ya ain’t affected too much!” Applejack sighed in relief after hearing Fluttershy’s story.

“Soooooo, ya coming to the party?” Pinkie asked.

Fluttershy shook her head slowly, giving them a look of determination. “Not yet. I need to thank him first.”

“Who?” Pinkie tilted her head.

“That human. Megan is his name. I think I need to thank him.” Fluttershy answered, her eyes filled with determination.

“Are you crazy!? You’ve seen how he is!” Rainbow stood in front of Fluttershy, blocking her path.

The yellow pegasus stepped to the left, but Rainbow did the same. “But there’s a reason-”

“Yeah, just to ‘weed out the weak’ he says! He’ll just-” Rainbow and Fluttershy constantly kept side-stepping, interrupting each other.

“But I don’t think-” Fluttershy tried to explain, to no avail.

“Who cares! Leave that jerk alone! All he does is look down on everyone! He even made his own friend cry!” Rainbow chided.

“But he’s stressed out! I think a simple thank you would mean a lot to him!” Fluttershy argued, this time flying past Rainbow, much to her surprise. Of course, the multi-colored pegasus wasted no time chasing after her friend.

Fluttershy wasn’t exactly the fastest flyer, but she could definitely do anything if she set her mind to it, and she was determined to find Megan before she was caught.

Heading straight down the hallway, flying past the cafeteria at breakneck speed, Fluttershy randomly push a door open, hoping for Megan to be inside. Lucky for her, there he was, lying on a bed alone.

He had his headphones covering his ears, with some very noisy music coming from them.

“Noooo!” Rainbow screamed.

Fluttershy took a deep breath, and screamed... in her own, meek, little way.

“Megan...!”

Of course, nobody heard her at all. Despite that, he noticed the ruckus at the corner of his eye and turned his head to her, sighing in disbelief. He took his headphones off, got off the bed and headed for the door.

“Hmph. I should’ve made my request to be left alone more known.” Megan put on his usual curt attitude. Upon seeing Rainbow Dash behind Fluttershy, he took his glasses off and began to clean them. “State your business. Otherwise, I request for your immediate leave.”

“Thank you.” Fluttershy said quickly. It was meek, but Megan definitely heard her.

“What.” Of course, the human that stood before the two pegasi looked down on them as he usually would. But this time, he didn’t believe what he was hearing.

“I said thank you.” Fluttershy repeated, this time more strongly.

“Hmph. Thanking me? I see. You’re trying to appease me.”

“No. I’m not trying that. I truly mean it when I say thank you.”

Megan folded his arms and says, “State your reasoning.”

“You used th-that mask on me to confirm your theory, but, I don’t think you meant any harm.” Fluttershy said, earning a scowl from Rainbow. “Okay, maybe you did, considering what it does, but umm... I think you wanted to share what you found out to everypony. You wanted to give us that awareness. It wasn’t fair that you were singled out.”

Suddenly, a giggle escapes his lips. “Pfft. My, my. I never thought I’d see the day.”

“What do you-” Fluttershy asked, only to Megan to raise his hand, stopping her.

“Don’t concern yourself.” Megan quickly turned his back to the ponies, “I’ll meet you all back in the cafeteria.”

“Wait, you already know about the party?” Pinkie popped up suddenly. Megan made a quick glance before facing the wall again.

“No, I just assumed I’d be able to continue the discussion.” Megan suspiciously palms his face again, sighing, “But I suppose it can wait.”

With that, the other ponies left the room, leaving Megan alone. He sighs to himself, “What am I doing?”

_______________________________________________________

Several minutes later, after Pinkie managed to round everyone up, the party has begun, and hopefully, everyone is in a better mood.

Everyone has taken a seat at different tables with different humans and ponies, feasting on the food and desserts conjured up.

“Soooooooo, we’re not wanting to punch and buck each other’s lights out this time, right?” Alice asked in an innocent tone.

“Uhh, I don’t think that’s what anypony wanted to begin with.” Twilight corrected.

“We organized this party to bond with each other, so start bonding and have fun!”

“What about Jeremy?” Mia curtly asked, quickly letting the others know that she’s still in a bad mood.

“He needs to settle the score with his demons I guess.” Mason answered quickly. “Don’t worry about him. He’ll be fine. No matter how many times he falls, he’ll always stand.”

“That’s why I refer to him as our ‘foolish’ leader.” Megan followed up.

“You guys sure know him through and through, huh?” Twilight asked.

“Well, he’s pretty easy to read! It’s just, during Summer last year, before Ruby came to us, he changed for the worst. For some reason, he took on all the work and always stayed up as late as possible. We figure something really bad happened, but we don’t know what.” Alice answered.

“He’s not ready to come clean yet. Give him time, okay?” Martin chimed in, crossing his legs.

“So you know why that idiot is such a jerk, huh?!” Rainbow scowled at Martin, demanding to know.

“I do. But I promised him I won’t say anything, as he wants to talk about it himself. Personally, I want him to hurry up with it, but it’s actually a very delicate matter.” Martin sighed, scratches his head, and continues, “I suppose I want him to believe in his crew, that’s all. If he values us as much as he claims, then...” Martin trailed off, sighing.

“We just have to believe in him. I believe in him. I have to. I worry, but I believe in him. I always have, and always will.” Mia sighed.

Martin claps his hands twice while sitting at the table next to Applejack, “Good. Now that’s out of the way, let’s enjoy ourselves to the fullest and mingle. At the very least, I get to settle for some pretty good apple cider.” He picks up his mug and chugs the drink down.

Mia however, suddenly grips her arm tightly, letting out a pained breath. Despite this, she decided to put on a smile and join in on the fun. Mr. Martin was right after all.

“That’s the Apple Family’s finest cider yer drinkin’ there!” Applejack chimed in, drinking her mug as well.

“Your family sure runs a serious business, huh?” Kitsu asked, giggling a bit.

“Get out!” Mina playfully hit Kitsu on the arm, picking up on his pun.

“Ya darn right! We make sure that all of Equestria has tha chance to taste our finest products!”

“‘Oou got ‘hat ‘ite!” Soarin said, despite his mouth being full of pie. Spitfire chided him for spitting crumbs everywhere, but with that goofy grin he was wearing, it’s obvious he regrets nothing!

“Kinda scared to ask, but just how big is the Apple Family?” Chris asked.

“Huge! There’s Apple Pie, Apple Fritter, Braeburn, Big Macintosh, Granny Smith-”

“That’s, quite alright.” Mina palmed her face, sighing.

“I remember meeting the whole family when I first moved to Ponyville.” Twilight chipped in after another sip of milk to go down with her share of pie.

“And ya didn’t wanna stick around over that whole Nightmare Moon business!” Applejack teased.

“W-Well, that kinda was more important, but I did meet’em later, right?” Twilight frantically explained.

“Yeaaaaah, we all did! And we met more at Apploosa!” Pinkie added, already thinking of dragging the people there to the party they’re having now.

“Makes me wonder how everypony’s doing down there?” Applejack set down her mug. wondered.

“Speaking of that, you might get to check on them sooner than you think!” Cadence spoke as he eyes widened by the bright light shining from her own idea bulb.

“Whaddya mean?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow at the sudden proposition.

“It’s just, I just remembered something really important,” Cadence raised a hoof, then used her magic to teleport a scroll to her. Opening it, she immediately began to read the contents of the letter.

Dear Cadence.

My niece, I send this letter to you, in hopes that everyone present hears this message.

I have sealed away the Midnight Lost Child with my sister, and returned to my duties to guard Canterlot. As of now, I have ordered a lockdown on all of Canterlot now that King Sombra has begun to make his move, and I am certain that he will launch an assault on Canterlot.

I wish for all of you, humans and elements of harmony, to assist you in identifying the mastermind behind this chaos.

I have given you permission to reactivate the Terminals once used by the Lunar Illuminati and the Celestial Committee a thousand years ago.

I’ll leave it to you, Cadence, to explain the functions of the terminals.

May the magic of friendship protect you.

Princess Celestia.

So much for such a happy party...

The letter only served to damper the cheerful mood by reminding everyone that there’s still a madman on the loose. And to top it all off, they’re filled with the uncertainty of the impending attack. When will he strike?

*BAM* Shining slammed a hoof on the table, “Tch... so he’s already begun, huh?”

“You’re captain of the royal guard, right? Shouldn’t you hurry back to Canterlot?” Mina asked.

“Well, I would, but once the princess initiates a lockdown, then that’s that. I’m pretty sure you guys have that kind of thing in your world as well.” Shining Armor explained.

“No one in, or out under any circumstances, yes?” Megan asked.

“You got it.” Shining Armor answered. He wants to go back to Canterlot however, no matter what.

“Hang on a sec...” Chris rose his hand meekly. “Didn’t that letter say ‘Illuminati’? You know,. in our world, that’s just a crazy conspiracy theory.” He hesitantly warned in disbelief.

“No, the Lunar Illuminati used to exist. But last time I heard, they were disbanded.” Cadence explained.

“Eh? So...” Alice pondered, trying to piece it together.

“You told us of a research group called the Merlin Initiative, yes? Well, think of the Lunar Illuminati as the same.”

“So they were a research group as well?” Mina asked.

“Yes. I heard the stories on how both the Lunar Illuminati and the Celestial Committee were assigned a different job a thousand years ago. Back then, Celestia and Luna learned of an oncoming apocalypse. So they gathered three hundred of Equestria’s best minds, and split their numbers in half to form two groups: One to assigned to search for the Elements of Harmony avert the crisis, and one to find an alternative habitat should the Committee fail their mission.” Cadence explained.

“They sound eerily familiar to the Initiative though; minus the whole magic thing of course.” Chris pressed his fingers together.

“I’ll explain more when I show you the Crystal Empire’s terminal tomorrow. For now, I think we should rest tonight.” Cadence suggested.

“Before we do that... I have a favor to ask of everyone present in this room.” Megan stood up, placing a hand in his pocket. What he took out, was an odd flip phone with a bright screen.

“My, what in the world is that thing?” Rarity asked, pointing a hoof at the strange device.

Megan explained what a cell phone was as briefly as possible and that the model was older compared to their current phones, so he could quickly focus on the LCD screen. “If any of you has any ability to craft gems or crystals by any means necessary, then I require your assistance.”

“Who do you think you-” Rainbow angrily glared at Megan, remembering his behavior from earlier.

“Please. I don’t intend to beg. But I do have to do this much for my friends. I want to replace the LCD screen of every phone with an Equine Crystal so we can communicate.”

“Well, I am quite attuned to the art of crafting gems for the sake of my clothes, but I think it shouldn’t be too much trouble. But if it’s as you say, then I think I should craft some earrings for everypony here as well.”

“That would be essential.”

“I think it would work out. I think our bonds may have gone up with this party.” Mason agreed.

“I believe so as well. But this will be a long task. I may have to pull an overnighter if I want to get the modifications to our phones finished.” Megan explained, sliding the flip phone back into his pocket. He walks over to the center table to grab an empty paper bag.

“Oh silly human! I’ve pulled all-nighters several times!” Rarity said.

“I see. I thank you for your assistance.” He then turned to Rainbow Dash and sighed, resisting the urge to take off his glasses.

“What?” Rainbow scowled at him, wanting to tell him, ‘Spit it out already!’

“I have a favor for you as well. Can you retrieve Jeremy’s cell phone and bring it here?” Megan calmly asked.

“What do you think I am, your dog?!”

“Mph...” Megan grunted, then cleared his throat. “No, do not misunderstand. I only ask, because you were the one who brought him to a location away from us.”

“Err, Good point.” Rainbow calmed down when she heard that, seeing a valid point. “I guess I can make it quick. A phone thing looks like that block thing you had, right?”

“No. What we all here have are Smartphones, a more advanced version of the common cell phone.” Megan corrected, showing his smart phone, one that doesn’t need to be flipped open.

“Whatever! At least I know what to get now, so gimmie a minute!” Rainbow headed for the door.

“Thanks.” Megan said.

“Not doing it for you. I’m doing it so I can check up on that idiot.” Rainbow reluctantly agreed to Megan’s request.

“Oh, Rainbow, don’t forget to show the guards at the academy your ID card!” Spitfire reminded.

“I know!” Rainbow took off like a rocket, leaving behind a rainbow blur like usual.

Megan then turned to his friends, holding out the paper bag. “Now, if you don’t mind, I need your cell phones. The sooner I get to work, the better. Thanks to Mina finding that toolset, I can even do this.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard, okay?” Trisha said, dropping her smartphone into the bag.

“Hmph. I’m nothing like our foolish leader, remember?” Megan answered giving a smile for the first time in a while. “In any case, if you require me, I’ll be in the treasure room with the rest of the crystals. For now, I bid you all a good night.”

“Aww, man, tomorrow’s gonna suck!” Chris complained.

“No sense complaining. Apparently we have to solve a mystery before we can even begin to deal with the latest threat. Besides, I wonder why so much is being done just to bring Nightmare Moon back. It doesn’t make any sense. What does it even have to do with ‘ideals’?” Shining said.

“Trials like these are simply a challenge for us Wonderbolts. I’ll have to inform the others about the plan. We need all the help we can get..” Spitfire smiled, looking forward to tomorrow.

“You got that right. We’re gonna have to inform the cadets as well.” Soarin added.

“Yeah. Okay everyone, let’s try to sleep well tonight, okay?” Twilight said, to which everyone agreed.

____________________________________________

Meanwhile, in a seemingly far away land, a young, dark-skinned man felt the nighttime breeze brush his cheeks, gently waking him up.

Wearing a dark, button-up shirt with black pants and cyan tie, the young man’s eyes slowly began to open. Once his hands felt the rustling of the grass beneath him, his eyes shot open extremely fast.

With a quick scan of his surroundings, he immediately realized that something was wrong.

“Uhh, where the hell am I?” The man rolled over and slowly stood on his feet, eventually facing what appeared to be a field of very bright flowers. looking down, he saw even more of those flowers brushing against his legs, rustling in the direction of the wind pushing against the young man’s back.

He wanted answers. And he wanted them now.

That request would soon be answered with a simple question addressed to him.

“Doth thou seek the truth?”

Author's Note:

Alllllllright, it took my ass long enough, but here's another chapter. I've been working off and on with this one, as I had a whole lot of trouble with it. But I wanted to establish a mastermind. And now I did.

I'm not sure if I did a good job, but I'm hoping I did. I wanted to add more humor to the seriousness of this story.

I mean, why not?
Anyway, tell me in the comments below what you like/hate, and I'll address'em!

I'm not very fond of getting random dislikes. If there's something you don't like, say it in the comments below and I'll address it. I can't get better if I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

Thanks for reading!

Comments

[Violet Runner]

Lunar Illuminati and the Celestial Committee

I would have went with the New Lunar Republic and the Solar Empire but I guess you needed a something from their world the humans could relate to.

[Nyte-Blade]

2850540

Well yeah. They're only research groups, not nations. A thousand years ago, the groups had a single task.
Saying they're a republic or an empire would mean that they're a whole friggin state. Not to mention, I'd have to slap on the AU tag for real if we're gonna deal with whole universes.

Sooooooo I stick with Lunar Illuminati and Celestial Committee. Plus, it's as you said; something the humans could relate to. So it works. :P